72 books like Bagels, Schmears, and a Nice Piece of Fish

By Cathy Barrow, Linda Xiao (photographer),

Here are 72 books that Bagels, Schmears, and a Nice Piece of Fish fans have personally recommended if you like Bagels, Schmears, and a Nice Piece of Fish. Shepherd is a community of 11,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Sunny-Side Up: More Than 100 Breakfast & Brunch Recipes from the Essential Egg to the Perfect Pastry

Lisa Steele Author Of The Fresh Eggs Daily Cookbook: Over 100 Fabulous Recipes to Use Eggs in Unexpected Ways

From my list on cookbooks when you’re craving breakfast food.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a New Englander, born and bred, 5th generation chicken keeper, and lifelong gardener. I currently live on a small farm in Maine where I raise chickens, ducks, and geese and grow all kinds of vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers. I love cooking and baking with fresh produce from my garden and fresh eggs from my chicken coop. Eggs, in particular, are a favorite ingredient of mine because they are so plentiful, versatile, delicious, and nutritious. Breakfast for dinner is obviously a favorite at our house. 

Lisa's book list on cookbooks when you’re craving breakfast food

Lisa Steele Why did Lisa love this book?

This gorgeous cookbook from former executive pastry chef and Food Network Cake Wars judge, Waylynn Lucas, is everything a breakfast cookbook should be. Runny egg yolks, light and airy pastries, fresh fruit, and everything in between. And she goes one step further and shares some brunch menus which include beverages and cocktails perfect to start the day with. I absolutely enjoyed this cookbook from a true baking pro.

By Waylynn Lucas,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Sunny-Side Up as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From the perfect scrambled egg for one to special-occasion brunch crowd-pleasers, wake up to 100+ breakfast and brunch recipes from a Cake Wars judge and celebrated pastry chef
 
“Sure to help any cook crack into the incredible, edible egg.”—Michael Voltaggio, chef/restaurateur
 
Have you ever wished you could enjoy a delicious restaurant-quality breakfast or brunch at home with your loved ones? Sunny-Side Up will have you doing just that in no time. In her warm and encouraging voice, Waylynn Lucas demonstrates how a touch of finesse can elevate your dishes and make you more confident in the kitchen. Whether you’re looking…


Book cover of Sarabeth's Good Morning Cookbook: Breakfast, Brunch, and Baking

Lisa Steele Author Of The Fresh Eggs Daily Cookbook: Over 100 Fabulous Recipes to Use Eggs in Unexpected Ways

From my list on cookbooks when you’re craving breakfast food.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a New Englander, born and bred, 5th generation chicken keeper, and lifelong gardener. I currently live on a small farm in Maine where I raise chickens, ducks, and geese and grow all kinds of vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers. I love cooking and baking with fresh produce from my garden and fresh eggs from my chicken coop. Eggs, in particular, are a favorite ingredient of mine because they are so plentiful, versatile, delicious, and nutritious. Breakfast for dinner is obviously a favorite at our house. 

Lisa's book list on cookbooks when you’re craving breakfast food

Lisa Steele Why did Lisa love this book?

This gorgeously photographed cookbook by baker Sarabeth Levine, James Beard Award winner for Outstanding Pastry Chef and founder of Sarabeth’s restaurants shares many of the recipes that have made her famous brunches coveted worldwide. The wide range of recipes have been created with the home cook in mind, and there’s sure to be something that catches your eye.

By Sarabeth Levine, Genevieve Ko, Quentin Bacon (photographer)

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Sarabeth's Good Morning Cookbook as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The only thing better than brunch at one of Sarabeth s restaurants is brunch in her home. In this must-have collection of more than 130 classic morning recipes, Sarabeth delivers the comforting dishes she makes for family and friends, from fluffy scrambled eggs to warm sticky buns. Over thirty-five years ago, she launched her first restaurant s wildly popular weekend brunch. Today, morning lines still snake around the block at her New York City locations, as well as at her Florida and Japan outposts. Her fans will be thrilled to re-create the warmth and joy of brunch at Sarabeth s…


Book cover of Brunch at Bobby's: 140 Recipes for the Best Part of the Weekend

Lisa Steele Author Of The Fresh Eggs Daily Cookbook: Over 100 Fabulous Recipes to Use Eggs in Unexpected Ways

From my list on cookbooks when you’re craving breakfast food.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a New Englander, born and bred, 5th generation chicken keeper, and lifelong gardener. I currently live on a small farm in Maine where I raise chickens, ducks, and geese and grow all kinds of vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers. I love cooking and baking with fresh produce from my garden and fresh eggs from my chicken coop. Eggs, in particular, are a favorite ingredient of mine because they are so plentiful, versatile, delicious, and nutritious. Breakfast for dinner is obviously a favorite at our house. 

Lisa's book list on cookbooks when you’re craving breakfast food

Lisa Steele Why did Lisa love this book?

Fans of Bobby Flay’s many Food Network shows will enjoy this cookbook. Although he’s mainly known for his grilling and flavorful TexMex recipes, in this cookbook he focuses on brunch favorites - of course with his own unique twist. And it’s one of the few places you’ll find him baking. There are even some pastry recipes included! I really enjoyed this cookbook and Bobby’s spin on some new breakfast fare destined to become favorites.

By Bobby Flay, Stephanie Banyas, Sally Jackson

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Brunch at Bobby's as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

At long last, Bobby Flay shares his simplest, most sought-after brunch recipes—while still delivering his signature intense flavors.
 
Bobby Flay may be best known for his skills at the grill, but brunch is his favorite meal of the week. In Brunch at Bobby’s, he includes 140 recipes starting with the lip-smacking cocktails, both spiked and virgin, that we have come to expect from him, along with hot and iced coffees and teas. He then works his way through eggs; pancakes, waffles, and French toast (including flavored syrups and spreads); pastries (a first) and breads; salads, sandwiches, and side dishes. Pull…


Book cover of Beautiful Brunches: The Complete Cookbook: Over 100 Sweet and Savory Recipes for Breakfast and Lunch ... Brunch!

Lisa Steele Author Of The Fresh Eggs Daily Cookbook: Over 100 Fabulous Recipes to Use Eggs in Unexpected Ways

From my list on cookbooks when you’re craving breakfast food.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a New Englander, born and bred, 5th generation chicken keeper, and lifelong gardener. I currently live on a small farm in Maine where I raise chickens, ducks, and geese and grow all kinds of vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers. I love cooking and baking with fresh produce from my garden and fresh eggs from my chicken coop. Eggs, in particular, are a favorite ingredient of mine because they are so plentiful, versatile, delicious, and nutritious. Breakfast for dinner is obviously a favorite at our house. 

Lisa's book list on cookbooks when you’re craving breakfast food

Lisa Steele Why did Lisa love this book?

What’s the old saying: you can’t judge a book by its cover? Well, in this case, you can. This comprehensive cookbook runs the gamut of breakfast and lunch recipes accompanied by beautiful photographs that will have you drooling and your stomach rumbling before you can even turn the oven on. There’s a wide range of light as well as more hearty offerings in this cookbook that deserves a place on any brunch lover’s shelf.

By Cider Mill Press,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Beautiful Brunches as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Brunch: The Complete Cookbook features over 100 sweet and savory brunch recipes!

The greatest benefit of brunch is that there is something for everyone, from kids to vegans, those with a sweet tooth and those who prefer something savory - The Brunch Book covers it all. From lighter fare that features the best of summer produce to stick-to-your ribs comfort food that hits the spot on a winter morning, you'll never be at a loss for what to make for brunch. Host brunch with ease by following set menus that pair multiple recipes that create a sumptuous spread, or mix…


Book cover of The Disgusting Sandwich

Simon Philip Author Of You Must Bring a Hat!

From my list on unexpected endings & terrific twists.

Why am I passionate about this?

Simon is obsessed with picture books: reading them, writing them, buying them, smelling them. His own have been published in more than 20 languages. You Must Bring a Hat won the Sainsbury’s Children’s Book of the Year, and I Really Wany the Cake was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize. He particularly enjoys funny, deadpan picture books. After gaining a 1st class degree in History, he put his skills to use as a barman at a local pub, grew tired of the owner calling him Andy, left to fail a teaching degree, then turned to writing. He lives in England, although occasionally leaves to buy milk.

Simon's book list on unexpected endings & terrific twists

Simon Philip Why did Simon love this book?

In my opinion, there just aren’t enough picture books about ravenous badgers that are willing to eat almost anything. But this is one of them, and it’s a corker.

I love the escalating desperation of the hungry badger as it follows an increasingly revolting sandwich across a park as it's spurned by a range of animals, who all deem the sandwich too disgusting to eat. But, the badger’s persistence pays off, and it finally gets its paws on the slug-covered sandwich, and the tasty meal it’s been chasing – but not the one you expect!

By Gareth Edwards, Hannah Shaw (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Disgusting Sandwich as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 2, 3, 4, and 5.

What is this book about?

A hilarious picture book about a very hungry, and rather
unlucky, badger in search of a sandwich - with a wickedly funny
twist in the tale

One day, a boy drops his sandwich in a sandpit, and the
race is on! A very hungry badger wants it, but he's just
not quick enough. The sandwich is dropped, squashed and slithered
over by everyone from a squirrel, to a fox, to a band of
slugs.

Will the badger ever get his paws on that sandwich? And will he even
want it if he does, or will it just be too disgusting?…


Book cover of Mr. S: A First Day of School Book

DK Ryland Author Of Have You Seen My Acorn?

From my list on where the reader knows more than the character.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a picture book author/illustrator who writes humorous stories. One of my favorite techniques for instilling humor in my writing is for the illustrations to show the reader more than the characters’ know. It’s so much fun for kids to realize and be in on the joke before the characters in the book. I love a storytime where the kids get engaged and start pointing out what’s really happening and start talking to the characters to try to change their actions. I also love a good twist ending that makes the reader say, “How did I not see that coming?!” and these are the perfect kind of books for it. 

DK's book list on where the reader knows more than the character

DK Ryland Why did DK love this book?

The premise of this book is just hilarious. On their first day of school, a class thinks their teacher is a sandwich sitting on the desk at the front of the class. What?! Hilarious!

Because we see the scene through the classroom window, the reader knows that the teacher’s car was smashed by a fallen tree, and he’s stuck in the parking lot dealing with it. But the twist at the end has the reader questioning how much they actually knew all along! 

By Monica Arnaldo,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Mr. S as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

Prepare for plenty of giggles as a kindergarten class arrives for their first day of school, but can't find their teacher-only a delicious-looking sandwich and the words "Mr. S" scribbled on the chalkboard. Chaos ensues as the kids argue whether or not the sandwich must be their teacher. A comical, first day of school book of mayhem and chaos by Monica Arnaldo, perfect fans of Miss Nelson Is Missing.

"This might be the funniest first-day-of-school book I've ever read." -Adam Rex, New York Times bestselling author of School's First Day of School

It was the first day of school.

But…


Book cover of Lunch from Home

Dan Saks Author Of We Share This School: A Community Book

From my list on proving humans are more creative than AI.

Why am I passionate about this?

I make music. I write books. I’m drawn to scenarios in which people make music or books or art collaboratively, often spontaneously. I enjoy making music with kids because of how they can be creative spontaneously. Sometimes adults pretend to be creative in a way that a child might relate to, but a child can generally sniff out a pretender. And a pretend pretender can be unpleasant company for children and adults alike. These books were written by adults who know their inner child. Wonder, play and a tangential regard for social norms are their baseline to share the stories they’ve chosen to share.

Dan's book list on proving humans are more creative than AI

Dan Saks Why did Dan love this book?

Every now and then you learn as much from a 40-page picture book as you do from 300 pages of text. This was my experience with Lunch From Home.

The author of this book has equal footing in the cookbook-as-memoir realm as the picture book realm, and this book meets at the intersection of those two worlds. It tells the story of four children (who would go on to become professional chefs) who each experience “lunch box moments,” wherein their non-sandwich lunches receive scrunched noses from their classmates.

I have since learned that this experience is commonplace within immigrant communities. Reading this book with my kids increased all our capacities for empathy and understanding, and in just 40 pages – many of which have no text! This book is a master class in delivering a uniquely human insight simply and effectively.

By Joshua David Stein, Jing Li (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Lunch from Home as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 3, 4, 5, and 6.

What is this book about?

In a classroom of sandwiches, four students stand out with their homemade, culturally-specific lunches. But before they can dig in and enjoy their favourite foods, their lunches are spoiled by scrunched noses and disgusted reactions from their sandwich-eating classmates.

Follow each of the four students as they learn to cope with their first "lunch box moments" in this picture book that encourages empathy and inspires all readers to stand up for their food! Inspired by the "lunch box moments" of four acclaimed chefs, Ray Garcia, Preeti Mistry, Mina Park, and Niki Russ Federman, this heartwarming story reminds us all that…


Book cover of The Pinochet File: A Declassified Dossier on Atrocity and Accountability

Tom Gething Author Of Under a False Flag

From my list on covert ops in Latin America.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m always delighted when a reader asks, “Did you work for the CIA?” It tells me I achieved the verisimilitude I was striving for in Under a False Flag. I’m also proud that my novel has been included in a university-level Latin American history curriculum. That tells me I got the history right. No aspect of modern history is more intriguing or controversial than the role covert action played, for better or worse, in the Cold War. With the exception of the Cuban Missile Crisis, which took us to the brink of nuclear disaster, the Cold War in Latin America was mostly fought in the shadows with markedly ambivalent achievements.

Tom's book list on covert ops in Latin America

Tom Gething Why did Tom love this book?

The 1973 coup in Chile violently destroyed the freely elected Marxist government of Salvador Allende and installed the brutal 17-year dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet. For years afterward suspicions swirled that the U.S. was behind the event. But evidence was largely anecdotal. What is so impressive about this book is Kornbluh’s persistence deploying the Freedom of Information Act to obtain thousands of classified documents related to the coup. Kornbluh connects the dots and reveals the smoking guns. Through facsimiles of actual cables, telexes, and phone memos (many still highly redacted) this dossier allows you to draw your own conclusions about what really happened in Chile.

By Peter Kornbluh,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Pinochet File as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Pinochet File reveals a record of complicity with atrocity by the U.S. government. The documents, first declassified for the original edition of the book, formed the heart of the campaign to hold Gen. Pinochet accountable for murder, torture and terrorism. The New York Times wrote of the original 2003 edition, 'Thanks to Peter Kornbluh, we have the first complete, almost day-to-day and fully documented record of this sordid chapter in Cold War American History.' With this 40th anniversary edition, the record is even more complete and up-to-date.


Book cover of Bread, Justice, and Liberty: Grassroots Activism and Human Rights in Pinochet's Chile

Debbie Sharnak Author Of Of Light and Struggle: Social Justice, Human Rights, and Accountability in Uruguay

From my list on human rights in Latin America.

Why am I passionate about this?

I worked at the International Center for Transitional Justice in 2009 when Uruguay held a second referendum to overturn the country’s amnesty law that protected the police and military from prosecution for human rights abuses during the country’s dictatorship. Despite the country’s stable democracy and progressive politics in the 21st century, citizens quite surprisingly rejected the opportunity to overturn the state-sanctioned impunity law. My interest in broader accountability efforts in the world and that seemingly shocking vote in Uruguay drove me to want to study the roots of that failed effort, ultimately compelling a broader investigation into how human rights culture in Uruguay evolved, particularly during and after its period of military rule. 

Debbie's book list on human rights in Latin America

Debbie Sharnak Why did Debbie love this book?

So many books about the Pinochet dictatorship in Chile focus on the particularities of violence during that awful period in the country’s history.

Yet, Bread, Justice, and Liberty looks at a longer trajectory of the struggle for human rights in the country that focuses on socioeconomic justice that began long before the coup of September 11, 1973, and also continued much further afterward.

It is a beautifully written monograph that focuses on shantytown communities’ experiences and activism and expands our understanding of Chilean politics and human rights. 

By Alison Bruey,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Bread, Justice, and Liberty as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Winner of the SECOLAS Alfred B. Thomas Book Award
Named Best Social Science Book, LASA Southern Cone Studies Section

In Santiago, Chile, poverty and state violence have often led to grassroots resistance movements among the poor and working class. Alison J. Bruey offers a compelling history of the struggle for social justice and democracy during the Pinochet dictatorship. Deeply grounded by both extensive oral history interviews and archival research, Bread, Justice, and Liberty provides innovative contributions to scholarship on Chilean history, social movements, popular protest and democratization, neoliberal economics, and the Cold War in Latin America.


Book cover of My Tender Matador

Trebor Healey Author Of A Horse Named Sorrow

From my list on erotic themes that are imaginative and insightful.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been writing stories and poems with erotic themes since I first entered the spoken word scene in 1980s San Francisco. As a young queer boy, raised in the highly eroticized Catholic Church, I was actually comfortable talking about and writing about sex and eros as I’d been stigmatized by it, and it got me fascinated with what the big deal was and why writers were afraid to approach it or why they did so in a corny/predictable/idealized and/or often dishonest and clumsy way. Soon I was teaching erotic writing and have been integrating it into my writing in honest, fresh, and enlivening ways—and helping others do soever since.

Trebor's book list on erotic themes that are imaginative and insightful

Trebor Healey Why did Trebor love this book?

Lemebel was a courageous and flamboyant activist during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. Having lived in Chile myself, I think this book captures the erotic Chilean soul in all its humor, grief, and idealism at an important historical moment. The hopelessly romantic and delightfully ironic seamstress/protagonist Queen of the Corner lives on a rooftop in one of Santiago’s poorest barrios and hosts discussion groups by local leftist students who keep leaving behind really heavy boxes, ostensibly full of books, as they prepare a vague plan that will have enormous implications. The group’s ringleader Carlos is a charmer ala Che Guevara, and the Queen is soon head over heels in love as a friendship and a tender unrequited love affair begins. A story of remarkable humanism that mixes the erotic with revolution.

By Pedro Lemebel, Katherine Silver (translator),

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked My Tender Matador as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Centered around the 1986 attempt on the life of Augusto Pinochet, an event that changed Chile forever, My Tender Matador is one of the most explosive, controversial, and popular novels to have been published in that country in decades. It is spring 1986 in the city of Santiago, and Augusto Pinochet is losing his grip on power. In one of the city's many poor neighborhoods works the Queen of the Corner, a hopeless and lonely romantic who embroiders linens for the wealthy and listens to boleros to drown out the gunshots and rioting in the streets. Along comes Carlos, a…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in Chile, baking, and Latin America?

Chile 38 books
Baking 29 books
Latin America 122 books