The Revivalists

  

I received a copy of this release from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Title: The Revivalists

Author: Christopher M. Hood

Publisher: Harper

Release Date: 10.4.22

Publisher’s Summary 

"The Revivalists is a thrilling, terrifying, surprising, and tender debut, written in such exquisitely precise prose that I felt singed by its imaginary fires and warmed by its beating heart. Chris Hood's nightmarish cross-country family odyssey is also one of the most beautiful love stories I've ever read."--Karen Russell, bestselling author of Swamplandia! and Orange World

A stunning debut novel about a couple's harrowing journey across a ravaged America to save their daughter.

Bill and Penelope are the lucky ones. Not only do they survive the Shark Flu emerging from the melting Icelandic permafrost to sweep like a scythe across the world, but they begin to rebuild a life in the wreckage of the old. A garden to feed themselves planted where the lawn used to be, a mattress pulled down to the living room fireplace for warmth. Even Bill's psychology practice endures the collapse of the social order, the handful of remaining clients bartering cans of food for their sessions. But when their daughter's voice over the radio in the kitchen announces that she's joined a cult three thousand miles away in Bishop, California, they leave it all behind to embark on a perilous trek across the hollowed-out remains of America to save her.

Their journey is an unforgettable odyssey through communities scattered across the continent, but for all the ways that the world has changed, the hopes and fears of this little family remain the same as they always have been. In The Revivalists, Christopher M. Hood creates a haunting, moving, darkly funny, and ultimately hopeful portrait of a world and a marriage tested by extraordinary circumstances.

My Review

A pandemic wipes out over half the world's population and almost all forms of modern technology and communication. Months later, a college-aged daughter in California reaches out to her parents in New York on the ham radio her father taught her to use to tell them that she's fine...and she's joining a cult. 

What would you do? 

The parents load up their car and head west, embarking on a brutal post-apocalyptic road trip to rival Alison Stine's Road Out of Winter, Meg Elison's Road to Nowhere series, and Cormac McCarthy's The Road.  Christopher M. Hood has widened the genre by not only dreaming up horrific new situations around every turn, but by showing what race, mental health, and agency could mean in a devastated America.

We Spread

  

I received a copy of this release from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Title: We Spread 

Author: Iain Reid

Publisher: Gallery / Scout Press

Release Date: 9.27.22

Publisher’s Summary 

A new work of philosophical suspense.

Penny, an artist, has lived in the same apartment for decades, surrounded by the artifacts and keepsakes of her long life. She is resigned to the mundane rituals of old age, until things start to slip. Before her longtime partner passed away years earlier, provisions were made, unbeknownst to her, for a room in a unique long-term care residence, where Penny finds herself after one too many “incidents.”

Initially, surrounded by peers, conversing, eating, sleeping, looking out at the beautiful woods that surround the house, all is well. She even begins to paint again. But as the days start to blur together, Penny—with a growing sense of unrest and distrust—starts to lose her grip on the passage of time and on her place in the world. Is she succumbing to the subtly destructive effects of aging, or is she an unknowing participant in something more unsettling?

At once compassionate and uncanny, told in spare, hypnotic prose, Iain Reid’s genre-defying third novel explores questions of conformity, art, productivity, relationships, and what, ultimately, it means to grow old.

My Review

My book buddy @beth.eats.and.reads was so kind to pass along her copy of this book to me. I was so excited that I sat down and immediately started reading it and finished in just a couple hours. It is a very fast read due to pacing and page formatting. I really enjoyed the experience of reading this but I have some questions, which I think is the point. I'm not sure how to label it or even describe it fully. Horror? Psychological horror? I am comparing this to The Haunting of Hill House and The Matrix, two things I never thought I would group together. 

Homage

  

I received a copy of this release from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Title: Homage

Author: Chris Scott

Publisher: Chronicle 

Release Date: 9.20.22

Publisher’s Summary 

From renowned chef Chris Scott comes a first-of-its-kind, richly narrative cookbook that celebrates an under-explored foodway in the African diaspora: Amish soul food.

In HOMAGE, Chris Scott tells the remarkable story of his family over seven generations via comforting dishes and vivid narratives: From his enslaved ancestors to his great-grandfather, who migrated to Pennsylvania after the Emancipation Proclamation, to his own childhood in Amish country, and, ultimately, his successful restaurant career in Philadelphia and New York City.

In this tribute to those who came before him, Chris Scott shares 100 dishes born of a unique blend of Southern, German, and Dutch cuisines, including Chicken Fried Steak with Sassafras Country Gravy, Charred Radicchio Salad with Roasted Grapes and Shaved Amish Cheddar, and the ultimate Whoopie Pies.

Stunning photography evokes the rich history of these distinct cultures. HOMAGE is a must-have for home cooks who love JUBILEE and Carla Hall, who enjoy soul flavors or Midwestern food, or who are drawn to cookbooks with vivid storytelling, a sense of place, and a new point of view.

UNEXPLORED FOODWAY: One of the many unexplored foodways in the African diaspora, Amish soul food is a novel cuisine in the publishing world.

HOMAGE is a celebration of Black culture and food, and an exploration of a culinary region—one that has never before been highlighted in a cookbook.

…AND YET THIS IS A FAMILIAR CUISINE: The Great Migration from the South in the decades following the Civil War, combined with the strong influence of Dutch, German, and Scandinavian settlers over a wide swath of the United States, from New York and Pennsylvania deep into the Midwestern states, makes the recipes in the book new variations of familiar dishes. From collard greens to spätzle, country fried steak to German chocolate donuts, this is recognizable, delicious food that will resonate with anyone who enjoys Southern, soul, and German, Dutch, or Scandinavian cuisine.

My Review

First and foremost, Homage is a generational memoir containing stories of Chris Scott's family and his time spent in restaurant kitchens. The recipe inclusions are great but I found the focus on culture and foodways to be the true stars. 

What's Gaby Cooking: Take It Easy

 

 I received a copy of this release from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Title: What's Gaby Cooking: Take It Easy: Recipes for Zero Stress Deliciousness

Author: Gaby Dalkin

Publisher: 9.27.22

Release Date: ABRAMS

Publisher’s Summary 

Bestselling author Gaby Dalkin is back with What's Gaby Cooking: Take It Easy, sharing 100 recipes that put ease, flavor, and adaptability first In her new book, Gaby Dalkin returns with her signature approach: Enjoy your life by eating the food you love. But this time around, she also emphasizes a no-fuss attitude. What's Gaby Cooking: Take It Easy offers 100 new delicious and stress-free recipes, suited for any and all occasions.

Everything we cook right now—whether it’s for a potluck picnic with friends or a solo night in binge-watching reality TV—needs to be crazy simple, easily pulled together from those lasting pantry items, still shockingly delicious at room temperature, and not requiring that one random ingredient you drove 45 minutes to get and will never use again. We want food that tastes like it took hours to prepare but doesn’t actually require anything too exact. Give us the forgiving recipes: Out of shallots? Try an onion. The more fail-proof, the better. If this low-maintenance approach sounds like your kinda thing, Dalkin has got your back. With 100 easy ideas for dishes to serve wherever you go (or don't go!), make-ahead dressings and sauces for lazy last-minute dinners, and of course—give the people what they want!—big, crunchy, fresh salads and rich, chocolatey, you’re-in-sweatpants-anyway desserts, Take It Easyis Dalkin’s first book bringing her tasty, crowd-pleasing concepts to quicker, simpler meals.

My Review

"Take It Easy: Recipes for Zero Stress Deliciousness" is the third "What's Gaby Cooking" cookbook, but my personal introduction to all things Gaby Dalkin. A blogger since 2009, Dalkin has a large social media presence across multiple platforms, with a focus on what she calls the "California Girl Life." This lifestyle/vibe is evident in the super colorful photos filling "Take It Easy." Not only is there a photo to accompany almost every recipe (exception is sauces section) but there are multiple additional photos of the author entertaining. The overall layout of this cookbook is aesthetically pleasing and very approachable: ingredient lists offer both US imperial and metric measurements, instruction steps are sectioned with clean page breaks, and most recipes are fitted to a single page. I recommend this cookbook to cooks of all skill levels and highly recommend it to those who may be just starting to entertain guests. In addition to most recipes serving 4-6 people, there are also 4 sections specifically geared toward entertaining (Peak Summer Vibes Dinner Party, Italian Dinner Party, Al Pastor Dinner Party, and Spring Roll Party.) 

Table of Contents:

• Introduction
• Kick-Start the Day
• I Need Dinner + I Need It Now
• Salads + Other Things to Eat in Bowls
• Peak Summer Vibes Dinner Party
• The Ultimates
• Pizza, Pasta + a Few Other Carbs
• Italian Dinner Party
• Sides
• Al Pastor Dinner Party
• Decadent Things
• Spring Roll Party
• Sauces + Things
• Acknowledgements 
• Index

Shrines of Gaiety

  

I received a copy of this release from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Title: Shrines of Gaiety 

Author: Kate Atkinson

Publisher: Doubleday

Release Date: 9.27.22

Publisher’s Summary 

1926, and in a country still recovering from the Great War, London has become the focus for a delirious new nightlife. In the clubs of Soho, peers of the realm rub shoulders with starlets, foreign dignitaries with gangsters, and girls sell dances for a shilling a time.

The notorious queen of this glittering world is Nellie Coker, ruthless but also ambitious to advance her six children, including the enigmatic eldest, Niven, whose character has been forged in the crucible of the Somme. But success breeds enemies, and Nellie’s empire faces threats from without and within. For beneath the dazzle of Soho’s gaiety, there is a dark underbelly, a world in which it is all too easy to become lost.

With her unique Dickensian flair, Kate Atkinson gives us a window in a vanished world. Slyly funny, brilliantly observant, and ingeniously plotted, Shrines of Gaiety showcases the myriad talents that have made Atkinson one of the most lauded writers of our time.

My Review

Love love loved it!

As I was reading I was making comparisons to The Goldfinch in that there are so many characters and plots that keep doubling back and twisting around that you have to stay focused. However, where The Goldfinch is a fairly depressing novel, Shrines of Gaiety deals with the dark underbelly of 1920s London in a witty and clever manner. Inspired by real events, this foray into London's Soho nightlife is not a light and fluffy read. Every single sentence is a grammatical piece of artwork, with many running for several lines, causing my reading speed to slow immensely. Also, my galley claimed to be just a few pages shy of 400 pages but I would say it is closer to 600 pages in a more commonly formatted styling. That all being said, if you are willing to invest the time, you will be greatly rewarded. 

Food52: Simply Genius

  I received a copy of this release from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Title: Food52 Simply Genius: Recipes for Beginners, Busy Cooks & Curious People

Author: Kristen Miglore

Publisher: Ten Speed Press

Release Date: 9.27.22

Publisher’s Summary 

100 of Food52's simplest, most rule-breaking recipes yet to help beginners and other time-strapped cooks build confidence in the kitchen, from the IACP Award-winning, New York Timesbestselling Genius series.

There's no better way to learn how to make great food than to stand at the elbow of a skilled cook, ask questions, and watch their every move. In Simply Genius, Food52 founding editor and Genius Recipes columnist Kristen Miglore gives you access to genius cooks like Samin Nosrat (Buttermilk-Marinated Roast Chicken), Dr. Jessica B. Harris (Mayonnaise d'Avocat), Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi (Roasted Butternut Squash & Red Onion with Tahini & Za'atar), Gonzalo Guzmán (Frijoles Negros de la Olla), Leah Chase (Rice Pancakes with Ham & Tomato-Basil Sauce), Heidi Swanson (Farro & Olive Salad), Jacques Pépin (Fresh Tomato Sauce), and more, as they share their brilliant cooking tips through a collection of essential recipes.

Miglore packs the book with helpful visuals (like brilliant doneness charts for everything from chicken to eggs to cake), illustrated step-by-step diagrams to show you smarter ways to prep (handling hot chiles, neatly separating eggs, tricking herbs into staying fresh), and myth-busting truths that make cooking so much more welcoming (no, you don't have to soak your beans before you cook them; no, you don't have to soften butter to make chocolate chip cookies).

Primers on common woes and how to fix them tell you how to rescue your dinner when things go wrong, and how to make sure everything's smoother next time. And once you get a recipe down, Miglore shares 3 More Ways to use that new technique to make even more rewarding meals. More than 150 recipes and variations teach you building blocks, fit easily into your life, and prove that all of us can become genius cooks when we have the right teachers.

My Review

This cookbook is a total 5-star rockstar. 

Just like the title says, this cookbook is perfect for beginners and any level of cook looking for tips and tricks. There are pages of "how to fix something that went wrong" woes, like common problems when preparing fried eggs, salads, dried beans, and more. I want photos to accompany every recipe in a cookbook and not only does this collection include those, but often there are multiple photos focusing on crucial steps (noodles softening, what the rice should look like between steps, how to cook safely with chicken, etc.) In terms of aesthetic design, layout, and ease of use, this cookbook hits all the notes. I especially love the mix of tightly styled recipes with the addition of handwritten notes and illustrations. The recipes themselves are simple but creative creations that have been tweaked into perfection by modern chefs and home cooks. I am going to try Lindsay Maitland Hunt's "Slow-Roasted Chicken with Extra-Crisp Skin (aka Chicken for Today)" and Molly Yeh's "Roasted Potatoes with Paprika Mayo" ASAP. But first I'm trying Ritu and Priya Krishna's "The Most Basic Dal" to celebrate the official arrival of autumn aka soup season! I HIGHLY recommend Food52 Simply Genius! You need a copy on your kitchen shelf and you'll want to gift this one to all the cooks in your life.

A Cigarette Lit Backwards

 

 I received a copy of this release from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Title: A Cigarette Lit Backwards

Author: Tea Hacic-Vlahovic

Publisher: The Overlook Press

Release Date: 9.20.22

Publisher’s Summary 

Set in the punk-rock scene of the early 2000s and vibrating with the intense ache of bad choices and deep longing, a needle-sharp portrait of a young woman and how far she’ll go to find acceptance

Kat is dying to be accepted by the North Carolina punks; she is totally desperate to seem cool. At a punk show, she ends up backstage with a rock star and gets noticed by a photojournalist. And then—a dream come true for Kat—her reputation as a groupie icon skyrockets. But to maintain this notoriety, Kat makes a series of devastating choices, and soon enough, she becomes unrecognizable to herself and others.

Tea Hacic-Vlahovic’s A Cigarette Lit Backwards is a sometimes funny, often brutally honest novel about ambition and self-discovery and how a world of glamour and cool exerts its bold and breathless pull. In prose that seduces, glitters, and exhilarates, Tea Hacic-Vlahovic has written a novel that is both a wild party and a somber reckoning, consolidating her status as a thrilling and essential new voice for our time.

My Review

Tea Hacic-Vlahovic transported me back to my own teenage years. Her writing had my memories flooding back, making me groan in despair at the stupid choices I made. I was partying in filthy flophouses and going to concerts just like Kat. I was self-destructing with drugs and terrible boyfriends, trying to figure out why everyone loved the Ashleys of the world. "Ashley always had something cool, funny, or loud to say. Everyone listened. Ashley took up space and demanded attention. We were all stuck on her." Like Kat, I was dreaming of escape and wanting to be absolutely anywhere but where I was. "Daydreams were my specialty. I could walk for hours and not even notice, so long as I had a compelling scene on rotation in my brain. As Blondie said, dreaming is free." Full of great song and cultural references, A Cigarette Lit Backwards is raw, full of angst, and definitely geared toward a demographic of women who were living on the edge in their teenage years. 

Boards & Spreads

  I received a copy of this release from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Title: Boards & Spreads

Author: Yasmin Fahr

Publisher: Clarkson Potter

Release Date: 8.23.22

Publisher’s Summary 

Feast upon more than 65 recipes for platters and boards, including dinner-worthy spreads, appetizers, breakfast, snacks, and more inspiration for anytime-eating

Boards All Day presents more than sixty-five recipes for beautiful, delicious boards and epic spreads for sharing-friendly meals, from breakfast through dinner. Going far beyond the standard cheese board or charcuterie board, here you will find countless ideas for how to create colorful platters and spreads with easy, flavorful recipes to fill them, like the Italian Aperitivo Board with Crispy Prosciutto Caprese; Any-Night Tacos with super-quick sheet pan shrimp, and rotisserie chicken that you spice up yourself; and breakfast spreads like the make-your-own Egg Pita Sandwich Board. Even drinks can be served board-style, whether it's a Bloody Mary Bar or the DIY Daytime Drinks set-up for a crowd. Plus, there are plenty of quick recipes for dips, snacks, and other fun add-ons that you'll turn to time and time again for countless meals, like Za'atar Flatbread, Smashed Olives, Quick-Pickled Shallots and Jalapenos, and Two-Minute Feta Dip.

Whether you're looking for a snackable spread or grazing board to serve when having people over, searching for the perfect food to share for an outdoor get-together, or simply looking for easy-to-make recipes that you can throw together on a whim, Boards All Day is full of ideas for turning everyday ingredients into festive, low-effort meals.

My Review

From breakfast to dinner and anytime in between, Yasmin Fahr has you covered for whatever you're craving. I will be a bit picky to say that a lot of the suggested offerings are simply a variety of dishes served family style...on a board. The title isn't necessarily misleading, however, I think many people picture a charcuterie or cheese display when they think of a "board" and they will be disappointed if they are expecting photos and tips for creating those. 

The Complicities

 

 I received a copy of this release from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Title: The Complicities 

Author: Stacey D'Erasmo 

Publisher: Algonquin

Release Date: 9.20.22

Publisher’s Summary 

After her husband Alan’s financial crimes come to light, Suzanne's wealthy, comfortable life shatters. Alan goes to prison. Suzanne files for divorce, decamps to a barely middle-class Massachusetts beach town, and begins to create a new life and identity. Ignoring a steady stream of calls from Norfolk State Prison, she tries to cleanse herself of all connections to her ex-husband. She tells herself that he, not she, committed the crimes.

Then Alan is released early from prison, and the many people whose lives he ruined are demanding restitution. But the last of the money went to Suzanne, who, feeling righteous, donates it instead to an oceanic foundation. The consequences of Suzanne’s apparently high-minded decision ripple with devastating effect not only through Alan’s life as he tries to rebuild, but also through the lives of Suzanne and Alan’s son, Alan’s new wife, his estranged mother, and, ultimately, Suzanne herself.

When damage is done, who pays? Who loses? Who is responsible? How long is the half-life of a crime?

In a story of the complexities surrounding one white-collar criminal, The Complicities examines the ways in which the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves—that we didn’t know, we weren’t there, we didn’t really understand—are also finally stories of our own deep complicity.

My Review

We've all seen the downfall of schemers on the news. Have you ever wondered about their families? How much do they really know and what happens to them now. How deep are their complicities? In this story we meet Alan and try to unravel his web of deceit, mostly through the eyes of his wife Suzanne, who has divorced and distanced herself from both her husband and her son. I flip-flopped back and forth between feeling sad and sorry for every character in this story and then the next minute fuming, thinking "well, what did you expect to happen?!"

This isn't a big *wow* novel but it is definitely a great character study into the ripple effect of white-collar crime and the lies we tell ourselves and others.  

Bake: My Best Ever Recipes for the Classics

 

 I received a copy of this release from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Title: Bake: My Best Ever Recipes for the Classics

Author: Paul Hollywood

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Release Date: 7.19.22

Publisher’s Summary 

The ultimate baking book from internationally beloved baker Paul Hollywood, judge of The Great British Baking Show.

In BAKE, Paul Hollywood shares his best ever recipes for classic bakes: cakes, biscuits and cookies, breads and flatbreads, pizza and doughnuts, pastries and pies, and showstopping desserts. From classic cakes like Victoria Sandwich and Chocolate Fudge Cake, through brilliant breads like foolproof Sourdough, to savoury and sweet pastries like Sausage Rolls and Danish Pastries, these are the only recipes you’ll need to create perfectly delicious bakes time and time again.

With more years as a professional baker than he’d care to remember and over 10 years judging the best baking show on TV, Paul has created, tested and tasted a huge number of bakes. He has also traveled widely and learnt so much about the craft he loves. For Paul, one of the most joyful things about baking is how it evolves as we discover new techniques, ingredients and influences. As our knowledge improves, so do our recipes.

Paul combines every tip and trick he has learned together with his incredible technical know-how to create the ultimate collection of incredible bakes.

My Review

I consider myself a pretty experienced cook but I am definitely only about one step above beginner when it comes to baking. I watch a lot of cooking shows but I don't watch any baking shows, so I did not know who Paul Hollywood was before I received this book. I learned that he is "Mr. Bread" and I know you don't get a name like that without knowing a thing or two. The recipes in this book are detailed beyond simple step-by-step instructions to include tips like what the base of your bread should sound like after you tip it out of the pan. The chapters are divided into Cakes, Biscuits and Cookies, Breads and Flatbreads, Pizzas and Doughnuts, Pastry and Pies, and Desserts. The recipes range from American classics (Blueberry Muffins, Apple Pie) to British specialties (Thai Chicken Pie, Sticky Toffee Pudding.) The first recipes I want to try are New York Chocolate Brownie Cheesecake, Cheese and Onion Soda Bread, and Sausage Rolls. I'll also reference this book in the future if I decide to make my own pizza dough.  

Important note: the measurements in this book are metric so be ready to do some quick conversions if you are an American baker. 

The Book Haters' Book Club

 

 I received a copy of this release from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Title: The Book Haters' Book Club

Author: Gretchen Anthony

Publisher: Park Row

Release Date: 9.13.22

Publisher’s Summary 

All it takes is the right book to turn a Book Hater into a Book Lover…

That was Elliott’s belief and the reason why he started The Book Haters’ Book Club—a newsletter of reading recommendations for the self-proclaimed “nonreader.” As the beloved co-owner of Over the Rainbow Bookstore, Elliott’s passion and gift was recommending books to customers. Now, after his sudden death, his grief-ridden business partner, Irma, has agreed to sell Over the Rainbow to a developer who will turn the cozy bookstore into high-rise condos.

But others won’t give up the bookstore without a fight. When Irma breaks the news to her daughters, Bree and Laney, and Elliott’s romantic partner, Thom, they are aghast. Over the Rainbow has been Bree and Laney’s sanctuary since childhood, and Thom would do anything to preserve Elliott’s legacy. Together, Thom, Bree and Laney conspire to save the bookstore, even if it takes some snooping, gossip and minor sabotage.

Filled with humor, family hijinks and actual reading recommendations, The Book Haters' Book Club is the ideal feel-good read. It’s a celebration of found family and a love letter to the everyday heroes who run bookstores.

My Review

What worked:

Bree and Laney's relationship is so sweet and their teasing banter is some of the best I've ever read. Actually, the dialogue is really well written and the true star of the novel. 

What didn't work:

There was quite the little "huh?" reveal at about 25% about Bree coming into the family that I really thought should have just been laid out in the beginning. Irma's continual avoidance of discussing the upcoming sale went on too long and became annoying. There is also an "I released a breath I didn't know I'd been holding." Why are authors still committing this cliché?  

I'm ambivalent about:

I always hate the "surprise baby / oh I'm not sick, I'm pregnant" trope, but this one was at least a bit original in both the realization and subsequent decisions. 

Personal note:

I chose to read this ARC because I was dealing with losing a close friend and needed something "light." Yes, a death is referenced in the summary, but I thought this would be a fluffy and fun read about a bookstore. It was actually pretty heavy on the grief. Elliot's presence and opinions are made known by his little pop-ins throughout the story and while he was charming and funny, it was painful to read it juxtaposed against his boyfriend's (and my own) overwhelming grief. 

Meet Me by the Fountain

  I received a copy of this release from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Title: Meet Me by the Fountain

Author: Alexandra Lange 

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Release Date: 6.14.22

Publisher’s Summary 

Few places have been as nostalgized, or as maligned, as malls. Since their birth in the 1950s, they have loomed large as temples of commerce, the agora of the suburbs. In their prime, they proved a powerful draw for creative thinkers such as Joan Didion, Ray Bradbury, and George Romero, who understood the mall's appeal as both critics and consumers. Yet today, amid the aftershocks of financial crises and a global pandemic, as well as the rise of online retail, the dystopian husk of an abandoned shopping center has become one of our era's defining images. Conventional wisdom holds that the mall is dead. But what was the mall, really? And have rumors of its demise been greatly exaggerated?

In her acclaimed The Design of Childhood, Alexandra Lange uncovered the histories of toys, classrooms, and playgrounds. She now turns her sharp eye to another subject we only think we know. She chronicles postwar architects' and merchants' invention of the mall, revealing how the design of these marketplaces played an integral role in their cultural ascent. In Lange's perceptive account, the mall becomes newly strange and rich with contradiction: Malls are environments of both freedom and exclusion--of consumerism, but also of community. Meet Me by the Fountain is a highly entertaining and evocative promenade through the mall's story of rise, fall, and ongoing reinvention, for readers of any generation.

My Review

If someone made a film of my life, several scenes would be set at a mall. Growing up, it was a big deal to go to "town" to go to the local shopping mall, and a couple times a year my mom and I would set out to go to one of the bigger malls about an hour away. My mom worked at a mall when I was young. I worked at malls while I was pregnant and when my girls were young. I am nostalgic for the magical hold a mall had on me as a teen and I have PTSD from working too many Christmas holidays in retail management. Now, when I go to a mall, I cringe with the obvious signs of its gradual demise. 

In Meet Me by the Fountain, architecture critic Alexandra Lange (PhD in 20th-century architecture history) takes readers on a deep dive into architectural firms, urban politics, and consumer trends. Peeling back the layers to everything you thought you knew or felt about malls and mall culture, Lange gives an unbiased account of the life of the American shopping mall. 

Table of Contents:

Intro: Why We Go to the Mall

1. Every Day Will Be the Perfect Shopping Day

2. The Garden

3. The Mall and the Public

4. Make Shopping Beside the Point

5. Whose Mall is It Anyway?

6. Dawn of the Dead Mall

7. The Postapocalyptic Mall 

Conclusion: The Mall Abroad 

Sheet Pan Dinners

  

I received a copy of this release from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Title: Sheet Pan Dinners 

Author: by 

Liz Franklin and 

Jenny Tschiesche

Publisher: Ryland Peters Small

Release Date: 9.13.22

Publisher’s Summary 

Everyone loves a one-pan wonder, and the dishes in this book will save you time and washing up whilst providing delicious dishes for meat eaters and plant-based diners alike. The sheet pan is your new best friend!

More and more of us want to cook delicious and healthy dishes from scratch that can cater to the dietary requirements of our friends and families. But this is hard when you’re short on time to cook and plan elaborate meals. This book takes all the stress out of the situation with a comprehensive collection of one-pan recipes. Recipes range from global to speedy to sweet. Meat eaters can indulge in Smoky Lamb Ribs with Slow-Roasted Carrots or Cornflake Chicken Nuggets with Sweet Potato Fries, whilst veggies and vegans can enjoy Baked Butternut Squash with Saffron and Rosemary Risotto, or Tex-Mex Veggie Tacos with Tomato Salsa and Chipotle Mayo. Plus, everyone can tuck into desserts such as White Chocolate, Almond and Raspberry Ripple Brownies. These recipes will provide easy meals with even easier clean-up, giving you and your crowd maximum flavour with minimum effort.

My Review

I love sheet pan dinners and am always looking for something new to try cooking on a sheet pan. This collection has lots of different types of recipes to suit your dietary needs, including lots of vegetarian and vegan options. The first recipes I've flagged to try are the Coq Au Vin (made with white wine instead of the regular red,) Roasted Monkfish & Parma Ham Parcels on Dill Potatoes (I've never had monkfish,) and Hasselback Coquina Squash with Chilli Maple Glaze & Salt Flakes (I've never even heard of coquina squash.) There is also a recipe for grain-free granola that sounds like it would be a great breakfast option. 

Killers of a Certain Age

  I received a copy of this release from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Title: Killers of a Certain Age

Author: Deanna Raybourn

Publisher: Berkley 

Release Date: 9.6.22

Publisher’s Summary 

Older women often feel invisible, but sometimes that's their secret weapon.

They've spent their lives as the deadliest assassins in a clandestine international organization, but now that they're sixty years old, four women friends can't just retire - it's kill or be killed in this action-packed thriller.

Billie, Mary Alice, Helen, and Natalie have worked for the Museum, an elite network of assassins, for forty years. Now their talents are considered old-school and no one appreciates what they have to offer in an age that relies more on technology than people skills.

When the foursome is sent on an all-expenses paid vacation to mark their retirement, they are targeted by one of their own. Only the Board, the top-level members of the Museum, can order the termination of field agents, and the women realize they've been marked for death.

Now to get out alive they have to turn against their own organization, relying on experience and each other to get the job done, knowing that working together is the secret to their survival. They're about to teach the Board what it really means to be a woman--and a killer--of a certain age.

My Review

After a 3-month long comedy of errors, my copy of Killers of a Certain Age arrived 4 days ago, meaning if I was going to review it prior to / on its release date, I needed to rearrange my reading schedule to give it a priority. Frustrating to say the least, but not the book's fault. Now, if I didn't already REALLY want to read it, I would have shrugged and gotten to it whenever, but I REALLY wanted to read this one. Finding a new release with a female protagonist over the age of 30 feels rare, so I especially loved this foursome of 60-somethings. Filled with plenty of deadly details and witty banter, the speed of the storyline is fast and action-packed. Serious question now...when is this being made into a movie!?

Readers who liked The Witches of Moonshyne Manor and The Change will love Killers of a Certain Age. 

Other Birds

 

 I received a copy of this release from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Title: Other Birds

Author: Sarah Addison Allen

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Release Date: 8.30.22

Publisher’s Summary 

From the New York Times bestselling author of Garden Spells comes an enchanting tale filled with magical realism and moments of pure love that won’t let you go.

Between the real and the imaginary, there are stories that take flight in the most extraordinary ways.

Right off the coast of South Carolina, on Mallow Island, The Dellawisp sits—a stunning old cobblestone building shaped like a horseshoe, and named after the tiny turquoise birds who, alongside its human tenants, inhabit an air of magical secrecy.

When Zoey comes to claim her deceased mother’s apartment on an island outside of Charleston she meets her quirky and secretive neighbors, including a girl on the run, two estranged middle-aged sisters, a lonely chef, a legendary writer, and three ghosts. Each with their own story. Each with their own longings. Each whose ending isn’t yet written.

My Review

“There are birds, and then there are other birds. Maybe they don’t sing. Maybe they don’t fly. Maybe they don’t fit in. I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather be an other bird than just the same old thing.”

While fans of Sarah Addison Allen have been waiting since 2015's First Frost (Waverley Family, #2,) the author has survived cancer and struggled with the loss of her mother and sister, days apart while writing this book. The long wait and these overwhelming factors make Other Birds all the more amazing. A wonderful story of pain, longing, abandonment, mental health, and all types of mothers. True to the author's style, magical realism is woven into the lives of the Dellawisp residents in such a way that a reader believes every word. Full of ghosts and secrets and the painful longing to belong, Other Birds is beautiful, heartbreaking, and hopeful. There is also a strong food storyline, which I personally always love. 

The Deceptions

  I received a copy of this release from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Title: The Deceptions 

Author: Jill Bialosky

Publisher:  Counterpoint

Release Date: 9.6.22

Publisher’s Summary 

An explosive tale of art and myth, desire and betrayal, from New York Times best-selling author Jill Bialosky

Something terrible has happened and I don't know what to do. An unnamed narrator's life is unraveling. Her only child has left home, and her twenty-year marriage is strained. Anticipation about her soon-to-be-released book of poetry looms. She seeks answers to the paradoxes of love, desire, and parenthood among the Greek and Roman gods at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. As she passes her days teaching at a boy's prep school, spending her off hours sequestered in the museum's austere galleries, she is haunted by memories of a yearlong friendship with a colleague, a fellow poet, struggling with his craft. As secret betrayals and deceptions come to light, and rage threatens to overwhelm her, the pantheon assume remarkably vivid lives of their own, forcing her to choose between reality and myth in an effort to free herself of the patriarchal constraints of the past and embrace a new vision for her future.

The Deceptions is a page-turning and seductively told exploration of female sexuality and ambition. It is also a brilliantly conceived investigation of a life caught between the dueling magnetic poles of intimacy in a marriage and the privacy necessary for creative endeavor. Celebrated poet, memoirist, and novelist Jill Bialosky has reached new and daring heights in her boldest work yet.

My Review

"Something terrible has happened and I don't know what to do."

I don't remember the last time I highlighted so many passages in a book. I was intrigued from the first page, but not quite sure where the story was going for a large majority of the first half. The unnamed narrator is struggling in her personal life. Her marriage is strained, her son is not thriving at college, and her mother has dementia. Her professional life is filled with misogynistic coworkers and she is constantly editing her upcoming book, The Rape of the Swan, which she describes as "an exploration of motherhood, monogamy, and survival mirrored through the lens of two swans I observed for two years in the lake in Central Park." Her constant hard work and feelings of guilt for her ambition are juxtaposed against The Visiting Poet, whose professional road is paved for him (he has been given  a space in his publisher's upcoming release schedule, despite not even having a book.) As the narrator seeks solace at museums, losing herself in the great stories of history and mythology, readers learn more about her life and "the terrible thing." The second half of the book winds up the tension, but this ending. I will just say that it was a rollercoaster and I LOVED it! A solid contender for my Best Book of 2022.