Food Writing for the Win: True Story, August 16, 2024
Like a lot of eccentric bookish types, my library is organized by a system only known to me. I affectionately call the different categories “collections,” and my cookbook and food writing section is one of the largest. If it weren’t double stacked, it would easily take up its own bookshelf. I adore this section of my library, especially when it comes to seasonal cooking. So we’re all about food and cuisine for our Riot Recs this week, but first, bookish goods!
Bookish Goods
Personalized Recipe Book by Dream Light Design
I love to create my own recipes, and I treasure the recipes my mom has passed down. This custom cookbook binder is perfect! $17.
New Releases
Bite: An Incisive History of Teeth, from Hagfish to Humans by Bill Schutt
Zoologist Bill Schutt, the author of Cannibalism, argues that the success of vertebrate species all depends on their teeth. From tusks to fangs, teeth come in all shapes and sizes, but they all help a species survive (and even thrive). Schutt believes that the continued study of teeth can help us better understand the human body.
I Want to Die But I Still Want to Eat Tteokbokki: Further Conversations with My Psychiatrist by Baek Sehee, Translated by Anton Hur
In her follow up memoir to I Want to Die But I Want to Eat Tteokbokki, Baek Sehee continues her session with her therapist as they delve further into her inner world. After each session with her therapist, Sehee inserts micro essays that analyze her mental state and ongoing progress.
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
Burn the Place: A Memoir by Iliana Regan
Iliana Regan spent her childhood up on a small farm in Indiana, going out on foraging expeditions with her family members and learning how to live with the land around her. As she grew older and began to realize she was queer, she tried to bury that knowledge with alcoholism and an intense amount of work in the food industry. She worked her way up through the restaurant world where she discovered her calling. She began to focus more on ingredients, remembering her childhood spent searching for mushrooms with her family. Regan writes about her complex inner world and about struggling to stay sober. She wants to create a better world for herself where she accepts who she is and becomes her best self. Eventually, she would start a Michelin-starred restaurant that put her name on the map. What’s more, Burn the Place became the first food-related book in four decades to be longlisted for the National Book Award.
Koshersoul: The Faith and Food Journey of an African American Jew by Michael W. Twitty
I adored Michael W. Twitty’s book The Cooking Gene and have been waiting for his new book for SO LONG. Koshersoul didn’t disappoint. In his latest book, Twitty describes his experience as a Black, Jewish convert and how that experience is expressed in his food. Each chapter is full of incredible insights and, of course, great food. Twitty has such an incredible way of writing that invites readers into his life, creating such an emotional connection between the text and its readers.
That’s it for this week! 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 on Book Riot.
Happy reading, Friends!
~ Kendra
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