Riot New Media – Page 2

The 20 Best Spy Novels You Won’t Be Able To Put Down

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date April 18, 2024

Sponsored by

Hi, mystery fans! I just started watching a darkly funny show that is a murder mystery with an alien in hiding: Resident Alien (Peacock). Basically, he was sent to earth to kill all humanity (the way we’re going, not judging), but he crash-landed in a small town and has to assume the identity of a doctor and solve the murder of the town’s doctor while taking over his job — cue ridiculousness. Also, a small boy can see his true alien form, so he’s on a mission to kill the kid…I swear it’s a comedy.

Looking to elevate your reading life? Tailored Book Recommendations is here to help with handpicked recommendations. Tell the Bibliologists at Tailored Book Recommendations about what you love and what you don’t. You can get your recommendations via email or receive hardcovers or paperbacks in the mail. And with quarterly or annual plans available, TBR has something for every budget. Plans start at just $18! Subscribe today.

Bookish Goods

miniature figurine of an owl on a stack of books reading

Miniature Small Owl Reading Book by LoveFairyGarden

Reading is a hoot! Sorry, I’ll see myself out. ($14)

New Releases

You Know What You Did by K. T. Nguyen

For fans of psychological suspense, unreliable narrators, mental illness exploration, and an artist lead!

Annie Shaw is a painter who lives in Virginia with her journalist husband and daughter, living the kind of life people dream of. Then Annie finds her mother dead in their carriage house, and Annie begins to unravel: Her meds seem to not be a match for her seeing her mother’s ghost, she’s a suspect in an art patron’s death, and then she has no memory of how she got to a murder scene…

Nosy Neighbors by Freya Sampson

For fans of Only Murders in the Building, enemies uniting, two POVs, and feel-good mysteries!

Residents of the multi-unit Shelley House building are not only facing eviction from a landlord wanting to sell the property, but a new young resident has the eldest resident on edge. Kat Bennett is in her mid-twenties and just moved into Shelley House, and she’s not the most approachable. Dorothy Darling is in her late seventies and watches everything happening in the building, telling everyone what they’re doing wrong. She does not like Kat. But when the person letting Kat sublet is injured, Dorothy and Kat put their war aside to find out who is harming tenants…

Looking for more new releases? Check out our New Books newsletter!

Riot Recommendations

Here are two backlist historical mystery series starters set in the 1940s that are wildly different from each other, from setting to tone.

Clark and Division (Japantown Mystery #1) by Naomi Hirahara

For fans of lesser-known history, family drama, and amateur sleuths!

In the wake of Pearl Harbor, the Ito family was forced into California’s Manzanar internment camp. A few months ago, the oldest daughter, Rose, was resettled to Chicago, and now her parents and younger sister, Aki, are being released to join her. Except Rose is dead, labeled a suicide, and Aki is certain something else must have happened. So Aki uses Rose’s diary and talks to everyone who got to know Rose during her time in Chicago, to find out what really happened to her sister.

(TW briefly recounts sexual assault without graphic details/misgendering)

Full Dark House (Bryant & May: Peculiar Crimes Unit #1) by Christopher Fowler

For fans of the London Blitz setting, past and present murder investigations, and snarky old British detectives pairing!

For over 60 years, Arthur Bryant and John May have been partners in the Peculiar Crimes Division. In the present, Bryant is killed in a headquarters explosion, and May investigates, leading him to think back on their first case together: a murdered stage dancer who plays out the investigation along with the production of Orpheus in the Underworld.

News and Roundups

A first date turns into a whodunit in Diarra from Detroit

The 20 Best Spy Novels You Won’t Be Able To Put Down

From Sugar To Monsieur Spade: Old-School TV Detectives Are Having A Moment

Everything to Know About Bad Boys 4

Kobo Is Launching Its First Color Ereaders

Sherlock co-creator wants a Benedict Cumberbatch-Martin Freeman feature film reunion

Has BookTok Gone Too Far This Time?

Liberty and Emily chat new releases on All The Books! including You Know What You Did by K. T. Nguyen, While We Were Burning by Sara Koffi, Indian Burial Ground by Nick Medina, and Butter: A Novel of Food and Murder by Asako Yuzuki.

Double The Book Bans In Half The Time: PEN America’s Latest Book Ban Report

Browse the books recommended in Unusual Suspects’ previous newsletters on this shelf. See upcoming 2024 releases and mysteries from 2023. Check out this Unusual Suspects Pinterest board and get Tailored Book Recommendations!

Until next time, keep investigating! In the meantime, come talk books with me on Bluesky, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, and Litsy — you can find me under Jamie Canavés.

If a mystery fan forwarded this newsletter to you and you’d like your very own, you can sign up here.

Giveaways

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Post author By Vivek Patel
Post date April 18, 2024

We’re teaming up with Penguin Random House to Get Offline and Unwind! Enter for a chance to win a weekend retreat, books, wellness goodies, and more!

Enter here for a chance to win, or click the image below!

One grand prize winner will receive $1,000 towards a weekend reading retreat plus a bundle of books and wellness products to help you escape and unwind. Read on for the full list of prizes!

ONE Grand Prize Winner: $1,000 towards a reading retreat plus a collection of 10 books and a bundle of wellness products! Including:

Big Mood Bath Soak from OUI the People
Todos Santos Candle from Nopalera
Signature Masala Chai Mix from Kolkata Chai Co.
Cacao Turmeric Latte Blend from Golde
Hydrate Mask (Set of 6) from Peach & Lily
Have a Chill Night Body Oil from Chillhouse

FIVE Winners:
A collection of 10 wellness and escapist reads and a bundle of wellness products!
FIFTY Winners:
One free book from Penguin Random House!

Kid Lit Giveaways

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Post author By Vivek Patel
Post date April 18, 2024

We’re giving away five advance reader copies of Roswell Johnson Saves the World!

Enter here for a chance to win, or click the image below!

The #1 New York Times bestselling author is back with a funny, heartfelt, action-packed new series that is “Guardians of the Galaxy meets The Land of Stories.” Eleven-year-old Roswell Johnson is obsessed with conspiracies about extraterrestrial life. When Roswell is accidentally abducted by aliens, his biggest dream comes true—he learns that aliens are real!  But when he discovers Earth is in grave danger, he must join forces with a team of quirky extraterrestrials to save his planet.  But can Roswell restore his own faith in humanity and Earth in time to save the world? Enter to win an ARC.

Read This Book

Read This Book…

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date April 18, 2024

Sponsored by

Welcome to Read This Book, your go-to newsletter if you’re looking to expand your TBR pile. Each week, I’ll recommend a book I think is an absolute must-read. Some will be new releases, some will be old favorites, and the books will vary in genre and subject matter every time. I hope you’re ready to get reading!

If you think you have to wait until October to read books about witches, think again. Actually, I happen to think witches are an all-year-round thing, but if you’re a more seasonal type person, hear me out. The book I’m recommending this week is witchy, sure, but it’s a story that feels relevant no matter what the season—especially (unfortunately) in our current political climate.

The Women Could Fly by Megan Giddings

I first read Megan Giddings’s The Women Could Fly two years ago, and I can’t stop thinking about it. It’s the type of book that made me feel all of the emotions. I laughed, I cried, I felt deeply unsettled. And I want everyone else to read this book, too, so I can talk to them about it.

This novel is set in a dystopian world where witches are real, and the government closely monitors all women to make sure they don’t turn into one. And if women aren’t married by 30, they become property of The State, their every move dictated and monitored. Josephine Thomas has heard rumors that her mother is a witch, and that’s why she disappeared, abandoning her family, never to be seen again. That was 14 years ago.

Now, as Jo’s 30th birthday looms ever closer, she desperately wants to move past the disappearance of her mother, but marriage and the life society wants her to lead seem wholly uninteresting to Jo. She’s dating, but she doesn’t feel a deep connection with any of the men in her life (including her father, whom she feels doesn’t really know the real her). With all of the pressures and expectations of women in this world, Jo feels like men can’t understand what she’s feeling or going through. In other words, the older Jo gets, the more she understands why her mother would want to run away and leave everything else behind. Jo has often had thoughts of doing the same.

Then Jo is offered a window into another way of life and gets new insight into who her mother was and who she would become. Suddenly, and perhaps for the first time ever in her life, Jo is presented with choices. But the choices aren’t easy, and following her heart might also put her in danger.

I absolutely loved every moment of this book. It confronts sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, and other topics that, unfortunately, feel very relevant to contemporary times. But most importantly, what made me connect to this story was Jo’s voice. Jo felt authentic and unique as a main character. She’s vulnerable and honest, but she’s also just really, understandably, angry. And somehow, this book still manages to have some genuine moments of humor. Like, I literally laughed out loud at points.

After Lakewood and The Women Could Fly, I can confidently say that Megan Giddings is one of those authors who will immediately jump to the top of my TBR every time she has a new book. If you haven’t checked her out yet, take this as your sign to do it now!

Happy weekend reading, book fans! Feel free to follow me on Instagram @EmAndHerCat, and check out my other newsletters, The Fright Stuff and Book Radar!

Book Radar

Emily Austin Announces New Novel WE COULD BE RATS and More Book Radar!

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date April 17, 2024

Sponsored by

Hi, Book Friends!

It’s Thursday, which means it’s time, once again, to talk books. It’s been a long week with lots of doctors appointments and other un-fun things (everything is okay), but I’m looking forward to taking a little break to talk to all of you. So let’s do this.

Book Deals and Reveals

Here’s the cover of Eric LaRocca’s upcoming novel At Dark, I Become Loathsome. The cover artwork is by Sarah Sitkin, with a cover design/layout by Kathryn Galloway English. It’s out on January 28, 2025, from Blackstone Publishing.

I know, I can’t believe it’s already time for January 2025 cover reveals, but here’s another one: Alafair Burke’s The Note, “a story of three longtime friends whose girls’ weekend to the Hamptons goes terribly wrong.” It’s out on January 14, 2025.

Emily Austin’s new novel We Could Be Rats is set to be published in spring 2025 by Atria. The book is pitched as “a love letter to childhood, growing up, and the power of imagination.”

And here’s the cover of Paula Hawkin’s new thriller The Blue Hour. It’s out this October.

If you loved The Other Black Girl and Midsommar, make sure you check out Vincent Tirado’s We Came to Welcome You, out from William Morrow books this September. Here’s the cover reveal.

Nat Cassidy has announced his third novel, which he describes as “a little bit IT and Firestarter, a little bit Terminator 2, a little bit Le Guin, a little bit Koontz, a little bit Grimms, a little bit Twilight Zone, & a lotta bit gonna rip yer face off.” It’s called When the Wolf Comes Home, and it’s coming soon!

The film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s It Ends With Us has been delayed. The movie will now open on August 9.

Book clubs are really having a moment right now. Are you part of a book club? What are your thoughts about the current boom?

Book Riot Recommends

Hi, welcome to everyone’s favorite segment of Book Radar called Book Riot Recommends. This is where I’ll talk to you about all the books I’m reading, the books I’m loving, and the books I can’t wait to read and love in the near future. I think you’re going to love them too!

Can’t Wait for This One!

Rani Choudhury Must Die by Adiba Jaigirdar (Feiwel & Friends, November 12)

I am so ready for a fun, cute, sapphic YA romance. Aren’t you? Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait for this one until November 12. But, you know, as I always say, with the way time works, November 12 will be here tomorrow. So, you might as well go ahead and prepare your shelves, because this one has it all — revenge, romance, comedy, hijinks, a science competition. You get it. Let me tell you about it.

Rani Choudhury can essentially do no wrong. At least, that’s what nearly everyone seems to think, and it’s exhausting for Rani’s ex-best fried, Meghna Rahman, who feels like she constantly has to live up to Miss Perfect. So when Meghna finds out she and Rani will both be competing in the Young Scientist Exhibition, she thinks this could finally be her chance to beat Rani at something.

Meanwhile, Rani just wishes her parents didn’t control every single aspect of her life. They tell her what to do about basically everything, from what she studies in school to who she dates. Rani is annoyed when her parents set her up with their family friend Zak. She’d rather focus on the upcoming science competition. What she doesn’t know is that Zak is also dating Meghna.

When the two girls find out Zak has been seeing both of them at the same time, they call a truce to take down the same enemy. Deciding to compete as partners in the European Young Scientist Exhibition, Rani and Meghna create an app that exposes cheaters. But, as I said, this is a sapphic romance, so you might have guessed what happens next. As Rani and Meghna work closely together, sparks begin to fly.

Words of Literary Wisdom

“Each thing we love takes a little piece of us whether we give it willingly or not. By the time we find the person we were meant to be with, we’re a honeycombed shell of what we once were. Each person we love turns us into the strange thing we become.”

— The Trees Grew Because I Bled There by Eric LaRocca

What I’m Watching This Weekend

You might have noticed, if you’re paying close attention, that I’ve been reading Liane Moriarty’s Apples Never Fall this week. I’m a fan of Moriarty’s books, and I’m a HUGE FAN of Alison Brie, so I’m excited to watch the mini-series based on the book over the weekend. If you want to watch along with me, it’s streaming on Peacock!

And Here’s A Cat Picture!

It’s been a minute since I’ve given you a good close up of Remy’s cute little tuxie face. So here he is. He’s been going a little bananas this week because we’ve been gone a lot to doctor’s appointments. And I feel bad because I can’t tell him why! I’m so sorry, little guy. If I could quit everything and spend 24 hours a day playing with cats, I would! Wouldn’t we all?

Aaaand…I’m out! Have a wonderful weekend, friends!

Emily

Kissing Books

Journalists in Love

Post author By P.N. Hinton
Post date April 17, 2024

Sponsored by

Welcome, or welcome back, to the Kissing Books newsletter. I’m PN Hinton, your guide to all things romance-related. Thanks for taking the time from your day to give this a read! I hope that this newsletter helps to brighten up your day just a little bit more.

I am firmly in a chaotic reading state. I’m currently reading six different books. And most of them have been in progress for a couple of weeks. This is in no way a reflection of those books either: I’m just having trouble not getting distracted by other books. And then there are non-bookish distractions to contend with as well. That said, one bookish grace I gave myself this year was taking as long as I like with a book, no matter what.

Bookish Goods

TBR Cart Sticker by FatedPages

I love everything about this sticker. I am a big fan of library carts. Once I have more space, I’ll be getting more of these for my book collection. And yes, my personal one is as full to the brim as the ones pictured here, something I am perfectly fine with. $3

New Releases

One Last Word by Suzanne Park

One Last Word is an app created by Sara that sends messages on your behalf to any person of your choosing upon your death. When a woman with her same name passes away, it releases all of the still-living Sara’s messages, including one to her high-school crush Harry. Shortly after this occurrence, Sara learns that she’s been accepted into a venture capital mentorship, with her mentor being none other than Harry. This forces Sara to face the effects of this error, but she may find herself surprised by the results this technical snag has.

The Bootlegger’s Bounty by Adriana Herrera

Yearning to be free from her controlling family, jazz singer Rosalía strikes up a deal with a rum runner and gangster. She knows she is risking going from the frying pan to the fire. But she will do anything to be free to make her own choices. She also can’t deny the mutual desire is present between the three of them or the curiosity about where it may lead.

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

Today is Columnist Day. We’re used to getting our news much quicker in this modern day and age compared to the past. That doesn’t negate that journalism is still hard work. In honor of today, I’m going to highlight a few books where the main character is a journalist. Enjoy!

Topaz by Beverly Jenkins

Reporter Kate is hot on the trail of a con artist who is known for preying on elderly Black people. During her venture, she finds herself in unexpected danger and is rescued by Dix, a Black Seminole Marshal. Dix is there at the behest of Kate’s father to bring the young woman home. On the way there, the two powerful personalities fight against the attraction simmering between them that threatens to ignite them both.

Crossing the Line by Kimberly Kincaid

To help her best friend’s magazine, photojournalist Scarlett agrees to a fluff piece featuring Cross Creek farm. The reason for this article? Bad boy Eli and his shenanigans that have netted his family farm some bad press. During their time together, Scarlett discovers there’s more to Eli than what meets the eye, and the two draw even closer.

Check out this list of ‘late bloomer’ romances.

If you’ve been yearning for some small-town romances, then this is perfectly timed.

That’s all she wrote for today friends. I’ll back in your inboxes Monday and in the meantime, you can find me posting over on Instagram under @pns_bookish_world. Until then, happy reading and stay hydrated.

Giveaways

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Post author By Vivek Patel
Post date April 17, 2024

We’re giving away three copies of Negative Space by Gillian Linden to three lucky Riot readers!

Enter here for a chance to win, or click the image below!

Negative Space follows a week in the life of an English teacher at a New York private school. At home, her children ask constant questions about mortality, and her husband offers occasional counsel between Zoom calls. At school, she accidentally witnesses an ambiguous, possibly inappropriate interaction between a teacher and a student, but how can she be sure of what she saw? Negative Space is a portrait of a woman caught between the pressures of what’s normal and what isn’t, and examines what we owe the people who depend on us in a fractured and indifferent world.

What's Up in YA

Queer Sports Romance, THE OUTSIDERS Musical, and More YA Book Talk & News: April 18, 2024

Post author By Kelly Jensen
Post date April 17, 2024

Sponsored by

Hey, YA Readers!

It feels like April is flying by. I blinked and somehow, it’s now more than half-way through the month. Wild!

Let’s get down to business and talk all things new YA paperback releases and YA book news for the week.

Bookish Goods

Red and White Magnetic Mushroom Bookmark by EarthCuriousArtCo

There are so many fun magnetic bookmarks in this shop that choosing one to highlight was hard (and don’t get me started on the dinosaur bookmark that isn’t magnetic—you might end up seeing that in a future newsletter). Anyway, I really want this mushroom bookmark. It’s so cute, and you can choose a holographic version if you want sparkles, too! $4.

New Releases

All of your new spring YA paperback releases are in one place over here. Below, find two exciting titles that hit shelves this week. As always, you might need to toggle your view to see the paperback edition.

This Night Is Ours by Ronni Davis

If you like stories set in the summer between high school and college and the types of stories set over one epic night, look no further.

Brandy’s been accepted into the best nursing school in the country. She should be excited, but she’s not. It’s her mom’s dream, not her dream, as Brandy wants to be an artist.

She’s a little (lot) envious of Ben Nolan, one of her classmates, who will be pursuing his dream of acting. So when Ben attaches himself to Brandy at the town’s summer carnival, she could not be more annoyed.

But her feelings about everything—her future, nursing school, Ben—will be tested over the course of the evening.

You Don’t Have A Shot by Racquel Marie

Vale’s life is soccer. She loves the game, but it’s more than just a game. She’s good, her future depends on the game, and she’s got expectations to exceed from her father. But then Vale incites a fight with long-time rival Leticia Ortiz, and everything becomes chaotic.

Vale decides she’ll find solace over the summer by working at her old youth soccer camp. It sounds like the right chance to reignite a love for the game and get back to the heart of what it means to be an athlete.

But then she discovers that she’ll be co-captaining the youth team this summer with none other than Leticia. Will fists fly? Or will it be sparks?

This is an exciting and engaging sports enemies-to-lovers queer romance.

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.

YA Book News

Before I dive in, let me begin by complaining. Google has changed its search settings, making finding YA news now absolutely impossible–did you know if you refine searches by category now, like “news,” you’ll be told by Google that you’ll get non-news content in that search result? The whole reason you refine is so you don’t get that.

Image from a Google search of "young adult novel," with a date range selected and search refined by "news." Below the refining is a note from Google stating "when you refine a search, Google may include search results other than news content."

Anyway, apologies because I no longer can search as seamlessly as before. That means the YA news will be a little shorter or odder than usual as I try to relearn how to search the internet for these stories. Google is no longer the place, apparently.

Marisha Pessl has her first new YA novel in several years publishing this fall.
The musical based on The Outsiders is getting good reviews. It’s currently at the Jacobs Theater in New York City.
All of the YA science fiction and fantasy novels hitting shelves this month.

Thanks for hanging out, and we’ll see you on Saturday for your YA book deals.

Until then, happy reading!

–Kelly Jensen, currently listening to Toxic: Women, Fame, and the Tabloid 2000s by Sarah Ditum

The Stack

Let’s Go Clubbing

Post author By Eileen Gonzalez
Post date April 17, 2024

Sponsored by

But not like that! Also, since this is my last newsletter before Passover, a zissen Pesach to all who celebrate!

Bookish Goods

A long, rectangular sign that reads "There's like, a lot of comics in here." in all capitals.

Funny Comic Sign by BlueFoxGifts

This sign wouldn’t look out of place in my room, that’s for sure. Pick the size and color you want! $24

New Releases

Covenant Volume One by LySandra Vuong

If you’re a fan of the webtoon, make sure to clear a space on your bookshelf for this paperback edition of the compelling romance between Ezra, a demon-fighting priest who can’t help doubting the god he’s supposed to serve, and Sunny, the man Ezra is tasked with protecting!

Bad Dreams in the Night by Adam Ellis

You might want to sleep with the lights on after reading this horror anthology. From the little boy who loves an obscure ’80s horror film to the familiar-sounding tale of the man married to a woman who always wears a ribbon around her neck, these chilling tales are a great way to pass a dark and stormy night.

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter!

Riot Recommendations

Today’s Riot Rec theme is: clubs! They’re a great place to meet people with similar interests. They’re also a great subject for a graphic novel.

Art Club by Rashad Doucet

Dale is a creative kid — a fact that none of the adults in his life seem to appreciate. In an attempt to make them take his interests seriously, Dale starts a school art club, where he is able to meet like-minded kids and grow his own abilities alongside them. Can he change the grown-ups’ minds before they shut down the club?

Wildfire by Breena Bard

Julianna’s happy life was shattered when a wildfire ripped through her rural community, forcing her family to relocate to the city. At first, she can’t focus on anything but her own anger and trauma. But joining the conservation club at her middle school might offer her the outlet she needs to move forward.

Personally, I think there should be more comic book clubs. They could be like book clubs, but you’d finish the book faster and get to enjoy lots of nice pictures, too!

~Eileen

True Story

Books Perfect for Your Next Foodie Adventure

Post author By Kendra Winchester
Post date April 16, 2024

Sponsored by

Recently, I was trying to think of something to make for dinner and perused my food book stacks looking for inspiration. As I flipped through my cookbooks, I thought through all of my options. Overwhelmed with so many choices, I ended up making a three-cheese pasta in red sauce, chicken parmesan, and roasted broccoli and cauliflower in olive oil.

I think I’m at the point where I have to accept that I don’t read food books for recipes. I read them to challenge myself to think of cooking in new ways. Why do we salt meat before cooking it? Or, why do we salt pasta water? I found the answers to these questions and so many more in my favorite food writing and cookbooks. So today, we’re looking at a couple of my favorite books for foodies, but first, bookish goods!

Bookish Goods

a photo of a bookmark that has an arrow next to text that reads "You Were Right Here"

You Were Here Bookmark by AngelicaZunigaArt

I love a quirky bookmark, and this one is perfect. It’s good to know exactly where you left off! $5

New Releases

Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder by Salman Rushdie

In his new memoir, Salman Rushdie writes about how he was attacked at a book event, an act of violence that almost took his life. He also delves deeper into his experience of having a fatwa ordered against him 30 years ago, and how he survived and kept writing.

Committed: On Meaning and Madwomen by Suzanne Scanlon

After a suicide attempt, Suzanne Scanlon enters the New York State Psychiatric Institute. But that is just the beginning. For years, she struggled with her mental health, eventually finding solace in the pages and pages of literature written by women who have shared her experiences.

Looking for more new releases? Check out our New Books newsletter!

Riot Recommendations

Burn the Place: A Memoir by Iliana Regan

Iliana Regan grew up on a small farm in Indiana, going out on foraging expeditions with her family members and learning how to live with the land around her. As she grew older and began to realize she was queer, she tried to bury that knowledge with alcoholism and an intense amount of work in the food industry. As she worked her way up through the restaurant world, she discovered her calling, the thing that gave her purpose. She began to focus more on ingredients, remembering her childhood spent searching for ingredients with her family. Regan writes about her complex inner world, struggling to stay sober and create a better world for herself where she accepts who she is and becomes her best self.

a graphic of the cover of Bottom of the Pot by Naz Deravian

Bottom of the Pot: Persian Recipes and Stories by Naz Deravian

I’ve had my eye on this cookbook for years, so you can imagine how excited I was to receive it as a gift. Bottom of the Pot is the winner of the IACP 2019 First Book Award, presented by The Julia Child Foundation. It combines essays and recipes to create that unique pairing of cooking from a very personal place. Deravian gives us a diverse collection of Persian recipes, adding sections about how to treat individual ingredients so we get the best results.

a photo of Gwen, a black and white Cardigan Welsh Corgi, sitting next to a copy of All the World Beside by Garrard Conley — Gwen and her most recent read.

You can find me over on my substack Winchester Ave, over on Instagram @kdwinchester, on TikTok @kendrawinchester, 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