As summer comes to an end, this collection of cocktail recipes will help extend the lightweight, holiday feeling. Spritz: Italy’s Most Iconic Aperitivo Cocktail, with Recipes explains the history and culture of the drink. It’s something of a reclamation, an attempt to recapture the low-alcohol cocktail from the horrors of white wine spritzers. A spritz is a blend of sparkling wine, usually prosecco; a bitter liqueur; and soda water, served pre-dinner or for happy hour. It’s intended to spur the […]

A Hundred Thousand Worlds is a new literary novel aimed at con-goers, or at least those who know of such things. It’s the story of Valerie Torrey, former star of a cult sci-fi TV show; her son Alex, obsessed with words; and Brett Kazan, artist of Lady Stardust, a small press comic series. Brett and Valerie meet at a comic convention in Cleveland. Valerie is traveling across the country with Alex to return him to his father, a more successful […]

Inspired by @CoulsonLives, Danika Stone has written a young adult romance about a fan who refuses to accept the movie death of her favorite character. In All the Feels, Liv was eager to see the latest film installment of her beloved Starveil, only to be crushed when it ended with the death of Spartan, the spaceship captain. She refuses to accept this and becomes determined, with the help of her best friend Xander (who lives his life cosplaying as a […]

Like the cocktails that populate this novel, the story is an appealing blend of flavorful ingredients. Bailey is an overachiever who, out of college, doesn’t know what to do with herself. She’s moved back in with her parents while she tries to find a direction for her life. The geek who had a crush on her in high school is now an attractive manager of a special bar with a nice collection of suits and a girlfriend, so he gives […]

Coming in early April is a fun YA read that combines ideas about fame (and losing it), overachievement, first love, and whether newspapers are still relevant in the age of new media. I know, it sounds ambitious, but Amy Spalding pulls it out through the lead character of Jules. As The New Guy (and Other Senior Year Distractions) opens, Jules is anxiously awaiting news on whether she or Natalie will be chosen editor-in-chief of the school paper. Jules is also […]

Donovan Day explores a music fan’s biggest fantasy in Get Back: Imagine… Saving John Lennon. The teenage Lenny, named after John Lennon, is staying with his grandpa in New York City. He meets a beautiful girl named Yoko while busking in the subway. Then he discovers his iPod, loaded with a ton of classic rock songs, lets him time travel back to the time of the tune he’s listening to. As he and Yoko explore this ability, we find out […]

Top Secret Recipes Step-by-Step: Secret Formulas with Photos for Duplicating Your Favorite Famous Foods at Home isn’t just a fun idea for a cookbook; it’s also a portrait of how, and what, we choose to eat. Todd Wilbur calls himself “America’s #1 food hacker”, and he’s made a career out of dissecting recipes from favorite chain restaurants. This copiously illustrated (multiple photos per dish) volume has 125 recipes, 75 of which are new, and 50 of which are improved from […]

All That’s Left to Know About the Endings of Your Favorite TV Shows TV Finales FAQ brought back a lot of fond memories for me, in two distinct categories. The first was that of watching many of the various TV shows covered. The second was when I used to scarf up books like this one, media surveys and volumes of pop culture trivia, back before we had the internet for that purpose. I’ve missed these kinds of volumes (although my […]