Schrijver, the TikTok creator behind @TheSaladLab, showcases her structured approach to salads in her debut collection of 109 recipes that encourage both organization and creativity. Schrijver’s recipes all follow the same three steps: “Start Out,” in which one assembles and preps ingredients; “Whisk,” in which one makes the dressing; and “Toss,” the final assembly stage. Classics, including Greek salad and tabbouleh, are followed by originals organized by theme. Seasonal options include a summer wedding salad featuring roasted vegetables, and Michelle Obama’s spring pea salad features in a short chapter of recipes taken from celebrities. Salads inspired by locations include an Arizona chopped salad in which smoked salmon, cranberries, and corn mimic the colors of an Arizona sunset. The playful “Everything Is a Salad” section features a lox and bagel salad with bagel croutons and a fish taco salad with cheesy tortilla croutons. Schrijver’s format is appealing but sometimes deceptively simple, with extra steps like chopping, dicing, peeling, and occasionally even cooking hiding out in the ingredients list. The Winter Wedge iceberg salad, for example, references four additional recipes that must be made in advance. Still, Schrijver provides plenty of useful tips (for example, readers can crisp salad greens by soaking them in ice water), variations, and ideas for substitutions throughout. Those looking to expand their salad options will find both a useful methodology and plenty of inspiration. (June)

Reviewed on 05/03/2024 | Details & Permalink

Banks, who teaches art at community centers across the U.S., debuts with a charming guide to carving small wooden figurines in the minimalist Scandinavian style, which favors flat planes over rounded edges and results in boxy, cartoon-like finished products. Writing for beginners, Banks shows how to make basic cuts, strop knives, and choose the right wood (he recommends basswood for its tight grain and notes that butternut “holds its shape well as it dries”). He walks through how to create a slouching old man figurine as well as an old woman with a headscarf, and then describes how to create variations on those designs. For instance, he covers how to carve a cane, hat, jacket, pipe, and sweater, as well as various nose and mouth shapes. There are photos of other figurines—including a man in a bowler hat, a stocky “Nordic fisherman,” and a bearded sea captain—but readers will have to figure out how to make them on their own, since instructions aren’t included. The expressive figurines evoke a coastal rusticism, and Banks provides plenty of practical tips for beginners, as when he explains that it’s easier to get proportions right if the body is carved before the head. Novice whittlers will appreciate this wonderful introduction to the craft. (July)

Reviewed on 05/03/2024 | Details & Permalink

This quirky guide from Lapp (Crochet Impkins) shows how to crochet customizable fantasy creatures. As in her previous outings, Lapp presents instructions on how to make various body shapes, limbs, tails, and horns and leaves crafters to decide how to mix and match these parts to create their own amigurumi monsters. For instance, readers might sew bugle-shaped ears and a forked tongue on a “blob body” reminiscent of a Pac-Man ghost, or attach gangling arms and spiral horns to a body that consists of one large eyeball. Many of the parts are drawn from nature, such as the spider legs, axolotl head flaps, rabbit ears, and walrus tusks. Others nod to the world of fantasy, including a dragon tail and bulbous clawed limbs that call to mind Maurice Sendak’s wild things. Lapp assumes readers will have some familiarity with crocheting; she provides a glossary that briefly describes some of the lesser-known techniques but otherwise skips instruction on the basics. The monster designs are uniformly cute, featuring oversize plastic eyes or tiny tongues protruding from jutted-out lower lips, and the ability to choose which pieces to combine will appeal to readers who like to personalize their crafts. Amigurumi crocheters will eat this up. Agent: Christi Cardenas, The Plains Agency. (July)

Reviewed on 05/03/2024 | Details & Permalink

In this middling coffee table book, interior designer Weir (New Rural) takes readers inside beachside homes in the United States and her native Australia. Weir focuses as much on the homeowners as on their abodes, discussing how each found their way to the coast. For instance, she shares how Daimon Downey, the former vocalist for the band Sneaky Sound System, became burned out from touring and decided to settle in New South Wales, where he bought an apartment that he painted in pastel blues and pinks to match the “sorbet tones” of the neighborhood’s art deco buildings. Weir also reports on the character of the coastal communities featured, as when she describes the tensions in Montauk, N.Y., between longtime bohemian residents and finance industry newcomers and observes that “nature feels very close” there. Unfortunately, Weir offers little commentary on the homeowners’ design choices, and what remarks she does include are vague (“There is something of an extra radiance to its beauty,” she writes about one western Australia bungalow). The human focus provides a welcome change of pace from standard interior design outings, but it comes at the cost of substantive discussion of the homes themselves. The result is a mixed bag. (July)

Reviewed on 05/03/2024 | Details & Permalink

In this enticing outing, Fahr (Boards & Spreads) shares dozens of breezy weeknight dinners. She divides the recipes into three sections based on the reader’s energy level and mood. “Lap dinners,” which require minimal prep and are ready in 15-20 minutes, include miso salmon with broccolini and chipotle cumin black bean soup. “Coffee table dinners,” which are slightly more time-consuming and require some rudimentary knife skills, kick things up a notch, with dishes such as Spanish-style olive oil–poached fish and one-pot lemony cumin chicken with rice and feta. When readers are feeling more enthusiastic, they can refer to the “at the dinner table” section, where they’ll find vinegary pork chops with parmesan white beans, sheet pan Mediterranean nachos, and other more involved fare. Fahr’s bubbly personality shines through in her fun introductions to each recipe (“For a long time, I was very anti-fruit-in-savory foods, but I was wrong,” she writes of the sheet pan citrus-ginger chicken with stone fruits), and her casually written instructions are easy to follow. (To make croutons, “tear or cut the bread into bite-size pieces, asking yourself, could I comfortably take a bite of this if it were on my plate?”) Home cooks of all levels will find many ideas to freshen up their routines. Agent: Kari Stuart, Creative Artists Agency. (Apr.)

Reviewed on 05/03/2024 | Details & Permalink

James Beard nominee Poliafito (Baked) draws from “that part of me that lives in the in-between,” where Italian, Italian American, and American food cultures intersect, in this heartfelt collection. The roughly 100 sweet and savory recipes are sorted into breakfast bakes; cookies, bars, and biscotti; pies, tarts, and crostatas; breads and snacks; cocktails; pastries; cakes; frozen treats; granitas and puddings; and foundational recipes like pasta frolla. Among the standouts are a tri-color almond-enriched spumoni loaf and a dazzling chestnut puree–domed monte bianco. Less successful are the strained attempts to Italianize American classics, including honey-ricotta black and white cookies and tiramisu-inspired Rice Krispie treats. Still, there’s much to like in this gorgeously photographed work, including an orange zest-spiked chocolate-filled brioche, a decadent pistachio lemon cake, and enticing savory bakes such as caponata bombas. Poliafito promotes measuring by weight, but also writes his recipes in volumes for those without kitchen scales. This beautifully written paeon to the author’s hyphenated background will please home bakers who are up for a challenge. (June)

Reviewed on 05/03/2024 | Details & Permalink

Hage (The Lebanese Kitchen) extols the vegetarian bounty of the Levant in this appealing collection. The region is known for its vegetable sharing plates, but Hage goes well beyond mezze. A brunch chapter includes muffin-style buns—made with a batter that incorporates cooked, soaked, and ground rice—served with fried eggs. The chapter on grain dishes proffers Egyptian chickpeas and rice topped with fried vermicelli and caramelized onions, while the chapter on breads features six-inch flatbreads with various toppings and rectangles of dough stuffed with tahini and garlic. Herbs and spices star in dishes such as tofu with black lime and heaps of herbs, and mushroom kebabs rubbed with cumin and cardamom. A chapter packed with appetizing snacks offers polenta crisps with herb dipping sauce, while small plates include za’atar puff pastry pinwheels. Drinks, sauces, and desserts, including grilled apricots paired with mild mascarpone, round out the selection. Hage has a steady hand in her instructions and shares a number of clever ideas, making the dishes feel approachable. Each recipe is also helpfully marked with symbols indicating, among other things, if they are gluten-free or take under 30 minutes to prepare. Home cooks will treasure this. (May)

Reviewed on 05/03/2024 | Details & Permalink

Modernist Australia blogger Callan debuts with a striking survey of Australian modernist houses built between 1953 and 1980 that have been “beautifully reimagined through... renovation.” The modernist style, she explains, emerged in the early 20th century in opposition to “the ornate excesses of the preceding Victorian era” and privileged considerations of “comfort and utility” over strict aesthetic principles. Detailing updates to 21 houses that have preserved the structures’ mid-century character, she describes how the owners of a 1963 suburban Victoria home “effectively gutted” the edifice in 2019 to create more bedroom and kitchen space, but saved the original bricks and incorporated them into the new layout. Mid-century fashions dominate the interior design choices, as exemplified by a New South Wales house adorned with dark timber paneling, “burnt orange” walls, and a retro refrigerator. Callan presents an insightful look into how homeowners have balanced preservation with renovation, and she illuminates how historical currents influenced the construction of each home. For example, Callan discusses how one Victoria house was built in 1957 on land carved out from an imperial estate to accommodate the post-WWII population boom, and how one 1960 Queensland apartment complex was erected at a moment when “Australia looked towards a space-age future of city life in shiny towers.” The result is a welcome celebration of the modernist style’s enduring appeal. (May)

Reviewed on 05/03/2024 | Details & Permalink

Dietitian Jackson debuts with a robust program for managing irritable bowel syndrome. Explaining the biology of the condition, she points to research showing that people with IBS have an overactive fight-or-flight response, which evolved to either speed up bowel movements (“making you ‘lighter on your feet’ ”) or slow down colon contractions, allowing “energy to be expended elsewhere.” Throughout, Jackson adds nuance to standard nutritional guidance. For instance, she contends that conventional wisdom urging people with IBS to steer clear of dietary fiber ignores the distinction between high and low fermentable sources of fiber, the latter of which (e.g., quinoa, spinach, and walnuts) can help regulate bowel movements without feeding harmful gut microbes. In addition to the usual suggestions to get enough sleep and exercise 30 minutes every day, Jackson tackles less commonly addressed aspects of living with the condition, as when she offers tips for discussing IBS with one’s partner (be open about having the condition, but “you don’t have to talk all things IBS straight away”) and dining out (cuisines “with fewer ingredients and flavourings” tend to have more IBS-friendly options). In addition to offering detailed dietary guidance, Jackson, who has IBS, demonstrates a keen understanding of how the condition can affect one’s social life. This stands out in the crowded field of IBS manuals. (July)

Reviewed on 05/03/2024 | Details & Permalink

This jaunty guide from journalist Russell (How to Be Sad) explores the distinctive parenting culture of Nordic nations, whose inhabitants are humorously referred to as “Vikings” throughout. Russell recounts how she and her husband, both Britons by birth, moved to Denmark in 2013 for work and fell in love with the country, deciding to stay indefinitely and giving birth to three children there. Over the years, she discovered that “Vikings typically trust that children will figure things out, learn how to use their bodies, and manage their surroundings.” Interviews with experts illuminate the wisdom behind this approach, as when Russell investigates the “Viking” belief that moderately risky forms of play (climbing a tall tree, for instance) are good for children by interviewing Danish child development experts who believe such activities help kids better understand the world (“If I jump off this table, what will happen?”). Russell’s humor infuses the bemused cultural commentary (“I knew I’d passed the point of no return when googling ‘best axe for children,’ ” she writes about preparing her eight-year-old son for summer camp), and the recommendations to let siblings settle disputes among themselves and allow kids to make mistakes are refreshing in their respect for children’s autonomy. Readers looking for an alternative to helicopter parenting will want to check this out. Agent: Anna Power, Johnson & Alcock. (July)

Reviewed on 05/03/2024 | Details & Permalink