1. Station Eleven // Emily St. John Mandel

“It was gorgeous and claustrophobic. I loved it and I always wanted to escape.”

2. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe // C.S. Lewis

“Aslan is a lion- the Lion, the great Lion." "Ooh" said Susan. "I'd thought he was a man. Is he-quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion"..."Safe?" said Mr Beaver ..."Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you.” 

3. Restless // Jennie Allen

"Great people do not do great things; God does great things through surrendered people."

4. Outliers // Malcolm Gladwell

"The people who stand before kings may look like they did it all by themselves. But in fact they are invariably the beneficiaries of hidden advantages and extraordinary opportunities and cultural legacies that allow them to learn and work hard and make sense of the world in ways others cannot. It makes a difference where and when we grew up."

5. Paper Towns // John Green

“It is easy to forget how full the world is of people, full to bursting, and each of them imaginable and consistently misimagined.” 

1. Bittersweet // Shauna Niequist

“Everybody has a home team: It’s the people you call when you get a flat tire or when something terrible happens. It’s the people who, near or far, know everything that’s wrong with you and love you anyways. These are the ones who tell you their secrets, who get themselves a glass of water without asking when they’re at your house. These are the people who cry when you cry. These are your people, your middle-of-the-night, no-matter-what people.” 

2. Rebecca // Daphne Du Maurier

“If only there could be an invention that bottled up a memory, like scent. And it never faded, and it never got stale. And then, when one wanted it, the bottle could be uncorked, and it would be like living the moment all over again.” 

3. Redeeming Love // Francine Rivers

“Love is the way back into Eden. It is the way back to life.” 

4. The Traitor's Wife // Allison Pataki

“I suppose the true test of character comes when facing life’s harshest blows and disappointments. When things don’t turn out how you had hoped they would, do you grow bitter? Spiteful? Blame others and spread your misery? Or do you keep your head high and walk with grace, meeting the struggles which God has placed in your path?” 

5. You and Me Forever // Francis and Lisa Chan

"Sometimes people are paralyzed by fear of failure. They are so afraid that they might do the wrong thing that they do nothing. We need to learn to err on the side of action, because we tend to default to negligence." 

View past reading lists here.

When I visit someone’s house for the first time, one of the first things I notice is their pile of books (or lack thereof). I don’t take note of their books to be judgmental or make mental comparisons, but because I think people’s books reveal a lot about themselves and I have a weirdly fanatic, deep love for all types of literature. I’m the type of person who spends hours in Barnes & Noble (to Kevin’s dismay) and reads every word printed in her magazines and spends an entire Anthropologie gift card on coffee table books. And because I believe books are beautiful, magical manifestos, I love the idea that books should be displayed.

A good coffee table book is a combination of the best things. Art, writing, photography, fashion, and home décor are often wrapped up into the wonderful, glossy bound pages. It is both aesthetically pleasing and useful and I can’t think of a better object to display on a coffee table than a big, beautiful book. While I am still trying to master the art of coffee table décor, I have found that charming and good books are the foundations of my ideal coffee table: the coffee table that I would like to sit next to when I have deep conversations and cry happy tears and watch Friends reruns.

And since I feel the innate need to share my finds with other coffee table book lovers (if that’s not a real thing, then it should be), here are five favorites that I would proudly display on my coffee table (if I don’t already):

1. Ralph Lauren // Ralph Lauren

2. The Nesting Place // Myquillyn Smith

3. Vivian Maier: Street Photographer // Vivian Maier, John Maloof

4. A Perfectly Kept House is the Sign of a Misspent Life // Mary R. Carter

5. The Americans // Robert Frank, Jack Kerouac

Also, keep these little Bible verse cards on your coffee table to act as encouraging reminders or as favors handed out to guests! 

SUMMER READING LIST || FOR ADVENTURE

1. Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald // Therese Anne Fowler

2. Unbroken // Laura Hillenbrand

3. The Giver // Lois Lowry

4. Love Does // Bob Goff

5. Life of Pi // Yann Martel

This is a list of a few recent reads I recommend you get lost in this summer.

...and I stumbled upon this site the other day called Scrib'd; it's like Netflix for book lovers. Yes, please.