Some days, the world feels like it’s spinning a little too fast. Headlines pile up, notifications ping nonstop, and suddenly your brain is begging for a breather. When that happens, nothing works quite as well as slipping into a different world — one filled with flavor, adventure, or humor.
If you’re craving a diversion, here are three books that offer just that — comfort, escape, and a reminder that joy still exists. When the world feels overwhelming, books can be a lifeline. These three will pull you into a world that feels a little lighter, a little brighter, and a lot more human.
1. The Catskills Farm to Table Cookbook, Revised Edition by Courtney Wade
A delicious escape into the heart of the Catskills.
There’s something grounding about returning to the basics: good food, beautiful landscapes, and the people who make both possible. The Catskills Farm to Table Cookbook by renowned chef Courtney Wade is a love letter to the region’s growers, makers, and chefs — and a visual feast in its own right. The lush new edition invites readers to savor the region’s seasonal bounty with updated recipes and stories rooted in local farms and kitchens.
As cookbook slash travelogue, the book will transport you to rolling hills, cozy farm kitchens, and the kind of meals that make you exhale. Whether you’re cooking from it or simply flipping through the pages, it’s a reminder that nourishment comes in many forms.
Wade’s recipes, like the Lilac Almond Scones below, showcase ingredients that are elegantly transformed from backyard gardens and country paths to elegant treats capturing the beauty of the Catskills in every bite.
Lilac Almond Scones
Yields 1 Dozen
Ingredients
2½ cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons salted butter, chilled
¼ cup sugar, plus more for baking
¹⁄³ cup heavy cream, plus more for baking
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ cup almonds, toasted and chopped
1 cup lilac flowers
Directions
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl or the bowl of a food processor. Cut chilled butter in by hand or by pulsing in a food processor until pea-sized pieces form. Blend in sugar, almonds, and flowers. Add heavy cream and blend until a soft dough forms.
Transfer dough onto a well-floured surface and divide in half. Form dough into two six-inch rounds and cut into 6 triangles. Place scones onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush with additional cream and top with sugar. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown on top.
2. License to Thrill by Rebecca Rosenberg
A fizzy, fast‑paced escape into sparkling wine and adventure.
If you want a book that feels like popping a bottle of bubbly, Rebecca Rosenberg delivers. License to Thrill, Lily Bollinger blends wine, travel, and mystery into a story that’s as effervescent as the sparkling wines it celebrates.
The latest novel in Rosenberg’s “Champagne Widow’s series,” License to Thrill is based on the true story of one of Champagne’s most iconic figures, Grand Dame Lily Bollinger. The book is a gripping account of the woman who risked everything to make Bollinger Champagne a legend, through War and the 1940s Nazi Occupation to an unexpected twist that redefines her legacy decades later.
Rosenberg has a gift for whisking readers away with well-crafted storytelling and a sense of fun and momentum. It’s the perfect pick when you want to be entertained, delighted, and fully distracted from whatever is happening in the real world.
Take a deep breath and settle in with a classic Champagne Cocktail inspired by the book.
Classic Champagne Cocktail
Ingredients
1 sugar cube
5 dashes Angostura bitters
Squeezed lemon peel
1 glass of Champagne
Make the lemon twist garnish, if using.
Add a sugar cube to bottom of a champagne flute. Add 5 dashes of bitters to the sugar cube. Use a vegetable peeler to peel off a small strip of lemon skin. Squeeze the lemon skin into the flute to release the oils.
Fill the glass with champagne and serve immediately: watch how the sugar cube makes the bubbles sparkle! Garnish with a lemon twist if desired.
Recipe/Photo courtesy of acouplecooks.com
3. A Wine Lover’s Guide to Parenting: The Fine Art of Wine & Whine Management by Danielle Frank
A hilarious, relatable break for anyone who needs a laugh.
Sometimes the best escape is laughter. Wine industry veteran Danielle Frank’s A Wine Lover’s Guide to Parenting is a witty, irreverent take on raising kids while keeping your sanity (and your sense of humor) intact. In this whimsically illustrated hardcover book, Frank reframes frustration as fermentation, reminding adults that sometimes the healthiest response to a meltdown is a well-timed metaphor and a well-poured merlot.
A Wine Lover’s Guide is part parenting guide, part comic relief, and part celebration of the chaos that comes with family life. Whether you’re a parent yourself or just appreciate a well‑timed joke, this book offers the kind of levity that pairs beautifully with a glass in hand.
