Matt Oswalt

With at least 60 recipes, this wide-ranging drinks book is ideal for anyone building their bar library—tongue-in-cheek with humorous anecdotes and thoughtful illustrations, it will also appeal to those who appreciate light-hearted memoir and travel reading. Long before the term “social distancing” entered the lexicon, introverts were thriving. But let’s clear one thing up right away: Being introverts doesn’t mean we’re all a bunch of hermits. Introverts like going out as much as the next person—as long as it’s a manageable, crowd-less situation with comfortable places to sit! The emptier the bar, the better. The less likely to be bothered by—GASP—other people, even more ideal. As a professional drinks writer and editor who travels solo a great deal for a living, the author has learned a thing or two about drinking alone. For instance, seclusion is key. Look for a bar that offers numerous opportunities to sequester yourself. Avoid the communal tables, sit as close to the end of the bar as possible (a corner two-top in a darkened room is best-case-scenario), and don’t skimp on the beverage: Order something with complexity that makes you quietly contemplate what’s in your glass, how it got there, and how your surroundings are accentuating the drinking experience. Tiki bars are among the most conducive to that vibe, as everything from the ingredients, to the décor, to the music is designed for just soaking it all in without distraction, but never discount the daytime dive bar either. Imbibing for Introverts combines the social survival tactics taught in guides like The Introvert’s Way with the appreciation for thoughtful drinking found in travelogues like Around the World in 80 Cocktails. From Frankie’s Tiki Room in Las Vegas, to New York’s Dead Rabbit cocktail bar, to San Francisco’s Chinatown dive bar Li Po, Imbibing for Introverts helps solo drinkers confidently pull up a seat at every genre and subgenre of drinking establishment. The book begins in readers’ most comfortable setting—their own homes—before taking them out on the town, to bars across the country and, finally, overseas. There are more than a dozen chapters divided by bar type, along with an introduction (“Introvert’s Manifesto”) and epilogue (“Quarantine Confessions”). Each chapter features drink recommendations and cocktail recipes that relate to the particular setting, so if desired, you could also partake without the annoyance and sometimes anxiety-ridden task of leaving the house.

NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • Sharon Stone tells her own story: a journey of healing, love, and purpose. • “Not your typical Hollywood autobiography. Brutally honest, restless and questing.” —O, The Oprah Magazine Sharon Stone, one of the most renowned actresses in the world, suffered a massive stroke that cost her not only her health, but her career, family, fortune, and global fame. In The Beauty of Living Twice, Stone chronicles her efforts to rebuild her life and writes about her slow road back to wholeness and health. In a business that doesn’t accept failure, in a world where too many voices are silenced, Stone found the power to return, the courage to speak up, and the will to make a difference in the lives of men, women, and children around the globe. Over the course of these intimate pages, as candid as a personal conversation, Stone talks about her pivotal roles, her life-changing friendships, her worst disappointments, and her greatest accomplishments. She reveals how she went from a childhood of trauma and violence to a career in an industry that in many ways echoed those same assaults, under cover of money and glamour. She describes the strength and meaning she found in her children, and in her humanitarian efforts. And ultimately, she shares how she fought her way back to find not only her truth, but her family’s reconciliation and love. Stone made headlines not just for her beauty and her talent, but for her candor and her refusal to “play nice,” and it’s those same qualities that make this memoir so powerful. The Beauty of Living Twice is a book for the wounded and a book for the survivors; it’s a celebration of women’s strength and resilience, a reckoning, and a call to activism. It is proof that it’s never too late to raise your voice and speak out.