July 7, 2026
Mangia! Cookbooks for summer
It’s hot out there! It is slightly maddening that all the best food comes into season at the same time the temperatures are so high no one wants to turn on an oven. Here are three cookbooks from hot places — Italy, Mexico, and the Caribbean — that indie booksellers love, and more to the point, use.
Cookbooks for Summer
Salt, Sweat & Steam by Brigid Washington (April)
An insider’s view of the culinary world tempered through a very personal lens. Attending the Culinary Arts Institute is a grueling experience, more so for students of color, and more so if you are trying to mend a broken heart.
– Jan, Main Street Books in Davidson, NC
Cooking the Borderlands by Claudette Zepeda (June)
This beautiful and mouthwatering cookbook is Top Chef star Claudette Zepeda’s culinary journey along the Mexican-American border, I’m hoping to achieve my lifelong dream of making the perfect chile relleno with Zepeda’s guidance.
– Julia, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, VA
AMMAZZA! by Hillary Sterling (May)
An invitation to cook with confidence, curiosity, and a healthy dose of smoke. In Rome, Ammazza! means ‘Wow.’ In your kitchen, it means ‘I’m definitely having a third bowl of pasta.
– Mevelyn, Square Books in Oxford, MS
Featuring reviews of:
- Moss’d in Space by Rebecca Thorne, reviewed by Ellie, A Novel Romance LLC in Louisville, Kentucky
- Father Material by Alexis Hall, reviewed by Jennifer, Bookmiser in Marietta, GA
- Stranded in the Future by Robyn Hitchcock, reviewed by Doron, Octavia Books in New Orleans, LA
- Every Exquisite Thing by Laura Steven, reviewed by Lara, Copperfish Books in Punta Gorda, FL
- Toad on the Go by Jashar Awan , reviewed by Erika, Righton Books in St Simons Island, GA
- Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevado, reviewed by Asia, Square Books in Oxford, MS
- Bookseller Buzz: Agnes Lives! by Hallie Elizabeth Newton, reviewed by Jenny, Bookmarks, Winston-Salem, NC; Joshua, The Underground Bookshop, Carrollton, GA; Doron, Octavia Books, New Orleans, LA; Savannah, The Country Bookshop, Southern Pines, NC