In this comprehensive debut manual, dietitian Kessel outlines how to prioritize one’s health beyond “the number on the scale” while taking weight-loss medications including Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro. Kessel details the importance of defining obesity as a health condition rather than “a slur or a dirty word,” identifies its medical causes, and discusses potential health risks that come with it. Her plan encourages readers not to skip meals, to prioritize protein from food sources rather than supplements, to stay hydrated, and to eat carbohydrates to increase energy and manage the medication’s side effects (simple carbohydrates such as crackers or toast relieve nausea that can come with acclimation, for instance). Kessel supplements her straightforward guidance with sample meal plans, tools, and templates: a meal plan shopping list, for example, is organized by grocery store section. A GLP-1 user herself, Kessel takes an encouraging, no-shame approach to the medication: “My entire world changed, and let’s be honest: it’s a lot easier to work on your relationship with food, your body, and unpack the ways you were affected by diet culture when you just aren’t hungry all the time.” Readers will appreciate this detailed and holistic resource. (July)

Reviewed on 05/16/2025 | Details & Permalink

Journalist van Zweden (Breasts) teams up with gynecologist Bongers to explore the uterus’s many “guises and roles” in this hit-or-miss guide. Emphasizing that the organ “does all sorts of tasks” outside of its “main business,” childbirth, the authors devote each chapter to a specific aspect of uterine function (and dysfunction). A section on menstruation covers premenstrual syndrome and amenorrhea (the absence of a menstrual period) while the chapter on nonfertile years outlines how the uterus comes out of “its hiding place” during puberty and then, during menopause, “goes into retirement for the remaining thirty or so years of a person’s life.” A discussion of the uterus as “a threat to health” describes such abnormalities as tumors, fibroids, and cancer risks. The “core task” of pregnancy and childbirth get their fair share of attention, as the authors trace uterine development from fertilization to delivery. There’s some solid biological information on offer here, but the chapters are marred by abrupt jumps between topics, and the authors emphasize potential problems and abnormalities but provide little practical advice for those experiencing such issues. Readers are likely to be left wanting. (May)

Reviewed on 05/16/2025 | Details & Permalink

Sisters Jackson and Willoughby, cofounders of the Crave baked good brand, offer up 70 foundational dessert recipes in a debut that is as practical as it is mouthwatering. Baking fundamentals are at the heart of the collection, with step-by-step photo instructions for filling pastry bags and decorating layer cakes or cupcakes. The “Homemade Pantry” section provides instructions for versatile ganaches, custards, sauces, and toppings, cross-referencing each with recipes that call for these building blocks. Buttercream frosting flavors include strawberry and “sweet and toasty” toffee pecan, and the authors provide a crash course in mastering caramel (“not for the faint of heart”). Cakes and cupcakes come in exciting flavors, including pumpkin spice latte with coffee frosting, while cookies and bars draw from the sisters’ childhood favorites, including their aunt Louise’s gingerbread. Elsewhere, Jackson and Willoughby go in-depth on pie pastry technique, with tips for rolling and blind baking. Novice bakers are in good hands with this enthusiastic, user-friendly guide. (May)

Reviewed on 05/16/2025 | Details & Permalink

Collecting recipes from professional chefs and home cooks across six continents, pitmaster Mangum celebrates “great food cooked with fire and/or smoke” in his excellent debut. Many recipes, including Russian lamb kabobs, Nigerian beef skewers, and tandoori chicken, get their flavor from an overnight marinade before grilling, while others, such as Japanese beef skewers, Australian snags, and Greek grilled fish, are ready to eat in less than 30 minutes. Mouthwatering classics like beef brisket, maple-smoked salmon, porchetta, and tea-smoked duck will inspire readers to take a crack at smoking their own meats. Newbies will appreciate Mangum’s advice for building fires, in which he differentiates common smoking materials: peach wood, for example, is best for poultry, smaller cuts of pork, and seafood due to its subtle flavor and mild smoke, while mesquite has a stronger flavor best suited for red meat. Home cooks looking for a project will be intrigued by instructions for making several varieties of sausage—from bratwurst to chorizo—completely from scratch. Though animal protein makes up the bulk of the recipes, braai grilled cheese, smoked eggplant dip, charred peaches with labneh, smoked cheesecake with blueberries, and other vegetarian and dessert options round things out. For anyone looking to add more live fire cooking to their repertoire, this is a must. (May)

Reviewed on 05/16/2025 | Details & Permalink

Sartori (Unofficial Taylor Swift Crochet) shows how to make clothing, accessories, and decor inspired by Harry Styles in this easy-to-follow collection of projects from a variety of designers. The projects are split into three sections, drawing inspiration from Styles’s music and fashion. The first chapter pays homage to the pop star’s “fun, eccentric, and enviable” red carpet outfits and includes a “Sign of the Times” black lace shawl that nods to his 2019 Met Gala outfit. A section on home goods features an impressive blanket decorated with references to Styles’s tattoos, a “Harry’s House” pillow, four smiling amigurumi-style sushi stuffies inspired by his song “Music for a Sushi Restaurant,” and the “Falling Pullover,” the only sweater pattern, designed to resemble “the cardigan Harry has worn on stage, a comfy, colorful patchy number that looks like the knitted version of a cozy hug.” The third and final chapter contains “concert ready” projects, including bunny dolls designed to look like the rabbits printed on his tour merch, and a scarf and tote inspired by his songs. Sartori lays out each project’s difficulty level, making sure there’s something for everyone. Crafty Styles fans will adore it. (June)

Reviewed on 05/16/2025 | Details & Permalink

“You don’t have to be a man and have a whole machine shop at home to be able to do woodwork,” promises carpenter Ott (Carving Kitchen Tools) in this intensive guide to the craft. In an overview of materials, Ott lays out the difference between softwood and hardwood, recommending that beginners opt for pine because it’s inexpensive and easy to work with. The projects require a coping saw, which Ott explains is best for cutting curves and irregular shapes; a flush-cut saw, which works for cutting pegs and dowels; and chisels and mallets, which Ott advises crafters to practice with on waste wood. Technique how-tos include tips on hammering short nails (she advises using pliers to grip nails instead of fingers) and gluing wood pieces with a tension strap. Experienced woodworkers will appreciate the variety in Ott’s modern and stylish projects—for the home, there are wall shelves, a TV stand with wheels, and a collapsible tray table, plus a planter box with a trellis for a garden. But while Ott aims to reach crafters of all skill levels, some of her written instructions will be tough to follow for novices (“with the board in a miter box, use a Japanese saw to cut down to the tenon on both sides. Make sure you don’t saw into the tenon,” she advises, without noting what a tenon is). Intermediate woodworkers will get the most out of this. (June)

Reviewed on 05/16/2025 | Details & Permalink

Daen’s Kitchen blogger Lia debuts with an appetizing assortment of classic Mediterranean dishes divided into six parts by key ingredient. The opening section, on garlic, features both building blocks—including garlic confit and intensely garlic-infused butter—and more elaborate dishes that put these fundamentals to use, among them garlic and sour cream puff pastry, clams with chile and anchovies, and slow roasted lamb shoulder. The olive oil chapter includes a salad of grilled peaches and burrata with basil-infused dressing, a baked pasta dish with eggplant fit for a crowd, and pan-fried salmon served with rich tomato confit. In the butter chapter, Lia instructs home cooks on how to make their own in a stand mixer before serving up fennel and lemon risotto, and mussels cooked in white wine and butter. A section focused on bread includes instructions for foccacia and, oddly, bagels with helpful step-by-step photo guides, while the section on bread crumbs features “popcorn eggplant” and chicken parmesan. In the brief final chapter, on eggs, there’s spinach feta quiche and homemade pasta dough. The organizational scheme becomes a bit murky as ingredients bleed from one chapter to the next, but Lia’s enthusiasm is infectious and the rustic photography appeals. Anyone looking to expand their Mediterranean repertoire will find this a handy resource. (May)

Reviewed on 05/09/2025 | Details & Permalink

Malaysian Scottish restaurateur Lin explores “authentically in-between” food in these creative recipes. Original fusion offerings like bucatini stir-fried with chili crisp, steak au poivre with Sichuan peppercorns, and fried chicken brined in black tea appear alongside Malaysian classics, like her mother’s char kuay teow, or “big fat noodles.” Chapters are organized around such themes as dinner parties and using up leftovers. In the latter, sour cream is churned into butter for a ginger-soy brown butter sauce over fish. Even simple dishes are tweaked, as when corn on the cob is rubbed with XO sauce–infused butter. Desserts include sticky toffee pudding with palm sugar and pandan panna cotta. Lin proves a chatty guide, sharing personal stories and the results of falling down “internet wormholes” about, for example, the history of a chile oil brand’s mascot, in lengthy recipe headers that often run for a full page. Occasionally, this loquaciousness distracts, but the profusion of details also translates into helpfully specific recipes. For example, the instructions for vegan potstickers indicate exactly how small to chop mushrooms for the filling, while readers are informed that shrimp in their shells with a tamarind sauce are strictly to be eaten by hand. Lin’s is an exciting new voice, and if it’s sometimes a long-winded one, that’s a small price to pay for a collection that’s so full of good ideas. (May)

Reviewed on 05/09/2025 | Details & Permalink

The fashion doll inspires an array of stylish drinks in Landt’s chic debut. A brief history of Barbie is followed by a comprehensive overview of bartending tools and liquor cart staples, as well as instructions for bespoke infusions and syrups. Recipes riffing on Barbie’s famous fashion moments include a black and white mocktail made to imitate the striped swimsuit the doll debuted in, and a “color magic margarita,” which goes from orange to fuchsia with the addition of butterfly pea flower tea. Photographs of both the drinks and the dolls are striking, but never appear side-by-side, meaning it’s not always easy to grasp which look individual recipes are referencing. The “Malibu Memories” section offers a classic mojito and a watermelon smoothie, while “Jet Set Sippers,” inspired by Barbie’s far-flung travels, features a raspberry sgroppino that “takes you right to Italy.” “Barbie Dream World” drinks include a “dreamhouse warming punch” alongside a toasted marshmallow old fashioned, while the “Barbiecore” section features an array of nine vibrantly pink concoctions. Mocktails and low-ABV variants abound, as do playful garnishes, including a half-banana doctored to look like a dolphin. Though this arrives a bit late to the Barbie craze, diehard fans will appreciate it. (May)

Reviewed on 05/09/2025 | Details & Permalink

In this lush coffee-table book, Caponigro (Frederic), editor-in-chief of Frederic magazine, tours the verdant estates owned by interior designers. Examining how her subjects balance “manicured and wild” elements, she shows how Nancy Braithwaite filled the outer reaches of her sprawling Atlanta property with unruly swaths of trees, ferns, and azaleas, while the area closer to her home features more tightly controlled greenery in the form of hedges and “a raised square of emerald lawn bordered by dark reflecting pools.” Other gardens lean more heavily toward one extreme or the other, such as Stephen Sills’s meticulously trimmed box hedges modeled on the “great estates of Italy and France” or Brian McCarthy’s more naturalistic blend of dogwoods, catmint, and lady’s mantle. Caponigro explores how the designers’ approach to decorating interiors influences their gardens, discussing how Martyn Lawrence Bullard’s penchant for “high wattage glamour” comes through in his decision to finish his pool with white plaster in emulation of the one at the Beverly Hills Hotel, and how Katie Ridder’s fondness for bold hues can be seen in the dahlia, heuchera, amaranth, and kerria plants that populate her grounds. Caponigro’s commentary is insightful yet succinct, allowing the gorgeous scenery to speak for itself. This charms. (May)

Reviewed on 05/02/2025 | Details & Permalink