Inspiring New Non-fiction

The non-fiction shelves at PWPL are full of inspiration. The new books are no exception. Walking away from the new book shelves with a reasonable stack of books requires great control, as my inclination is to check them all out! I’ve narrowed this list down to those I found the most interesting, this week.

Asbell, Robin.  (2016) Great Bowls of Food: Grain Bowls, Buddha Bowls, Broth Bowls and More. 641.82 AS.

This lovely book provides inspiration for a wide variety of food bowls. The ingredients are readily available and appeal to a wide range of tastes. If you find food in a bowl intriguing, you’ll want to check this one out!

Bowman, Katy. (2016) Movement Matters: Essays on Movement Science, Movement Ecology and the Nature of Movement. 615.82 BO.

Katy Bowman is a biomechanist who studies movement and our society’s lack thereof. She emphasizes the need for motion in all aspects of human life. Bowman is the author of several books on movement, this latest book is a series of thought provoking essays. Bowman’s books will change how you think about your day to day activities.

Czerski, Helen. (2017) Storm in a Tea Cup: The Physics of Everyday Life.  530 CZ.

The elusive study of Physics, applied to the everyday. This is a fascinating read for those interested in finding out, why. From gravity to the interesting behavior of bubbles in swirling tea; the author puts the science of everyday phenomena into a language that the rest of us can understand.

Seed Savers Exchange (2015) The Seed Garden: The Art and Practice of Seed Saving. 635 CO.

Interested in saving seed from this year’s garden? Perhaps you’ve borrowed seed from the seed library and would like to donate, but need guidance. This comprehensive title from Seed Savers Exchange will guide you through the process from start to finish. General seed saving guidelines are provided, but more importantly the book provides detailed information by crop. If you haven’t visited the Seed Library at PWPL yet, there is plenty of time left!

Shetreat-Kelin, MD, Maya (2016) The Dirt Cure: Growing Healthy Kids with Food Straight from Soil. 618.9239 SH.

Anyone who concerned about the eating habits of young people in their lives should give this book a read. A very down to earth look at the way we are feeding our children, and how we can help them to develop healthier eating behaviors. The author provides details about the science behind her suggestions.

Weso, Thomas Pecore. (2016) Good Seeds: a Menominee Indian Food Memoir. 641.5929 WE.

This quick read is steeped in cultural experience. A lovely memoir complete with recipes provide an indigenous look at seasonal food. Some of the recipes like “Baked Beaver Feast” will not be practical for most of us. However, many of the recipes will find a place in even the most modern kitchen. This look at truly seasonal cooking is worth a read!

--Andrea Ingmire, Library Director

Cooking with Too Many Good Books

Have you heard that there is an adventure tied to every culinarian’s life story? If not, it has become a trend with popular chefs, cooks, bakers, culinarians and kitchen folk alike. Looking for an adventure to read about? Come to the Peter White Public Library and check out our New Non-fiction section.

A wonderful companion for grocery shopping when searching for the proper produce is Ingredienti: Marcella’s guide to the market (641.5945 HA) by Marcella Hazan. This book breaks down how to obtain the freshest vegetables by examining the grocery store or farmer’s market produce properly. Marcella was old school and kept a handwritten journal consisting of notes on different produce and how she incorporated them into her recipes.

New technology has made blog journaling popular these days. Molly Wizenberg, author of the international blog “Orangette” has come out with a fairly new book: A Homemade Life: Stories and recipes from my kitchen table (641.5092 WI). She incorporates food with her childhood upbringing into a story that is tough to put down. It is also filled with homemade recipes that can help turn your kitchen table into a memorable story of its own.

History is an important factor in life, which goes hand in hand with cuisine, as well. If you are a history buff, political advisory, or culinarian, “The Presidents Kitchen Cabinet: Story of the African Americans who have fed our First families, from the Washington’s to the Obamas” (641.5092 MI) by the award-winning Adrian Miller will intrigue you. This book gives an inside look into who prepared food, and what was prepared for our presidents from 1789 to 2016.

If these books do not spark your interest or inspire you to cook, try The Feast Nearby: How I lost my job, buried a marriage, and found my way by keeping chickens, foraging, preserving, bartering, and eating locally (all on $40 a week) (641.552 MA), by Robin Mather. The story takes place in parts of rural Michigan, where the author commits to eating three home cooked meals a day.  A similar good read is A life of Playing with Fire (641.5092 LY) by Barbara Lynch, who makes stern comments with a quirky sarcasm in regards to kitchen work.

Another light-hearted read about a culinary adventure is The Sharper Your Knife the Less You Cry 641.07 FL by Kathleen Flinn. Who explains how she left the corporate ladder to move to Paris, join Le Cordon Bleu, and pursue her own dream. Similar to Barbara Lynch, she is great at capturing the fast-paced lifestyle of kitchen work, with grit and sarcasm. Books on celebrity chefs or books that have a stamp of approval by celebrity chefs include Generation Chef : Risking it all for the American dream (641.5092 ST) by Karen Stabiner, who gives details on the life of a young chef in New York who is persistent and who does not give up on his dream, and 32 Yolks : From my mother’s table to working the line (641.5092 RI) by the celebrity French chef Eric Ripert.

--Shane G. Sizemore, Circulation Department