Women in the Kitchen highlights women throughout time who have contributed to the success of cooking and making a positive name for women. Anne Willan, an award-winning author and founder of La Varenne Cooking School, and a collector of vintage cookbooks, writes of twelve women who helped create the vast success of the cooking industry. From Hannah Woolley’s success in England in 1661 to Alice Water’s success in America around the 1970s, each of the twelve women brought something new and innovative to the table.

September rolls around, the kids go back to school, and fall is suddenly in the air. Or, if you live in Northern California, like I do, it’s still in the 90s, but you know it’s fall everywhere else. And that means BAKING! Luckily, America’s Test Kitchen Bread Illustrated: A Step-by-Step Guide to Achieving Bakery-Quality Results at Home arrives to my kitchen to add fuel to my fire to bake up a storm.

An essential cookbook for couples that appreciate modern food pairings and new exciting recipes. The Couples Cookbook: Recipes for Newlyweds is an ideal cookbook for any couple looking to explore the joy of cooking together. With recipes that tackle the common question of, what’s for dinner by elevating everyday classics into elegant masterpieces, all while introducing show-stopping new recipes.

Bryant Terry is a chef, an activist, and an educator, and he has long made it his mission to bring his own unique vision of vegetable-based cooking to the masses through his shows, documentaries, and books. His newest offering is Vegetable Kingdom: The Abundant World of Vegan Recipes, and it’s an outstanding addition to any home cook’s library, vegan or not.

Scott-Goodman’s book is part cookbook, part neighborhood guide and takes readers on a bars and bites tour of Brooklyn. Bushwick, Prospect Heights, and Williamsburg are some of the neighborhoods represented; a few introductory sentences describe each neighborhood’s vibe. The seven neighborhood chapters highlight several establishments and include recipes for its signature dishes and cocktails.

The annual Best Food Writing (published since 2000) is a collection of forty-eight short pieces all focusing on food, cooking, and drinks, all by different food writers. Holly Hughes has edited these and compiled the stories into eight varying categories such as “Down the Hatch,” “The Family Table,” and “Life, on a Plate.” These are not new, fresh stories—all were previously published in some printed form or online magazine.

Happiness in Quantum Leaps seeks to help readers bring together their mind, body, and spirit in order to find peace and happiness. There are some concrete exercises suggested to help achieve this. For example, I liked the commitment chart the author notes on page 260, which seems to be a good way to determine if you are doing things that will bring forth positive energy in all areas.

Cúrate: Authentic Spanish Food from an American Kitchen is a tapas-lover’s dream. The book is broken down into nine sections – the ninth being drinks. The restaurant, Cúrate, is the brainchild of owners Katie Button, a former electrical engineer, and her husband Felix Meana, a former hospitality specialist. Together, they opened Cúrate in Ashville, NC. Katie went on to become the pastry specialist at Jean-Georges in NY.

Cookbook author Nadia Damaso combined her talent as a cookbook writer and food photographer in Eat Better Not Less. She excelled in both. Her cookbook is excellent, with a huge number of original, fresh recipes to choose from, from breakfasts through dessert (e.g. Mango and Salmon Tacos, Almond Milk Chia Pudding).

When a chef and a good food writer join forces to write a cookbook, you expect nice, kitchen-friendly results. Share is a beautiful, large-format cookbook filled with professional food photos. Chef Chris Santos and food writer Rick Rodgers translated professional recipes from the restaurant menu to home kitchen—but not very successfully.