The original version of this newsletter was sent out on Tuesday, December 2.
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Hello, fellow bookworms! I hope everyone had a restful Thanksgiving.
This week, Matt Kettmann brings us a roundup of what he’s been reading lately, with plenty of food & wine goodness for those who want some extra culinary inspiration to bring to the holiday season.
Happy reading!
—Tessa, allbooked@independent.com
Aside from when I’m walking the dog, driving, sleeping, or showering, I read almost constantly, given the appropriate conditions. I read while I work, while I eat, while I watch TV, even sometimes while I’m hanging out with friends. But it’s rarely books — it’s newspapers, magazines, and, as you may guess, whatever I can find on my phone or computer.
I am, of course, a big fan of books, it’s just that I rarely find the right time and setting to turn so many pages. And when I do, I usually feel like I need to catch up on classics. Over the last year, for instance, I got into Mark Twain’s Life on the Mississippi and The Innocents Abroad and, the white whale I never read (and still haven’t finished), Moby Dick by Herman Melville.
Meanwhile, I’m inundated with press releases about the latest titles to hit the market, specifically books related to wine and food. I usually ignore them, unless there is a direct Central Coast connection, as I’ve got plenty to write about already.
But this year’s batch of new titles featured a few that seemed worthy of my time. And once I was saying yes to those, that opened the door to accept other books as well, all of which might be worth your own time.
So I present to you the following roundup, featuring books that could be solid solutions to your holiday needs. (This newsletter originally ran on November 21 as one of my weekly Full Belly Files, where I write behind-the-scenes stories about my life as a journalist covering food, drink, travel, and much more every Friday. Sign up for Full Belly Files here.)
FOOD
Steak House by Eric Wareheim with Gabe Ulla
This book showed up unsolicited, much like the Las Jaras Wines that Wareheim, a famous comedian/actor, produces from around California.
Occupying an undefined niche somewhere between coffee table book, cookbook, tour guide, and meat porn, Steak House is dripping with bloody awesomeness. He landed a book deal to cover 10 legendary steakhouses, but then hit more than 60 in 12 months with verite photographer Marcus Nilsson in tow. About 30 made the cut, and we get their backstories FOOD recipes presented like a love letter to this American invention.
If you like eating out at all, you’ll never get full of this one.
Perfect for: Meat lovers, nostalgia seekers, hipster cousins who think they’re too cool for you.
WINE GUIDES
Smart Mouth: Wine Essentials for You, Me, and Everyone We Know, by Jordan Salcito
This is very possibly the best wine guide I’ve ever read.
Renowned sommelier Salcito’s tone is friendly and approachable but incredibly knowledgeable and comfortingly authoritative. From describing her own path to breaking down usually technical winemaking details to exploring the various viticultural hotspots of the world, Smart Mouth manages to be entertaining and exhaustive at once.
The combination of accurate information and convivial vibe feels like just what a struggling wine world needs right now. This book teaches you how to love the broad world of wine, rather than telling you which specific wines or regions to like.
Perfect for: Wine lovers of any stripe, especially those just getting interested.
It’s widely appreciated by now that the wine industry forgot or downright ignored more than half of the world’s cultures for a long time, even as Asian, African, and Latin American peoples were embracing the beverage.
This book by somm/event producer/professor McCoy (and Schlack, my former Wine Enthusiast editor) aims to embrace all cultures. They provide wine information, recipes, and suggested pairings from Africa, the Caribbean, Asia, Latin America, and the United States, particularly soul food, barbecue, lowcountry, and Creole cooking.
Perfect for: Cooks wanting to try out new dishes; wine lovers in search of new flavor combos; anyone seeking a better world.
Wine Simple: Perfect Pairings, by Aldo Sohm with Christine Muhlke
One of the most famous somms of his generation, Sohm breaks down the seemingly mysterious world of pairing wine with food while busting up long-accepted truths — white wine with fish, what grows together goes together, etc. — along the way.
The book is very guide-like, with big text, lots of infoboxes, and an almost app-like array of images and bubbles that make for eye-catching content no matter where you turn the page. A straight-through read is almost certain to improve your cooking and wine game, no matter your existing skills.
Perfect for: Detail-oriented oenophiles and cooks; anyone needing a quick leg-up in wine/food knowledge.
FICTION
Killer Vintage by Eric D. Sanchez
This drug crime-meets-Texas wine novel is a fast, fun read, with lots of details on winemaking. There’s plenty of fun dives into the pop culture of the 1990s as well, with ample cop-caper tension pulling the plot along. This is Sanchez’s first novel, but I foresee more, especially as the Texas wine scene continues to explode.
Perfect for: Fans of TV crime procedurals; those seeking winemaking intel told as part of a story; Texas aficionados.
A Night in the Vine by Patricia Mahon
This novel follows friends who escape L.A. to look for a mysterious “Grape Whisperer” in Santa Barbara County’s wine country, only to become caught on one heavenly estate during a hellish rainstorm. There are plenty of Santa Ynez Valley cameos, specifically Blackjack Ranch, Andrew Murray, Foxen. Demetria, and Zaca Mesa wineries.
Perfect for: Fans of aforementioned wineries; anyone who appreciates wine-country-as-plot.
NON-FICTION & MEMOIR
Vintage Crime: A Short History of Wine Fraud by Rebecca Gibb
This is the paperback release of this 2023 book by Gibb, a journalist and Master of Wine. With academic rigor — the bibliography is nearly 20 pages, and the index exceeds that — yet efficient, engaging prose, Vintage Crime covers the major movement and scandals in wine history, from Rome’s watering down to the Austrian antifreeze incident to the recent cons of Rudy Kurniawan.
Perfect for: The smartest wine lover you know; law enforcement or librarian friends; anyone who loved The Billionaire’s Vinegar.
Burned out by his round-the-clock San Francisco job consulting for high-power CEOs, Moran winds up at an old house in Sonoma County while trying to get his baby to sleep. Soon he’s planting a vineyard and slowing down his life in the country. It’s a charming family tale of redemption, inspiring for those seeking a new path in life (especially if you’ve already got means!).
Perfect for: Middle-age crisis endurers; home & garden renovators; workaholics.
How to Cook a Coyote: The Joy of Old Age by Betty Fussell
We will soon be publishing a cover story that I’m working on about Fussell’s last book — don’t worry she’s still alive, but she’s done writing. So I’ll just say that this memoir about the famous food writer growing older at Casa Dorinda is a really moving, meaningful read — even for middle-aged men like myself.
Perfect for: Anyone over the age of 40; fans of Fussell; Santa Barbara residents.
—Matt Kettmann
FROM OUR PAGES
We’ve had some great author visits and interviews recently, so don’t miss out. Here is some of our book-related coverage from the last two weeks! Read all this and more at Independent.com.
“Lessons from a Peace Pioneer” by Jim Buckley
“Crying in H Mart Is UCSB Reads 2026 Book” by Johannes Steffens
UPCOMING BOOK EVENTS
Below, you will find a few bookish events coming up in Santa Barbara. If you are hosting a bookish event in Santa Barbara, be sure to submit the event to our online events calendar.
Fiction Book Club
Wednesday, December 3, 5:30 p.m. | S.B. Central Library
Book Signing: Jeanne Dentzel: Social Surrealism
Thursday, December 4, 5 p.m. | Jeanne Dentzel Art Studio
Chaucer’s Book Talk & Signing: Lorissa Rinehart: Winning the Earthquake: How Jeanette Rankin Defied All Odds to Become the First Woman in Congress
Thursday, December 4, 6 p.m. | Chaucer’s Books
Godmothers Gather: Betty Fussell: How to Cook a Coyote: The Joy of Old Age
Thursday, December 4, 6 p.m. | Godmothers
Santa Bárbara Mission Archive-Library Open House: December
Saturday, December 6, 9:30 a.m. | Santa Bárbara Mission Archive-Library
Online Seminar Series: The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism
Saturday, December 6, 12 p.m. | Online, The Agora Foundation
Writers’ Workshop
Saturday, December 6, 12:30 p.m. | Goleta Community Center
Tecolote Book Shop Book Signing: Kenneth Strange: It’s Your Camino: One Couple’s 500-Mile Pilgrimage Across Spain
Saturday, December 6, 3 p.m. | Tecolote Book Shop
Chaucer’s Special Event: Macduff Everton and Mary Heebner, The Book of Santa Barbara (Second Edition)
Sunday, December 7, 4 p.m. | Chaucer’s Books
Godmothers Gather: Eve Rodsky and Samantha Rose: The Fair Play Guide to Grief
Sunday, December 7, 6 p.m. | Godmothers
Godmothers Gather: Aleksandra Crapanzano and Amanda Hesser: Chocolat: Parisian Desserts and Other Delights
Monday, December 8, 6 p.m. | Godmothers
Bilingual Songs & Stories for Kids
Tuesday, December 9, 11 a.m. | Eastside Library
Comic Chaos Club
Wednesday, December 10, 4 p.m. | S.B. Central Library
Romance Book Club
Wednesday, December 10, 5:30 p.m. | S.B. Central Library
The Library Express Stuffed Animal Sleepover
Friday, December 12, 5 p.m. | Eastside Library
Mystery After Dark: Mystery Book Sale
Friday, December 12, 5:30 p.m. | S.B. Central Library
Buellton Library – Big Book Sale
Saturday, December 13, 11 a.m. | Buellton Library
Friends of SBPL Benefit: Giant Used Mystery Book Sale
Saturday, December 13, 10:30 a.m. | S.B. Central Library
Online Seminar Series: Male and Female: A Study of the Sexes in a Changing World by Margaret Mead
Saturday, December 13, 12 p.m. | Online, The Agora Foundation
Paseo Nuevo Kids’ Holiday Story Time and Book Signing: Adam and Kate McHugh: Ferd and the Magic Hat
Saturday, December 13, 1 p.m. | Paseo Nuevo
S.B. Museum of Art Storytime/Hora de cuento en el Museo de Arte de S.B.
Sunday, December 14, 11 a.m. | S.B. Museum of Art
S.B. SPOTLIGHT
We at the Independent get many books sent to us by area authors, sometimes too many! It’s practically impossible for us to read and review them all, but just because we are busy bees does not mean that they aren’t worth the attention. In an attempt to not completely drop the ball, we have compiled a list of books here that are either written by a Santa Barbara author, feature someone in our community, or have another tie to Santa Barbara. I urge you to look through this list. Perhaps you will find your new favorite read!
The following are the most recent titles that have been sent to us.
The Resurrection of Johnny Roe by Bruce Kirkpatrick
Ferd and the Magic Hat: A Solvang Christmas Story by Adam & Kate McHugh
We Were Here, We Are Here: A Living History of Black Santa Barbara by Simone Akila Ruskamp
If you are a local author and would like us to feature your book in this section, please email allbooked@independent.com with the subject line “S.B. Spotlight.”
Book Reviews Courtesy of CALIFORNIA REVIEW OF BOOKS*
Thanks to the generous contributions of David Starkey, Brian Tanguay and their team of reviewers at California Review of Books, we are able to provide a steady stream of book reviews via our content partnership. Recent reviews at Independent.com include:
Loneliness & Company by Charlee Dyroff; review by Brian Tanguay
Orwell’s Roses by Rebecca Solnit; review by George Yatchisin
*At the present time, all of the Independent’s book reviews are provided in collaboration with California Review of Books (calirb.com).
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