The reading is easy this fall as writers deliver books on cocktail crafting, literary journeys, and even some foodie romance.
Don’t forget to mark your calendar for Litquake events, too (October 10-26).
Literary Journeys: Mapping Fictional Travels Across the World of Literature, edited by John McMurtrie
An editor at McSweeney’s Publishing and former books editor at the San Francisco Chronicle, McMurtrie has crafted a literary travel guide to more than 75 journeys in world literature. Through original essays, a group of international literary critics and scholars explore journeys featured in books like Homer’s Odyssey, Roberto Bolano’s The Savage Detectives, Kerouac’s On the Road, and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah. According to Publishers Weekly, this guide, illustrated with engravings, paintings, photographs and full color maps, offers “punchy takes on celebrated literature” and “is a trip well worth taking.” // $30, Princeton University Press
Heyday at Fifty: Selected Writings from Five Decades of Independent California Publishing, edited by Emmerich Anklam, Gayle Wattawa and Steve Wasserman
One of the Bay Area’s longest-running and still thriving publishers, Heyday was founded in 1974 and has published more than 500 books that celebrate California’s distinctive spirit. Now, the editors and staff have gathered highlights featuring writing from authors Gary Snyder, Jane Smiley, Linda Ronstadt, Obi Kaufmann, founder Malcolm Margolin, and more. These writings explore the state’s natural wonders, the historic arts scene, and give voice to the West’s indigenous communities.
Local author Rebecca Solnit says, “Confluence is a big part of California, and Heyday has been the glorious secret center of confluence for many years, the place where art and literature and Native lore and environmental history all converge." // $25, Heyday Books
Spirits Distilled: A Guide to the Ingredients Behind a Better Bottle, by Nat Harry
With more than 15 years experience in the beverage industry, including curating the spirits portfolio for Cask and judging for the San Francisco World Spirits Competition since 2020, cocktail professional Nat Harry has written a new kind of cocktail reference guide and resource that approaches spirits by plant, from the ground up. Traveling the world from Oaxaca to Louisville to Okinawa, Harry explores the raw ingredients that make up our favorite drinks. According to cocktail expert Virginia Miller, it's“as detailed and geeky as it is approachable and digestible.” // $35, Westwood Press
City Eats: San Francisco: 50 Recipes from the Best of the City by the Bay, by Trevor Felch
Come for the Hog Island clam chowder, stay for the Souvla chicken. City Eats features more than 50 recipes collected from iconic SF restaurants, as well as interviews with local chefs and restaurateurs. Felch, a restaurant writer for SF Examiner and 7x7 contributor, highlights beloved neighborhood hotspots. // $23, Cider Mill Press
Mayor of the Tenderloin: Del Seymour's Journey from Living on the Streets to Fighting Homelessness in San Francisco, by Alison Owings
The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco, by Michelle Chouinard
Michelle Chouinard, Bay Area author of eight previous mysteries under another name, has a new mystery with a quirky and clever premise: Imagine if your grandfather was an infamous local serial killer. Would you then choose a job giving serial killer tours of the city? Add in family drama, copycat killers, a podcast, and becoming the suspect yourself in a recent local murder and you have a pretty killer read for the fall. // $28, Minotaur Books
The Slowest Burn, by Sarah Chamberlain
A tasty opposites-attract romance from this former Northern California (now London) resident, The Slowest Burn is set in the food world of San Francisco. Ellie Wasserman is a ghostwriter for celebrity cookbooks with no interest in dating at the moment; Kieran O’Neill is an up-and-coming chef and former class clown forced to work with Ellie on his new book. Working together in a hot kitchen for weeks on end, this sharp and sweet romance grows, but they both must face their painful pasts to know if the relationship is meant to be. Before writing this debut novel, Chamberlain has been a writer, editor, and cookbook translator for Vice, The Guardian (UK), Food52, and McSweeney's. // $18, St. Martin’s
