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A refreshing take on the increasingly popular cookbook-memoir subgenre, My (Half) Latinx Kitchen: Half Recipes, Half Stories, All Latin American by Kiera Wright-Ruiz is a soul-searching journey that uses food as a navigating force. The daughter of an Ecuadorian man and Korean woman, Wright-Ruiz has dealt with the anxiety-provoking question “What are you?” her entire life. She notes that her food life isn’t the type you typically read about in cookbooks, where the author is taught recipes handed down through generations. Wright-Ruiz learned to cook from her parents, grandparents, foster parents and the bubbling cultures around her, and that’s how she has found her identity too. “This cookbook is a celebration of Latin American dishes and how the journey to embrace a culture isn’t always linear,” she writes. 

The result is a cookbook of (mostly) Latin American dishes emphasizing the Mexican-, Cuban- and Ecuadorian-inspired recipes from those who raised and influenced her, such as menestra de lentejas (a deliciously flavorful lentil stew from Ecuador), ropa vieja (slowly stewed shredded beef and bell peppers from Cuba) and champurrado (a chocolaty corn-based Mexican drink). She includes recipes that are funny and personal, such as “3 Salsas You Must Know How to Make Before You Die” and “My Perfect Cuban Breakfast.” An intro to each recipe explains and clarifies the ingredients, cultural context and impact of that particular dish on Wright-Ruiz’s life. All are interspersed with witty stories and personal reflections, like her love letter to plantains and the culinary prowess of her “Aunt TT the Kitchen God.” An informative ingredient section lists interesting facts about Latin American foods used in her recipes, such as hominy (soaked corn kernels processed through nixtamalization, which was invented by Indigenous Mesoamericans), naranjilla (a small orange fruit that was enjoyed by the Incas) and Tajin (a Mexican seasoning that’s “a little salty, a little citrusy, and a little smoky”). 

My (Half) Latinx Kitchen is richly imagined with fun, full-color illustrations by Zyan Méndez: Smiling plantains are suspended in outer space, and an amused woman with big hoop earrings lounges on an avocado slice in a pool of a stew. Coupled with enticing, full-bleed photos of the dishes and highly stylized spreads of ingredients, Wright-Ruiz’s cookbook is a pleasure to page through. 

Kiera Wright-Ruiz explores a host of Latin American cultures in her richly imagined cookbook-memoir, My (Half) Latinx Kitchen.

A stylish and unexpected entry into the pantheon of great contemporary cookbooks, Hot Date! Sweet & Savory Recipes Celebrating the Date, from Party Food to Everyday Feasts will surpass your expectations. Rawaan Alkhatib, a cook, poet and artist of Palestinian and Indian descent, is a singular talent whose illustrations are reminiscent of the whimsy of Maira Kalman, but with a touch of Josef Frank’s lavish patterns thrown in for good measure. This extraordinary book expounds on a single ingredient—the titular date—and takes it in startling, awe-inspiring directions, all while keeping recipes relatively simple. For example, Alkhatib’s take on grilled cheese pairs kashkaval, “a mild yet unambiguously sheepy cheese from Bulgaria,” with the “sweet unctuousness” of dates. “I’m basically just asking you to add dates to your regular grilled cheese situation and see how that makes you feel,” she writes. But it’s a revelation. She also includes spins on traditional British Indian foods, like malai chicken with creamy stuffed dates, which Alkhatib suggests you serve bundled into warm naan with a squeeze of fresh lime. My favorite parts are the simple party foods and dessert recommendations, like the salted halwa brownie cookies that Alkhatib calls “a salty, chocolaty joy-storm.” Linda Xiao’s vivid photography coupled with full-bleed illustrations and bright pink edged pages have a maximalist ethos, which is a perfect foil for Hot Date!’s humble, single-ingredient focus. With her artful eye and bold style, Alkhatib clearly has her finger on the culinary pulse. Don’t be surprised if you start seeing dates pop up at your coolest friends’ dinner parties.

With an artful eye and bold style, Rawaan Alkhatib elevates the humble date in her brilliantly designed, deliciously concocted cookbook, Hot Date!

Matty Matheson doesn’t have to tell you that Matty Matheson: Soups, Salads, Sandwiches isn’t your typical cookbook. You’ll know just by looking at it. The charismatic chef, restaurateur and actor (he consistently steals scenes as Neil Fak in the FX series The Bear) is dressed down in a worn-to-the-point-of-translucency Grateful Dead T-shirt on the book’s cover, tattoos scattered across every bit of skin up to his slicked-back yet still rumpled hair. The simple bowl of tomato soup in front of him looks practically conformist by comparison, and shows that the unfussy nature of his cooking is a byproduct of authentically good taste, not pretension. Matheson seems incapable of faking it, and his audience loves him for it. This isn’t his first cookbook—in fact, it’s his third—but by limiting recipes to three of the most user-friendly, indispensable meals, this one might become his most popular. The section on soups includes more ways to make the dish than I knew existed, including a fish stew called cioppino and a Scottish soup called Cullen skink. (“This soup should make you feel good, like you’re the one last remaining Highlander,” writes Matheson. “You’ve cut everyone’s head off, and you can finally just live your life.”) There are various chowders, phos and vichyssoises, but it’s simple stuff like Matheson’s corn maple Parmesan soup, which is made in a blender with frozen corn, that really highlights his enthusiasm for no-frills tasty food.

Matty Matheson’s new cookbook highlights the chef’s (and The Bear actor’s) unfussy nature and enthusiasm for no-frills tasty food.
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The Hostess Handbook

According to Maria Zizka (The Newlywed Table), the three pillars of party planning are “the desire to host, some reliably excellent go-to recipes, and a bit of party know-how.” You’ll get a hefty dose of all three in The Hostess Handbook: A Modern Guide to Entertaining. It’s filled with a wide variety of truly enticing recipes that will make you want to start cooking, including vegetarian summer rolls with peanut sauce, saffron couscous with cauliflower, chickpeas and pomegranate, and—wait for it—churro doughnuts with chocolate glaze. These are included in a variety of menus, ranging from a Sunday supper to a holiday dinner party. Zizka also advises on flower arranging, expelling lingering fishy smells and—importantly—navigating dietary restrictions of guests.

Zizka’s writing style is entertaining in itself, as well as informative. The flavor of salt-and-vinegar potato-peel chips with chive dip is as if “a regular potato chip went on vacation to a tiny British coastal village and had a fling with a fisherman.” Along with numerous elegant recipes, Zizka offers helpful basics, such as a list of 10 Simple Nearly No-Cook Appetizers, including my personal favorite: “potato chips served in a pretty bowl.” As Lewin notes, “They never disappoint.”

Big Night

Katherine Lewin is the sort of entertainment goddess everyone needs. An introvert who sometimes recharges with short naps while hosting, Lewin owns a dinner party essentials shop in New York City. She shares boatloads of tips in Big Night: Dinners, Parties & Dinner Parties, a guide to making “any night you choose . . . a little more special,” whether it’s an elegant gathering or casual weekday meal. Four chapters—one for each season—include 85 recipes along with bartending, preparation and pairing suggestions galore, presented with photos and graphics that pop.

Lewin notes, “You know it’s a party when pigs arrive in blankets,” so she includes a sweet-salty “grown-up” recipe for the eponymous appetizer. Her recipe titles alone will make readers smile, with names like A Noodle Soup to Get People Excited and A Big Chopped Salad (to Go With Takeout Pizza). Lewin’s encouraging humor shines through on every page, giving would-be hosts the confidence to plan their own big night.

Swing By!

If you really want to step up your entertaining game, dig into Swing By! Entertaining Recipes and the New Art of Gathering. Stephanie Nass has been called the “millennial Martha Stewart,” and this is by far the largest, lushest, most over-the-top of these entertaining books. Nass, who earned the nickname “Chefanie” as a child and uses it as her brand name today, caught the entertaining bug early: “All my life,” she writes, “I have been at greatest peace in the middle of a party.” The book’s winsome cover features Nass perched atop a dinner table, dressed in a drapey pantsuit that matches the place settings.

Thumbing through these colorful pages will make you feel as though you’ve been to a fun, fabulous fete. Innovative takes on standards, like her King Midas Pizza with edible gold leaf, shine. Nass is a gifted baker, and her show-stopping chocolate-meringue cake will surely inspire readers to muster their culinary courage.

Victorian Parlour Games

Liven up any gathering with Victorian Parlour Games: A Modern Host’s Guide to Classic Fun for Everyone. Ned Wolfe’s charming treatise is chock-full of easy-to-play games “that have stood the test of time for good reason.” Featuring competition games like Smells, Endless Story and German Whist, its compact size makes it an ideal stocking stuffer or hostess gift. Did you know, for instance, that it’s Blind Man’s Buff, not Bluff? Or that the game Hot Boiled Beans and Bacon was featured in both The Big Bang Theory and Charles Dickens’ The Mystery of Edwin Drood?

These amusements are suitable for a variety of ages and occasions, from children’s birthday parties (Musical Chairs and a variation, Musical Potatoes), long car trips (Crambo), family get-togethers (pillow fights, with rules) and romantic evenings (kissing games!). Don’t miss Wolfe’s colorful cautions—including “nothing ruins a game night quite like a visit to the hospital.”

Whether you’re an accomplished or aspiring dinner party host, these books brim with ideas that will add sizzle to your soirees.
STARRED REVIEW
November 1, 2024

4 cookbooks sure to inspire creative moves in the kitchen

Cookbooks are among the most treasured gifts for anyone who loves to cook, bake, grill or simply learn about food and culture. Many food aficionados enjoy reading cookbooks cover to cover, while others hunt and peck for recipes that will hit the spot. Our four picks offer gorgeous photography, mouthwatering recipe descriptions, enlightening social context and inspiring ways to make the most of the food in your larder. But proceed with caution: You may decide to roll up your sleeves and make some of the recipes, as I did, before you can gift wrap the book!

Feature by Becky Libourel Diamond
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Breaking Bao: 88 Bakes and Snacks From Asia and Beyond by award-winning pastry chef Clarice Lam is a striking collection of thoughtfully crafted baked goods, highlighting her “love for Asian flavors while simultaneously connecting the dots between cultures.” Recalling her diverse background (her mother is from Hong Kong and her father from the Philippines) and experiences (the family lived and traveled all over the world), Lam explains how food was her solace during times when she felt like an outsider. On her path to becoming a chef, she gained knowledge and appreciation of the “interwoven food histories” that sustained her when the rest of the world shut her out. Organized into three main sections—Bao, Cakes and Desserts, and Snacks—Lam’s highly detailed instructions accompanied by texturally rich close-up photos will help assist even the most inexperienced pastry chef, as many of the recipes can be rather complicated and span several pages. Detailed chapters on ingredients, tools and equipment helpfully describe how and why they are used and where to get them. Dishes range from traditional Asian recipes such as shokupan (Japanese milk bread—one of the most common recipes in Asian baking) and chili crisp (a staple oil in every Chinese household), to dishes with an Asian-inspired twist, such as matcha-azuki Mont Blanc and pandan-lime meringue pie. This beautiful, informative cookbook is the perfect gift for anyone who enjoys being creative in the kitchen, and might even inspire home bakers to invent their own confectionary delights. 

Clarice Lam’s Breaking Bao is a striking collection of thoughtfully crafted baked goods that highlights the inventive pastry chef’s love of Asian flavors.

With the goal of sharing simple, delicious recipes filled with constructive tips to reduce waste, save time and cut costs, Every Last Bite: Save Money, Time and Waste With 70 Recipes That Make the Most of Mealtimes by British chef and writer Rosie Sykes (The Kitchen Revolution) is a delightful mix of global recipes reflecting her background and experiences as a chef and former London pub owner. Featuring eight chapters with cheeky titles such as “Quick as a wink and not too filling,” “Goings-on in the oven” and “Blueprints for leftovers,” Sykes has crafted an accessible, practical resource that will be welcomed by anyone looking to rein in their food budget and avoid excess waste and energy usage. The recipes are a wide-ranging mix of cultural dishes, from Catalan-style beans and chorizo, pea and potato pav bhaji, and bacon and egg pie. Each is accompanied by a helpful symbol indicating alternate serving suggestions, ways to use up leftovers, ingredient hacks, storage tips, budget helpers and low/no-waste ideas. For example, the simple, delicious cauliflower farfalle, which combines roasted cauliflower, red onions and bow-tie pasta dressed in a simple walnut pesto, features a tip to store nuts in the refrigerator to prevent spoiling. The recipes and instructions are clearly laid out (including conversions to American measurements), and will appeal to both beginning and advanced cooks.

Every Last Bite is an accessible, practical cookbook that will be welcomed by anyone looking to rein in their food budget and avoid excess waste and energy usage.

The recipes in the lavishly presented Our South: Black Food Through My Lens feature a fascinating blend of ingredients, flavors and techniques. Acclaimed chef Ashleigh Shanti, a queer Black woman from Appalachia, shares the region’s history and her own backstory to show how she developed a love of all things culinary. Recalling past meals rich in bacon, lard, butter and country ham, Shanti includes an abundance of regional dishes, such as Virginia Brunswick stew, and black pepper quail and leather britches, a southern Appalachian specialty dish of dried green beans and smoky seasoned meat. I made the gingered shrimp, watermelon and peach skewers—like eating summer on a plate—and the cucumber and celery heart salad, which is bathed in zesty, pickled goodness and tasted even better the second day. Shanti notes that her book is meant to “amplify your understanding of the complexities of Black food” and “dispel the myths of what America thinks Black cooking is and is not.” Our South is a perfect gift for anyone curious about the intersections of food and culture.

Ashleigh Shanti’s excellent, lavishly presented Our South twines the recipes and culture of Black Appalachia with the chef’s own culinary journey.

Sure to inspire leisurely, locally crafted meals paired with excellent conversation and luscious wine, The Artful Way to Plant-Based Cooking: Nourishing Recipes and Heartfelt Moments is a breathtaking cookbook created by mother-daughter team Trudy Crane (a ceramic artist) and Chloé Crane-Leroux (a New York City-based food and lifestyle photographer) that could do double duty as an attractive coffee table display. Blending artistry with plant-based dishes, the duo makes enticing connections between food, taste and presentation, proving vegetables can be colorful works of art. With stunning photographs taken in Spain, the book highlights the shared love of travel that has always been a “deeply meaningful connection” between the mother and daughter. Divided into six sections of appetizers, date night dishes, friends for dinner, weekday favorites, solo suppers, and slow mornings and brunch favorites, a wide range of recipe types and flavor combinations are represented, among them crumbed artichokes with cashew aioli, a ricotta and squash galette, a traditional Greek salad and savory chickpea pancakes. I made the shawarma spice tofu skewers with hummus and wilted spinach, which proved to be a delicious blend of flavors and textures.

In their breathtaking new cookbook, mother-daughter team Trudy Crane and Chloé Crane-Leroux prove that vegetables can be colorful works of art.

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Mouthwatering recipes, gorgeous photography and enlightening social context make Our South, Breaking Bao and more cookbooks worthy of a spot on your kitchen shelf.

James Beard Award-winning author Alexander Smalls includes 120 recipes from 33 chefs, restaurateurs, caterers, cooks and writers in The Contemporary African Kitchen: Home Cooking Recipes From the Leading Chefs of Africa. It’s a massive undertaking that spans an entire continent filled with innumerable culinary styles. But that breadth is important to Smalls, who writes in the book’s foreword that “our culture has been kept alive in great part through our culinary currency and traditions.” The book is organized into broad geographic segments: Northern, Eastern, Central, Southern and Western Africa are all represented. The Northern African section includes a particularly interesting recipe for Egyptian okra stew, which is loaded with garlic, basil, cilantro and mint and looks at once lush and hearty. In his description of the stew, chef Mostafa Seif writes, “Some foods are as much for nourishment as they are a tool for showing off.” He goes on to describe how people would hang okra from their balconies on the days that it was on the menu as a kind of demonstration of abundance. This book is great for adventurous eaters from all backgrounds, but that’s not to say an experimental palette is a prerequisite; if you’re more comfortable with traditionally American fare, you may be surprised by how familiar some of these dishes are: from Ethiopian deviled eggs and a chocolate cake recipe from Uganda to a buttery, garlicky recipe for South African mashed potatoes with spinach.

 

James Beard Award-winning author Alexander Smalls’ The Contemporary African Kitchen collects recipes that span an entire continent filled with innumerable culinary styles and traditions.

The recipes in the lavishly presented Our South: Black Food Through My Lens feature a fascinating blend of ingredients, flavors and techniques. Acclaimed chef Ashleigh Shanti, a queer Black woman from Appalachia, shares the region’s history and her own backstory to show how she developed a love of all things culinary. Recalling past meals rich in bacon, lard, butter and country ham, Shanti includes an abundance of regional dishes, such as Virginia Brunswick stew, and black pepper quail and leather britches, a southern Appalachian specialty dish of dried green beans and smoky seasoned meat. I made the gingered shrimp, watermelon and peach skewers—like eating summer on a plate—and the cucumber and celery heart salad, which is bathed in zesty, pickled goodness and tasted even better the second day. Shanti notes that her book is meant to “amplify your understanding of the complexities of Black food” and “dispel the myths of what America thinks Black cooking is and is not.” Our South is a perfect gift for anyone curious about the intersections of food and culture.

Ashleigh Shanti’s excellent, lavishly presented Our South twines the recipes and culture of Black Appalachia with the chef’s own culinary journey.

Sure to inspire leisurely, locally crafted meals paired with excellent conversation and luscious wine, The Artful Way to Plant-Based Cooking: Nourishing Recipes and Heartfelt Moments is a breathtaking cookbook created by mother-daughter team Trudy Crane (a ceramic artist) and Chloé Crane-Leroux (a New York City-based food and lifestyle photographer) that could do double duty as an attractive coffee table display. Blending artistry with plant-based dishes, the duo makes enticing connections between food, taste and presentation, proving vegetables can be colorful works of art. With stunning photographs taken in Spain, the book highlights the shared love of travel that has always been a “deeply meaningful connection” between the mother and daughter. Divided into six sections of appetizers, date night dishes, friends for dinner, weekday favorites, solo suppers, and slow mornings and brunch favorites, a wide range of recipe types and flavor combinations are represented, among them crumbed artichokes with cashew aioli, a ricotta and squash galette, a traditional Greek salad and savory chickpea pancakes. I made the shawarma spice tofu skewers with hummus and wilted spinach, which proved to be a delicious blend of flavors and textures.

In their breathtaking new cookbook, mother-daughter team Trudy Crane and Chloé Crane-Leroux prove that vegetables can be colorful works of art.

Breaking Bao: 88 Bakes and Snacks From Asia and Beyond by award-winning pastry chef Clarice Lam is a striking collection of thoughtfully crafted baked goods, highlighting her “love for Asian flavors while simultaneously connecting the dots between cultures.” Recalling her diverse background (her mother is from Hong Kong and her father from the Philippines) and experiences (the family lived and traveled all over the world), Lam explains how food was her solace during times when she felt like an outsider. On her path to becoming a chef, she gained knowledge and appreciation of the “interwoven food histories” that sustained her when the rest of the world shut her out. Organized into three main sections—Bao, Cakes and Desserts, and Snacks—Lam’s highly detailed instructions accompanied by texturally rich close-up photos will help assist even the most inexperienced pastry chef, as many of the recipes can be rather complicated and span several pages. Detailed chapters on ingredients, tools and equipment helpfully describe how and why they are used and where to get them. Dishes range from traditional Asian recipes such as shokupan (Japanese milk bread—one of the most common recipes in Asian baking) and chili crisp (a staple oil in every Chinese household), to dishes with an Asian-inspired twist, such as matcha-azuki Mont Blanc and pandan-lime meringue pie. This beautiful, informative cookbook is the perfect gift for anyone who enjoys being creative in the kitchen, and might even inspire home bakers to invent their own confectionary delights. 

Clarice Lam’s Breaking Bao is a striking collection of thoughtfully crafted baked goods that highlights the inventive pastry chef’s love of Asian flavors.

With the goal of sharing simple, delicious recipes filled with constructive tips to reduce waste, save time and cut costs, Every Last Bite: Save Money, Time and Waste With 70 Recipes That Make the Most of Mealtimes by British chef and writer Rosie Sykes (The Kitchen Revolution) is a delightful mix of global recipes reflecting her background and experiences as a chef and former London pub owner. Featuring eight chapters with cheeky titles such as “Quick as a wink and not too filling,” “Goings-on in the oven” and “Blueprints for leftovers,” Sykes has crafted an accessible, practical resource that will be welcomed by anyone looking to rein in their food budget and avoid excess waste and energy usage. The recipes are a wide-ranging mix of cultural dishes, from Catalan-style beans and chorizo, pea and potato pav bhaji, and bacon and egg pie. Each is accompanied by a helpful symbol indicating alternate serving suggestions, ways to use up leftovers, ingredient hacks, storage tips, budget helpers and low/no-waste ideas. For example, the simple, delicious cauliflower farfalle, which combines roasted cauliflower, red onions and bow-tie pasta dressed in a simple walnut pesto, features a tip to store nuts in the refrigerator to prevent spoiling. The recipes and instructions are clearly laid out (including conversions to American measurements), and will appeal to both beginning and advanced cooks.

Every Last Bite is an accessible, practical cookbook that will be welcomed by anyone looking to rein in their food budget and avoid excess waste and energy usage.

Pastry chef and social activist Paola Velez describes herself as a nerd from the Bronx who truly felt seen for the first time while watching Steve Urkel on Family Matters. In a heartfelt introduction that practically begs for a longer memoir, she calls her debut cookbook, Bodega Bakes: Recipes for Sweets and Treats Inspired by My Corner Store, “a mix of my classical training and love of Americana filtered through the Bronx and the islands of the Caribbean.” Velez promises that you can find most of the ingredients for her recipes inside a bodega, a place she defines as “a densely inhabited mini market where Jarritos, Cap’n Crunch, shampoo, gossip, and chopped cheeses peacefully coexist.” The book’s first section is dedicated to cookies, most importantly, her popular Thick’ems. The OG Chocolate Chip Thick’em, which Velez once sold to raise money so that disadvantaged Brooklyn girls could buy period products, uses few ingredients to great effect. (“Makes 8 Thiiiiiick cookies,” she writes.) The OGs are followed by recipes for Triple Chocolate Noir Thick’ems, Tres Leches Thick’ems and more. Velez’s casual writing is as fun to read as a cookbook gets. For example, when describing the blending process for the Matcha Thick’ems, Velez instructs readers to “pulse the mixer on and off, almost like you’re trying to jump-start a car.” Bodega Bakes also features 13(!) ways to make flan, a beginner’s guide to Dominican cakes, freezer desserts (sweet plantain gelato, anyone?) and plenty more morsels that will demand second helpings. 

 

In the personable Bodega Bakes, pastry chef Paola Velez presents just that: sweets that can be made solely from the ingredients found at a corner store.

The colorful, flavorful Belly Full: Exploring Caribbean Cuisine through 11 Fundamental Ingredients and over 100 Recipes accomplishes what might appear to be a daunting task—distilling a multifaceted culture’s cuisine into a 256-page book. Luckily, Brooklyn-based author Lesley Enston understands that challenge, and has chosen to make Belly Full a playful, not overwhelming, read. She organizes the book into fundamental ingredients: beans, calabaza, cassava, chayote, coconut, cornmeal, okra, plantains, rice, salted cod and Scotch bonnet peppers. Beyond that, she describes additional common ingredients—such as culantro, which is similar to but not exactly like cilantro—so that newbies to Caribbean cuisine have an informed approach. Enston grew up in a half-Trinidadian, half-Canadian household in Toronto, and often attended Trinidadian family functions. “We never talked much about the origins of these dishes,” she writes, “but the pride that went into preparing and serving them was clear.” In keeping with its Caribbean subject matter, Belly Full is filled with saturated colors and vibrant photography from Marc Baptiste. Enston’s Trini chow mein is particularly appealing, with its kitchen-sink approach to the traditional Asian dish. It’s also a fun portal into the culture: “This is a clear example of the influence of the Chinese indentured servants brought to Trinidad by British colonists after the abolition of slavery in the region,” she writes. An even deeper dive into cultural distinction is that the dish uses lo mein, not chow mein, noodles. “Why it’s called chow mein when you use lo mein noodles is beyond me,” Enston writes. “I chalk it up to the joy we seem to get from mixing names up.”

 

Belly Full is a charming, playful cookbook that uses 11 fundamental ingredients to distill the multifaceted cuisine of the Caribbean.
best lifestyles books 2024
STARRED REVIEW

July 1, 2024

The best lifestyles books so far this year

Writing advice from Jami Attenberg, recipes from Black Appalachia, a guide to Japanese gift wrapping and more have delighted and inspired us in 2024.

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If you are the sort of person who can’t bear to part with sentimental objects—“That belonged to Mamaw!”—this book is for you. Packed inside The Heirloomist: 100 Heirlooms and the Stories They Tell are photographs and stories of 100 items belonging to everyday as well as famous people, including Gloria Steinem, Rosanne Cash and Gabby Giffords. Their treasures might be a Rolex watch or a Rolleiflex camera—or simply scribbled notes, ticket stubs and even a plateful of spaghetti and meatballs.

After becoming curator of her family’s important items, Shana Novak turned to other people’s stuff. Her photography and storytelling business, The Heirloomist, has documented over 1,500 keepsakes since 2015. No matter their financial value, she writes, “all are priceless, precisely because their stories will play your heartstrings like a symphony.” Take, for example, the daughter of a New York City firefighter who died on 9/11. Several years after that tragedy, she and her mother opened a toy chest and found an old Magna Doodle, on which her father had written: “Dear Tiana, I love you. Daddy.”

The Heirloomist is meant to be shared with loved ones, especially those who harangue you to declutter. They may even start rummaging through basement boxes with a freshly appreciative eye.

Shana Novak’s gorgeous, poignant The Heirloomist documents 100 treasures beloved by everyday and famous people.
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How complicated can breakfast possibly get? In Zao Fan: Breakfast of China, Michael Zee writes that the enormity of Chinese cuisine is “both terrific and terrifying”—and what is usually the simplest, smallest meal of the day is no exception. Yet Zee demonstrates a knack seldom seen in English-language cookbooks for succinctly yet fully conveying the vastness and complexity of Chinese cuisine throughout the delightful recipes featured in Zao Fan. From fried Kazakh breads to savory tofu puddings, Zee provides in-depth yet accessible insight into a thorough swath of breakfast foods.

Rarely does a writer’s passion for their subject matter leap as vividly as it does from these pages, which are chock-full of recollections of personal visits to restaurants and observations of traditional techniques. Zee accompanies the recipes with his own photos of the dishes in all their gorgeous mouthwatering glory—meat pies sizzling on a griddle, a bowl of Wuhan three-treasure rice, neat rows of Xinjiang-style baked lamb buns—which provide an authentic sense of immersion, as do his portraits of daily life in China. The neat, color-coded organization of the recipes into logical categories such as noodles and breads provides a remarkable sense of cohesion, making Zao Fan an absolute must for cooks across all skill levels.

Zao Fan collects traditional Chinese breakfast recipes in all their mouthwatering glory.

If Marie Kondo inspired you to change the way you fold T-shirts, then artist Megumi Lorna Inouye’s guide to creating beautiful gift-wrapping is for you. Inouye traces her passion for this art to memories of watching her mother care for the lovingly wrapped garments in her kimono chest. In Japan, Inouye tells us, wrapping is considered part of the gift itself, a way to show respect, gratitude and love. And if your skills are confined to sticking presents into a bag, never fear. With a focus on sustainability, Inouye provides step-by-step instructions for wrapping, often making use of recycled materials or natural objects: Even a broken, moss-covered branch can add beauty to a gift. The photographs here are as elegant as the text, and useful too. And while the book is aimed at adults, it’s possible to do most of these projects with kids. The Soul of Gift Wrapping: Creative Techniques for Expressing Gratitude, Inspired by the Japanese Art of Giving is more than a how-to guide: This gorgeous book is a reminder that gift giving can bring the givers themselves joy.

The Soul of Gift Wrapping is a gorgeous reminder that gift giving can bring the givers themselves joy.
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In her 60s, Lyn Slater, a professor of social work, became internet-famous for her fashion sense. In her memoir, How to Be Old: Lessons in Living Boldly From the Accidental Icon, she tells the story of riding that wave for a decade before deciding it was time for a move out of NYC and a life in writing. Now we can add Slater’s memoir to our essential texts that rethink aging in an image-centric world. Of her social media success, she writes, “Is it really about fashion embracing older consumers, or is it about valuing those individuals who have the capacity to adapt, remain relevant, and be comfortable with experimentation, reinvention, and an interest in culture and the world they live in? These are the folks who know what to make of a lucky accident when one happens to them. Perhaps it’s really not about age but about feeling starved by superficiality.” Mic drop.

In her memoir, "accidental icon" and fashion influencer Lyn Slater rethinks aging in an image-centric world.
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“I am the keeper of the stories, the writer, the one who has carried the stories in my apron for so many years,” writes Crystal Wilkinson in her culinary memoir, Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts: Stories and Recipes from Five Generations of Black Country Cooks. Wilkinson, a Kentucky native and author of several books of fiction and poetry, shares here the recipes and memories of her Black Appalachian forebears, including her grandmother who raised her. “I am always reaching back,” she writes, recalling her grandmother’s jam cake or imagining the life of a distant ancestor, Aggy, an enslaved woman who married her white enslaver’s son. Cooking a mess of dandelion greens, Wilkinson deepens the connection to her kitchen ghosts and reflects on the lean times her family encountered during the scarcity of winter. She finds delight and abundance in recipes for caramel cake, blackberry cobbler, sweet sorghum cookies, biscuits and cornbread. “I’ve always felt a power larger than myself while cooking,” Wilkinson reflects. We’re lucky that she’s sharing the power with us through this tender and important book.

Crystal Wilkinson’s tender Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts collects the memories and recipes of her Black Appalachian forebears.
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If you want to write a book, you need to know the name Jami Attenberg. A bestselling novelist and memoirist, Attenberg has gathered more than 30,000 followers for her #1000wordsofsummer project over the past several years. It’s a two-week online accountability sprint, during which she sends quick pep talks—her own and those of author friends—to motivate legions of fellow scribes, who in turn lift each other up online. Her latest book, 1000 Words: A Writer’s Guide to Staying Creative, Focused, and Productive All Year Round, collects and distills that project into a motivational volume every writer should keep close at hand. Wise and frank words from heavy-hitters such as Ada Limon, Deesha Philyaw and Min Jin Lee, and from Attenberg herself, serve to drown out the harsh inner critic, the constant external static and the crushing doubt that threatens to derail any big creative undertaking. It’s like being at a writing retreat with some of the best contemporary authors on the planet.

Bestselling novelist and memoirist Jamie Attenberg collects and distills her #1000wordsofsummer project in a wise and frank new book.

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