15 Cozy Book Nooks and What They Want You to Read

Don’t be sad that this year’s beach-reading days are over. As we head into fall, we can look forward to snuggling up next to the fire with a hot toddy, finding a cozy nook, wrapping up in a fuzzy throw and getting our read on. Some of the most inviting reading spots on Houzz have been telling me their required reading lists, complete with complementary beverages.

Of course, this is a completely subjective exercise, and if you hate my taste in books, refreshments or both, you won’t hurt my feelings. I’m hoping everyone will pitch in with suggestions. I’ve numbered the photographs so you can share the books and bevvies you think would be best for any of these great reading spaces.

1. First thing in the morning as soon as your bleary eyes clear — the proximity to the java in this lovely kitchen nook cannot be beat. You’re still in your robe and fuzzy socks, and you’re getting the day started with The New York Times and an espresso. After work, you return, maybe with a copy of Dog Fancy and a Milk-Bone biscuit for Snoopy.


2. Weekday prime time. Gone With the Wind and corn whiskey. Scratch that, Scarlett — get out the decaf sweet tea and anything that falls into the Southern gothic genre.


3. When it starts to get dark too early, this is the place to be. This spot is plush, cozy and well lit — once you put your feet up here, you won’t want to leave. Dig into a page turner like The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly or Plum Island by Nelson Demille.


4. This soft, light-filled space is where you should go on a day when you feel uninspired. Unearth your stack of travel journals and relive some favorite trips. Get your brain going with some green tea. (I have no idea if that’s a thing, but it sounds like it should be, right?)


5. Afternoon break time. Anything by Jane Austen or a Brontë, or try The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Bring the whole pot of Earl Grey.


6. If literature seems too heavy for your break time, catch up on fashion with an issue of W or GQ and sip water with lemon. (Anything else will make you feel too guilty when you’re looking at runway models with bodies and skin that have been Photoshopped to perfection.)


7. Late afternoon. Pulp paperback with Fabio on the cover and a glass of chilled prosecco. You’ve earned it.


8. A day when you play hooky — all day. This space has a comfy controlled chaos going on. Perhaps some Salinger, Kerouac or beat poetry. Or jump around a short-story collection like The Best American Non-Required Reading.


9. Early evening. Grab your favorite blanket, Great Expectations, some rum and a pipe. Well, at least the blanket and the Dickens, anyway.


10. That Friday night when you want to get in your jammies the second you get home from work. It’s time for Bridget Jones’s Diary all the way. Guys, don’t knock it till you’ve tried it.


11. Enjoy the natural light during the day in a wonderful bay. Wide-open spaces — I’m thinking something by Larry McMurtry or E. Annie Proulx, or Half-Broke Horses by Jeanette Walls. Pour yourself a lemonade, a ginger beer or an old-fashioned.


12. This spot is meant for two to relax together on the weekend with The Wall Street Journal (it’s OK to go straight to the Off Duty section first, because you’re off duty). Mix in the local paper and swap sections with your partner. Sip chai tea.


13. Early afternoon on Saturday after yard work or a hike. Certainly there’s a great blanket tucked in one of those drawers. Enjoy the view with something by an author who celebrates nature — perhaps A Walk in the Woods, by Bill Bryson; Wild, by Cheryl Strayed; or something transcendental. Bring warm cider and some oatmeal cookies. Keep an Audubon guide to birds handy in case you want to ID any feathered friends outside the window.


14. A rainy Sunday. Once you’re done with the crossword, get horizontal with that stack of The New Yorker issues you’ve been meaning to catch up on. Hot chocolate with lots of marshmallows. Then add more marshmallows.


15. If none of these appeal, you may be having trouble adjusting to the end of beach-reading time. Try to ease into it with a nautical perch. Just go with the theme — this reading nook has the cozy feeling of a ship’s bunk. Finally finish Moby Dick, pull out The Old Man and the Sea, Jaws, Life of Pi, Skin Tight … you get the idea. After you’re done with any of those, you won’t be so hot on the whole ocean thing for a while. Prepare a pitcher of saltwater. Just kidding. I’m thinking orange juice, to fight off any sympathetic scurvy.

So, I took my turn, now it’s yours. What are some of the reading lists you’re getting from these rooms? Please share them in the Comments section.

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