These Colorful Pies Look Just Like Your Favorite Book Cover

Thanks to quarantine, you’ve probably had a little more time on your hands lately. That means chipping away at your baking bucket list, mastering your garden-inspired focaccia bread recipe, and traveling the world between the pages of your favorite novel. Here are the 14 best reads from the 2020 quarantine book club.

But the story doesn’t have to end on the last page. This baker, artist, and bookworm is paying homage to all of her favorite stories with beautiful pies inspired by book covers. They’re almost too pretty to eat!

Reading just got tastier

Steph Hockersmith from @PieLadyBooks on Instagram takes reading to the next level with the most gorgeous pies. Every pie matches the color scheme or theme of a different book cover, carefully mixing all sorts of hues and patterns. Steph includes an excerpt from each book, too, so bakers everywhere may be encouraged to read them.

Just take a look at these masterpieces!

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“In my thirties, I learned that there is a type of pain in life that I want to feel. It’s the inevitable, excruciating, necessary pain of losing beautiful things: trust, dreams, health, animals, relationships, people. This kind of pain is the price of love, the cost of living a brave, openhearted life — and I’ll pay it. There is another kind of pain that comes not from losing beautiful things but from never even trying for them.” ~Glennon Doyle, Untamed ? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bibliophile #bookblogger #bookphotography #bookworm #booklover #bookish #reesesbookclub #booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #igreads #instabooks #glennondoyle #untamed #pieladybooks #pielady #pie #pies #piesofinstagram #pieart #readersofig #bookishgirl #booknerd #bookclub #booksbooksbooks #booksofig

A post shared by Steph~ Pie Lady Books (@pieladybooks) on Jun 18, 2020 at 5:39pm PDT

Steph also does all of her own photography. From start to finish, each pie takes her around two hours, depending on the design. Getting hungry? Here’s our guide to making a pumpkin pie from scratch.

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?Book Feature? { #ad #sponsored @onfrolic } . Happy Wednesday, my Friends! We’ve made it halfway through the week, and I am already counting down the days until the weekend, where I can just curl up with a book and relax.? . And I can think of no better book to curl up with than ISLAND AFFAIR, the latest release from USA Today bestselling author, Priscilla Oliveras.? . During these times when we can’t really travel and we long to escape, a rom-com like ISLAND AFFAIR is exactly the kind of book I crave to take me far, far away. I have heard so many wonderful things about this book, and I can’t wait to dive in!? . Thank you to @kensingtonbooks for gifting me with this book!? . I hope you have a wonderful night, my friends, and don’t forget to check out more about ISLAND AFFAIR below!? . Book Description: “Sought-after social media influencer Sara Vance, in recovery from an eating disorder, is coming into her own, with a potential career expansion on the horizon. Despite the good news, her successful siblings (and their perfect spouses) have a way of making her feel like the odd one out. So, when her unreliable boyfriend is a no-show for a Florida family vacation, Sara recruits Luis Navarro—a firefighter paramedic and dive captain willing to play the part of her smitten fiancé . . . Luis’s big Cuban familia has been in Key West for generations, and his quiet strength feeds off the island’s laidback style. Though guarded after a deep betrayal, he’ll always help someone in need—especially a spunky beauty with a surprising knowledge of Spanish curse words. Soon, he and Sara have memorized their “how we met” story and are immersed in family dinners, bike tours, private snorkeling trips . . . sharing secrets, and slow, melting kisses. But when it’s time for Sara to return home, will their fake relationship fade like the stunning sunset . . . or blossom into something beautiful?”? . #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bibliophile #bookblogger #bookblog #bookphotography #ebook #islandaffair #priscillaoliveras #bookworm #booklover #bookish #romcom #booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #booksofig #readersofig #igreads #instabooks #pieladybooks #pielady #pie #pieart

A post shared by Steph~ Pie Lady Books (@pieladybooks) on May 13, 2020 at 5:51pm PDT

According to an interview from the Sarah’s Bookshelves podcast, most of the pies featured on Steph’s Instagram are actually pre-baked, but not fully cooked through. This is to preserve the crispness of each design and maintain the color for photos. Afterward, the pies are baked to perfection and gobbled up ASAP.

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✨BookSparks Book Feature✨ . Happy Monday, my Friends! When I joined the @booksparks #SPRC2020 Spring Campaign, one of the books that I was the most excited about reading was easily The Upside of Being Down by Ban.do founder Jen Gotch.✨ . Mental health struggles are something that I’m incredibly passionate about, and I love all the work @jengotch is doing to help bring awareness and healing to this important subject.✨ . I especially feel like this book is so important in these times where many people are experiencing an increase in depression and anxiety…I know I have. And reading about how other people face those struggles is so helpful in reminding me that I’m not alone. (Also making pies has been a creative lifeline for me and helps my mental health immensely…so…y’all are probably going to be seeing even more of them in the next few weeks.?)✨ . I have heard so many incredible things about this book and I can’t wait to dive in this week. Have you read The Upside of Being Down?✨ . Be good to yourself today, my friends.? . BOOK DESCRIPTION: After graduating from college, Jen Gotch was living with her parents, heartbroken and lost, when she became convinced that her skin had turned green. Hallucinating that she looked like Shrek was terrifying, but it led to her first diagnosis and the start of a journey towards self-awareness, acceptance, success, and ultimately, joy. With humor and candor, Gotch shares the empowering story of her unlikely path to becoming the creator and CCO of a multimillion-dollar brand. From her childhood in Florida where her early struggles with bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety, and ADD were misdiagnosed, to her winding career path as a waitress, photographer, food stylist, and finally, accidental entrepreneur, she illuminates how embracing her flaws and understanding the influence of mental illness on her creativity actually led to her greatest successes in business and life.✨ . #getthebooklook #booksparks #booksharks #jengotch #bando #theupsideofbeingdown #bookstagram #pieladybooks #bookfeature

A post shared by Steph~ Pie Lady Books (@pieladybooks) on Apr 13, 2020 at 10:36am PDT

Can’t wait to get started on a pie of your own? Make sure you’re all stocked up with these essential baking tools. Here are 12 baking mistakes you didn’t know you were making.

Follow Steph’s literary (and culinary) journey

Steph is always updating her Instagram with new creations. You can also be a part of her journey by following her Facebook page. It’s not all pies, though; Steph creates decadent doughnuts and cookies, too.

If the baking bug has bit you, get started with our sister site Taste of Home’s most beautiful pie recipes, like this Easy Fresh Strawberry Pie that readers seriously can’t get enough of. You’ll be whipping up gorgeous creations like Steph’s in no time!  Next, see the pie recipe video that’s been viewed more than 1 million times.