When Coach released their new tiny book charms, they sold out almost as fast as they went viral. These micro books are fully readable and clip perfectly to your bag. With titles like Little Fires Everywhere and Welcome To The Hyunam-Dong Bookshop, these charms provide some excellent stories for readers on the go. But with a $95 price tag, one has to wonder, who exactly are these charms for?
You shouldn’t have to break the bank to have tiny, adorable books in your life. So let’s rethink this. If you’re looking for books with a similar micro vibe, here are a few tiny alternatives perfect to take away in a pocket or small handbag.
Intimations by Zadie Smith (112 Pages)
In 2020, Zadie Smith published Intimations, a short series of essays, and donated all of the proceeds to charity. For many of us at the time, Intimations was one of the first books that explored the big ideas uncovered by the pandemic. Isolation, sense of self, compassion, grief—Smith grapples with all of these ideas, untangling them slowly, bit by bit. Now, years later, these essays feel like a time capsule of a moment in history that changed the course of the world forever.
The Clothing of Books by Jhumpa Lahiri, Translated from Italian by Alberto Vourvoulias-Bush (80 Pages)
In this tiny book, Jhumpa Lahiri explores how we clothe our books in jackets and determine a particular sense of fashion before we send them out to face the world. To Lahiri, a book’s cover is vital to the book’s identity. She says, “The [book] covers become a part of me.” In under 100 pages, Lahiri expands on her ideas, discussing how the cover represents the writer’s creative process, providing a unique look into the book’s message. “If the process of writing is a dream, the cover represents the awakening.”
Navigate Your Stars by Jesmyn Ward, Illustrated by Gina Triplett (64 Pages)
Sometimes, you just need a pep talk from one of America’s greatest living writers. In 2018, Jesmyn Ward gave the commencement speech at Tulane University. She described her experience growing up in a working-class household in Mississippi and her fight for education. She spoke about the values of resilience and tenacity in the face of insurmountable odds. At the heart of her story is her love for her family and her community. They gave her the strength to press forward and chase her dreams. This edition of her speech includes stunning illustrations by Gina Triplett, making this book the perfect little package.
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You can find me over on my substack Winchester Ave, over on Instagram @kdwinchester, or on my podcast Read Appalachia. As always, feel free to drop me a line at [email protected]. For even MORE bookish content, you can find my articles over on Book Riot.
English (US) · 