***A TIME MAGAZINE, LITHUB, WHITE REVIEW BEST BOOK OF 2021*** "200 pages of serious entertainment." The Times The Life of the Mind opens with Dorothy sitting on a library toilet, checking her phone and examining the "thick, curdled knots of string" coming out of her body. No one but her boyfriend knows that she's had a miscarriage, not even her therapists-Dorothy has two of them. An adjunct professor of English in New York City with no hope of finding a permanent position, Dorothy's stuck, unable to envision the future or cut ties with the past. "What did you call it," she asks herself, "when a life stopped developing, but it didn't end?" Christine Smallwood's debut is a campus novel like no other. Piercingly intelligent and darkly hilarious, it moves from a classroom to an underwater puppet show, from a conference in Las Vegas to a karaoke party. It is a discomforting glimpse into the head of a brilliant woman on the edge, it is a novel about endings: of youth, of professional aspiration, of possibility, of the illusion that our minds can ever free us from the tyranny of our bodies.

Fresh, colourful and incredibly delicious, Italian food is arguably one of the most popular cuisines around the globe: who can resist a mouth-watering bowl of simple spaghetti, or an oozing, stone-baked pizza fresh from an authentic pizzeria? Join Christine Smallwood as she explores the vegetarian cuisine of Italy, revealing the tools and techniques of Italian nonnas everywhere and the key ingredients to bring authentic Italian food to your own kitchen. With classic recipes, and little twists on traditional dishes, sink your teeth into the 70 recipes within these pages and explore the vast regional variations from north to south, and the incredible diversity to be found within the rich history of the Italian cuisine. From bite-sized courgette polpettine and bean crostini, to the rich and delicious pasta with pesto trapanese or pizzoccheri - and who could forget aubergine parmigiana or mouth-watering Panzanella - all recipes have been beautifully photographed and brought to life, ready for you to recreate at home.

***A TIME MAGAZINE, LITHUB, WHITE REVIEW BEST BOOK OF 2021*** "200 pages of serious entertainment." The Times The Life of the Mind opens with Dorothy sitting on a library toilet, checking her phone and examining the "thick, curdled knots of string" coming out of her body. No one but her boyfriend knows that she's had a miscarriage, not even her therapists-Dorothy has two of them. An adjunct professor of English in New York City with no hope of finding a permanent position, Dorothy's stuck, unable to envision the future or cut ties with the past. "What did you call it," she asks herself, "when a life stopped developing, but it didn't end?" Christine Smallwood's debut is a campus novel like no other. Piercingly intelligent and darkly hilarious, it moves from a classroom to an underwater puppet show, from a conference in Las Vegas to a karaoke party. It is a discomforting glimpse into the head of a brilliant woman on the edge, it is a novel about endings: of youth, of professional aspiration, of possibility, of the illusion that our minds can ever free us from the tyranny of our bodies.