My Cozy Reading Corner (and Favorite Reads)

This past fall, I was telling my husband that I was ready for an actual winter. Here in northeast Indiana, we get some snow each year, but rarely anything of much significance. Most of the time, it’s just overcast and cold (hello, January 2024). Every three to five years, though, I would say we get an actual winter — and that’s how I prefer it. I like to take in the seasons for all they’re worth.

I was especially thankful for the lingering snow during an emotionally hard month because it often brings a special beauty and brightness. A few weeks ago, on one of those special days, I stopped to notice my little “cozy” area in our bedroom. This is where I spend my evenings when my husband works late into the night or when he’s away entirely (which is almost never these days).

The sun was shining in, and the beautiful corner windows welcomed the snowy view in a way that brought me peace.

The Realization: I Needed a Place

My special corner has taken years to come together. I love to read, and a few years ago, I realized part of my struggle to get that happy reading time was that I didn’t have a special place.

In our book club (going five to six years strong now), someone once asked where our happy reading place was. In that moment, I realized I didn’t really have one — and that was part of the reason why, for years, finding time to read felt like such a struggle.

Well, friends, I can tell you that it is no more. I’m about a year into finally having all the puzzle pieces in place. First, it was finding the right couch to fit the space. Next came the lamp, then the bookshelf, and finally the easily portable side stand with just enough room for a drink, a stack of books, and writing utensils. I was pretty specific in wanting a side table that was easily portable and that I could tuck up close to keep my drink nearby. I love it!

The Stories That Make It Special

Like most spaces that grow slowly over time, every piece carries a story.

Did you happen to notice the wall art? It’s a board from the front of an upright piano we found at an antique store in Nebraska back in 2021. It sat for five years before we had the bandwidth — or inspiration — to strip and stain it. Well, let’s be real, my husband did it. That kind of thing isn’t my jive. LOL

He removed the wooden piece in the middle and stapled material to the back of the board to create a nice contrast in color and texture. When we ordered our couch, we simply asked to purchase an extra yard of the pillow fabric. Matching those elements really helped pull the room together, and we’re super pleased with the results!

The D and A are made of metal and are also from an antique store we found maybe ten years ago somewhere in Pennsylvania. I have no idea where they’re from, but they’re pretty cool.

Our search for the right couch is also kind of a fun story.

Following a family funeral in eastern Ohio in the fall of 2024, we decided to spend a couple of hours looking at furniture stores in the area before driving home. (Eastern Ohio is great for furniture since there are many Amish communities around there.)

We were at a (non-Amish) family furniture store when we found this loveseat. While it was already sold, we discovered the brand was carried at a nearby furniture store back home in Indiana. Score!

Funnily enough, that furniture store was a distributor, but they didn’t actually display that line on their floor— until they ordered ours and saw it in person! LOL When we went to pick ours up, we noticed they had added display models to their floor.

I just love the unique curvature of the arms. It’s not too modern and not too traditional.

It comes from a Canadian company called Decor-Rest Furniture. I don’t know the specific model, but I think this is the same line in the full-size sofa.

Lastly, the bookshelf we had custom-made by an Amish carpenter who also made our kitchen table. The lamp is from Pottery Barn, and the side table is from Kirklands (not available anymore from what I can find online).

My Happy Place

What surprised me most isn’t how the space looks — it’s what it made possible.

Having a dedicated place didn’t magically create more time, but it removed friction. It gave reading somewhere to land and made it easier to reach for a book instead of a screen.

Over the past year, it has meant more slow evenings that bring quiet and joy.

It is my happy place.

This photo actually started as the featured image for Friday Finds #295, but as I started typing, I felt there was more I wanted to share, so I saved it for its own feature.

Naturally, I thought we should round out this post on a cozy reading space with some cozy reads!

Favorite Books for a Good “Cozy” Read

This casual post is all about the cozy, cuddle-up theme, so I wanted to share with you only books that fit that mold. That means I’m keeping it to mostly fiction, although I did include a small handful of memoirs and other non-fiction. That means no educational piano-teacher books. LOL You can catch some of my favorites in that regard on my favorites page under the “books” tab.

In alphabetical order, here are some of my favorite reads. I limited myself to one per author, although there are some authors to whom I would give 5 stars to almost all their books (like Kristin Hannah, Alex Michaelides, Frieda McFadden, Kathleen Grissom, and more).

Thrillers and historical fiction are my favorite genres, if you can’t tell from this list. 🙂

I hope you enjoyed this little peek into an ordinary part of my life — a place to sit, a stack of books, and quiet moments when they find me.

P.S. Do you have a favorite reading spot or any favorite reads you think I might enjoy? LMK in the comments!

P.P. S. I know some of you are wondering how I keep track of my reads. Well, stay tuned for a share on how I manage my reading in Notion – a productivity and note-taking app!