Author: Ann

River Cottage Veg by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

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river cottage vegPioneering champion of sustainable foods Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall embraces all manner of vegetables in his latest cookbook, River Cottage Veg, an inventive offering of more than two hundred vegetable-based recipes, including more than sixty vegan recipes. Having undergone a revolution in his personal eating habits, Fearnley-Whittingstall changed his culinary focus from meat to vegetables, and now passionately shares the joys of vegetable-centric food.

In this lavishly illustrated cookbook, you’ll find handy weeknight one-pot meals, pure and simple raw dishes, and hearty salads as well as a chapter of meze and tapas dishes to mix and match. A genuine love of vegetables—from delicate springtime asparagus to wintry root vegetables—permeates River Cottage Veg, making this book an inspiring new source for committed vegetarians and any conscientious cook looking to expand their vegetable repertoire. (description from publisher)

 

 

Spin by Robert Charles Wilson

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Spin(1stEd)You’re twelve years old, sitting in your backyard at night with your two best friends. You are looking up at the sky, and without warning, preamble, or explanation, the stars flare as one and then abruptly disappear. A mere facsimile of the sun – a perfect yellow disk unmarred by solar flares or sunspots – rises in the morning, but the stars are gone for good. This is what Tyler Dupree and his friends, the brilliant twins Diane and Jason, encounter. These three friends grow up under ‘the Spin,’ as it is soon called – a barrier around the earth placed there by some unknowable alien intelligence, for a purpose they can only guess. Even more perplexing: time is passing much, much faster outside the barrier than inside it. A satellite sent up to explore the phenomenon breaks through and then comes crashing down immediately, but instead of the pristine machine launched hours earlier, what crash lands on earth is a banged up satellite with weeks, months, of data recorded. A moment on earth is measured in millennia outside the Spin, which is dire news: at that rate, humanity will live long enough to be destroyed by our own decaying sun, which hasn’t slowed its life cycle down at all. The timeline? About 40 years on earth until the sun expands far enough to fry us where we stand.

How would you choose to spend those 40 years?

Jason dedicates his life to pure science, learning more about the Spin than any other earthling. Diane finds refuge in one of the many new religions that spring up in the wake of the slow disaster. Tyler plows ahead with life as usual, becoming a doctor and as “average” as any citizen can be under the Spin.

Spin falls on the hard side of the science fiction spectrum, which means there is lots of real science in addition to speculation in the plot. It also means that even the invented aspects of Wilson’s universe are imbued with a plausible explanation based on real science; for example, the scary global epidemic he invents, CVWS, is fake, but its symptoms (similar to tuberculosis) are familiar and its behavior – a disease crossing over to humans from cattle – is all too real. Because of this it’s a better pick for established fans of speculative fiction; if you like the genre already, the sophisticated plotting, satisfying conclusion, and smart characters will delight you. If you just have a casual interest, you might have a bad time trying to wade through all the science on display here.

DVDs for June

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June 4

mamaMama  – Jessica Chastian, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau

A supernatural thriller that tells the haunting tale of two little girls who disappeared into the woods the day that their parents were killed. When they are rescued years later and begin a new life, they find that someone or something still wants to come tuck them in at night. Rated PG-13

planet earthEscape from Planet Earth – Brendan Fraser, Jessica Alba -Animated

Admired astronaut Scorch Supernova is a national hero to the blue alien population of planet Baab. A master of daring rescues, Scorch pulls off astonishing feats with the quiet aid of his nerdy brother, Gary, head of mission control at BASA. Rated PG

good dayA Good Day to Die Hard – Bruce Willis, Cole Hauser

John McClane, the heroic New York cop with a knack for being in the wrong place at the right time, is back, and his latest predicament takes him all the way to Russia to track down his estranged son, Jack, who has been imprisoned in Moscow. But the mission takes a deadly turn as father and son must join forces to thwart a nuclear weapons heist that could trigger World War III. Rated R

warm bodiesWarm Bodies – Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer

After a zombie epidemic, R (a zombie) rescues Julie (a human survivor) from a zombie attack. The two form a special relationship in their struggle for survival, R becomes increasingly more human, setting off a chain of events that begins to transform the other zombies and maybe even the whole lifeless world. Rated PG-13

June 11

masquardeMasquerade (Korean) -Byung-Hun Lee, Seung-Yong Ryoo

Amid national chaos and fear for his life, tyrannical King Gwanghae orders his trusted counselor to find a royal body double. He recruits a crude, working-class peasant, Ha-seon, a village performer who bears a startling resemblance to the ruler. When the king falls into a coma from poisoning, he is secreted away to recover and Ha-seon reluctantly assumes the throne, forced to pull off history’s biggest masquerade. Rated PG-13

hanstelHansel & Gretel : Witch Hunters – Jeremy Renner, Gemma Arterton

Get ready for a twisted take on the classic tale as Hansel and Gretel have turned pro, coping with the trauma of their childhood captivity by slaying witches for hire. But when the seemingly unstoppable bounty hunters meet their match in an enemy so evil, it’ll take all their training, weapons and courage to survive. Revenge is sweeter than candy. Rated R

ozOz the Great and Powerful – James Franco, Mila Kunis

A small-time magician is whisked away to an enchanted land and is forced into a power struggle between three witches. Rated PG

 

 

snitchSnitch – Dwayne Johnson, Susan Sarandon

A father’s teenage son is wrongly accused of a drug distribution crime and is looking at a mandatory minimum prison sentence of ten years. Desperate and determined to rescue his son at all costs, he makes a deal with the U.S. attorney to work as an undercover informant and infiltrate a drug cartel on a dangerous mission, risking everything, including his family and his own life. Rated PG-13

June 18

side effectsSide Effects– Rooney Mara, Channing Tatum

A young woman’s world unravels when a drug prescribed by her psychiatrist has unexpected side effects. Rated R

 

quartetQuartet – Maggie Smith, Billy Connolly

The rumor circling the halls is that Beecham House (the home for retired musicians) is soon to play host to a new resident. Word is, it’s a star. Reginald, Wilfred and Cecily are in for a special shock when the new arrival turns out to be none other than their former singing partner, Jean. Her subsequent career as a star soloist, and the ego that accompanied it, split up their long friendship and ended her marriage to Reggie, who takes the news of her arrival particularly hard. Rated PG

jackJack the Giant Slayer – Nicholas Hoult, Ewan MacGregor

An ancient war is reignited when a young farmhand unwittingly opens a gateway between our world and a fearsome race of giants. Unleashed on the Earth, the giants strive to reclaim the land they once lost, forcing Jack into the battle of his life to stop them. Fighting for a kingdom, its people, and the love of a brave princess, he comes face to face with the unstoppable warriors he thought only existed in legend, and gets a chance to become a legend.  Rated PG-13

June 26

callThe Call – Hallie Berry, Abigial Breslin
When a veteran 911 operator takes a life-altering call from a teenage girl who has just been abducted, she realizes that she must confront a killer from her past in order to save the girl’s life. Rated R

 

burtThe Incredible Burt Wonderstone – Steve Carell, Jim Carrey

When a street magician’s stunts begin to make their show look stale, superstar magicians Burt Wonderstone and Anton Marvelton look to salvage their act, and their friendship, by staging their own daring stunt. Rated PG-13

 


 

The Bluebird Effect by Jule Zickefoose

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bluebird effectJulie Zickefoose lives for the moment when a wild, free living bird that she has raised or rehabilitated comes back to visit her; their eyes meet and they share a spark of understanding.

Her reward for the grueling work of rescuing birds – such as feeding baby hummingbirds every twenty minutes all day long – is her empathy with them and the satisfaction of knowing the world is a birdier and more beautiful place. The Bluebird Effect is about the change that’s set in motion by one single act, such as saving an injured bluebird – or a hummingbird, swift, or phoebe. Each of the twenty five chapters covers a different species, and many depict an individual bird, each with its own personality, habits, and quirks and are illustrated with Zickefoose’s stunning watercolor paintings and drawings.

Not just individual tales about the trials and triumphs of raising birds, The Bluebird Effect mixes humor, natural history, and memoir to give readers an intimate story of a life lived among wild birds. (description from publisher)

 

An Amish Garden by Laura Anne Lapp

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an amish gardenAn Amish Garden: A Year in the Life of an Amish Garden by Laura Anne Lapp takes you to six working Amish gardens, from January through December. Matchless photos show the garden asleep, the Amish women putting together their orders for seeds, the preparation of the soil, parents and children planting, the emerging plants, the lush harvest, the food being preserved.

This close-up of a world seldom seen shows how the seasons and Amish life work rhythmically together. Laura Anne Lapp lives with her husband and three young sons in a tucked-away valley in Pennsylvania. Gardening is simply the highpoint of her year.

Step apart and enter this pastoral world of hard work, sturdy families, the freshest of flowers and produce, all in harmony with the seasons. (description from publisher)

Vegetable Literacy by Deborah Madison

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vegetable literacyFor over three decades, Deborah Madison has been at the vanguard of the vegetarian cooking movement, authoring classic books on the subject and emboldening millions of readers to cook simple, elegant, plant-based food.

This groundbreaking new cookbook is Madison’s crowning achievement: a celebration of the diversity of the plant kingdom, and an exploration of the fascinating relationships between vegetables, edible flowers, herbs, and familiar wild plants within the same botanical families.

Destined to become the new standard reference for cooking vegetables, Vegetable Literacy shows cooks that, because of their shared characteristics, vegetables within the same family can be used interchangeably in cooking. It presents an entirely new way of looking at vegetables, drawing on Madison’s deep knowledge of cooking, gardening, and botany. For example, knowing that dill, chervil, cumin, parsley, coriander, anise, lovage, and caraway come from the umbellifer family makes it clear why they’re such good matches for carrots, also a member of that family. With more than 300 classic and exquisitely simple recipes, Madison brings this wealth of information together in dishes that highlight a world of complementary flavors.

Inspiring improvisation in the kitchen and curiosity in the garden, Vegetable Literacy—an unparalleled look at culinary vegetables and plants—will forever change the way we eat and cook. (description from publisher)

Tequila Mockingbird: Cocktails with a Literary Twist by Tim Federle

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tequila mockingbirdAs a clever tribute to literature, Tequila Mockingbird is the cocktail book for the literary obsessed.

Combining beloved classic novels with witty humor and delicious drink recipes, some of the charming recipes include Vermouth the Bell Tolls, Gin Eyre, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margarita, Bridget Jones’s Daiquiri, and more. Accompanying the 65 cocktail recipes are a list of tools and techniques, a spirits glossary, and a handful of drinking games and bar bites, making this cocktail book both fun and functional. With a special cover designed to look like a classic novel, whimsical illustrations, and a two-color design throughout, Tequila Mockingbird is a one-of-a-kind cocktail book. (description from publisher)

Walking Distance: Extraordinary Hikes for Ordinary People by Robert and Martha Manning

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Doern art“Long-distance walking is good for you and good for the earth… But most of all, walking is a joyful celebration of life and the diverse, beautiful, and curious world in which we live.” -from the Introduction.

Walking is simple, but it can also be profound. In an increasingly complex and frantic world, walking can simplify our lives. It encourages intimate contact with places and people, promotes health, and is one of the most sustainable forms of recreation. Robert and Martha Manning invite readers to explore the pleasures of long-distance walking in their inspiring new book, Walking Distance.

At the heart of Walking Distance are firsthand descriptions of thirty of the world’s great long-distance hikes, spanning six continents and ranging from inn-to-inn to backpacking trips. Each entry – from Turkey’s Lycian Way to Vermont’s Long Trail – features personal anecdotes, natural and cultural history, and useful tips, including suggestions for preparing for hikes and for additional reading. Each trail narrative is richly illustrated with color photographs and maps. (description from publisher)

Bake It Like You Mean It by Gesine Bullock-Prado

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bake it like you mean itGesine Bullock-Prado says it’s what’s inside that really counts, and in this visually sumptuous book, the author of Sugar Baby and Pie it Forward showcases cakes that are beautiful from the inside out.

Each chapter of Bake It Like You Mean It is devoted to a technique of making different types of cake, beginning with the easiest recipe and moving to the more technically difficult as the chapter progresses. When the cakes are cut, they will reveal intricate layers of patterns and designs, such as hearts, checkerboards, helixes, and colorful stripes that will bring a smile to everyone who enjoys them. This compendium of gorgeous cake recipes and techniques will yield glorious meringues, sponge cakes, pound cakes, cheesecakes, and tarts for all levels of bakers.

With her trademark wit and enthusiasm for the world of confections and baking, Gesine’s latest book will delight her fans. (description from publisher)