Benable — create shareable lists of things you recommend!
E.g., products you love, local businesses, travel recs - you can add anything to a Benable list!
books I actually recommend
21
items A running list of books I’ve read and genuinely recommend, from mysteries and thrillers to design, style, and the occasional wildcard.
Sections
4
mystery & thrillers
design books
style & color
cooking & food
mystery & thrillers
I love a good mystery/thriller. If the author is female and so is the lead, I'm absolutely hooked.
This one had me rereading to see if I missed something because the twist was that good.
Daisy Darker: A Novel
The book that started my love for Alice Feeney. Haven't missed a new release of hers since.
Sometimes I Lie: A Novel
The book that turned me on to Gilly MacMillan. I've read everything she's written since.
What She Knew
My first Lexie Elliot book. I couldn't put it down!
The French Girl
Loved this book. I keep it in a stack in my foyer, and people always get a chuckle when “How to Kill Your Best Friend” is one of the first things they see when they walk in.
How to Kill Your Best Friend
The first book I read by Rachel Hawkins. It kept me coming back every year to see what she’d written next.
The Wife Upstairs: A Novel
A fast-paced mystery that kept me turning pages. I read this one quickly!
The Manor House: A Novel
Reese’s Book Club picks can be hit or miss for me, but this one was definitely a hit. I especially enjoyed the look into the inner workings of secret societies.
Society of Lies: Reese's Book Club: A Novel
My favorite Lucy Foley book so far. I loved the atmosphere and the feeling that everyone had something to hide.
The Paris Apartment
I enjoyed Big Little Lies, but this was my favorite of Liane Moriarty’s books. It really stuck with me.
What Alice Forgot
design books
Books that have influenced how I think about interiors, art, and creating a home that feels like you.
A great reminder that art doesn't have to be intimidating, expensive, or “important” to belong in your home. I love Liz’s approachable take on finding art you actually want to live with.
Art for Everyone: How to Collect Art & Personalize Your Space on Any Budget
As a Certified Color Strategist, I especially appreciate the way Eve Ashcraft thinks about color in context rather than treating it as a collection of isolated paint swatches. It’s a great book for anyone who wants to understand why colors work toget...
The Right Color
This one is on my design-book wishlist, largely because it has one of my absolute favorite staircases. 😂 From everything I’ve seen of Summer Thornton’s work, I have a feeling I’m going to love the rest of the book, too.
Wonderland: Adventures in Decorating
This one is on my design-book wishlist. Young Huh is one of those designers whose work I always want to see more of, and the fact that Zooey Deschanel wrote the foreword? Sold. 😂
A Mood, A Thought, A Feeling: Interiors
style & color
Books that have helped me think differently about personal style, color, and how we express ourselves through what we wear.
I don't necessarily see myself fitting neatly into one of Kibbe's archetypes, but for me, this book was less about finding the “right” type and more about embracing the beauty my body already holds. I loved the way it challenged some of the negative ...
David Kibbe's Power of Style: A Guided Journey to Help You Discover Your Authentic Style
cooking & food
Books for people who think cooking is about more than just getting dinner on the table. Recipes, inspiration, and a little food obsession.
This was the cookbook I chose for my first cookbook club, and the Pan-Roasted Chicken with Shallots and Dates was DIVINE. It was one of those recipes that made me immediately want to cook my way through the rest of the book.
Cook Beautiful: Delicious Recipes and Exquisite Presentations
I picked this one up for cookbook club and couldn't resist trying the Squash Casserole first. It was a hit! I cooked the squash a little less than the recipe suggested because I prefer a bit more texture, but that's an easy adjustment.
Food Between Friends
My family loves ramen, and we’ve made a couple of homemade versions. I love how this book makes authentic-style ramen approachable while giving you so many ways to mix up the broths, toppings, and other ingredients. And the comic-book format is just ...
Let's Make Ramen!: A Comic Book Cookbook
On my wishlist! So many Ambitious Kitchen recipes have made it onto my meal plan that I have no doubt I’ll love this cookbook, too. I’m a big fan of her approach to flavorful, approachable food, and I’m ready to have all those recipes in one place.
The Ambitious Kitchen Cookbook: 125 Ridiculously Good for You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
I made the tres leches for cookbook club, and it was SO good. My bestie made the ceviche, which was equally delicious. Two very different recipes, and both were a hit!
Cooking con Claudia: 100 Authentic, Family-Style Mexican Recipes
I made the Roman Braised Artichokes for cookbook club, and it was my first time working with fresh artichokes instead of the jarred kind. There’s definitely a learning curve! 😂 We also tried the fresh pasta, Chicken Piccata, Tomato & Burrata Cro...
The Pasta Queen: The Art of Italian Cooking