Volume 1, No. 21: Book Hugs + Zucchini Cake with Chocolate and Ginger
Greetings, bookish humans! It’s August! The river is cold, my community garden plot is full of flowers, and my CSA share this week was filled with so many delights:
I love a book that shakes things up and make me think about the world in new ways. But sometimes I just want a book hug. Comfort reading is a personal thing. My most beloved comfort reads aren’t without any tension, and they don't always avoid hard or serious subjects. They do leave me with a particular feeling: like I’ve just spent a few hours bundled up in the coziest sweater snuggling my pup, or belly laughing on the couch with my best friend. I can’t promise that these books will give you the feeling of the best hug ever (or whatever the equivalent of a great hug is for you). But that’s the feeling they give me. Regardless, every one of them is bursting with joy.
The Books
Backlist: Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal (Contemporary Fiction)
I read this book a few years ago, and whenever I think about it, I smile.
Twenty-something Nikki has spent most of her adult life distancing herself from the tight-knit Sikh community she grew up in. But after her father dies, leaving her mother in a financially precarious position, she decides to help out by taking a job teaching a creative writing class at the local Punjabi community center. She’s recently dropped out of law school and isn’t really sure where her life is going. It’s something to do.
Nikki thinks she’s signed up to teach a creative writing class. The women she’s teaching are mostly older Sikh widows, and they’re expecting a language class to help them with their basic English skills. When one of the widows finds a book of sexy stories written in English, which she brings to class to share with the others, the women begin reminiscing and fantasizing about their own sex lives. The class turns into a creative writing seminar after all. The women just aren’t writing the kind of stories Nikki was imagining.
There’s a fair amount of plot in this, but the real heart of the book is the relationships that develop between Nikki and the women. They all teach each other a lot. The time they spend together becomes healing for all of them, though in significantly different ways. It’s such a lovely depiction of how meaningful intergenerational relationships can be, and of what true reciprocity between people can look like.
Jaswal delves into many of the challenges that immigrant women in the UK face. But there is also so much humor, fun, and playfulness in this. This is what I mean when I talk about book hugs — books that address pain and heartbreak and the truly horrific things humans to do each other while also making me laugh out loud on every other page. It seems like it should be impossible, but it isn’t, and I’m so grateful, because this is such a delightful journey of a book.
I loved spending time in the London Punjabi community that Jaswal brings to life with so much love and detail. I loved getting to read the women’s ridiculous, raunchy, moving, vulnerable erotic stories. I loved watching Nikki work out her complicated feelings about her culture and family and community, and discover a lot about herself along the way. I loved that while there are some villainous men in this novel, all of the women are messy and multi-faceted and rarely make easy, simple choices. I loved all the female friendship. It’s a gloriously uplifting book, and writing about it is making me want to read it again. If you’re an audiobook listener, this one is a gem.
Frontlist: The Tea Dragon Tapestry by Kay O’Neill (Middle Grade Graphic Fiction)
This absolutely charming graphic novel is one of the softest, most tender books I’ve ever had the pleasure to read. It’s the third book in the Tea Dragon series, and while you don’t have to read the previous two in order to enjoy this one, you might as well. They are all perfect.
Tea dragons are ancient creatures that grow tea leaves on their heads. Caring for tea dragons was once a thriving art, but it has slowly died out, and now few people remain who are interested in living with and caring for them. The story is about two girls and their tea dragons, as well as their families, and their wider community.
Greta is an apprentice blacksmith who has has been caring for a tea dragon named Ginseng for about a year. Ginseng is still mourning his last owner, and no matter what she does, Greta can’t get him interested in anything, not even food. Her friend Minette has been living with the couple who taught the girls about tea dragons, Erik and Hesekiel, ever since leaving the monastery where she grew up. She's struggling to figure out who she is in this new place, and who she wants to be.
Plot, however, isn’t the point of this book. It’s a quiet story about what it means to take care of someone who is grieving, about the space and time that healing requires, about making things with your hands, and artistry, and friendship, and queer family. Like the previous books in the series, it’s a celebration of small moments: brewing tea, working a forge, falling asleep in a meadow. It’s hard to put into words just how beautiful it all is. The art is so soothing. It’s all warm colors and steaming tea and sweet tea dragons sleeping in baskets and frolicking with chickens, golden-leaved trees and snowstorms and beloved mugs.
I could honestly read this book over and over again just to let the beauty of the art wash over me. But it’s also such a refreshing, joyful story about the importance of slowing down. The world we live in often feels rushed and chaotic. It’s hard to find spaciousness — that feeling of settling into something without expectations, be it a year of being present while your friend grieves, or an afternoon tea ritual lovingly preformed. This book is spaciousness itself. Sinking into reminds me just how much gentleness and quiet and care make possible.
Upcoming: The Charm Offensive by Allison Cochrun (Romance, Atria, 9/7)
I have to admit that sometimes I read a book that is so purely delightful I become resistant to reviewing it. This happens a lot with romance — not because romance novels don’t deserve thoughtful reviews, because, obviously, they do. I read and appreciate romance reviews all the time. But I also have this urge to protect books that bring me so much uncomplicated joy. I don’t want to talk about them, or analyze them, or explain them. I just want to bask in them. This is one of those books. I’m going to write a little bit about it, but the tl;dr is: I loved it.
Did I think I would fall so hard for a book that takes place on the set of a reality dating show? I did not. But here we are. Dev is a TV producer for the show Ever After. Read: The Bachelor, but with more Disney princess vibes (at least I think so, I’ve never watched it ). He’s a romantic at heart and truly believes in people coming on the show to find true love. He usually handles the women contestants, but this time around he’s assigned to be the handler of the current season’s star, Charlie. Charlie is a reclusive tech genius who agrees to join the show to help rebuild his reputation. He’s anxious around people and generally a total mess in front of cameras.
I just cannot overstate how much I love this one. Dev and Charlie are big messes and they both have a lot of their own stuff to deal with. I am a big sucker for romances like this, angsty and messy and full of all the hard realities of opening up to another person. There is a lot of serious stuff in this book, especially around mental health and mental illness. I’ve never really understand what the definition of a romcom is (do they have to be completely fluffy or what?) but this book is my ideal romcom: it’s got heft and weight, and it’s also hilarious and silly.
Practices dates! So much softness and tenderness! Puzzing! (I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to say puzzling again when I’m doing a jigsaw puzzle. It’s puzzing from here on out.) Lots of queer characters! Drama, but not the annoying kind! Characters who figure out things about their sexuality later in life (not everyone knows everything about who they are at age 25, and I am here for books that recognize this). Misunderstandings and breakdowns in communication, but the kind that feel genuine, because sometimes saying things out loud is extraordinarily difficult, not the kind where I’m yelling at the characters to “just talk to each other already!” So. Much. Banter.
Elizabeth (@thefeministreader) summed this book up as: BE GAY DO THERAPY and she’s definitely not wrong.
I stayed up entirely to late reading it and I had to finish it before I could get any work done the next morning. It was an utter joy from start to finish, the biggest, warmest, most satisfying book hug I could ever ask for. It’s out on 9/7 and you can preorder it here. Your future self deserves a treat.
The Bake
I was going to include my favorite zucchini bread recipe, because zucchini bread, to me, feels like a hug in the form of a bake. But then I remembered this amazing cake I made last summer, which is the best thing I’ve ever baked with zucchini. And I’ve baked a lot of things with zucchini. So I decided to include it instead. It’s still a comforting dessert — just a little bit dressed up.
Hazelnut & Ginger Zucchini Cake with Chocolate & Orange
This recipe is adapted from Molly O’Neill via NYT Cooking. I added chocolate, because it belongs in all zucchini cakes, and candied orange peel, because I’m still working through my backlog from Cookie Extravaganza. It’ll still be delicious without the candied peel; I can’t make any promises if you leave out the chocolate.
Ingredients:
240 grams (2 cups) all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cinnamon
240 grams (1 1/4) cups sugar (you know me, I toast it)
zest of 1-2 oranges (I always use more zest than any recipe calls for)
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup orange juice
1 Tbs fresh ginger, grated
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups grated zucchini
108 grams (3/4 cup) hazelnuts, toasted and finely chopped
130 grams (3/4 cup) bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small chunks
1/2 cup chopped candied orange peel (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a tube pan and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar and orange zest, mixing with your fingers until the mixture is wet and fragrant. Add this to the dry ingredients. In another bowl (you can use the bowl you mixed the sugar in), whisk together the eggs, oil, orange juice, fresh ginger, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until just combined. Gently fold in the zucchini, hazelnuts, and chocolate.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 45 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cake cool in the pan for at least ten minutes before carefully turning it out to cool completely on a wire rack.
If you’d like, sprinkle chopped candied orange peel over the top of the cake. I also drizzled it with a simple glaze, which I made with the amazing ginger syrup from Old Friends Farm and a few tablespoons of powdered sugar. And if you’re not local to the Valley, they ship! It is special stuff.
The Bowl & The Beat
The Bowl: Carrot and Zucchini Fritters
I love fritters for a million reasons. One: they are delicious. Two: they freeze beautifully! Three: you can make them out of almost anything. Four: Did I mention how well they freeze? If you need a delicious way to use up zucchini, give these a try.
In a large bowl, combine a cup of flour, a teaspoon of baking powder, a pinch of salt, and the spices of your choice. (I used cumin seeds and Aleppo pepper.) In a separate bowl, whisk together an egg, a cup of milk, and the zest of a lemon. Pour the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well. Add one large grated zucchini and 2-3 large grated carrots. Mix well. If it seems thin, add some flour; if it seems thick, add some milk. Let rest for 20 minutes before frying.
Heat a fair bit of oil (olive, sunflower, canola, or a combo) in a heavy skillet. It should generously cover the bottom of the pan. Drop 1/4 cup spoonfuls of batter into the hot pan and fry for 3-4 minutes on each side, until golden brown. I like to pile them on a baking sheet and keep them warm/finish cooking them in a 300 degree oven. They’re great with a yogurt sauce (I mixed one up with yogurt, lemon juice, pressed garlic, and mint).
This recipe comes from Melissa Clark, via NYT Cooking, which is the best $45 I spend annually.
The Beat: The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo, read by Natalie Naudus
I started this book this morning and I’m completely hooked. It’s a Gatsby retelling, where Jordan Baker is a queer Vietnamese American woman, raised by adoptive parents among Louisville’s wealthy elite. There are also some elements of magic demons are a thing (there are cocktails with demon’s blood!), and Jordan can cut paper to make it come alive. The magic bits are subtle, woven effortlessly into the landscape of lavish parties and Long Island excess.
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what I love about this so far. The prose has a lovely, flowing quality to it. It’s the sort of writing that I can just relax into. Jordan is a fascinating narrator, smart and assured and observant. She holds back a lot of herself, constantly aware that few people in the white society she frequents actually see her. It seems almost irrelevant that it’s Gatsby retelling. I’m only a few hours in, and already I’m willing to follow Jordan anywhere.
The Bookshelf
The Visual
The graphic novels and memoirs have been pouring in! I just finished Witchlight and enjoyed it a lot. I’m now in the middle of You Brought Me the Ocean, which I’m also loving. I can’t wait to dive into the rest of these.
The Library Shelf
Friends, I currently have 35 books checked out of the library. I also have 20 books on hold. Don’t worry, it’s not a problem, because I’m reading one book of poetry every day this month! I mentioned last week that I was planning on participating in The Sealey Challenge. I am now fully committed and I have this gorgeous stack to prove it.
Around the Internet
No new writing from me this week, but, as you may have gathered, I am super excited about The Sealey Challenge! I’ll be gushing about poetry all month on Bookstagram.
Out Now
Hooray! Afterparties by Anthony Veasna So is now out. Do not wait on this one. It’s currently at the top of my Best of 2021 list.
The Boost
I came across this free tool put together by Daria, who runs the Accountability Mapping project. It’s a transformative justice mini-journal, with daily prompts. Daria is currently doing a “journal-along” (is that a thing?) on Instagram, and, though I’m a few days behind, I’ve found it to be a useful way to reflect on where I am and where I want to go.
As always, a little bit of beauty to send you on your way: It’s been raining practically nonstop here in Western Mass. My heart loves it, but my brain knows it’s been incredibly hard on farms. I can’t make it stop, so instead I took a walk around the garden, enjoying the contrast of bright flowers and grey skies.
And that’s it until next week! Catch you then.