5 Book Deals for Spring

Week 2 and I'm already breaking my own rules. The books I have to share with you today are not under $5, but they are totally worth it. I felt really inspired to pull some springy books together to share the spring vibes with you, and I did my best to find the place with the best deal on each.

I'll give you a couple links to some of them so you can poke around - keep an eye on the cheapest prices: they might be used. Which may or may not matter to you. :)

Here are five affordable Springy books I think you might love:

A Book That Takes Its Time by Irene Smit & Astrid van der Hulst
I got this book a handful of years ago, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I'd often read it on my backyard patio or on my hammock under my favorite tree. It's the perfect book to do exactly what the title suggests - take your time! It's full of inspirational quotes, ideas, illustrations, and even recipes. It's a great resource for getting the creative juices flowing and getting into some outdoorsy springy vibes.

Find it here: Book Outlet (cheapest) | Amazon

Nature Anatomy by Julia Rothman
I homeschooled my kids for the first half of the school year, and I'd originally found this book as a resource to use for science. It's wonderful for that, but I also just enjoyed reading through it. I learned so many little facts about nature throughout this book, and loved Julia's illustrations. It's light, quick, and beautiful, and will for sure get you excited for more time outdoors.

Find it here: Biblio (cheapest) | AbeBooks | Amazon

The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohllenben
I love trees - like, a lot. I adore them and am fascinated by them, so I really enjoyed learning more about them with this book. If you've ever wondered about trees at all - how they grow, how they get so tall and sturdy, how something so large grows from something so tiny - you'll love learning about all of that plus a lot more you might never have realized trees are capable of. It's incredible! Bonus points if you read this one outside with the trees.

Find it here: AbeBooks (cheapest) | Amazon

A Poem for Every Spring Day, Edited by Allie Esiri
I actually haven't read this one, but I have the Autumn version and love it! I love to sit with my morning coffee and read the day's poems. Not to mention the covers on these poetry collections are gorgeous! This is on the pricier side of everything else on the list, but I love them and couldn't pass on sharing - this book is such a vibe for spring!

Find it here: AbeBooks (cheapest) | Amazon

The Nature Fix by Florence Williams
I really enjoyed learning about the importance of spending time outdoors in this book. Learning about things like forest bathing and noise pollution was really interesting and helpful, and got me to think about being among all the green and growing things in a new way. This is a great read if you're looking to fit more outdoors time in your life or you have an interest in the physical and mental benefits of being outside. Everyone should know this stuff!!

Find it here: Biblio (cheapest) | Amazon

And, a bonus, because this looks gorgeous. It might also be the most affordable coffee table book I've ever seen? So you can get your ultra-good deal fix with this one.

New York in Bloom by Georgianna Lane
I haven't read this, but it seems like it would be gorgeous to flip through. It's full of photos from plants and flowers blooming around NYC. It sounds like a really pretty contrast, though I love flowers anywhere you put them. :)

Find it here: Book Outlet

Don't forget: if you make a purchase at Book Outlet for the first time, you can get $5 off a $25 order with my link. Click here to grab that deal!

Wishing you breezy, blooming, gorgeous reading days! 

This post contains affiliate links at no cost to you! This means that if you click through and make a purchase, I may make a small commission or earn credits towards books. I appreciate every little bit that helps me support my blog. Grateful for you! xx

5 Books for Less than $5

You don't have to know me for very long to know that I love shopping, I love books, and I love a good deal. And when it comes to books specifically, if you like to own books or you have dreams of building your own beautiful library, it gets pricey. I own too many books, for sure, but I would never be able to without bargain shopping.

I'm not sure that everyone is aware of how inexpensively you can find books? My favorite methods are: shopping the library's book sales, garage sales, using Book Outlet, and sometimes the buy 2 get 1 deals that Target or Amazon host from time to time. Book of the Month is not as much of a bargain, but if you want brand new releases and the most current reads you can get your hands on, that's for sure the most affordable way to do it. 

Now that I've given you all of my secrets...let me share a few specific deals with you? I'm thinking...every week. Because let us not forget how inexpensive it can be to love books, and love collecting them even more!

Here's the thing, though: not everyone is my kinda reader. I like to share happy, lighthearted, often YA, almost always romance-flavored books. Sometimes psychological based nonfiction. Occasionally a really well written contemporary. So if you're looking for thrillers, I'm not ya girl. Howeverrr...you can still find great deals on those in the places where I find my deals, so if you still want $5 off a $25 purchase at Book Outlet, here ya go. :)

Here are 5 books under $5 right now that I think are worth the read!

(Keep in mind that if you're reading this after March 2022, prices and availability may have changed!)

Summer Days and Summer Nights (edited by Stephanie Perkins)
If you only grab one, make it this! I read this adorable anthology on a beach a handful of summers ago, and it was THE BEST relaxing summer reading experience. This book has a collection of 12 short stories written by bestselling YA authors, and there is something for everyone! There is a great collection of couples and scenarios in here - I think there's even a weird one involving a sea monster? They are so fun to read, and every time I see this book I wish there were more like it so I could have the same reading experience again! There's a wintery/holiday one out there, too, but the world for sure needs another collection of summery stories.

Open Road Summer by Emery Lord

Do I have Summer on the brain? Hmmm maybe. We've got a little fake spring going here in Buffalo this week, and it's got me thinking about warm, lazy days of reading on my backyard patio. Great time to stock up on books to get ready for that! This one was so fun and indulgent because it brings you on tour with a pair of high school age best friends (one of them is a famous singer) and gives you a glimpse into their angsty love lives. When I was their age, I wanted to BE Britney Spears and I loved any backstage glimpse of her life that MTV put out there (ya I know, yikes), so this was super indulgent for early-teens me. Perfect one for something light-ish and fun.

Just a Boy and a Girl in a Little Canoe by Sarah Mlynowski
Not exactly hitting you with a literary masterpiece here, but if you're still feeling the summery vibes, like to visit summer camp with some angsty teens, and enjoy getting whisked away in the drama of other people trying to figure out their dating lives...here's an affordable one for you. I read this last summer and it was quick and indulgent, though maybe the dancing around cheating was a liiittle on the cringe side. You decide if it's your cup of tea!

Only a Breath Apart by Katie McGarry
Here's one that's angsty for totally different reasons - childhood boy/girl best friends that went their separate ways in high school are then tasked with smoothing things over as a condition of a will. They both have a tumultuous past with their families, and it makes for a very emotional and invested experience. There's some woo-woo stuff going on surrounding a curse, and I love that sort of thing so I appreciated what it added to the story. While possibly triggering for some, I loved this book and could not put it down. The characters and their strained relationship stuck with me long after I finished it!

Virtually Yours by Sarvenaz Tash
And finally, this book is unlike most YA and romance that I've read. It's so unique! A college freshman at NYU decides to give virtual dating a shot. The program allows you to design your own avatar, so when she meets with her matches and one of them happens to be her ex-boyfriend, he can't tell that it's her. He's not her only match, though, and one of the others becomes her in-real-life friend. It's really fun and exciting to watch what unfolds!

Okay, so - before you add any of these to your cart, let me hook you up with a coupon. THIS link will get you $5 off a $25 order at Book Outlet if you've never shopped there before. They sell overstock books, and at times, scratch and dent copies that have little flaws like, a dog eared front cover, or a slash on the back from someone cutting open a box too enthusiastically (still totally readable, though, and those copies are even cheaper than the overstock ones!)

They get new books all the time, so it's always fun to explore, AND - you can earn points each time you order and take their monthly survey, which will eventually add up to a gift card you can use to buy even more books. It's ridiculous, really. I'm so sorry for hooking you on them. ;)

This post contains affiliate links! In this posts' case, I will not make any money off your clicks or purchases, but I may earn rewards (points at Book Outlet, a free book at BOTM, for example). I appreciate every little bookish bit, and I hope you love your new affordable books, too! xx

When the Inevitable Finds You.

It's been a long, weird two years. 

Most of it filled with anxiety and grief. Sure, there were long lazy mornings spent on Animal Crossing islands, more outdoor minutes than ever before, and for a beat - a sourdough starter to be fascinated by. 

But it was lonely, and divisive, and confusing. And as we approached evidence that a return to normal-ish was finally possible, I assumed that the good, bad, and all the in-between of the pandemic experience was coming to a close. 

I don't know, maybe it still is.

But not for me and my house.

Because last Tuesday morning, my eight year old walked into school and caught covid. I mean - I can't say that for sure. There are other avenues of exposure he went down last week. But based on his Thursday symptoms and omicron's 48 hour incubation, it's a safe bet.

What was really fun, was following in his footsteps about 10 hours later.

The pinnacle of our enjoyment was when the other three members of our household had to pack up their things and rush out of the house lest those spike proteins dug themselves into their A2 receptors as well.

(Very grateful that covid did not disintegrate the sarcasm center of my brain.)

Last weekend was a flaming heap of garbage. Both my little guy and I have been sicker in the past, for certain, but not being able to freely breathe through your own nose is never a good time. Not to mention, knowing that you're carrying a novel virus that will wreak unknown havoc on your body for who knows how long makes it the scariest stuffy nose of your life.

So. We did our best to remain calm, but it wasn't easy. My mental health was in the shitter on day 4.

Turns out, the resulting sob fest was the key to my recovery. Tears, in enough quantity, act like a natural neti pot. (Follow me for more covid recovery tips!) My sinuses were never more grateful for my fragile emotional state. I've been on the up ever since. So, don't let anyone ever tell you that sitting on the floor crying and chanting "this is too hard" is pathetic. You're practicing medicine, babe.

For six days, I spent every waking moment with a sick eight year old, three high-maintenance cats, and a dog with separation anxiety that couldn't understand why half her pack was missing and spent 23 hours a day longingly looking out the window for them.

Here's what we did:

• Blew through three boxes of tissues. They filled a whole garbage bag.
  
  
• Watched the first two seasons of The Good Place together. It's really adorable to watch a kid make very, very incorrect predictions for what will happen next. Cutie doesn't know the sitcom patterns yet! Adorbs.
  
  
• Had UberEats drop us some soup from Panera. Five stars for Shawn.
  
  
• Rarely put in the effort to shift from one set of pajamas to another.
  
  
• Shared a sick bed, but upside down. My dude was afraid to be in his room alone (he shares with his brother normally), but I didn't love the idea of us breathing covid back and forth all night. So I set him up head-to-feet, and he got a kick out of it. I also got a kick out of it - from his giant beyond his years flippers that he calls feet.
  
  

And, in the middle of the night, when I couldn't sleep and sniffled over cups of tea and cough drops, I decided that it was high time to keep up with the Kardashians. I went two damn decades not giving a rat's ass about what the hell they did in front of cameras for the past twenty years, and suddenly, at 3am, I needed to know. I've now watched hours of that garbage, and Kourtney still hasn't even given birth, Khloe is still using her weird baby voice, and Kim hasn't been married for 72 hours yet.

So.

Has this been the weirdest week of my life? You bet. 

This morning, there was a very chunky one-legged goose on my roof and I'm not sure what kind of sign that is, but I think I'm in the upside down? None of this feels real. I mean, in what world does a mom work her ass off to protect her family from a pandemic for two years, and then she gets it the very week "it's over"? The moment everyone is unmasking? What kind of plot is that? Who wrote this??

Am I in The Bad Place?