THE BEST Books

Hungry for more from the trio behind the Snacky Tunes podcast? The book Snacky Tunes: Music is the Main Ingredient chronicles how music inspires 75 of the world’s best chefs. Personal playlists are paired with recipes, plus five chefs worked on an Everybody World capsule collection made from 100% recycled cotton.

Need a getaway from the daily grind? We’ve always wanted a custom-built cabin in the woods to escape the world. This 256-page book by Sofia Borges and Sven Ehmann offers a visual catalog of some of the world’s most bucolic hideouts. It’s a great source of architectural inspiration and relaxing thoughts.

Most books have covers made from thick paper, though you might find some vintage ones made from wood. What you won’t find are any books with covers made from cast aluminum. Black Beard Projects teamed up with Nerdforge to create just that, and the result is a impressive work of readable art. Watch part two here.

Whether you’re a DIYer or a construction pro, understanding math and geometry is critical. DEWALT’s reference guide includes 42 pages of useful equations and rules which will help you measure twice and cut once. Made from durable, toolbox-friendly materials with a spiral-bound edge. Also available for plumbing and wiring.

If you’re not in-da-couch, perhaps that sativa has your brain running a thousand miles an hour and needs a creative outlet. This book should do the trick. It’s basically a blank journal loaded with ideas of things to doodle, from a giraffe riding a rainbow to a dog on a surfboard.

One of the many things we love about The Mandalorian is how they show concept art in the closing credits. This 256-page hardcover book lets you give some of these images a more permanent home. The book is packed with art and sketches, along with interviews with the cast, crew, and creative team behind the Disney+ series.

Celebrate your love for food and rock music with this 96-page cookbook filled with recipes inspired by rock music. The book features pun-worthy meals like ZZ Chop (Sharp-Dressed Lamb), Ramenstein (Du Hast Pork), and Fleetwood Mac & Cheese (You Can Cook Your Own Way), with fun illustrations from thirty great artists.

From the authors of P Is for Pterodactyl comes a kids book about homophones, homonyms, and tricky punctuation. The playfully-illustrated book compares various words and phrases that sound the same but can have very different meanings, like “The hero had super vision” and “The hero had supervision.”

Looking for a real challenge? Look no further than illustrator Tim Jeffs‘ coloring books, each of which includes highly-detailed greyscale animal images, with lots of tight spaces for you to embellish. Each book has 25 images, printed on high quality paper and a lay-flat binding. Jeffs also offers coloring lessons in his Etsy shop.

Now you’re cooking with candy! This cookbook offers 40 dessert recipes that incorporate Toblerone candy. The unique mix of Swiss milk chocolate, nougat, honey, and almonds takes your sweet treats to another level compared to ordinary chocolate. Toblerone brownies and cupcakes, oh my!

Ever wondered why modern buildings don’t have exterior fire escapes? Who gets to name streets? What are those cryptic spray-painted markings on the ground? Roman Mars and Kurt Kohlstedt’s book delves into the fascinating stories behind the important but subtle things city-dwellers experience on a daily basis.

Are you feeling stressed out? Perhaps you could use a little light reading material to help ease your tension. This parody kid’s book is filled with sensory pleasures like the fur on a soft puppy dog, a cozy warm blanket… and swearing like a truck driver.

Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant have been entertaining our minds with their Stuff You Should Know podcasts since 2008. Now, along with Nils Parker, they want to stuff our brains with more, digging into stories like the history of facial hair, where Mr. Potato Head came from, and much more. Pre-order and claim your free SYSK print.

Rogier Wieland Studio created this captivating stop-motion promo clip for Trombosestichting, The Dutch Thrombosis Foundation, who is distributing a free e-book to help educate people about the dangers and warning signs of blood clots, wrapped up in the guise of a noir thriller.

From Chiquita to Count Chocula, from the Geico Gecko to the Jolly Green Giant, mascots have long been a staple of the advertising industry. Author Warren Dotz’s two-volume series is filled with characters from the iconic to the obscure, from the lovable to the downright weird.

Ernest Cline presents the follow-up to his beloved bestseller. After the events of Ready Player One, Wade Watts makes a discovery in Halladay’s vaults – an advancement that could make OASIS even more wondrous – and addictive. Expect a heaping helping of pop culture references when the book hits on 11.24.2020.

Not every drink needs to knock you on your ass. Author Kat Odell’s cocktail book offers up 50 recipes for festive drinks that taste delicious but are light on the alcohol. They’re perfect for a daytime party, a day at the beach, or just when you want something mellow and not too potent.

From the poison brick-slinging Brickbat to The Horrible Hand, author Jon Morris’ humorous reference book catalogs some of the weirdest and worst supervillains in the history of comic books. Can’t get enough? Round out your bookshelf with some equally unfortunate superheroes and their half-baked sidekicks.

Wally Koval and the followers of the Accidentally Wes Anderson Instagram page are on a mission to find real locations that capture the fastidious and whimsical style of filmmaker Wes Anderson. This 368-page book chronicles some of these wondrous destinations through images and stories, along with a foreword by Anderson himself.

Just because you’re away from your kitchen doesn’t mean you can’t serve up an amazing meal for your friends and family. Emma Frisch’s cookbook for the outdoors not only includes recipes and menus, but shopping and equipment lists to help make dining under the stars a truly memorable experience.

There are plenty of good books out there for honing your survival skills, but how many of them cover what to do if you’re held captive by furry creatures on Endor, stuck on an exploding Death Star, or frozen in carbonite? Well, you’re in luck, thanks to BBC culture editor Christian Blauvelt and his handy Star Wars survival guide.

Philippines-based illustrator Kerby Rosanes presents a wonderful adult coloring book, packed with images of creatures intertwined with fantastical settings. The 96-page paperback offers weeks and weeks of coloring challenge with its intricately-detailed imagery.

Artist Basil Wolverton was known for his amazingly offbeat illustrations that blended science fiction, fantasy, and humor. The books Creeping Death from Neptune and Brain Bats of Venus chronicle his work from 1909 to 1952, during which time his images were published by everyone from Marvel to MAD Magazine.

This fascinating coffee table book brings together the talents of scientific illustrator / tattoo artist Katy Wiedemann and anatomy professor Dr Jennifer Z Paxton. Its pages are filled with detailed images of the inner workings of our bodies, accompanied by informative text that’s informative but still digestible without a medical degree.

Cocktail expert Robert Simonson’s book offers up 75 recipes for delicious beverages you can make with a simple trio of ingredients. From classics like the Bee’s Knees to modern drinks like Remember the Alimony, there’s something for every taste in this 2018 James Beard Foundation book award finalist.

Originally published back in 1953, Hervey Garrett Smith’s book The Arts of the Sailor: Knotting, Splicing and Ropework is a great reference for mariners of all experience levels to learn about shipboard skills, along with detailed illustrations and directions for working with rope and tying various useful knots.