When I first read Little Women a few years ago, I’ll admit, I thought it was duller than dull. Perhaps it was because I had been spending the past few years immersed in new motherhood, and tales of domestic bliss bored me. Or maybe it was because we never read it as children, that I didn’t have a sense of nostalgia. None of that matters, though, because Greta Gerwig’s 2019 film adaptation of the book. Is. So. Wonderful.
The cozy clubhouse attic! The hand-crafted costumes! The Christmas morning feast! The genuine kindness and good! The female camaraderie! The stay-true-to-thyself mentatlity! Timothee Chalamet! It’s all so swoon worthy, and the ‘simple’ Victorian house they call home is charming beyond all measure, and it’s time we all move to the New England countryside to live our best lives.
We’ve collected some essentials to help you feel as if you are one of the March sisters:
“. It left such an impression that when I saw the painting “The Birth of Venus” by Botticelli, I was like, hey! It’s like that scene from the movie!
by Octavia Butler (Read Harder Challenges: Author is a woman of color; a sci-fi novel with a female protagonist by a female author) – THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD. Should be required reading for every human being on the planet.
by Dave Eggers (Read Harder Challenge: A one-sitting book). This is a collection of drawings and poetic vignettes by Dave Eggers, a prolific author.
(Read Harder Challenge: Absolutely none. I read this with my 8yo for his class book club. Come one, 2nd graders! Why aren’t you reading Kindred yet??)
(Read Harder Challenge: A book of colonial literature. Also written by a woman of color. THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD. It was actually a great companion piece to Kindred, unintentionally.
Vol. 2 (Read Harder Challenge: A comic written or illustrated by a person of color; written by a woman; A one-sitting book). I love this series. It’s gritty, violent, just enough sci-fi and ends on MAJOR twists. Can’t wait for the next volume.
(Read Harder Challenge: None…but it’s a horror book about a mom trying to keep her 2 children alive in a strange new Earth where if you’re able to see it could kill you…so, that’s a challenge enough…) A thrilling page-turner, best read in as few sittings as possible. I think it took me 3. And I didn’t sleep for 3 days.
(Read Harder Challenge: A comic written by a person of color; A comic that isn’t published by Marvel, DC, or Image). I also hope this series is required reading for every student. It’s one I’m planning on buying to keep in my house for the kiddos.
(Read Harder Challenge: hello! It’s a compilation of women authors throughout history!). This is great. I learned about a few authors I’d never heard of, and the illustrations are mesmerizing. Highly recommend.
– So inspiring! An illustrated cookbook celebrating one of the modern-day design geniuses.
– How did I miss this novella? It was written in 1982, feels just as fresh today, and is a lyrical and beautiful look at growing up. Smitten.
– (Read Harder Challenge: A Comic written AND illustrated by the same person) Ooooh, a dark yet sympathetic look at the person who became a monster, told from the point of view of one of his high school classmates.
? By Mindy Kaling. (Read Harder Challenge: author POC; celebrity memoir; collection of essays.) She’s my new best friend. End of story. I listened to this on Audible, and it is so delightful.
. This isn’t so much a challenge as a throwback, to a series I read and loved as a child. Plus, the author, Lillian Jackson Braun, didn’t even start writing until later in life, which always fascinates me AND inspires.
– Started revisiting The Office and it is so delightful. A decade ago I was smitten with Jim & Pam. Now I just want more Creed and Dwight. I rush home from a night out with friends because I want to spend it with my Dunder Mifflin friends.
– I have a stack of well-loved library books, just waiting to be opened. And I tipsily went on a buying spree to get some old classic paperbacks that I’ll probably never get around to. Like 
& 
. Light a candle, draw me a bath, and I’m set.
– Did someone mention bath? My body has been *hurting* lately, and my winter of flu prevention included eating and soaking in pounds of sea salt. I’ve been making my own bath salts and soaks (future post!), but I’m tempted to try this ylang ylang and vanilla soak. Ahhhhh. Light a few prayer candles and listen to some classical music, and you’ve got yourself a well spent evening.
, instead of my boring ol’ Cuisineart. (Just kidding, I love you, boring toaster. But…pale blue retro toaster!?)
? And cozy socks? I’m wearing both right now!
“, a tale about the power of love and light in the time of darkness? Women directed, a diverse cast, and a story of the enduring power of love. What more could you ask for?
, in which the author says to clear out clutter and trash, let in clean air and energize your house with…you guessed it, crystals and plants. Um. Sold.
to your kiddos.
For those of us who might not be able to wrap our spiral staircase with a mural…
to keep all your books and plants in, and to use while walking down charming British streets. {I actually do have about 1000 of these in my house…}