Book Stall Review: Practical Botany for Gardeners

Explaining the science of gardening without being overly scientific, this botanical primer provides the kind of botanical schooling that every grower should possess.

Although the subtitle suggests a dictionary, the book is much more a textbook with articles  introducing the plant kingdom and its classification; explaining plant growth and reproduction; describing the inner workings of plant cells.

Others chapters cover soils, pests, pruning, and disorders. The text also includes brief biographies of prominent botanists.

Practical Botany for Gardeners

Over 3,000 Botanical Terms Explained and Explored

by Geoff Hodge

Oregon State University Press, 2013

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Review: Cowgirl Creamery Cooks

"We eat a lot of cheese in the United States. Per capita, each of us eats about a pound of cheese per week, most of it grated over fast-food pizza or melted over grilled ground beef in the form of a cheeseburger. This cheese comes mostly from post-World War II factories that churn out as much as one million pounds of cheese per day with the goal of producing food as cheaply as possible."

Cowgirl Creamery is an artisan cheesemaker that emerged in Point Reyes, California in the 1990s at a time when American consumers were starting to seek out alternatives to mass produced foods. This book tells the story of their struggles, achievements, and the rise of farmstead cheeses in this country.

Cowgirl Creamery Cooks

by Sue Conley and Peggy Smith

Chronicle Books, 2013

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Reading the History: Japan 1941

This history recounts the eight months leading up to Japan's decision to attack Pearl Harbor and engage the United States in all-out war. It was a fateful decision for the Japanese, initiating a conflict that was preventable and unwinnable. The only way to understand it is to approach it from the viewpoint of the Japanese people, as historian Eri Hotta has done here.

The Japanese leadership, including the military and Emperor Hirohito, was very much divided over questions of military expansion and engaging the U.S. in warfare. Hirohito frequently expressed his desire that diplomacy supercede any planning for war, but as supreme commander of the armed forces he had to ensure the survival of Japan and in the end it was a combination of dysfunctional politics and jingoistic advisors that pushed the acquiescent emperor to approve a war plan that a more assertive leader could have vetoed.

Japan 1941: Countdown to Infamy

by Eri Hotta

Knopf, 2013

Out of the Past
1941: Attack on Pearl Harbor
History and American West Titles

New Guide to Whiskey

This smart guide to whiskey introduces a new generation of would-be connoisseurs to the hottest new-again spirit. And with upstart distillers reviving varieties like white dog (moonshine to prohibition-era folks), now is the best time to start learning about it.

Drink More Whiskey is the reference for those want to discover the provenance, styles, differences in quality, and ideal uses of whiskey in a fresh, fun-to-read format.

Drink More Whiskey

Everything You Need to Know About Your New Favorite Drink

by Daniel Yaffe

Chronicle Books, 2013

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Book Stall Review: The Kentucky Barbecue Book

Here's a guide to barbecuing Kentucky-style, describing the history and culture of barbecue in the state and profiling more than 100 of the state's restaurants, shacks, joints, festivals and even church picnics that are known for barbecue.

An English professor at Western Kentucky University as well as a small scale farmer, Wes Berry gave himself a sweet assignment: travel throughout the state of Kentucky, eat at every barbecue, talk to all the pitmasters, and write a book about what you see, learn and taste.

The Kentucky Barbecue Book

by Wes Berry

The University Press of Kentucky, 2013

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Reading the History: On Paper

A consideration of all things paper—its invention that revolutionized human civilization; its thousand-fold uses (and misuses), proliferation, and sweeping influence on society; its makers, shapers, collectors, and pulpers.

Nicholas Basbanes writes about paper, from its invention in China two
thousand years ago to its ideal means, recording the thoughts of Islamic scholars and mathematicians that made the Middle East a center of intellectual energy; from Europe, by way of Spain in the twelfth century and Italy in the thirteenth at the time of the Renaissance, to North America and the rest of the inhabited world.

On Paper

The Everything of Its Two-Thousand-Year History

by Nicholas A. Basbanes

Knopf, 2013

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The Five Seasons

"Indian summer, the fifth season, is energetically important because it provides the hub or center of balance for the other four... This 'middle country' of the mind, the fifth season, is the driving force behind all purposeful living.

from The Five Seasons: Tap Into Nature's Secrets for Health, Happiness, and Harmony by Joseph Cardillo