“Things Every Southern Woman Should Know How to Make”

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Alice clicked on the headline, mildly curious about what yet another stranger thought should be in her kitchen repertoire. Pictures of China plates mounded with crispy fried chicken, greens, cobbler, and a pile of biscuits a mile high flooded the screen, all set off with a pitcher of sweet tea beaded with condensation. The table was set; an apron draped off to the side next to a box labeled “Gramma’s Recipes” in fine calligraphy. She closed the browser and put away her tablet. She was born a Georgia peach, but she couldn’t make a cobbler to save her life. Did that mean she wasn’t southern? Or maybe just not “Southern.” For Alice, there was no recipe box full of family traditions. Her younger years were filled with rental homes in different states and her father’s voice coaxing her toward a text book rather than a cookbook. Metalworking and fabrication held more interest than learning to flambé or sauté. Did it make her less of a woman that her cooking skills consisted of fresh salads...
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Book Recs: A SUN IS ALSO A STAR by Nicola Yoon


Natasha and Daniel’s lives collide on a crossroads to their uncertain futures. Natasha is on a desperate mission to stay in the states, and a poetic boy in a red tie doesn’t fit into her plans. But Natasha is the twist-of-fate Daniel has been wishing for; the sign that he can escape the life of Ivy League ambition his parents have planned for him. Coincidence or destiny, their collision will change their hearts and minds forever.

Even though there is love-at-first-sight (at least for Daniel), this isn’t a reality-breaking insta-love story where nothing matters anymore because the characters are in love. They still have decisions to make, and while they influence each other, they still have to make them on their own. However, Natasha and Daniel’s meeting creates eddies that alter the world around them, and these ripples add subtle layers that enrich the depth of the story. These small twists make this one of those books that sticks with you long after you read it.

You can find out more about Nicola Yoon and her books at www.nicolayoon.com.

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