Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy Knisley

Lucy Knisley was born the daughter of a chef and a gourmet food connoisseur, so it should come as no surprise that this talented cartoonist and author of several graphic novelist would write and illustrate a memoir of her obsession with food. As hilarious as her other work, Lucy uses this book to frame many important life events around what delicious food she was eating, learning to cook alongside her mother, and what it means to thoroughly enjoy a meal with those one loves.

Each frame of Relish: My Life in the Kitchen is adorned with adorable illustrations, including the recipes Knisley shares at the end of each chapter, many of them for well-loved family dishes. For Knisley food is more than just survival, it's a large part of who she is and where she's come from.

The Coincidence of Coconut Cake by Amy E. Reichert

Elizabeth "Lou" Johnson has worked tirelessly to open her quaint French restaurant, Louella's, in downtown Milwaukee. Her restaurant, named with her grandmother in mind, is a work of love for Lou. It's the place where she feels most at home, especially now that she's engaged to a narcissistic guy who always discounts Lou's opinions, ideas, and dreams. On the morning of her fiance Devlin's birthday, Lou sets out to surprise him by making her grandma's delicious coconut cake. When she gets to his apartment and catches him scantily clad with his assistant, life takes a negative turn for Lou.

Al Waters is a British transplant to Milwaukee. With a passion for food, Al (who uses the pen name A.W. Wodyski) has taken a job as an often despised food critic for a local paper. Realizing that Milwaukee is just a small stepping stone to advance his career, Al realizes he won't be here long and has nothing to lose with his harsh criticism of local restaurants. Just when he thinks he's about had enough of Milwaukee, he meets a woman who smells like vanilla and just so happens to be carrying a coconut cake.

Lou and Al's worlds collide on the night that Lou found her fiance with his assistant. Without Lou knowing A.W. Wodyski has come to review her restaurant, and suffice it to say the critic catches Lou on a day where even the easiest dish would be off kilter. Fate continues to throw Al and Lou together, and without knowing much about one another, sparks fly between them.

With a definite rom-com, You've Got Mail feel, The Coincidence of Coconut Cake is sure not to disappoint if you need a light fluffy read. Reichert, a lifelong Wisconsin resident, definitely knows her way around Milwaukee as she writes about Al and Lou's adventures to find the best food this city.

Wisconsin Supper Club Cookbook by Mary Bergin

Wisconsin is famous for its food. Beer, brats, and cheese are often staples in any Wisconsinite's diet. There's also the famous Friday night fish fry and the classic Wisconsin drink the Old Fashioned. Wisconsin is a state rich in food history. With that food history comes the supper club. Bergin's Wisconsin Supper Club Cookbook points out that each Wisconsin supper club is as unique as the small town in which it's located. Traditionally owned by a "local," these establishments are a toss back to a more simple time--homemade food, a small town feel, and a regular crowd.

Bergin's new book takes a look at some of Wisconsin's classic supper clubs. Broken up by geographical location, the book features some of the most favored recipes from of Wisconsin's most well know supper clubs. From cucumber dill spread from Redd Mill Supper Club in Stevens Point to bacon wrapped water chestnuts from Milwaukee's The Packing House, this unique cookbook is sure to have something for everyone. With a bit of a history about each supper club and lots of pictures, this book provides a unique glimpse at Wisconsin history and culture.

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

Claire Waverly, a highly-sought caterer, has an instinctive flair for cooking and more – her food has magical properties. She’s a bit of a solitary recluse, living and working alone in the house where she grew up, and she is perfectly content with her lifestyle. Then her sister, Sydney, returns home to Bascom, North Carolina, after a long absence, and disrupts everything. She has a five-year-old daughter, the niece Claire did not know she had, and she needs shelter from an abusive ex-boyfriend. As the two sisters confront each other and the abuse in their own shared past, Claire is forced to drop her guard, which opens the door for new possibilities.

Sarah Addison Allen describes Garden Spells as Southern-fried magical realism with a love story at its heart. It also has an ornery apple tree that flings prophetic apples at people. If you like Alice Hoffman, you might also like Sarah Addison Allen. Now is a good time to read Garden Spells and her other novels The Sugar Queen, The Girl Who Chased the Moon, and The Peach Keeper. Her new novel Lost Lake, is set to release early in 2014.

Check out Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen @ the library!

The End of Overeating by David Kessler

Why do some people have more trouble with their weight then others? Do obese people face some of the same challenges as alcoholics, drug users, and others with addiction problems? The author, who also struggles with obesity, looks to science for answers. He also discusses how the food industry processes food to make it more profitable and for some additive. There's a lot to digest in David Keller's book, but it does offer a solution to the obesity problem in the United States through behavior modification. If you often wonder or question your relationship with food, especially as the holiday season with all its sweet and savory treats looms near, The End of Overeating can offer some answers.