My bedside table has taken a much needed break from novels over the past few weeks as my schedule has been go, go, go recently. Instead, I’ve been enjoying two cookbooks that were recommended to me a few months ago. The recipes I’ve tried so far have been delicious, healthy and satisfying, and the beauty of the food and the narratives around the recipes have made both cookbooks enjoyable reads. I love hearing about others’ experiences with and memories of certain dishes, often from their youth, and how these memories live on in the recipes they cook.  I highly recommend both. 

In an effort to become more educated about how to live a more environmentally friendly lifestyle, I picked up The Honest Life. It has been an eye opening look at the products we use and ingest on a daily basis and describes them in an easy to understand way. I appreciated its practical advice on how to make certain changes to live more environmentally friendly without overhauling your life. 

Ah New York. It’s been my home for over five years but we may be saying goodbye in the next few months. I picked up Goodbye to All That to lessen the blow of leaving my fourth love (after my fiance and two dogs, of course). The book is full of experiences that we all face while in the city, the good, the bad and the ugly. While it certainly hasn’t made me want to pack my bags just yet, it has been helpful to hear others’ journeys from the city. 

I’m happy to report that I’ve been getting some great shop submissions lately, and I’m excited to share a few with you next week. Wishing you all a great weekend, and for those on the east coast, stay warm during our next winter snow storm. 

(top photo by Explore Handmade)