Novel and Nosh

A rule follower joins a heist, discovers her nerve, and reminds us why novelty can make life feel bigger. We sit down with author Sasha Preston to unpack The Sweetest Getaway, a witty, food-sprinkled caper where friendship, entrepreneurship, and courage take center stage. Jennifer, a cautious comic artist with big dreams, and Nari, a fearless hustler with flexible ethics, team up against a corporate villain and learn that risk can be a bridge to growth. It’s sharp, funny, and full of heart.

We go behind the scenes of Sasha’s creative process—how weekly short-story swaps rekind...

What if your favorite comfort foods quietly delivered a boost of veggies without the struggle at the table? We dive into Heidi Herman’s Hidden Vegetable Cookbook and share a hands-on review from a busy, family kitchen: what wowed us, what needed tweaks, and how the color-coded system of core prep techniques turns big ideas into simple steps. From roasting and pureeing to freezing and juicing, we break down how to stock your fridge with ready-to-use vegetable building blocks.

You’ll hear how spinach buns won over skeptical kids even after we overdid the greens, why beet-packed beef...

The first chill hits, wood smoke threads the air, and suddenly the world feels a little stranger—in the best way. We lean into that feeling with a cozy, grown-up spooky season: five gripping reads, simple rituals, and small adventures that make October feel enchanted again without tipping into gore or overwhelm.

We start by reviving your senses with Bird Box by Josh Malerman, where Mallory’s blindfold turns every sound into suspense. Then we pivot to the plausible fear of Our House by Louise Candlish, a domestic thriller that unfolds through documents and an embedded podcast, rais...

We share a clear guide to the books and cookbooks we’ll recommend by mapping our four and five‑star reads into eight lanes. From atmospheric escapes to food‑lit comfort, we explain what draws us and how it shapes future episodes.

• atmospheric escapes with rich sense of place
• soft fantasy and gentle, healing magic
• bookish and culinary comforts that anchor change
• emotional fiction about family, identity, and repair
• feminine power threaded through historical mystery
• character‑driven psychological tension and unease
• romance as a slow, supporting strand
• coming‑of‑age and transformational journey...

We lean into fall as a season of gathering—stories that comfort, meals that bring us together, gentle health that grounds us, and home rituals that create warmth without overspending. From three cozy book picks to a 15-minute chicken gnocchi, we share simple ways to savor the shift indoors and out.

• why gathering is the frame for fall
• three autumn book picks and why they resonate
• starting a low-commitment, cozy book chat
• a fast chicken and gnocchi skillet with spinach
• roasted vegetables as a versatile base
• warming herbs and spices for depth and comfort

We share five witch books that carry crisp air, warm light, and just enough shadow—from meadow-soft magic to woodland lineage, grim fairytales, rebel romance, and an Oxford mystery—then pair them with pumpkin spice latte bread. Comfort meets courage, sweetness meets risk, and reading becomes a fall ritual.

• five witch-centered reads for autumn mood
• The Honey Witch as cozy, heart-forward magic
• Wayward across three timelines and a woodland cottage
• Sorceress Comes to Call as dark Goose Girl retelling
• Crimson Moth duology mixing romance and revolt
• A Discovery of Witches for fog, stacks, and slow...

We move from a heavy week into simple, grounding rituals that help us slow down, reconnect, and rebuild trust at home. Cozy corners become tiny tools for calm, presence, and real conversation without leaning on consumerism.

• drawing a boundary around politics while naming shared values
• seasonal living as a path back to community
• cozy corners as signals for rest and presence
• simple, budget ways to build a nook
• using texture, light, and scent to cue calm
• inviting friends for small, meaningful talks
• shifting from screen time to face time
• weekly action to create...

Your week deserves a softer edge. We open the door to a slower rhythm with four cozy pillars—Novels, Nosh, Nest, and Navigate—that turn everyday routines into sources of calm, creativity, and connection. If you’ve been craving a gentler pace in midlife, this is a friendly, practical starting point: what to read when you want words that linger, how to cook meals that comfort without fuss, ways to shape rooms that actually support your day, and small adventures that help you move through the seasons with intention.

We talk about reading as an act of attent...

We share the origin of Novel & Nosh, from a college book club and a symbolic crème brûlée to a podcast built on pairing stories with food. We invite you to join a growing community across platforms and help shape where this passion goes next.

• the Lovely Bones scene inspiring a dessert metaphor
• early book club experiments pairing reads with dishes
• growing up in a bookstore and loving Food Network
• comfort reads like Bread Alone and Little Beach Street Bakery
• Instagram era of flat lays and themed cocktails
• learning through imperfect photo...