Month: August 2016

Online Reading Challenge – August Wrap-Up

- Ann 1 Comment

the-art-of-fieldingHello Fellow Book Lovers! How did your August reading adventure go? Did you find a great sports themed book? Were you inspired by the Olympics to try something different? Or did you finish off the podium this month?

I’ve been laid up this month (fully on the mend now and returning soon!) and expected to read multiple books – I had stockpiled a lovely stack of enticing titles. But the truth is, I was often just too tired to do much beyond my physical therapy exercises other than stare at the tv (or nap!) Thank goodness for the Olympics! I am not a fan of daytime tv but the Olympics proved to be a great source of inspiration and drama. Because I was home during the day I was able to watch many of the “obscure” sports that I only see during the Olympics such as flat water canoeing and equestrian and badminton and lacrosse and trampoline (!). I was especially intrigued by the rowing contests, having loved Dan Brown’s brilliant The Boys in the Boat; I felt I had at least an inkling of what those athletes went through to reach the pinnacle of their sport and also now knew a bit of the sports’ history and background. It was a prefect example of books enriching your life.

I did manage to read a sports themed book this month, although it’s the non-Olympic sport of baseball. The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach may center on college baseball, but it’s real heart is the lives of the characters and the long-reaching consequences of one random mistake. Henry Skrimshander is spotted playing during a summer baseball tournament by Mike Schwartz, the catcher of Westish College, who sees Henry’s potential  – Henry is an artist on the field, snagging every ball that comes his way and throwing with precision and accuracy. Schwartz manages to get Henry a scholarship to Westish and helps him train and practice. Suddenly Westish has a bona fide pro prospect playing for them and baseball scouts begin showing interest. Henry flourishes as his skills improve and he becomes a student of the game. The future opens before him, bright and promising.

Until one day Henry throws a ball that goes wildly off course, hitting his friend and roommate Owen, sitting in the dugout, in the face. It wasn’t out of malice, it was simply a slip with a wet ball on a windy and rainy day. Except for an impressive shiner, Owen is fine and never blames Henry, but Henry loses his nerve and suddenly, the magic that was his fielding is gone; he simply cannot play the game anymore. The consequences of this one slip and it’s effect on Henry and his friends and teammates make up the bulk of the book – how Henry struggles with and copes (not always constructively) with his panic, how his friends and teammates rally around him, how people are brought together that might never have met, of learning to find purpose again when your life suddenly changes course. A warmhearted, thoughtful book; highly recommended.

How about you – what did you read this month? Let us know in the comments!

And a quick note – many thanks to my guest editors Allison and Stephanie who have been keeping the blog afloat for me! See you next month!

Sage Living by Anne Sage

- Ann 1 Comment

sage livingPerfectly named style maven and City Sage blogger Anne Sage knows a wise truth: decorating our living spaces for our goals is the first step in making them happen.

In Sage Living, she opens the door to covetable dwellings designed to boost the dreams of their occupants, from the sunny, open-air kitchen of a holistic nutritionist to the eclectic living room of a world traveler ready to put down roots.

With page after page of stunning interiors, engagingly written home stories, and hundreds of design tips for every room, Sage Living goes beneath the stylized surface to help readers decorate for the lives they truly want. (description from publisher)

The Boys in the Bunkhouse by Dan Barry

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boys in the bunkhouseWith this Dickensian tale from America’s heartland, New York Times writer and columnist Dan Barry tells the harrowing yet uplifting story of the exploitation and abuse of a resilient group of men with intellectual disability, and the heroic efforts of those who helped them to find justice and reclaim their lives.

In the tiny Iowa farm town of Atalissa, dozens of men, all with intellectual disability and all from Texas, lived in an old schoolhouse. Before dawn each morning, they were bussed to a nearby processing plant, where they eviscerated turkeys in return for food, lodging, and $65 a month. They lived in near servitude for more than thirty years, enduring increasing neglect, exploitation, and physical and emotional abuse – until state social workers, local journalists, and one tenacious labor lawyer helped these men achieve freedom.

Drawing on exhaustive interviews, Dan Barry dives deeply into the lives of the men, recording their memories of suffering, loneliness and fleeting joy, as well as the undying hope they maintained despite their traumatic circumstances. Barry explores how a small Iowa town remained oblivious to the plight of these men, analyzes the many causes for such profound and chronic negligence, and lays out the impact of the men’s dramatic court case, which has spurred advocates–including President Obama – to push for just pay and improved working conditions for people living with disabilities.

A luminous work of social justice, told with compassion and compelling detail, The Boys in the Bunkhouse is more than just inspired storytelling. It is a clarion call for a vigilance that ensures inclusion and dignity for all. (description from publisher)

DIY Artisanal Soaps by Alicia Grosso

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diy artisanal soapsMaking your own luxurious and lovely soaps is easier than you think. With DIY Artisanal Soaps, you’ll find everything you need to make all-natural, custom-designed soaps using locally sourced ingredients and beautifully scented essential oils.

Featuring easy-to-follow instructions and tips for personalizing your designs, this book guides you through every step of soapmaking, allowing you to create unique bath and home products every time. Learn how to turn your garden or farmers’ market finds into beautiful, handcrafted soaps, with invigorating scents like peppermint and rosemary or the summer-inspired pairings of ginger and papaya. You can even customize the fragrances and textures in the recipes to create the perfect product for your skincare needs.

Complete with stunning photographs and unique ideas for gifting, packaging, and selling your creations, DIY Artisanal Soaps helps you bring the vibrant colors and scents of nature into your home. (description from publisher)

The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu by Joshua Hammer

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bad ass librariansTo save precious centuries-old Arabic texts from Al Qaeda, a band of librarians in Timbuktu pulls off a brazen heist worthy of Ocean’s Eleven.

In the 1980s, a young adventurer and collector for a government library, Abdel Kader Haidara, journeyed across the Sahara Desert and along the Niger River, tracking down and salvaging tens of thousands of ancient Islamic and secular manuscripts that had fallen into obscurity. The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu tells the incredible story of how Haidara, a mild-mannered archivist and historian from the legendary city of Timbuktu, later became one of the world’s greatest and most brazen smugglers.

In 2012, thousands of Al Qaeda militants from northwest Africa seized control of most of Mali, including Timbuktu. They imposed Sharia law, chopped off the hands of accused thieves, stoned to death unmarried couples, and threatened to destroy the great manuscripts. As the militants tightened their control over Timbuktu, Haidara organized a dangerous operation to sneak all 350,000 volumes out of the city to the safety of southern Mali.

Over the past twenty years, journalist Joshua Hammer visited Timbuktu numerous times and is uniquely qualified to tell the story of Haidara’s heroic and ultimately successful effort to outwit Al Qaeda and preserve Mali’s – and the world’s – literary patrimony. Hammer explores the city’s manuscript heritage and offers never-before-reported details about the militants’ march into northwest Africa. But above all, The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu is an inspiring account of the victory of art and literature over extremism. (description from publisher)

The Winter Fortress by Neal Bascomb

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winter fortressFrom the internationally acclaimed, best-selling author of Hunting Eichmann and The Perfect Mile , an epic adventure and spy story about the greatest act of sabotage in all of World War II.

It’s 1942 and the Nazis are racing to be the first to build a weapon unlike any known before. They have the physicists, they have the uranium, and now all their plans depend on amassing a single ingredient: heavy water, which is produced in Norway’s Vemork, the lone plant in all the world that makes this rare substance. Under threat of death, Vemork’s engineers push production into overdrive. For the Allies, the plant must be destroyed. But how would they reach the castle fortress set on a precipitous gorge in one of the coldest, most inhospitable places on Earth?

Based on a trove of top secret documents and never-before-seen diaries and letters of the saboteurs, The Winter Fortress is an arresting chronicle of a brilliant scientist, a band of spies on skis, perilous survival in the wild, sacrifice for one’s country, Gestapo manhunts, soul-crushing setbacks, and a last-minute operation that would end any chance Hitler could obtain the atomic bomb – and alter the course of the war. (description from publisher)

8 Keys to Mental Health Thru Exercise by Christina Hibbert

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8 keys to mental healthWe all know that exercise is good for physical health, but recently, a wealth of data has proven that exercise also contributes to overall mental well-being. Routine exercise alleviates stress and anxiety, moderates depression, relieves chronic pain, and improves self-esteem.

In this inspiring book, 8 Keys to Mental Health Thru Exercise, Christina Hibbert, a clinical psychologist and expert on women’s mental health, grief, and self-esteem, explains the connections between exercise and mental well-being and offers readers step-by-step strategies for sticking to fitness goals, overcoming motivation challenges and roadblocks to working out, and maintaining a physically and emotionally healthy exercise regimen.

This book will help readers to get moving, stay moving, and maintain the inspiration they need to reap the mental health benefits of regular exercise. The 8 keys include improving self-esteem with exercise, exercising as a family, getting motivated, changing how you think about exercise, and the FITT principle for establishing an effective exercise routine. (description from publisher)

Brooklyn Bartender by Carey Jones

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brooklyn bartenderBrooklyn is one of the top trendsetting places today anywhere. Its neighborhoods, artists, writers, restaurants, and, yes, drinking establishments set the pace for the rest of the nation.

Brooklyn Bartender takes us behind the bar to experience 300 of the best and most inventive drinks being served today, plus tips for at-home mixologists. Organized by spirit, the recipes allow readers to replicate bartenders’ signature drinks, including everything from the ornate juleps and cobblers of Maison Premiere to the party-friendly “Frozemonade” at Extra Fancy to the namesake gin cocktail of Clover Club. Additional features include “5 Takes on the Martini” and variations on other classic drinks, as well as bartenders’ recommendation for events, infused spirits, and more.

Designed to be the perfect bar-side companion, the sophisticated compilation is enhanced by more than 250 photos and illustrations. (description from publisher)

My Lost Brothers by Brendan McDonough

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my lost brothersA gripping first-person account by the sole survivor of Arizona’s disastrous 2013 Yarnell Hill Fire, which took the lives of 19 “hotshots” – firefighters trained specifically to battle wildfires.

Brendan McDonough was on the verge of becoming a hopeless, inveterate heroin addict when he, for the sake of his young daughter, decided to turn his life around. He enlisted in the Granite Mountain Hotshots, a team of elite firefighters based in Prescott, Arizona. Their leader, Eric Marsh, was in a desperate crunch after four hotshots left the unit, and perhaps seeing a glimmer of promise in the skinny would-be recruit, he took a chance on the unlikely McDonough, and the chance paid off. Despite the crew’s skepticism, and thanks in large part to Marsh’s firm but loving encouragement, McDonough unlocked a latent drive and dedication, going on to successfully battle a number of blazes and eventually win the confidence of the men he came to call his brothers.

Then, on June 30, 2013, while McDonough – “Donut” as he’d been dubbed by his team – served as lookout, they confronted a freak, 3,000-degree inferno in nearby Yarnell, Arizona. The relentless firestorm ultimately trapped his hotshot brothers, tragically killing all 19 of them within minutes. Nationwide, it was the greatest loss of firefighter lives since the 9/11 attacks.

My Lost Brothers is a gripping memoir that traces McDonough’s story of finding his way out of the dead end of drugs, finding his purpose among the Granite Mountain Hotshots, and the minute-by-minute account of the fateful day he lost the very men who had saved him. A harrowing and redemptive story of resilience in the face of tragedy, My Lost Brothers is also a powerful reminder of the heroism of the people who put themselves in harm’s way to protect us every day. (description from publisher)

Farmer’s Market Cookbook by Julia Shanks

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farmers market cookbookFarmers markets and CSAs are among the best places to find high-quality, diverse, and exciting vegetables and fruits. But the rich array of unusual varieties can be confusing and overwhelming.

From detailed produce descriptions to storage tips, preparation techniques, and over 200 flavorful recipes, The Farmers Market Cookbook has the answer to every prospective locavore’s perennial question, “What do I do with this?” Featuring a range of traditional favorites alongside innovative creations showcasing the stunning flavors of heirloom fruits and vegetables, this guide to seasonal eating will help you engage your powers of creativity, learning, and experimentation.

Eating locally cultivates appreciation for those who grow our food. Full of practical insights from field to fork, The Farmers Market Cookbook celebrates the small farmer’s labor of love with recipes that showcase every crop at its best – essential reading for anyone who wants to appreciate fresh food at its best. (description from publisher)