This cookbook is excellent if you’re ready to level up by learning to cook without recipes (like my husband) or if you are terrible at cooking and just think it’s interesting to read about (like me). Highly recommend to cooks/eaters of all skill levels.
Cooking at Home by David Chang, (List Price: $35.00, Clarkson Potter, 9781524759247, October 2021)
Reviewed by Kate Storhoff, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
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This is a fun twist on an alphabet picture book, with each letter conjuring up the parts of the orchestra, from the tuning A given by the oboe to the well-earned snoozing after a successful performance. My favorite thing about this book was the way it highlighted so much more than just the instruments of the orchestra—even the music librarian gets to make an appearance!
A is for Oboe: The Orchestra’s Alphabet by Lera Auerbach and Marilyn Nelson, (List Price: $17.99, Dial Books, 9780525553779, December 2021)
Reviewed by Kate Storhoff, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
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Detective Galileo is back in another compelling puzzle-box mystery from the great Keigo Higashino. Whether you are a big fan of the series or a newcomer, Silent Parade is a excellent entry point into these engrossing mysteries. Set in Tokyo, a murder suspect has been able to avoid conviction twice because of lack on concrete evidence. Now the murder suspect has turned up dead during the community’s annual parade and Galileo is on the case to finally uncover the truth. Methodical, full of wonderful characters and an excellent sense of place, Silent Parade is a winning mystery experience.
Silent Parade by Keigo Higashino, (List Price: $27.99, Minotaur Books, 9781250624819, December 2021)
Reviewed by Caleb Masters, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
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This picture book serves two purposes: teaches about a figure from Indian history and demonstrates the benefit of peacefulness and goodwill over ferocity and conquering one’s neighbors. As Ashoka the Fierce becomes Ashoka the Great, his reign as emperor transforms from one of terror to one of healing. I love seeing more nonfiction picture books for kids that explore different parts of the world.
Ashoka the Fierce by Carolyn Kanjuro, (List Price: $17.95, Bala Kids, 9781611808544, December 2021)
Reviewed by Kate Storhoff, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
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Frida Liu is a single mother who, exhausted and alone, has a lapse in judgment one day parenting her child. That decision leads to a child welfare trial, where the state sentences her to a year at school for mothers, where government educators will retrain Frida and other mothers they deem unworthy how to be good mothers in the eyes of the state. Best described to me as “1984 for mothers,” The School for Good Mothers is a terrifying look at an overreaching government that feels all too real today and the lengths that parents will go to in order to be with their children. It will both disturb you and make you think!
The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan, (List Price: $27.00, Simon & Schuster, 9781982156121, January 2022)
Reviewed by Beth Seufer Buss, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
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I love Mustache Baby! This series is my favorite to gift to new parents, because the stories are hilarious for adults, while kids adore Billy (aka Mustache Baby) — because what is funnier than a baby with a mustache? I loved that this adventure added a pink unicorn to Billy and Javier’s crew.
Good Knight, Mustache Baby by Bridget Heos, Joy Ang (Illus.) (List Price: $17.99, Clarion Books, 9780358434689, 12/7/2021)
Reviewed by Kate Storhoff, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
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A beautiful and unconventional book capturing what the year 2020 felt like to the youngest child of a fictional Black American family, told in three long sentences and a notebook’s worth of art. Haunting and gorgeous, the unnamed narrator’s observations speak powerfully to a wide range of emotions, from the despair felt watching the world crumble and seeing the country’s betrayal of its Black citizens, to the balm that family connections can provide in the darkest times.
Ain’t Burned All the Bright by Jason Reynolds, Jason Griffin (Illustrator) (List Price: $19.99, Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, 9781534439467, January 2022)
Reviewed by Kate Storhoff, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
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Booze Over Broadway combines two of my favorite things: Broadway and fun drinks! Needless to say I was overjoyed to stumble across this book. The names of the drinks are witty, the commentary is deeply amusing, and the content of the recipes are tasty and fun! I can’t wait to buy myself a copy of this book for my cookbook collection.
Booze Over Broadway by Tiller Press, (List Price: $19.99, Tiller Press, 9781982160005, December 2021)
Reviewed by Mary Louise Callaghan, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
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This book is exactly everything I’ve been craving from a vampire book. Been starving for, even, because I’ve been digging for at least a year now for a vampire book that scratches every itch the vampire academy series gave me many years ago as a young teen, but one that I can really appreciate as an adult. Isolde and Adrian are the most perfect, incredibly vicious pairing of human and vampire, and those twists and turns of the plot just set them up so well. I love that Isolde is heavyset and muscular and confident in her body and sexuality, while Adrian is just so very aware of the monstrosity of his nature, and does not care that people are scared of him. And the fact that Scarlett does queernorm society so well is just, chefs kiss. I felt so utterly comfortable while reading this book. It might sound strange, but reading King of Battle and Blood felt like coming home. A very bloody, very sexy home, but a home nonetheless.
King of Battle and Blood by Scarlett St. Clair, (List Price: $16.99, Bloom Books, 9781728258416, November 2021)
Reviewed by Caitlyn Vanorder, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
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I really enjoyed this mashup of travel writing, musings on Greek mythology, and thoughts about climate change and its effect on our natural environment. On the surface, this combination of things shouldn’t work, but it really does. Peter Fiennes drew me in with his study of Lord Byron and from there I was happy to pop in on his travels through Greece, all the more poignant due to his trips taking place during the pandemic.
A Thing of Beauty by Peter Fiennes, (List Price: $27.95, Oneworld Publications, 9780861540617, November 2021)
Reviewed by Kate Storhoff, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
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This charming and fun book emphasizes the value of friendship, even when we’d rather be alone! Bear just wants some space and is frustrated that his brand new house is filled with animal friends. But when he asks them to leave, he realizes he is lonely. Young readers can learn that sharing brings joy to the sharer, too!
The Me Tree by Ashley Belote, (List Price: 4.99, Penguin Workshop, 9780593384824, November 2021)
Reviewed by Kate Storhoff, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
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This book is as delightful as you would think. Actually, scratch that, it is 10 times more delightful than you would think. Filled to the brim with Tucci’s signature charm, TASTE amazes with both its storied family recipes and the moving personal journey it takes us on. Tucci recognizes that so often food is more than just a source of basic nourishment; it is a form of self expression and an act of love. This revelation is evident in every word of the book. Read this and you’ll fall in love with the food, the stories, and of course, with Stanley Tucci himself.
Taste by Stanley Tucci, (List Price: $28.00, Gallery Books, 9781982168018, October 2021)
Reviewed by Jessica Baker, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
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Last winter I decided I wanted to learn to bake bread…then I learned that Mark Bittman was writing a bread cookbook and decided to wait, which was a fantastic decision. Bittman Bread is everything I need in a bread cookbook—clear instructions, plenty of pictures, and a method that seems almost fail-proof. Bittman and co-author Kerri Conan have crafted the perfect recipe for a no-knead loaf that makes whole grains the star of the show and leaves you with a sourdough starter for your next loaf. Going beyond their basic loaf, the pair explore a variety of bread variations as well as recipes to level up the bread-baking game: focaccia, baguettes, desserts, and more. And excellent guide for beginners or more advanced bakers looking for a proven method of quick baking, Bittman Bread is a must-read cookbook that comes just in time for winter baking and holiday gift giving!
Bittman Bread by Mark Bittman, (List Price: $35.00, Mariner Books, 9780358539339, 2021-11-09)
Reviewed by Beth Seufer Buss, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
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Astronaut Neil Armstrong has written a beautiful story about the creation of the Moon and the Earth as told from the perspective of Bok, a very special moon rock. A combination of science, history, Armstrong’s personal story, and vivid, movie-like illustrations, Bok’s Giant Leap will inspire another generation of young readers to dream of the moon!
Bok’s Giant Leap by Neil Armstrong, (List Price: $17.99, Crown Books for Young Readers, 9780593378861, November 2021)
Beth Seufer Buss, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
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As though growing up wasn’t tough enough on its own. Let’s add a sink-or-swim Spanish immersion school that you transfer to years after your classmates start learning Spanish, even if your parents yank you out after their great experiment (you) fails. Add constantly moving house from country to country, AND your parents don’t even tell you what it is they do (because it’s <redacted>). This memoir told in graphic novel is for young people looking for their people, trying to avoid the watchful eye of their parents, and trying to (depending on the sibs) live up to or escape the shadow of the older sibs. Oh and maybe get a first kiss out of the deal. The art conveys much depth to an already affecting story, particularly in the opening chapters where the sense of place is established.
Passport by Sophia Glock, (List Price: 17.99, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 9780316459006, November 2021)
Reviewed by Lisa Yee Swope, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
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