From Tahini Cream to a Tunnel Boring Machine

Three new Seattle books to cozy up with this fall

A collage featuring four different book covers: "Open Sesame," "Field Notes from a Fungi Forager," "Big," and a black and white photograph of a smiling woman with tahini cream in the background.

Photo collage by Vivian Lai

Fall isn’t just about cozy sweaters, walking on crunchy leaves at Green Lake, and masala chai from Miro Tea — it’s also when the shelves start filling up with books begging to be read. These three Seattle-connected titles should be at the top of your list. And with the holidays speeding toward us like they always do, it’s never too early to start scoping out gifts.

Brightly colored cookbook cover titled "Open Sesame," showcasing a bowl of mixed vegetables, grains, and an egg with a dollop of tahini cream. Subtitles mention recipes for tahini and sesame. The author's name, Rachel Belle, is at the bottom.

Open Sesame by Rachel Belle

Nov. 12

If you thought tahini was just for hummus, think again. Rachel Belle’s Open Sesame turns this creamy little seed-based condiment into the life of the kitchen. With 45 recipes, the cookbook uses tahini in ways you wouldn’t expect, from savory falafel-spiced tahini deviled eggs to chocolate miso whoopie pies with tahini cream. Belle’s playful, global approach makes the book fun and a little wild — in the best possible way. Seattle’s own Tom Douglas raves about the “silky hummus” and “chonky tahini-laced granola,” calling the rustic sesame lavash crackers a new staple on his mezze trays. And as he says, “Yum!”

Book cover of "Field Notes from a Fungi Forager" by Ashley Rodriguez, featuring various colorful mushroom illustrations against a green background with ferns, reminiscent of a lush forest floor.

Field Notes from a Fungi Forager by Ashley Rodriguez, illustrated by Libby England

Oct. 15

Mushrooms are in — their iconic caps and cartoony stalks have taken over gift shops. Have you noticed? But they’re more than just a trend for Ashley Rodriguez. Part guide, part memoir, Field Notes from a Fungi Forager is for anyone who’s ever found magic on the forest floor — or wished they could. Rodriguez, a forager-chef, writer, and forest therapy guide, takes you through 50 of the most fascinating mushrooms in the region. You’ll find everything from rich, earthy morels and golden chanterelles to fungi like the blueish-purple wood blewit, which smells like frozen orange juice, and the bleeding tooth fungus, which oozes red droplets that can be used as a natural dye. Mushrooms are amazing (and the edible ones taste delicious!), and Rodriguez is here to tell us how to forage, appreciate, identify, and consume these incredible forest treasures.

Book cover titled "Big Bertha: How a Massive Tunnel Boring Machine Dug a Highway under Seattle" by Amanda Abler, illustrated by Katy Wu, depicting a cityscape, the impressive Tunnel Boring Machine in action.

Big Bertha by Amanda Abler, illustrated by Katy Wu

Sept. 17

Remember when Seattle’s waterfront was just a construction zone? Big Bertha tells the story of the machine that changed all that — or, more accurately, was the reason for it. This engineering marvel made history by creating the longest and widest road tunnel in the contiguous United States. In 2013, construction crews were tasked with replacing a failing elevated highway along Seattle’s waterfront. The solution was a nearly two-mile-long, double-decker tunnel running right under the city. The book gets into how Bertha, a gigantic and intricate machine, managed to dig and build the tunnel at the same time. It also highlights the challenges faced by the team as it worked to complete this monumental engineering project.