Home & Garden

A seminal work that expands how we talk about the natural world and the environment as National Book Critics Circle Criticism finalist Camille T. Dungy diversifies her garden to reflect her heritage. In Soil: The Story of a Black Mother’s Garden, poet and scholar Camille T. Dungy recounts the seven-year odyssey to diversify her garden in the predominately white community of Fort Collins, Colorado. When she moved there in 2013, with her husband and daughter, the community held strict restrictions about what residents could and could not plant in their gardens. In resistance to the homogenous policies that limited the possibility and wonder that grows from the earth, Dungy employs the various plants, herbs, vegetables, and flowers she grows in her garden as metaphor and treatise for how homogeneity threatens the future of our planet, and why cultivating diverse and intersectional language in our national discourse about the environment is the best means of protecting it. Definitive and singular, Soil functions at the nexus of nature writing, environmental justice, and prose to encourage you to recognize the relationship between the peoples of the African diaspora and the land on which they live, and to understand that wherever soil rests beneath their feet is home.

“Orenstein is such a breezy, funny writer, it’s easy to forget she’s an important thinker too.”—People In this lively, funny memoir, Peggy Orenstein sets out to make a sweater from scratch—shearing, spinning, dyeing wool—and in the process discovers how we find our deepest selves through craft. Orenstein spins a yarn that will appeal to everyone.   The COVID pandemic propelled many people to change their lives in ways large and small. Some adopted puppies. Others stress-baked. Peggy Orenstein, a lifelong knitter, went just a little further. To keep herself engaged and cope with a series of seismic shifts in family life, she set out to make a garment from the ground up: learning to shear sheep, spin and dye yarn, then knitting herself a sweater. Orenstein hoped the project would help her process not just wool but her grief over the recent death of her mother and the decline of her dad, the impending departure of her college-bound daughter, and other thorny issues of aging as a woman in a culture that by turns ignores and disdains them. What she didn’t expect was a journey into some of the major issues of our time: climate anxiety, racial justice, women’s rights, the impact of technology, sustainability, and, ultimately, the meaning of home. With her wry voice, sharp intelligence, and exuberant honesty, Orenstein shares her year-long journey as daughter, wife, mother, writer, and maker—and teaches us all something about creativity and connection.  Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

Have you ever wondered if your houseplants are silently judging you? Maybe you think you and your foliated friends are happily cohabitating. Maybe you bought them on a whim and hardly think about them at all. Maybe things are a bit more complicated. Is it possible that your plants have inner lives that run deeper than their roots? That your fiddle-leaf fig finds you pathetic? That your majesty palm is deeply disdainful? Or that your philodendron has been eyeing your man? Just because your plants can't speak doesn't mean they don't have a lot to say. Proceed with caution. Once you peek into the tangled minds of these dirt-loving deviants, you might never feel at home with your houseplants again.

Focusing on plants destined for the dinner plate, The Kitchen Garden is an illustrated guide to growing edible plants from sowing to harvesting. Learn when to sow, what to grow and how to make your delicious harvest into a meal. The book features fifty-five plant profiles ranging from the everyday to the utterly unique, from broccoli to cape gooseberries. Each profile has a hero illustration and an easy-to-comprehend table detailing the most important information: when to sow and harvest; growing time; space needed between plants; optimal soil pH; whether the plant will tolerate pots and frost; and each plant's companions and dislikes. A planting chart summarising the most useful information from the plant profiles is also included, along with guidance on the different climate zones and how best to start your kitchen garden. With an emphasis on seasons rather than months, the book is a beautiful and practical gift for a garden enthusiast, whether they live in the northern or southern hemisphere. Series description: Gardens are an endless supply of bounty. Many of our everyday needs can be met with a garden. This new series, referencing seasons rather than months, works with authors and illustrators to offer practical information in an original package on how to cultivate, grow, pick, treat, heal, observe, preserve and learn from the garden. Series includes: The Picking Garden (April 2023) The Preserving Garden (August 2023) The Medicinal Garden (2024)

So you want to keep your kitchen counter clean but you aren't ready to toss the toaster? You want to be able to find your kids' socks but aren't looking to spend your 401(k) on clear bins? You long for a little more peace but minimalism isn't sparking joy? Discover 100 practical, do-able tips to organize, declutter and manage your home. Traditional organizing advice never worked for decluttering expert and self-proclaimed recovering slob Dana K. White. Is it possible, she wondered, to get organized without color coding my sock drawer? As Dana let go of the need for perfection, she discovered the joy of having an organized house in the midst of everyday life. You can too! In Organizing for the Rest of Us, Dana teaches you how to make great strides without losing your mind in organizing every room of your home. You'll find her 100 easy-to-read organizing tips invaluable, including: Why you need to get a grip on laundry and dishes before getting organized The basics of organization for people who don't like to organize Why changing how we think about clutter is the first step to getting rid of it How living with less stuff is better for the environment, our spiritual lives, and our relationships The simple yet life-changing tactic that is the container concept   Organizing for the Rest of Us includes colorful, practical photos, a presentation page, and a ribbon marker, making it a thoughtful and useful gift or self-purchase if you are: Doing spring cleaning (or cleaning during any season) Making New Year's resolutions Downsizing your own home or your parents' home Decluttering and organizing for your own peace of mind   Fans of Dana's popular podcast, A Slob Comes Clean, will treasure this book as a timeless (and frequently revisited) resource. With her humorous, lighthearted, easy-to-follow approach, Dana provides bite-size, workable solutions to break through every organizational struggle you have--for good! Look for additional, practical organizational resources from Dana: Decluttering at the Speed of Life How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind

An NPR Best Book of 2022 USA TODAY Bestseller This revolutionary approach to cleaning and organizing helps free you from feeling ashamed or overwhelmed by a messy home. If you’re struggling to stay on top of your to-do list, you probably have a good reason: anxiety, fatigue, depression, ADHD, or lack of support. For therapist KC Davis, the birth of her second child triggered a stress-mess cycle. The more behind she felt, the less motivated she was to start. She didn’t fold a single piece of laundry for seven months. One life-changing realization restored her sanity—and the functionality of her home: You don’t work for your home; your home works for you. In other words, messiness is not a moral failing. A new sense of calm washed over her as she let go of the shame-based messaging that interpreted a pile of dirty laundry as “I can never keep up” and a chaotic kitchen as “I’m a bad mother.” Instead, she looked at unwashed clothes and thought, “I am alive,” and at stacks of dishes and thought, “I cooked my family dinner three nights in a row.” Building on this foundation of self-compassion, KC devised the powerful practical approach that has exploded in popularity through her TikTok account, @domesticblisters. The secret is to simplify your to-do list and to find creative workarounds that accommodate your limited time and energy. In this book, you’ll learn exactly how to customize your cleaning strategy and rebuild your relationship with your home, including: -How to see chores as kindnesses to your future self, not as a reflection of your worth -How to start by setting priorities -How to stagger tasks so you won’t procrastinate -How to clean in quick bursts within your existing daily routine -How to use creative shortcuts to transform a room from messy to functional With KC’s help, your home will feel like a sanctuary again. It will become a place to rest, even when things aren’t finished. You will move with ease, and peace and calm will edge out guilt, self-criticism, and endless checklists. They have no place here.

A personal account of what it means to become a gardener. To make her new house in Connecticut truly feel like home, Catie Marron decided to create a garden. But while she was familiar with landscape design, she had never grown anything. A dedicated reader with a lifelong passion for literature, Marron turned to the library of gardening books she’d collected to glean advice from a variety of writers on gardening and horticultural topics both grand and small.  Marron’s quest to become a gardener, however, was about more than learning the basics about mulch or which plants work best in the shade. She sought something far more elusive: to identify the core qualities and characteristics that make a person a gardener and an understanding of what a garden could mean to her as it had to multitudes of other gardeners over the centuries. In Becoming a Gardener, Catie Marron chronicles her transformation into a gardener over the course of eighteen months, seeding the details of her experience with rich advice from writers as diverse as Eleanor Perényi and Karel Capek, Penelope Lively, and Jamaica Kincaid. As she digs deeper into her readings and works in the garden itself, Marron not only discovers the essence of gardening but in the words of Michael Pollan, “the endlessly engrossing ways that cultivating a garden attaches a body to the earth.” A delightful blend of informed opinion, personal reflection, and practical advice, Becoming a Gardener explores topics as varied as the composition of dirt, the agricultural wisdom of avid kitchen gardeners George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, the healing power of digging in the soil, and the beauty of finding solitude in nature. Throughout, Marron carefully plants special illustrated features, such as musings on the merits (and detriments) of the rose, essential tools, moonlight gardening, children’s books which feature gardens, and her favorite gardens around the world. Also included is an annotated list of recommended writers, books, and films related to gardens and gardening, and a monthly to-do calendar. Becoming a Gardener is a very special and moving portrait of life and the enduring power of literature and nature that is sure to become an instant classic. Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

Read by the author with exclusive commentary. Successful business entrepreneur Allie Casazza shares her powerful and proven method for clearing the clutter in our minds by first clearing the clutter in our homes, the place where transformation begins. When Allie Casazza first became a mom, she found herself struggling to make it through each day. She battled fatigue, depression, and the unsettling feeling that she didn't have what it took to do "this mom thing" well. When she realized the root of her burden was the overwhelm of physical clutter in her home, she got intentional about what took up her space and time. The path she carved brought her and her family greater contentment and more abundant living, and she shares it in her much-anticipated first book, Declutter Like a Mother. Allie has built a massive following--and a multimillion-dollar online business--based on her proven, family-oriented approach to living more simply. Her mission is to empower other moms to start making real, lasting change. In her winsome, relatable style, combining humor and a lighthearted kick in the pants, she motivates readers to start taking action. Once referred to as an "in-your-face Marie Kondo for millennial moms," Allie's advice is actionable, at times irreverent, and already has proven to be life changing. Discussion questions are included in the audiobook companion PDF download.

Immerse yourself in the beauty and power of nature with a different tree for every day of the year. Spend every day of the year with one of the world's most fascinating trees. In A Tree a Day seasoned nature writer and journalist Amy-Jane Beer shares 365 majestic and memorable trees from around the world. From the strength of Alder trees to the biology behind the autumn colors of New England; from folkloric medicines in tree sap to Shakespeare's Birnam Wood; from the giant sequoias of California to Klimt's Birch trees—A Tree a Day explores the botany, poetry, folklore, rich history, and natural beauty of trees. Dip in and out or spend each day exploring a new natural wonder. With award-winning photography, works of art, and detailed illustrations on every page, A Tree a Day illuminates the timeless splendor and power of the world's trees. GORGEOUS ILLUSTRATIONS: Each tree is illustrated with a unique work of art—from classical painting to breathtaking photographs. MEDITATIVE START TO EACH DAY: A Tree a Day is a beautiful reminder to pause each day and appreciate the natural world—no matter where you are. Each of the 365 entries offers a seasonal quote, fact, or story about trees to inspire gratitude and wonder. EVERGREEN: Nature lovers will return to this book day after day, year after year—it makes for the perfect bite-sized, bedside reading. AUTHOR EXPERTISE: In addition to being a nature writer for The Guardian, Amy Jane-Beer has written more than 30 books about science and natural history. Perfect for: Tree and Nature Enthusiasts; Gardeners; Hikers, Backpackers, and Campers; Environmentalist; Fans of A Cloud a Day

The perfect gift for the gardener in your life, or for anyone who loved Late Migrations and H is for Hawk. A stunning meditation on gardening and the wisdom of plants, “that rare book that will appeal to nonfiction readers everywhere ... Candid, tender, thoughtful and absorbing.” —Shelf Awareness (STARRED Review)  With “chapters... [that] shimmer like lantern slides, lit with luminous imagery ... Seed to Dust is an invitation to read this world as Mr. Hamer does—with a close eye to what changes, and what does not.”—The Wall Street Journal Marc Hamer has nurtured the same 12-acre garden in the Welsh countryside for over two decades. The garden is vast and intricate. It’s rarely visited, and only Hamer knows of its secrets. But it’s not his garden. It belongs to his wealthy and elegant employer, Miss Cashmere. But the garden does not really belong to her, either. As Hamer writes, “Like a book, a garden belongs to everyone who sees it.” In Seed to Dust, Marc Hamer paints a beautiful portrait of the garden that “belongs to everyone.” He describes a year in his life as a country gardener, with each chapter named for the month he’s in. As he works, he muses on the unusual folklores of his beloved plants. He observes the creatures who scurry and hide from his blade or rake. And he reflects on his own life: living homeless as a young man, his loving relationship with his wife and children, and—now—feeling the effects of old age on body and mind. As the seasons change, Hamer also reflects on the changes he has observed in Miss Cashmere’s life from afar: the death of her husband and the departure of her children from the stately home where she now lives alone. At the book’s end, Hamer’s connection to Miss Cashmere changes shape, and new insights into relationships and the beauty and brutality of nature emerge.  Just like all good books and gardens, Seed to Dust is filled with equal parts life and death, beauty and decay, and every reader will find something different to admire. A stunning meditation on gardening and the wisdom of plants, “that rare book that will appeal to nonfiction readers everywhere ... Candid, tender, thoughtful and absorbing.” —Shelf Awareness (STARRED Review)  With “chapters... [that] shimmer like lantern slides, lit with luminous imagery ... Seed to Dust is an invitation to read this world as Mr. Hamer does—with a close eye to what changes, and what does not.”—The Wall Street Journal Marc Hamer has nurtured the same 12-acre garden in the Welsh countryside for over two decades. The garden is vast and intricate. It’s rarely visited, and only Hamer knows of its secrets. But it’s not his garden. It belongs to his wealthy and elegant employer, Miss Cashmere. But the garden does not really belong to her, either. As Hamer writes, “Like a book, a garden belongs to everyone who sees it.” In Seed to Dust, Marc Hamer paints a beautiful portrait of the garden that “belongs to everyone.” He describes a year in his life as a country gardener, with each chapter named for the month he’s in. As he works, he muses on the unusual folklores of his beloved plants. He observes the creatures who scurry and hide from his blade or rake. And he reflects on his own life: living homeless as a young man, his loving relationship with his wife and children, and—now—feeling the effects of old age on body and mind. As the seasons change, Hamer also reflects on the changes he has observed in Miss Cashmere’s life from afar: the death of her husband and the departure of her children from the stately home where she now lives alone. At the book’s end, Hamer’s connection to Miss Cashmere changes shape, and new insights into relationships and the beauty and brutality of nature emerge.  J

This program is read by the author, and includes audio-exclusive bonus tips. Patric Richardson, aka the "Laundry Evangelist,” reveals his revolutionary methods for cleaning clothes—and making laundry loads more fun. Doing laundry is rarely anyone’s favorite task. But to Patric Richardson, laundry isn't just fun—it's a way of life. After years of running Laundry Camp at the Mall of America for thousands of eager learners, he's ready to share his tips, tricks, and hacks—bringing surprise and delight to this commonly dreaded chore. Sorting your laundry? It's not all about whites and darks. Pondering the wash cycles? Every load, even your delicates, should be washed using express or quick-wash on warm. Facing expensive dry cleaning bills? You'll learn how to wash everything—yes everything—at home. And those basically clean but smelly clothes? Richardson has a secret for freshening those too (hint: it involves vodka, not soap). Changing your relationship with laundry can also change your life. Richardson’s handy advice shows us how to save time and money (and the planet!) with our laundry—and he intersperses it all with a healthy dose of humor, real-life laundry stories, and lessons from his Appalachian upbringing and career in fashion. Laundry Love will make you wonder why you ever stressed about ironing, dry cleaning, or (god forbid) red wine spills on your new couch. No matter the issue, Richardson is here to help you make laundry miracles happen—wrinkles and stains be damned. A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books

In Clean Mama's Guide to a Healthy Home, Becky Rapinchuk, author of Simply Clean and creator of the popular cleaning website Clean Mama, provides a step-by-step guide to take charge of your home's wellness with a comprehensive, all-natural cleaning system. Scientific evidence points to a clear link between household chemicals and a number of diseases and chronic health issues. Drawing on this research, Rapinchuk's program delivers an organized, beautiful, toxic-free, environmental-friendly household by providing readers with: ● A room-by-room guide to cleaning and removing harmful toxins in one's home ● A Weekend Kick-Start Detox to ease readers into the program ● Over fifty simple, organic DIY cleaning product recipes ● Easy to digest research on common toxic products in the home, why they are dangerous to our health, and what to replace them with Cleanliness is about detoxing, embracing organic, all-natural methods and products, and protecting the environment. Moms look to Becky to guide them in the best cleaning practices for their home, and will welcome Clean Mama's Guide to a Healthy Home, which shows that going natural isn't just a better way to a cleaner home—it's vital to the health of our bodies, our families, and our planet.

Welcome to The Easy Life, where your kitchen always sparkles, your closet is organised, and your to-do list has an end. It sounds almost too good to be true, but TV's Queen of Clean, Lynsey Crombie—mother of three, pet owner, Instagrammer, This Morning cleaning expert, and head of her own cleaning business—has all the tips, tricks, and routines you need to create a happy and healthy home environment. In her latest book, Lynsey expands on her eco-friendly, tried-and-tested tips for cleaning, while also providing a series of interactive to-do lists, quick cleaning challenges, and hacks to take the stress out of managing your home. Whether you're finding that you now have time to finally get to all those deep cleaning tasks or that having all your family at home means you need every trick to keep life organised, Lynsey has you covered.

Hundreds of clever tips, solutions, and easy ways to elevate every day, from America’s most trusted lifestyle authority, in one must-have handbook   Inside these pages Martha shares all her best good things—the original life hacks for the home—to make your life easier, more fun, more delicious, and more efficient. These practical tricks cover all areas of Martha’s domestic expertise, including decorating, organizing, homekeeping, cooking, entertaining, and celebrating. From clever ways to solve common problems (use file folder dividers to organize cutting boards and sheet pans in your cabinets) to time-saving tricks (keep a pail stocked with cleaning supplies for easy access and portability to stress reducers (color-code kids’ bathroom gear to make mornings less hectic), every one of these ideas will make you wonder, “Why didn’t I think of that?” Also included are ways to use what you have (a Parmesan cheese rind will add great flavor to soup), streamline your stuff (use certain kitchen tools for many different purposes), or just make life a little more luxurious (add elegance to your table with DIY place cards). Whether functional, delightful, or a little bit of both, these are the details that enliven and inspire every day—that’s a good thing!

Recipes, DIY projects, and inspiration for a beautiful and low-waste life, from the creator of @simply.living.well on Instagram   In this timely and motivational guide, author Julia Watkins shares rituals, recipes, and projects for living simply and sustainably at home. For every area of your household—kitchen, cleaning, wellness, bath, and garden—Julia shows you how to eliminate wasteful packaging, harmful ingredients, and disposable items. Practical checklists outline easy swaps (instead of disposable sponges, opt for biodegradable sponges or Swedish dishcloths; choose a bamboo toothbrush over a plastic one) and sustainable upgrades for common household tools and products. Projects include scrap apple cider vinegar, wool dryer balls, kitchen bowl covers and cloth produce bags, non-toxic dryer sheets, all-purpose citrus cleaner, herbal tinctures and balms, and more, plus recipes for package-free essentials like homemade nut milk, hummus, ketchup, salad dressings, and veggie stock.

A NEW YORK TIMES, WASHINGTON POST, USA TODAY, AND PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BESTSELLER “[A] diverse and enlightening book . . . The 99% Invisible City is altogether fresh and imaginative when it comes to thinking about urban spaces.” —The New York Times Book Review “Here is a field guide, a boon, a bible, for the urban curious. Your city’s secret anatomy laid bare—a hundred things you look at but don’t see, see but don’t know. Each entry is a compact, surprising story, a thought piece, an invitation to marvel. Together, they are almost transformative. To know why things are as they are adds a satisfying richness to daily existence. This book is terrific, just terrific.” —Mary Roach, New York Times bestselling author of Stiff, Grunt, and Gulp “The 99% Invisible City brings into view the fascinating but often unnoticed worlds we walk and drive through every day, and to read it is to feel newly alive and aware of your place in the world. This book made me laugh, and it made me cry, and it reminded me to always read the plaque.” —John Green, New York Times bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars and Turtles All The Way Down A beautifully designed guidebook to the unnoticed yet essential elements of our cities, from the creators of the wildly popular 99% Invisible podcast  Have you ever wondered what those bright, squiggly graffiti marks on the sidewalk mean? Or stopped to consider why you don't see metal fire escapes on new buildings? Or pondered the story behind those dancing inflatable figures in car dealerships? 99% Invisible is a big-ideas podcast about small-seeming things, revealing stories baked into the buildings we inhabit, the streets we drive, and the sidewalks we traverse. The show celebrates design and architecture in all of its functional glory and accidental absurdity, with intriguing tales of both designers and the people impacted by their designs. Now, in The 99% Invisible City: A Field Guide to Hidden World of Everyday Design, host Roman Mars and coauthor Kurt Kohlstedt zoom in on the various elements that make our cities work, exploring the origins and other fascinating stories behind everything from power grids and fire escapes to drinking fountains and street signs. With deeply researched entries and beautiful line drawings throughout, The 99% Invisible City will captivate devoted fans of the show and anyone curious about design, urban environments, and the unsung marvels of the world around them.

One of Garden & Gun’s Favorite Books of 2020 A distinguished psychiatrist and avid gardener offers an inspiring and consoling work about the healing effects of gardening and its ability to decrease stress and foster mental well-being in our everyday lives. The garden is often seen as a refuge, a place to forget worldly cares, removed from the “real” life that lies outside. But when we get our hands in the earth we connect with the cycle of life in nature through which destruction and decay are followed by regrowth and renewal. Gardening is one of the quintessential nurturing activities and yet we understand so little about it. The Well-Gardened Mind provides a new perspective on the power of gardening to change people’s lives. Here, Sue Stuart-Smith investigates the many ways in which mind and garden can interact and explores how the process of tending a plot can be a way of sustaining an innermost self. Stuart-Smith’s own love of gardening developed as she studied to become a psychoanalytic psychotherapist. From her grandfather’s return from World War I to Freud’s obsession with flowers to case histories with her own patients to progressive gardening programs in such places as Rikers Island prison in New York City, Stuart-Smith weaves thoughtful yet powerful examples to argue that gardening is much more important to our cognition than we think. Recent research is showing how green nature has direct antidepressant effects on humans. Essential and pragmatic, The Well-Gardened Mind is a book for gardeners and the perfect read for people seeking healthier mental lives.

The ultimate guide to getting your life in order—with hundreds of practical and empowering ideas, projects, and tips—from America’s most trusted lifestyle authority Trust Martha to help you master all things organizing—sorting, purging, tidying, and simplifying your life—with smart solutions and inspiration. Here, she offers her best guidance, methods, and DIY projects for organizing in and around your home. Topics include room-by-room strategies (how to sort office paperwork, when to purge the garage or attic), seasonal advice (when to swap out bedding and clothing, how to put away holiday decorations), and day-by-day or week-by-week plans for projects such as de-cluttering, house cleaning, creating a filing system, overhauling the closet, and more. Martha’s indispensable expertise walks you through goal-setting, principles of organizing, useful supplies, and creating systems for ongoing success. A look into Martha’s own personal calendars offers a template for scheduling essential tasks. Last, plenty of strategies, how-tos, timelines, and checklists will help you stay organized all year long.

“A compelling and intimate reflection on love and grief and ordinary things that comfort and sustain us.” — Alison Smith, award-winning journalist Ever since her childhood on a Niagara farm, Debi has dug in the dirt to find resilience. But when her husband, Peter, was diagnosed with cancer in November, it was too late in the season to seek solace in her garden. With idle hands and a fearful mind, she sought something to sustain her through the months ahead. She soon came across Victory Gardens — the vegetable gardens cultivated during the world wars that sustained so many. During an anxious winter, she researched, drew plans, and ordered seeds. In spring, with Peter in remission, her garden thrived and life got back on track. But when Peter's cancer returned like a killing frost, the garden was a reminder that everything must come to an end. A Victory Garden for Trying Times is a personal journey of love, loss, and healing through the natural cycles of the earth.

More Style, Less Stuff Cozy Minimalism isn’t about going without or achieving a particular new, modern style. Nope. It’s simply a mindset that helps you get whatever style you love with the fewest possible items. You want a warm, cozy, inviting home, without using more resources, money, and stuff than needed. Why use more if you don't have to? In Cozy Minimalist Home, accidental stylist and bestselling author Myquillyn Smith guides you step by step on making purposeful design decisions for your home. You'll have the tools to transform your home starting with what you already have, and using just enough of the right furniture and decor to create a home you're proud of in a way that honors your personal priorities, budget, and style. No more fretting when it comes to decorating your house! In Cozy Minimalist Home, Myquillyn Smith helps you: Realize your role as the curator of your home who makes smart, style-impacting design choices Finally know what to focus on, and what not to worry about when it comes to your home Discover the real secret to finding your unique style—it has nothing to do with those style quizzes Understand how to find a sofa you won't hate tomorrow Deconstruct each room and then re-create it step by step with a fail proof process Create a pretty home with more style and less stuff—resulting in backwards decluttering! Finish your home and have it looking the way you've always hoped so you can use it the way you've always dreamed After listening to Myquillyn's first book, The Nesting Place, women everywhere were convinced that it doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful and they found real contentment in their homes. But how does a content imperfectionist make actual design decisions? Cozy Minimalist Home is the answer to that question. Written for the hands-on woman who'd rather move her own furniture than hire a designer, this is the guidance she needs to finish every room of her house. With people, priorities and purpose in mind, anyone can create a beautiful home that transcends the trends. A pretty home is nice, but a Cozy Minimalist home goes beyond pretty and sets the stage for connection, relationship, and rest.

Academy Award–winning actress, producer, and entrepreneur Reese Witherspoon invites you into her world, where she infuses the southern style, parties, and traditions she loves with contemporary flair and charm. Reese Witherspoon’s grandmother Dorothea always said that a combination of beauty and strength made southern women “whiskey in a teacup.” We may be delicate and ornamental on the outside, she said, but inside we’re strong and fiery. Reese’s southern heritage informs her whole life, and she loves sharing the joys of southern living with practically everyone she meets. She takes the South wherever she goes with bluegrass, big holiday parties, and plenty of Dorothea’s fried chicken. It’s reflected in how she entertains, decorates her home, and makes holidays special for her kids—not to mention how she talks, dances, and does her hair (in these pages, you will learn Reese’s fail-proof, only slightly insane hot-roller technique). Reese loves sharing Dorothea’s most delicious recipes as well as her favorite southern traditions, from midnight barn parties to backyard bridal showers, magical Christmas mornings to rollicking honky-tonks. It’s easy to bring a little bit of Reese’s world into your home, no matter where you live. After all, there’s a southern side to every place in the world, right?

*The basis for the wonderfully funny and moving TV series developed by Amy Poehler and Scout Productions* A charming, practical, and unsentimental approach to putting a home in order while reflecting on the tiny joys that make up a long life. In Sweden there is a kind of decluttering called döstädning, dö meaning “death” and städning meaning “cleaning.” This surprising and invigorating process of clearing out unnecessary belongings can be undertaken at any age or life stage but should be done sooner than later, before others have to do it for you. In The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, artist Margareta Magnusson, with Scandinavian humor and wisdom, instructs readers to embrace minimalism. Her radical and joyous method for putting things in order helps families broach sensitive conversations, and makes the process uplifting rather than overwhelming. Margareta suggests which possessions you can easily get rid of (unworn clothes, unwanted presents, more plates than you’d ever use) and which you might want to keep (photographs, love letters, a few of your children’s art projects). Digging into her late husband’s tool shed, and her own secret drawer of vices, Margareta introduces an element of fun to a potentially daunting task. Along the way readers get a glimpse into her life in Sweden, and also become more comfortable with the idea of letting go.

From New York Times best-selling author Alice Hoffman and master knitter Lisa Hoffman comes Faerie Knitting, a magical melding of words and yarn where the ordinary is turned into the extraordinary and where imagination becomes creation. The magic of storytelling and the magic of knitting — woven together in 14 original patterns inspired by each story. Featuring original fairy tales, Faerie Knitting is an entrancing collection of stories of love and loss, trust and perseverance. Seamlessly woven into the plot of each tale is a magical garment or accessory inspired by the bravery and self-reliance of the tale’s heroine and brought to life through an imaginative and bespoke knit pattern. From the "Blue Heron Shawl" and the "Love Never Ending Cowl", to the "Three Wishes Mittens" and "Amulet Necklace", each project is as wearable as it is magical. Lush, atmospheric photography captures the enchanted faerie domain while beautifully rendered charts and instructions are well suited for beginner and advanced knitters alike. Faerie Knitting is a rare gift for creators — and lovers — of magic.

This A-to-Z guide illuminates the numerous health benefits of 50 common, easy-to-grow houseplants along with detailed care instructions and beautiful illustrations of each plant. With plant-scaped rooms popping up all over Pinterest, style blogs, and home décor magazines, houseplants are the hottest home accessory right now—and for good reason. Plants are a quick and easy way to add life, color, and texture to any indoor space. But houseplants offer so much more than just visual interest to a room. They can purify the air, reduce stress, improve sleep—and much more! Houseplants for a Healthy Home explains the specific health and wellness benefits of 50 common, easy-to-grow, and popular houseplants, while introducing you to new favorites bound to brighten your life. You will find an A-to-Z guide of a variety of the plants that includes a beautiful illustration of each plant, along with the plant’s health benefits and clear, detailed care instructions. Let Houseplants for a Healthy Home lead you to a life in full bloom.

From the cleaning and homekeeping expert and creator of the wildly popular Clean Mama blog comes a simple and accessible cleaning guide with a proven step-by-step schedule for tidying a home in just ten minutes a day. Becky Rapinchuk, the “Clean Mama,” understands that many people don’t have the time, organizational skills, or homemaking habits to maintain a constantly clean and decluttered living space. In Simply Clean, Becky will help you effortlessly keep a tidy house and build habits to become a neat person—no matter how messy you may naturally be! Simply Clean features: -A 7-Day Simply Clean Kick Start and the 28-Day Simply Clean Challenge, to turn cleaning from a chore into an effortless habit -A designated catch-up day, so you’ll never have to worry or stress when life gets in the way of cleaning -Step-by-step tutorials for speed cleaning hard-to-clean spaces -Dozens of recipes for organic, environmentally conscious cleaning supplies -Many of Becky’s famous checklists, schedules, and habit trackers No matter how big your home or busy your schedule, the Simply Clean method can be customized to fit your life. It really is possible—in just ten minutes a day, you can create a cleaner, happier home.

A New York Times bestseller about how cats conquered the world and our hearts in this “deep and illuminating perspective on our favorite household companion” (Huffington Post). House cats rule bedrooms and back alleys, deserted Antarctic islands, even cyberspace. And unlike dogs, cats offer humans no practical benefit. The truth is they are sadly incompetent mouse-catchers and now pose a threat to many ecosystems. Yet, we love them still. In the “eminently readable and gently funny” (Library Journal, starred review) The Lion in the Living Room, Abigail Tucker travels through world history, natural science, and pop culture to meet breeders, activists, and scientists who’ve dedicated their lives to cats. She visits the labs where people sort through feline bones unearthed from the first human settlements, treks through the Floridian wilderness in search of house cats-turned-hunters on the loose, and hangs out with Lil Bub, one of the world’s biggest celebrities—who just happens to be a cat. “Fascinating” (Richmond Times-Dispatch) and “lighthearted” (The Seattle Times), Tucker shows how these tiny felines have used their relationship with humans to become one of the most powerful animals on the planet. A “lively read that pounces back and forth between evolutionary science and popular culture” (The Baltimore Sun), The Lion in the Living Room suggests that we learn that the appropriate reaction to a house cat, it seems, might not be aww but awe.

You don’t have to live overwhelmed by stuff—you can get rid of clutter for good! While the world seems to be in love with the idea of tiny houses and minimalism, real women with real families who are constantly growing and changing simply can’t purge it all and start from nothing. Yet a home with too much stuff is a home that is difficult to maintain, so where do we begin? Add in paralyzing emotional attachments and constant life challenges, and it can feel almost impossible to make real decluttering progress. In Decluttering at the Speed of Life, decluttering expert and author Dana White identifies the mind-sets and emotional challenges that make it difficult to declutter. Then, in her signature humorous approach, she provides workable solutions to break through these struggles and get clutter out—for good! But more than simply offering strategies, Dana dives deep into how to implement them, no matter the listener’s clutter level or emotional resistance to decluttering. She helps identify procrasticlutter—the stuff that will get done eventually so it doesn’t seem urgent—as well as how to make progress when there’s no time to declutter. Sections of the book include Why You Need This Book (You Know Why) Your Unique Home Decluttering in the Midst of Real Life Change Your Mind, Change Your Home Breaking Through Your Decluttering Delusions Working It Out Room by Room Helping Others Declutter Real Life Goes On (and On) As long as we’re living and breathing, new clutter will appear. The good news is that decluttering can get easier, become more natural, and require significantly fewer hours, less emotional bandwidth, and little to no sweat to keep going.

New York Times Bestseller Embrace Hygge (pronounced hoo-ga) and become happier with this definitive guide to the Danish philosophy of comfort, togetherness, and well-being. Why are Danes the happiest people in the world? The answer, says Meik Wiking, CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen, is Hygge. Loosely translated, Hygge—pronounced Hoo-ga—is a sense of comfort, togetherness, and well-being. "Hygge is about an atmosphere and an experience," Wiking explains. "It is about being with the people we love. A feeling of home. A feeling that we are safe." Hygge is the sensation you get when you’re cuddled up on a sofa, in cozy socks under a soft throw, during a storm. It’s that feeling when you’re sharing comfort food and easy conversation with loved ones at a candlelit table. It is the warmth of morning light shining just right on a crisp blue-sky day. The Little Book of Hygge introduces you to this cornerstone of Danish life, and offers advice and ideas on incorporating it into your own life, such as: Get comfy. Take a break. Be here now. Turn off the phones. Turn down the lights. Bring out the candles. Build relationships. Spend time with your tribe. Give yourself a break from the demands of healthy living. Cake is most definitely Hygge. Live life today, like there is no coffee tomorrow. From picking the right lighting to organizing a Hygge get-together to dressing hygge, Wiking shows you how to experience more joy and contentment the Danish way.

Is Clutter Taking Over Your Home and Life? Stuff. So much stuff! Stuff that may link you to important memories or be needed again someday, but for now just clutters up cupboards and closets and the garage and tables, shelves, and bookcases. Or perhaps paper and miscellaneous stuff is piled on counters...everywhere! What can you do with all of it? You can trust Melissa Michaels, creator of the highly respected and popular blog The Inspired Room and a reformed stuff-keeper. In these pages you will find a friend who empathizes with you and offers insightful ideas for altering your habits while efficiently decluttering and organizing your home so that you can really enjoy living there. With Melissa's encouragement and practical advice, you will be inspired to create a place for the things you love and breathing room to pursue your dreams and engage in life with the people who matter most.