Read 'Em & Eat: A Holiday Rom-Com + Latkes

A holiday/foodie rom-com and a cookbook to help you get the full experience plus an announcement!

Dec 04, 2024

Welcome to the first (experimental) edition of the Read ‘Em & Eat feature!

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been working on plans for the 2025 version of this newsletter. I always enjoy sharing things with y’all, and I’m so thankful for you being here. So, I was hoping for 2025 I could amp up the time I spend here and the type of content I provide.

I used to love doing book reviews and other types of features on my old blog (R.I.P. Fiction Groupie), but blogs mostly went away once things like Instagram and now TikTok took over. However, I feel like Substack is the closest thing to the old blog vibe that I have found. So, I’m hoping to rekindle that kind of thing here.

My goal is to provide multiple free posts a month and then additional regular weekly features for paid subscribers (which will cost $5/month). This month all posts will be free so that you can get an idea of what things look like and if you’re interested in upgrading your subscription. (If you decide not to upgrade, no worries. You will still get more posts than you have been getting in 2024!)

These are some of the regular features I’m planning (subject to change since I’m still in the experimental phase):

Free posts

Reading Mood Report & Potential TBR (beginning of the month) - This is where I’ll share the reading vibes I’m seeking for that month and then provide some suggestions and potential TBR books that fit that vibe.
Read/Watch/Listen (end of month) - You will continue to get my monthly favorite read, watch, and listen picks each month.
Happy for Now list (weekly) - A list of the things that are making me happy for now or a deep dive on one particular thing. I’m leaving this pretty loose, so the list may include books, TV shows, an item I’m liking, a meal I’m cooking, an article I loved, etc.

Paid subscriber posts

Read ‘Em & Eat - You’ll see one of these today! This will be a book review paired with a cookbook or recipe that I think goes well with the book. I’ve mentioned before that I have a 300+ cookbook library, so I have a lot to choose from!
Bookish posts (weekly) - These will be book reviews/recommendations, a deep dive bookish topic, a book list, or a Read ‘Em & Eat post.
Friday Night In (weekly) - These will mostly be movie recommendations but could occasionally include a book or TV show as well. The focus will be something to keep you entertained for a Friday night in.
Full list of what I’ve read that month, including my DNF (did not finish) list (end of the month) - This will most likely be a paid subscriber bonus at the bottom of the Read/Watch/Listen post.

So, that’s what I have on the agenda for now. I reserve the right to change and tweak it as I see what works well and what y’all enjoy the most. I want it to be fun for me to do and fun for y’all to read.

I’m really excited! I miss talking books with everyone. I hope y’all will be excited too. :)

Look for more details on how to sign up for the paid tier next month, but for now, here’s the first look at a Read ‘Em & Eat post!

Love You a Latke by Amanda Elliot

Love You a Latke by Amanda Elliot (Bookshop.org | Amazon)

What it’s about

Abby runs a little cafe in a small town in Vermont and has one customer, Seth, who annoys her daily with his cheerful optimism (grumpy/sunshine alert). Abby is fine doing her own thing even though her business is struggling until one of the townspeople decides that they need a winter festival to bring tourists into town. Because all the surrounding towns have cornered the market on Christmas festivals, someone decides that they should have a Hannukah festival instead. And since Abby is one of only two Jewish people in town, they put her in charge (whether she wants the job or not.)

Abby is overwhelmed by being in charge of this project so she decides to try to find help by signing up for a Jewish dating app to see who else is nearby. Of course, the person she matches with is Seth. She asks him for help with the festival. He agrees to hook her up with Jewish food vendors in New York on one condition—he needs her to be his fake girlfriend when he goes home for Hannukah because his family won’t get off his back about not being in a relationship (fake relationship alert).

My thoughts

This definitely had Hallmark holiday movie vibes, and I loved being transported to wintertime in New York and following along with Abby and Seth as they did all kinds of fun holiday-related events with his friends and family. I could absolutely picture this one as a movie. Plus, there were delicious food descriptions throughout. Don’t read this when you’re hungry!

I also loved that I got a peek into Hannukah traditions, which I’m not as familiar with, and I appreciated seeing the holiday through Abby’s eyes as she rediscovered parts of her heritage and traditions that she had let go of because she was estranged from her (terrible) parents.

Seth was a sweet and endearing hero. One thing I wished we’d had in this book is his POV, but the story is told solely from Abby’s POV. I’m not sure I would’ve put up with Abby’s grumpy/meanness early in the book like he did, but he persevered.

Overall, this was a fun holiday romance with a great setting, delicious descriptions, and a couple and family you could root for. Heat level is kisses-only. And the angst-level is pretty low. I’d call the black moment a gray moment. So if you’re looking for something fun and light for the season, pick this one up!

And when you do, maybe make some latkes with it. Which brings me to…

Jew-ish: Reinvented Recipes from a Modern Mensch by Jake Cohen

Jew-ish: Reinvented Recipes from a Modern Mensch by Jake Cohen (Bookshop.org | Amazon)

I am not Jewish, but I have no less than four Jewish cookbooks on my shelf. Why? The food is FANTASTIC. So, today I’m bringing you one that would pair perfectly with Love You a Latke.

Jew-Ish is a cookbook that isn’t afraid to take the classics and put a spin on them. Jake pulls recipes from his Ashkenazi heritage and his husband’s Persian-Iraqi heritage and then puts modern twists on them. Some are more involved than others. For instance, making babka from scratch or making French onion brisket is gonna take a minute. But then there are also super simple recipes that you could whip up for dinner like Baharat Smashed Potatoes or…Perfect Potato Latkes if you want to stay on theme.

And bonus, it looks like this cookbook is available in Kindle Unlimited right now, so if you want to browse it, there you go!

I have a long list of recipes earmarked in this one to attempt.

However, if you’re not into the cooking, I have one more option for you!

A few years ago when my father-in-law passed away, my husband’s boss at the time sent us the 3-course dinner for 4 from Katz’s Deli in New York. This was not only a very thoughtful gift during a difficult time, it was also freaking delicious. The following year, this is what I asked my husband to order for my birthday.

Katz’s ships anywhere in the U.S. and everything arrived sealed and fresh. There are a number of different packages and gift options, but my favorite is this one. It includes:

1 lb pastrami
1 lb corned beef
2 qts matzo ball soup
1 quart of pickles ( choose: full sour pickles or new pickles)
Half Loaf of seedless rye bread
4 square knishes
1/2 lb mustard
Your Choice of Chocolate or Cinnamon babka ←I haven’t tried the cinnamon but the chocolate was OMG good.

Just looking this up for this post makes me want to order one lol. But if you’re looking for a treat over the holidays or maybe want to treat someone else, this could be a fun option. (Also, I’m not an affiliate on this. I just love it.)

Alright, that’s all I have for you today. I hope you enjoyed the new feature!

Also, I’d love your feedback if you have thoughts on some of the new things. Feel free to leave a comment or hit reply on the email to share with me.

What have you been reading or eating lately that’s been good?