• Culinaryhermit on February 14, 2024

  Signed

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Watermelon and feta salad with harissa

  • lean1 on July 01, 2019

    Wonderful recipe. I loved the sweet-hot combination of flavors.

  • SheilaS on August 13, 2019

    I liked this a lot - cool, crisp watermelon with crunchy toasted nuts, salty feta and a harissa dressing for a little heat. I used the harissa recipe in the book which is flavorful but not searingly hot and it was perfect here.

  • bernalgirl on August 03, 2025

    This joins the ranks of my favorite savory melon salads, the harissa marries beautifully with the melon and feta.

• Fried eggplant with caramelized tomato and goat cheese

  • SheilaS on August 12, 2019

    Absolutely delicious! I tried this with both fried and baked eggplant slices and both worked well. The tomato paste-o is a great tomato pesto-like sauce and worth making all by itself.

• Tomato soup with rice

  • purrviciouz on September 17, 2018

    Seriously comforting. I served this with the Bulgarian Lamb Kababs for a complete dinner. Delicious!

• Bulgarian lamb kebabs

  • purrviciouz on September 17, 2018

    These are fantastic. I chose the stove top method. When turning the kababs over they looked charred and crispy on the bottom but still turned out just fine. I was worried they'd burned but they just looked dark. I will absolutely make these again.

  • Zosia on May 29, 2019

    These are flavourful and juicy (even without the milk powder)...so good, family has requested a repeat soon. I substituted beef for lamb.

  • Maefleur on June 26, 2023

    Light and fluffy as he describes, delicious!

  • mirage on June 24, 2024

    I liked these best room temp

• Israeli salad

  • SheilaS on November 20, 2018

    The preserved lemon vinaigrette turns this basic salad into something really special.

  • stepharama1 on August 02, 2022

    This is probably the best version of an Israeli salad that I've ever eaten or made! This is primarily due to the preserved lemon vinaigrette.

  • Lepa on July 25, 2025

    Very good. My husband usually doesn't love preserved lemon but he really liked it here. As others noted, it really makes the salad special.

• Schmaltzy potatoes

  • bernalgirl on July 13, 2025

    So easy and delicious! Definitely going to make this again

• Yemenite stewed chicken

  • purrviciouz on September 24, 2018

    This was absolutely delicious and will be repeated multiple times for us. I would double the carrots next time.

  • TrishaCP on April 21, 2019

    We absolutely loved this dish too. The brine kept the chicken incredibly moist and was well worth the extra step. I used kashsk as my whey but only had half of what was needed. I subbed water for the rest and it was fine.

• Hungarian paprikash

  • Nkrieda78 on January 25, 2019

    So incredible!!

  • Rinshin on January 27, 2019

    While eating this, I kept thinking what makes this dish so extra delicious is the soup itself and not the homemade sausage or the ricotta dumplings and having this soup over rice is the way I want to have it next time using other simpler protein and vegetables (like curry rice or gumbo with rice). The taste of this soup is very rich and complex from various chilies and abundant butter. It is spicy though and my husband had to add extra sour cream to his serving but the addition of rice will take care of this next time. The vivid red color in the book is before the sour cream is added. The sour cream mutes the color but gives this soup the extra lusciousness. Photo added.

  • TrishaCP on October 08, 2021

    This is just beyond amazing. I made the dumplings, which were pillowy and light (but I couldn’t really taste the tarragon). I didn’t make the sausage. Like Rinshin, I loved the sauce and think you could use a simpler protein in place of the sausage (but please make the dumplings).

  • Lepa on February 05, 2024

    As other posters have noted, this is phenomenal. It is very unusual and full of subtle and unexpected tastes. I will be making this for future stormy days or special meals. I can't overstate how much we all loved it. Even though there were lots of components the process doesn't feel too busy or stressful. When the sauce is cooking I made the dumplings and then broiled everything as the sauce finished. I didn't make homemade sausage as our wonderful neighborhood butcher makes fresh sausage and I doubt I could do better.

  • david_fp9jjb on January 22, 2026

    This was an after dinner weeknight meal. So I used gnocchi instead of making the dumplings and used vegan fennel sausage. I still thought it turned out great. It had a nice complex flavor. Would definitely make again.

  • purrvicz on February 22, 2026

    Luxurious and rich! This is a dish I'll reserve for when we have company over. I used store bought gnocchi and bulk sausage.

• Tarragon dumplings

  • Rinshin on January 26, 2019

    Only half of the baked dumplings were added and froze the remaining portion for other use. I did not want the paprikash to be too full. The measurement is right on. Although whole milk ricotta was used, I could not tell the richness from it. My dumplings came out bigger than the sausage balls after boiling and they all had to be cut in half before baking.

• Fennel sausage

  • Rinshin on January 26, 2019

    Took more time to reach 60F than 30 min. At 40 min, it was registering 50F and I stopped there. I don’t think the difference in temperature made much difference since these were being baked right away. Very good method for making homemade pork sausage.

• Spicy scallop rolls

  • SheilaS on November 20, 2018

    Super delicious and decadent sandwich!

  • Rinshin on January 28, 2019

    Simple to make but the taste was also simple. Mostly mayo, cucumbers, mint and scallops in toasted hot dog buns. Best to not make the sauce ahead of time like I did because cucumber dices weep causing the mayo sauce to become too thin. This recipe called for hot dog buns but perhaps grilled corn tortillas or pita bread would work better here. Hot dog buns tasted strangely sweet and too gummy with the sauce.

• Za'atar toad in the hole

  • SheilaS on November 05, 2018

    This is delicious! The bread is spread with a mayo and za'atar mixture before going into the pan where the spices toast nicely along with the bread. I'll certainly make this again.

• Shakshouka

  • lorloff on December 19, 2020

    Just like the restaurant! We made ½ the amount because there were only two of us and we had enough for two meals for two. It was delicious. I like all the vegetables in this version my husband likes a version with less vegetables. I did not have Jerusalem artichokes so I used artichoke hearts.

• Special sandwiches

  • bernalgirl on February 16, 2023

    I was leafing through the book at lunchtime and this caught my eye. I didn’t blend the chopped herbs into the butter, nor did I use the cannabis, but the herbs and lemon zest smashed into the butter made for a great sandwich, one that would also be a welcome addition to a pool party or picnic.

• Caesar salad, 1990s style

  • Lsblackburn1 on March 30, 2019

    My store did not have boquerones, so made this without them. Still delicious. We were going for a light dinner, but actually the goat cheese and croutons made this pretty rich and filling!

• Caesar dressing

  • ripleypickles on January 14, 2021

    Super flavorful. Don't use olive oil as it takes over the other flavors.

• Classic hummus with tahini

  • annmartina on March 18, 2018

    I've been dreaming of this hummus since we had it at Shaya in 2016. This recipe is as good as the restaurant. Like whipped cream. I blended in the Vita Mix after my food processor shut down unexpectedly.

  • hirsheys on July 11, 2018

    This was good, though I made it the same night as the hummus from Zahav and it sort of paled in comparison. It's much less creamy. Tasty, though.

  • pattyatbryce on January 15, 2019

    Hard to go back to store bought after this.

  • Lsblackburn1 on December 02, 2019

    I didn’t add the extra tahini so this had a lot less sesame flavor than other hummus dips. It was extremely creamy - is that a result of roasting the chickpeas? Not sure why this recipe had me do that, but it seemed to work out...

  • TrishaCP on May 30, 2022

    There is something about me and homemade hummus that never seems to work out. This was creamy but not as much as Ottolenghi, and I also thought this was bland.

  • teresa_l027du on February 12, 2026

    Hands down the best hummus recipe I’ve ever made. So good I double it!

• Roasted marrow bones with gremolata and brioche

  • Ckopeck on January 26, 2026

    For those cooking in the Seattle area, halved marrow bones can be acquired at Better Meat Company in Ballard.

• Lobster green curry

  • pattyatbryce on January 09, 2021

    This was terrific and fairly easy. I used tails - the store had pretty good-sized on sale and made the stock. Great flavor.

  • SheilaS on February 19, 2024

    This was excellent made with California spiny lobsters. I salted the broth but between the curry paste and fish sauce, the curry itself didn't need much salt. I just added a little more fish sauce to tweak the salt. I also didn't salt the rice. Next time, I will cut back on the potatoes (which were delicious after being cooked in the curry) and toss in some sugar snap peas towards the end.

• Za'atar chimichurri

  • TonyInSeattle on July 12, 2019

    This was excellent... perfectly seasoned and bright. I served it with steak and it was perfect!

  • lorloff on May 31, 2022

    This was a great chimichurri recipe. I had Zathar from Machane Yehuda in Jerusalem and it was perfect. I also made the dish adding ramps when they were in season and served it with bone in center cut pork chops and it was delicious.

  • TrishaCP on January 29, 2023

    We made this to go with shrimp, and it was wonderful.

  • bernalgirl on September 18, 2023

    An absolutely delicious condiment that is practically eat on cardboard. I love this particularly on grilled fish or vegetables, and it works very well with carrot greens

  • lorloff on November 17, 2024

    Another Shaya homerun! I was only cooking for two so I halved the recipe. I followed the recipe ingredients exactly but decided to make this in my molcajete. I pounded together the garlic salt dried peppers and zaatar first. Then added the cilantro and parsley and added in the olive oil to bring the mixture together. Just before serving i added the lemon juice to the mixture to combine. It worked perfectly served with heirloom bone in pork chops.

• Israeli couscous with summer vegetables and caramelized tomato

  • loehmichen on May 04, 2018

    Omitted Eggplant. Rather than roasting large diced squash, I small diced zucc and crookneck and sauteed each separately till brown. Sauteed onions,garlic, added fresh thyme, the tom paste then mixed in the couscous. Refrigerate over night. Reheat, garnish with fried shallots and minced basil.

• Crab cakes with preserved lemon aioli

  • SheilaS on May 20, 2018

    I've made the Preserved Lemon Aioli several times to serve with fried calamari and phyllo-wrapped asparagus. It's excellent. The recipe calls for equal parts extra virgin olive oil and canola oil and that comes out too heavy-tasting for me. I prefer 1/4 extra virgin olive oil and 3/4 neutral sunflower oil. This also works well as a half-batch. Updated after making the crab cakes, too. These are mostly crab, very little binder, so they are challenging for me to fry and flip but they are delicious. Don't skip the aioli, either!

  • SarahL on November 02, 2025

    This recipe didn’t work for me. The crab cakes fell apart while cooking, and I thought they tasted more like mayonnaise than crab. The aioli was good, although on the thinner side.

• Whole roasted cauliflower with whipped feta

  • sharonlafleur on August 27, 2018

    So easy. Forgot to get it started and thought I wouldn't have time but it's much quicker than I thought. Steaming first and roasting after yields perfect texture and flavor. The whipped feta is insanely delicious and suits my keto/ low carb diet so well.

  • SheilaS on January 04, 2019

    I've made this several times now. Steaming the cauliflower in a seasoned wine broth prior to roasting infuses flavors throughout and the whipped feta/goat cheese mixture is so decadent. I've served this as a side dish or as a vegetarian main dish, accompanied by crostini topped with matbucha. Can easily be scaled down to make 1/2 a head of cauliflower to serve 2

  • leilx on January 14, 2019

    Easy and delicious. I didn’t think the cheese was necessary and in fact modified it and made without feta as I don’t like it.

  • karen_fnsuem on March 22, 2026

    Delicious and would definitely make again, even without the cheese sauce. Perfectly tender cauliflower and loved the charred top.

• Stuffed cabbage with tomatoes and onions

  • purrviciouz on October 29, 2018

    This is my favorite stuffed cabbage recipe that I've cooked so far. I will definitely make this again and again. It's an afternoon project labor of love but worth it.

  • lorloff on April 03, 2020

    I agree this is an absolutely delicious stuffed cabbage recipe I decided to try to find a lazy way to do it so I wouldn’t have to roll each cabbage roll. In Madhur Jeffrey’s World vegetarian cookbook there’s a recipe for cabbage with rice and currents which she got from a Turkish cook who did a layered cabbage instead of a stuffed cabbage so it’s like a lasagna version that’s much easier to do so I tried to use the Shaya recipe for the sauce and the stuffing with the technique suggested by Jaffrey. It worked and it was amazingly delicious I will definitely make again stuffed cabbage all the comfort food In a fraction of the time. I also served ground turkey for ground beef And soy milk for cows milk and it came out wonderfully.

• Ricotta with date and pecan pesto

  • SheilaS on November 05, 2018

    This is super easy and delicious with the fresh, creamy ricotta (I had milk with a rapidly approaching expiration date so I made some yesterday), toasted, crunchy nuts, sweet dates, bright parsley, peppery olive oil and sweet-tart balsamic vinegar. The book plates this with the ricotta swirled into bowl, topped with the pesto and surrounded with toasted baguette slices for dipping but I turned it into crostini. This pesto isn't actually pulverized in a mortar or blender - parsley, toasted nuts and dates are chopped and mixed with Parmesan, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

• Bresaola salad with arugula and Parmesan

  • SheilaS on November 05, 2018

    If you have some lovely bresaola, you know it doesn't need much to shine and this simple salad is a good example of that. This uses the Preserved Lemon Vinaigrette p 393 which is flavored with both za'atar and preserved lemon which bring a different and decidedly non-Italian seasoning to what could be a classic Italian salad plate. The dressing is easy to put together and used in several other recipes in the book so it's worth making.

• Preserved lemon vinaigrette

  • SheilaS on November 05, 2018

    This Preserved Lemon Vinaigrette is flavored with both za'atar and preserved lemon which bring a different twist to the classic vinaigrette. The dressing is easy to put together and used in several other recipes in the book so it's worth making.

  • bching on January 10, 2019

    Very tasty and easy vinaigrette. It separates rapidly, though, and if I make it again, I will add a teaspoon of mustard or mayo in hopes of achieving better emulsification.

• Jim Core's kale and andouille jambalaya

  • purrviciouz on November 12, 2018

    Incredibly rich and delicious and it's really easy to put together for a crowd. I halved the recipe for just the two of us and we'll have leftovers all week. I would double the kale next time.

  • TrishaCP on December 18, 2021

    I made a half batch with about one and a half bunches of kale and thought that was sufficient. It was delicious. I did have to cook the jambalaya longer than specified to get the rice cooked through.

• Cherry and pistachio cookies

  • Lsblackburn1 on November 12, 2018

    Yummy! I made these on my cheap cookie sheets without the parchment and they only needed about 14 minutes.

• Creamy baked fennel

  • pattyatbryce on November 17, 2018

    This is everything! Comforting, flavorful, and addictive. Would be great on a holiday table, but easy enough for a Tuesday night.

  • Lsblackburn1 on December 25, 2018

    Perfect holiday side dish. Rich and delicious.

• Pizza Enzo

  • SheilaS on November 24, 2018

    I loved how the combination of toppings makes each bite is a little different - tangy sauce (super quick from canned tomatoes & olive oil), sweet, juicy cherry tomatoes, salty/umami anchovies, flavorful herbs, spicy chilis and that wisp of mortadella that practically melts over the top.

• Emily's famous red beans and rice

  • PanNan on December 02, 2018

    The depth of flavor in this red beans recipe is wonderful. Taking the time to soak the beans overnight and slowly simmering them on the stove all afternoon delivers a soft and creamy texture where the ingredients have nearly melted together. Serving it over the rice topped with freshly sliced scallions takes this over the top.

  • Lsblackburn1 on December 29, 2018

    Awesome recipe for a lazy holiday week! Easy to prepare, just requires a time commitment. I may have oversalted- doesn’t need much because of the ham hock.

  • TrishaCP on March 14, 2019

    This is my new standard red beans recipe. This was seriously amazing. I soaked my beans overnight but after three hours of cooking they were still pretty toothsome. So I put them in the instant pot for 5 minutes and then they were perfect. Since I halved the recipe (but couldn’t half the ham bone) my beans were seasoned just fine without additional salt. We did make the rice with onions, and it was a very welcome accompaniment.

  • hirsheys on October 26, 2025

    These were solid, but less amazing than the white beans that I made using the recipe I found from TikTok (AdriannaGuillory). Wouldn’t make again just because hers were just as fussy and better. (Less seasoning in these, which was really the main difference.)

  • kbrooks on August 11, 2025

    Wowza! Everything previous notes said and more! I pretty much let this simmer most of the day. Didn't make the rice this time but will next time. Served with cheese biscuits and a green salad. Wouldn't change anything in the recipe.

  • pattyatbryce on January 09, 2022

    Absolutely perfect.

  • Apepin on April 05, 2022

    Excellent recipe.

  • brandi_elvop8 on March 06, 2026

    This is my go to red beans and rice recipe. Made a huge batch for a potluck and everyone loved it.

• Arugula with citrus, olives, and za'atar

  • Yildiz100 on December 14, 2018

    This was very tasty, but somehow, I felt like it wasn't quite the sum of its parts. A simpler, orange and olive salad is better, or maybe, it was actually better without the zaatar.

• Slow-roasted lamb shoulder

  • Lsblackburn1 on December 25, 2018

    Used a boneless leg instead of a shoulder so shortened the cooking time to about 3.5 hours. The gravy was especially delicious. Served over polenta.

• Apple and fennel salad with candied pecans

  • Lsblackburn1 on January 02, 2019

    So fresh and delicious! The recipe says to crush the peppercorns with your fingers but that seemed like extra, so I just used a mortar and pestle. Only change I’d make would be to chop the pecan halves up a bit to distribute them more because they were awesome!

  • kitchen_chick on June 15, 2020

    I didn’t candy the pecans because I wanted less sugar in the salad. Instead, I toasted then chopped the pecans to break them up a bit. I added the Aleppo pepper to the dressing since it wasn’t going into the candied coating.

  • pattyatbryce on September 15, 2025

    As suggested, I made double the amount of pecans. This was key, because I couldn't stop nibbling. really interesting salad with the pink peppercorns. I did put the peppercorns in plastic bag and broke them with a hard "mallet" aka, a handy jar bottom. My only issue is that I have trouble with any pecans using an egg white wash. I end up with too much egg as it is finished.

• Charred cabbage with olive oil

  • SheilaS on January 04, 2019

    This is delicious! Poaching the cabbage in seasoned broth before broiling infuses flavor throughout. Served with the pomegranate muhammara on p 376, this can stand on its own as a meatless main dish.

  • leilx on January 14, 2019

    I made it with a quarter head of cabbage and it worked although it never got really charred. Want to try it again. I liked it and think I could love it.

  • lorloff on May 09, 2023

    Great use of cabbage the poaching liquid made the cabbage dish so flavorful. SheilaS your photo is so much better than the one in the book. Shaya hit it out of the park again. Highly recommended and do spend the time to make the pomegranate hazelnut muhammara sauce worth the effort and takes the dish into the stratosphere. Love this dish!

• Avocado toast with smoked whitefish

  • SheilaS on January 04, 2019

    I substituted smoked trout for the whitefish. Nice appetizer.

• Curried sweet potato and leek pie

  • SheilaS on January 04, 2019

    I modified by using a polenta crust just because I was in a polenta kinda mood. I'll try the crust in the book next time but I liked the polenta, too.

  • Lsblackburn1 on November 08, 2022

    Loved the flavors and texture of this. I used another crust recipe and did not blind bake it -came out beautifully. Put extra cheese on top and put under the broiler at the end.

• Hawaij

  • ldtrieb on March 08, 2019

    Delicious, used on turkey breast and in the sweet potato and leek tart. Also. Yemeni chicken. Makes enough for several recipes.

• Spiced couscous

  • Lsblackburn1 on March 31, 2019

    Lovely subtle flavors. Perfect as a base for a spicier dish.

• Farro and kale with saffron vinaigrette

  • bwhip on April 04, 2019

    Great salad, we really enjoyed this. I used frozen peas, and I had some fresh asparagus so I added that to the mix as well. The chile de arbol added just the right amount of heat, and the flavor of the dressing was excellent. My wife doesn’t like walnuts, so I used a half cup of toasted pine nuts instead. Pretty quick, easy, and very flavorful.

  • Lsblackburn1 on June 19, 2019

    I used edamame instead of peas, zucchini instead of cucumber and skipped the radish. This was a very tasty side dish. Perfect summer dinner with grilled steak.

  • TrishaCP on June 04, 2020

    I loved everything about this salad. I used a mix of sturdy baby greens (spinach, chard, kale) instead of straight up kale and edamame subbed for peas. The walnuts added the perfect crunch on top.

  • SheilaS on March 21, 2026

    Great salad that keeps well and offers lots of options for substitutions. I used a Thai chile instead of arbol, frozen fava beans and pecans instead of walnuts.

• Collard spanakopita

  • Lsblackburn1 on June 14, 2019

    This was a bit of work, but really delicious! I don’t think I’ve used butter on the phyllo before but it was yummy!

• Salmon roe ikra

  • SheilaS on February 19, 2020

    This version of ikra is kind of a super-luxe fishy mayonnaise, incorporating 1/4 cup of salmon roe. Fresh vegetables are the perfect contrast to that richness. I'm looking forward to trying it on some roasted asparagus.

• Smoked chicken with harissa

  • ripleypickles on April 02, 2020

    Excellent recipe. Used a little more salt and a little less oil. Tip: Cut open the chiles before steeping so some of the seeds come out on their own.

• Roasted beets with tahini

  • purrviciouz on June 17, 2020

    This is a really nice side dish. In the future I will peel the beets before roasting.

• Pork and mushroom risotto

  • mirage on January 04, 2026

    Home-y

• Herb salt

  • SheilaS on October 11, 2025

    Just made another batch of this. It’s a wonderful way to dress up eggs, sandwiches, salads or vegetables, pretty much anything you might sprinkle salt on.

• Moroccan carrot salad

  • lorloff on August 09, 2025

    This carrot dish is a real winner. I loved the opportunity to use caraway and the flavoring was spot on as Shaya’s recipes so often are. Used fresh mint from the garden. So good

  • bernalgirl on January 01, 2022

    I made this with blanched carrot coins for NYE luck and it was outstanding. I can’t wait to make it with roasted carrots as written (minus the caraway, which I just don’t love).

  • patioweather on May 04, 2024

    Wow, this is the best roasted carrot preparation that I have ever tried. It's sweet, spicy, and herbaceous. I was hesitant about using raw white onion, but after sitting in the dressing for a while, they become mildly pickled. Delicious.

  • stepharama1 on September 30, 2022

    This recipe was outstanding with roasted carrots . I used cilantro rather than mint and multicolored carrots.

• Chicken liver pâté with celery dates

  • bernalgirl on November 27, 2022

    A fiddly recipe compared to my standard Silver Spoon chicken liver pâté but it comes out wonderfully light and the celery and date salad is an unexpected boost of flavor and texture. I chopped the dates and celery quite small and liked getting a little bit of everything with every bite. I used turkey livers successfully to serve at Thanksgiving.

• Green salad with green dressing

  • bernalgirl on February 16, 2023

    A great blender dressing, more piquant than green goddess.

• Pickled shrimp

  • bernalgirl on August 28, 2021

    I love this Italian meets Southern US approach to pickled shrimp. These are absolutely delicious, an excellent antipasto or a good addition to a salad. Since the only cooking is a light poaching, this is a great make-in-the-morning dish for a hot summer day.

• Parmesan and nutmeg stuffing

  • ripleypickles on May 29, 2021

    Incredible alternative to American stuffing. More like a fluffy, cheesy quiche. Will definitely make again.

• Banana bread with carob molasses butter

  • ripleypickles on June 23, 2024

    Had to substitute pumpkin pie spice for the blend and regular molasses for the carob but it was incredibly delicious nonetheless. New go-to recipe.

• Roasted chicken with harissa

  • dbruijn on March 27, 2024

    I make this all the time. I always have his green salt in the freezer and this is easy and flavorful.

• Chicken Milanese with watercress and lemon

  • dbruijn on July 31, 2021

    It’s so good. I’ve made this multiple times for family and guests. Seems so fancy, schnitzel with a middle eastern twist. Loved it.

• Food52

  The book unfurls chronologically, and so it essentially urges you to follow along and cook Shaya’s life, however scattershot the recipes can seem...

  Full review

• Food52

  It’s a memoir-meets-cookbook...the recipes in Shaya require a bit of doing, by way of ingredient sourcing and prep. But the payoff is considerable...

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• Food52

  ...is a compelling and heartfelt food memoir that is evocative of books by some of my favorite food writers, such as Laurie Colwin, Jane Grigson, and Edna Lewis.

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• Food52

  Picked for Food52's November 2018 Cookbook Club.

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• Eat Your Books

  One of the most brilliant titles that I have had the pleasure to review. Everyone needs to fall in love with this book.

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