In between visits to the Southeastern Designer Showhouse, High Point, and Design ADAC, I have managed to carve out some time to enjoy Spring's bumper crop of new book releases. Below are a few of the highlights from my stack of nightly reading.

Veranda Entertaining by Clinton Smith; Rizzoli, 2017

Veranda Editor-in-Chief Clinton Smith has done it again, writing a book that you will no doubt want to add to your library. Smith's latest effort focuses on entertaining and includes copious photos of table settings, flowers, dining rooms, and outdoor spaces that have been featured in the magazine. As expected, the photos are gorgeous, but the real draw here is Smith's commentary about the art of entertaining. Organized alphabetically, the book espouses nuggets of wisdom on all aspects of entertaining, from candlelight to glassware and place settings. And because the text is informative but concise, you can dip into the book as you wish, reading it from cover to cover or, if you prefer, a few chapters a night. Even if you consider yourself an armchair host or hostess, by the time you finish reading this book, you will want to become a prolific party-thrower.
Creating Home: Design for Living by Keith Summerour; Rizzoli 2017

One of the South's most respected architects, Atlanta-based Keith Summerour returns with his latest tome, one that features nine of his residential projects in such locales as Atlanta, Blackberry Farm, and Greenwich, Connecticut. An archi...