If April showers bring May flowers, there’s a good chance we’ll be spending a lot of this month indoors. So, get into a good book to distract you, and also keep you entertained. Anytime I can lounge around, tucked into my favorite fuzzy blanket, is a true delight. I’m also one of those oddballs that love a brooding rainy day — as long as I don’t have to leave the house. I take it as a sign to take a break, or simply slow down. It’s what I look forward to every April!

We created the perfect April reading list with a little bit of everything. We are moved by the stories, inspired by the recipes and constantly learning from luminary figures and new creatives alike.

World Travel: An Irreverent Guide by Anthony Bourdain and Laurie Woolever: My boyfriend and I traveled the world from our couch through self-induced marathons of “Parts Unknown” and “No Reservations.” It’s still hard to believe Anthony Bourdain is gone, but his work is still very much appreciated. World Travel couldn’t have come at a better time; maybe we can’t physically explore the world, but to do it through the perspective of Bourdain is an essential experience.
Broken (in the best possible way) by Jenny Lawson: Lawson is probably one of the first bloggers I ever followed, you know, before blogging was really an official thing for creatives to do. She is so frank and honest about mental illness, anxiety and depression with her unique sense of humor.
You Love Me: A You Novel by Caroline Kepnes: Our obsession with You is back, and as the final book of the series, I can’t help but want to know everything. Kepnes’s ability to keep us guessing is just one of the many reasons that I’m drawn to her work.
The Pepper Thai Cookbook: Family Recipes from Everyone’s Favorite Thai Mom by Pepper Teigen: I swear by both of Chrissy Teigen’s previous cookbooks! I actually use several of her recipes weekly to create delicious, enjoyable meals whenever I’m just not feeling creative in the kitchen. Her mother, Pepper Teigen is diving into family recipes that will surely help you break up any tired meal routines.
Jungalow: Decorate Wild by Justina Blakeney: Need some inspiration to make your home feel more like you? Blakeney’s style is wild and beautiful, and she’s sharing the stories behind her inspiration, DIY projects you can try yourself and irresistible images that had me drooling and yearning for an entirely new look for my own home.
Merry Jane’s The CBD Solution: Living: CBD and Cannabis for Sleep, Skin, Sex and Other Daily Rituals by Lauren Wilson: We love the Merry Jane CBD Solution series, and this third installment might just be the most comprehensive yet. It has more than 25 recipes and DIY projects for the CBD- and cannabis-curious, plus it looks stunning on your coffee table.
How Far You Have Come: Musings on Beauty and Courage by Morgan Harper Nichols: Art and poetry perfectly meld in Nichols’s highly anticipated book. She shares stories and weaves them with captivating poetry and imagery, awakening something within you.
Second First Impressions: A Novel by Sally Thorne: Need to dive into an amusing work of fiction? Sally Thorne is back with a with a thoughtfully funny and pleasant story on how opposites tend to attract one another, for the bettter.
How to Build a Goddamn Empire by Ali Kriegsman: Ali Kriegsman is the cofounder and COO of Bulletin, a wholesale marketplace with 90 percent of its brands being women-owned. She is bringing her ability to be business savvy and creative to the table, in a hand guide on building an empire of your very own.
The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba by Chanel Cleeton: Based on true events, and the life of Cuban legend, Evangelina Cisneros, The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba is a third-person encounter on an enthralling real-life mystery. The story is told from the eyes of writer and reporter, Grace Harrington, sent to Cuba to cover the story of 18-year-old Evangelina Cisneros, who is currently in a Havana women’s jail.