Zach Klein’s Tumblr-turned-book Cabin Porn (Little, Brown, 2015), which has sold 45,000 hardcover copies per NPD BookScan, showed that people like ogling real estate—especially the kind they might never have the chance (or inclination) to live in themselves. More books that capitalize on that voyeuristic tendency will be out this year.
In April, wannabe bettys and brahs can pore over Surf Shack by interior designer and Domino contributor Nina Freudenberger, which showcases homes from Australia to the Rockaways: beachside bungalows, trailers, cabins, and more. Professional and amateur surfers profiled include Blake Mycoskie, founder of Toms; hotelier Sean MacPherson, whose father starred in Endless Summer and whose mother was a champion surfer; and pro longboarder Kassia Meador.
Foster Huntington started the Instagram hashtag #vanlife so that others could follow along as he traveled cross-country in his live-in van. One million Instagram followers later, Van Life (Black Dog & Leventhal, Oct.) features hundreds of crowd-sourced photographs, many of which have never been posted, alongside interviews with people who live the mobile lifestyle. The book shows VW buses, Sprinter vans, Japanese rides, and more parked on remote beaches and against dramatic mountain vistas.
Weird Homes (Skyhorse, Oct.), by David J. Neff, with his wife, Chelle, whose Weird Homes Tour of Austin counts more than 11,000 followers on Instagram, is an armchair photo safari of unusual dwellings in the Texas capital. Homeowners profiled live not only in grand, colorful historic properties but also in tree houses and repurposed dumpsters, lending credence to the city slogan, “Keep Austin Weird.”
