Gifts For The Book Lover

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If you’re looking for something for the book lover in your life, you can find many different books listed here. This time of year is when I especially love to read. I like to cozy up with a good book and start reading. For those looking for a book for someone this holiday season, you’ll find a great list here for them. There are even some cookbooks for those who love to cook. There are even some fun books for kids too.

The Dutch Art of Doing Nothing

First there was hygge, now there’s niksen – a simple Dutch philosophy for anyone looking to slow down, relax and daydream.
 
‘Time is money. Stop being lazy. Do something.’

Everyday we’re told to get up, take action and be productive: if you work hard, you’ll make it. But your body is desperate for you to stop, your frantic mind craves a timeout, and your friends and family are finding you more moody and stressed than ever. It’s time for some Dutch wisdom: find out when, how and why to do nothing with niksen, the Dutch ‘be idle’ philosophy that is taking the world by storm. 

Niksen literally means to do nothing, but it’s not the same thing as boredom or laziness. Niksen helps to free you from the daily grind of work, family demands and social pressure, to destress and just… stop. In this book, Dutch mindfulness expert Annette Lavrijsen shows you how, through daily practice, and by following the exercises within, you will grow comfortable with yourself, with silence and will reap niksen’s countless rewards.
 
Using this book to cultivate niksen you can:

• Find new ways to relax, slow down and combat burnout
• Bust I’m-too-busy, nothingness-is-laziness myths
• Honestly communicate boundaries and reset your priorities
• Create a zen sanctuary that’s all yours
• Master the work-life balance
• Boost your creativity, mood and even productivity
• Raise a happy family and be a better friend

Niksen is about the enjoyment of life’s little pauses. It’s not the easiest thing to commit to at first; we are used to having our attention and diaries consumed, and doing nothing doesn’t come to us naturally. But with some sensible scheduling and a smart mindset it’s easy to fit into your day, and soon will become your essential daily pick-me-up. Stop worrying about you have to do next or over analysing every thought. Instead, use your timeout to let your mind recuperate and take a moment to yourself.

Learn more about The Dutch Art of Doing Nothing. 

World of Wonders

World of Wonders is a mesmerizing work of essays and tender illustrations, meditations on nature, cumulative in effect; nature as memoir, nature as metaphor, nature as simply and joyously itself. Each chapter captures a moment, each centered around a different natural phenomenon and charts the reverberations of the lived experience it evokes, be it family, identity or the notion of belonging. She urges us to start small to “start with what we loved as kids and see where that leads us.” A centering book, delightful and unexpected.

Learn more about World of Wonders.

The Calm & Cozy Book of Sleep 

Sleep is the ultimate act of self-care, yet the quest to get a good night’s rest is never ending. In The Calm & Cozy Book of Sleep, sleep coach Beth Wyatt helps you get the sleep you need for a healthy life, discussing a multitude of fascinating sleep topics, from sleep basics to waking up in the morning and beyond, including:

• Perfecting your sleep environment
• Celebrating sleepiness
• Changing your relationship with your bed
• Practicing peaceful bedtime activities
• Sleeping with pets
• Using sleep aids
• Napping
• Focusing on rest
• Managing anxiety and racing thoughts
• Creating an enjoyable morning routine

Approaching sleep in a fresh, relatable, and non-clinical way, The Calm and Cozy Book of Sleep shares tried-and-true tips to help you fall asleep (and stay asleep)—effortlessly and naturally—and convinces you to learn to love sleep.

The Live Well series from Rock Point invites you to create a life you love through multiple acts of self-discovery and reinvention. These encouraging gift books touch on fun yet hardworking self-improvement strategies, whether it’s learning to value progress over perfection, taking time to meditate and slow down to literally smell the roses, or finding time to show gratitude and develop a personal mantra. From learning how to obtain more restful sleep and creating a healthy work/life balance to developing personal style and your own happy place, the Live Well series encourages you to live your best life.

Learn more about The Calm & Cozy Book of Sleep.

Canning and Preserving

Embrace self-sufficiency with this simple guide to canning and preserving all your favorite foods—including fruits, veggies, and more!

Learn how to become more self-reliant by canning and preserving your own delicious foods. From fruits and veggies to pickles, meats, and more, Canning and Preserving is your guide to jarring your own food and storing for later use. Including 140 simple, easy recipes, plus tips and tricks for making all kinds of meals with your creations, this book will have you bulking up your pantry or freezer in no time!

Learn more about Canning and Preserving.

The 30-Minute Cooking From Frozen Cookbook

Transform your convenient and affordable frozen ingredients into a fresh, home-cooked meal in less than 30 minutes with these 100 quick and easy recipes—no thawing required.

If you’re not someone who plans out their weekly menu days in advance, then this cookbook is for you. Thanks to your freezer, you can create more than 100 different recipes for fresh, delicious meals that you can devour in less than 30 minutes. No need to wait hours for the ingredients to thaw and defrost, simply grab your ingredients and start cooking.

Filled with simple solutions to your dinner dilemmas, The 30-Minute Cooking from Frozen Cookbook allows you to spend less time shopping, prepping, and planning your meals and spend more time doing the things you actually enjoy! Save money and eliminate food waste by storing the ingredients you buy in the freezer, keeping them fresher for longer. Cooking from frozen ingredients is a quick, cost-effective way to feed your family and with this cookbook to guide you, it is now easier—and tastier—than ever.

Learn more about the The 30-Minute Cooking From Frozen Cookbook.

The Everything Kids’ Cookbook Updated Edition 

Get your kids in the kitchen doing something they’ll love with this fun and easy updated cookbook, perfect for all ages!

The Everything Kids’ Cookbook, Updated Edition has everything your child needs to get started in the kitchen. Each simple but delicious recipe includes a difficulty level and a list of all the equipment needed so you can determine which recipe is suitable for your child. And with more than 90 recipes, there’s something for every meal or occasion!

This updated edition includes beautiful photographs to help your kids follow along with the steps, and has cooking tips, food trivia, and nutritional information! This cookbook is perfect for any beginner chef looking to take their cooking skills from make-believe to reality.

Learn more about The Everything Kids’ Cookbook Updated Edition.

National Geographic Kids

For the Fact Lover: 

The Coolest Stuff on Earth: A Closer Look at the Weird, Wild and Wonderful (ages 8-12, hardcover, $19.99, 192 pgs)  This big, bright and photo-packed gift-worthy book digs into the details behind our planet’s most magnificent marvels, epic extremes, and astonishing animals. . Did you know that dogs can shake off a pound of water in less than a second? That some sand dunes whistle and sing? That the U.S. dollar bill is full of hidden symbols related to the number 13? Our world is filled with strange, bizarre, and weird happenings. But what do they mean? WHY are they important? And what secrets are behind them? These stories and much more are revealed through cool stories, action-packed photos, fantastic infographics, and exciting Q&As with in-the-field experts. Discover the secrets of sharkskin, the mysteries behind incredible island animals, the power behind lightning, how a rare gemstone changes color, and more. Kids will be captivated by this fresh way of looking at our amazing planet.

For the Space Obsessed:

Space Encyclopedia, 2nd Ed (ages 8-12, hardcover, $24.99, 208 pgs) Written and illustrated by internationally recognized astronomer and former Director of Science Information and Public Outreach at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics David A. Aguilar, this is THE authoritative book about our universe, jam packed with everything kids want to know about space — from black holes to moon colonies, to recent discoveries and  amazing brand-new NASA space photography. Visually spectacular, it contains the latest on space exploration and research and breathtaking views of the universe, as captured by the latest and greatest technology, including the recent first ever image of a black hole. This complete reference contains everything about space that fascinates kids — our sun and planets including the new dwarf planets, the formation of the universe, space travel, the possibility of life beyond Earth, and more.

 

For Every Curious Kid:

National Geographic Kids Almanac 2021 (ages 8-12, paperback, $14.99, 352 pgs) – The latest installment of the New York Times best-selling almanac features amazing animal stories, explorer profiles, and outrageous attractions that kids know and love, plus more of the incredible inventions, awesome games, and fresh challenges for curious kids who want to learn all about the world and everything that’s in it!.  Tons of fun facts, crafts, activities, and fascinating features about animals, science, nature, technology, conservation, and more is why this is the number one selling kids almanac on the planet.  There’s a whole chapter full of fun and games, including activities, jokes, and comics and the colorful compilation also includes an Almanac Challenge 2021 — which inspires kids to reduce their plastic waste and encourage others to do the same.

For the family getting a new fur-ever friend (or the family that already has one, but needs some training tips!):  

Fetch! A How to Speak Dog Training Guide (all ages, paperback, $12.99, 176 pgs)

Pounce! A How To Speak Cat Training Guide  (all ages, paperback, $12.99, 176 pgs)

Whether a new puppy or kitten is on Santa’s list, there is recent fuzzy addition to the family from the pet adoption and ownership “boom” linked to COVID quarantining or you want to “teach your old dog new tricks,” these kid-friendly guides cover it all and include more than 40 different safe and fun training activities in each book. With tips from veterinarian Dr. Gary Weitzman, kids can take their fur-ever friends though basic training and corrective training exercises as well as teach them some paws-lively amazing acrobatics. Also included are true stories about amazing dogs and cats, overview of training tools, vet tips, fun quizzes, a how-to for making your own dog toys and tips for reading your pets’s body language.  And, in case you were wondering, you CAN train a cat!:).

Stocking Stuffers: Perfectly sized for stockings and budget-friendly:

Nerdlet: Animals (ages 8-12, paperback, $9.99) – Sometimes big nerdiness comes in a small package–and this little book is an animal nerd’s dream! In this little animal “Nerdlet” you’ll learn about the weirdest, coolest, most amazing creatures in the animal kingdom–and what makes them so complex. Plus, you’ll have some of your most burning animal questions answered, such as What’s the deal with crocodile tears? And you’ll meet people who get to be around animals for a living and travel to animal destinations around the world. You’ll also find personality quizzes, fun facts, animal superheroes, and even a Star Wars reference … or two.

Brain Candy 2 (ages 8-12, paperback, $8.99)-  So you know that the speed of light is fast: 229,792,458 miles per second. But what does that really mean? It means that at the speed of light, you could reach the moon in 1.3 seconds. How long to travel to the sun? Just 8 minutes. And in 4.6 hours, you could reach Pluto at 4.6 billion miles away! If you like seeing far-out facts in a new light, the second book in the colorful Brain Candy series takes a deep (and delicious) dive into numbers, fun facts, and cool trivia on all kinds of topics. It’s a novel approach to feeding kids smart snackable bites about the world and is sure to be an addictive addition to the bookshelves of Weird But True! and Just Joking fans.

Claris The Chicest Mouse In Paris

A sweet little mouse takes on a cheeky cat burglar with holiday cheer! Can Claris and Monsieur save the day – the New York way?

The fourth Claris book from acclaimed fashion illustrator Megan Hess.
The best-selling Claris series follows an adorable mouse who moves to Paris to follow her fashion dreams, for fans of Eloise and Olivia. Destined to delight fashion-obsessed readers of all ages!

Learn more about Claris The Chicest Mouse in Paris.

Bailey Bloom and the Battle of the Bug

Bailey Bloom loves to play superheroes with her two best friends, Zoey and Rose. The three girls dream of a day when they can fly through the air, saving princesses in far-off lands. But when the girls learn that Coronavirus is spreading through their town, they quickly realize that they already have what it takes to be real-life superheroes as they help those in need.

A delightful celebration of friendship, kindness, and overcoming adversity, Bailey Bloom and the Battle of the Bug will empower and inspire hope in young readers during the pandemic and beyond. Parents can also use this book as a resource to facilitate discussions with their children about Coronavirus, both in terms of what it is and how it is affecting them.

A portion of the proceeds from every sale will go to No Kid Hungry, a national campaign run by Share Our Strength, a non-profit organization, which is helping feed hungry children in some of America’s poorest communities during the pandemic.

Learn more about Bailey Bloom and the Battle of the Bug.

David Roberts’ Delightfully Different Fairy Tales

A humorous, stylish, and empowering retelling of three classic fairy tales

Star illustrator David Roberts joins forces with his author sister, Lynn, for the retelling of three classic tales: Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Rapunzel. These stories have a feminist twist with leading ladies full of personality. David Roberts and Lynn Roberts-Maloney introduce Cinderella as a 1920s flapper girl who spends an evening in a beautiful art deco ballroom; Sleeping Beauty as a 1950s sci-fi nerd who pricks her finger on a record player and is woken by a resourceful young historian; and Rapunzel as a groovy 1970s chick who lives in a tower block! These are classic fairy tales for a modern audience.

Learn more about David Roberts’ Delightfully Different Fairy Tales.

Challenge Everything 

A call to action from an inspiring young environmental activist

Written by the coordinator of Extinction Rebellion Youth London, this book asks the reader to challenge everything. Challenge big business. Challenge government. Challenge yourself. This is no greenwashing book–it’s a call to action. A manifesto for how young people can help to save the planet by questioning everything about modern life and acting upon their conclusions.

Included is advice on how to stop following the rules and take control as a consumer, challenging big business. The book also covers how to take direct action, challenge the government and support other groups fighting the same fight. It will help the reader to change their mindset, become independent, question everything, and challenge themselves.

Learn more about Challenge Everything.

The Three Wishes: A Christmas Story

A beautifully told and illustrated Santa Claus origin story

A young boy is herding his family’s reindeer when they are drawn into a mysterious cave. The cave is the holder of eternal summer, looked after by three strange characters. Once entered, the cave cannot be left without time in the outside world standing still. In his sadness at not being able to leave, the boy is granted three wishes and chooses freedom, happiness, and time.

After the first year of working hard in the summer cave, the boy is allowed to see his family in the outside world. Time stands still as he visits his parents, and he leaves gifts behind to show that he has visited. As the years go by, this annual visit continues and he begins to call on more and more families….

Learn more about The Three Wishes: A Christmas Story.

Kirra the Christmas Elf

When Santa and Mrs. Claus plan to leave on Vacation, Kirra the Christmas Elf, and her friend, Mousey, are given the responsibility of keeping the magical key to Christmas safe and secure. Unfortunately, the key has disappeared and without it, the magic and power of Christmas will be lost forever! It is up to a loyal elf and her pet mouse to find the key and save the future of Christmas. Kirra the Christmas Elf is a heartfelt story that shares the joy of Christmas and how a positive attitude can not only change one’s outlook on a situation but can also change the outcome entirely.

Learn more about Kirra the Christmas Elf.

The Unofficial Disney Parks Cookbook

Experience the magic of the Disney Parks right in your kitchen with these 100, easy and delicious recipes inspired by Walt Disney World!

Stroll right down the middle of Main Street USA, journey from Adventureland to Infinity and Beyond at Pixar Pier, and explore every avenue in between to taste the flavors of the Disney Parks…all without leaving your kitchen.

With The Unofficial Disney Parks Cookbook you can bring the magic of Disneyland and Walt Disney World snacks and treats right to your home. Recreate favorites like the classic Dole Whip and Mickey Pretzels to new favorites like blue milk from Star Wars land and Jack Jack’s Cookie Num Nums from Pixar Pier.

These 100 recipes inspired by iconic yummies are perfect whether you are a forever Disney fan or just love a good snack. Now you can feel as if you shared a snack with Mickey himself right from the comfort of your own home!

Here is one recipe from this cookbook for Dole Whip. Hope you enjoy!

Dole Whip

Adventureland, Magic Kingdom
Dole Whip is arguably the number one cult-classic favorite treat of all time at Disney Parks. This
fruity-sweet snack began in Hawaii on the Dole Plantation, where parched tourists got to sample the
sorbet after a walk around the pineapple bushes. Promoted alongside Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki
Room, guests can buy the treat in line for the show and eat it while listening to the “birds sing words
and the flowers croon!”

SERVES 6
1 cup room-temperature water
1 1⁄2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups chilled pineapple juice
1 tablespoon lime juice
1. ‌In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine water and sugar. Microwave 1 minute, stir, then
microwave 1 more minute and stir to create a syrup. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
2. ‌Pour pineapple juice into ice cream machine and add 1⁄2 cup chilled syrup. Add lime juice. Follow ice
cream machine instructions and run about 20 minutes.
3. ‌Serve immediately or transfer to a large plastic container, cover, and freeze overnight for a harder
consistency.

DID YOU KNOW?
The “real” Dole Whip at Disneyland is prepared with a premade powder and water mixture. This
recipe can be made at home without purchasing the mix and tastes just like the original!

Excerpted from The Unofficial Disney Parks Cookbook by Ashley Craft. Copyright © 2020 by Simon & Schuster, Inc. Photography by Harper Point Photography. Used with permission of the publisher, Adams Media, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. All rights reserved.

Learn more about The Unofficial Disney Parks Cookbook.

Beautiful Boards

Make mealtimes, special occasions, and holidays extra memorable with these 50 delicious, inspiring, family-friendly, and easy-to-recreate snack boards.

Visually exciting and deliciously enticing, these snack boards by Maegan Brown (aka The BakerMama) move beyond (and include) classic cheese and charcuterie and are comprised of easy-to-find fresh and prepared foods, arranged in beautiful, artful, and whimsical ways (think sliced tomatoes and mozzarella arranged into a caprese candy cane for celebrating the holidays and a fruit-and-veggie rainbow with cracker clouds to brighten any day).

The variety of foods on each board will delight everyone, and the stunning presentation will encourage kids to try foods they might normally refuse. Plus, you can make the boards ahead of time, so you can actually sit down and spend time with your loved ones. In this book, you will find boards for anytime family meals and snacks, seasons and holidays, breakfast and brunch, desserts, and entertaining and special occasions.

Impress your family and friends with artful masterpieces, including:

• Pancake Board
• Fall Feast Board
• Turkey Board
• Christmas Tree Board
• Birthday Dessert Board
• Chocolate Fondue Board
• Unicorn Board
• Movie Night Board

Along with The BakerMama’s tips to get you into the board mind-set, every board is accompanied by a gorgeous, large photo and step-by-step instructions to make each one easy to recreate. Beautiful Boards is an entertaining game changer that will have you spending less time in the kitchen and more time having fun.

Learn more about Beautiful Boards.

New World Sourdough 

• Pan de Coco
• Pita
• Pizza dough
• Challah, Focaccia, and Pullman loaves

Naturally Fermented Bread 

• Tomato and Basil Pizza Dough
• Cucumber Burger Buns
• Chocolate Orange Brioche
• And much more!

Sous Vide Cooking Made Simple 

The sous vide, the affordable and revolutionary cooking device now available everywhere, cooks any food for every meal to perfection. In this simple and easier-to-use edition of The Sous Vide Kitchen, join Anova sous vide recipe developer, Christina Wylie, and take your skills to the next level!

If you own a sous vide machine, chances are you’ve tried it out by cooking burgers, steak, and pork. But that’s just the beginning. For years, restaurants have used sous vide to perfectly cook a wide variety of foods, including eggs, vegetables, and more. Now you can do the same in your home kitchen!

Use sous vide to make the perfect breakfast of soft boiled eggs, then go further and learn how to use it to make scrambled eggs, overnight oatmeal, and other breakfast staples. For lunch, try topping your salad with perfectly cooked sous vide tuna or salmon (the secret is a short brine). For dinner, the options are endless. Choose from Asian dishes like Char Siu Pork Loin and Miso-Marinated Cod, reinvent a favorite with the Deconstructed Beef Wellington or Spicy Southern-Fried Chicken, or enjoy a surprisingly simple 48-Hour Beef Brisket. Finish the meal with a sous vide twist on cheesecake or a nightcap of homemade spiced rum (speed-infused using sous vide, of course).

With recommended times and temperatures for every recipe, unique combinations of sous vide with other cooking techniques, and more than 70 recipes to explore, this book will help you get the most out of sous vide.

Learn more about Sous Vide Cooking Made Simple.

The Flexible Family Cookbook 

A cookbook to suit the whole family’s differing wants and needs, The Flexible Family Cookbook is full of simple and delicious recipes to keep the whole family happy.
Jo Pratt provides flexible adaptations for each recipe to account for allergies, intolerances and lifestyle choices. Traybakes and one-pot roasts make for easy and convenient timesavers, whilst scrumptious puds and simple bakes help get smaller hands involved in the cooking. Covering everything from gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free cooking and veganism, to suggestions for flavour and spice adjustments for younger or fussier palettes, this book will be a lifesaver in the kitchen and a crowd-pleaser at the table.

Over 75 recipes, each with flexible options, covering:
Breakfast and Brunch
Soups and Broths
Snacks and Small Plates
Main Meals
Sides and Accompaniments
Baking and Desserts
Dietary Index

Learn more about The Flexible Family Cookbook.

Clean Treats for Everyone 

• Double Chocolate Banana Bread
• Pumpkin Spice Coffeecake
• Chocolate Mug Cake
• Raspberry Crumble Bars
• Fudgy Chocolate Brownies
• Apple Nachos
• Coconut Dip
• No-Bake Magic Bars
• Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake

Boba

• Milk Teas (Thai, black milk, and green milk teas)
• Fruit Teas (strawberry, mango, watermelon, kiwi, pineapple, pomelo, and cucumber teas)
• Specialty Drinks (strawberry coconut milk, almond butter milk tea, taro and ube almond milk, Sip ‘N’ Dips made with ice cream, and more)

Beautiful Salads 

Pam Powell, owner of Salad Girl Organic Dressings (saladgirl.com), shares her best 140 seasonal salad and dressing recipes loaded with fresh organic greens, cheeses, nuts, and fruits.

With more than 70 vibrant salad recipes and more than 70 dressings to go with them, Beautiful Salads is your guide to making and eating healthy, organic, seasonal salads all year long. After a chapter on salad basics, make and enjoy these and more seasonally organized salads:

• Grilled Spring Lamb Chop with Arugula Salad (Spring)
• Pea Sprout and Strawberry Salad (Spring)
• Nectarine and Nasturtium Salad (Summer)
• Grilled Wild Salmon and Red Raspberry Salad (Summer)
• Orchard Apple and Green Kale Chopped Salad (Autumn)
• Kale, Sausage, and Potato Salad (Autumn)
• Roots and Fruits Midwinter Salad (Winter)
• Dried Fig and Cara Cara Orange Salad (Winter)

Complete with a resource guide and 60+ gorgeous color photos, Beautiful Salads is your guide to making healthy, delicious salads through every season of the year!

Learn more about Beautiful Salads.

The Smoke Shop Backyard BBQ 

Every meal is better with BBQ! Make and enjoy recipes from Boston’s popular Smoke Shop restaurant in your own backyard.

Join Andy Husbands and Will Salazar as they share their secrets in The Smoke Shop’s Backyard BBQ. Start off with a classic Backyard Barbecue featuring pulled pork, Twice-Smoked Pulled Chicken, deliciously simple brisket, and New Memphis Ribs. With a selection of the Smoke Shop’s favorite sides, drinks, and desserts, it might seem like all you ever needed. Then they go further afield, as the following chapters bring smokehouse flavor home for every occasion:

• Make Taco Tuesday special with Brisket Ropa Vieja Tacos, Pulled Pork Quesadillas, BBQ Empanadas, Street Corn, The Smoke Shop Guac, and Tres Leches Minicakes.
• Amp up your next Cocktail Party with Pork Belly Pastrami Skewers, BBQ Peanuts, and smoked Oysters on the Half Shell, paired with a Downtown Derby cocktail.
• Get ready for Game Day at home, featuring Salt and Pepper Baby Back Ribs, Pork Belly Burnt Ends, The Smoke Shop’s Famous Wings, and The Ultimate BLT Bar.

Additional chapters include The Big Brunch, a Fancy Party, and even a Holiday Party to keep the BBQ going year round!

Learn more about The Smoke Shop Backyard BBQ.

Peaky Blinders Cocktail Book

Immerse yourself in the atmosphere of your favourite series by making delicious cocktails inspired by the world of Peaky Blinders!

Birmingham Sour, Derby, Easy Dizzy … this officially licensed book includes 40 easy-to-make cocktail recipes made from whiskey, gin and other tipples so that you can sip like a member of the Shelby clan.

Featuring photography of the cast and settings from the award-winning BBC period crime drama Peaky Blinders, impress your guests with historically inspired:

• Whiskey Cocktails: Vendetta, Red Horse, John Shelby, Birmingham Sour, The Bloody Hand, The Shelby Julep, Easy Dizzy, Mr Sabini, The 1919, Section D, Inspector Campbell, Freddy Thorne, Ulster Force, Billy Kimber, Daniel Owen
• Gin Cocktails: Last World, Epsom, Mrs Changretta, The Garrison, Gibson, Bobby, Tommy Shelby, Arthur’s Coffee, Michael Gray, Mrs Ross, White Horse, Scrap, Black Country, Revolution, Five Bells
• Cocktails with Other Spirits including Rum, Cognac and Vodka: West High, Angel, Derby, Grand Duke, Pimm’s Number 1, By Order of the Peaky Blinders, Champagne Cocktail, Tatiana, Sparkling Suzie, Grace Shelby

Choose a recipe, settle in in a good leather chair, loosen your starched collar and enjoy the moment!

Learn more about Peaky Blinders Cocktail Book.

Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails 

In this new, expanded edition of Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails—issued for the 100th Anniversary of National Prohibition—historian, expert, and drink aficionado Dr. Cocktail vastly widens his examination of 1920–1933, the thirteen-year period when women got the Vote, child labor was abolished and, ironically, saw the cocktail elevated, prolonged, and expanded, spreading this signature American drink form in tasty ripples around the world. All this, plus more drink recipes!

Nothing is so desired as the thing denied. Prohibition made people want cocktails very, very badly. Because “synthetic” liquor was the easiest to make, it was also the easiest to get. Problematically, it tasted awful and wasn’t exactly good for you either. Cocktails with their mélange of flavors were a made-to-order method for disguising the bad hooch.

Along with 100+ rare and delicious authentic recipes gathered from old cocktail manuals and scraps of paper never published, this illustrated trip down mixology lane tells the fascinating origins of the cocktail and how it evolved over time, including its rising popularity during Prohibition. Vintage illustrations and advertisements, photos of old bottles and cocktail artifacts, and fascinating Prohibition-era photographs bring the tippling past back to vivid life.

Recipes for rare treasures like The Fogcutter, Knickerbocker à la Monsieur, The Moscow Mule, and Satan’s Whiskers are each presented with:

• Historical background on its origin and cultural context
• Drink Notes that provide additional information on ingredients and tips for substitutions and variations
• Fascinating historical ephemera from Dr. Cocktail’s personal collection

This homage to the great bartenders of the past and the beverages they created also profiles some of the most influential cocktail pioneers of today. For anyone who enjoys an icy drink and an unforgettable tale, this is a must-have volume.

Learn more about Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails.

The Ultimate Pasta Machine Cookbook 

At last, a cookbook about pasta-making that covers all kinds of pasta machines—both manual and electric, and also stand-mixer pasta attachments—and that delivers foolproof recipes sure to make you an expert noodle master in no time!

Homemade pasta is easy, fast, and fun. It tastes better than boxed pastas from the store. And, while-store-bought pastas do indeed come in a variety of shapes, they all have basically one bland and unexciting flavor; by contrast, as this wide-ranging and deliciously inventive book shows, making pasta by hand at home lets you create and enjoy dozens and dozens of different flavors of noodles.

In her previous books—on such subjects as searing, marinating, and cast-iron cooking—chef, cooking teacher, and food blogger Lucy Vaserfirer has earned a reputation for expertly and gently translating the methods of master chefs into simple-to-follow, step-by-step instructions that let home cooks cook like the pros. Here, Lucy does the same for pasta-making, showing you how easy it is to use a sheeter, extruder, and cavatelli maker of any type, manual or electric, to create tasty pastas that will please everyone from grown-up gourmands to picky kids who want pasta at nearly every meal.

Lucy shares in these pages terrific purees that you can make, using a blender or a mixing bowl, that you then can turn into all sorts of flavored pastas, from the familiar tomato or spinach pastas to noodles flavored with herbs like basil or chives, spices like pepper or saffron, and other flavors, such as beet, sweet potato, corn, and even, surprisingly enough, chocolate. She teaches you how to make every kind of pasta shape with your pasta machine, including ones you can’t find in stores. She includes durum and semolina pastas, the most common kinds, as well as buckwheat and ancient-grain pastas. She even shows how to make Asian noodles, such as udon, soba, and ramen, with your pasta machine. There are recipes, too, for fillings for ravioli, tortellini, and other stuffed pastas, as well as a feast of sauces for finished pasta dishes.

Whether you are a first-time owner of a pasta maker or a seasoned pro looking for exciting new ideas, this book has more than 100 splendid recipes, plus loads of clever tips and tricks, that will make you love your pasta machine and use it often.

Learn more about The Ultimate Pasta Machine Cookbook.

The Mexican Home Kitchen 

The long-awaited, bestselling cookbook from Mely Martínez, The Mexican Home Kitchen compiles the traditional home-style dishes enjoyed every day in Mexican households, with influences from states like Tamaulipas, Nuevo León, Veracruz, Puebla, Estado de México, and Yucatán.

* Named One of Fall’s Best Cookbooks by Eater, Epicurious, and Chowhound *

Illustrated with stunning photography, this book includes recipes for stews, soups, and side dishes, along with famous dishes like mole, enchiladas, picadillo, and milanesa, and is rounded out with delicious salsas, drinks, and desserts.

For Mely Martínez, Mexican cooking has always been about family, community, and tradition. Born and raised in Tampico, Mely started helping in the kitchen at a very young age, since she was the oldest daughter of eight children, and spent summers at her grandmother’s farm in the state of Veracruz, where part of the daily activities included helping grind the corn to make masa.

Mely started her popular blog, Mexico in My Kitchen, to share the recipes and memories of her home so that her son can someday recreate and share these dishes with his own family. In the meantime, it has become the go-to source for those looking for authentic home-style Mexican cooking.

Recreate these favorite comfort foods using inexpensive, easy-to-find ingredients:

• Caldo de Pollo (Mexican chicken soup)
• Tacos de Bistec (steak tacos)
• Carnitas (tender, crispy pork)
• Albondigas (Mexican meatballs)
• Tamales (both savory and sweet)
• Enchiladas (both red and green sauces)
• Mole Poblano (one of the most classic and popular moles)
• Nopales (recipes made with cactus paddles)
• Empanadas (beef and cheese filled)
• Chiles Rellenos (stuffed and fried poblano peppers)
• Pozole (both red and green versions)
• Camarones en Chipotle (deviled shrimp)
• Salsa Taquera (salsa for tacos)
• Pastel de Tres Leches (a luscious and moist cake that’s a Mexican favorite)
• Buñuelos (crispy dough fritters coated in sugar)
• Aguas Frescas (horchata, hibiscus, and tamarind flavors)
• and much more!

Complete with easy-to-follow instructions, beautiful images, and stories from Mexico, along with recipes for making corn and flour tortillas and tips for stocking your pantry, The Mexican Home Kitchen will have you enjoying this delicious cooking right in your own home.

Learn more about The Mexican Home Kitchen.

The Holistic Guide to Decluttering

Join author Michele Vig, the founder of Neat Little Nest, on an interactive journey to learn how to clean out and organize the key areas of your life! Declutter your home, calendar, and mind to find real, lasting change.

Our lives are busier than ever before, leaving us burned out…and leaving our homes cluttered. The Holistic Guide to Decluttering shows how three core components—physical, time, and mental clutter—are intricately linked and how focusing on one area alone is not likely to bring the peace our souls desire. Including step-by-step tutorials, reflection tools, and worksheets, this book gives practical ways to learn the “how to” of holistically decluttering and organizing so you can begin to feel the freedom that comes from organizing:

• You’ll explore your attachment to things and are given practical ways to successfully go about decluttering and organizing your home. Find inspiration through success stories and beautiful photos showcasing how organizational systems can both simplify and offer a daily delight.
• Learn (or re-learn!) how precious and finite time is. Although it is fleeting, you will be empowered to start owning your time. You will learn ways to make positive changes to help plan, prioritize, and make the most of your hours, days, weeks, months, and years.
• Above all else, the mind is the most powerful force for an organized life. Only by decluttering your mind can you begin to grow and create lasting change.

By bringing these components together, you will see how decluttering can reach far beyond a simple closet cleaning. If you take the proper steps to clear your clutter with intention, you can find a deeper emotional release and sustainable transformation.

Learn more about The Holistic Guide to Decluttering.

Camp Cocktails 

Learn how to plan, pack, and whip up great drinks in the great outdoors.

Cabin trips, hikes, patio parties, camping adventures—however you enjoy the great outdoors, it should be fun and easy. And so should the drinks! Simplicity, though, doesn’t mean you’re limited to a bottle and a mixer. With Camp Cocktails, you’ll have a variety of options for simple and tasty drinks that are ready to go wherever you go.

Cool off after a hot day spent hiking through the woods with a Flask Boulevardier or the Northwoods Sidecar. Break in the campsite with a Grilled Orange Cobbler or the ultimate beer-based cocktail. Bundling up around the fire? Warm up with the Salted Nutella Hot Chocolate, the Penicillin Toddy, or a spiked hot apple cider.

Every recipe comes with easy-to-follow instructions, and many feature expert bartender tips and hacks. A variety of occasions are all here, from stargazing to boating. And to round it all out, there’s a whole chapter dedicated to foraging/found ingredients, and integrating nature into your favorite cocktails.

Learn more about Camp Cocktails.