Home, Health, & Humor
Make the most of time spent at home. With self-care, home improvement, food, and laughter--end the year with some comfort. We've earned it.
The book of hygge : the Danish art of contentment, comfort, and connection / Louisa Thomsen Brits
Whether you’re seeking mindfulness gifts, meditation gifts, or are looking for a way to bring calm and comfort into your home, hygge is the solution. Hygge (hoo-gah) is a Danish word for a feeling of being warm, safe, comforted, and sheltered—an experience of belonging to the moment and to each other. When life gets hectic, work grows stressful, and the days fly by, unplug and tune in. This definitive guide to hygge deserves a place on your coffee table—and in your heart.
Cozy: the art of arranging yourself in the world / Isabel Gillies
When we talk about being cozy, most of us think of a favorite sweater or a steaming cup of tea on a rainy day. But to Isabel Gillies, coziness goes beyond mere objects. To be truly cozy, she argues, means learning to identify the innermost truth of yourself and carrying it into the world, no matter your environment. Starting when she was young, Gillies has gradually learned the art and subtle beauty of creating a life where you feel safe, steadied, and at home in the world. From old family recipes and subway rides to jury duty and hospital stays, Gillies shows readers that true ease stems not with throw pillows and a candle, but from opportunities to feel that we are part of something bigger than ourselves, and learn to make ourselves at home no matter where we are.
Soothe your nerves : the Black woman's guide to understanding and overcoming anxiety, panic, and fear / Angela Neal-Barnett
Thousands of Black women suffer from anxiety. What's worse is that many of us have been raised to believe we are Strong Black Women and that seeking help shows weakness. So we often turn to dangerous quick fixes that only exacerbate the problem -- like overeating and drug and alcohol abuse -- or we deny that we have problems at all.
In Soothe Your Nerves, Dr. Angela Neal-Barnett explains which factors can contribute to anxiety, panic, and fear in Black women and offers a range of healing methods that will help you or a loved one reclaim your life.
Here finally is a blueprint for understanding and overcoming anxiety from a psychological, spiritual, and Black perspective.
Pantsdrunk (Kalsarikänni) : the Finnish path to relaxation (drinking at home, alone, in your underwear) / Miska Rantanen
Danes have hygge. Swedes have lagom. But the Finns have the best--"kalsariokanni" or pantsdrunk--drinking at home, alone, in your underwear. When it comes to happiness rankings, Finland always scores near the top. Many Finnish phenomena set the bar high: the best education system, gender equality, a flourishing welfare state, sisu or bull-headed pluck. Behind all of these accomplishments lies a Finnish ability to stay calm, healthy and content in a riptide of endless tasks and temptations. The ability comes from the practice of "kalsarikanni" translated as pantsdrunk. Peel off your clothes down to your underwear. Place savory or sweet snacks within reach alongside your bed or sofa. Make sure your television remote control is nearby along with any and all devices to access social media. Open your preferred alcohol. Your journey toward inner strength, higher quality of life, and peace of mind has begun.
Wild at home : how to style and care for beautiful plants / Hilton Carter
Make your home a healthier and more beautiful place to be with Hilton Carter's inspirational ideas. Take a tour through Hilton's own apartment and other lush spaces, filled with a huge array of thriving plants, and learn all you need to know to create your own urban jungle. As the owner of over 200 plants, Hilton feels strongly about the role of plants in one's home - not just for the beauty they add, but for health benefits as well: 'having plants in your home not only adds life, but changes the airflow throughout. It's also a key design element when styling your place. For me, it wasn't about just having greenery, but having the right variety of greenery. I like to see the different textures of foliage all grouped together. You take a fiddle leaf fig and sandwich it between a birds of paradise and a monstera and. yes!' You will be armed with the know-how you need to care for your plants, where to place them, how to propagate, how to find the right pot, and much more, and most importantly, how to arrange them so that they look their best. Combine sizes and leaf shapes to stunning effect, grow your own succulents from leaf cuttings, create your own air plant display, and more.
The cozy Christmas movie cookbook : mouthwatering food to enjoy during your favorite holiday films / Holly Carpenter
Cook up Christmas cheer with inspiration from beloved holiday movies! 'Tis the season for cozy comforts, delicious holiday treats, and having a good cry while watching your favorite Christmas movies! The Cozy Christmas Movie Cookbook?: Mouthwatering Food to Enjoy During Your Favorite Holiday Films brings you 100 recipes inspired by America’s most adored Christmas films, from Northpole to The Christmas Train, A Royal Christmas, and many more! Give the gift of seasonal fun to the holiday film-lover in your life, or enjoy the dozens of recipes--from snacks and small bites, to Christmas cookies and cakes, to warming drinks and cocktails, with a recommended film to watch with each--while curled up next to your Christmas tree, in the seasonal glow of your own home. Snack on popcorn treats as you wrap gifts, pipe frosting onto Christmas cookies with your favorite Lacey Chabert or Danica McKellar film on in the background, and bake up a storm for your next party. Have a lovely Christmas with the perfect companion cookbook to the most wonderful time of year. You’ll find yourself cozying up to your most cherished films with delectable recipes from this very special cookbook.
My drunk kitchen holidays! : how to savor and celebrate the year / Hannah Hart
In the style of her first hit humorous cookbook, My Drunk Kitchen, which has sold close to 100,000 copies, My Drunk Kitchen Holidays! will celebrate holidays from Valentine's Day to Graduation to Pride Month to International Bacon day (really!). The book will cumulate with the fall holidays that get so much deserved attention: recipes for Oktoberfest, Halloween, Thanksgiving with a twist, and a celebration of Hanukah/Kwanzaa/Christmas that is celebratory, inclusive, and incredibly hilarious.
Carla's comfort foods : favorite dishes from around the world / Carla Hall with Genevieve Ko
Full of Carla's entertaining stories, this book shows how seasoning can transform any simple recipe. A comprehensive spice and flavor guide lets you chart your own course in the kitchen by turning your favorite go-to dish into a culinary trip around the world. In recipes that reflect her own vivacious personality, Carla takes you from Southern Chicken with Milk Gravy to West African Spicy- Sweet Chicken Stew; from German Double-Mustard Potato Salad to Moroccan Spice-Rubbed Beef Roast to Indian Chile, Pea, and Coconut Chutney; and from Southern Peach Cobbler to Greek Baklava. We all need an aromatic bowl of chicken soup from time to time; with Carla's Comfort Foods, you can perk it up Italian-style with fresh basil and oregano; or have a taste of India with cilantro, curry, cumin, and turmeric; for a Caribbean treat, make it fragrant with lime, thyme, and cayenne pepper. From Nashville to Naples to Nigeria, nothing gathers friends and family around the table like the flavors of home. Now you can hug your friends and family with Carla's incredibly flavorful takes on creamy soups and noodles, fragrant stews and dumplings, and mouthwatering pastries, pies, and tarts. Join Carla for a delicious journey!
Soul food love : healthy recipes inspired by one hundred years of cooking in a black family / Alice Randall & Caroline Randall Williams
After bestselling author Alice Randall penned an op-ed in the New York Times titled "Black Women and Fat," chronicling her quest to be "the last fat black woman" in her family, she turned to her daughter, Caroline Randall Williams, for help. Together they overhauled the way they cook and eat, translating recipes and traditions handed down by generations of black women into easy, affordable, and healthful--yet still indulgent--dishes, such as Peanut Chicken Stew, Red Bean and Brown Rice Creole Salad, Fiery Green Beans, and Sinless Sweet Potato Pie. Soul Food Love relates the authors' fascinating family history, which mirrors that of much of black America in the twentieth century, explores the often-fraught relationship African American women have had with food, and forges a powerful new way forward that honors their cultural and culinary heritage.
Holidays on ice / by David Sedaris
David Sedaris's beloved holiday collection is new again with six more pieces, including a never before published story. Along with such favoritesas the diaries of a Macy's elf and the annals of two very competitive families, are Sedaris's tales of tardy trick-or-treaters ("Us and Them"); the difficulties of explaining the Easter Bunny to the French ("Jesus Shaves"); what to do when you've been locked out in a snowstorm ("Let It Snow"); the puzzling Christmas traditions of other nations ("Six to Eight Black Men"); what Halloween at the medical examiner's looks like ("The Monster Mash"); and a barnyard secret Santa scheme gone awry ("Cow and Turkey"). No matter what your favorite holiday, you won't want to miss celebrating it with the author who has been called "one of the funniest writers alive"
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