Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 20, 2022

Books: The Familia Grande

The passing of Camille Kouchner’s mother, the high-profile French writer and political scientist Evelyne Pisier, brought with it a tidal wave of intense memories from Kouchner’s youth. In THE FAMILIA GRANDE, Kouchner offers up the story of her childhood, the divorce of her parents and their respective remarriages, and the years she spent surrounded by the rowdy crew of French societal elites that were their family friends.

Kouchner’s mother’s remarriage appears, at first, to be a blissful liberation from the domineering and distant Bernard Kouchner, a politician and doctor who co-founded Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) and who was often away from home. But the warmth and vitality of Kouchner's subsequent young adulthood with her mother and new stepfather, Olivier Duhamel—himself a political scientist and eventual member of the European parliament—is radically shaken when she discovers that her stepfather has been sexually abusing her twin brother. At her brother's request, she stays quiet. With THE FAMILIA GRANDE, Kouchner breaks decades of silence and guilt to right a long-buried wrong, speaking out about the crimes of her stepfather and the figures from French high society who were aware of the abuse and who protected him.

Kouchner’s accusation of her politically and socially prominent stepfather, and his subsequent confession and resignation, began a national reckoning in France on the historically taboo subject of incest. With the original serialization and publication of her memoir, other powerful figures in French society were accused of sexual abuse and in particular the abuse of minors, the French government began a re-evaluation and overhaul of the laws around incest and rape, and stories began to be shared on the internet and social media, breaking the silence and breaking down the isolating stigma around sexual abuse.

Kouchner balances the gravity and depth of her story with surprising humor and tenderness; her writing is deeply perceptive, every relationship examined thoughtfully. With THE FAMILIA GRANDE, Kouchner’s fearless, electric prose provides insights into the lavish world of France’s intellectual and cultural elite, and offers up a raw exposé of the dark, not-to-be-discussed dangers that lurked therein.

THE FAMILIA GRANDE is a remarkable story of resilience, of manipulation from men who hold tremendous power, the secret-keeping that protects them, and of the change that even a single brave voice can bring about.

Wednesday, February 9, 2022

Books: WHY DIDN'T WE RIOT: A Black Man in Trumpland

Out this spring from Davidson College professor, Harvard Nieman Fellow, Soros Justice Fellowship awardee, and CNN.com contributor Isaac J. Bailey, Other Press offers a paperback edition of Why Didn’t We Riot?: A Black Man in Trumpland (Other Press paperback reprint; On-sale March 8, 2022). This new edition from the author of My Brother Moochie—which was praised by NPR’s ‘WEEKEND EDITION’ as “…Eloquently expressed…”, “…beautifully written…” by THE ECONOMIST and named, “… An elegant memoir that speaks to the inequities of the criminal justice system…” by USA TODAY—delves deeply into the cyclical forces of systemic racism, the legacy of the Jim Crow South, and the intertwining of race, poverty, violence, drug abuse, and lack of opportunity in present-day America. Steeped in the real-time havoc coronavirus is wreaking on communities of color, amidst the societal fissures which have only deepened in the wake of a stream of high-profile acts of racial terror on black bodies, WHY DIDN’T WE RIOT aims to propel us into action against the institutional inequity that undergirds American life, leaving so many people of color marginalized. Bailey reminds, as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. implored, “…a riot is the language of the unheard”.


Weaving his own journey and trauma—including his memories of the arrest and incarceration of his hero, his older brother Moochie—with fearless storytelling, Bailey contemplates a number of cultural flashpoints involving race. The essays in WHY DIDN'T WE RIOT—which touch on justice system inequities, the tight ties between evangelical Christianity and white supremacy, media stereotypes and misrepresentation, workplace microaggressions, and other outcomes of ingrained systemic racism—reveal a dogged resistance to change from the people and institutions who hold power, and offer insights into the levers that operate racial injustice in America. With WHY DIDN'T WE RIOT, Bailey delves into how exactly larger forces interlock to imprint themselves on black bodies, and examines the wounds, “…psychic, emotional, physical…”, that are born of those unjust circumstances.

Armed with clarity but never ceding to the complexity of the issues at hand, Bailey openly and honestly wrestles with the ways in which he himself has been socially conditioned to internalize and act on a racist mantle of thought. Drawing on sociological research and combining a journalist’s reportage with the raw emotion of his own heart-wrenching experience—perhaps most evident in the severe stutter he develops following Moochie’s sentencing, an impediment he still grapples with today, as well as his diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder—Bailey seeks answers to the crucial questions of our time.

Monday, January 31, 2022

Books: You-ology: A Puberty Guide for Every Body

Remember how awkward it felt the day your class was split up by boys and girls to go off for their separate sex-ed lectures?

Did you find yourself left with more questions than answers, especially about what went on behind the closed doors of the other classroom?

(Wouldn’t it be nice with all this inflation to only have to buy one puberty book if you have a son and a daughter?)

You-ology: A Puberty Guide for Every Body (American Academy of Pediatrics; April 19, 2022) offers a one-stop-shop, explaining what every body goes through—with cute illustrations, to boot.

Gynecologist Melisa Holmes, MD, FACOG and pediatricians Trish Hutchison, MD, FAAP (co-founders of the popular website, Girlology, and proud stars of a Tampax commercial in which they blitz through a lightening-round of tampon myth-busting, so you know you’re in good company) and Kathryn Lowe, MD, FAAP keep the tone upbeat and engaging, while short stories featuring a cast of diverse characters add relatability and humor in their colorfully-illustrated guide.

Friday, January 21, 2022

Books: The Love That Dares: Letters of LGBTQ+ Love & Friendship Through History

A good love letter can speak across centuries and reassure us that the agony and the ecstasy one might feel in the 21st century have been shared by lovers long gone. This is all the more true of LGBTQ+ love letters: love affairs and relationships that, until very recently, had to survive within sealed envelopes and behind closed doors.

In The Love That Dares, queer love speaks its name through the words of lovers from years gone by. Alongside the more famous names coexist beautifully written letters by lesser-known lovers, giving us an insight into queer love outside of the spotlight of fame or fortune. These letters offer a glimpse into the passion and courage it took to continue a gay relationship in times when it was at best improper, and at worst illegal.

Thursday, January 20, 2022

Books: Helmut Newton. Legacy

Spanning 
more than five decades, the work of Helmut Newton (1920–2004) defies categorization. His photographic oeuvre is not only unique, but virtually unparalleled in scope, reaching millions through magazines like Vogue and ElleHelmut Newton. Legacy showcases highlights and rediscovered images from one of the most published bodies of work in photography

A genuine visionary, Helmut Newton. Legacy celebrates Newton’s lasting influence on visual art to this day.

Tuesday, January 18, 2022

Southern Sugar, the New Cookbook from Chef Belinda Smith-Sullivan

You don't have to be from the South to embrace Southern food—especially the sweets! There is just something about Southern desserts that appeal to the hearts, souls, and stomachs of everyone. Just think of decadent, sweet delights filled with lots of sugar, butter, nuts, and fruit, or dripping with chocolate, caramel, whipped cream, and yes, even bourbon! Chef Belinda Smith-Sullivan transports home cooks to the delicious South with her new cookbook, Southern Sugar by reintroducing some favorite recipes that may have been forgotten and putting fresh takes on Southern classics.

“Southern Sugar is all about traditions — the traditions of Southern people, families, and communities,” Chef Belinda explains. “Nowhere is this strong sense of connectedness felt like in the South. Southerners are especially proud of their desserts. I have had the opportunity to travel throughout all the southern states, and I am amazed at the sweet treasures that I have discovered in the smallest corners of communities that I share in my book.”

Monday, January 10, 2022

Books: Career ReCharge: Five Strategies to Boost Resilience and Beat Burnout

In today’s world of 24/7 connectivity, organizational uncertainty, and skyrocketing pressure across industries, it seems almost inevitable that we experience burnout in our jobs. And for many of us, that leaks over into non-work hours as we struggle to balance our career ambitions with our personal lives . Burnout can have far-reaching implications not only for individuals who ultimately begin to feel disconnected from their work and dissatisfied with their day-to-day lives, but for the companies who employ them. Burnout costs companies millions of dollars in employee replacement costs and lost productivity. So how can this cycle be broken?

Enter Beth Benatti Kennedy, an internationally-recognized leadership coach and trainer whose new book Career ReCharge: Five Strategies to Boost Resilience and Beat Burnout (Capucia Publishing, October 2018) provides an achievable, authentic, and accessible path to increasing workplace resilience. The book leads readers step by step through her proprietary Benatti Resiliency Model, five key strategies that will enhance their career resilience and ability to recharge. The strategies—Well-being, Self-awareness, Brand, Connection, and Innovation—are unique and easy to implement, even for people with an already full life.

Different from most books on resilience, Career ReCharge doesn’t rely on gimmicks, rather it explores what it truly means to be resilient, guides readers towards career recharge, and lets them experience the impact that results—all in Kennedy’s warm, approachable style. For everyone from established professionals to those just entering the work world, the book is an insightful and uplifting guide, filled with practical exercises at the end of each chapter that tackle a myriad of common issues including:

  • Change is the norm in all organizations and resilience is the way to take charge of your career and your life
  • Burnout happens even to people who are passionate about their careers because they work hard and forget to recharge
  • Why physical, mental, and spiritual well-being is the foundation for resilience
  • Knowing your purpose gives you a guide to making important career decisions
  • The importance of your personal brand
  • Ways that new challenges and interests can recharge you

“I have used this five-strategy model with my clients for more than twenty years and have witnessed the enhanced career confidence and the increased work engagement that results,” says Kennedy. “My coaching clients learn and experience the incredible personal and professional benefits that recharge can have, and now readers of this book will also.”

Wednesday, January 5, 2022

Books: Every Leaf A Hallelujah

Ben Okri, Booker Prize-winning author of the new imaginative environmental fable Every Leaf A Hallelujah and reissue (including a new introduction penned by Okri) of Astonishing The Gods: A Novel returns with a timely tale. Every Leaf A Hallelujah spins a wonder-filled adventure story, echoing climate activist Greta Thunberg’s message that “no one is too small to make a difference…”, as it follows a seven-year-old girl named Mangoshi, journeying into a forest to retrieve a flower to cure her mother’s illness. In signature Okri-style, 
Every Leaf A Hallelujah exudes a shape-shifting quality, operating on many planes at once, delivering a transcendent message in an allegoric tale. Accompanied by Italian-Nigerian artist Diana Ejaita’s gorgeous, vibrant illustrations of flora, Every Leaf A Hallelujah weds the power of Okri’s mystic vision to a story that weaves wonder, adventure, and environmentalism.

Okri recently penned a short essay for the GUARDIAN on the role of the cultivating creativity and imagination in the face of the climate crisis, what he coins, “existential creativity”; “…a new art and a new psychology to penetrate the apathy and the denial that are preventing us making the changes that are inevitable if our world is to survive…a new art to waken people both to the enormity of what is looming and the fact that we can still do something about it…” You’ll find that full article below and linked here

Also related, is this video of Okri reading his original “Letter to the Earth.” Recorded at the Globe Theatre on the South Bank, the video also features his partner, Charlotte Jarvis and young daughter, Mirabella Okri performing.

Thursday, December 30, 2021

'Men I've Never Been', a Memoir by Michael Sadowski

Men I’ve Never Been
recounts Michael Sadowski’s odyssey as a boy who shuns his own identity—and, ultimately, his sexual orientation—in order to become who he thinks he’s supposed to be. Beginning with the memory of a four-year-old sitting in a dingy dive bar, sounding out newspaper headlines while his boasting father collects drinks from onlookers, each chapter highlights a different image of manhood that Sadowski saw at home, at school, or on television—from sports heroes, hunters, and game show hosts to his charismatic but hard-drinking father. As he learns not to talk, laugh, cry, or love, he retreats further behind a stoic mask of silence—outwardly well-functioning but emotionally isolated, sinking under the weight of the past.

Through wrenching tragedy and tense, life-threatening challenges, Sadowski struggles to find love, purpose, and healthy self-regard. In trying to understand his identity and his place within his family, he meditates on the power of real human connection and comes to grasp the damage of his troubled upbringing and the traumas caused by toxic masculinity. By turns comic and tragic, this nuanced memoir uncovers the false selves we create to get along in the world and the price we pay to maintain them.

Read more here.

Michael Sadowski is an award-winning writer and and author of several books, including In a Queer Voice, Safe Is Not Enough, and Adolescents at School. He is an administrator and professor at Bard College.

Wednesday, December 29, 2021

Cookbook Let's You Add a 'Taste of Tucson' to Your Life

Taste of Tucson
is a collection of delicious recipes from local restaurant experts, chefs and the author’s own original recipes, all inspired by the rich culture of Southern Arizona.

Alpers shares her own inspired recipe creations in this book as well as recipes from 16 of her favorite regional restaurants and chefs, while incorporating the history of the region, the mysticism and lore, and how it has contributed to the food of the people who live there.

“TASTE OF TUCSON is about how the evolution of food culture in my community inspired me,” Jackie says. “The cuisine of this region emphasizes its connection to Sonora a state in Mexico. Though the borders have been redrawn over the years Sonora (which Tucson was part of until only very recently) remains only sixty miles away. This cookbook is about inclusion and it is also about diversity. You will see the merging of cultures over time and the way food has progressed in one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in North America.”

The city of Tucson was designated as the first food capitol of gastronomy by UNESCO. The city’s agriculture heritage extends back thousands of years, its rich and diverse culture celebrated in the delectable food dishes and vibrant local ingredients. 

"In addition to my recipes, I collected recipes from local chefs whose recipes are excellent examples of Sonoran cuisine. Some are local classics and old favorites, some are new. All are outstanding representations of Sonoran cuisine at this time, and in this place.”

Some of the Tucson chefs who contributed recipes include: Daniel Contreras: El Guero Canelo; Suzana Davila: Café Poca Cosa and The Little One; Carlotta Flores and the Flores family: El Charro Café; Benjamin Galaz: BK Tacos; Amanda Horton: Desert Provisions; Teresa Matias and the Matias family: Mosaic Café; Maria Mazon: BOCA Tacos y Tequila; Isela Mejia: El Sur Restaurant; Erika Mattson Munoz: Seis Kitchen and Bruce Yim: Hacienda Del Sol.

“I’d like for TASTE OF TUCSON to be a jumping off point for readers to explore new culinary adventures. I hope these recipes and ideas inspire them to create their own recipe creations."

Tuesday, December 28, 2021

Famous Feline Shares Heartwarming Journey from Shelter Kitty to Social Media Sensation

From spa days and birthday parties, to playing dress-up and Target “shopping,” the humanlike antics of an affable ginger tabby named Carrot have been shared with the famous feline’s nearly 300K Instagram followers, capturing the attention of human celebs like Ellen DeGeneres and Katie Couric.

The social media sensation is now giving readers a glimpse into a year in her furry, fun-filled life in her new book, Diary of the Cat Named Carrot, an uplifting, instantly stress-reducing story told from Carrot’s perspective.

From her humble beginnings as a tiny orange stray to being welcomed into a loving family—including Erin Merryn and her young girls Abby, Hannah and baby Claire—through her rise to internet stardom, Diary of the Cat Named Carrot chronicles her remarkable journey.

Carrot lived in the same shelter that had once housed the family’s previous internet star, Bailey, whose adventures were featured in Bailey, No Ordinary Cat. Much like Bailey had, Carrot loves spending time with her human family partaking in typically human pastimes: making mischief with her girl gang; joyriding in a pint-sized pink Barbie Jeep; doing arts and crafts; modeling a pink tutu and flowery headband; enjoying a spa day complete with fluffy robe and cucumber eye treatments; and celebrating Christmas, Easter and every holiday in between. It’s no wonder Carrot’s videos have gone viral—garnering attention from Ellen, the Dodo, Good Morning America, Access Hollywood, People and many other media outlets. 
 

Diary of the Cat Named Carrot is packed with color photos that will leave readers purring with delight. The journal of this sweet, adorable kitty with personality to spare shows us that the human-animal bond runs more than fur deep. It is a love that will last a lifetime. 

 

Erin Merryn is an author, activist, speaker, wife and mom to three girls—Abby, Hannah and Claire—and a fur baby named Carrot. She was named Glamour Magazine Woman of the Year in 2012 and a People magazine Hero Among Us for her tireless work promoting Erin's Law nationwide with a mission to keep our children safe by educating them about personal body safety. She is the author of Bailey, No Ordinary Cat, Stolen Innocence, Living for Today and An Unimaginable Act.

Monday, December 27, 2021

“Cross-Stitch Like a Queen” Author Donating Book Profits to The Trevor Project

Get stitching with this first-of-its-kind collection of creative and colorful patterns inspired by drag queens, pride, and the LGBTQIA+ community.

Introducing Cross-Stitch Like a Queen: 25 Fun and Fabulous Patterns Celebrating Drag and the LGBTQIA+ Community by David Hastings, a new full-color book with step-by-step instructions to craft 25 fierce and feisty cross-stitching creations.

Inspired to give back and support the community, Hastings will be donating a portion of the proceeds from the book to The Trevor Project. Hastings, who moonlights as drag queen Dottie Salami in Brooklyn, also provides a list of organizations supporting the LGBTQIA+ community on a resources page at the end of the book.

The patterns range from easy to difficult—“difficult” categorized as such because the patterns include backstitching. “Once you get the hang of backstitches, you’ll be able to make any of these patterns easily,” Hastings said.

Perfect for fans of drag and drag queens, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and allies, Cross-Stitch Like a Queen is a celebration of the mantra “love is love.” Go forth and stitch!

Wednesday, December 22, 2021

Books: Solo Dance

Solo Dance is a powerful novel about the LGBTQ rights movement and gay love in Japan and Taiwan, from the most important queer voice of East Asia's millennial generation, Li Kotomi.

Cho Norie, twenty-seven and originally from Taiwan, is working an office job in Tokyo. While her colleagues worry about the economy, life-insurance policies, marriage, and children, she is forced to keep her unconventional life hidden—including her sexuality and the violent attack that prompted her move to Japan. There is also her unusual fascination with death: she knows from personal experience how devastating death can be, but for her it is also creative fuel. Solo Dance depicts the painful coming of age of a gay person in Taiwan and corporate Japan. This striking debut is an intimate and powerful account of a search for hope after trauma.

Li Kotomi is a bilingual Japanese-Chinese writer, translator, and interpreter. She was born in Taiwan in 1989 and moved to Japan in 2013. In 2017, she won the 60th Gunzō New Writers’ Prize for Excellence for her first novel, Solo Dance, written in Japanese, her second language. Since then she has been nominated for numerous prizes in Japan, and in 2021 she received the Minister of Education Award for Fine Arts, a prize for upcoming writers.

Tuesday, December 21, 2021

Books: You And Your Gender Identity: A Guide to Discovery

In You And Your Gender Identity: A Guide to DiscoveryDara Hoffman-Fox, LPC helps you navigate your journey of self-discovery in three approachable stages: preparation, reflection, and exploration. In this guide, you will learn:

· Why understanding your gender identity is core to embracing your full being

· How to sustain the highs and lows of your journey with resources, connection, and self-care

· How to uncover and move through your feelings of fear, loneliness, and doubt

· Why it’s important to examine your past through the lens of gender exploration

· How to discover and begin living as your authentic self

Dara Hoffman-Fox, LPC is a queer-identified gender therapist, writer, educator, and transgender rights advocate. Frequently serving as a subject-matter expert on transgender issues for the media, Dara is a prolific thought leader on the topic of gender identity whose articles and videos have empowered thousands worldwide is a queer-identified gender therapist, writer, educator, and transgender rights advocate. Frequently serving as a subject-matter expert on transgender issues for the media, Dara is a prolific thought leader on the topic of gender identity whose articles and videos have empowered thousands worldwide.

Tuesday, November 2, 2021

“Schoolbooks & Sorcery” a New Anthology of Inclusive YA Urban Fantasy

Riverdale Avenue Books has just published Schoolbooks & Sorcery a new anthology of inclusive YA urban fantasy edited by Michael M. Jones.

In this enchanting collection of young adult tales, 20 authors explore the overlap of the mundane and the fantastical, with LGBTQ protagonists juggling the pressures of school and the wonder of magic in its many forms. From entrance tests to final exams, casting spells to breaking curses, these teens seek to claim their place in the world. In these pages, you’ll find gay and lesbian, bisexual and asexual, trans and nonbinary characters, all experiencing sexy, strange, wicked, wonderful, romantic adventures. They deal with bad roommates and bullies, first loves and new friends, all while crafting and inhabiting their ideal identities.


A big message to queer and trans youth in the 2000s was ‘it gets better,’ but in YA publishing there's still a struggle for representation of LGBTQ protagonists--and a big-name author promoting transphobia certainly hasn't helped,” said Circlet imprint editor Cecilia Tan. “Putting the ‘magic school’ trope together with queer teen angst was a natural: in fact it's my catnip.”

Monday, October 11, 2021

Books: Fenway Health clinicians and researchers author first edition of 'Transgender and Gender Diverse Health Care: The Fenway Guide'

Fenway Health announces the release of the first case-based textbook to address the comprehensive health care needs of transgender and gender diverse adults. Co-edited by Drs. Alex S. Keuroghlian, Jennifer Potter, and Sari L. Reisner of The Fenway Institute at Fenway Health, this sentinel resource was published by McGraw Hill Professional.

Transgender and Gender Diverse Health Care: The Fenway Guide offers a roadmap for clinicians who seek to provide culturally responsive care that meets the primary, preventive, and specialty health care needs of transgender and gender diverse adult patients. Authored by Fenway Health clinicians, researchers, staff members and other national experts, the Guide highlights best practices in care from the perspectives of multiple stakeholders.

“Demand for state-of-the-art health care services for transgender and gender diverse people is rapidly increasing,” said Dr. Alex S. Keuroghlian, Director of the National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center at The Fenway Institute, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, and Director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Psychiatry Gender Identity Program. “This textbook is an invaluable resource to all clinicians who care for transgender and gender diverse adults.”

“Medical providers have a responsibility to be familiar with the most up-to-date scientific and clinical information, and they can find all of that information and more in this guide, which highlights key aspects of gender identity emergence across the lifespan and provides much-needed guidance on both hormonal and surgical gender affirmation,” said Dr. Jennifer Potter, Co-Chair of The Fenway Institute at Fenway Health, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and co-editor of The Fenway Guide to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health, published in 2015.

“We have long known that transgender and gender diverse adults experience health care disparities largely rooted in stigma, including acts of discrimination that take place in health care settings,” said Sari L. Reisner, Sc.D, Director of Transgender Health Research at The Fenway Institute, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School,and Director of Transgender Research at Brigham and Women’s Hospital based in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Hypertension. “Our textbook applies a health-equity model of care and provides guidance for clinicians when addressing health needs of transgender and gender diverse communities.”

Thursday, September 30, 2021

Books: PERSIAN DELICACIES: Jewish Foods for Special Occasions

Persian cuisine has long been a major influence in food trends, the royal kitchens of ancient Persian empires were influential and famous for their cooking. Persia, now known as Iran, has long been geographically and historically significant since it connects the Middle East with the Far East, contain influences from ancient Greece, Rome, and many other Asian and Mediterranean influences.

Now there is a new cookbook that celebrates the rich culinary culture of Persia. PERSIAN DELICACIES: Jewish Foods for Special Occasions by Angela Cohan celebrates the foods of her homeland along with traditions from her Persian Jewish heritage.

“I was inspired to compile the specialty recipes of my mother, my late grandmothers, other family members, and friends in this cookbook,” Angela explains. “This book is as much theirs as it is mine. It is a tribute to my heritage as a Persian Jewish woman as well as an evolution of recipes since living and cooking in the United States for the past three decades.”

Fruits, spices, and herbs are used prominently in Persian cuisine. Angela uses fresh and organic products in her recipes representing a fusion of traditional foods with a healthy, modern approach. Typical Iranian main dishes are combinations of rice, meat, vegetables, and nuts. Although kabobs are always on the menu at Persian restaurants, they represent only a small sampling of the dishes Persians eat at home. Many of the recipes in the book can be prepared as vegetarian.

Friday, September 3, 2021

Books: Geography of An Adultery

There are three main characters in Agnès Riva’s debut Geography of An Adultery (Other Press Paperback Original): Ema, Paul, and the affair they’re having. Both married with children, the two met at work and felt an irresistible attraction to each other. Written in cool, precise prose, this exquisite slip of a novel explores what those who stray hope to find in another person. Riva dissects this affair, and really all affairs, and asks, what happens when what you find isn’t enough? Geography of An Adultery received a Discovery Grant from the Prince Pierre Foundation and was a finalist for the Prix Goncourt and RTL-Lire Grand Prix, and Other Press is now excited to introduce this talented new literary voice to American readers.

Geography of An Adultery cleverly moves around and between Ema and Paul’s clandestine meetings: in a hidden corner of Ema’s kitchen, in Paul’s car, even an out-of-the-way church. Neither seems willing to leave their partner, and their fear of getting caught veers to the paranoid. Yet Ema is in love, and soon the limited spaces in which their relationship exists are not enough. She becomes increasingly determined to cement their affair into something more, but then starts to doubt what she’s willing to risk.

For fans of Noah Baumbach’s film 'Marriage Story', Richard Yates’s Revolutionary Road, or Tom Perrotta’s Little Children, Geography of An Adultery is a vivid and intimate look into the private lives and innermost thoughts of the unfaithful.

Friday, August 27, 2021

Books: Celebrate Fall with Delicious Southern Treats from "Southern Sugar"

You don't have to be from the South to embrace Southern food—especially the sweets. There is just something about Southern desserts that appeal to the hearts, souls, and stomachs of everyone. Just think of decadent, sweet delights filled with lots of sugar, butter, nuts, and fruit, or dripping with chocolate, caramel, whipped cream, and yes, even bourbon! Chef Belinda Smith-Sullivan transports home cooks to the delicious South with her new cookbook, Southern Sugar by reintroducing some favorite recipes that may have been forgotten and putting fresh takes on Southern classics. 

Southern Sugar is all about traditions — the traditions of Southern people, families, and communities,” Chef Belinda explains. “Nowhere is this strong sense of connectedness felt like in the South. Southerners are especially proud of their desserts. I have had the opportunity to travel throughout all the southern states, and I am amazed at the sweet treasures that I have discovered in the smallest corners of communities that I share in my book.”

With 100 satisfying recipes, Southern Sugar is divided up into chapters that focus on cakes, pound cakes, cheesecakes, pies, ice creams, candies, cookies and brownies, and cocktails and mocktails. Some of the recipes found in the book include:

-    Afternoon Tea Cakes 
-    Hummingbird Cake
-    Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies 
-    Chess Pie 
-    Sweet Potato Pecan Pound Cake with Orange Glaze and Candied Peel
-    Mississippi Mud Cake
-    Caramel Bourbon Pecan Pound Cake
-    Fig Pistachio Cheesecake
-    Beignets
-    Kentucky Bourbon Balls
-    Alabama Slammer
-    Sazerac

Thursday, August 19, 2021

Essential Worker Shares Compelling, Candid Account of Life on the Grocery Line

On his first day as a cashier at Dream Grocers, Daniel imagines that the worst
aspects of his new job will involve the occasional grumpy customer and tired feet. Never, in his wildest dreams, does he think the mundane environment of a grocery store will soon become the nexus between the best — and the worst — of humanity.

Life on the Grocery Line: A Frontline Experience in a Global Pandemic takes readers into the eye of the storm, where some of the workforce’s lowest paid employees ride a daily maelstrom of empty shelves, angry customers, uncertainty and paranoia. Author Adam Kaat drew upon his own experiences as a grocery store employee during COVID to inform his compelling narrative.

“Every day was something new, from plexiglass dividers to wearing masks to wiping down the entire register between every customer to the point where my arm hurt,” Kaat said during a recent interview.

He tells his riveting story through the eyes of a character named Daniel, who watches from the frontlines as the frenzied panic caused by COVID surges like a tidal wave across his home state of Colorado. Now, he's suddenly being called a hero just for showing up at his job, and he isn't sure how to feel about that.

Daniel sees fear in the eyes of some customers and hostility in others, as he does his best to hold his head high and just keep making it from one shift to the next. And along the way, he learns more than he ever expected to about humanity's response to fear, observing most prominently the way in which some people look down on the very workers they deem "essential.”

Author Adam Jonathan Kaat worked in a grocery store as a cashier and then as a prepared foods supervisor from January 2020 until May 2021. After college, he bounced around through the corporate world until leaving it all behind in the Fall of 2019 to write his first novel. By January 2020, he had taken a job as a cashier to earn money while preserving mental energy for his creative pursuits. He got much more than he bargained for when COVID hit. He began to blog about his experiences as a frontline worker, and 15,000 Facebook followers later, Life on the Grocery Line was born.

For more information and to read Kaat’s blog, please visit www.lifeonthegroceryline.com; or connect with the author on Instagram (@kaatadam), Facebook (@lifeonthegroceryline) or Twitter (lifeonthegroce1).