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The holidays are here, and I’m just finishing up my Christmas shopping. A lot of my family are huge food nerds—just like me—so I have assembled an all-star collection of food-related books that will end up in my family’s stockings.
There’s just something about sharing my favorite food books with people I love. Plus, we love making the same recipes from the books and comparing notes.
What I Ate in One Year: (and related thoughts) by Stanley Tucci
I LOVED Stanley Tucci’s memoir Taste. The way Tucci described his life through food was captivating. So of course, his new collection What I Ate in One Year jumped to the top of my Christmas list. I saw a print copy at Costco the other day, and the endpapers are STUNNING. They have adorable illustrations of produce on them. In his new essays, Tucci describes his year of food day by day. And with great food comes great company, and Tucci shares these special moments with his readers.
Be Ready When the Luck Happens: A Memoir by Ina Garten
I grew up watching Food Network, so I’m always here for a celebrity chef biography. But Ina Garten, well she’s something special. She’s straightforward, practical, and her recipes are always delicious. She published a host of bestselling cookbooks, but now—for the first time—she’s here with her memoir. In it, she describes the beginnings of her career in entertainment, how she became a TV personality, and how she met her beloved husband, Jeffrey. As an audiobook girlie, I am over the moon that she performs the audio edition.
Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts by Crystal Wilkinson
Crystal Wilkinson is a huge favorite of mine. Her novel The Birds of Opulence stands as one of my all-time favorite books. So when I heard that she had a culinary memoir coming out, I jumped on the preorder list. In Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts, Wilkinson shares the history of her family through the recipes they have passed down through the years. The book includes stunning photos and delicious recipes perfect for beginner and experienced bakers alike.
Better Living Through Books
Your resource for reading material that helps you live the life you want. From self-help to cookbooks to parenting to personal finance, relationships, and more, we’ve got you covered. If it’s part of life, it can be part of your reading life.
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
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