Shelf This 05
A new-to-me romance author, the joy of reading & at-home summer styling
Welcome to Shelf This, a weekly letter from Open Book - your cozy corner for noteworthy reads and stylish finds. Each issue brings buzzy releases, timeless favorites, and curated picks to keep your shelves stacked.
Hi friends,
It finally feels like summer on the East Coast. I am sitting in the blistering heat as I write this, loving every second of it. Naturally, I started thinking about ice cream. I’ve been making the most delicious ice cream sundae on repeat. As a self-proclaimed ice cream connoisseur with no less than four pints in her freezer at any given moment, I consider myself an authority on the topic. Here’s the non-recipe recipe:
Scoop of Van Leeuwen's Vanilla and Scoop of Strawberry1
Granola
Olive Oil Drizzle
Flaky Sea Salt
It tastes like summer in a cup: sweet, salty, and refreshing.
Now onto our usual fare.
📚 Up Next
This weekend I stopped in a new-to-me local bookstore2 and picked up the third book in my selection of summer reading: Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan. I surprisingly have not read a book by Monaghan, though I know her novels receive high praise so I’m excited to dive into this book and this author.
📖 This Week’s Reading
This was a fun read on how BookTok introduced this academic author to the concept of reading for pleasure. I can’t remember a time where I didn’t experience the joy of reading, but I imagine limiting your to-read pile to acclaimed literary darlings is much like only allowing yourself to watch documentaries or high-brow entertainment. Needless to say, everyone deserves to experience the thrill of staying up past your bedtime because sleep is secondary to your need for the ending.
Between Jenna Bush Hager and Sofia Richie, they’ll be declaring it a bob girl summer pretty soon. Honestly, if I could get a chop in my Hotel Du Cap hotel room, I’d also take the plunge.
🛍️ On My Shelf
I spent the weekend relaxing in my backyard, reading and hosting friends and family for meals.3 When it comes to dressing for an afternoon at the house, I like to maximize comfort, but still look polished.
Thank you for hanging out! Until next time,
Stephanie
Van Leeuwen’s is the best store-bought ice cream, followed by Jenni’s. I’m open to debate.
It was everything one could hope for in an indie bookstore. The olive green bookshelves and jewel-toned accents throughout made me feel like I was browsing someone’s home library. The books were well-curated for fans of contemporary fiction. Not to mention, it is female-owned! I left giddy. I can’t wait to become a regular.
I couldn’t be happier about this fact.