October is the month for cookbooks to shine! We’ve prepared a delicious four course meal of off-beat cookbooks and some novels to feast on.
Eat Joy: Stories & Comfort Food from 31 Celebrated Writers, Natalie Eve Garrett
Lev Grossman explains how he survived on “sweet, sour, spicy, salty, unabashedly gluey” General Tso’s tofu after his divorce. Carmen Maria Machado describes her growing pains as she learned to feed and care for herself during her twenties. What makes each tale so moving is not only the deeply personal revelations from celebrated writers, but also the compassion and healing behind the story: the taste of hope.
Turnips Greens & Tortillas : a Mexican Chef Spices Up the Southern Kitchen, Eddie Hernandez
Eddie Hernandez, the James Beard-nominated chef, explores the commonalities of Southern and Mexican food, with dishes like Memphis Barbecue Pork Tacos, Chicken Pot Pie served in a “bowl” of a puffed tortilla, Turnip Greens in “pot likker” spiked with chiles, or the “Eddie Palmer,” sweet tea with a jab of tequila. Eddie never hesitates to break with purists to make food taste better.
Grand Dishes: Recipes and Stories from Grandmothers of the World, Anastasia Miari and Iska Lupton.
Inspired by their own grandmothers and the love they shared through the food they served, Anastasia Miari and Iska Lupton embark on a mission: from Corfu to Cuba, Moscow to New Orleans, and many more places in between, they set out to capture cooking methods, regional recipes and timeless wisdom from grandmothers around the world.
Hello, My Name is Ice Cream, Dana Cree
With more than 100 recipes for ice creamflavors and revolutionary mix-ins from a James Beard-nominated pastry chef, Hello, My Name Is IceCreamexplains not only how to make amazing ice cream, but also the science behind the recipes so you can understand ice cream like a pro.
Lessons in Chemistry, Bonnie Grams
Like science, life is unpredictable. Which is why Elizabeth Zott found herself not only a single mother, but the reluctant chemist star of America’s most beloved cooking show Supper at Six. Elizabeth’s unusual approach to cooking proved revolutionary, but as her following grew, not everyone was happy. As it turned out, Elizabeth Zott wasn’t just teaching women to cook. She was daring them to change the status quo.
With the Fire on High, Elizabeth Acevedo
Ever since she got pregnant freshman year, Emoni Santiago’s life has been about making the tough decisions—doing what has to be done for her daughter and her abuela. The one place she can let all that go is in the kitchen, where she adds a little something magical to everything she cooks, turning her food into straight-up goodness. (Young Adult)
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, Aimee Bender
Being able to taste people’s emotions in food may at first be horrifying. But young, unassuming Rose Edelstein grows up learning to harness her gift as she becomes aware that there are secrets even her taste buds cannot discern.
A Phở Love Story, Loan Le
Bảo Nguye̋n would describe himself as steady and strong: his grades are average, his social status unremarkable. He works at his parent’s phở restaurant. Linh Mai would describe herself as a firecracker: stable when unlit, but full of potential for joy and fire. She dreams of pursuing a career in art, while working practically full-time at her family’s phở restaurant. Bao and Linh have never even had a class together, but after a chance encounter, sparks fly. Can this relationship survive their families’ feud? (Young Adult)
The School of Essential Ingredients, Erica Bauermeister
Eight students gather in Lillian’s Restaurant every Monday night for cooking class. It soon becomes clear, however, that each one seeks a recipe for something beyond the kitchen. Chef Lillian, a woman whose connection with food is both soulful and exacting, helps them to create dishes whose flavor and techniques expand beyond the restaurant and into the secret corners of her students’ lives.
The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan
In this timeless classic, four Chinese women, recent immigrants to San Francisco, begin meeting to eat dim sum, play mahjong, and talk. United in shared unspeakable loss and hope, they call themselves the Joy Luck Club. With wit and sensitivity, Amy Tan’s debut novel—now widely regarded as a modern classic—examines the sometimes painful, often tender, and always deep connection between these four women and their American-born daughters.
Kids Can Cook Anything, American Test Kitchen Kids
Using kid-tested and kid-approved recipes, America’s Test Kitchen Kids has created a cookbook every kid chef needs on their shelf. Whether you’re cooking for yourself, your friends, or your family, Kids Can Cook Anything! has delicious recipes that will wow (arriving soon).
