These days, eccentric ice cream flavors are as popular as Phish Food, but San Francisco ice creamery Humphry Slocombe was one of the originators. Now you can make their kooky cones yourself–40 types to be exact. The book’s got classics like Tahitian vanilla and malted milk chocolate, but also has recipes for salted licorice and balsamic caramel, most of which, if using an ice cream maker, are easy to whip up (sans-machine ... Read More

  A nice-guy husband, a nice job, a nice apartment: for many women, this sounds like the ideal way to end their 20s; for an almost-30 Jessica Dorfman Jones, it felt like the end to her life. Looking to shake things up just a bit, she signs up for guitar lessons and winds up quickly entering the world of sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll. (“It’s not a list,” she insists, “It’s a lifestyle.”) ... Read More

Tara Hardy gives you her life’s thesis when she writes, “…my/blood does not make a pity trip.” Indeed, what grips about the poems in Bring Down The Chandeliers (Write Bloody Publishing) is not that she speaks so directly about incest, chronicling the sexual abuse from her father. (In fact, nowhere is the word “abuse” even used in these poems.) Hardy’s gift is her ability to take bravery where ... Read More

  If you’re a crafter who’s dreaming of quitting your day job, this book will provide you with the necessary know-how. Hello Craft is a non-profit trade association dedicated to crafters and the handmade movement, and their insider knowledge of the industry makes them a natural (and adorable) guide to its nuances. Handmade to Sell walks you through the ins and outs of business -launching, covering topics such as registering ... Read More

In Battleborn, a collection of short stories, Claire Vaye Watkins recreates the rich and complicated history of the desert regions of California and Nevada. The title is derived from one of Nevada’s nicknames, The Battle Born State, which it earned by becoming a state during the Civil War. Similarly, the ghosts of past battles are never far away from the characters’ minds as they struggle through life. Watkins succeeds at using ... Read More