Nookish No. 6 | Snow Day Nook

Feb 5

Nookish

It’s been a while since I got a Nookish out into the world, but I’m REALLY excited for this nook. Because LOOK AT THIS THING. I NEED IT. Does ANYONE not want to spend a snow day reading on this chair. I want to spend every day in this chair, lounging on these pillows, all bundled up. I’ve literally just spent 10 minutes trying to find this chair or something like it. Until I find it, I’m just going to stare at this picture and daydream. It’s the PERFECT place to read these books, especially because I find that, for me, snowy weather outside makes me crave books that are snowy too.

Snow Day Nook

BREADCRUMBS by ANNE URSU This is a really great MG that involves the Ice Queen, so there’s plenty of snowy landscapes. But what I loved about this book is the characters and the heart. It’s really a story about friendships and childhood and outgrowing things.

DAUGHTER OF THE FOREST by JULIET MARILLIER Snow days are perfect days to curl up and and just GET INTO a book. Really immerse yourself. DAUGHTER OF THE FOREST is an excellent book for this. Mystical and gorgeous.

ODD AND THE FROST GIANTS by NEIL GAIMAN If your goal during a snow day is to read as many books as possible, you’d be well advised to start here. It’s about Norse gods and a permanent winter and a boy named Odd, and it’s so quick.

What are some of your favorite snow day reads?

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Nookish No. 5 | Woodsy Nook

Sep 24

Nookish

It’s about that time, friends. When the air turns crisp and the leaves change color and it becomes acceptable to eat warm apple desserts. AHHH, FALL. That first chill in the air and the first hints of smoke coming from someone’s fireplace reminded me of the woods; it just seems like a really vibrant, autumnal place. So this month’s Nookish, in honor of the first day of fall, is all about the woods.

Nookish

THE WOLF WILDER | This book just has so much that attracts me: wolves, middle grade, mother-daughter dynamics, wolves, Russia, and of course, the woods. In this story, Feodora lives in the woods in Russia with her mother training wolves to return to the wild. But then the Russian Revolution starts (HELLO!! I LOVE THIS) and things get wonky. Excited for this one.

SNOW WHITE AND ROSE RED | YAY Elizabethan fae! I read this book last year with my girls, and I really enjoyed it. It’s a great retelling of this Snow White and Rose Red fairy tale, and it comes complete with magical woods!

THE MAY QUEEN MURDERS | I’m excited for this one guys! It doesn’t come out for a little while, but it’s got this fantastic creepy vibe, which is probably obvious given the “murder” in the title. But more apropos for this Nookish, the synopsis mentions secrets and woods, so here it is. Love the sound of this one.

Any woodsy books you’d like to share? Hit the comments!

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Nookish No. 4 | Outdoor Nook

Aug 26

NookishSo, guys, I want this chair. I want it so that I can hang it from a tree in my yard and sit outside whenever I want, in solitude, and read my books. It looks pretty comfortable, and the potential for reading and swinging at the same time is high, and THAT is excellent. These three books all feature some outdoor goodness, or at least the potential for some, so I think they fit this month’s Nookish pretty well.

Nookish

THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE | This is one of my favorite books, guys. It’s emotional and romantic and so fucking lovely. Jandy Nelson creates this really amazing town in Northern California, and Lenny and Joe spend a lot of time outside: in Lenny’s grandmother’s garden, Joe’s backyard, and most especially in the woods. It’s the perfect, late summer outside read. The setting is so vivid and magical, and it adds so much to Lenny and Joe’s story.

THE PENDERWICKS | Guys. This book–this series–is adorable. I love it because it’s got amazing family dynamics and awesome sisters, but it also completely fits this Nookish. These girls spend an incredible amount of time running around outside and getting into all kinds of old-school hijinks. This series has a wonderfully vintage vibe, and the setting that Jeanne Birdsall creates adds to it. A bunch of young kids running around on their summer vacation and making friends and getting into trouble? So much fun.

THE DOOR IN THE HEDGE | I’ve read just one book by Robin McKinley (SUNSHINE), and I really enjoyed it. I’ve had a ton of her other books on my TBR for a long time, and this is one of them. It’s actually, from what I understand, two stories in one. Fairy tale retellings, to be exact. I have to admit that what attracted me to this book for this Nookish was the “hedge” part in the title: you know, plants, outdoors, etc. But I’d like to curl up in my hanging comfy chair and read some fairy tale retellings.

What books would you guys bring with you to this awesome swinging chair?

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Nookish No. 3 | Beach Nook

Jul 9

NookishAhhh, summer. Can’t let this pass me by without at least one beachy book nook! I want to BE in this nook RIGHT NOW reading these books and relaxing.

Nookish beach

THE MOON & MORE • Sarah Dessen | I’ve been really feeling Sarah Dessen lately, guys. I haven’t read even half of her books, but the more of them I do read, the bigger fan I become. This especially applies to her newer books. (Some of the older ones I’ve read didn’t click with me as much.) THE MOON & MORE was not only emotional and complicated and thoughtful, it was also an awesome snapshot of Colby, North Carolina, fake-but-enchanting beach town extraordinaire.

WHAT I THOUGHT WAS TRUE • Huntley Fitzpatrick | GAH I loved this book. I don’t think I ever reviewed it properly on the blog, but I’m going to be rereading it this summer, so I probably will. New England beach towns are my kind of place, guys, and Huntley Fitzpatrick does this one really well. Also, SWOONS.

THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY • Jenny Han | This whole series is really great. Not fluffy, really, and pretty heartbreaking at times, but it’s got another great beachy setting to go along with the romantic complications, family troubles, death, grief, sadness, etc. Unfortunately, it also features one of the most annoying character nicknames of all time: Belly (vom).

What are some of your favorite beachy reads?

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Nookish No. 2

May 22

Nookish

Woo! Time for the second edition of Nookish, friends! I’m going all fancy on you this month with a Royal Nook. Isn’t it so pretty? Like, I want to close the curtains and curl up in it and just BE ALONE WITH MY BOOKS. Except for when my servants come to feed me grapes and refill my wine goblet. Then I can be interrupted.

Nookish Royal

So, in truth, I’ve only read one of the books I’m shouting out here–THE GOOSE GIRL by Shannon Hale. It’s one of my favorites. But the other two fit the theme perfectly, I think, and are two books I’ve been wanting to read…eventually.

THE PRINCESS DIARIES by Meg Cabot | I’ve seen this movie, friends, but I’ve never read the books. YES, I KNOW. I worry a teensy bit that this might be a little too twee or something, but that’s never really stopped me before.

THE ROYAL WE by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan | Lots of people have been reading this one lately, and it sounds super adorbs. Nothing like a little royal romance! Also, I do love the cover.

THE GOOSE GIRL by Shannon Hale | I ADORE THIS BOOK. The language is lyrical, the setting is evocative, and the characters are well-crafted and endearing. It sometimes reads more like a middle grade than a YA, but it has such an amazing fairy tale vibe that I sometimes forget it isn’t an old tale, but a newer one.

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Nookish No. 1

Apr 2

Nookish

So, friends. Welcome to a new feature here at Tripping Over Books: Nookish. A little background for you: I’m obsessed with book nooks. Not libraries (although HELLO, LOVE THOSE). Not big fluffy beds that you read on (love those too). Book nooks. Little cubbies under the stairs, window seats, secret book lairs up ladders. I want to have a house made only of book nooks, that’s how much I love them. So I decided to highlight some awesome ones in a new feature. Awesome, right? I agree. But as I was looking for pictures, I found myself thinking of, essentially, THEMES. Like, this book nook reminds me of this book, whether because of the decor, the colors, the room around it. Cubbies under the stairs obviously remind me of Harry Potter, for example. When I smooshed these two things together, voila! Nookish was born.

I’m thinking that I’ll post a Nookish post once a month, and I’ll highlight a nook or two and the books that I think “go” best with that nook. Of course, I’ll explain myself.

So without further ado, the first Nookish is all about…the Nordic Nook.

Reading Nook

For some reason, this nook reminds me of Scandinavia. I think it’s the combination of the wood and the stones and the patterns on the pillows. And the tree out the window looks like an evergreen, and evergreens remind me of cold/winter, and cold/winter reminds me of Scandinavia. (Even though the sun is clearly out in this picture and there isn’t any snow.) So I highlighted three books that encompass a few different genres that I’ve read and loved that incorporate Vikings, Scandinavia, and some Norse elements.

EAST by Edith Pattou | Have you guys ever read this one? It’s a really lovely retelling of the East of the Sun, West of the Moon folktale and it takes place–at least for a time–in parts of Scandinavia (can’t remember which, or if it’s even said). The bear is one of my FAVORITES ever. Highly recommend.

BURIAL RITES by Hannah Kent | I read this one with my On the Same Page gals last year and loved it. It’s the novelization of the true story of the last woman executed for murder in Iceland, Agnes. This nook especially reminds me of the badstofas from this book.

ICEFALL by Matthew J. Kirby | This is such a wonderful middle grade. I love it for so many reasons. One, Vikings. Two, mystery (but not a cheesy one). Three, Solveig. Four, it gets nicely meta when it talks about storytelling. Big, BIG fan of this.

Do you guys have any other books that you’d feel right at home reading in this nook? (Aside from all of them?) Share away!

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