As I scroll through my social media feed or wince through another news cycle, I find myself craving simpler days. As a millennial, I’m part of that in-between generation—the last to grow up in a mostly tech-free world who now live in a fully digital one. And while I can reminisce about landlines, dial-up Internet, and CD players, how can we all just slow down and savor the moment without tossing our devices out the window?

Enter “grandmacore,” the delightfully cozy trend that’s all about embracing the nostalgic comforts of our grandmothers' era. This soft rebellion against hustle culture is all about leaning into life’s gentler moments through slow, quiet hobbies. The trend really took off in 2020 during lockdown (remember all those sourdough starters?) and invites us to calm down and get into a more meditative state. These low-cost hobbies help us find joy in the slow and simple—whether it's quilting, baking, bird watching, puzzles, canning, or, of course—reading.

So pour yourself a mug of hot tea, enter your granny era, and enjoy one of these heartwarming, stress-free stories on the Libby app. You could also listen to the audiobook version while you cook, knit, crochet, paint, or puzzle!

Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind by Ann B. Ross
🎧 Audiobook

This witty Southern comedy is about a newly widowed and wealthy woman who is thrown into a whirlwind of scandal when a stranger shows up claiming her late husband fathered a child.

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
🎧 Audiobook

Mma “Precious” Ramotswe sets up a detective agency in Botswana, making her the only female detective in the country. Troubled people come to her with philandering husbands, seemingly schizophrenic doctors, and a missing boy who may have been killed by witch doctors, compelling Precious to roam about in her tiny van, searching for clues.

Let’s Eat by Dan Pelosi

This cookbook is peak grandmacore: warm, nostalgic, and stuffed with Italian American comfort food. Known as @grossypelosi, Dan brings big Nonna energy with 101 of his nearest and dearest Italian American recipes and lots of heartwarming stories—like Bimpy, his 100 year-old grandpa, smuggling subs into Yankee Stadium. From vodka sawce to Early Dismissal Pot Roast, it’s part cookbook, part hug.

His second helping, Let’s Party, arrives this September.

The Hen Who Believed She Could Fly by Sun-mi Hwang
🎧 Audiobook

This classic, cozy barnyard fable has been called “the Korean Charlotte’s Web” and features a plucky hen named Sprout who dreams beyond the coop. With leafy gardens, animal friendships, and motherly devotion, it’s soft, tender, and feathered with quiet rebellion.

Miss Buncle's Book by D. E. Stevenson

In the first heartwarming book of this classic series, the beloved English author proves that one little book can be the source of all kinds of trouble when residents of a small English village start to see themselves through someone else's eyes.

The Enchanted April by Elizabeth Von Arnim
🎧 Audiobook

A recipe for happiness: four women, one medieval Italian castle, plenty of sunshine, wisteria, and solitude as needed. Amid the canopies of fragrant wisteria, in the sweet sunshine and melodious silence, fate has some surprises in store for all of them.

This book inspired the 1991 Academy Award-nominated film!

The Mitford Murders by Jessica Fellowes
🎧 Audiobook

Set amid the legendary Mitford household, a thrilling Golden Age-style mystery, based on a real unsolved murder written by the niece of Julian Fellowes, the creator of Downton Abbey.

Making a Life: Working by Hand and Discovering the Life You Are Meant to Live by Melanie Falick

Falick travels across the U.S. and beyond, profiling artists and crafters who’ve woven handmade work into the fabric of their lives. From knitting and sewing to woodworking and basket weaving, it’s grandmacore in spirit—slow, intentional, deeply rooted in tradition, and beautifully photographed.

Knit One, Kill Two by Maggie Sefton
🎧 Audiobook

A classic cozy knitting mystery you won't want to miss. When Kelly Flynn inherits her aunt’s house in a charming Colorado town, she stumbles into murder, mystery, and a group of lovable knitters at the local yarn shop, House of Lambspun. Warm friendships, delicious baked goods, and crafty clues abound—plus actual knitting patterns and recipes are included!

*Title availability may vary.

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Titles featured in this article:

• Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind by Ann B. Ross
• The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
• Let’s Eat by Dan Pelosi
• The Hen Who Believed She Could Fly by Sun-mi Hwang
• Miss Buncle's Book by D. E. Stevenson
• The Enchanted April by Elizabeth Von Arnim
• The Mitford Murders by Jessica Fellowes
• Making a Life: Working by Hand and Discovering the Life You Are Meant to Live by Melanie Falick
• Knit One, Kill Two by Maggie Sefton