Ah! August is a delightful time of year when it’s still frighteningly hot, but stores wheel out blank notebooks and dozens of pen varieties. To me this is the perfect sort of holiday. There’s nothing like going to my favorite big box store and walking down the aisles of school supplies. Since I already have a box full of empty notebooks from previous years, I managed to refrain from buying new paper goods. However, I did get one set of my favorite G-2 pens.
This is also the time of year that I itch to consume all things cooking and cuisine related. Yesterday, I spent hours looking for a cookbook only to realize I had a third shelf full of cookbooks. This week, I’m diving into Lowcountry cuisine, sharing some of my favorite Southern cookbooks with y’all. But first, new books!
Bookish Goods
Library Card Pillow by Dirtsa Studio
I adore pillow of all kinds, so when I saw these cute library card pillows, I knew I had to share. I love that they come in so many colors! $30.
New Releases
Acne: A Memoir by Laura Chinn
The creator of Florida Girls, Laura Chinn, shares her experience growing up as a biracial girl with severe acne. So many women struggle with adult acne, but we rarely talk about it. It’s refreshing to see a woman, especially a woman working in Hollywood, share her experience with the condition. This book is also incredibly funny and full of heart.
The Crane Wife by CJ Hauser
CJ Hauser’s essay “The Crane Wife” appeared in The Paris Review and went viral. Now, back with a full collection of essays, CJ Hauser asks thought-provoking questions and examines social norms and expectations. But instead of giving readers the questions and standing back, she ponders with you, making you feel as if you’re thinking through life along with her.
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
One of the best ways to get to know an area is to explore its cuisine. So when I moved down to the Lowcountry in 2020, I began researching cookbooks and food-related books from the area.
Black, White, and the Grey: The Story of an Unexpected Friendship and a Beloved Restaurant by Mashama Bailey and John O. Morisano
I love a good story of an unlikely friendship, and Mashama Bailey and John O. Morisano’s friendship is one of the best. When Morisano first bought the old Greyhound bus station in Savannah, he wasn’t sure what he’d do with it. But as an Italian white man from Long Island, he grew up with a profound love of food. Soon he was introduced to Mashama Bailey, a Black woman from Queens who also had family ties to Savannah. Soon they became partners in The Grey, a restaurant that brought them both National acclaim. You can even see them featured in an episode of Netflix’s popular Chef’s Table series.
Bress ‘n’ Nyam: Gullah Geechee Recipes from a Sixth-Generation Farmer by Matthew Raiford
Originally descended from enslaved West and Central Africans, the Gullah Geechee people have lived in the Lowcountry for generations, creating their own distinctive culture and language. Their cuisine focuses on natural resources found in the Lowcountry wetlands, often using rice and seafood. Of course, I had to grab a cookbook (in fact, I now have several), but one of my favorites is Bress ‘n’ Nyam. He tells his family history through the recipes he shares, many of which have been passed down for generations.
As a bonus recommendation, I also have my eye on Gullah Geechee Home Cooking: Recipes from the Matriarch of Edisto Island by Emily Meggett.
That’s it for this week! You can find me over on my substack Winchester Ave or over on Instagram @kdwinchester. 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