For several hours a week, I work at the Huntley Library re-shelving items. During this process, opportunity presents itself for me to peruse materials I’d not see while looking on my own. Very often I say to myself, oh, that looks interesting … and then I keep it or jot down the info. I’ll share some with you that pique my interest.
The Civil War in 500 Photographs
Rod Gragg
973.702 GRA
On the NEW bookshelves is a non-fiction item that appeals to me because it has (as you can tell from the title) many pictures and not too much text. I used to tell my high school students that an easy way to keep up with current events, so as not to appear totally ignorant, was to browse through a weekly news magazine and look at the pictures, and read the captions. That is what I intend to do with this fine collection of war coverage published by the TIME-LIFE people.
Cooking with Trader Joe’s Cookbook
Celine Cossou-Bordes
641.53 COS
As mentioned previously, the Huntley Library has an enormous collection of cookbooks; they must be popular because there are always some to shelve. This one specializes in lunch fare and has excellent pictures. Prep time for most of the ones I examined was 15 minutes. Yes! I’m always looking for an easy, tasty way to fix vegetables. This book has 32 pages just for that. Check out page 151 for asparagus & spinach frittata.
The Playful Brain: the surprising science of how puzzles improve your mind
Richard Restak M.D. (puzzles by Scott Kim)
612.82 RES
I like puzzles: jigsaw, crossword, Sudoku, minute mysteries, Lumosity. So when I saw a book cover with a crossword puzzle superimposed on a drawing of a brain, I had to read the jacket flaps. This 2010 book, written by a neuroscientist, combines actual puzzles with an explanation of how they can change and strengthen our brains in the areas of memory, perception, and cognition. Yes, I saw some pages with answers.
Girls Think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women Catherine Thimmesh
JUV 609.2 THI
The title and sub-title make clear the subject matter of this book. Although the reading level is about 5th grade, the content is interesting and helpful for all ages. Example: Margaret Knight is not a household name, but flat-bottomed paper bags are! Margaret worked in a factory in the late 1860s making flat-bottomed paper bags by hand. She wondered why it had to be done that way which made the bags expensive. There’s a story to how she obtained the patent in 1870 which involved a court battle (16 days of testimony) in front of the commissioner of patents. Do you love your drip coffee maker? A woman! How about your hot water heater? A woman. And the retractable safety needle? Yep, another woman. Each anecdote is 2-3 pages with plenty of drawings.
