An accidental friendship unfolds between a widowed octogenarian Orthodox rabbi and a gay, Jewish twenty-something in this witty & thoughtful novel. In Yiddish, there is a word for it: bashert—the person you are fated to meet. Twentysomething Benji Steiner views the concept with skepticism. But the elderly rabbi who stumbles into Benji’s office one day has no such doubts. Jacob Zuckerman’s late wife, Sophie, was his bashert. And now that she’s gone, Rabbi Zuckerman grapples with overwhelming grief and loneliness. Touched by the rabbi’s plight, Benji becomes his helper—driving him home after work, sitting in his living room listening to stories. Their friendship baffles everyone, especially Benji’s sharp-tongued, modestly observant mother. But Benji is rediscovering something he didn’t know he’d lost. Yet the test of friendship, and of both men’s faith, lies in the difficult truths they come to share. With each revelation, Benji learns what it means not just to be Jewish, but to be fully human—imperfect, striving, and searching for the pieces of ourselves that come only through another’s acceptance. Praise for Sweet Like Sugar “A story that is beautifully told, profound and funny.” —Jonathan Rosen, author of Joy Comes In The Morning “A stirring story about the face of love on many different levels.” —Carolyn Hessel “An unforeseen tale of friendship and faith.” —Dave King, author of The Ha-Ha

A fascinating persuasive history of how sugar has shaped the world, from European colonies to our modern diets In this eye-opening study, Sidney Mintz shows how Europeans and Americans transformed sugar from a rare foreign luxury to a commonplace necessity of modern life, and how it changed the history of capitalism and industry. He discusses the production and consumption of sugar, and reveals how closely interwoven are sugar's origins as a "slave" crop grown in Europe's tropical colonies with is use first as an extravagant luxury for the aristocracy, then as a staple of the diet of the new industrial proletariat. Finally, he considers how sugar has altered work patterns, eating habits, and our diet in modern times. "Like sugar, Mintz is persuasive, and his detailed history is a real treat." -San Francisco Chronicle

After being with Qin Tian for two years, I thought our marriage was admirable, but I didn't expect him to only use my account to rise to the top. When a blissful marriage is torn apart, its contents have long since rotted away. I thought I loved him, but when I met that man, everything was different.

How did sugar grow from prize to pariah? Acclaimed historian James Walvin looks at the history of our collective sweet tooth, beginning with the sugar grown by enslaved people who had been uprooted and shipped vast distances to undertake the grueling labor on plantations. The combination of sugar and slavery would transform the tastes of the Western world. Prior to 1600, sugar was a costly luxury, the domain of the rich. But with the rise of the sugar colonies in the New World over the following century, sugar became cheap, ubiquitous, and an everyday necessity. Less than fifty years ago, few people suggested that sugar posed a global health problem. And yet today, sugar is regularly denounced as a dangerous addiction, on a par with tobacco. Masterfully insightful and probing, James Walvin reveals the relationship between society and sweetness over the past two centuries— and how it explains our conflicted relationship with sugar today.

In this steamy romance, a playboy Nascar driver and a sex-positive filmmaker enter into a marriage of convenience, but sparks fly when their union stars to turn up the heat in their small Georgia town. As owner and operator of Sugar and Spice Sinema, Eve Farrel creates red-hot how-to videos that help couples go from mild to wild. But Eve herself is single—and her famous feminist mother is determined to keep her that way. The only way Eve can get her mom off her back is to do the unthinkable—like get married. Linc Adams is a bad-boy Nascar driver whose love life is faster than his car. The last thing he wants is to follow in his father's footsteps and run for mayor of his Georgia town. Hoping to blow his electoral chances, he agrees to marry Eve. Surely, her knockout looks and steamy career will shock conservative voters! But Linc's in for a shock himself on his wedding night. This fast-track ladies' man is about to learn a trick or two . . . and Eve is about to learn something new about love.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Soon to be a Hulu Original series • The internationally acclaimed author of Wild collects the best of The Rumpus's Dear Sugar advice columns plus never-before-published pieces. Rich with humor and insight—and absolute honesty—this "wise and compassionate" (New York Times Book Review) book is a balm for everything life throws our way. Life can be hard: your lover cheats on you; you lose a family member; you can’t pay the bills—and it can be great: you’ve had the hottest sex of your life; you get that plum job; you muster the courage to write your novel. Sugar—the once-anonymous online columnist at The Rumpus, now revealed as Cheryl Strayed, author of the bestselling memoir Wild—is the person thousands turn to for advice.

The time had come for a young sugar glider to leave home. She tried to be brave, kissed her mummy on the cheek, and scampered on her way. Follow Sugar in this original tale about learning to be happy with who you are.

Sugar Work chronicles the complexities of womanhood, race, and gender that arose from growing up around sex work in Atlanta, Georgia in the late 1990s. Poems investigate beauty and whiteness, the aftermath of sexual trauma on the female body, divorce, desire, and art itself.

A diverse and accessible collection of spice-enhanced recipes that will transform your baking and awaken your senses--from a classically trained pastry chef. Welcome to a world of exotic spices and flavorings from the warm embrace of clove and ginger to the fiery touch of peppercorns and chiles, from the sensual kiss of cardamom and rose to the surprising sensations of sumac and za'atar. With encouraging language, invaluable tips, and a passionate approach to flavor, Malika Ameen seeks to push spices beyond the realm of savory to the world of sweet where they can add everything from a delicate whisper to a surprising punch to cakes and tarts, cookies and bars, ice creams and sorbets, barks and brittles, and more. The 78 recipes are arranged by the feelings and sensations they evoke: Spicy and Warm; Floral and Aromatic; Bright and Fresh; Savory, Earthy and Nutty; and Complex and Mysterious. Create showstoppers such as Roasted Peach and Custard Borek for your next culinary gathering; its velvety saffron cream and subtle cardamom sugar are all wrapped inside light, crunchy layers of phyllo dough. Update classics with a new twist such as Lusty Lemon Squares with a spiced dark chocolate crust dotted with pink peppercorns. Kids and the young at heart will delight in the orange zest, vanilla bean, and cinnamon spiced churros with their accompanying sticky toffee sauce. Beautiful full-page images and an invaluable spice glossary help round out an accessible addition to any dessert library.

Recipes for mouthwatering desserts with minimal refined sugar from the James Beard Award–winning pastry chef and author of Flour. Trust Joanne Chang—beloved author of the bestselling Flour and a Harvard math major to boot—to come up with this winning formula: minus the sugar = plus the flavor. The sixty-plus recipes here are an eye-opener for anyone who loves to bake and wants to cut back on the sugar. Joanne warmly shares her secrets for playing up delicious ingredients and using natural sweeteners, such as honey, maple syrup, and fruit juice. In addition to entirely new go-to recipes, she’s also revisited classics from Flour and her lines-out-the-door bakeries to feature minimal refined sugar. More than forty mouthwatering photographs beautifully illustrate these revolutionary recipes, making this a must-have book for bakers of all skill levels.