Plateful of foodie fiction books will make you hungry

Mandy, Emma and Jill are as close as three sisters who live hundreds of miles apart can be. They grew up together on Nantucket, but Mandy is the only one who stayed. When their beloved grandmother, Rose Ferguson, passes peacefully in her sleep a week before her 99th birthday, she leaves them Mimi’s Place, one of Nantucket’s most popular year-round restaurants. There is, of course, a catch — she left the restaurant equally to Mandy, Emma and Jill — and also to Paul, the chef for the past twelve years and Emma’s first love. Before the sisters can sell their shares, each needs to work at the restaurant for one year or her shares will go to Paul.

Child advocate Nora Cross doesn’t have time for the private cooking lesson her sister won at a charity auction. Hunter Graham, the young chef, is the last person she needs telling her she’s forgotten how to have fun. After a stellar debut in New York City, Hunter’s back in Santa Fe to open a new restaurant. He lives a charmed life and he knows it. He isn’t interested in a workaholic who’s glued to her smartphone. So why is he trying to convince Nora to relax and enjoy life — with him?

Elle, an accomplished baker, has a recipe for every event in her life. But when she discovers her husband’s infidelity, she doesn’t know what to make of it. Jam, maybe? Fed up with the stale crumbs of her marriage, Elle revisits past recipes and the events that inspired them. A recipe for scones reminds her of her father’s death, cinnamon rolls signify the problematic courtship with her husband, and a batch of chocolate cookies casts Elle in a less-than-flattering light. As secrets from the past collide with the conflicts of the present, Elle struggles to manage her bakery business and maintain the relationships most important to her. In piecing her life back together, will Elle learn to take the bitter with the sweet?

In tiny Merinac, KS, Chicken Mimi’s and Chicken Frannie’s have spent a century vying to serve up the best fried chicken in the state — and the legendary feud between their respective owners, the Moores and the Pogociellos, has lasted just as long. No one feels the impact more than 35-year-old widow Amanda Moore, who grew up working for her mom at Mimi’s before scandalously marrying Frank Pogociello and changing sides to work at Frannie’s. Tired of being caught in the middle, Amanda sends an SOS to Food Wars, the reality TV restaurant competition that promises $100,000 to the winner. But in doing so, she launches both families out of the frying pan and directly into the fire … with a greedy producer stoking the flames, their friendly rivalry quickly turns into a game of chicken.

The only love Kally Andarakis is baking is in the form of the sweet treats she whips up at The Coffee Klatch. As a successful pastry chef running the café she always dreamed of owning, Kally is content with the life she has carved out for herself. That is, until the day Max Vardaxis walks into her café — one more complication in Kally’s life in addition to arguing parents, meddling relatives, an overly energetic grandmother, a man-crazy best friend, and the long-ago, mysterious disappearance of a grandfather. Is she ready to take a “whisk” on love?

At 22, Celeste worked at Katherine Lamontagne’s bakery and hoped to buy the business once Katherine took early retirement. When Katherine reconsiders that decision, Celeste flees to culinary school in New York — only to return two months later. Katherine knows the signs of secret heartbreak all too well and longs for Celeste to confide in her. Will the engaging young wanderer named Zach Fitzgerald spur them toward healing?

Estranged from her English family, Camilla Fetherwell now lives in the United States and owns a successful catering business. Returning home for her father’s funeral, she reunites with her first love, Billy, whom she hasn’t seen since her father broke up their teenage romance. Her life feels as splattered as her catering apron. As she watches her food stylist make a strawberry look luscious with a swipe of lipstick, Camilla wonders if a gloss has been put over a family secret. Can she and Billy survive what’s underneath?

The ’90s heartthrob was raised in New Mexico by his mom on home-cooked meals inspired by his Puerto Rican heritage.

In "Back to the Kitchen" the “She’s All That” star shares those dishes, and many more, including tacos and New Mexico-style spicy eggs.

Academy Award winner Gwyneth Paltrow has turned being a lifestyle guru into quite the business. The Goop founder has always been known for being the cheerleader of clean, healthy eating.

Her cookbook "The Clean Plate" takes a deep dive on the topic as she shares more than 100 recipes that heal the body.

Chrissy Teigen is almost as famous for being a foodie as a model, so it’s no surprise her tome "Cravings" is one of the best celebrity cookbooks out there.

It’s chock-full of recipes for every occasion, from family dinners to date nights to parties.

If you’ve ever wondered what Snoop Dogg eats when he gets the munchies, now you’ll finally know. Plus, he has probably picked up a culinary tip or two from his friend Martha Stewart.

Snoop Dogg’s first cookbook, "From Crook to Cook," is just as fun as you’d expect. Its 50 recipes cover soul food classics like baked mac & cheese as well as his spin on classics like soft flour tacos and easy orange chicken.

If you’re a vegan or just trying to cut down on meat, "The Kind Diet" is the best celebrity cookbook for you.

“Clueless” actress, activist and conservationist Alicia Silverstone shares how to make an easy transition to a vegan diet with plenty of advice and recipes. She shares all the health perks of a plant-based diet, such as easy digestion and clearer skin.

In "Stirring Up Fun with Food," “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” star Sarah Michelle Gellar shares more than 100 food-crafting ideas that you and your kids will have a blast making — think brownies on a stick.

The book is organized by month and has ideas for every holiday and occasion, including Valentine’s Day, Shark Week, Halloween and “Star Wars” Day.

Health-conscious cooks will love that this one ticks off all the boxes since every single recipe doesn’t have a trace of gluten, dairy or refined sugar. Even better, cooking that way can be easy.

That’s one of the reasons Kristin Cavallari's “True Roots” was propelled to the top of the best-seller list. The former star of “The Hills” will leave you with a happy tummy with recipes like zucchini almond butter blondies and rose sangria.

During quarantine, Stanley Tucci’s cocktail recipes won the internet, reminding us that his gifts extend beyond the screen.

His second cookbook "The Tucci Table" focuses on his family’s traditional Italian dishes as well as his British wife’s, Felicity Blunt, all with an American twist. Think pasta alla bottarga, mushroom-stuffed trout and pork chops with onions and mustard sauce, to name a few.

It’s hard to imagine that Reese Witherspoon is bad at anything, and that goes for cooking, too. Her best-selling cookbook "Whiskey in a Teacup" is oozing with Southern charm, just like she is.

Sure it has recipes — including how to make the perfect cheddar biscuits as well as fried chicken — but it offers so much more, including her musings on southern hospitality, with tips on how to entertain, decorate and even apply hot rollers to your hair.