While Ina Garten may have made her name as the Barefoot Contessa, she's proved time and again that she's a lady with great taste all around. She can write a best-selling memoir. She makes a killer playlist. She's mastered the capsule wardrobe and knows a good, comfy shoe when she sees one. It seems that now, the culinary doyenne is wading into new territory—book reviewer.
Ina Garten Shares the New Book She "Couldn't Put Down"
Putting on my TBR
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Published Jan 21, 2026
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Harper
In a recent Substack post (YES, even the Barefoot Contessa is on Substack), Garten took the opportunity to sneak in a little book recommendation at the end of six very important recipes she proclaimed all cooks should know. (For the record, they are: Perfect Roast Chicken, Weeknight Bolognese, Mustard Roasted Fish, Rack of Lamb, Potato Basil Frittata and Green Salad Vinaigrette.)
"Ann Patchett sent me [an advanced copy] of her newest novel, Whistler, over the weekend and I couldn’t put it down," she wrote. "It’s such a great story and so beautifully written that I felt as though Ann was sitting next to me telling me the story herself!!"
The book officially launches on June 2, but is currently available for preorder. Its plot centers on Daphne Fuller, who is unexpectedly reunited with her former stepfather, Eddie Triplett, while visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Though they were only in each other's lives briefly, the bond they shared was strong. The novel dives into memory, loss and how love endures through time and space.
With that synopsis, I'm just waiting for Garten to start her book club. Will there be Beatty's chocolate cake?
