Welcome to Book Beat!
Book Beat aims to highlight other books that we may hear about through friends, social media, or other sources. We could see a gorgeous ad! Or find a new-to-us author on a list of underrated romances! Think of Book Beat as Teen Beat or Tiger Beat, but for books. And no staples to open to get the fold-out poster.
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The Gauguin Connection
Author: Estelle Ryan
Released: August 1, 2012
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Series: Genevieve Lenard #1Murdered artists. Masterful forgeries. Art crime at its worst.
A straightforward murder investigation quickly turns into a quagmire of stolen Eurocorps weapons, a money-laundering charity, forged art and high-ranking EU officials abusing their power.
As an insurance investigator and world renowned expert in nonverbal communication, Dr Genevieve Lenard faces the daily challenge of living a successful, independent life. Particularly because she has to deal with her high functioning Autism. Nothing – not her studies, her high IQ or her astounding analytical skills – prepared her for the changes about to take place in her life.
It started as a favour to help her boss’ acerbic friend look into the murder of a young artist, but soon it proves to be far more complex. Forced out of her predictable routines, safe environment and limited social interaction, Genevieve is thrown into exploring the meaning of friendship, expanding her social definitions, and for the first time in her life be part of a team in a race to stop more artists from being murdered.
Gail recently mentioned this one in the comments of The Rec League: Thefts. It’s also currently free!
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Knot My Reality
Author: Miranda May
Released: February 22, 2023
Genre: Paranormal, Romance
Series: Heated #1I have everything that I could possibly want—money, power, and success. The only thing I’m missing is the one thing that every omega needs: a pack.
My best friend and co-founder, Tessa, and I have made our company a success by creating apps for fellow omegas. Knotted allows omegas to find alphas for one-time assistance with their heat, and Mated allows omegas to search for their forever packs in a safe environment. But now it’s time to expand our brand with Heated—an experimental reality television show that will follow an omega who is closing in on their heat as they try to choose amongst suitors who want to be a part of their pack. Because who wouldn’t want to have their struggle to find a pack televised for the masses to see?
Deciding to kill two birds with one stone by launching my career to the next level while also getting my friends and family off my back—I will be the first omega on Heated.
With only eight weeks until my heat, I didn’t realize how overwhelming it would be to be constantly surrounded by twenty hot, willing men who are all vying for my attention while also trying to run the show from behind the scenes. I can’t seem to allow the people I hired to do their jobs—after all, I’m the only one I can trust besides Tessa, right? Because if this fails, it’s all on me.
Can this control freak omega learn to let go and find her pack? Or will Heated prove to be Bree’s first and greatest failure?
I came across this book while hunting for sales to feature and I just had to mention it.
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The Official Stardew Valley Cookbook
Author: ConcernedApe
Released: May 14, 2024 by Random House Worlds
Genre: CookbookThe first official cookbook from the immensely popular Stardew Valley, featuring more than 50 delightful recipes straight out of the video game.
“Hungry? Thirsty? I’ve got just the thing!”—Gus
Welcome to Stardew Valley, where each season brings a new crop of bountiful food to make for friends and family. From farm staples like veggies, fruit, milk, and eggs to foraged mushrooms and berries to fresh fish, there’s always something delicious to put on the table. These 50 recipes are based on in-game meals and food, allowing you to cook and eat all your home-grown and fresh-caught ingredients in real life. The Official Stardew Valley Cookbook is organized by season and has recipes from your favorite characters, including the Queen of Sauce and Gus at the Stardrop Saloon. Written in collaboration with independent game creator ConcernedApe and packed with original illustrations and food photography, The Official Stardew Valley Cookbook helps you bring the Valley’s incredible flavors to the dinner table, giving you the energy to take on the world.
We love Stardew Valley and I’m personally toying with restarting the game with all of the new updates out. Curious about the recipes in this one, especially the strange bun with void mayonnaise.
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Stuzzichini
Author: Stef Ferrari
Released: April 23, 2024 by Voracious
Genre: CookbookA FOOD & WINE BEST NEW BOOK
Capture the magic of Italian happy hour with over 100 stunningly-photographed recipes for easy-to-make snacks and memorable sips.
From the Tuscan countryside to Sicilian cafes, Italians enjoy their drinks with snacks called stuzzichini (“stoo-zih-ki-ni”). These small bites, skewers, dips, toasts, pastries and more are provided at no extra charge by the restaurant or bar and served alongside Negronis and Aperol Spritzes at aperitivo hour. Let this magical tradition of hospitality inspire your spread the next time you’re tempted to assemble a cheese board for a gathering or put out a bowl of chips for a snack.
Discover Stuzzichini in all of its many mouth-watering iterations:
- Crunchy bites from Sage & Brown Butter Popcorn to Farfalle Chips with Parmigiano Reggiano Cream
- Finger foods like Classic Tuscan Crepes with Ricotta and Honey and Prosciutto Cups with Melon and Burrata Filling
- Fried bites like Ascolana Style Fried Olives or Crab Fritters with Strega Citrus Vinaigrette
- and a mix of classic and new aperitivo cocktails, from the classic Americano, to a Hibiscus Ginger Spritz and, of course, the mysterious Negroni Sbagliato
It’s time to relax like an Italian. Stuzzichini is your guide to elevated snacking and recreating that sun-soaked piazza energy, chilled Spritz in hand!
Given the prevalence of “girl dinner” (rants about the term notwithstanding), I’m all about this cookbook for dinner snacking.
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…girl dinner?
I don’t think I want to know. And yet. Huh. Is it …quiche? That was a thing in the 70s for some reason. Is it, is it pink? Back in the 20s, shortly after they decided pink was for girls instead of boys, I think there was a thing about green and white dinners. Oh, is it like galentine’s day? Girl. Dinner. Does it involve gin? If it’s just aperitivo or tapas or whatnot I am all in, but. why? Is it somehow effeminate to snack while getting drunk? Please let it not be about dieting. Oh! Is this just girl power redux?
I would ask the internet more generally but it’s scary out there. I am going to go crawl back under my rock. I can live with the mystery if it’s some new level of horror.
@kkw: “Girl dinner” is basically snacks for dinner. Charcuterie boards. Cheese and crackers, carrots and hummus, celery with peanut butter, sliced fruit, etc. It’s what you do instead of cooking or assembling a meal.
Girl dinner is lazy dinner assembled from stuff in your fridge or cabinets. Like grapes, a cheese stick, eight Ritz and four Oreos. The grim part of it is that it can be performative disordered eating (look how little I eat for dinner) that can be rampant on certain parts of the internet.
One counterpoint to girl dinner is that it’s not about the endless caretaking of others and more about self-care. I can feed what my body needs and wants for a meal as opposed to trying to please the rest of the family.
Estelle Ryan’s Genevieve Lenard series is excellent. Bonus pleasure if you enjoy art.
I definitely needed to make Knot My Reality mine, holy wow.