THE KITCHENSCAPE

We love a lifestyle cookbook and one that really takes what we do in the kitchen to other centers in our day to day. We talked with Melissa Coleman about her new cookbook, Minimalist Kitchen, hyggelig and how she solves problems as a maker.

ATHLEISURE MAG: Tell us about your background and how you came from being a graphic designer, to a food blogger to now releasing your first cookbook as an author!

MELISSA COLEMAN: It’s my first book and maybe my only haha. I said before that I could not make a book unless it would pour out of me. I never thought that I would make a book until they called me and I was like yes! A little bit about my background, from the earliest days of my life, I have always been a maker. I like to make things and my medium has changed over the years, but I also came out loving food.

My mom would say that I would sit at the breakfast table and would ask what was for lunch or for dinner for the day. She would always say, “Well, Melissa eat to live – don’t live to eat and I am still living to eat." I love food! So, I painted in high school and then I studied graphic design and became a graphic designer.

About a year after becoming a graphic designer, I started my blog about 10 years ago as everyone had a blog. It was probably the second post that it turned into a food blog as it documented my recipes. I cooked a lot in high school as I liked to bake and I used to love watching Martha Stewart. It’s not a joke, but I used to workout to Martha Stewart!

AM: Wait what!?!

MC: Yeah! That was the early days when I was in college I used to record it. So, I would record her and then I got home from work, I would workout to Martha Stewart. So that’s where I learned to cook and bake in a lot of ways. I wanted to know how to do everything.

I like to make things and at my core, I am a creator. With food, I felt that as a designer, designers try to solve problems beautifully and with food, I needed recipes that were simple and wholesome and I tried a number of diets over the years. By the time I finished college, I landed on a whole foods diet. I like to eat whole foods and a vegetable forward meal. The vegetable forward part came into the blog later. As a designer who likes to solve problems, I created recipes of things that I wanted to eat.

AM: What is a Minimalist Kitchen?

MC: A minimalist kitchen is a paired down kitchen or a kitchen equipped with the essentials. Everything from the ingredients, to the cooking tools to the pantry – which is always the biggest trouble maker in the home as well as the techniques. I wanted to use efficient and even repetitive techniques. I didn’t want to reinvent the wheel as I cooked. I want to be really good at what I am doing especially at 5pm on a Tuesday at night. It’s pairing down to the very best things for the essentials.

AM: Is this throughout your lifestyle?

MC: I do. It’s funny, in the book I say, “Where minimalism starts and stops in your life, let it be”. Because, I found success in the kitchen by just getting rid – I mean I have kind of always been a reductionist. When I painted and you looked at my style at the end of my painting career, it was very minimal. Then you look at my graphic design style – I’m a reductionist who likes the essentials. I don’t like to do things for the sake of doing things. That naturally flowed over to my life and part of that as an adult, and it wasn’t true as a child – I wanted to be responsible for less and when I keep less around, I am responsible for that and it gives me time to do the things that I want to do or that brings me joy. It extends to my closet, I kind of have a uniform and my friends know that I wear the same thing all the time and we laugh about it and I don’t care!

I like to pay attention to my habits and partly because I have always had a designer brain and that’s partly because as a kid, I would get frustrated about things and I remember my dad looking at me one time saying, “Do you want me to take you to this person to help you fix it?” And I was like, “No I will fix it”. And that’s kind of how I go about life. When I looked at my drawers, I would look at my clothes that would stay folded most of the season, the jeans on the floor that I would wear every single day and that was happening in the kitchen too!

I would have one spatula that I would always use and so I started to pay attention to that stuff and I started to get rid of stuff that was just collecting stuff and taking up space.

AM: Your book reminds us of our interview with Meik Wiking about hygge.

MC: YES!

AM: And when thinking about that, it brings up notions of comfort and cozy things – how does this lifestyle and minimalism come together within this concept?

MC: Well minimalism can be seen as a stodgy, cold and austere word. But I don’t describe my approach as that. I say, that as a designer, I am a cozy minimalist. That’s kind of where hygge is – it brings the cozy in. Aesthetically, I try to bring visual warmth. Hygge is like the practical warmth. It’s sitting in front of the fire, playing a game and signing off from the rest of the world. It’s saying no to things or just being. Even for me, it’s a 2pm break in the afternoon because I need it and I am giving myself what I need and it goes back to responsibility. I wanted to be responsible for less so I deleted a lot of things that were in my life so I could do those things that I find most fulfilling. In those gaps and blank spaces, and there are plenty of those in our lives, which can be uncomfortable sometimes, we fill them with hygge moments. Just being, embracing the simplicity. Impotent is such a bad word but my fear is that I would become impotent of getting lost in the flicker of a flame or that I wouldn’t be able to taste the sweetness of an almond. That I would just overload my life with everything that I couldn’t see things for what they were.

AM: What drew us to the concept of this cookbook is that over the last few years, cookbooks have grown from including a recipe and an image to showcasing a lifestyle. We love that this book showcases a methodology in organization and are believers in creating that sense of placement in one part of your life, allows you to do so in other areas and to obtain clarity whether physically or mentally. How did you decide that this was the way that your pantry should be, these are the items that will be slimmed down to x, what you considered essential agreements and how you basically can be a coach to people’s kitchens to conquer the madness that is in there!

MC: RIGHT! For me, I learned to cook with a ton of time on my hands, I was fresh out of college and I didn’t have anything begging for my attention on the weekends. But when I became a working mom, it was so inefficient and I used to be a web designer that created blogs and we talked a lot about user experience and creating a good one. And I recognized that I was having the poorest user experience in my kitchen. So much so that I looked at my husband one day not too long after my daughter was born, and I said, “I’m quitting the kitchen or I am going to fix this place.” So the Minimalist Kitchen is the culmination of that big problem and over the years, I wrote about this but in one week, I stabbed myself twice in my catch all kitchen drawer with tools that I never used. But you know, you stick your hand in there because the spatula flips up and you can’t get it open and then you stab yourself. I was like, “why am I doing this to myself?” So I slowly started pairing down and it’s kind of an expensive process – or maybe I would say that it’s an investment to do this. We did it because my husband was in graduate school and I supported us on my design salary. So I just did it little by little. In the book I say, “that once you clean the front of the drawer, you notice the back of the drawer is very similar.”

It feels weird to publish this book as this process is never finished for me and I am constantly thinking of reworking space especially in the kitchen. I like that idea too because it frees it up for people and it doesn’t have to happen over night. Life is organic and changing and good things take time. That’s the truth of this system, it takes a little time.

AM: When it comes to the kitchen there are so many gadgets. We love our Breville Tea Maker, a number of items that we enjoy eating necessitate various products to make them versus having one tool that can do five things – so we’re always trying things out. So for you, when new things come to market and you feel that it works, do you do a mental checklist, where bringing in an item makes you remove something you have?

MC: EXACTLY! I’m always doing a mental checklist and I am able to do that because I have so much less on my checklist. I am probably the slowest adopter when it comes to buying things. I don’t have an Instant Pot and I’m not sure if I will because I have all of the other tools that I need and it would be a huge learning curve for me and I’m not sure if I would do something like that in my everyday. But I am so careful as I picture myself at the back door of our house saying (even my husband is a much bigger shopper then me), “woah, woah, woah what are you bringing in here?” It’s going to require work, we’re going to have to reorganize and we will have to get rid of something. Why spend time doing something that we don’t need to spend time doing?

AM: How did you go about organizing the cookbook and what would you say that someone should expect to read when they are going into it?

MC: When I am cooking in general, I mentally lump my recipes into weekend cooking, weekday cooking and make ahead – and as we started on the book, I said can we create tags so that people know exactly where to put the recipes in their life? I mean, I know where to put them, but people don’t know what to do with my recipes. So we separated them like that so that people could have it and I wanted to set them up with the most success possible. I feel like overwhelmingly that people are frustrated with their kitchens – which was true for me. How many expletives come out when you’re opening the Tupperware drawer? There are things in the kitchen that are expletively producing haha.

AM: So true and we get annoyed, stuff everything back in and then think we should do something about it!

MC: Yes!

AM: It’s like the Groundhogs Day, Kitchen Edition!

MC: Yes that would happen to me to! I remembered that my mom would deal with these things to. I used to think that she was so nutty and then I found myself doing the same things in my kitchen too!! I was like, “I can fix this.” I do think that it’s crazy and I want to acknowledge that I got the chance to really spend time on making my kitchen work and then to write about it! That’s a very rare opportunity and many don’t have time to do something like that because our lives are so busy – even a paired down one! I think that this book has done the work for people so that it will make them feel more successful in doing this and even down to where the recipe should go in their week.

AM: I agree it’s good for them to figure out when they should prep, where in the week they should go to the grocery store, it’s a nice map to follow! Especially when you live in a place like NYC where even the simplest task of going to the grocery store can be quite a journey. You know that you can only carry so much and that there is an option for convenience, but do you want someone else picking out your produce? Logistically, someone sending your food to you is great but syncing up the times and for those that don’t have a doorman – this is a problem. It’s nice to have order.

MC: True – even the shopping techniques, I shop a lot like a city dweller. I live in a large city but not like NYC – but I walk to the grocery store and I carry back everything that we eat for the week. I carry them on my shoulders like you do and I have enough fresh produce for what we eat that week and the pantry is stocked by way of Costco or other types of bulk shopping so I am only doing maintenance shopping or minor shopping. I hate grocery shopping with a child.

AM: The anxiety of walking up and down the aisles everytime you get to the grocery store can be a bit much.

MC: Absolutely and with my book, I wanted to get rid of that feeling of, “oh this is what I do on my Saturday, I shop every store – can’t I be doing something better with my life?”

AM: You know that you have to eat, you can’t do takeout all the time even if it’s healthy. But sometimes you get to the store and you hear all the sounds and other stimulations and you kind of need a plan to tackle it! So what are your 3 favorite meals from the book and what music do you play along when making those dishes?

MC: Ok so I realized that my 3 meals are all weekend meals. I don’t want to take away from the deliciousness of the weekday meals. When I sit down to a meal that took 15-20 minutes it’s still so satisfying, but weekends are celebratory around here as it is in every home. So on Friday night we kick it off with the Crispy Pizza with the caramelized onions or a cheese pizza with the base recipe. Anytime it’s pizza night, we listen to the Mamba Italiano Radio on Pandora – it always feels like we’re at an Italian restaurant. Or we make these Summer Veggie Fajitas – we love those. They are a Stonehenge in our lives. We used to eat them out all the time and then we started making them our whole married life. On that night, we listen to Spanish Guitar Radio on Pandora. Then on Saturday or Sunday morning, it’s a flow brunchy type of thing so we make, the Dutch Baby because my 4 year old picks it. It’s magical because it just blows up in the oven and we listen to Early Jazz Radio on Pandora and it sounds like you’re sitting in a French or European café. Early jazz radio is so good!

PHOTOS COURTESY | MINIMAL KITCHEN/MEREDITH BOOKS

Read more from the April Issue and see The Kitchenscape in mag.

BINGELY BOOKS

THE PERFECT CAKE
The Editors of America's Test Kitchen
Penguin Random House

Creating the perfect cake is not a bad skill to have under your belt (or you may have a friend who wants to showcase his/her skills). The Editor's of America's Test Kitchen have created the ultimate guide to classical, modern and whimsical cakes. These creations are definitely those that are Instagram worthy and
perfect for whatever brunch you might be thinking of hosting when friends come over.

In addition to a dizzying array of cakes that are available - cupcakes are included! Cake education also introduces you to topics that incorporate mix-and-match layer cakes, frostings, and fillings. Essentially, whatever cake you have been dreaming of creating and/or eating can be found in this book.

With Spring Holidays as well as functions with friends and family that are particular to your group, you'll find that this cookbook is an essential for all of your baking needs.

LED ZEPPELIN: ALL THE ALBUMS, ALL THE SONGS
Martin Popoff
Voyageur Press

This coffee table book focusing on all things Led Zeppelin, breaks down their music track-by-track, album-by album with all the details and secrets that fans of the band will truly enjoy.

Enthusiasts will enjoy hearing the roots of the band's creation which was formed with two London studio musicians at the top of their game and two bar-band musicians that would ultimately create the legendary group that would also set the formula for modern rock 'n' roll bands as we know it today.

The four members created 9 studio albums with 81 tracks that were a complex mix of blues, psychedelia, rock, folk, and country.

Martin Popoff, a respected veteran music journalist takes us on an indepth look at the band from their creation, the recording process, historical context and an introductory essay into each song that explores the intricacies of each song.

Fans will enjoy learning about song details that include running time, instruments played, engineers and studios.

THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT
Chris Bohjalian
Random House LLC

One night can change your life and Chris Bohjalian's novel focuses on a flight  attendant who wakes up in the wrong hotel,
in the wrong bed with a dead man and she has no clue what happened and how she got there!

We're introduced to flight attendant, Cassandra Bowden who has had a number of hangovers and blackout moments. When she wakes up in Dubai next to a man that she finds to be dead, she doesn't know what to do but try to go back to her life as if it didn't happen.

Cassandra lies and joins her team to get back to the airport, lies to her team as they continue to travel to Paris and again when she arrived in NYC with the FBI inquiring about what happened. With so many lies, Cassandra can't come clean with the truth and begins to wonder what really happened. Did she kill him or did someone else? 

The thriller focuses on life at forty thousand feet and focuses on memory, alcohol, the consequences of addiction and ultimately murder far from home.

Read more from the March Issue and see Bingely Books in mag.

BINGELY BOOKS

---

JUST ADD SAUCE
America's Test Kitchen

We've been fans of America's Test Kitchen for a about a year now! You may know them from their TV show and now you can recreate their meals. In this cookbook, they focus on over 175 modern sauces as this is one of the essential and most creative elements of any meal!

These sauces include those for vegetables, drizzling on steak, curries, and stir-frying noodles. With just a few of these elements, your dishes will take on new flavors and interest in your meals.

With the power of creating these simple
sauces, there are also 100 recipes that you can pair them with. Sauces include dressings for salad, herb sauces, Teriyaki Stir-Fry sauces, molés, relishes, yogurt sauces, curries and more.

A home cook's must, this cookbook will bring a new life to preparing fresh made
meals or even giving leftovers a twist that makes it a favorite dish for a second night in a row!

---

---

RECIPES FROM AN ITALIAN BUTCHER
Phaidon
The Silver Spoon Kitchen

We're in that time of year where comfort food is very much so on our minds as we continue through the winter and get teased with spring (and sometimes summer)
weather. The team at The Silver Spoon Kitchen shares an array of savory and authentic dishes that ensure that you will be able to make a number of mouth watering
Italian meat dishes that are perfect for roastng, stewing and braising no matter the occassion.

Not only will you enjoy being introduced to new dishes, but with over 150 illustrations, you're also taken on a tour of Italy as well. Your vegetarian friends don't need to feel left out as in addition to meat focused dishes, there are side dishes that are veggie based which become the perfect pairing for any meal. This book also includes tips that focus on American, British and Italian cuts of meat.

---

---

CLODAGH LIFE-ENHANCING DESIGN
G Arts
Clodagh

Clodagh is known for her timeless and responsible design. She has helmed a number of award-winning, commercial and residential projects, including Miraval Resort and Spas, W Hotels, and Equinox Fitness Clubs.

A Clodagh designed space is a serene and indulgent experience. Her design aesthetic is based in that although clutter undermines serenity; however, minimalism shouldn't be self-denying. Ultimately, her style can be defined as "life-enhancing minimalism".

As a believer in integrative medicine, she embraces both ancient and cutting edge methods in an effort to comfort not only the body but also the soul. Her design practice incorporates Feng Shui (she is an early adopter). In addition, she includes chromatherapy and biophilia into her projects as she believes that good design supports well-being and transforms people's
lives.

With international acclaim, Clodagh Design projects and products are illustrated to showcase her life's work.

---

Read more from the Feb Issue and see Bingely Books in mag.

BINGELY BOOKS

BOWIE: THE ILLUSTRATED STORY
Voyageur Press
Pat Gilbert

At the time of his death, David Bowie released 27 studio albums that began with his debut record in 1967 to his final recording of Blackstar, which was released 2 days prior to his death in January 2016.

His innovative style secured him as one of the most influential musicians and performers over the last 5 decades. In his artistry, there were no limitations of stagecraft in rock music and he was free to continue to redefine himself as he wished.
 
This coffee table book illustrates his career from the folkie baroque rock of his debut, to his breakthrough single “Space Oddity,” and on to his flamboyant glam rock alter ego, Ziggy Stardust. Author Pat Gilbert continues through Bowie’s soul phase, his electronic Berlin trilogy, his massive pop success in the 1980s, and his turn to electronica in the 1990s, as well as subsequent tours, notable performances, collaborations, and accolades.
 
Readers are immersed in stunning concert and candid offstage photography, including gig posters, 7-inch picture sleeves, concert ticket stubs, and more. The result is a fitting tribute to one of the most influential and admired stars in rock history.  
 

COOKING THAT COUNTS
Cooking Light
Lisa Karst

Cooking that Counts has 150+ recipes that are calorie-controlled. The editors of Cooking Light have presented meals with whole, natural foods, teaches proper portion sizes as well as tips to ensure you lose weight and keep it off!

The meal plans provide some flexibility to enjoy desserts and alcohol while losing weight. The editors offer suggestions to create full meals that meet daily calorie goals, as well as provide
simple serving suggestions for sides. In addition, you'll find options for cooking when you're tight on time, suggestions for healthy readymade foods, shopping guidance, and make-ahead tips.

FOOD SANITY
Basic Health Publishing Inc
Dr. David Friedman

Dr. David Friedman has spent his 25 years of his life as a holistic practitioner and health expert on syndicated TV and radio. He has interviewed hundreds of world renowned doctors and bestselling authors who focus on foods and niche diets. These conversations have included those who have focused on vegan, Paleo, Mediterranean Diet to a Gluten Free and Low Carb Diet.

Food Sanity is the result of his frustration with the conflicting research and opinions. This book explores all the fads, facts and fiction. Common science meets common sense as he answers
the essential question: WHAT THE HECK ARE WE SUPPOSED TO EAT?!!

As you read this book, you will discover never-before-heard nutritional and dieting advice that will ensure that you're getting the maximum benefits from their food and dietary supplements.
Food Sanity offers a definitive blueprint on how to eat in a nation with a number of culinary options within our grasp.

Read more from the Jan Issue and see Bingely Books in mag.

BINGELY BOOKS

---

HENDRIX
THE ILLUSTRATED STORY
Voyageur Press
Gillian G Gaar

Hendrix: The Illustrated Story was released this fall on what would have been the rock icon's 75th birthday. This is the first fully
illustrated book that shares his life and the legacy of one of the greatest of all time.

Although the rock guitarist enjoyed the global stage for under 4 years, he is known for his innovative and imaginative interpretation of blues and rock. His work inspired guitarists and music loves across
time and genres.

In this book, Seattle based music journalist
Gillian Gaar delves into the guitarist’s upbringing, his military service as an Army paratrooper, his role as a sideman on the chitlin’ circuit, his exile in the UK, and his eventual reemergence in the US and the fame that followed until his untimely
death in 1970. Featuring design as lavish as Hendrix’s music and carefully curated photography, posters, picture sleeves, and other assorted memorabilia, this is the ultimate Hendrix book experience.

---

PRINCE: A PRIVATE VIEW
St. Martin's Press
Afshin Shahide

Author Afshin Shahide is no stranger to Prince as he had documented Prince's One Nite Alone tour, Musicology Tour and was also his cinematographer as well as photographer. During Prince's last 15 years of his life, he was his closest photographer
and is the only one to have shot the legendary 3121 private parties in Los Angeles that became the most sought after invitations in Hollywood.

With a foreward by Beyonce Knowles, Prince: A Private View is a curation of his work that showcases Prince's life. The book includes never before seen imagery from candids, intimate, concerts and more. In addition, the book includes captions that
talk about the moments in his life from those that are personal, witty, and present an insight into one of music's talented and legendary entertainers.

---

---

SUNDAY SUPPERS
Southern Living
Cynthia Graubart

Sunday dinners are known as a great tradition to bring friends and family together. Southern LIving revitalizes the
tradition in their new book by  Cynthia Graubart, award winning author.

Over five chapters and 50 dishes (appetizers, salads, sides, drinks, desserts),
Cynthia shares an array of Sunday Suppers which are delicious and easy meals without any stress. The great thing about this meal is that it doesn't have a set time, can be casual
or formal and can be in any location. Whether you're trying a new recipe or one that has been passed down from one family to the next, it's a cherished time.

In addition to recipes, there are menu-planning ideas, cooking tricks, tips for stocking the pantry, decorating the table and additional tools to host the perfect dinner.

Read more from Dec Issue and see Bingely Books in mag.

ATHLEISURE MAG | DEC ISSUE

This month's celeb cover is International EDM DJ duo NERVO which we shot at Grammy winner, Desmond Child's apartment here in NYC. This cover shoot includes a fun Q&A with NERVO, Desmond as well as one of our favorite broker's, Louise Philips Forbes. We also have an interview with Gia Mantegna who talks about a number of her acting roles, what it was like to be in Criminal Minds with her father Joe Mantegna, her singing career and where we'll find her in LA versus in NYC.We talked with one of my favorite jewelry designers, Buddha Mama about the inspiration behind their statement driven fine jewelry as well as what they love doing in Miami. We talked with Dr Greuner about his practice, maintaining great heart health and of course - staying in shape! We also have a lifestyle oriented Holiday Gift Guide in this month's issue.

We have a number of features that are in each month's issues including The Art of the Snack (NYE themed), Athleisure List, Athleisure Beauty and more. Our bucket lists have a few more items on the list with this month's feature Something You Should Know about great destinations that are within National Geographic's new coffee table book. Last Dec and Jan we launched 2 features that were in both of those months and we have brought them back in this issue (as well as the one coming up) - Wellness Trends 2018 (this feature covers a number of trends that we see for the upcoming year - we tackled 2 this month and the remainder will be next month) and N3W YOU (this feature includes actress - Gia Mantegna, Celeb Fitness Trainer, author, TV star - Holly Rilinger, Iron Chef - Cat Cora and E! WAGS Atlanta's - Telli Swift).

Read the Dec Issue of Athleisure Mag Issue

BINGELY BOOKS

THE COCKTAIL GALAXY
St Martin's Griffin
Andy Heidel

There's always an excuse to celebrate
something! A new job, engagement, friends coming over and beyond. It encourages you to step up your game when people come over or if you tend to be the default bartender.

Just imagine at your next viewing party for X-Men, Agents of Shield and create beverages that merge nerd culture and
cocktails together! Not only are there a number of drinks that are offered, but it is authored and tested by Andy Heidel (he is
known for his Doctor Who Bar), the owner of The Way Station in Brooklyn, NY, a bar and music venue.

This is a fun gift and staple to have by your bar cart and will serve as a great conversation starter/ice breaker.

POWER FOOD ON THE GO
Fair Winds Press
Rens Kroes

What is the relationship between Power Food and Power Foodies? Well, Power Foodies are people that are constantly on the go from work, working out, meeting
with friends etc. In order to continue this pace in a healthy way, Rens has created a book filled with healthy options that allow you to do meal prep and to avoid having to go to other options like eateries, food trucks
etc, that can be time consuming, unhealthy or even just a waste of money/taste.

Those who are fans of Rens' approach to Power Foods will love that she has included
her focus on preparing, preserving and easily taking items along. With a number of options available, you may find that you start a trend amongst your friends to do the same.

DRINK VERMONT: BEER, WINE, AND SPIRITS OF THE GREEN MOUNTAIN STATE
Skyhorse Publishing: Brdbk Edition
Liza Gershman

Reading definitely transforms the mind! When we thought of the state of Vermont,
we thought about maple syrup as well as snowboarding but after reading Liza's book, we now know that this state is a destination for Beer, WIne and Spirits!

With 18 distilleries, nearly 50 breweries, and a dozen wineries - there are a number of drinks to enjoy year around that include hard apple cider, whiskey, and more. The book navigates what the state has to offer and introduces you to brands that you'll want to enjoy when you're in the area or perhaps
find at your local store.

We suggest that this is a giftable book as it's a bit of beverage tourism that you'll want to have handy when you make the journey or just for those that like being in the know of what regions have to offer.

Read more from the Nov Issue and see Bingely Books in mag.

BINGELY BOOKS

AND BREATHE
Hachette
Rebecca Dennis

Can you breathe your way to health and happiness? In And Breathe, Rebecca 

Dennis, a London based breath coach and workshop leader who was trained by Judith Kravitz (Transformational Breath) has written a guide on deep breathing for health and happiness.

The average person inhales and exhales about 20,000 times a day; however, most of those breaths are short and shallow and are known as "stress breaths" because they just reach the chest. This kind of breath creates a constant "fight or flight" response in the body and according to the World Health Organization, they believe that by 2020 depression and anxiety will be the number one disability worldwide.

Throughout the book, there are exercises that are described to guide you through deep diaphragmatic, conscious breathing. These are tools you can use throughout your day and can be done anywhere whenever you need. In addition Rebecca reminds us that breathing is natural and we must retrain our mind to this way of being.
 

THE COMPLETE SLOW COOKER
America's Test Kitchen

Crisp temperatures mean that it's time to start preparing your favorite meals via the Slow Cooker. With over 400 recipes, you'll find that there is something for everyone that can be cooked from appetizers to desserts!

You'll find a number of recipes that take 8 hours to cook via the Slow Cooker as well as those that only take 15 minutes to prepare. We have a feeling that you'll tag a number of finds that you'll make this fall and winter season.
 

LEO FENDER: THE QUIET GIANT HEARD AROUND THE WORLD
Leadership Institute Press
Phyllis Fender + Randall Bell

In the midst of some of the greatest inventions that the world has also enjoyed, Leo Fender created the electric guitar. His interest in electronics lead him to open a radio repair shop in his hometown of Fullerton, California. Band leaders and musicians knew that if their equipment needed to be repaired, then they should go to him.

Leo invented the Fender Stratocaster 

which has been embraced and was/is preferred by world-renowned musicians like Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, David Gilmour, Eric Clapton, George Harrison and Jeff Beck — to name a few.

Although his work was enjoyed by vibrant luminaries, Leo was a shy inventor who was nearly deaf and had one glass eye.

Beyond designing his notable quitars, in 1946 he founded Fender Electric Instrument Manufacturing Company — the launch pad for his most iconic designs — and later on, G&L Musical Instruments. 

Leo Fender: The Quiet Giant Heard Around the World shares his story.
 

Read more from the Oct Issue and see Bingely Books in mag.

WHAT CAN I BRING?

Our Style Director grew up in a suburb in the Midwest at a time where everyone knew their neighbors in their subdivision and events were celebrated together. When her father mowed the lawn, it was a time to gossip with other fathers in the neighbhorhood and their wives planned ways to come together. The highs and lows were celebrated through food. Now more than ever, the need to bring warmth to the everyday through food is an essential. We had the opportunity to sit down with Elizabeth Heiskell, who just released her lifestyle cookbook, What Can I Bring, to talk about how she got into the culinary industry, a Today Show Contributor, a caterer and how we can approach incorporating food into lifestyle situations. We laughed more than any interview we can think of and the food and the presentation of it from this book is from a place of love.

ATHLEISURE MAG: Tell us how you came to this journey as a cook, TODAY SHOW contributor and writer.

ELIZABETH HEISKELL: I started in highschool with a catering company and my mom was really good friends with the owner of the company and so I would go and cater on the weekends. I would work during holidays and when I came home from college and I would work for her. So when I finished school, I was looking for a job and ended up finding a husband instead of a job and then very quickly had a baby right after we got married. I hadn’t planned on working as I was just going to raise children and my family and that was just what I was going to do. Then I had this friend that I just adored and she had just moved back to town. She didn’t have a job and she would just come over to my house and literally every morning, we’d visit and have so much fun!

Her husband was making her get a job. So it was so bad that I would load up the baby and then sit in the car while she would go off to do interviews and then we would go eat lunch – it was awful! Finally, I said, “this is ridiculous, we just need to start our own company and then you don’t have to get a job and we can still hang out!” I told her that I had this idea call Instead of Flowers. So basically instead of getting flowers, you called us and we would bring you food. If you had a friend that died or someone who had a baby or sick – we would take food. So we did that and of course our husbands called it, “Instead of a Job”, but it was really successful and it moved into catering almost immediately. 

Then we moved from Memphis back to the Delta in Mississippi where I’m from originally and I slowly started catering again and then I became the head chef at Viking Corporation – which of course is the stove company. I was there for 8 years while still catering and then we were approached by this couple that owned a farm in Oxford. They had just bought it and were going to develop it with house, but then the market turned and they thought they were just going to hang on to it. In the meantime, they had started a farm down in Louisiana and they were servicing New Orleans with some of the most beautiful vegetables that you have ever seen. So they decided to shift plans with the property that they were holding onto and to work with someone to do the same things that they were doing there. 

So my husband came home from work (he was a builder at the time but had grown up as a farmer) and started talking to me about all of this. We had just built my first house as we had lived in rental after rental after rental – it was my first house. We were going to live in that house, we were going to die in that house – I wasn’t going to go anywhere – they were going to have to lay me out on my dining room table when I was dead for people to see me - that was it! I wasn’t going to go to Oxford Mississippi! He wouldn’t shut up about it and I agreed to look at the property in Oxford. We went down to Lousiana at their other farm and they started pulling out vegetables that I had never seen before! This was 7 years ago before we even had a WholeFoods. You’d see these vegetables in magazines but the thought that you could harvest them and cook them took me to a whole other level.

So we ended up selling my beautiful house and moved to Oxford and started growing them. The plan was that Luke would grow the vegetables and that I would sell them. That’s the way it was going to be because I was a chef and knew what the restaurants wanted and what they needed and I was connected to them in Memphis and in Oxford. 

The crates were a thousand pounds because there were crates of squash and tomatoes. It wasn’t feathers that we were selling and it was the hardest 5 months of my life. I went to Memphis 3 days a week and sold these vegetables and then we had a barn on the farm that we were redoing so that I could get back to catering and of course we’d use all the vegetables in the catering company. 

It was a perfect marriage and then I had wanted to be on the Today Show for 17 years. I remembered sitting in my house back when I had Instead of Flowers seeing Martha Stewart on with Matt Lauer with a Turkey that she was making. I told my friend, “One day, I’m going to be on the Today Show and I am going to show my grandmother’s Pillowcase Turkey and it’s going to be fantastic.” My children would always ask me if I could take them to New York and I’d say, “we can go to NY as soon as I get on the Today Show.” 

So I was asked to do a dinner for Andy Lack in Oxford at Roanoke. I cooked out of William Faulkner’s kitchen and I was the first one to cook out of his kitchen since his death. It was 12 people at the dinner and he was coming back out of retirement to take over as the head of NBC and that was on a Thursday and he was taking over on Monday. I knew that this was my chance. Honey, we put the dog on!

AM: So wait – what was this dinner like?

EH: It was the most magical thing that I had ever done. We had silver on the lawn, the oak trees were uploft, beautiful bars and we served mint juleps out of sterling silver cups with sterling silver straws as that is what Willian Faulkner served. We passed ham and biscuits because he always had a ham everytime he had a party. They were seated at his table – it was a magical night and at the end of it, Andy just held my hands and said, “you need to understand that you are wildly talented.” And I said, “Oh Andy – you tell all the girls that!” 

I sent him a package reminding him of my interest to be on the Today Show and I didn’t hear anything for about 2 and a half months and my fingers were bloody from hitting the email button!

I wasn’t going to let it go and we have a Bloody Mary mix called Debutante Farmer Bloody Mary Mix that was born on the farm with Luke growing 10,000 tomato plants and me having nothing to do with them as we only had 6 restaurants. 

I knew that Andy loved Bloody Marys as I had already put some in his room at the hotel and he drinks the mix every morning – not with the vodka but he loved it. 

So I FINALLY got a call from the Senior Producer of the Today Show and I talked to her for 2 hours as I was headed to Nashville. It didn’t dawn on me how long it was as I was driving to Nashville and I know she didn't get a word in edgewise and my Suburban was filled with tomatoes. So at the end of the conversation she said, “we’re going to send a crew to you and I really want to see what you’re doing there. We’ll get one of our anchors to come down to be with you.”

She said, “I know, you want to be on the Today Show with Matt Lauer – there isn’t a person up here who doesn’t know what your dream is. We will get you on, but if you don’t mind we’d like to come and do a segment on you.”

They came down with Erica Hill and did a beautiful segment and it was nominated for a James Beard – which I didn’t know until after the awards happened. Then she called and it was about a month before Thanksgiving and she let me know that they wanted me to come up and to do the Thanksgiving Turkey. She didn’t know that that was what I wanted to do – just my friend. So I came on and did the turkey in 3.5 minutes with Matt and I thought that that was it. That was my dream – we went to Tavern on the Green, had champagne and went shopping with the girls. 

That’s how we got to all of this and because of the Today Show, Sid Evans (Editor in Chief of Southern Living Magazine) called and said he wanted me to come to Birmingham to do Facebook Live and webisodes. We then had lunch with Katherine Cobb the Editor at Time Inc and Oxmoore House had this idea of What Can I Bring which is based on a column that they already have in the magazine and with that column they wanted to do a book. I had already thought about doing a book about 3 months before this and my prayer was that I wanted to do one but it had to be simple and easy as I didn't have time to find an agent, a publicist etc. I just wanted it to be the easiest book that I could write. So Katherine told me about it and I was like "Katherine that was my first job – ‘Instead of Flowers’ that’s what I did.” I can do that with my eyes closed – lock me in the room for 2 hours and I’ll have a book for you. 

After that I agreed and I wrote a little bit and Sid said we’ll see if you can write and if not, we can get someone to help you write. I let him know that I thought I could write it and he said, “we’ll be the judge of that.” I sent him a few things so that he could pitch it to Time and they said the book went through. I asked Katherine if Sid thought that I needed someone to help me write and she said, “oh no no you’re doing this all by yourself.” It’s so funny as English was my worst subject and to see this book sitting here, I can’t believe it! It’s beyond! I just wrote what I was thinking and I figured that Katherine would fix whatever needed to be done and she never called – and now there is a book.

AM: Tell us more about the Debutante Farmer.

EH: So, we started with the Bloody Mary Mix and started canning it. So we had big stove pots we would mash the tomatoes down and cook them, strain them and then add what you do – Wooster, Garlic, Salt and Lime – that’s it – nothing else. We canned and canned. I’d take it to friends and then people started asking for it and it became this thing. So then we found this wonderful guy that makes it for us and he uses local tomatoes and does right by the product. So now it’s a really great product. The next step will be to work on the Pimento Cheese, Pickled Green Beans, Pickled Okra - all of those things will follow suit with this. Because there is nothing better to me then Cheese Straws and Bloody Marys and Pimento Cheese and a Pickled Okra. 

The Bloody Mary is the only thing that can drink at 9am and no one is going to roll their eyes at you or to put you in the Betty Ford Clinic! They just think that you’re getting in your vitamins.

AM: What foods are classic to the Mississippi Delta?

EH: Well just the ones we were talking about. We have such notoriety for our fried foods and things that aren’t healthy like Pimento Cheese and Chicken Dumplings which are fantastic. But what a lot of people don’t understand is that we have the vegetables and the produce and the ability to grow it with the land that no one else has. We have beautiful Farmer’s Markets and people are moving back to this seeing this huge resurgence. When I grew up, we had a vegetable patch and most of my friends did. We had big lunches everyday and it’s going back to that but it wasn’t very long ago. So I still remember this as it’s not 2 generations or 3 generations – like it is in a lot of other places. There was a meat and 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 including sliced tomatoes, creamed corn, wonderful black eyed peas – oh my God! So although we’re famous for the fried chicken, it’s moving to a healthier aspect and I honestly think that we will be known as almost the vegetable basket (just like the bread basket in the midwest) – because we do know how to grow the vegetables and they flourish there.

AM: What Can I Bring debuted this month, what can people expect when reading this book?

EH: Number one it’s funny. I wrote it just like I’m sitting here talking to you talking about my favorite pound cake recipe. 

Even though I am going to promote vegetables and healthiness all day long, there is sometimes a need to take a shortcut to get to the end result! The whole point of this book and why it's important is that when people are sick or hurting or celebrating – if you stop your world and take your time to care for them, by bringing them something that you made, it’s like God magnifies it and impacts them in ways that are lasting and memorable forever. I have a friend and I talk about this – my youngest daughter had an eye surgery and she was only 6 months old and we had to go to Baltimore. She was blind in one eye and it was terrifying. We came home and my neighbor saw me getting out of the car and she came over and hugged us. A few hours later, she brought back a beautiful roast chicken with lemon rice, asparagus and muffins. That was 19 years ago and I can still tell you everything that she brought. I can’t remember what I ate yesterday or where I was but I remember every single thing of what Lee Fife brought me that day. That is the reason why this is so important. Especially in our day and time today – there’s nothing more important than sharing your time with someone else. That’s what this all boils down to and that’s why the book is doing so well.

AM: So can anyone give you a lifestyle situation and you can give them a dish/dishes that can pair well with it?

EH: I can – that’s the catering background that I came up in!

AM: Oh great as we have some Athleisure situations that we’d love to know what it can be paired with! We always like asking 3 things and this seemed perfect! First up, what’s a great meal for a girls night in?

EH: Ok [laughter] Ok Girl’s Night In – now this is funny because usually with a girl’s night in or at least my friends, the wine starts flowing first. So what happens is that everyone starts talking and their mouths are moving a mile a minute. I mean, we're the loudest group in Oxford, Mississippi and you want things that are easy - easy- easy to pick up. So a gorgeous charcuterie board with beautiful cheeses and bread and honeycombs are perfect because you can just eat it. Just a little nibbles and noshes is what I call it. So a wonderful tiny BLT – things that you don’t have to fix and make a plate to stop that energy. Because the energy of those kinds of parties are so fun that you don’t want people to have to stop, go sit down, get a fork and a knife to eat – because the mood is ruined. 

AM: Second one – your friend just moved out of her home office and her business has its first space and you want to bring her her first lunch – what can we bring?

EH: Mmmm ok so if you’re traveling with anything, you want to make sure that it’s easy and portable. I love Chinese To Go containers. I think that they are the most adorable things in the entire world. So I would have the most beautiful marinated vegetables and put that in and then I love salad.

So we have the marinated veggies in the to-go containers because packaging is fun and it makes it. Do another to-go container lined with Bibb lettuce and put your chicken salad in there and tie it up with some crackers and bread and then have some finger pimento cheese sandwiches. Honey, that is the most delightful lunch ever! But then put it in a great basket and take it to her and then she has something to remember the lunch by and the food is always going to be fantastic, but then you want to take it to the next level and consider what it looks like, how portable it is and what is the impression that you’re going to make when you give it to somebody. If you threw that into an old to-go container, yes it’s going to taste great but is it going to be spectacular? You want to put an exclamation point at the end of that lunch, not a period.   

AM: And finally a tailgating - 

EH: Oh shut up – you don’t know nothin' about no tailgating! I mean …. That’s all we do down in Oxford, Mississippi and right now we’re in the throws of it with LSU being home this weekend. Our tailgating is very different than most. Because we put a lot of effort into it but there are things that you have to remember. Number 1 – it’s weather dependent, you want to make sure that if it’s boiling hot you don’t want to do a bunch of mayonnaise and shrimp – things that go bad. Because people are drinking so much and talking so much (much like the Girl’s Night In), you want to make sure that things are already assembled like the hangover slider and you can pop it in your mouth. You don’t want to have to set your drink down to fix something. You want to be able to hold onto that drink and pick it up whether it’s chicken tenders – fried chicken all day. Same thing with wonderful roast beef sandwiches with bleu cheese. I have a wrap that’s a flank stank wrap that I love that has carmelized onions and bleu cheese and it’s easy to pick up and put in your mouth.

This is not the time for crudité or no damn marinated vegetables – we are all in on this tailgate. And a lot of pick up sweets like cookies that have you theme on them, tent name or greek name. That’s a ton of fun! 

It’s so easy to pull in the car right there, unload everything, set it up, cars go out and then the cars come back in to load it up at the end of the night. So we do it up! There are a ton of tents that have chandeliers and candleabras – we’re talking tablecloths, overlays and everything. You have to come – you’d die and everyone is dressed up, I’m talking cocktail dresses. Huge flower arrangements although many times I do my own but last weekend, I didn’t have time. 

When I started tailgating, that’s when I realized I’m competitive. My tent, I'm going to know that I won because when I walk by every other tent, I can tell you that it was me. I mean we kill it every single time. We’ve made gameday twice! 

AM: For the holidays, what are things that people should have on hand in terms of gifts to give delivery men?

EH: Delivery men, I give them beers – just kidding but I do give it our trash guys and put a bow on it, they love it! You want something that is easy and portable and that they can snack on when they are driving around. I love Rosemary Cashews which is one of the recipes in the book and Fried Walnuts will make you swoon. Put them in a great bag and tie them with a festive ribbon and they can take them home and serve them to their friends.

AM: So what’s a typical holiday dinner like at your home?

EH: I was raised that my Great Grandmother, my Grandmother and my mother all had beautiful beautiful holiday dinners – they’re always perfect. They were PERFECT. The thing that is difficult for me is that my house is where everyone comes and I wouldn’t have it any other way – I love it more then anything. But with the catering company by that point, I’m a little exhausted. But still, it’s 25 people for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter – whatever the holiday is and everyone comes over. 

I am really funny, I don’t usually let people bring things to my Thanksgiving or Christmas because I want them to enjoy themselves and it’s how I can give back to them and … I don’t trust them! There are some people in your life that you can’t entrust them with key parts of your dinner, there are some people that just need to bring the rolls an the wine - or just the vodka!

AM: What charities do you support?

EH: St. Jude – We have the Taste of St. Jude which is an unbelievable event in Oxford, Mississippi and I have been on the board for about 5 years. We raised over $237,000 last year – this is in Oxford! We get things donated like trips and I do a lot of the culinary packages. We auctioned off a dinner for 40 people on the 50 yard line in the stadium the night before the LSU game. 

We will be in the stadium, we bring in a Celebrity Chef Ryan Trimm is going to be cooking. Literally, they will sit on the field and have dinner with the stadium lights on – nobody is in there but them. That went for $10,000 this year. 

We do a Pig, Pizza and Produce event. We have a great chef in town that does barbecue with amazing pigs and then we have an amazing wood fire pizza place that brought their ovens out and I did all the produce. We auctioned that off for $8,000. 

I auctioned off a VIP tour to the Today Show. So there are tons of trips and events and our team is second to none.

Ronald McDonald House, St. Jude, the LeBonner House, Young Life, Doors for Hope – there are so many. It’s weekly that we’re doing something because I honestly feel that I have been given so much and blessed beyond that God will give back. 

One year, my husband figured out how much we as a company had given out in time and money and he said, “we can’t afford this” and I said, “we can’t afford not to do this.” God will give it back to me a million times over. It doesn’t matter what it is but the moment that I feel that I don’t have enough to give to someone that is in need, that’s the minute that I will not have enough to give. That’s how I believe. We give a ton and we get a ton!

Read more of the Oct Issue and see What Can I Bring? in mag.

BINGELY BOOKS

THE COMFORT FOOD DIARIES
Simon & Schuster
Emily Nunn

When Eat, Pray, Love came out it shared a woman's internal journey through her physical travels. In this transformative and introspective process, Emily Nunn shares how she faced the loss of her brother's death, her break up with her fiancé and being evicted from her home. She finds her way back to herself through travel, homecooked meals and enjoying her circle of friends and family in The Comfort Food Diaries.

This new journey was triggered by a few glasses of wine and sharing what was going on with her by sharing her thoughts on Facebook. The next day, she realizes that her friends and family are embracing and empathetic for what has happened to her and ask her to not only stay but cook with them. Ultimately, she embraces the thought of the Comfort Food Tour.

This book takes you on Emily's journey as she puts her life back together with new experiences
while revisiting old places and recipes that allow her to put things into perspective.

---

THE DUDE DIET
Harper Wave
Serena Wolf

We all love the idea of comfort food that is satisfying; however, we want it to still be healthy (and in some cases healthyish). Welcome to The Dude Diet which is Clean(ish) food for people who like to eat dirty!

Created by chef and founder of Domesticate-Me.com, she has assembled amazingly delicious, yet deceptively healthy recipes for guys (as well as the people who love them)! In addition to these recipes, they are accompanied by full-color photography which will only encourage
you to want to make these dishes, whether it's for gameday, friends who are coming over or for an epic weekend of Netflix and Chill. It seems that the option of takeout just might be put on the back burner for now.

---

SLEEPING BEAUTIES
Simon and Schuster
Stephen King + Owen King

We're definitely intrigued about Sleeping Beauties which is written by master horror/thriller writer Stephen King and his son, Owen King. They push the envelope with a simple question, what would happen if women were to disappear from the world of men?

Everything starts when women go to sleep, they become shrouded in a cocoon-like gauze. If you attempt to awaken them or if the gauze wrapping their bodies is disturbed, the women become feral and spectacularly violent. But when they stay asleep, they go to another place of peace where conflict rarely takes place and harmony reigns.

Only one woman, Eve Black is immune to this sleeping condition. This causes the all male community to wonder what they should do about her as they move towards violence. All of this takes place in a small Appalachian town whose primary employer is a women’s prison.

Read more from the Sep Issue and read Bingley Books in mag.

BINGELY BOOKS

A STRANGER IN THE HOUSE
Doubleday Canada
Shari Lapena

Shari Lapena shows that life is normal, until it isn't. Tom and Karen live upstate without children and are happy with everything around them. But one day, Tom comes home and realizes that not only is his wife missing but she left her keys and purse at home - definitely not normal. Thankfully, Karen is in the hospital and alive after getting into an accident.

Tom and Karen return home to go about living their lives as normal; however, Karen feels that things are not the same. Although she's fine, she can't remember the accident
or how it happened. She also can't shake the feeling that her home is not how she left it.

This feeling makes her feel like she is a stranger in her own home and that everything is just a bit off. She feels that she needs to get to the truth as this thriller
makes everyone a bit of a suspect and it becomes essential that she is able to get to the truth ultimately of what happened and
who are what are the people/things in her life that she needs to understand in order to uncover the secrets of a past that she can't completely remember.

THE PERFECT COOKIE
America's Test Kitchen

We've all been there - looking for the perfect cookie! The Perfect Cookie looks at cookies, brownies and bars from recipes of a number of these treats, finding techniques to make the recipes in a way that is easier to do as
well as a number of helpful tips that will take your baking to the next level regardless of your skill.

With over 4 million weekly public television
viewers, America’s Test Kitchen is well-known for its top-rated television shows. They have shared their finds through bestselling cookbooks, magazines, websites, and cooking school.

A group of well over 60 passionate chefs based in Boston, Massachusetts, who put ingredients, cookware, equipment, and recipes through objective, rigorous testing to identify the very best in a category, it's an essential for your shelf.

AT WAVE'S END
Lake Union Publishing
Patricia Perry Donovan

You never know where life will take you and why. Even when you feel that you have decided to go in a specific direction, life has a way of changing your plans for a moment or an entire lifetime.

Faith finds comfort working within an upscale kitchen in Manhattan and as a workaholic chef, she feels that she is not only happy but in complete control.

Her instincts kick in when her mother, Connie who is not only a free spirit but
is easy to be led one way or another, announces that she has won a bed and breakfast on the Jersey Shore. Faith can't believe her mom would choose to do this and feels that she needs to head to Wave's End to save her mother from such a rash decision with an uncertain future.

Adding to this feeling of unease is a hurricane that hits the coast. Faith must decide to stay and assist the efforts or to get her boss out of trouble. In the midst of so much emotion and decision making she is left to deal with an array of emotions and circumstances that could affect her mother and the inn.

Read more from the Aug Issue and read Bingely Books in mag.

BINGELY BOOKS

THE REAL FOOD GROCERY GUIDE
Fair Winds Press
Maria Marlowe

You get caught up in a number of projects
and then you realize that it's time to eat - do you get something from one of your favorite places or do you dare enter your local grocery store? Many find this place to be a bit intimidating - how does one tackle the aisles, getting enough ingredients to make
a meal, keeping it healthy and make it out alive?
 

Maria Marlowe, Food Evangelist, created The Real Food Grocery Guide which breaks down the mysteries of the aisle and whether you're a devout wellness follower, clean eater or are on the path to doing so - she breaks it down so that you can tackle the healthiest finds while
seeing what your options are when you're thinking about organic verus conventional foods,
how to purchase and store them, and beyond.

This easy to read guide will bust your food myths and let you know more about where your food comes from and allow you to tackle the aisle like a pro. From grabbing random items to being fully navigational - this book will change how you go about feeding yourself and those that are with you. In purchasing this book, you'll also be able to unlock addition books that give you the secret and power behind foods that you may not have known.

FITNESS JUNKIE
DoubleDay
Lucy Skyes + Jo Piazza

Health and wellness are topics that everyone is aware of. Janey Sweet is an accomplished woman who is the CEO of a bridal couture company. When she is photographed sitting in the front row eating a bruffin - things take an interesting turn. After her divorce, she gained 30 pounds; however, her best friend and business partner told her that she had to lose the weight or she would lose her job.

Janey dives into the world of fitness with traditional as well as emerging methods as a means to meet her friend's challenge. As she embraces the unique personalities of this world as well as commiting to take classes as well as to change her diet, she wonders if it was essential for her to immerse herself in this ecosystem.

HELLO, SUNSHINE
Simon and Schuster
Laura Dave

Life is great and moves along, until it doesn't. Sunshine Mackenzie is living a full life as a culinary celeb with millions of fans, a #1 bestselling cookbook as well as a husband who is devoted to her. When she gets hacked, Sunshine's life is turned upside down as her secrets are revealed, her husband leaves her, her show is taken away, she loses her fans and her apartment.

These changes force her to go back to her childhood home and to re-connect with her estranged sister. In the midst of such upheaval, the novel shows how she rises above all that has happened to her.

The novel challenges the notion of what you see versus its actuality. What does being a celebrity mean and how are your curating your life towards your fans to connect with you while
also being authentic to yourself.

Read more from the July Issue and see Bingely Books in mag.

BINGELY BOOKS

IT HAPPENS IN THE HAMPTONS
William Morrow/Harper Collins
Holly Peterson

Sometimes the universe calls for a change of plans. Katie Doyle heeds this call and leaves the West Coast cross country to the Hamptons. This move is embracing the possibility of summer
employment, new friends for her son and the opportunity to enjoy a love affair with an investor
named George.

Upon arrival she witnesses the interplay between those of the 1 percent that co-exist with the locals of the island that have been there for generations. Somehow Southampton isn't what it appears to be on its surace which makes her nervous to mingle with her boyfriend's Elite Circle.

She realizes that regardless of the circle that one runs in, regardless of the socio-economic
position, everyone is maneuvering and looking for ways to stay afloat in their community.

The summer continues with Katie learning more about the town and the shifting alliances that take place within the groups of people. From betrayals, sexual predators and a missing person
- Katie learns that things are not what they seem. It's a meeting with Luke, a marine biologist
and teacher where she has to confront the only truth that matters - what is it that you really
want as opposed to simply existing in the Hamptons' playland that changes from one moment
to the next.

WHERE IN THE OM AM I?
Worcester Square Press
Sara DiVello

Sara DiVello's journey is one that many can relate to. At some point, we have gone through the motions of our jobs, relationships etc only to realize that it's not what we want. At the same
time, it takes a catalyst to really get us out from the place we're stuck in.

Sara shares her story and process of getting to a place where she ultimately wants to go. She leaves her PR job at a major financial services company and transitions to pursuing yoga-teacher training.

Her frank depiction of navigating chaotic corporate culture to the catty, but slow-paced world of yoga showcases the complexities of interrelationships in both worlds as she finds her place.

VISUAL VINYL
Verlag Kettler
Heerlen Schunk

The world of records has always been one of constant change. Prior to the 1940s, they were sold in plain, uniform jackets. Post the war, musicians and record companies discovered that
graphically designed record covers had the potential to boost sales! By the 1960s contemporary artists began to create record jackets that became an inspiration for others due to their radical, groundbreaking designs. Many of them have become symbols recognized not only by fans but by the wider public, symbols of an era where artistic freedom, experimentation, and innovation were encouraged.

This coffee table book is the first-ever comprehensive collection for vinyl lovers. These covers are taken from the extensive archive of Dutch designer Jan van Toorn, one of the most active
collectors and leading experts in the field. Enthusiasts will enjoy covers by famous pop artists such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg and Jean-Michel Basquiat.

Read more from the June Issue and see Bingely Books in mag.

BINGELY BOOKS

SUGAR DETOX ME
Sterling Publishing Company
Summer Rayne Oakes

One of the things that we always chat about with readers, fellow editors and more - is sugar. It's such a craveable item that is in our food as well as one that many find themselves unable to get out of their diets.

In order to have control over what your intake is, the best way is to embrace a detox plan that will reset your clock. In Summer Rayne Oakes' Sugar Detox Me, she includes well over 100 recipes as well as providing a 10-step detox plan that will get you on the right path to great
health.

We're huge fans of cookbooks that provide more than just great recipes with attractive food images - we want to be able to find out why we should do what we do and how we can go about doing so in an effective way. You'll have the scientific knowledge behind the harmful effects of sugars as well as having 10 Meal Maps! These maps serve as guides to create a number of meals, maximize equipments, reduce waste and to save money.

Your meals will be at another level with an array of savory options that are perfect to enjoy solo or with others. Of course with reducing and detoxing from sugar, you'll find that you can switch your sweet tooth to alternatives to sugar to desserts such as a bowl of banana-almond butter "icecream."

LIFTED
Hachette Publishing
Holly Rilinger with
Myatt Murphy

We've enjoyed a number of workouts with Holly Rilinger who is a noted celebrity fitness trainer, one of the co-stars of BRAVO TV's Work Out New York, former professional basketball
player, a Flywheel Master Instructor, Creative Director of Cyc Fitness and is one of fifty Nike Master Trainers in the world!

Lifted focuses on 28 days to strengthen your body, focus your mind and to elevate your spirit. We have taken some of her lifted classes and can definitely agree that this is a method that leaves your mind, body and soul feeling - lifted!

In four weeks, you will go through the steps that even includes creating a Dream Board in order to set goals and to ensure that your vision is made plain before you at the end of the journey, it's about overcoming your strength hurdles, enforcing and following new habits and simply making your life better.

THE HANDMAID'S TALE
Penguin Random House
Margaret Atwood

Before it was an SNL parody skit and a popular original series on Hulu - The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood was a novel.

If you ever want to think about a society where women are not only regulated, but literally marganilized - this world is observed through the lend of the Republic of Gilead.

From being made to be a birthing vessel only, using pictures to shop (as reading is not allowed) and more - there is such a juxtaposition of lifestyles as characters look at how life was prior to the new state of women.

Read more from the May Issue and see Bingely Books in mag.

BINGELY BOOKS

PINOT, PASTA AND PARTIES
Center Street
Dee Dee and Paul Sorvino

When you think about your favorite food scenes in a movie that isn't necessarily about food, Goodfellas is one of our favorites as it shows that it's all about eating items created from love and those you share it with. Interestingly enough, Paul Sorvino and his wife, Dee Dee have recently released Pinot, Pasta and Parties which shares a number of amazing meals by location!

No cookbook with this phenomenal actor would be complete without a section dedicated to Goodfellas! In addition, their travels take them to a number of places as well as assist the reader with great tips on creating a great dinner party that both are known to do!
 
We're loving the trend of cookbooks that are not only filled with recipes, but a number of stories and other pieces that allow you to feel as if you're hanging out with them! 

GETTING OFF ON FRANK SINATRA
Imbrifex Books
Megan Edwards
 

When you're making your way through life, you learn to go with the flow and to also work in various areas even if it's not where you ultimately want to go. We meet Copper Black who lives in Las Vegas and writes for a newspaper on beats that involve arts and culture. Although she has a love life, it would definitely be deemed nothing short of "its complicated." 

One day when she's out and about at an event, she happens to meet a noted philanthropist who literally turns her world upside down by connecting her within a world of those that are well to do, movers and shakers - as well as those who live under a cloud of murder!

Through the twists and turns of this novel: an old tortoise looking to escape, a coveted accessory that becomes the clue to the mystery, an on going investigation and more -  it's all about Getting Off on Frank Sinatra which is the key to life for Copper. In the end, she understands her place in the world and has a great foundation to the next steps that will take place in living the life that she truly deserves.
 

ONE PART PLANT
Jessica Murnane
Harper Wave

GIRLS' Lena Dunham writes the forward for Jessica Murnane, a wellness advocate and podcaster who created a cookbook to help make changes in your food intake to embrace a plant based lifestyle. One Part Plant is a simple request to eat just one plant-based meal each day.

Jessica's endometriosis — a chronic and painful condition — left her desperate for relief. Her friend's advice radically overhauled her diet. Within months, her pain started to fade and she felt like herself again. 

Jessica's insight, playful tone and simplicty makes this a joy to read and implement. 
 

Read more from the April Issue and see Bingely Books in mag.

YELLOW IS A GO

Sometimes you have to give it up to get it back together - but how far would you go to make sense of your world and your place in it? Kim Dinan does that while adding goodwill into the world in her memoir, The Yellow Envelope. We took some time to chat with Kim to find out about her series of time traveling with her husband as a global nomad, those she met along the way, what she learned and how she has assessed her time post the journey that was covered in her book.

ATHLEISURE MAG: We enjoyed this memoir, do you still go on nomadic adventures? How does it feel to be home with a routine etc?

KIM DINAN: I have not had a nomadic adventure since my husband and I returned to the states in 2015. The adjustment back to a “traditional” life was fairly jarring and we had a few months where we felt like we couldn’t tell the ground from the sky. Since we’d sold everything before we left, we came home with nothing. We rented a house, but it was completely empty. We didn’t own a bed, a couch, a car or dishes. So initially there was this out-of-control feeling as we re-acquired all of this stuff we’d purposefully gotten rid of. Then my husband went back to a 9-5 job and that was a real shock to the system. I had my book and freelance work to focus on, but all in all it just took a while to find our feet again. 

There were bright spots too, though. I longed for a routine and was happy to have one again. Toward the end of our trip all I wanted was an oven to bake bread in and dresser drawers to organize my clothes. The small things that I used to take for granted in everyday life became things that I really missed. To this day, if it’s raining outside and I’m inside, I thank the universe to have a roof over my head and warm water in the faucet. Those things weren’t guaranteed when we were traveling, and there are many people that do not have such luxuries. I just don’t take those conveniences for granted anymore.

For a long time we said that we’d never do a truly nomadic trip again because the adjustment back was so hard—but of course now we are plotting our next big adventure. Though when we hit the road next time we’re getting a storage unit!

AM: Are you still in touch with Michele and Glenn?

KD: Absolutely! Michele and Glenn still live in Oregon, and while we don’t live in Oregon anymore, we keep in touch via email and Facebook and of course we see them whenever we go back to the west coast. A few months after we returned to the states Michele took a six-month sabbatical and Glenn quit his job and they set out on their own trip around the world!

AM: Inspiration and being a role model when you may not realize it is a theme that we kept seeing in your book. Besides Michele and Glenn, who else inspired you on this trip? 
 
KD: I met so many inspiring people on our trip. I think the most inspiring thing was not one single person, but this realization that there are so many ways to live—and there’s no “right way.” In the U.S. there’s this belief that you should follow this very traditional and well-trodden path that’s like: high school, college (if you’re lucky), job, house, marriage, kids… you know it because everyone knows it. It’s just a part of who we are as Americans. There’s nothing wrong with it per se, it’s just not the only way.

It wasn’t until I set out into the world that I realized that there are people all over the world living in very different ways—and they were happy. Of course, I always knew this intellectually but to actually experience it was a whole new thing for me. There are people that have very little money, but are incredibly rich in community—their social fabric is so strong. 

I met people that had traveled for years and were raising their kids on the open road. I met olive farmers and doctors and rickshaw drivers and holy men and women and what I realized was that, you know, we all need certain things to have a good life—clean water and air, food, access to a good education, community—but after that life can take so many shapes. You don’t have to do it the way everyone back home is doing it. You’re allowed to live life
in the way that makes you feel really alive, even if it doesn’t make sense to other people. 

AM: You traveled for 2 years on this trip - what are 3 things you loved and 3 things you could have done without on the trip?

KD: We actually traveled for nearly 3 years! Not every country and experience made it into the book. 

When I look back on the trip the 3 things I really loved was, first of all, the time. Every single day was wide open. I had the time to really look inward, to ask myself what I wanted out of life, to spend time mentally sorting through my life and truly getting to know myself. I feel so incredibly lucky that I had those years—they changed my life. 

The second thing I really loved, and maybe this makes me sound a bit selfish, was that I didn’t worry about people. Since I wasn’t home and I didn’t have a phone I knew that I’d only hear about something if it was really important. I used to be the kind of person where, if the phone rang unexpectedly, I’d automatically think that something was wrong. I guess I’m a worrier by nature. But I stopped worrying because I was so far away from home and I couldn’t fix anything for anybody—and that feeling was incredibly freeing. 

The third thing I loved was the food. Oh man, the food. Especially the Indian food—even the airplane food in India made me drool. 

As far as the things I could have done without. Well, I really missed the people I loved. I missed being a daily part of people’s lives. You leave and the world keeps right on spinning and you realize that if you don’t show up for people they move on without you. I also could have done without the marriage tensions and problems that came to a head while traveling. But the thing is, I’m also grateful that I faced my deepest questions—about my marriage and myself—head on. It’s so easy to stuff uncomfortable thoughts and feelings down and ignore the truth and much, much harder to face it. No one wants to go through gut-wrenching times, but they’re necessary.  

AM: What lessons that you learned on the trip do you still do to this day?

KD: One of the biggest things I learned on the trip was to let go. I stopped being a control freak. I used to think that I was just born that way but, nope, it’s a learned thing and it can be changed. Now I know that the only thing I can control is my reaction in any given situation. So I just roll with things now. It’s so much better not getting worked up about small things! 

Because of the yellow envelope gift we were given, I also learned a lot about giving. I learned that giving will always be awkward and uncomfortable but that's no reason to avoid it. To this day I still give yellow envelopes away and I’ve even started something called The Yellow Envelope Project (find it on Facebook @yellowenvelopeproject) where I mail yellow envelopes to people around the globe and they use their envelope to perform an act of kindness.

AM: Prior to leaving on this trip, what are 3 things that you would have never done in your old life, but find yourself enjoying now?

KD: I used to be a planner, but now most of the time I just show up and figure things out when I get there. It leaves room for spontaneity and adventure.

I also used to be so guarded of my time, but now I’m more open. I make time for people—I almost always say yes to an invitation, whereas before I said no because my life was so scheduled and regimented.

I’m also just more curious about people and more trusting. I mean, I traveled the world for three years, relying on strangers the whole time, and time and time again people proved to me that humans are generally good and willing to help as long as you are open to receiving. That’s the thing; I wasn’t open to receiving things before. Now, I let people help me. And I do everything I can to help other people. We’re all in this thing together.
 
AM: What are your favorite mountains/hiking trails?

KD: Oh, there are so many!! First, I have to start in my own backyard because the United States has some of the most stunning natural beauty in the world. The National Parks are a national treasure—I could spend the rest of my life just exploring states like Utah, Colorado, Oregon and Washington.

I have a very soft spot in my heart for the Camino de Santiago, a 500-mile pilgrimage route through Spain that I walked solo (though it didn't make it into the book - maybe another book!). The Camino de Santiago is a special experience, there’s nothing else like it on earth.

I also have to give a shout-out to Nepal. My husband and I walked the Annapurna Circuit. That was some of the hardest trekking of my life (we crested a 17,000-foot pass!) but also some of the most magical. It’s not just the mountains, which are amazing, but also the villages that you walk through. It’s a special part of the world and I can’t wait to go back.
 

AM: What places/countries have you yet to visit that are on your bucket list?

KD: Namibia, Tanzania, Iceland, New Zealand, Ireland, Bhutan, Tibet… should I go on? 

AM: Are you still in touch with the women you met in India or those that were on the biking trip in Vietnam?

KD: Somewhat, yes. Thanks to the wonders of Facebook and Instagram I’m able to keep up to date with most of the people I met on my trip.

AM: There are many people/experiences that you share - is there a moment that didn't make it in that you or Brian were impacted by?

KD: I think of a thousand small moments that impacted us—people stopping to ask us if we needed directions when we looked lost, people that asked us curiously about our life back home, just small moments when others took the time out of their day to assist us in some way. I think in general we’re all so caught up in our own lives and moving so fast that we rarely take the time to look up and see how we can be of service. I try to pay more attention now to small ways that I can help.

AM: Culturally you walked in the shoes of others throughout your journey as you experienced various "culture shocks". Share 3 with us and why is traveling to places different than your own so important?

KD: Traveling is so important because it teaches you what it's like to be a foreigner. It’s hard to be the odd man out like that. It’s impossible to know what that feels like and not have more compassion and understanding for people having similar experiences in your own country. Traveling teaches you that your way is not the only way. You don’t have
to get on an airplane and fly halfway around the world to learn this lesson. If you live in the country, go to the city. If you live in the city, head to the country. Be open and curious—you’ll learn something.

As far as culture shock goes, I think the biggest culture shock came when we transitioned from western to eastern cultures. In western cultures, thinking is very linier and logical. In eastern cultures, it seems like there is more wiggle room. If you try to use logic to make sense of the way some things go down in places like India, you’ll go nuts. But if you can just learn to laugh and accept things as they are, you’ll be fine. That was my experience.

AM: What was your favorite country and/or city covered in the book? 

KD: Well, when I look back on the trip I know that some of my feelings about certain places are clouded by my own personal journey. I was battling a lot of internal unrest in South America, so when I think back to some of those countries it's hard for me to separate my own unhappiness with my overall feelings about a place. On the other hand, I am in love with India. I loved the country, the people, the culture—but I also had a bit of an awakening in that country, so I’m sure the fact that I kind of came out the other side of things and found balance there is also part of the reason why I love that country so much. I’m almost afraid to go back because I love it in my memory just the way it is.

Read more from the April Issue and see Yellow is a Go in mag.

TALKING ILLUSION WITH JOAN JULIET BUCK

We live in an age where we have the opportunity to get an inside look in the careers and people's lives via social media, reality TV or directly from the person themself! Growing up, we enjoyed reading Vogue as a means to be transported to high style, fabulous designers, locations and more. As we grew up, we realized that this signified the best of the best regardless of what edition we happened to be flipping through. 

French Vogue represents one of the most iconic titles and has had a number of notables helm this cover. We had the opportunity to chat with Joan Juliet Buck, who shares her time at Vogue (1994 - 2001); growing up in a family whose connections to those in film; art and literature is astounding and how she navigated her world is a page turner. Readers see how she befriended Karl Lagerfeld; her love affair with Donald Sutherland; her connection to Anjelica Huston; and more interactions that are effortlessly shared in 'Price of Illusion.' As a writer for a number of prestigious titles (Vanity Fair, American Vogue, Travel + Leisure, The Los Angeles Times and Conde Nast Traveler), feature editor at British Vogue, Editor in Chief of French Vogue her memoir navigates her journey via frank honesty about her world, her participation in it  and how she was able to step back and take the life she truly wanted is one that is refreshing! 

ATHLEISURE MAG: What is the meaning behind the 'Price of Illusion?'

JOAN JULIET BUCK: It's sort of well, now you know because you read the book.

AM: Yes, so what made you decide to write the book and to make it so personal.
 
JJB: Well the only way to write is to do so completely honestly. I'm not interested in writing fiction. I think that the most important thing for me was to sit down and write. The original manuscript was a lot longer. I think I had 20 edits to get it down as I was numbering them. I kept thinking that I was finished and done, but I edited a lot. It took me about 2 years to write the first 1,050 pages and then it took me 4 years to sculpt the story out of it.

The thing that became more and more important was this guardian angel that I read about when I was 7 years old. The guardian angel says to the little girl, "Don't go playing with the pretty people of the gorgeous garden. The pretty children wearing the beautiful clothes in the beautiful garden - don't go." Of course what the guardian angel doesn't say is that if you go, you will pay the price of illusion.

Of course, I went into the pretty garden with all of the pretty children and the beautiful clothes and flowers. Just like in the dream in the book that I read at 7 years old, let's just say it wasn't for me.

AM: Do you feel that maybe because of your upbringing of growing up around Peter O'Toole, John Huston and Anjelica Huston that it became a natural inclination to go into this garden because you were born into that world?

JJB: Of course. I was and that is what I considered natural. But one way to reclaim it would have been to become an actress, but my father (Jules Buck, an American film producer) said don't become one. So I thought I would become a writer and of course, I went towards beautiful magazines. Then I chose the beautiful world. I first went to Conde Nast magazine for Glamour at the age of 19 and then Vogue when I was 23. I couldn't leave - it was a beautiful garden and I couldn't leave. I thought it was my reproduction of what I grew up in - you're exactly right - you got it completely!

AM: Obviously, we work in the magazine industry and we were struck by how you integrated the state of the magazine world at that time with the consolidations in titles, the merge to going online and how you dealt with creating great content with such lower budgets. What do you think of the state of the fashion magazine business which is still battling these issues now?

JJB: They're in a very difficult state. There are certain magazines that manage to be surprising and glamorous. W and Harper's Bazaar both manage. But so many of the other magazines have gone so mainstream. The way we managed in French Vogue, as you saw is that for example, the model Caroline Murphy was AMAZING. She would work for our shitty prices, we would have to borrow horrible places in the country where people were practically in sleeping bags and she wouldn't care! She was really a trooper. But these days, the people who still work with Vogue or used to work for me say, "they used to put me on a plane to do an interview and now it's all on the phone!"

AM: Would you ever see yourself going back to working as an Editor in Chief or starting your own publication?

JJB: No - I think you have to be young and full of energy. I realized a lot of stuff about myself in life and then again when I wrote the book. I'm one of those people who need a lot of sleep. I can't function on 6 hours. It's really grueling and a hard job. 

AM: I had to laugh as we don't get a lot of sleep around here so your point is very valid!

JJB: It's true - but you're having fun though right?

AM: We love our readers, sharing the athleisure culture and being able to share the voices in our community. Everyday is different than the next which keeps it interesting. If you're not passionate and in in tune with what you're doing, it can really suck you dry!

JJB: That is so true and the difference for being a writer as I had always been and then being a boss - which I had never been, was so different. The days were fuller with events that had to do with other people and it didn't exhaust me in the same way that writing does as you're birthing something. It's almost a physical feeling. When going to events, I felt punch drunk from small talk.

AM: Were you concerned when you were writing this book that you had to go back and let people know that they were being included in this book as you include a number of people such as Anna Wintour, Karl Lagerfeld, Mario Testino.

JJB: No because I had done enough reportage on my own life by keeping a diary that I didn't feel that I needed to speak to anyone about what had happened because I knew very well. It was all in my diary. Are you asking if I needed to ask permission?

AM: Well yes, I know a number of the people that you're talking about in the book and I think that you're spot on. But there's always what you know that happened and what people like to revise in their heads and I just wondered if in that process that you were concerned that there would be a letter or email from someone who may have had an issue.

JJB: You're always concerned. I was concerned with certain friends who looked in the index and saw that they weren't in it. But that's ok and we had a conversation about it. Remember, I didn't belong to anything when I wrote this book. I didn't owe anyone anything and I didn't have any allegiance. I was gone. That's a fantastic freedom.

AM: I think that's what really draws you to this book because of the frankness and honesty. When you're in the industry, there are politics and things to consider so it would be tough to write something of this nature while navigating those associations.

JJB: You can't write honestly if you're protecting something. I was in a very privileged position. I decided to make my exile from Vogue a privilege instead of a drawback. 

AM: What are some of the things that you liked while you were at French Vogue Paris and duties that you had to do as a part of your job that you may not have enjoyed?

JJB: Well, let me see - you know this very well, but to be the person whose decision is final. I had that when I was there and when I went back to American Vogue and my decision wasn't final - I could provide my opinion, but I had to go ahead with it. Just being the decision maker was great. Watching people spark to an idea and watching how this thing would be like firecrackers - that was very energizing. It would also make me wistful because they would go off to do the photoshoot or reporting and I would be sitting behind the desk and then going to a cocktail party. I don't drink, I hate going to cocktail parties as I don't like standing. I don't mind walking, but I don't like standing around and I really don't like small talk. It was all kind of a nightmare. I also liked having the access! I loved going to museum shows before they even opened. It was nice to buy my clothes at wholesale prices, but it was weird as you would order 6 months in advance at the showroom and it felt more like business than shopping. 

I didn't like having people do things that they didn't want to do. If they didn't want to do it, I could usually see why and it made me say things to get them to do it - which I didn't want to do - I'm lousy at manipulating people. The schedule - the fashion shows - putting on your costume and the marathon of shows! I need my sleep and I need my food! It felt like torture.
 

AM: After going through all of this, how essential is balance to you?

JJB: It's everything!

AM: How do you envision success?

JJB: Well that's interesting. Because for me success is being able to write what I want to write and not having to do things that I don't want to do. That's the number one. It would be nice if success came with an enormous amount of money to reward me for my efforts. 

There is a line from Gertrude Stein who says, "I write for myself and for strangers." The success of the book - right now what I'm feeling for the first time in my life is because I wrote honestly and didn't write - so many strangers are reacting to this book with a full heart. In the fashion world, you don't see a full heart. I'm seeing that. The communication and atomization of everything from letters, Instagram etc and there are all these hashtags from strangers who are reading it. 

They have opened their heart to the story that I told which is extraordinary. In a world of magazines, you don't think that that is possible. In magazines people react because they want something from you.

AM: If this became a movie who would play you and your parents?

JJB: So think of it more like a very long TV series like Mad Men - going on and on. I've actually got my casting. Have you ever seen Orphan Black?

AM: Yes we're obsessed with the show!

JJB:  Of course you have! I think Tatiana Maslany is it. She is an extraordinary actress and like me, she can look like a whole bunch of different people. It's not consistent and one of the interesting things that I found doing this book because I was excavating - I played all these different parts and role. So I think Tatiana's talent to look like so many different people and she's not really pretty but she can be - that is so me! For the young me, it's Hailee Seinfeld.

AM: Good choice - she's fantastic!

JJB: Didn't you love her in The Age of 17? Hailee looks so much like Tatiana so it's perfect! For my parents, I keep thinking of Michael Stuhlbarg for my father. For Uncle Don, definitely Mark Ruffalo. 

That's who he looks like and the feeling - slightly rumpled, sloppy but with a really big heart! For mom, Natalie Portman!

AM: When you were talking about your mother from her style, jewelry, and movement - she seemed to have such an ethereal air. That's a perfect casting choice! 

JJB: Mom was so classy and the absolute embodiment of grace, beauty, charm, and style. Not quite me!

AM: We were so blown away about the book as there are so many layers that intersect!

JJB: The thing is, this book is not about fashion, Hollywood - they're in there. But this book is about people who are obsessed with such a beauty and things being wonderful. Everybody has that.

AM: Yes and historically, there are events that you mention that are mirrored today in terms of terrorism/bombings - that these things unfortunately still happen but that life also has to continue on with our personal chaos along with the global one. The weaving of these elements is what makes it so intriguing.

JJB: I love it and am thrilled that you felt so connected to it!

Read more from the April Issue and see Talking Illusion with Joan Juliet Buck in mag.

BINGELY BOOKS

HOW TO MURDER YOUR LIFE
Cat Marnell
Simon and Schuster

Life is what you make of it - but then again it's about the lessons that you learn along the way as you create your world. Set in the world of the publishing industry, How to Murder Your Life is a candid memoir of Sex, Drugs, and climbing the ladder of the beauty industry within the coveted halls of some of the most iconic magazines. 

We follow Cat from her early days of creating zines and falling in love with magazines, rockers and more. In addition, she unabashadly shares her early spiral which led to boarding schools, medication, her determination to focus and eventually leaving school to come to NYC.

Cat continued to balance her wild lifestyle while also being committed to being a Beauty Editor. Throughout the novel, Cat's world comes into contact with Nev from Catfish, some of the most prominant beauty and editors in chief and more! 

Publishing history is woven throughout her memoir as it follows the rise of online, the need to maintain traditional magazines and the realization of the merger of old and new media together. Whether we follow Cat in the crazy nightlife scene, through the halls of Glamour, Lucky, Vice, xo Jane, or at her lowest points battling her addictions - we realize that Cat is a fighter who owns who she is and her desire to make a better place for herself. 

VERA BRADLEY FLORAL PATTERNS COLORING BOOK
Design Originals

You need a moment to collect your thoughts or simply to enjoy a mental vacation! Coloring is one of the perfect ways to escape! Vera Bradley, who is known for their print filled accessories and lifestyle wear has the perfect compliment for your coloring pencils. 

With a collection of books that offer an array of patterns, you will have a plenty of options for escapism. We suggest having a few at the ready on your coffee table, night stand or bookshelf for ongoing inspiration.

SQUEEZE LIFE
Karliin Brooks
Skyhorse Publishing

Spring is the perfect time to look back at what you've been doing to get summer ready! Squeeze Life, with a foreword by Russell Simmons, includes an  array of food, smoothie and juice recipes. With 150 available in this book, there are plenty of option to bring in positive nutrients into your body! There are even recipes for 3 Day Cleanses which is another great way to detox your body and to get it to where you want it to be.

Karliin Brooks' book is not only colorful but ensures that you are able to look your best at any age! 

BEYOND BALTHAZAR

Many of us have our favorite restaurants that we frequent. Maybe it's by our jobs, a workout studio or just a place that feels like home. You know the staff, menus, other regulars and more - but how much of an insider are you? At Balthazar, by Reggie Nadelson, looks at one of NYC's iconic restaurants in every way possible by breaking down who has been a part of its success, the staff that keeps it running smoothly, the patrons that visit and more!

ATHLEISURE MAG: The book has a number of notables that have been at Balthazar: those in the literary, acting, publishing, and culinary communities. Although you are referencing them in terms of their visits to Balthazar, it's also a reflection of a who's who in your network! In reading this book, you're also sharing who you interact with, we'd welcome an invite to your dinner party anytime. Please tell us about your background as the diversity of characters shared in this book seem to represent people you have encountered during your day-to-day or through your work as a writer. What is your background as we know that you are a writer as well as someone who has eaten at a number of restaurants - tell us more. 

AUTHOR REGGIE NADELSON

REGGIE NADELSON: I think you’ll see in the book that many of the famous people are not necessarily my friends. I do have friends who are writers and actors, but most of my friends are lawyers, doctors, editors, house-painters, teachers, not necessarily famous; just fun. I grew up in Greenwich Village in a pretty free-wheeling world. It was the 1960s and 70s, and by the nature of the time and place, there was a lot of diversity. 

I’ve been a journalist all my adult life, have worked in London and New York, for magazines such as Departures and Conde Nast Traveller UK, as well as newspapers like the Independent and the Financial Times.

I’ve written a series of mysteries featuring Artie Cohen, a New York Cop, which have been published in New York, London and translated into a dozen other languages.

I’ve travelled a lot, including to Russia, Iran, across Europe and to South America., as well as across the USA.

AM: You have eaten at so many places, why did you decide to write a book about Balthazar as opposed to another restaurant in Keith McNally's portfolio or another restaurant group?

RN: The answer to this question is the book itself. I think you’ll find the first chapter really does it best. It has long been my neighborhood place, where friends and family hang out.

AM: There are a number of anthems/themes that run throughout the book - resilience (what it means in the restaurant industry, a retail establishment in the tough NYC market, and what it means in a 9/11 - post/9/11 world), the importance and necessity of immigrants, change and adaptation, the importance of being a brand that moves into a culture and how those who are at the helm continue to manage this, honoring the past (old NY vs new), and the global perspective (how Balthazar embodies a french style while being in the bustling center of the world) - were these intentional elements that you planned to weave in the book as this is very relevant in today's world and really makes you think of the intricate fabric that we live in.  

RN: Of course they were intentional elements. I’m glad it works for you.

AM: What do you think is next for Balthazar?
 
RN: Another twenty years, I hope.

AM: You share the many faces of Balthazar in terms of the interactions that you have had with the staff and identifying those relationships that are real versus those that exist during your meal - who has become a part of your personal network from the Balthazar world where you have a relationship with outside of the restaurant's world?

RN: James Weichert, who was the morning manager, has become one of my best friends, though he has moved on to real estate development.

AM: Your commitment to writing this book was so integral to making it a phenomenal read. When you went to the oysters farm (do you like them more now), meat processing plant, winery and received your potatoes - which of these trips were your favorite and those most insightful? 

RN: Gosh, I can’t really say. I enjoyed them all so much in various ways.

AM: Soho is just as much of a character as the restaurant and we've seen the changes that have come over this area - what do you think is next for this neighborhood?

RN: If I knew, I’d buy real estate and get rich. Hard to say. More shopping. More tourists?

AM: Do you think with the unique characteristics that make Balthazar what it is - that there will be the "next Balthazar"?

RN: For me, if something is unique, it is unique. There will certainly be another special restaurant, a place that stands out. But not a Balthazar.

AM: What's next for you - what are you working on and/or what's the next book of yours we should be reading?

RN: I’m working on a documentary about ELLA FITZGERALD for her 100th birthday, which is this year.

But you can always ready my mysteries, all available on Amazon under my name.

AM: We enjoyed reading the shifts of how Balthazar evolves from day to night and the characters that move about - what is your favorite time of day there?

RN: I like the very early morning when almost no one is there, and if I’m up, very late at night at the bar.

AM: In a general week, how many times would we see you at Balthazar?

RN: In a normal week, a couple of times at breakfast, maybe once each at dinner and weekend brunch

CHEF SHANE MCBRIDE

AM: What are your top 5 restaurants in NYC?

RN: Augustine, Aquagrill, Pig Bleecker, Café Cluny, Blue Ribbon Sushi

AM: What is your perfect meal at Balthazar for breakfast vs lunch vs dinner?

RN: Lunch: cheeseburger with raw onions and frites.

Dinner: cevice to start, Steak frites or skate, then banana ricotta tart for desert.  

AM: Who are your favorite people you interviewed for this book?

RN: It would be like choosing your favorite child, but Chef Shane McBride, and Chef Eric Ripert were fun.

AM: Will you write another book of this nature - if so what and do you plan on writing another about Balthazar?

RN: I just don't know.

AM: You span the 20 years of Balthazar while being extremely current to as late as last year, how long did it take for you to research and write this?

RN: In a sense, twenty years. In actual terms of writing, about two.

AM: When you're not eating at fabulous iconic places, what's a general NY day like for you?

RN: Up around 7, out to grab a coffee, back to do some writing, out to Fanelli’s, our local bar for a late breakfast/early lunch/ back to writing or doing interviews. Maybe a pilates class. Always a long walk.

Out to the movies, occasionally the theater, or a jazz club or concert with boyfriend/friends. Or out to eat with friends, or friends over to eat here.

I always read for a couple of hours be-fore bed, usually a novel.

Favorites: Pride and Prejudice, Age of Innocence, Anna Karenina, Midnight’s Children, Portnoy’s Complaint, The Yiddish Policeman’s Union…too many to name.

Interior pictures courtesy of Peter Nelson and book cover by Simon & Schuster

Read more from the Mar Issue and read Beyond Balthazar in mag.

BINGELY BOOKS

THE HOUSEKEEPER
Suellen Dainty
Simon and Schuster

When Anne Morgan's successful boyfriend - who's also her boss - leaves her for another woman, Anne finds herself in need of a new job and a place to recover. Meanwhile, her celebrity idol, Emma Helmsley (England’s answer to Martha Stewart), is in need of a housekeeper, an opportunity which seems too good to be true.

Through her books, website, and blog, Emma Helmsley advises her devoted followers on how to live a balanced life in a hectic world. Her husband, Rob, is a high profile academic, and her children, Jake and Lily, are well-adjusted teenagers. On the surface, they are the perfect family. But Anne soon finds herself intimately ensconced in the Helmsley’s dirty laundry, literally and figuratively. The Housekeeper shows that underneath the dust, grime, and whimsical clutter, everyone has a secret to hide and Anne’s own disturbing past threatens to unhinge everything.
 

MOST DANGEROUS PLACE
James Grippando
Harper Collins

Defending a woman accused of murdering the man who sexually assaulted her, Miami lawyer Jack Swyteck must uncover where the truth lies between innocence, vengeance, and justice in this tale of suspense - based on shocking true-life events - from the New York Times.  

According to the FBI, the most dangerous place for a woman between the ages of twenty and thirty is in a relationship with a man. Those statistics become all too personal when Jack Swyteck takes on a new client tied to his past.

Most Dangerous Place begins at the airport, where Jack is waiting to meet his old high school buddy, Keith Ingraham, a high-powered banker based in Hong Kong, coming to Miami for his young daughter’s surgery. But their long-awaited reunion is abruptly derailed when the police arrest Keith’s wife, Isabelle, in the terminal, accusing her of conspiring to kill the man who raped her in college. Jack quickly agrees to represent Isa, but soon discovers that to see justice done, he must separate truth from lies—an undertaking that proves more complicated than the seasoned attorney expects.

Inspired by an actual case involving a victim of sexual assault sent to prison for the death of her attacker, James Grippando’s twisty thriller brilliantly explores the fine line between victim and perpetrator, innocence and guilt, and cold-blooded revenge and rightful retribution.

HIDDEN FOLKS
App Store

Hidden Folks combines 'Where's Waldo' for adults, interactivity, and handdrawn characters for a fun game that will become yur ultimate binge!

Read more from the Feb Issue and see Feb's Bingely Books in mag