Reading Nooks for any Budget

Freezing rain through the night Sunday turned into snow on Monday afternoon in my area, but I didn't let that get me down. After conquering a few chores around the house I got a fire going, made an enormous cup of herbal tea and sat down with the latest book from Bernhard Schlink, author of the enormously popular book-turned-movie, The Reader. Curling up in a cozy nook with a good book softens the blow of living in a cold climate.

If I were to design my dream reading nook it would include a comfortable chair upholstered in a great fabric. I'd have a coordinating ottoman to rest my feet, the perfect side table to set my glass of wine or cup of tea while I read and an elegant lamp to keep me from squinting at the words on the page. To finish I'd want a super soft pillow and a throw blanket, let's make them both cashmere, shall we.

When I woke up from the dream and realized that the nook would set me back to the tune of a couple grand, I'd have to come up with a more affordable place to devour my novels, biographies and mysteries. It might look something like this:

The chair in my dream room from Crate and Barrel was almost $700, the budget chair has a similar look but costs less than $400 at Pier 1. By replacing the cashmere throw for a cable knit and the pillow for one in velvet my budget would open up considerably. My budget reading nook comes in at well under $1,000 by shopping sources like Target, Pottery Barn and Home Decorators. That just might leave enough room in my budget for a new mug for sipping my coffee while reading. I'd splurge on this cute library books mug by Kate Spade.

Have you read any great books lately?