The books Southern indie booksellers are recommending to readers everywhere!

Courses & Dishes

Linger by Hetty Lui McKinnon

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Linger by Hetty Lui McKinnon
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I love to sip morning coffee and page through a cookbook looking for dinner inspiration, so when it’s as much fun to READ a cookbook as it is to cook and eat from it, I’m in heaven. Hetty Lui McKinnon’s Linger offers up not just healthy recipes for salads (think both hearty and delicate) and desserts (think healthy and easy) but her tips on making food ahead, entertaining and creating community with food- in a warm and engaging style that will have you trying new things even on weeknights. Bonus! Her daughter has short essays about music and food with accompanying playlists (via QR code).

Linger by Hetty Lui McKinnon, (List Price: $40, Knopf, 9780593804193, October 2025)

Reviewed by Jamie, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Bake Club by Christina Tosi

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Bake Club by Christina Tosi
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Another social media cookbook crossover, many of the recipes debuted online. Now gathered in a useful collection that focuses on minimal ingredients and basic techniques. The tone is all about having fun and improvising. Recipes are truly accessible, and Bloom knows how to cheerlead cooking. A great gift for new and old cooks.

Bake Club by Christina Tosi, (List Price: $35, Knopf, 9780593802397, November 2024)

Reviewed by Jan Blodgett, Main Street Books in Davidson, Georgia

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Bodega Bakes by Paola Velez

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Bodega Bakes by Paola Velez
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An exciting and creative cookbook filled with classic American treats. These recipes add some uniquely Caribbean flavors to quintessential desserts. I can’t wait to make the Sorrel Snickerdoodles and the OG Chocolate Chip Thick’ems.

Bodega Bakes by Paola Velez, (List Price: $35, Union Square & Co., 9781454952374, October 2024)

Reviewed by Michelle Whittaker, Fonts Books in Mclean, Virginia

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Pass the Plate by Carolina Gelen

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Pass the Plate by Carolina Gelen
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One of the things that Gelen gets absolutely right with this book is textural contrast in the recipes. If you love yogurt sauces, crispy rice and potatoes and fresh herbs, this cookbook should live in your kitchen, as it will in mine (as soon as I get a hard copy)! Some of my favorite recipes here are: Gruyere-Stuffed Dates with Salted Sesame Honey, Spiced Kebabs with Mint Sauce and Pineapple, Saucy Beans al Limone, and Honey Balsamic Roasted Cauliflower. By the way, Gelen really, really knows how to use a lemon. If you’re looking for something bright and beautiful on your table, start with Pass the Plate.

Pass the Plate by Carolina Gelen, (List Price: $35, Clarkson Potter, 9780593581872, September 2024)

Reviewed by Julia Paganelli Marin, Pearl’s Books in Fayetteville, Arkansas

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Chocolate Lover : A Baking Book—Decadent Treats by Michele Song

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Chocolate Lover : A Baking Book—Decadent Treats by Michele Song
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As a self-professed chocoholic, this book is fantastic! There are familiar favorites, different takes on classics, and new chocolate treats that make me want to get in the kitchen pronto. I want to sample every recipe. YUMMMMMY!”

Chocolate Lover : A Baking Book—Decadent Treats by Michele Song, (List Price: $27.95, Chronicle Books, 9781797215914, September 2024)

Reviewed by Kim Brock, Joseph-Beth Booksellers Lexington in Lexington, Kentucky

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Justice of the Pies by Maya-Camille Broussard

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Justice of the Pies by Maya-Camille Broussard
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What a beautiful cookbook! It’s the perfect blend of stunning visuals, original and well-written recipes, dynamite prose in the talky bits, plus a strong social-justice mission. Broussard presents her sweet and savory recipes from the point-of-view of a Black, hearing-impaired, small business owner who has been giving back to her Chicago community through teaching, donating, and empowering others. Between the recipes (and inspiring many) are profiles of people she calls "Stewards": others who strive for equity. If that’s not enough inspiration, how about Salted Caramel Peach Pie, Chicken & Biscuit Pot Pie, Churro Whoopie Pies! Honoring her public defender late father’s memory, this book also makes a great family gift.

Justice of the Pies by Maya-Camille Broussard, (List Price: $30, Clarkson Potter, 9780593234440, October 2022)

Reviewed by Kelly Justice, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

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The Red Truck Bakery Farmhouse Cookbook by Brian Noyes

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Berserk Deluxe Volume 11 by Kentaro Miura
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I have always been interested in cookbooks, the recipes, the notes, the tips, I enjoy them all.To say I enjoyed The Red Truck Bakery Farmhouse Cookbook would be an understatement. I was captured by the forward and could not wait to explore the heart of the book. I’ll address the recipes, I did not see any that were not intriguing, the attention to the ingredients and why they matter is well explained and designed. The heart of the book is the love and energy for cooking and feeding that shines through in Brian Noyes words about the particular recipe. How it came to be, the historical twist, who it was created for, and happy accidents (like the chili for the neighbors chili cookout). I felt like I was in the room listening to him talk and create, and oh how I wish that were so. Buy this as a gift for someone special, get an extra copy for yourself to ensure the gift actually makes it out of your hands!

The Red Truck Bakery Farmhouse Cookbook by Brian Noyes, (List Price: 28, Clarkson Potter, 9780593234815, August 2022)

Reviewed by Jackie Willey, Fiction Addiction in Greenville, South Carolina

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Bittman Bread by Mark Bittman

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Bittman Bread
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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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