Hello, bookish friends! Every year, there comes a time when I’m SO CLOSE to finishing my gift list, but there’s always that one person I’m struggling to find something for. In a pinch, I reach for some of my favorite books to give. As I’ve mentioned earlier this year, my biggest go-to is Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat. But I also have a few other go-to’s. So we’ll be talking about a couple of those today. But first, new books!
Bookish Goods
Just One More Chapter Mug by Bella and Oak Gifts
I love mugs, especially clear ones. I take joy in the simple pleasure of looking at my coffee in the glass. So, to me, this clear mug is just perfect! $22
New Releases
Hatching: Experiments in Motherhood and Technology by Jenni Quilter
The world of human reproduction is changing faster than we can keep up. As fertility centers keep pushing the boundaries of what is possible, author Jenni Quilter wonders who’s considering the ethical questions behind the science of having children.
How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures by Sabrina Imbler
If you think you don’t want to read a collection of essays about marine biology, you’d be wrong. Sabrina Imbler is a queer, mixed race science writer who expertly weaves together moments from her own life with fascinating facts about underwater animals.
For a more comprehensive list, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
Cookbooks are always something I love sharing with people as gifts. I usually buy several copies of my favorites to have on hand whenever I need them.
In Bibi’s Kitchen: The Recipes and Stories of Grandmothers from the Eight African Countries that Touch the Indian Ocean by Hawa Hassan (with Julia Turshen)
My favorite cookbooks are those that have at least some little snippet of storytelling in them. I want to know more about where the recipe came from. Where did the cookbook author first discover their love of food? In Bibi’s Kitchen does that and more. Somali chef Hawa Hassan talks to bibis (grandmother’s) from South Africa, Mozambique, Madagascar, Comoros, Tanzania, Kenya, Somalia, and Eritrea. They share their recipes and wisdom around their love of food. This cookbook feels like travel writing, memoir, and a cookbook all rolled into one!
Simply Julia: 110 Easy Recipes for Healthy Comfort Food by Julia Turshen
Julia Turshen is a beloved chef and food writer — she even worked with Hawa Hassan on In Bibi’s Kitchen! In Simply Julia, Turshen shares the recipes that she makes at home with her wife. Turshen’s wife had to go on a medical diet several years ago, and that inspired Turshen to take a different look at the way she made comfort food. In addition to these amazing recipes, she writes short essays that give us a little insight into her life and how she approaches the food that she makes.
 |
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