Showing posts with label NS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NS. Show all posts

Thursday, September 7, 2023

Just Show Up

Just Show Up 

by Cal Ripken Jr

Harper, 2019. 185 pages. Nonfiction

The record-breaking All-Star draws on stories from his remarkable career and the life of his legendary father to outline lessons in how to achieve true success through consistency, loyalty and fair play

This is a great book for those who are looking for an inside look at baseball and for those who want to adapt solid values to have and live by. Cal Ripken Jr. delivers a solid and fascinating memoir and encouraging words to those who need a push to keep going.

If you like Just Show Up, you might also like...
by Steve Young
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016. 419 pages. Nonfiction

Steve Young produced some of the most memorable moments in NFL history. The Run--his electrifying 49-yard game-winning touchdown against Minnesota. The Catch II--his last-second touchdown strike against Green Bay. Then there were his record-setting six touchdown passes in Super Bowl XXIX. But Young's most impressive victories were personal ones that were won off the field when no one was watching. QB is a remarkably revealing memoir of an athletically gifted Mormon boy with a 4.0 GPZ, a photographic memory, and a severe case of childhood separation anxiety. This memoir gives readers the sense of being inside Young's helmet while he runs through opponents both on and off the field.
by Simone Biles
Zondervan, 2016. 250 pages. Nonfiction

Simone takes you through the events, challenges, and trials that carried her from an early childhood in foster care to a coveted spot on the 2016 Olympic team

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Thursday, August 17, 2023

Jewish Comfort Food

Modern Jewish Comfort Food

by Shannon Sarva

Countryman Press, 2022. 215 pages. Nonfiction, Cookbook

A satisfying collection of Jewish comfort food with classic dishes and modern variations. Comfort food varies from person to person, family to family, region to region. As the author of Modern Jewish Baker and editor of The Nosher, Shannon Sarna has always wanted to tell the story of the Jewish people through food and continues to do so here in her latest book. Modern Jewish Comfort Food showcases recipes and variations that have shaped Jewish cuisine from around the world--including immigration waves from Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, New York City, and beyond. Sarna shares many traditional dishes, and then provides exciting variations that will bring heartwarming comfort to the home kitchen. Her Basic Tomato & Pepper Shakshuka is cleverly interpreted into a deep-dish pizza; Classic Potato Latkes invite vegetable-focused variations such as Beet & Carrot and Summer Corn Zucchini; and a multitude of dumplings reflect the range of the Jewish diaspora. Sweets include two kinds of Israeli-Style Yeasted Rugelach, Funfetti Macaroons, and more-ready to complete the holiday dessert table. Modern Jewish Comfort Food will inspire home cooks to connect to Jewish foodways and explore the history of this diverse cuisine


Who loves comfort food? Everyone loves comfort food! If you're looking for some new recipes that are sure to make your stomach smile, this is the book for you. This book is filled beautiful pictures and easy to follow instructions on how to make Sarva's recipes yourself. You'll also enjoy the history behind the dishes as well




If you like Modern Jewish Comfort Food, you might also like...

by Todd Gray

St. Martin's Press, 2013. 326 pages. Nonfiction, Cookbook

The New Jewish Table explores the melding of two different cooking cultures, seasonal American and Eastern-European Jewish, sharing the mouth-watering recipes that result from this flavorful union from authors, chef Todd Gray and his wife Ellen Kassoff Gray. Features more than 125 recipes including reinterpretations of traditional Jewish favorites made with fresh, seasonal ingredients.

by Joan Nathan

Alfred A. Knopf, 2017. 382 pages. Nonfiction, Cookbook

From the James Beard Award-winning, much-loved cookbook author and authority: a definitive compendium of Jewish recipes from around the globe and across the ages. Driven by a passion for discovery, the biblical King Solomon is said to have sent emissaries on land and sea to all corners of the ancient world, initiating a mass cross-pollination of culinary cultures that continues to bear fruit today. With Solomon's appetites and explorations in mind, in these pages Joan Nathan-- "the queen of American Jewish cooking" (Houston Chronicle)-- gathers together more than 170 recipes, from Israel to Italy to India and beyond. Here are classics like Yemenite Chicken Soup with Dill, Cilantro, and Parsley; Slow-Cooked Brisket with Red Wine, Vinegar, and Mustard; and Apple Kuchen as well as contemporary riffs on traditional dishes such as Smoky Shakshuka with Tomatoes, Peppers, and Eggplant; Double-Lemon Roast Chicken; and Roman Ricotta Cheese Crostata. Here, too, are an array of dishes from the world over, from Socca (Chickpea Pancakes with Fennel, Onion, and Rosemary) and Sri Lankan Breakfast Buns with Onion Confit to Spanakit (Georgian Spinach Salad with Walnuts and Cilantro) and Keftes Garaz (Syrian Meatballs with Cherries and Tamarind). Gorgeously illustrated and filled with fascinating historical details, personal histories, and delectable recipes, King Solomon's Table showcases the dazzling diversity of a culinary tradition more than three thousand years old.

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Friday, July 21, 2023

Under the Henfluence


by Tove Danovich

Agate Publishing, 2023. 223 pages. Nonfiction

When Danovich picked up her first flock of chicks, she didn't expect the birds to change her life. She began to wonder: what is a good life for a chicken, anyway? She went in search of the people breeding, training, healing, and advocating for chickens. Danovich reports on the hidden cleverness and irresistible personalities of these birds, as well as the complex human-chicken relationships that have evolved over the centuries. And she shows that the pampered lives of pet chickens are a stark contrast to the living conditions of birds in the meat and egg industry.

Don't read this book if you don't want to become absolutely addicted to chickens. Who knew these creatures were not only fascinating, but also quite adorable, intelligent animals who are just as capable as dogs when it comes to providing companionship? I sure didn't. You'll love the fun facts and personal stories shared by author, Tove Danovich. Oh, and you'll want to buy yourself some chickens.




If you like Under the Henfluence, you might also like...

by Rosamund Young

Penguin Press, 2018. 139 pages. Nonfiction

In this affectionate, heart-warming chronicle, Rosamund Young distills a lifetime of organic farming wisdom, describing the surprising personalities of her cows and other animals


by Lyall Watson

Smithsonian Books, 2004. 208 pages. Nonfiction

Not all animals are created equal. For a start, pigs have it, sheep don't; that is, that special quality of intelligence, a sense of play, and a gregariousness that make these tragically misunderstood--yet no less endearing--creatures more like us than any other animal. Best-selling author Lyall Watson takes a delightful look at the occasionally amusing, often instructive, and completely admirable qualities of pigs in this indispensable book, not only for everyone interested in natural history but also for fans of Babe , lovers of Piglet, readers of Charlotte's Web and Animal Farm , gourmands and truffle hunters, folklorists, and, of course, believers in meaningful interspecies communication.

The book is filled with both realistic and wonderfully fanciful illustrations of pigs that illuminate everything you could possibly want to know about the extraordinary family of Suids, from their origins and evolution, rich social lives, and combat strategies, to their special relationship with truffles, popularity in art and literature, and increasing use today in cutting-edge medical transplant technology.

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Monday, June 26, 2023

Recipe for Persuasion

by Sonali Dev

Harper Collins Publishers, 2020. 443 pages. Romance

Chef Ashna Raje desperately needs a new strategy. How else can she save her beloved restaurant and prove to her estranged, overachieving mother that she isn't a complete screw up? When she's asked to join the cast of Cooking with the Stars, the latest hit reality show teaming chefs with celebrities, it seems like just the leap of faith she needs to put her restaurant back on the map. She's a chef, what's the worst that could happen? Being paired with a celebrity who was her first love, the man who ghosted her at the worst possible time in her life, only proves what Ashna has always believed: leaps of faith are a recipe for disaster. FIFA winning soccer star Rico Silva isn't too happy to be paired up with Ashna either. Losing Ashna years ago almost destroyed him. The only silver lining to this bizarre situation is that he can finally prove to Ashna that he's definitely over her. But when their catastrophic first meeting goes viral, social media becomes obsessed with their chemistry. The competition on the show is fierce & and so is the simmering desire between Ashna and Rico. Every minute they spend together rekindles feelings that pull them toward their disastrous past. Will letting go again be another recipe for heartbreak or a recipe for persuasion? 


This book is equal parts rom-com and equal parts "I'm biting my nails because the suspense is killing me!" A twist on Jane Austen's Persuasion, this is an enchanting story of second chances, rekindled love, and adventure. I recommend this book to fans of romance, food, and Jane Austen (but everyone, really).



If you like Recipe for Persuasion, you might also like...

by Yaffa S. Santos

Harper, 2020. 293 pages. Romance

Lumi Santana is a chef with a gift: she can perceive a person's emotions by tasting their cooking. Despite being raised by a mother who taught her that dreams and true love were silly fairy tales, she puts her heart and savings into opening her own fusion restaurant in Upper Manhattan. The restaurant offers a mix of the Dominican cuisine she grew up with and other world cuisines she is inspired by. When her eclectic venture fails, she is forced to take a position as sous chef at a staid, traditional French restaurant owned by Julien Dax, a celebrated chef known for his acid tongue as well as his brilliant smile. After he goes out of his way to bake a tart to prove her wrong in a dispute, she is so irritated by his smug attitude that she vows to herself never to taste his cooking. But after she succumbs to the temptation and takes a bite one day and is overcome with shocking emotion, she finds herself beginning to crave his cooking and struggling to stay on task with her plan to save up and move on as soon as possible. Meanwhile, Julien's obsessed secretary watches with gnashed teeth as they grow closer and becomes determined to get Lumi out of her way permanently.


by Sher Lee

Random House Children's Books. 2023. 264 pages. Young Adult Fiction

Dylan Tang wants to win a Mid-Autumn Festival mooncake-making competition for teen chefs--in memory of his mom, and to bring much-needed publicity to his aunt's struggling Chinese takeout in Brooklyn. Enter Theo Somers: charming, wealthy, with a smile that makes Dylan's stomach do backflips. AKA a distraction. Their worlds are sun-and-moon apart, but Theo keeps showing up. He even convinces Dylan to be his fake date at a family wedding in the Hamptons. In Theo's glittering world of pomp, privilege, and crazy rich drama, their romance is supposed to be just pretend . . . but Dylan finds himself falling for Theo. For real. Then Theo's relatives reveal their true colors--but with the mooncake contest looming, Dylan can't risk being sidetracked by rich-people problems. Can Dylan save his family's business and follow his heart--or will he fail to do both?

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Wednesday, May 24, 2023

How to Be a Happier Parent

 

How to Be a Happier Parent

by KJ Dell'Antonia

2018. Nonfiction

An encouraging guide to helping parents find more happiness in their day-to-day family life, from the former lead editor of the New York Times' Motherlode blog.In all the writing and reporting KJ Dell'Antonia has done on families over the years, one topic keeps coming up again and again: parents crave a greater sense of happiness in their daily lives. In this optimistic, solution-packed book, KJ asks: How can we change our family life so that it is full of the joy we'd always hoped for? Drawing from the latest research and interviews with families, KJ discovers that it's possible to do more by doing less, and make our family life a refuge and pleasure, rather than another stress point in a hectic day. She focuses on nine common problem spots that cause parents the most grief, explores why they are hard, and offers small, doable, sometimes surprising steps you can take to make them better. Whether it's getting everyone out the door on time in the morning or making sure chores and homework get done without another battle, How to Be a Happier Parent shows that having a family isn't just about raising great kids and churning them out at destination: success. It's about experiencing joy—real joy, the kind you look back on, look forward to, and live for—along the way.


Finally, a self-help parenting book that doesn't sound 'preachy' or make you feel like a guilty parent! The author covers everything people find hard about parenting and provides advice based on factors such as your children's age. I'm so happy to have new ideas on how to be happier as a parent and to not feel alone in my struggles. I definitely recommend this to parents in all stages of parenthood. This book is available as on audiobook through Libby



If you like Home is How to Be a Happier Parent, you might also like...

by Jessica Grose

Mariner Books. 2022. 230 pages. Nonfiction

In this timely and necessary book, New York Times opinion writer Jessica Grose dismantles two hundred years of unrealistic parenting expectations and empowers today's mothers to make choices that actually serve themselves, their children, and their communities




by Ann Pleshette Murphy

Alfred A Knopf. 20024. 272 pages. Nonfiction

Motherhood is the ultimate transformation, a powerful and thrilling metamorphosis. Yet the vast majority of parenting books focus on the how-tos of baby and child care, not on the care or development of mothers. Ann Pleshette Murphy--the former editor of Parents magazine, current parenting contributor to Good Morning America, and herself the mother of two--looks at the emotional lives of mothers, at how we change and grow from the moment we get pregnant to the day we watch our kids graduate from high school. The 7 Stages of Motherhoodurges women to reflect on the seismic shifts they undergo at each stage of their children's lives and to focus on their own evolution. 

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Monday, May 1, 2023

Home is Where the Eggs Are

Home is Where the Eggs Are

by Molly Yeh
William Morrow, 2022. 337 pages. Nonfiction. Cookbook.

Home Is Where the Eggs Are is a beautiful, intimate book full of food that's best enjoyed in the comfort of sweatpants and third-day hair, by a beloved Food Network host and new mom living on a sugar beet farm in East Grand Forks, MN. Molly Yeh's cooking is built to fit into life with her baby, Bernie, and the naptimes, diaper changes, and wiggle time that come with having a young child, making them a breeze to fit into any sort of schedule, no matter how busy. They're low-maintenance dishes that are satisfying to make for weeknight meals to celebrate empty to-do lists after long workdays, cozy Sunday soups to simmer during the first (or seventh!) snowfall of the year, and desserts that will keep happily under the cake dome for long enough that you will never feel pressure to share.

If you're looking for a delightful and creative cookbook with recipes that can fit in with any lifestyle, this is the book for you! As a mom of two toddlers, I especially appreciated Molly's kid-friendly recipes.



If you like Home is Where the Eggs Are, you might also like...




The Farmhouse Chef
by Jamie DeMent
The University of North Carolina Press, 2017. 276 pages. Nonfiction. Cookbook

Collects recipes inspired by the yield from all four seasons of a working farm that raises sustainably nurtured heirloom varieties of produce and livestock, including such dishes as country carbonara, fried chicken, and honeydew granita.



by Tieghan Gerard
Clarkson Potter Publishers, 2017. 304 pages. Nonfiction. Cookbook.

Gerard shares recipes for dishes that express her freedom and creativity. Here she shows you how to give the standards a kick, bake in some secret ingredients (molasses in your apple pie?) and keep your family dinners exciting and interesting.






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Saturday, March 4, 2023

Let's Learn Hiragana

Let's Learn Hiragana

by Yasuko Kosaka Mitamura
Kodansha International, 195. 71 pages. Nonfiction

This text teaches hiragana, the basic Japanese written alphabet in well-tested, step-by-step lessons for individual study. There are three types of Japanese script-katakana, hiragana, and kanji. It is possible to read Japanese knowing only a limited number of kanji, but it is not possible with only a limited number of katakana or hiragana-one must know all of them. Let's Learn Hiragana, and its companion volume Let's Learn Katakana, is a textbook that introduces the learner to the basics of one of these fundamental Japanese scripts.

If you want to learn Japanese, learning Hiragana is the first step. I found this book to be a big help in learning to write Hiragana, and in memorizing them as well.



If you like Let's Learn Hiragana, you might also like...


by Fujihiko Kaneda
Passport Books, 1989. 153 pages. Nonfiction

Beginning This step-by-step guide to hiragana includes writing models by award-winning Japanese calligraphers, concise explanations, and numerous exercises to improve students' writing style, build vocabulary, improve pronunciation, and increase knowledge of Japanese language structures, counters, and punctuation.




by Eriko Sato
Tuttle Publishing, 2021. 127 pages. Nonfiction

This book gives you all the tools you need to learn to pronounce, read and write Japanese! ·A thorough overview of the hiragana and katakana alphabets ·An introduction to 50 key kanji characters ·Audio recordings to improve your pronunciation and comprehension ·A step-by-step approach to writing words and then sentences ·Practice exercises featuring everyday activities and situations.







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Thursday, February 2, 2023

Americana






Americana
by Luke Healy
Nobrow, 2019. 332 pages. Graphic Novel

The Pacific Crest Trail runs 2660 miles, from California's border with Mexico to Washington's border with Canada. To walk it is to undertake a grueling test of body and spirit ... challenge accepted. This intimate, engaging autobiographical work recounts the author's own attempt to walk the length of the USA's west coast. Healy's life-changing journey weaves in and out of reflections on his experiences in America and his development as an artist, navigating both the trail itself and the unique culture of the people who attempt to complete it.

This was such a fun book to read! I personally love travel and hiking, so for me, reading this book allowed me to vicariously live through the author and have my own experiences on a trail I'll probably never get to hike in my lifetime. Americana is full of humor is relatable to just about anyone.

If you like Americana, you might also like: 


Clarkston Potter/Publishers, 2019. 156 pages. Graphic Novel

From explaining why positive reinforcement is a more effective (and less damaging) way to control dogs' behavior than punishment to demonstrating the importance of weighing a dog's unique personality against stereotypes about its breed, Bradshaw offers extraordinary insight into the question of how we really ought to treat our dogs.



The American dream?
by Shing Yin Khor
Zest Books, 2019. 160 pages. Graphic Novel

An illustrated comic travelogue about an American immigrant driving alone through all that's left of "The Mother Road," Route 66







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Tuesday, January 3, 2023

Dog is Love

by Clive D.L. Wynne
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2019. 262 pages. Nonfiction

A pioneering canine behaviorist draws on cutting-edge research to show that a single, simple trait--the capacity to love--is what makes dogs such perfect companions for humans, and to explain how people can better reciprocate their affection.

As a dog owner and a dog lover, I find this book so fascinating! I've gained a greater understanding of why humans & dogs have the special relationship they have and how I can better love my own dog. I recommend this book to dog-owners, dog-lovers, and animal-lovers and science-nerds alike.



If you like Dog is Love, you might also like...


by John Bradshaw
Basic Books, 2011. 324 pages. Nonfiction

From explaining why positive reinforcement is a more effective (and less damaging) way to control dogs' behavior than punishment to demonstrating the importance of weighing a dog's unique personality against stereotypes about its breed, Bradshaw offers extraordinary insight into the question of how we really ought to treat our dogs.




by Brian Hare
Dutton, 2013. 367 pages. Nonfiction

Brian Hare, dog researcher, evolutionary anthropologist, and founder of the Duke Canine Cognition Center, and Vanessa Woods offer revolutionary new insights into dog intelligence and the interior lives of our smartest pets.







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Thursday, December 1, 2022

New Native Kitchen

by Freddie Bitsoie
New York; Abrams, 2021. 287 pages.  Nonfiction. Cookbooks

From Freddie Bitsoie, the former executive chef at Mitsitam Native Foods CafƩ at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian, and James Beard Award-winning author James O. Fraioli, New Native Kitchen is a celebration of Indigenous cuisine. Accompanied by original artwork by Gabriella Trujillo and offering delicious dishes like Cherrystone Clam Soup from the Northeastern Wampanoag and Spice-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin from the Pueblo peoples, Bitsoie showcases the variety of flavor and culinary history on offer from coast to coast, providing modern interpretations of 100 recipes that have long fed this country. Recipes like Chocolate Bison Chili, Prickly Pear Sweet Pork Chops, and Sumac Seared Trout with Onion and Bacon Sauce combine the old with the new, holding fast to traditions while also experimenting with modern methods. In this essential cookbook, Bitsoie shares his expertise and culinary insights into Native American cooking and suggests new approaches for every home cook. With recipes as varied as the peoples that inspired them, New Native Kitchen celebrates the Indigenous heritage of American cuisine.

What a wonderful celebration of Native American cuisine and culture. I appreciate the time and effort put taken to weave history and culture into what could have been a stellar cookbook all on it's own. I want to try every recipe in here! Highly recommend this one.


If you like New Native Kitchen, you might also like...



by Sean Sherman
University of Minnesota Press, 2017. 256 pages. Nonfiction. Cookbook.

2018 James Beard Award Winner: Best American Cookbook Named one of the Best Cookbooks of 2017 by NPR, The Village Voice, Smithsonian Magazine, UPROXX, New York Magazine, San Francisco Chronicle, Mpls. St. PaulMagazine and others Here is real food—our indigenous American fruits and vegetables, the wild and foraged ingredients, game and fish. Locally sourced, seasonal, "clean" ingredients and nose-to-tail cooking are nothing new to Sean Sherman, the Oglala Lakota chef and founder of The Sioux Chef. In his breakout book, The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Kitchen, Sherman shares his approach to creating boldly seasoned foods that are vibrant, healthful, at once elegant and easy. Sherman dispels outdated notions of Native American fare—no fry bread or Indian tacos here—and no European staples such as wheat flour, dairy products, sugar, and domestic pork and beef. The Sioux Chef's healthful plates embrace venison and rabbit, river and lake trout, duck and quail, wild turkey, blueberries, sage, sumac, timpsula or wild turnip, plums, purslane, and abundant wildflowers. Contemporary and authentic, his dishes feature cedar braised bison, griddled wild rice cakes, amaranth crackers with smoked white bean paste, three sisters salad, deviled duck eggs, smoked turkey soup, dried meats, roasted corn sorbet, and hazelnut–maple bites.The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Kitchen is a rich education and a delectable introduction to modern indigenous cuisine of the Dakota and Minnesota territories, with a vision and approach to food that travels well beyond those borders. chooses the beans.

by Rick Martinez
Clarkson Potter/Publishers, 2022. 303 page. Nonfiction. Cookbook.

In this beautifully personal tribute, Rick expresses Mexico's regionality through dishes like Oaxaca's Mole Coloradito (a rich pasilla chile sauce made with dried fruits, nuts, and seeds and sweetened with plantain and bittersweet chocolate) and Tacos de Capeados (cornmeal-battered fried fish tacos with papaya, tomatillo, and a spicy cream sauce) from coastal Baja. He delivers recipes based on his favorite home-tested version of each dish, veering from tradition when inspired-- like in the Tlayuda con Tasajo in which a flank steak is marinated with miso paste before being grilled and added to a large tostada topped with refried beans and queso Oaxaca. Rick always keeps accessibility in mind when speaking to the availability of ingredients such as chiles, spices, and herbs--he often calls for or talks about what is traditional and provides substitutions and replacements when needed. In addition to the captivating recipes, Rick includes essays on topics like the migration and culinary influence of people from the Middle East and China to Mexico, and his experiences of finding welcomeness, support, and a feeling of belonging in his new home in MazatlƔn. The collective result is touching, transportive, and delicious



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