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August 19, 2016 —
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91 is reading… great summer books

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It’s a bit of a bumper books post today, as of course summer holidays are the perfect time to kick back and catch up on that ‘must read’ pile! We’ve got a selection of lifestyle books together that we’ve been enjoying and that have inspired our summer. They are not all new releases, in fact, most have been out for a while, but they are ones we think are great for inspiring lazy sunny days (thankfully we’ve had a few of those here in the UK lately!) 

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First up are two books self published by designer, art director and photographer Caroline Gomez. The above book, Living with Plants, is clearly a must for any plant lovers out there (and isn’t that everyone these days?!). Caroline visits various creatives around the world who have either being inspired by nature, collect plants or just simply, love them. She captures snippets from their leafy lives, both photographically and through some lovely text and quotes such as ‘a thousand times a day I say to my children: be careful of the plants! Don’t throw your clothes on them!” from photographer Janneke Luursema.

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Caroline Gomez’s Destination series of books can definitely be described as alternative travel guides. Her beautiful photographs give a very different view of the city that a typical travel guide portrays. As well as the city itself, she shares some insights into the creative lives of people that reside there. At the back of the book you’ll find small lists of a few key places Caroline recommends to visit. A must if you like your city breaks a little less mainstream. Both of these books are delightful, and I want to collect every single one from the series! The Future Kept stocks quite a few. 

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Nothing is more appealing on a hot summers day than a huge bowl of colourful, fresh salad. (Served with a chilled glass of white of course!) and Nourish by Amber Locke is jammed packed with salad recipes that not only sound delicious but are mini works of art! Some of the more fancy ingredients you might struggle to find in your local supermarket, but overall the recipes are simple (it is just salad after all!) and it is more about putting the right flavour combinations together. Throw one of these together with a few edibles flowers at your next summer soiree, and your friends will be super impressed! More info at Octopus Books.

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From food to flowers, and to this quirky botanical book from the ladies at The Flower Appreciation Society. Anna and Ellie say they spend long summer nights writing and illustrating the book, so it seems fitting we should spend ours reading it! Set out alphabetically they explore some interesting, as well as fun, aspects of the flower world – such as G is for Garage Flowers and M is for Market, where they meet a collection of traders from Covent Garden Flower Market! There are also lots of useful tips on caring and growing specific flowers as well as DIY ideas such as the ever trending flower crown. Look up Little Brown for more details. 

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Last but not least, we step into the colour-filled world of Charlotte Hedeman Guéniau (of Rice fame) through her book Happy Home Outside. If you weren’t feeling good before you opened this book, you will be smiling by the time you’ve finished, as it is uplifting, eye popping colour fun to inspire your outside space. At the very least you’ll be reaching for a pot of bright paint and gathering a collection of colourful melamine once you’re through! There’s so many lovely styling ideas as well as crafty makes, you’ll be busy all winter just preparing for next summer! Visit Quarto for more info. 

We hope you’ve possibly discovered some new books to check out, and we’d love to hear what lifestyle books have been inspiring your summer too! 

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