All Booked | My Annual Ode to Cookbooks

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The original version of this newsletter was sent out on Tuesday, September 10.

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Hello, book lovelies!

Happy Thanksgiving week! Like most of you, I’m ready to set up my Out of Office and head into the kitchen. I’m in charge of bringing a salad this year, which is perfect. Salad is one of those dishes that doesn’t have any expectations attached to it. “I cannot wait for the salad at Thanksgiving this year,” said no one ever. It also takes as much effort as I want to put into it, and as someone whose free time is very fleeting and nonexistent prior to 7 p.m., there may not be a better dish to bring. Even so, I’ve been looking into showstopper salad recipes. “Why?” you may ask. Some might say it’s the Aries in me or the fact that my Enneagram is Type Three (the achiever), but whatever it is, it’s my toxic trait. So I’m challenging myself to maybe make a simple salad this year. Do I really need to make a bitter greens and herb salad with honey caramelized pecans and fennel seeds? …Maybe!

What’s certainly not helping me keep things simple? My ever-growing and inspiring cookbook collection. Each year around this time, I do a little roundup of the cookbooks that I’ve acquired over the year. This is one of my favorite little traditions. Cookbooks are books too and deserve their time in the spotlight. Below is a list of cookbooks that I’ve either purchased or are on my wish list.

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I am a big believer in going into a book knowing as little as possible. I try not to read too much of the synopses or reviews, since most of them over-share. My pitches below are short and sweet just for that reason.

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I originally found Alison Roman on YouTube about nine months ago. I was immediately under her spell. Everything she made, I wanted to make. I went down a rabbit hole of watching all of her cooking videos from over the years. I love her. I finally bought her most recent cookbook, Sweet Enough, and I made the chunky chocolate shortbread cookies this past weekend. They were super delicious. Roman makes me feel like I can make anything and it will be a success.

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I also found Carla Lalli Music via YouTube, but many people know her for being an editor at Bon Appétit. Her most recent cookbook, That Sounds So Good, is on my wish list. I love how this cookbook is organized by weeknight versus weekend meals. Carla also includes “spin its” for each recipe, where she suggests alternative ingredients that you can substitute to truly make the recipe work for you. This will definitely be my next cookbook purchase.

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I love a cookbook that has recipes paired with stories. Rick Martínez takes the reader with him through Mexico via his memories of his travels in Mi Cocina. Martínez recreates recipes while sharing personal experiences and stories. This book looks beautiful. I’m hoping to add this one to my collection soon.

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As always, I would love to hear from you. What cookbooks have you added to your collection recently? Let me know!

Your smitten bookworm, Emily

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UPCOMING BOOK EVENTS

Below, you will find a few bookish events coming up in Santa Barbara. If you are hosting a bookish event in Santa Barbara, be sure to submit the event to our online events calendar.

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Chaucer’s Book-Signing: Local Outdoor Photographer Chuck Graham

Tuesday, November 28, 6 p.m., Chaucer’s Books

The Art of Symeon Shimin Book Signing
Saturday, December 2, 2 p.m. Tecolote Book Shop

Local Author Book Fair
Saturday, December 2 , 2 p.m. Santa Barbara Central Library

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LOCAL BOOK SPOTLIGHT

We at the Independent get many books sent to us by local authors, sometimes too many! It’s practically impossible for us to read and review them all, but just because we are busy bees does not mean that they aren’t worth the attention. In an attempt to not completely drop the ball, we have compiled a list of books here that have a local spin. They are all either written by a local author, feature someone in our community, or have another tie to Santa Barbara. I urge you to look through this list. Perhaps you will find your new favorite read!

The following are the most recent titles that have been sent to us. Click here for a more comprehensive list.

Villa for Rent on St. Barts by Kiki Astor

Liam McPhee and The Thief of Laughter by M. Evangeline

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If you are a local author and would like us to feature your book in this section, please email allbooked@independent.com with the subject line “Local Author Spotlight.”