Exploring the Nature of... Paradise

When Zen teacher Karen Maezen Miller and her family land in a house with a hundred-year-old Japanese garden, she uses the paradise in her backyard to glean the living wisdom of our natural world. Through her eyes, rocks convey faith, ponds preach stillness, flowers give love, and leaves express the effortless ease of letting go.

The book welcomes readers into the garden for Zen lessons in fearlessness, forgiveness, presence, acceptance, and contentment.

Paradise in Plain Sight

Lessons from a Zen Garden

by Karen Maezen Miller

New World Library, 2014

Nature Writing and Natural Histories
Farm and Garden Books
Book Notes Wild
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Review: Timber Framing for the Rest of Us

This book describes and explains the basic principles of framing a structure with heavy timbers using "non-traditional" methods such as metal fasteners like truss plates, screws, bolts and pole barn nails -- about which little has been previously published.

"Traditional" timber framers employed wood-on-wood joinery using mortise-and-tenon, scarf and rabbet joints to create wonderfully strong and aesthetically pleasing buildings.

As this guide points out, the use of metal fasteners can make timber framing more accessible to farmers and owner-builders without sacrificing strength or beauty.

Timber Framing for the Rest of Us

A Guide to Contemporary Post and Beam Construction

by Rob Roy

New Society Publishers, 2004.

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Drink the Harvest

A New Guide To...
Making and Preserving Juices, Wines, Meads, Teas, and Ciders.

Preserving the harvest doesn't have to stop with jam and pickles. Many fruits, vegetables, and herbs can be made into delicious beverages to drink fresh or preserve for later -- a healthy and inexpensive alternative to store-bought drinks.

Drink the Harvest shows you how to create juices, ciders, wines, meads, teas, and syrups to savor any time of year.

Drink the Harvest

Making and Preserving Juices, Wines, Meads, Teas, and Ciders

by Nan K. Chace and DeNeice C. Guest

Storey Publishing, 2014

Here's How To...
How To Do It
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New Guide to Artwork of the Modern American Beer Can

This volume provides a close look at the original artwork on 600 different modern beer cans from 40 states.

Get to know the story behind your favorite beer’s name and can design, with examples from breweries such as Sierra Nevada, Ska, Midnight Sun, Maui, New Belgium, Oskar Blues, and nearly 200 others. The craft breweries featured in this book turned canning beer into an art form!

Canned! 

Artwork of the Modern American Beer Can

by Russ Phillips

Schiffer Publishing, 2014

Artwork
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Good Spirits Online

A New Guide To... Sustainable Homebrewing

Amelia Slayton Loftus shares her expert knowledge in this comprehensive guide that includes everything homebrewers of all levels need to know to brew delicious, organic beer.

She covers the whys and hows of organic brewing, things to consider when buying equipment, and everything you need to know about organic ingredients (what makes them different, how to get them, and how to make substitutions).

Sustainable Homebrewing

An All-Organic Approach to Crafting Great Beer

by Amelia Slayton Loftus

Storey Publishing, 2014

Here's How To...
How To Do It
Distilling Supplies
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Farm and Garden Picks: Coffee for Roses

Word-of-mouth may be a great way to learn about some products, but word-of-mouth gardening tips can be a very bad idea. The age-old practice of passing along gardening tips and tricks is no guarantee you will get a good result...it might even do the opposite.

In her new book, garden expert C. L. Fornari looks at 71 common garden practices and uncovers the truth behind the lore.

Coffee for Roses

...and 70 Other Misleading Myths About Backyard Gardening

by C. L. Fornari

St. Lynn's Press, 2014

Outrider Reading Group
Farm and Garden Books
Home Grown

Now Investigating... The Chemistry of Food

This advanced textbook covers all the main macro- and micronutrients and the essential nutritional factors that determine the nutritional and energy value of foods and raw food material. It includes chapters devoted to amino acids, peptides and proteins, fats and other lipids, carbohydrates, vitamins, mineral substances and water, and additional chapters devoted to antinutritional, toxic and other biologically active substances, food additives and contaminants.

Each chapter addresses one of the main individual components of food, reviewing its important properties and functions. Detailed descriptions and explanations of the changes and chemical/biochemical reactions that occur under different conditions are also covered.

The Chemistry of Food

by Jan Velisek

Wiley-Blackwell, 2014

Science Writing
Outrider Reading Group
Out There
Science Writing

Farm and Garden Picks: Coffee for Roses

Word-of-mouth may be a great way to learn about some products, but word-of-mouth gardening tips can be a very bad idea. The age-old practice of passing along gardening tips and tricks is no guarantee you will get a good result...it might even do the opposite.

In her new book, garden expert C. L. Fornari looks at 71 common garden practices and uncovers the truth behind the lore.

Coffee for Roses

...and 70 Other Misleading Myths About Backyard Gardening

by C. L. Fornari

St. Lynn's Press, 2014

Outrider Reading Group
Farm and Garden Books
Home Grown

New Guide to The Techniques and Art of Weaving

The Techniques and Art of Weaving offers an in-depth and extensive look at the ancient art form of weaving through its history from around the world to present day and practical information and techniques for today's weaver. More than 600 images trace its origins and the types of looms and fiber available from stick to the Jacquard.

Detailed, step-by-step instructions for various techniques including warping, dressing the loom, threading, and tying are presented in an organized, clear, and concise manner.

The Techniques and Art of Weaving

A Basic Guide

by Marylene Brahic

Schiffer Publishing, 2014

Guidebooks and How-to Titles
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Rugs and Other Floor Coverings

Bluegrass Barbecue Lingo

from The Kentucky Barbecue Book

Bark. The darkened exterior of smoked meats, favored by lovers of smoke and big flavors. Because of greater exposure to heat, bark is drier than the interior meat.

Burgoo. An "everything by the kitchen sink" rich stew made with several meats and vegetables... found at barbecue joints in Kentucky.

Rick. A measurement of firewood stacked four feet tall by eight feet long. Kentuckians use the term loosely to name a goodly sized stack of wood.

Sassafras. A North American hardwood tree with aromatic leaves, bark, and branches. Used as a smoking wood, sassafras imparts a bold smoke flavor and dark coloration to meats.

Smoke ring. The pinkish hue imparted to smoked meats (a very good thing).

St. Louis-style ribs. The whole rib with the bony end piece (the sternum bone, cartilage, and rib tips) removed. Removing the tips can aid in uniformity of cooking, since the tips can dry out and get tough quicker than the rest of the rib.

Texas crutch. A derogatory term to describe the wrapping of beef briskets in foil to steam and tenderize them.

excerpted from:

The Kentucky Barbecue Book

by Wes Berry

The University Press of Kentucky, 2013

Artwork: St. Louis-style ribs
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Now Exploring "Door Way"

Weaving a tapestry of lives and landscapes, past and present, earth and water, Norbert Blei celebrates the unique heritage of Door County, Wisconsin, a spectacular peninsula reaching into Lake Michigan.

Blei ponders the balance of nature in a place where locals, tourists, and developers vie with the native flora and fauna of forests and lakeshore.

Door Way

The People in the Landscape

by Norbert Blei

University of Wisconsin Press, 2014

Book Notes Wild
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What's Cooking with Canning, Pickling, and Freezing with Irma Harding

Preserving your own food is a fundamental part of a healthy lifestyle. Canning and pickling is a way of doing this. Not only do you source produce from your garden, farmer s market, or local shop, you can also ensure the preparation is wholesome and the ingredients are pure.

In this detailed guide, 1950s icon Irma Harding offers her firm guidance on how to properly prepare and preserve your own foods.

Canning, Pickling, and Freezing with Irma Harding

Recipes to Preserve Food, Family and the American Way

by Marilyn McCray and Michael Perry

Octane Press, 2014

Homemade Pickles
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Food in America's Environmental History

Staking out American 'food history' is a promising way to change perceptions about the place and importance of the 'environment' in American history.  Food connects to the mainstream of 'American history,' and puts standard narratives in a new light: think of food and native America; establishing colonial societies; protests over tea and trade relations swirling through the American Revolution in the economic and political context of an Atlantic world; slaves growing rice and tobacco and the role of food in fighting the Civil War; the long westward conquest and the wholesale reordering of landscapes to support both a new regime of property and food production; immigration, foodways, identity, ethnicity and America as a Melting Pot; progressivism, home economics, and food reform; industrialization and corporate capitalism from Swift to Sunkist and Monsanto; the rise of tourism and consumer culture - especially consumer culture.

excerpted from:

A Companion to American Environmental History

Douglas Cazaux Sackman (Editor)

Wiley-Blackwell, 2014

Outrider Reading Group
The Nature Pages
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New Guide to Carving a 1930s Street Scene

From an auto repair shop at one end of the street to a movie theater and a building under construction at the other, this book depicts downtown USA during the Great Depression, through the eyes of 29 of North America's top caricature carvers.

The Caricature Carvers of America (CCA) present the 1930s street scene, complete with 11 buildings and over 100 original caricature carvings.

The book includes a step-by-step chapter on carving a piece from the scene as well as patterns and details for many of the original carvings.

Carving a 1930s Street Scene

by Caricature Carvers of America

Schiffer Publishing, 2014

Carvings
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New Guide to Homegrown Tea

This book explains how to grow a large variety of plants in your own garden, on a balcony or even on a window sill could become your tea cupboard. It shows you how to grow your tea from seeds, cuttings, or small plants, as well as which parts of the plant are used to make tea.

Liversidge lays out when and how to harvest your plants, as well as information on how to prepare the plant, including how to dry it to make tea you can store to last you throughout the year.

Homegrown Tea

An Illustrated Guide to Planting, Harvesting, and Blending Teas and Tisanes

by Cassie Liversidge

St. Martin's Griffin, 2014

Tea
Here's How To...
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Farm and Garden Picks: Brassicaceae

This book is believed to be the the first collection of articles to summarize the most advanced information and studies of Brassicaceae, a special genus with vast species, which not only have tremendous human health beneficial compounds for dietary consumption, but also comprise the most metal hyperaccumulating species worldwide discovered to date with potential usage in phytoremediation of polluted soil, air and water.

Brassicaceae

Characterization, Functional Genomics and Health Benefits

Minglin Lang (Editor)

Nova Science Publishers, 2013

Farm and Garden Books
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Growth Spurts
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Review: Sauces & Shapes

While there are plenty of pasta cookbooks available with recipes for spaghetti, linguine, or rigatoni, few offer as much guidance for handmade pastas in the home kitchen. This one explains how to make not just tagliatelle, but strozzapreti, garganelli, trofie, fusilli and dozens more.

The book includes recipes for about a hundred traditional sauces and soups derived from home kitchens throughout Italy and suggests matches for both homemade and store-bought pasta shapes. There's also a healthy serving of advice for cooking, serving and eating pasta.

Sauces & Shapes

Pasta the Italian Way

by Oretta Zanini De Vita and Maureen B. Fant

W.W. Norton & Co., 2013

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Review: Lobsters

Lobsters are among the most extensively researched creatures on the planet, owing largely to their commercial value and cultural significance in certain regions. Yet, much of what is known about the species does not explain its role in marine ecosystems, and questions about how lobsters interact with their environment, and how they can best be managed, occupy the current generation of lobster scientists.

This text, now in its second edition, focuses on the most commercially important species of marine lobsters - Panulirus, Homarus, Jaus, Sagmariasus, Nephrops, and commercial Scyllarids - throughout the world's major fisheries, from Australia and New Guinea to Brazil, Baja California, India, South Africa, Somalia, Indonesia, Japan, the Mediterranean, and the Northeast Atlantic.

Lobsters

Biology, Management, Aquaculture and Fisheries

by Bruce Phillips

Wiley-Blackwell, 2013

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Review: Great Meat

This is a consumer's guide to selecting and preparing meats of all kinds, from beef and pork to goat, venison, poultry, rabbit, duck, goose and game birds. It includes detailed instructions for grilling, braising, roasting, broiling, stewing and flash cooking.

Compiled by a master butcher, Dave Kelly, at the meat shop Ruby & White in Bristol, England, this book includes recipes from some of the best restaurants in the West Country of England, like the Manor House Hotel in Moreton-in-Marsh, Martini Ristorante and the Circus Cafe and Restaurant in Bath, The Town House in Bristol, and Bath Priory as well as Keefer's Restaurant in Chicago.

Recipes are grouped into six categories of meats - beef, pork, lamb, game, chicken and turkey, and duck, goose and game birds - along with background information on how the meats are produced and a guide to the available cuts.

Great Meat

Classic Techniques and Award-Winning Recipes for Selecting, Cutting, and Cooking Beef, Lamb, Pork, Poultry, and Game

by Dave Kelly, et al

Fair Winds Press, 2013

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Review: Kentucky Bourbon Country

This guide profiles five major distillery locations in the Bluegrass State - Louisville, Frankfort and Midway, Lexington, Lawrenceburg, and Bardstown - from which the bulk and arguably the best of Kentucky's bourbon is produced.

The directory of restaurants, inns, historic sites and attractions is preceeded by a primer on how bourbon is made and enjoyed.

"Most of Kentucky's bourbon distilleries are found in the central Bluegrass region, within a triangle defined by points at Louisville, Lexington and Bardstown," Reigler points out. "The area is fairly compact: travel time between Louisville and Lexington and between Lexington and Bardstown is about an hour."

Kentucky Bourbon Country 

The Essential Travel Guide

by Susan Reigler 

The University Press of Kentucky, 2013

continued in Outgoing

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Review: Log Home Care and Maintenance

Until recently, most log homes were either self-built or constructed by contractors affiliated with a local sawmill. Consequently, most were vacation homes built in or near a forest; only a few were built for year-round residence.

Much has changed in the last 20 years and the log home industry has matured considerably. The advent of new caulks and sealants coupled with improved designs and components has made the log home a more practical and affordable residence almost anywhere in the country.

Log Home Care and Maintenance 

Everything You Need to Know to Buy,  

Maintain, and Enjoy Your Log Home 

by Jim Olsen Davis  

The Lyons Press, 2004

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Review: Costume Jewelry

This large format volume presents over 500 pieces of costume jewelry from more than a dozen distinctive periods in sharp color photos with descriptions and values.

"Costume jewelry is an art form unto itself," writes author Leigh Leshner. "Each piece is representative of not only the designer's imagination, but of the culture and customs of the times."

Costume Jewelry

Identification And Price Guide 

by Leigh Leshner 

Krause Publications, 2004

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Review: Crustacean Farming

Crustacean farming is one of the world's fastest growing forms of aquaculture. It is a high-risk industry with potential for both substantial profits and serious losses.

"Crustacean Farming," authored by John Wickins and Dan Lee, has been a principal reference for the commercial cultivation of shrimp, prawns, caryfish, lobsters, crabs and spiny lobsters.

This edition of Wickins and Lee's authoritative text, published by Blackwell Science, builds on the success of the 1992 edition with chapters on ranching and re-stocking operations as well as raising ornamental shrimp and small crustaceans for live food in fish and shellfish hatcheries.

Crustacean Farming 

Ranching and Culture  

by John F. Wickins and Daniel O'C. Lee  

Blackwell Science Inc., 2002.

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Review: Apothecary Cocktails

The first cocktails were concocted centuries ago by apothecaries, physicians, pharmacists, and anyone who specialized in healing ailments. They blended alcohol and liqueurs with herbs, fruit, flowers, spices and more to create  tinctures, bitters, elixirs, and tonics touted to cure tummy troubles, respiratory ailments, aches, pains, and more.

Not all of these potions were effective, any more than today's medicines cure all, and some were downright dangerous, but the better curatives prevailed and became the basis for many modern prescriptions and nightclub cocktails.

Apothecary Cocktails: Restorative Drinks from Yesterday and Today

by Warren Bobrow.

Fair Winds Press, 2013

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Review: Jewelry Making

Beautiful jewelry does not have to be costly; homemade pieces can be crafted as finely anything store-bought and are often more unique and meaningful.

This how-to-do-it reference explains the basics of crafting rings, pendants, earrings, brooches and more from inexpensive materials like wire, acrylic, pewter and silver. Step-by-step instructions are provided for 35 beginner-level projects. More detailed techniques and instructions are provided for those who want to craft their own designs.

Jewelry Making: Tips and Tricks of the Trade
by Stephen O'Keeffe
Krause Publications, 2002

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Review: The Brand Called You

Your Personal Brand is the powerful, clear, positive idea that comes to mind whenever other people think of you. It's what you stand for -- the values, abilities and actions that others associate with you. It's a professional alter ego designed for the purpose of influencing how others perceive you, and turning that perception into opportunity."

Peter Montoya takes the concept of "branding" -- a marketing buzz word for creating an identity for a product in the minds of consumers -- and applies it to ambitious individuals or entrepreneurs who want to be known for their specific traits and abilities.

The Brand Called You 

The Ultimate Brand-Building and Business Development Handbook  

to Transform Anyone into an Indispensable Personal Brand 

by Peter Montoya with Tim Vandehey 

Personal Branding Press, 2003

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Now Reading "Ignoring Nature No More"

For far too long humans have been ignoring nature. As the most dominant, overproducing, overconsuming, big-brained, big-footed, arrogant, and invasive species ever known, we are wrecking the planet at an unprecedented rate. And while science is important to our understanding of the impact we have on our environment, it alone does not hold the answers to the current crisis, nor does it get people to act.

In Ignoring Nature No More, Marc Bekoff and a host of renowned contributors argue that we need a new mind-set about nature, one that centers on empathy, compassion, and being proactive.

Ignoring Nature No More

The Case for Compassionate Conservation

by Marc Bekoff

University Of Chicago Press, 2013

Nature Writing and Natural Histories
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Good Old Books: The Great Chain Of Life

How did it begin? What has gone before? Where will it lead?

These are questions which have fascinated man for thousands of years. Even after Charles Darwin formulated his theory of evolution men have continuedto question their origins.

Joseph Wood Krutch, America's renowned naturalist, looks at evolution with a fresh eye.

Applying the eloquence of a poet to the dispassionate eye of a scientist, he reveals many surprises and wonders in the natural world around us.

The Great Chain of Life is an important, delightful addition to man's
understanding of ecology -- the interrelation of living things -- and the biological world in which we live. It is a book that also restores joy to the contemplation of nature.

The Great Chain Of Life

by Joseph Wood Crutch

Pyramid Books, 1966

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Review: The Old Fashioned

With craft distilling surging in popularity, there has been a complementary growth in mixology books devoted to single spirits and even individual cocktails. This one is devoted to the Old Fashioned cocktail which, according to some, is more a style or category of mixed drink. The author, Albert W. A. Schmid, argues that the Old Fashioned is, in fact, the original cocktail.

Much of the book is devoted to exploring how the ‘Old Fashioned’ came to its name instead of lingering as just ‘cocktail’ or ‘bittered sling’ and how it came to include the muddled orange and cherry. Schmid debunks the legend that the cocktail was invented at the Pendennis Club in Louisville, as there is at least one published mention of the cocktail a year before the Pendennis Club was founded. He suggests that the cocktail as we know it today may well have originated in the venerable old club, but not the original Old Fashioned cocktail.

The Old Fashioned

An Essential Guide to the Original Whiskey Cocktail

by Albert W. A. Schmid

The University Press of Kentucky, 2013

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Review: Rum

This spare tome covers considerable territory as it surveys the history of rum on a global scale. Beginning with its sketchy origins on the 16th century sugar cane plantations of Brazil and the Caribbean, the book traces the spirit's growing popularity and diversity up to the present day.

As the title suggests, this is a "global" story that ventures far beyond the Caribbean where many similar histories drop anchor. It covers rum smuggling, the triangle trade, rum runners and tiki bars.

While early descriptions of the molasses-based spirit refer to it as a "hot, hellish, and terrible liquor," today rum is best known as the base alcohol in tiki bar staples such as the mai tai, blue Hawaii, and piña colada.

Rum

A Global History

by Richard Foss

Reaktion Books, 2012

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Review: Home Sausage Making

Making sausage at home is easier than you might think. Peoples all around the world have been making sausage in all kinds of conditions with all kinds of meats for centuries. It's a dandy means of preserving meat and it uses up the scraps -- "everything from snout to tail except for the squeal" -- that might otherwise go to waste.

Both an instructional guide and a cookbook, this text covers the techniques and equipment required for making sausages and then delves into specific recipes for sausages make from pork, beef, lamb, venison, poultry, seafood and a combination of meats. There's even a selection of vegetarian recipes.

The third and final section of the book is dedicated to "Cooking with Sausage," providing recipes and serving suggestions for sausage dishes at almost any meal.

Home Sausage Making 

How-To Techniques for Making and Enjoying 100 Sausages at Home 

by Susan Mahnke Peery and Charles G. Reavis  

Storey Books, 2003

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Interfering with Vegetal Life

"We are not, strictly speaking, the others of plants, since we obviously do not fall under the category of the 'elementally inorganic,' nor are we the same as they are, though we do participate in many of the processes defining vegetal soul. 

"When humans interfere with the conditions of vegetal growth - for
instance, by altering the temperature of a hothouse - they come to mediate the unidirectional relation of plants to their other. Such interference may also be indirect and perhaps unintentional, as in the desertification of vast areas of the globe, partly attributable to human activity and in any event detrimental for vegetal life. Or it may be barely noticeable when we merely contemplate wildflowers during a walk in the woods. 

"To the extent that we practically engage with vegetal beings, we interpose ourselves in the place of what is other to them, the place that does not inherently belong to us. Human usurption not only of our place in the sun but also of the very place of the sun vis-a-vis plants is increasingly the source of our metaphysical domination over them today."

excerpted from:
Plant-Thinking
A Philosophy of Vegetal Life
by Michael Marder
Columbia University Press, 2013

Second Nature
Outrider Reading Group
The Nature Pages
Book Notes Wild

Reading the History: Food

Grow Food, Cook Food, Share Food is a practical food history lesson, an editorial on our use of packaged convenience foods, and a call to arms — of the kitchen variety. Mixing food writing and history, adding a dash of cookbook, author and scholar Ken Albala shares the story of what happened when he started taking food history seriously and embarked on a mission to grow, cook, and share food in the ways that people did in the past.

A rare form of historical activism, Grow Food, Cook Food, Share Food is written for anyone who likes to eat, loves to cook, and knows how to throw a great dinner party.

Grow Food, Cook Food, Share Food

Perspectives on Eating from the Past and a Preliminary Agenda for the Future

by Ken Albala

Oregon State University Press, 2013

Out of the Past
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Reading the History: Gold

In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, the price of gold skyrocketed—in three years more than doubling from $800 an ounce to $1900. This massive spike drove an unprecedented global gold-mining and exploration boom, much bigger than the Gold Rush of the 1800s.

In Gold, author Matthew Hart makes a journey around the world and through history to tell the story of how gold became the world’s most precious commodity.

Gold

The Race for the World's Most Seductive Metal

by Matthew Hart

Simon & Schuster, 2013

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Review: Whole Foods Companion

This popular resource, first published in 1996, has been revised and expanded in a new edition that builds on its reputation as a definitive holistic foods reference. 


Divided into six sections -- Fruits, Vegetables, Grains, Legumes, Nuts and Seeds and Oils, Herbs and Spices and Other Foods -- the book profiles hundreds of food items with background on their history, varieties, culinary uses, health benefits, and tips on buying, cooking and storing,

Both a guide for health-conscious consumers and a directory of natural foods, this book is used by chefs, shoppers and growers alike.

Whole Foods Companion: 

A Guide For Adventurous Cooks, Curious Shoppers, and Lovers of Natural Foods 

by Dianne Onstad 

Chelsea Green Publishing Company, 2004.

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Review: Cooking Slow

It may seem counter-intuitive, but cooking slowly can actually be less time-consuming than actively frying or grilling or even baking. A roast or casserole can be prepped in a few minutes in the morning, allowed to slow-cook for hours, and then served up for dinner in seconds with little fuss.

Because there are many cookbooks with recipes for slow cooker appliances, this one emphasizes other methods of slow cooking like stovetop or oven baking, simmering, grilling and roasting as well as cooking with sous vide machines recently manufactured for home kitchens.

"The biggest difference between slow cooking in a slow cooker and any other piece of cooking equipment is water," author Andrew Schloss points out. "There is much less evaporation from a slow cooker than there is from a saucepan or a skillet simmering on a stove top.

Cooking Slow

Recipes for Slowing Down and Cooking More

by Andrew Schloss

Chronicle Books, 2013

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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
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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

Review: Storey's Guide to Raising Turkeys

First published in 1991, the third edition of this comprehensive reference includes new material on heritage breeds, on-farm processing, pastured feeding methods, and humane raising practices as well as updated organic certification standards.

"A renaissance is underway," says the author, "a renewed interest in keeping poultry in backyards, homesteads, and small diversified farms. Fueling this movement are concerns about food safety and a craving for better flavor and nutrition."

The contents of the book cover the health, breeds, protection and processing of turkeys as well as the equipment and feeds needed for raising the birds effectively. Illustrations, charts and a glossary of terms are included.

Storey's Guide to Raising Turkeys

Breeds * Care * Marketing

by Don Schrider 

Storey Publishing, 2013

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See the New Movie Books: William Wyler

In this book, Gabriel Miller explores the career of one of Hollywood's most unique and influential directors, examining the evolution of his cinematic style.

Wyler's films feature nuanced shots and multifaceted narratives that reflect his preoccupation with realism and story construction. The director's later works were deeply influenced by his time in the army air force during World War II, and the disconnect between the idealized version of the postwar experience and reality became a central theme of Wyler's masterpiece, The Best Years of Our Lives (1946).

William Wyler: The Life and Films of Hollywood's Most Celebrated Director

by Gabriel Miller

The University Press of Kentucky, 2013

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Book Stall Review: Red Tractors 1958-2013

The story of International Harvester and its distinctively red tractors is very much the story of modern American agriculture, adapting to dramatic changes in markets and technology and surviving near-extinction before rising to new heights in the 21st century with a new generation of machines.

Led by Lee Klancher, publisher at Octane Press, a team of writers, researchers and photographers obsessed with IH tractors and their story compiled this detailed account of the tractor manufacturer and its products, from the Farmall 40 and 60 series tractors to the MXM Maxxums. With its lavish photography and original concept drawings of red tractors, the substantial volume is a loving testament "to the skill, dedication, and hard work invested by the people who created and built them," Klancher states.

Red Tractors 1958-2013

The Authoritative Guide to Farmall, International Harvester and Case IH Farm Tractors in the Modern Era by Lee Klancher, et al

Octane Press, 2013

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Review: Homegrown Honey Bees

This primer on beekeeping, composed by a man-and-wife team that kept close record of their own experiences, describes the first year of a beginner's beekeeping from planning, set-up and harvesting with loads of advice on what to expect and how to prepare.

"My husband, Mars, is a photographer and an obsessive documentarian," author Aletha Morrison explains. "During the first couple of years that we kept bees, he photographed how to install a new package of bees, light a smoker, inspect a hive, manage pests, harvest honey, and almost everything in between. We understood what beginners needed to know because we were learning ourselves at the same time."

Homegrown Honey Bees

An Absolute Beginner's Guide to Beekeeping

by Alethea Morrison

Storey Publishing, 2013

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Farm and Garden Picks: Cereals and Pulses

Cereal and pulse crops are staple foods that provide essential nutrients to many populations of the world. Traditionally, whole grains were consumed but most current foods are derived from refined fractions of cereal and pulse crops. Consumption of processed or refined products may reduce the health benefits of food.

Cereals and Pulses: Nutraceutical Properties and Health Benefits provides a summary of current research findings related to phytochemical composition and properties of cereal and pulse crops.

Cereals and Pulses

Nutraceutical Properties and Health Benefits 

edited by Liangli L. Yu, et al.

Wiley-Blackwell, 2012

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New Guide to Healing Crystals

Bestselling author Judy Hall presents a comprehensive guide to more than 400 powerful healing crystals, plus information about 150 newly discovered stones in this new edition of The Encyclopedia of Crystals.

Beautifully illustrated and effortless to navigate, the 2nd Edition is organized by crystal color for easy reference, relates the colors of the crystals to the chakras, and lets you know how to cleanse and activate them.

The Encyclopedia of Crystals

by Judy Hall

Fair Winds Press, 2013

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