Want to actually enjoy homemaking? Read this!
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Do you feel bogged down by the daily grind of house cleaning? Does the repetition of laundry make you want to poke out your eyeballs? Does cooking fill you with dread? Does figuring out how to fit taking care of children into the mirage of daily chores overwhelm you?
If so, I see you and I get you!
Having a clean and organized home makes me feel so light and creative. Eating foods I enjoy with my family fills my well. And when I can have those things and feel like my children are well cared for, well that’s pretty much nirvana for me.
It’s easy to hate the grunge of day-to-day chores, but I think that with time, skill building, and a bit of perspective, it’s possible to actually enjoy taking care of our homes and basic needs and make the mundane a bit more sparkly.
With that in mind, I’m sharing my favorite books that will help streamline and make homemaking pleasant, gratifying, and enjoyable. Ready to hang out with my favorite lady homemaking authors? Read on!
My favorite homemaking books
Homebody by Joanna Gaines
I love this thick, beautifully photographed, and fun book.
In her refreshingly down-to-earth way, Jojo will help you transform your home into a special haven that reflects the heart and soul of your family.
Jo walks you through every single possible space in the house, and her book is written as a sort of easy-to-follow guidebook for aesthetic design and functionality.
It’s complete with golden troubleshooting tips as well for your home’s unique circumstances.
And according to the queen of homemaking, there’s no need to buy anything to start making your home feel special and a reflection of you.
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
This book is the OG of the decluttering movement.
It will change the way you look at your possessions. It will help you value things more and teach you how to make sure your stuff is serving you, not the other way around.
I also found that this book has helped me save a lot of money by shifting my mindset. I really don’t just buy random things on sale anymore like I might have done in the past. In order to come into my home, I now only buy things that I really love.
As a result, my home is less cluttered, there is less cleanup, and the things I do have are valued and actually make my life better.
How to Keep House While Drowning by KC Davis
The title alone says it all. This book is awesome, and I highly recommend it to everyone because we all hit points where we are drowning.
It is totally refreshing because it gives a balance of acknowledging the difficulties of life and how hard it can be to keep a house clean when life is hard, but also shows the importance of keeping it to a level of cleanliness so you can function and feel well cared for.
It also outlines an exact and pretty ingenious process for cleaning that can be applied to any room of your house. I love the reality check and helpful tactics.
Acid Salt Fat Heat by Samin Nosrat
I used to hate cooking. But this book changed that for me. It’s a bit of a cookbook, but it’s mostly a fun, illustrated handbook for cooking.
It’s laid out for the average Joe (like me) and takes you through very simple but monumental tweaks to cooking that will make your food taste so much better.
It will help you start learning how to improvise and experiment yourself, which was really helpful for a letter-of-the-law recipe follower like myself.
I love love love the illustrations as well.
If you want to start to enjoy cooking and good food, this one is for you.
Hunt Gather Parent by Michaeleen Donaldson
This book is life-changing.
It is one of my all-time favorite books for parenting and just life, honestly.
If you are struggling to find the balance between caring for and entertaining your kids, raising them to be self-sufficient, and getting work done professionally or around the house, this one is for you.
I first listened to the audiobook version of this book, but then had to buy the paper copy because I wanted to refer back to it so often.
This book just vibes with me and the strategies have been so effective for me and my children.
Magnolia Table Cookbooks Volumes 1 & 2 by Joanna Gaines
In general, I’m not a huge cookbook person. I love to simply google a dish I am thinking about and pick the recipe with the simplest ingredients and the highest reviews.
With that being said, Joanna’s Magnolia Table Cookbooks are the exception. Included in her books are so many fabulous basic from-scratch recipes like bread, mashed potatoes, crust, etc.
Her pie crust is to die for (literally I get complimented every time I make her recipe). She will also inspire you to use food as a way to bring people together and enjoy life more.
One of my friends who is an excellent chef cooked through the whole first volume of Magnolia Table and took notes and rated nearly every recipe based on how much she and her kids liked it. She rated SO many as 8-10/10. And she has a higher standard than I do.
So if you’re looking for a great go-to cookbook with some delicious recipes, you’ll love Jo’s cookbooks.
At Home with Madame Chic by Jennifer L. Scott
At Home with Madame Chic is a charming book about “becoming a connoisseur of daily life.”
In it, Scott describes her time in France living with a family that she calls “the Chics” because of the way they made everyday life beautiful with their traditional French way of living.
Some pieces of this book are a little over the top (you can only take so much joy from house cleaning) but overall I thought it was really cute.
Every time I read it it gets me excited about appreciating my daily life and taking time to do the little things that make it more enjoyable, like lighting a candle in the morning and turning on some music while we eat our breakfast.
