Chef Alexander Smalls is revealing more into the upbringing that shaped his taste through a new children’s book.
The chef became famous for infusing his South Carolina roots in dishes loved from down South to Dubai. Now, he details his “origin story” to a tinier audience in When Alexander Graced The Table (Simon & Schuster, $19.99), released on Jan. 7.
Follow the link above to learn more.
In his new children's book, "When Alexander Graced the Table," James Beard Foundation Award winner Alexander Smalls shares the story of a young boy learning to contribute to family meals with a special lemon icebox pie.
Click the link above to watch his video interview.
The Peacock limited series The Good Daughter has cast Rose Byrne (Physical, Bridesmaids) and Meghann Fahy (The White Lotus, The Perfect Couple) as the lead characters, sisters Samantha and Charlotte Quinn, respectively. Additionally, Byrne will executive produce.
Based on Karin Slaughter’s bestselling novel of the same name, The Good Daughter was picked up straight-to-series by the NBCU streaming service in March, with Slaughter writing all episodes and executive producing the project from Fifth Season and Bruna Papandrea‘s Made Up Stories.
Learn More:
Deadline: Rose Byrne & Meghann Fahy To Headline Peacock’s ‘The Good Daughter’ Limited Series
Variety: Rose Byrne and Meghann Fahy to Lead ‘The Good Daughter’ Series Adaptation at Peacock
The Hollywood Reporter: Rose Byrne, Meghann Fahy to Lead Peacock’s ‘The Good Daughter’
Traveling Shoes: The Story of Willye White, US Olympian and Long Jump Champion by Alice Faye Duncan is a 2024 Honor Book. This is awarded by the Gladstein Family Human Rights Institute.
Follow the link above to learn more.
Chloe
Connie Briscoe. Amistad, $30 (224p) ISBN 978-0-06-333856-2
In this entertaining riff on Rebecca from bestseller Briscoe (You Never Know), a young chef embarks on a whirlwind romance with a billionaire. Angel is taking a break from her restaurant job in Washington, D.C., to work as a private chef on Martha’s Vineyard when she meets billionaire Everett Bruce. Enchanted by Everett’s down-to-earth demeanor, Angel falls for him quickly. Just before her job ends and she returns to D.C., Everett proposes marriage, and Angel eagerly accepts. The two then embark on an emotionally chilly trip to Europe, but Angel hopes they’ll spend more time together at Riverwild Estate, Everett’s enormous home in Potomac, Md., which is run by his prickly sister, Ida. As the new Mrs. Bruce, Angel is forbidden from entering the Riverwild room once inhabited by Everett’s first wife, Chloe, who died by suicide over a year ago. With Everett growing more distant, Angel searches for details about Chloe’s death, fearing she won’t like what she finds. Readers familiar with the Daphne du Maurier novel won’t be particularly surprised by the twists and turns of the plot, and the ending arrives rather abruptly. Still, Briscoe folds some perceptive class critiques into her intoxicating blend of romance and suspense. This offers plenty of gothic pleasures. Agent: Victoria Sanders, Victoria Sanders & Assoc. (Mar.)
/Film can confirm that "Universal Monsters: The Mummy" — a reimagining of 1932's "The Mummy" starring Boris Karloff — is rising up and shambling into comic shops next year.
"Universal Monsters: The Mummy" will be written and drawn by Faith Erin Hicks, who is partnering with colorist Lee Loughridge. Hicks is a two time Eisner Award winner (think the comic Oscars), taking home the Best Publication for Kids award in 2014 (for "The Adventures of Superhero Girl") and 2019 (for "The Nameless City").
Follow the link above to learn more.
Kjersti Herland Johnsen has been getting some terrific press coverage lately for Christmas at Glitter Peak Lodge. Check it out:
AARP.ORG: Murder and Mistletoe? We're in! Holiday Mysteries Offer Cozy Chills
GOODREADS: ’Tis the Season for Brand-New Holiday-Themed Reading
BOOKWORM SEZ (nationally syndicated newspaper columnist): It's what you want for your ho-ho-holidays: Christmas romance books and more by various authors
Finally, Shelf Awareness had this to say in its book review:
This gentle romantic mystery, set amid the incomparable beauty of Norway, makes for a delightful literary vacation.
Eli and the Uncles
By Jehan Madhani.
Illus. by Rashin Kheiriyeh.
Nov. 2024. 32p. Candlewick, $18.99 (9781536228113). PreS-Grade 2.
REVIEW. First published November 1, 2024 (Booklist).
In this delightful showcase of wholesome masculinity, little Eli gets to spend a day with his eight stylish and talented uncles: Mahmoud the storyteller; Salim the chef; Hanif the singer; Aman the dancer; Riz the comedian; Farouk and Aziz, who love to argue; and Nooru, “world champion nap-taker.” What make each of these uncles truly special, however, are their eight long and diversely fabulous beards, which flirt with the fantastical in their larger-than-life presentations. While Madhani’s upbeat text doesn’t provide much explicit narrative tissue, simply introducing each uncle one by one and then taking readers through Eli’s farewells, the illustrations tell the story of a long, busy, fun-filled day, as each uncle shines on a dedicated spread, showing off their individual talents, always in a group setting. The result is a genuinely festive atmosphere and something akin to a fashion show, collectively providing a treasure trove of beautiful, brown masculinity. Kheiriyeh’s characters burst with energy and color, a palette of hot pinks and beachy blues lending a feminine edge to these stunning men and their endlessly elegant beards. The unfettered affection on display among the uncles and their nephew doubles down on the book’s unmistakable message about the many things that men (and boys) can and should be proud of being: playful, pretty, and powerful, all at once.
— Ronny Khuri
Brown Girl, Brown Girl by by Cozbi Cabrera has earned two great book reviews:
“…vibrant, moving illustrations from Cabrera that celebrate Black and brown girls in moments of strength and joy. Images of young women of color sharing dreams and wins and building community provide an inspiring backdrop for this powerful rhyming poem.” — Booklist. Click here to read the review.
“This gorgeously illustrated poem celebrating and elevating brown girls is a solid choice for picture book collections.” — School Library Journal. Click here to read the review.
Kirkus Reviews just put out a terrific review of When Alexander Graced the Table by Alexander Smalls and Denene Millner!
★"Smalls and Millner’s pitch-perfect dialogue imbues the various characters with life. The joy of cooking—and family—brought to brilliant life." — Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
Follow the link above to learn more.
Brown Girl, Brown Girl is a Southern Independent Booksellers Association pick for their 2024 November/December “Read This Next” (RTN) Kids List!
We recently caught up with the restaurateur and writer to talk about The Contemporary African Kitchen—“a book,” as he put it, “that I’ve been writing all my life.”
The Contemporary African Kitchen, the latest book from Alexander Smalls (out now), represents a cultural landmark and a professional milestone. Created in collaboration with writer Nina Oduro, the entrepreneur behind Dine Diaspora, it gathers recipes from chefs throughout the African continent—from Ghana and Uganda, Cameroon and Zambia, Burundi and Ethiopia, Nigeria and Senegal.
Follow the link above to learn more.
The Barnes & Noble list of the best mystery books of the year included This is Why We Lied by Karin Slaughter.
Follow the link above to learn more.
Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine media company hosted its second annual Shine Away conference on Oct. 5-6, featuring a myriad of panels and activations to bring hundreds of guests together to connect and learn from one another.
DéLana R.A. Dameron, author of Redwood Court, attended. Redwood Court was a Reese's Book Club pick in February.
Follow the link above to learn more.
This Haitian-American author vows to set aside her fear and use her voice and privilege
Francesca Momplaisir has authored a thought-provoking opinion piece for Black Enterprise.
It always strikes me when I’m at a loss for words as a writer. It only happens when I’m afraid, and over the past weeks, I’ve found myself, my tongue, paralyzed with fear once again as Haitian people, my people, are being vilified and victimized.
We are under attack by a former president and right-wing Republicans – racist and xenophobic extremists – spewing hate, perpetuating lies, and issuing threats of violence against Haitian immigrants in Ohio whom they’ve accused of abducting and eating cats and dogs. My fear reached its height when I saw the KKK flyer commanding immigrants to go back to where we came from. The KKK? In broad daylight, in public, on social media?
Follow the link above to learn more.
Eli and the Uncles
Jehan Madhani, illus. by Rashin Kheiriyeh. Candlewick, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-5362-2811-3
Eli’s eight uncles live together in one house, and every summer Eli spends a day with them in this gleeful excursion from Madhani and Kheiriyeh. Watercolor, acrylic, and colored pencil illustrations show Eli running toward a house crammed with elaborately bearded uncles, “very big and very tall,” all portrayed with brown skin. Uncle Mahmoud “tells the best stories,” Uncle Salim cooks Eli’s favorite foods, Uncle Hanif sings, Uncle Aman dances, Uncle Riz tells jokes, Uncles Farouk and Aziz argue, and Uncle Nooru naps. Following these events, “eight uncles and one Eli” eat dinner together before Eli heads home. In an epic farewell chain, Eli kisses each uncle, while text details the qualities of their beards. (Uncle Mahmoud’s is “short and nicely groomed”; Uncle Salim’s is “so long and curly that Eli gets a little lost in it.”) It’s an affectionate, rhythmically told sequence that underlines time spent individually and collectively. Ages 3–7. (Nov.)
Honoré’s energetic poem-turned– picture book debut offers a contemplative call-and-response-style ode to brown girls everywhere. Opening, a querying line asks, “Brown girl, brown girl,/ what did you see?” A page turn later, the answer appears, alongside images of a Black child curled in the fetal position: “a world that sees my skin/ before it sees me.” Subsequent lines beginning “brown girl, brown girl” ask, “what did you feel?” and “what did you do?”
In scene after scene, striking painterly acrylics by Caldecott Honoree Cabrera picture brown girls of myriad hair textures and skin tones joining together to dance, play, and stand tall. After text asks, “Brown girl, brown girl,/ what do you know?” the answer (“That there are strong women/ who want me to grow”) attends girls riding bikes by a mural of notable women of color, reflecting the aspirations and limitless possibility of individuals including Kamala Harris, Frida Kahlo, Toni Morrison, and Malala Yousafzai.
The response to a final question—“Brown girl, brown girl,/ who will you be?”—provides a meaningful vision of the future: “a powerful woman/ who is wonderfully free.” An author’s note concludes.
Best Author: May Cobb
It’s been a banner year for this local author, who’s making her mark in Texas and Tinseltown. In addition to publishing her fifth novel, The Hollywood Assistant, May Cobb served as executive producer for the adaptation of her popular book The Hunting Wives, which will become an eight-episode STARZ series with Malin Akerman and Brittany Snow. Featuring sex, murder, and misbehaving housewives, the upcoming drama is destined to be must-see TV.
Follow the link above to learn more.