Inflammation is the root of chronic disease, according to this encouraging debut manual from nutritionist Moñino. She posits that inflammation, a “natural process” in which one’s immune system responds to a perceived attack by sending cells to counter it, can make weight loss more complicated, exacerbate digestive issues, cause “constant fatigue,” and contribute to autoimmune disorders. Explaining that nutrition is crucial in grappling with inflammation, Moñino contends that restrictive diets can make things worse because they can cause emotional stress, which boosts inflammation, and because everyone’s intestinal microbiota is different, so what works for one person might not be successful for another. Instead, she suggests an anti-inflammatory diet that includes fruit, healthy fats, and lots of fiber. She sensibly points out a slew of other factors key to maintaining one’s health, including getting adequate sleep, having an active lifestyle, and getting moderate sun exposure to maintain Vitamin D levels. Moñino also offers a handful of anti-inflammatory recipes, including a carrot pizza crust, homemade nut milk, and chocolate donuts, and provides a QR code to scan for a handy shopping list. Readers worried about inflammation will find plenty of useful information. (July)

Reviewed on 06/13/2025 | Details & Permalink

Bloom (Breast Cancer in the Workplace), a former employee benefits attorney, delivers a powerful resource for women dealing with serious illnesses. Aiming to help readers address healthcare and workplace concerns, Bloom offers valuable advice on navigating HIPAA laws, fighting arbitrary insurance denials, combating incorrect bills, and building emotional strength. She encourages readers to draft a team of advocates to help with appointments and other matters; to be cautious when doing research on the internet; and to get familiar with their workplace benefits and be comfortable using them, noting that doing so “is not accepting charity.... You’ve earned them.” Along the way, the author shares her experience helping her mother and sister with their breast cancer diagnoses, and her forthrightness and hopeful spirit permeate every page, as when she writes, “Maybe your case won’t be the case that finally makes the world stand up and notice how broken the system is, but at least you can protect yourself during your healing journey and come back in fighting shape.” Women contending with a difficult diagnosis will find Bloom’s impassioned advocacy and solid mix of logistical and emotional guidance a boon. (July)

Reviewed on 06/13/2025 | Details & Permalink

In this amusing and useful guide, journalist O’Shea-Evans (Alpine Style) shows how to amp up the holiday spirit in one’s home. Design tips cover tablescapes, Christmas trees, and children’s rooms, and O’Shea-Evans points out that dark tablecloths work well to hide inevitable party spills. Recipes are “high in calories but not in kitchen agony,” and include focaccia with a rosemary Christmas tree; “Christmas in Puglia Pasta,” made to “make you feel like you’re spending Christmas in southern Italy”; and “confetti chocolate bark” adorned with orange slices and potato chips. O’Shea-Evans has homemade gift ideas, too, such as bath bombs and flavored olive oil. Elsewhere, she includes a dinner party playlist, encourages readers to donate gifts to a family in need, and provides a list of TV shows to watch while wrapping gifts. Though a month-by-month holiday guide, which urges readers to “take inventory” in April, might be overkill for the non “Christmas-aholic,” O’Shea-Evans’s tips are for the most part practical. They’re also full of heart—readers will appreciate her encouragement to embrace imperfections and put stress to the side: “The reality is that showing up for the holidays and making memories... is the best gift of all.” This brings the cheer. (Aug.)

Reviewed on 06/13/2025 | Details & Permalink

Black, whose company Witchy Stitcher makes cross-stitch kits, debuts with a delightful collection of patterns inspired by gothic art, Halloween, and witchcraft. Black provides step-by-step instructions for creating basic cross stitches, back stitches, pinhead stitches, and French knots. For materials, she recommends aida cotton fabric (beginners will benefit from its grid-like structure) and DMC embroidery floss thanks to its color variety. Technique instructions cover how to prepare fabric on an embroidery hoop; Black notes that the fabric shouldn’t be pulled too tight or it will distort the weave. Her designs run the spooky gamut: some are playful, including “Bat Coven,” which depicts a trio of bats dressed like witches, and “Happy Easterween,” which features a skeleton flaunting bunny ears and an Easter basket. Scarier options include the “Creepy Carnival,” a wide-eyed cat with a Cheshire grin, and the “blood-red” “Dracula’s Castle.” To finish, Black walks readers through framing and washing completed projects (a soft-bristle toothbrush can be used to remove any stains). The projects are suitable for stitchers of all levels, and frequent “ghost tips,” which provide extra information, are a nice touch (one encourages crafters to take breaks and stretch their hands). Fans of Lindsay Swearingen’s Creepy Cross Stitch should snap this up. (Aug.)

Reviewed on 06/13/2025 | Details & Permalink

“Food in queer communities is more than just sustenance; it’s a way to forge relationships, create safe spaces... and collect our narratives,” writes Burke in the introduction to his appealing debut, which gathers 75 personally meaningful dessert recipes in celebration of queer potluck culture. Prefaced by anecdotes about family and friends who played a pivotal role in Burke’s journey toward acceptance and belonging, these recipes have a charmingly retro vibe. Chapters are organized by baking pan types: rectangular and square, sheet, loaf, casserole, and round. While many recipes rely on convenience foods or come from vintage back-of-the-box and magazine clippings, Burke updates each with new twists. The three-layered Shirley’s Cake, for example, comes together using box cake mix, instant pudding, and canned mandarin oranges to honor family friend Shirley with a “kickass cake for a kickass life.” Peanut and grape cheesecake squares “capture the soul of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.” Chocolate cherry soda cake features a maraschino cherry buttercream, while pistachio fluff “salad” offers a creamy mix of pineapple and marshmallows. Poke cakes, dump cakes, and self-saucing puddings abound. These tried-and-true, crowd-pleasing treats are ideal for any gathering. (June)

Reviewed on 06/13/2025 | Details & Permalink

Textile designer Wilhelm (Stylish Sewing) offers a solid collection of projects meant to “be used and loved for a lifetime.” Each design uses weighty materials including canvas, sailcloth, waxed canvas, and leather, which hold up to wear and tear and “acquire character in the process.” A section on necessary materials and accessories explains how to choose leather (or faux alternatives), and notes that binding screws are useful for attaching leather straps to fabric. As for tools and equipment, crafters will need denim needles, a craft knife for cutting leather, and a sewing machine (the author recommends buying secondhand rather than getting a “cheap, new” one). Wilhelm’s projects are labeled according to three difficulty levels: hanging herb baskets, a roll-up utensil pouch, and a canvas log basket are perfect for beginners; a stunning waxed cotton backpack and retro bag inspired by bowling bags are for more experienced crafters; and a bike bag and shopper tote fall in between. Project-specific tips are peppered throughout, Wilhelm’s straightforward instructions will help crafters take her guidance off the page, and the photos that accompany each step are a boon. Sewers seeking to expand their skill set should give this a look. (July)

Reviewed on 06/13/2025 | Details & Permalink

Food writer Firkser dials in on the galette—a convenient open-faced pie that is eminently suited to “riffability”—in her focused and innovative debut. She provides a master recipe for dough, complete with step-by-step photographs and meticulous instructions for making it by hand or using a food processor, followed by a few variations, including a chocolate version and one made with buckwheat. A handful of sauces and toppings also open up possibilities for experimentation. Filling options lean classic but with a twist, like plums sprinkled with black pepper and tarragon, and thin lemon slices over a cream cheese mixture. The author also plays with form, as in recipes for individual chocolate-hazelnut hand pies, and a deep-dish peach treat. Savory choices include a slab pie with radishes and red onion and another with an eggplant parm filling. A chapter of galettes made with pantry staples—marinated artichoke hearts, rotisserie chicken—is particularly clever. Firkser is quick with a tip, like how to use leftover dough to make cookies, and her explanations of the method for assembling galettes, which always includes a quick set in the freezer, are clear and colloquial. The result is a promising first outing that is greater than the sum of its 50 recipes. (June)

Reviewed on 06/13/2025 | Details & Permalink

In this breezy if somewhat uneven collection, Newen (Monday Night Mocktails) serves up 52 wine cocktails recommended for low-proof weeknight relaxation. The recipes are rendered in simple prose, paired with attractive photography, and sorted by season: from glogg (spiced port) in winter to mimosa variations in spring, watermelon frosé in summer, and a cider-vermouth cocktail in autumn. Newens’s premise occasionally stretches thin, leading to some unusual drinks that may raise eyebrows among both classic cocktail lovers and oenophiles including a whiskey sour with a cabernet sauvignon float, and a chilled stout and sparkling wine combo garnished with dark chocolate shavings. For the less adventurous, there are myriad appealing spritzes, including a festive sugar-rimmed sparkling cranberry flute, and some familiar favorites, like a lightly elevated tinto de verano made with fresh squeezed citrus and simple syrup instead of lemon-lime soda. The result is a lighthearted and whimsical offering for the wine cocktail curious. (May)

Reviewed on 06/06/2025 | Details & Permalink

Noting that “not all salads are nutritionally equal,” nutritionist and That Salad Lady blogger Franklin shares her method for building consistently healthy, satisfying salads in her wide-ranging debut. Early chapters introduce her system, which involves layering non-starchy vegetables, fruits, proteins, fats, and fiber-rich starches. Subsequent chapters often focus on a specific diet or food preference. All the salads in the high-protein chapter, for example, offer 20–30 grams of protein per serving, including a beef and broccoli bowl with sesame ginger dressing and Caribbean jerk chicken salad with mango lime vinaigrette. The heart-healthy chapter features an apricot and almond couscous bowl that can be eaten warm or chilled, while an anti-inflammatory chapter includes a turmeric quinoa and edamame bowl. The scope is impressive, but it’s hard to imagine a home cook who’s eager to explore the low-carb, keto-friendly section finding much utility in the vegan and vegetarian section. Still, Franklin encourages “experimentation, self-expression, and creativity” and includes many helpful suggestions for ingredient substitutions alongside time-saving tips and nutritional information. Those looking for practical inspiration to eat well will be pleased. (July)

Reviewed on 06/06/2025 | Details & Permalink

“Every recipe tells a story,” assert the authors of this heartfelt cookbook, a fundraiser for the nonprofit Advocates for Human Rights. It’s structured around profiles of 37 immigrants to the U.S. who share family recipes that range from the simple (Colombian Hogao, a tomato and onion sauce) to the complex (German leek tart). Most are not professional chefs; instead, the focus is on home-cooked, everyday fare, often in serving sizes fit for a crowd. Doris Parker, whose family fled to the U.S. just before Liberia’s First Civil War, contributes instructions for peanut soup. Hiba Al-Hasnawi, who came to the states with the Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project multiple times before threats on her life made permanent relocation a necessity, serves up baba ghanoush. Somalian Halima Mohamed, the founder of Hoyo, a food production company that distributes traditional sambusas, or meat-stuffed pastries, shares her flagship recipe. The breadth of experience the authors attempt to capture is admirable, but there’s a scattered quality to the finished product and some missing practical elements, like listing total cooking times or providing an index of recipes by ingredients or country of origin. Still, the noble intentions of this earnest anthology shine through. (June)

Reviewed on 05/30/2025 | Details & Permalink