Though kids head back to school in the next couple of weeks, it still feels like the neverending summer days are still going to stretch out before us. It’s so hot, and all I can think about is all the summer food I still need to make before fall soup season starts. Dylan and Gwen could not be happier at all of the food I’ve been making. So, naturally, I’m excited for all the wonderful food books coming out. So let’s jump in!
But first, make sure to check out Book Riot’s newest podcast, First Edition, where BookRiot.com co-founder Jeff O’Neal explores the wide bookish world. Subscribe to hear them and stay to hear Book Riot’s editors pick the “it” book of the month.
Bookish Goods
Book Stamp by Stamp By Me Studio
I love a good book stamp for the books in my library. Here is a cute one! $9
New Releases
Black Rican Vegan: Fire Plant-Based Recipes from a Bronx Kitchen by Lyana Blount
Lyana Blount takes favorites from her Black and Puerto Rican family and creates vegan versions. Blount also creates new recipes that are bound to become favorites. Filled with delicious recipes right from her home in the Bronx, Black Rican Vegan is a must-have for vegans everywhere.
Time and Tide: Recipes and Stories from My Coastal Kitchen by Emily Scott
Sometimes you just need your food to take you to the Cornish coast. Filled with recipes from her home in Cornwall, the recipes in Time and Tide will transport you to the coast, the smell of brine and taste of salty air. I just can’t get my hands on this book soon enough.
For a more comprehensive list, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
Save Me the Plums: My Gourmet Memoir by Ruth Reichl
Save Me the Plums was my first book by former Gourmet editor Ruth Reichl. She’s so well known for her food-related memoirs; I’m kind of shocked that I had never read her work before, but I think Save Me the Plums was a great place to start. In this memoir, Reichl writes about her experience becoming the last editor-in-chief of one of America’s oldest food magazines. I love getting a behind-the-scenes look into how magazines are made. It’s a fascinating world of taste-making, photo shoots, and epic magazine covers. I flew through this book in one day. It’s just that fun to read.
The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South by Michael W. Twitty
In Twitty’s first book, he takes a few different DNA tests and takes us around the world as he researches the different countries and cultures — and their food — that make up his heritage. I loved learning about Twitty’s process, his love for learning, and his passion for all things cuisine. He shares his experiences traveling, tasting new food, and all the cooking he does in the process. This is every food nerd’s dream book as Twitty connects how food directly connects us to our cultures.
That’s it for this week! 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 kendra.d.winchester@gmail.com. For even MORE bookish content, you can find my articles over on Book Riot.
Happy Reading, Friends!
~ Kendra