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Dead Man Inside (The Walter Ghost Mysteries #2)
by Vincent StarrettA wealthy dilletante is on the trail of a killer with a penchant for theatrics in this cozy mystery by the author of Murder on &“B&” Deck.A strange sight greets Chicago haberdashery clerk Rufus Ker as he prepares to begin his workday by unlocking the door to Bluefield, Inc. A sign is attached to the glass. It reads: DEAD MAN INSIDE! I AM DEAD. THIS STORE WILL NOT OPEN TO-DAY.Once inside, Rufus is relieved to discover the shop is still in one piece and assumes the sign to be a prank. But no one is laughing when Rufus realizes the dummy in the window is no dummy at all. It&’s the body of his boss, Amos Bluefield, and unfortunately this is only the beginning . . .Scientist, explorer, and former intelligence officer Walter Ghost has come to Chicago to research some history, but after a stint in the hospital due to appendicitis, he quickly finds himself investigating a string of puzzling murders. Ghost is certainly no stranger to playing detective, but if he&’s not careful, he&’s about to get more familiar with the hospital . . .
The Beginner's Guide to Kumihimo: Techniques, Patterns and Projects to Learn How to Braid
by Dorothy WoodThe renowned jewelry crafter teaches readers how to make beautiful creations using the traditional Japanese braiding technique of Kumihimo. Kumihimo is the centuries-old Japanese artform of creating elegant braids using intricate and beautiful patterns and designs. These braids are then fashioned into all kinds of objects, such as bracelets, necklaces and more. This illustrated guide features step-by-step diagrams and photographs to help you create your own Kumihimo jewelry projects at home. Written by expert jewelry crafter Dorothy Wood, The Beginner&’s Guide to Kumihimo covers a range of techniques including flat braids, square braids, honeycomb braids, hollow braids, spiral braids, and braiding with beads. Readers will learn to use different cords and wire, as well as finishing techniques. This volume also features templates to make your own Kumihimo disk and plate, plus a handful of contemporary projects for jewelry and accessories so you can put your newfound braiding skills to use right away.
More Than Honey: The Survival of Bees and the Future of Our World
by Markus Imhoof Claus-Peter LieckfeldThe acclaimed director shares a gorgeously photographed and &“wonderfully thorough immersion in the world of bees and beekeeping&” (Rowan Jacobsen, author of Fruitless Fall). The saying goes that without bees, humankind would only survive for four more years; these crucial pollinators are, indeed, worth more than honey. In his award-winning documentary More Than Honey, Markus Imhoof introduced audiences to the fascinating world of bees and the perils of Colony Collapse Disorder. Now Imhoof joins with nature writer Claus-Peter Lieckfeld to go deeper into the complex relationship between bees and humans. This book examines the history and current status of our relationship to and reliance on bees while exposing the human behaviors contributing to the decline of the bee population—a decline that could ultimately contribute directly to a world food problem. Illustrated with jaw-droppingly detailed photos of bees, More Than Honey is a fascinating, accessible overview of a species that is inextricably tied to our survival.
Live Boldly: Cultivate the Qualities That Can Change Your Life
by Mary Anne Radmacher“Offers countless words, phrases, quotations, and stories to further anyone’s psycho-spiritual growth, however far they may be along their path.” —Frank Andrews, author of The Art and Practice of LovingLive Boldly is an invitation to choose to cultivate qualities which steer our lives in the direction of our dreams. Choose a quality and then practice living it as if no one were judging—or even watching. Mary Anne Radmacher offers an assortment of qualities to choose from—among them forgiveness, gratitude, endurance, celebration, generosity, compassion, leadership—thirty-five in all. Each quality has a story, a quote, plus “tool kit” suggestions for how to make the quality your own.“This is an amazing book. The writing is so exquisitely beautiful, the ideas so wise, and the suggested applications so sensible, that reading it is like being a member of a celestial choir—you feel an essential part of something greater than yourself, something immediate, good and lasting.” —Hugh Prather, bestselling author of Notes to Myself“Thirty-five small bits of wisdom. Thirty-five uh-huh-head-nodding moments. Whether you take it all in at once, or read it in small bites, if you’re ready to live boldly this is the book to read!” —Sue Opeka, owner of The Present Moment“Offers the tools we need to move beyond merely surviving each day to living more fully and deliberately. She invites us to add special meaning to our lives by discovering and embracing what is most important and making choices that will fulfill dreams.” —Christine Witt-Trzcinski, President, Brush Dance, Inc.
The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2016 (The Best American Series)
by Amy Stewart, Tim FolgerThis anthology collects some of the year&’s best science and nature writing—from climate change to killer beetles, an exposé of nail salons, and more. As guest editor Amy Stewart says in her introduction, &“science writers get into the game with all kinds of noble, high-minded ambitions. We want to educate. To enlighten…But at the end of the day, we&’re all writers. We&’re just like novelists, memoirists, and poets. We&’re entertainers.&” The writers in this anthology pull off that wonderful feat of turning hard research into page-turning narrative. From a Pulitzer Prize–winning essay on the earthquake that could decimate the Pacific Northwest to the astonishing work of investigative journalism that transformed the nail salon industry, this is a collection of hard-hitting and beautifully composed writing on the wonders, dangers, and oddities of scientific innovation and our natural world. The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2016 includes Kathryn Schulz, Sarah Maslin Nir, Charles C. Mann, Oliver Sacks, Elizabeth Kolbert, Gretel Ehrlich, and others.
The Works of Samuel Johnson, Volume One: Life, Poems, And Tales, Volume 1 The Works Of Samuel Johnson, Ll. D. , In Nine Volumes (The Works of Samuel Johnson #1)
by Samuel JohnsonA brief essay on the life and genius of the prolific eighteenth-century English author, followed by a selection of his poetry, letters, and a novella.Under the pen name &“Dr. Johnson,&” English writer Samuel Johnson was a biographer, essayist, lexicographer, literary critic, moralist, playwright, poet, and travel writer. The son of a bookseller, he made so many contributions to the English language that he is regarded as one of the greatest figures of eighteenth-century literature. The first of nine volumes, The Works of Samuel JohnsonVolume One includes an essay on the life and genius of Samuel Johnson, followed by a collection of his poetry, including his &“Drury Lane Prologue,&” &“On the Death of Mr. Robert Levet,&” and &“The Vanity of Human Wishes.&” A selection of his personal correspondence is featured as well, along with his great satirical novella, The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia.
Gourmet Preserves Chez Madelaine: Delicious Marmalades, Jams, And Jellies Plus Desserts, Pastries, And Breakfast Treats
by Madelaine BullwinkelMaster the old-fashioned art of &“putting food by&” with easy DIY recipes for jam, jellies, and marmalades. &“A remarkable culinary windfall.&” —Charlie Trotter, James Beard Award–winning chefGourmet Preserves Chez Madelaine shows a new generation of home cooks the age-old craft of preserving fruit. In addition, author and French cooking instructor extraordinaire Madelaine Bullwinkel includes dozens of recipes for muffins, scones, crepes, puddings, pastries, desserts, and breakfast treats to use with these preserves. The full flavor of fruit picked at the peak of freshness shines through in more than one-hundred recipes for preserves and forty recipes for desserts. Most of the recipes avoid using commercial pectin, which means you can use less sugar, or, in some cases, none at all. Bullwinkel has taught French cooking for over thirty-five years at her home-cooking school Chez Madelaine and across the US and France. Her thorough style combines with how-to illustrations and time-saving techniques in this book, making the process of canning and preserving surprisingly simple. &“I only own one book on making jams and preserves and this is it.&” —Gale Gand, James Beard Award–winning pastry chef
Sew Your Own Activewear: Make a Unique Sportswear Wardrobe from Four Basic Sewing Blocks
by Melissa FehrA sewing expert and marathon runner offers sewing patterns and blocks, as well as step-by-step instructions to help you create your own amazing activewear. Make your own unique activewear sewing wardrobe that&’s perfect for your workout. Choose from thirteen different styles including yoga pants, crops top and running leggings designed by activewear sewing expert, and marathon runner, Melissa Fehr. Whether you&’re a runner, a cyclist or a gym bunny, or you&’re simply looking for the perfect pair of slouchy leggings for elegant lounging, this collection of sewing patterns is for you. Learn all about how to choose the correct fabric for activewear sewing and discover expert tips on working with performance fabrics like Lycra and spandex. Before you know it, you&’ll have a truly unique workout wardrobe to wear while you work up a sweat!
How Your Child Is Smart: A Life-Changing Approach to Learning
by Dawna Markova Anne R. PowellThe groundbreaking guide for parents and teachers to identify and understand the different ways children learn.Not all children learn in the same way. So why should they all be taught the same way? Some are verbal gymnasts while others are wandering wonderers; some need to be shown while others need to move. The first step to reaching and teaching each child is to understand his or her innate learning style.Written by two educators, How Your Child is Smart identifies six distinct patterns of learning and teaches parents how to help their children learn and communicate most effectively. Through simple questions, activities, and charts, parents can identify their child's pattern and learn how he or she can best be taught in school.
Homegrown & Handmade: A Practical Guide to More Self-Reliant Living
by Deborah NiemannThe author of Ecothrifty shows you how to life more self-sufficiently with her guide to modern homesteading―no farm required.Food recalls, dubious health claims, scary and shocking ingredients in health and beauty products. Our increasingly industrialized supply system is becoming more difficult to navigate, more frightening, and more frustrating, leaving us feeling stuck choosing in many cases between the lesser of several evils. That&’s why author Deborah Niemann is here to offer healthier, more empowering choices, by showing us how to reclaim links in our food and purchasing chains, to make choices that are healthier for our families, ourselves, and our planet.In this fully updated and revised edition of Homegrown and Handmade, Deborah shows how making things from scratch and growing some of your own food can help you eliminate artificial ingredients from your diet, reduce your carbon footprint, and create a more authentic life.Whether your goal is increasing your self-reliance or becoming a full-fledged homesteader, this book is packed with answers and solutions to help you rediscover traditional skills, take control of your food from seed to plate, and much more. This comprehensive guide to food and fiber from scratch proves that attitude and knowledge is more important than acreage. Written from the perspective of a successful, self-taught modern homesteader, this well-illustrated, practical, and accessible manual will appeal to anyone who dreams of a more empowered life.&“Dreaming of a mindful life? Niemann&’s advice on gardening, cooking, orcharding, raising livestock, and much more demonstrates that it&’s possible to begin the journey in your own backyard.&” —Rebecca Martin, Managing Editor, Mother Earth News
The Compassionate Hunter's Guidebook: Hunting from the Heart (Mother Earth News Books for Wiser Living)
by Miles Olson&“This book reminds us that hunting provides sustenance for both body and soul, and that mindful eating requires both respect and gratitude.&”—Tovar Cerulli, author of The Mindful Carnivore Wild meat, hunted in a responsible way, is one of the most healthful, sustainable foods possible. Depending on how it is done, hunting can be as local, intimate and humane as it gets. And aside from this, it demands the hunter enter a world of awareness, wildness, life and death that as a culture we have lost connection to. The Compassionate Hunter&’s Guidebook is for those who come to the act of hunting with pure intentions, motivated by a desire for healthy food that comes directly from the land where they live. This practical manual suggests that hunting is not a &“sport&” and the animals whose lives are taken are not &“game.&” It combines a deep, philosophical exploration of the ethics of killing with detailed instructions on every step of the process including: Understanding your preyTools, techniques and preparationThe act of the huntFrom forest to table—processing, preserving and preparing your kill. A unique and comprehensive, fully-illustrated guide to the complexity, ethics and spirit of the hunt, The Compassionate Hunter is a must-read for beginning and experienced hunters alike. It will appeal to anyone who wishes to delve more deeply into the complex, humbling and ultimately profound reality of our relationship with the food that nourishes us. &“Arguably the food that most closely approximates our nutritional needs, wild game assumes a sacred and satiating beauty in The Compassionate Hunter.&”—Joel Salatin, farmer and author of Pastured Poultry Profits
Corporate Survival Guide for Your Twenties: A Guide to Help You Navigate the Business World
by Kayla BuellThe creator of the award-winning blog Lost GenY Girl offers a business success guide aimed directly at college grads new to office life.Welcome to the corporate world, where things aren’t fair, some people are mean, and if you want to succeed, your boss has to like you. In Corporate Survival Guide for Your Twenties, Kayla Buell helps you prepare for the challenges and opportunities you’ll encounter as you leave college life behind and enter the work force.Navigating a corporate working world filled with pitfalls and traps is not easy – there’s no app for that. Should you speak up in meetings? Should you stay quiet? Should you eat at your desk? What should you wear? And what do you do when someone blasts you via e-mail? In Corporate Survival Guide for Your Twenties, Buell helps the early career professionals get their kick-ass career running!
The Guermantes Way: Large Print (In Search of Lost Time #3)
by Marcel ProustIn the third volume of the celebrated novel, a writer comes into his own and learns the way of the world in Paris. Continuing the nameless narrator&’s voyage through his memories after Within a Budding Grove, The Guermantes Way finds him and his family entering Parisian high society. They have moved into a stately old town house owned by the Duke and Duchess de Guermantes in the Fauborg Saint-Germain district of Paris. Daily sightings of the duchess do nothing but fan the flames of the narrator&’s infatuation with her. So, of course, he falls in love once more. He also continues his journey as a writer, visiting aristocratic and literary salons where, beneath a thin veneer of manners, a battle for political, sexual, and social supremacy rages on . . . Originally published in two volumes in 1920 and 1921, The Guermantes Way explores the customs of Parisian society in Belle Époque France. Praise for Marcel Proust &“Whatever your preference, Proust is a pleasure no serious reader should miss.&” —Kirkus Reviews &“Reading Proust . . . it&’s a whole world not just a book. Everyone wants to live more than one life and Proust is like &‘here&’s another one you can live.&’&” —Francine Prose, New York Times–bestselling author of Mister Monkey &“I can think of only one other writer capable of such breadth and humanity: Shakespeare.&” —André Aciman, New York Times–bestselling author of Find Me &“When I want to restore my faith in literature, I read Proust. . . . Reading Proust is like watching a galaxy being put together, one particle at a time.&” —Aleksandar Hemon, author of The Making of Zombie Wars
King Charles: The Man, the Monarch, and the Future of Britain
by Robert JobsonAn exhaustive and revealing biography of Britain&’s new monarch, King Charles III, with fresh reporting by the journalist the Wall Street Journal dubbed &“the Godfather of royal reporting.&” With exclusive interviews and extensive research, King Charles delivers definitive insight into the extraordinary life of His Royal Highness, former Prince of Wales, as he takes the throne, a watershed moment in modern history and in the British monarchy.New York Times bestselling author Robert Jobson debunks the myths about the man who became king, going beyond banal, bogus media caricatures of Charles to tell his true story. Jobson—who has spent nearly thirty years chronicling the House of Windsor, and has met Charles on countless occasions—received unprecedented cooperation from Clarence House, what was the Prince&’s office, in writing this illuminating biography.King Charles divulges the full range of Charles&’s profoundly held political beliefs: the United Kingdom&’s special relationship to the United States, climate change, Brexit, and immigration—to ultimately portray the kind of monarch Charles III will be. Jobson taps a number of sources close to the now-King who have never spoken on the record before, plus members of the Royal Household who have served Charles during his decades of public life. This comprehensive profile also reveals the late Queen Elizabeth&’s plans to transition Charles to the throne; how at her insistence he already reads all government briefings; and why he feels it is his constitutional duty to relay his thoughts to ministers in his controversial &“black spider memos.&” Moreover, King Charles reveals the truth about Charles's deeply loving but occasionally volatile relationship with his second wife and chief supporter, Camilla. The result is an intriguing new portrait of a man who at last has become king.
Crows: Encounters with the Wise Guys of the Avian World
by Candace SavageA treasure trove of stories, poems, and information on the brainy, black-feathered bird that&’s rich in insight and humor. This revised and expanded edition of Candace Savage&’s best-selling book about ravens and crows is enhanced by additional paintings, drawings, and photos, as well as a fascinating selection of first-person stories and poems about remarkable encounters with crows. In one story, a pack of crows brilliantly thwarts an attack by a Golden Eagle; in another, a mischievous crow rescues the author from grief. And in a third piece, after nursing a battered baby crow back to health until it flies off with other crows, Louise Erdrich hauntingly describes her altered awareness as she listens for the &“dark laugh&” of crows while she works. Based on two decades of audacious research by scientists around the world, the book also provides an unprecedented, evidence-based glimpse into corvids&’ intellectual, social, and emotional lives. But whether viewed through the lens of science, myth, or everyday experience, the result is always the same. These birds are so smart—and so mysterious—they take your breath away.Published in Partnership with the David Suzuki Institute.Praise for Crows &“A beautifully crafted celebration of these birds.&” —Nature &“A deft juxtaposition of interesting anecdotes and firsthand accounts of scientific discoveries.&” —Canadian Literature &“Surprising avian revelations are contained within the pages of Savage&’s glorious festival of crow arcana.&” —Alberta Views
The Best American Travel Writing 2016 (The Best American Series)
by Bill Bryson, Jason WilsonThis collection gathers the best travel essays from The New Yorker, Harpers, GQ and more—featuring Paul Theroux, Alice Gregory, Dave Eggers and others.Why do I travel? Why does anyone of us travel? Bill Bryson poses these questions in his introduction to The Best American Travel Writing 2016, and though he admits, &“I wasn&’t at all sure I knew the answer,&” these questions start us on the path of some fascinating explorations. While the various contributors to this collection travel for different reasons, they all come back with stories. Whether traversing the Arctic by dogsled, attending a surreal film festival in North Korea, or strolling the streets of a fast-changing Havana, some of today&’s best travel writers share their experiences of the world and the human condition, offering, if not answers, than illumination and insight.The Best American Travel Writing 2016 includes Michael Chabon, William T. Vollmann, Helen Macdonald, Sara Corbett, Stephanie Pearson, Thomas Chatterton Williams, Pico Iyer, and others.
From No-Knead to Sourdough: A Simpler Approach to Handmade Bread
by Victoria Redhed Miller&“Cleverly combines science, history, and personal touches to make homemade bread accessible for everyone, no matter his or her level of experience.&” —Meredith Leigh, author of Pure Charcuterie Is there any food that evokes pleasant memories and warm feelings more than bread? It&’s the most basic of foods, yet many of us are intimidated by the prospect of making our own. &“Artisan&” bread, craft bakeries, and wood-fired pizza are gaining popularity—imagine creating these fabulous breads at home. With From No-Knead to Sourdough, author Victoria Redhed Miller blends her own journey toward self-reliance with her fascination for traditional homesteading skills and love of good food. From making simple yeast breads, to learning how to bake a wide variety of sourdough-based breads, the author&’s curiosity and fearlessness come together to share with readers a simpler approach to the pleasures of bread-baking. Topics include: · Fitting bread-baking into your schedule · Low- and no-gluten baking, including GF sourdough breads · Using a wood-fired oven · Recipes for every comfort zone, from flatbread to sourdough · &“Sexy science talk&” sidebars for those interested in the science of baking. From No-Knead to Sourdough will inspire the beginner and the accomplished baker alike to find their own comfort zone and move on to new skills when they are ready. Pizza and bagels, flatbreads and loaf breads, even gluten-free breads—you become the artisan when you make your own bread. &“There are few things more soul-satisfying than the taste of homemade sourdough, and even fewer things as healthful to keep your mind and body tuned and balanced. Victoria&’s detailed but uncluttered recipes make that argument, delectably.&” —Stephen Yafa, author of Grain of Truth
How the World Looks to a Bee: And Other Moments of Science
by Don GlassGet a buzz out of science with a collection of fun facts and explanations of the world around us from the author of How Can You Tell if a Spider Is Dead?What can you learn about your world in just a moment? Have you ever wondered why the sky is blue? Or whether dogs can read our facial expressions? Don Glass and experts in their fields answer these questions and many more. Written for readers of all ages with no background in science required, How the World Looks to a Bee is the perfect armchair companion for curious people who want to know more about the science of everyday life but have only a moment to spare. With intriguing everyday phenomena as a starting point, this entertaining collectionuses short tutorials and quick and simple experiments to invite readers to test the science for themselves. These fascinating and topical science stories are sure to delight the curious child in all of us.
My Green Manifesto: Down the Charles River in Pursuit of a New Environmentalism
by David GessnerAll environmentalism is local: “A wonderfully readable book” about saving the planet by focusing first on our own habitats (The Boston Globe).Though environmental awareness is on the rise, our march toward ecological collapse continues. What was once a movement based primarily on land preservation, endangered species, and policy reform is now a fractured mess of back-to-the-landers, capitalist “green lifestyle” vendors, technology worshipers, and countless special interest groups.Inspired by a rough-and-tumble journey across country and down river, David Gessner, a John Burroughs Award winner, makes the case for a new environmentalism. In a frank, funny, and incisive call to arms that spans from the Cape Wind Project to the Monkey Wrench Gang, he considers why we do or do not fight to protect and restore wilderness, and reminds us why it’s time to join the fray.Known as an environmental advocate “reminiscent of Edward Abbey” (Library Journal), Gessner rebels against this fragmented environmentalism and holier-than-thou posturing. He also suggests that global problems, though real, are disempowering. While introducing us to lovable, stubborn Dan Driscoll, “a regular guy fighting a local fight for a limited wilderness,” he argues for a movement focused on local issues and grounded in a more basic, more holistic—and ultimately more effective—defense of home.“Funny and inspiring.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Forgetting Items: The Social Experience of Alzheimer's Disease
by Baptiste BrossardA book that’s “in the upper echelons of social dementia research . . . an entertaining and revelatory contribution to the field” (Symbolic Interaction).Alzheimer’s disease has not only profound medical consequences for the individual experiencing it but a life-changing impact on those around them. From the moment a person is suspected to be suffering from Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia, the interactions they encounter progressively change. Forgetting Items focuses on that social experience of Alzheimer’s, delineating the ways disease symptoms manifest and are understood through the interactions between patients and the people around them. Mapping out those interactions takes readers through the offices of geriatricians, into patients’ narratives and interviews with caregivers, down the corridors of nursing homes, and into the discourses shaping public policies and media coverage. Revealing the everyday experience of Alzheimer’s helps us better understand the depth of its impact and points us toward more knowledgeable, holistic ways to help treat the disease.“Considers the social aspect of dementia by considering how symptoms are expressed by the individual and understood/interpreted by those close to them. The author’s goal is to help us understand common experiences associated with dementia and ways to interpret those experiences through the lens of sociology.” —ISCHP (International Society of Critical Health Psychology)
The Enchanted April (Read-along Ser.)
by Elizabeth von ArnimA charming Italian castle holds the key to happiness for four English women in this classic by the author of Elizabeth and Her German Garden. It begins on a rainy London afternoon in February. Four ladies, whose only common trait is dissatisfaction with life, answer an ad placed in the advice column of The Times. Addressed &“To Those Who Appreciate Wistaria and Sunshine,&” it offers the opportunity to rent a fully-furnished medieval Italian castle in Portofino along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea for the month of April—servants included. A peaceful holiday is all the ladies are expecting, but the sunny warmth of the Italian spring is about to change their lives . . . &“The Enchanted April sounds as if it would be an appallingly cloying cream puff of a fairy tale, but that would be to ignore that the author habitually kept a pot of lemon juice mixed with vinegar beside her ink-pot. With this bracing element there is additionally what can only be called a feast of flowers, hanging from every wall and pouring scent over the company.&” —The Times Literary Supplement &“[A] restful, funny, sumptuous, and invigorating vacation for the mind and soul.&” —500 Great Books by Women &“[A]n expression of the propensity of people to be blind to the real secret of happiness, and . . . how exquisitely men and women get upon each other&’s nerves and how they suffer from each other&’s egos.&” —National Review &“Lyrical . . . Dry, delicious humor . . . An April does not satisfy my greedy heart. I want all year.&” —Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
Weekends Away Without Leaving Home: The Ultimate World Party Theme Book
by Lara Morris StarrSet the scene for armchair adventures with food, drink, and entertainment suggestions—and enjoy virtual vacations to destinations around the world.With a tiny bit of ingenuity and effort, anyone can create a wonderful weekend at home that brings almost as much pleasure as an actual vacation away—without the hassle of flights, foreign currency exchange, or large credit card bills. This entertaining and instructive book features guides to experiencing all the excitement of Brazil, Mexico, Scotland, Ireland, Paris, Tuscany, Greece, Morocco, Africa, St. Petersburg, India, China, Thailand, Japan, and Australia—all without leaving the comfort of home. Each chapter offers:suggestions on setting the scenebooks, videos, and music for your weekenda complete meal suggestion, with recipesPart cookbook, part cultural guidebook, this unique volume is also ideal for planning themed dinner parties—and opens up new worlds even when you can’t hop on a plane.
Slow Road to Brownsville: A Journey Through the Heart of the Old West
by David ReynoldsAn adventurous Englishman explores the forgotten landscape of America&’s Wild West in this &“illuminating, elegantly written travelogue&” (Financial Times). In his acclaimed memoir Swan River, David Reynolds invited readers into the world of his youth, growing up in Manitoba, Canada. Now, in Slow Road to Brownsville, Reynolds brings readers on a road trip along Highway 83, a little-known two-lane highway that runs from his Canadian hometown to the Mexican border at Brownsville, Texas, on the Gulf of Mexico. Enthralled by the myth of the American West and the romance of the open road, Reynolds explores the realities behind both as he makes his way between small towns, gas stations, and motels, hanging out in bars with the locals and learning the stories of this forgotten region that was once the frontier. Along the way he encounters many legendary figures from North American history, including Lewis and Clark, Sitting Bull, Buffalo Bill, Davy Crockett, and even Truman Capote.
Backyard Bounty: The Complete Guide to Year-Round Organic Gardening in the Pacific Northwest
by Linda Gilkeson&“Very likely the best book ever written on growing food in the Pacific Northwest, and it sets a whole new standard for garden writing.&”—Mark MacDonald, West Coast Seeds Grow more food, with less work, in any yard—now completely revised and expanded! Are you itching to start your own garden or grow more in the one you have, but feel that gardening is too challenging or time-consuming for your busy schedule? Now completely updated and expanded, Backyard Bounty will demystify gardening, bringing it back to the down-to-earth, environmentally practical activity that anyone can enjoy. Author and master gardener Linda Gilkeson covers everything you&’ll need to grow a successful garden, including: Planning your garden and preparing the soil Organic fertilizers and simplified composting Planting for winter harvests and intensive planting schedules Comprehensive information on pests, diseases, and working with an unstable climate Greenhouses, tunnels and containers Organic pest management. Packed with a wealth of information specific to the Pacific Northwest, this complete guide emphasizes low-maintenance methods, covers problems related to common pests and climate concerns, includes a monthly garden schedule for year-round planting and harvesting, and features plant profiles for everything from apples to zucchini. Perfect for novice and experienced gardeners alike, Backyard Bounty shows how even the smallest garden can produce a surprising amount of food twelve months of the year. &“Backyard Bounty is remarkably thorough, from roots to pests to pruning to crowns, and it inspires even the experienced grower. Just like homemade soil for a bedding plant, this book is loaded with the richness we need in order to feed ourselves.&”—Lyle Estill, author of Backyard Biodiesel
The Best American Series: The Best American Series (The Best American Series)
by Best American SeriesA collection of eleven fiction and nonfiction selections from the 2011 editions of the Best American Series, highlighting 2011&’s best American writing. The Best American series is the premier annual showcase for the country&’s finest short fiction and nonfiction. Each volume&’s series editor selects notable works from hundreds of magazines, journals, and websites. The guest editor then chooses the best twenty or so pieces to publish. This unique system has made the Best American series the most respected—and most popular—of its kind. This special ebook contains eleven selections from the 2011 editions. From The Best American Short Stories edited by Geraldine Brooks:&“Housewifely Arts&” by Megan Mayhew Bergman&“Phantoms&” by Steven Millhauser From The Best American Essays edited by Edwidge Danticat:&“Chapels&” by Pico Iyer&“There Are Things Awry Here&” by Lia Purpura From The Best American Mystery Stories edited by Harlan Coben:&“A Crime of Opportunity&” by Ernest J. Finney From The Best American Science and Nature Writing edited by Mary Roach:&“The Killer in the Pool&” by Tim Zimmermann&“The Whole Fracking Enchilada&” by Sandra Steingraber From The Best American Sports Writing edited by Jane Leavy:&“The Surfing Savant&” by Paul Solotaroff&“New Mike, Old Christine&” by Nancy Hass From The Best American Travel Writing edited by Sloane Crosley:&“My Year at Sea&” by Christopher Buckley &“Miami Party Boom&” by Emily Witt