Category: Books

Return of the Victory Garden

- Ann Leave a comment

victory-gardenSearching for fresh, healthy food for your family? Concerned about recent salmonella outbreaks in the food supply? Looking for ways to reduce pollution, cut your dependence on mass-produced food, create a sense of community, save on grocery bills? And oh yeah, looking for food that tastes great? The answer might be right in your backyard.

Popular during World War I and again during World War II, private citizens in the United States, Canada and England were encouraged to grow their own vegetables in an effort to reduce pressure on the public food supply caused by the war effort. These gardens popped up everywhere, including vacant city lots and even the dry moat around the Tower of London; 20 million Americans participated during World War II and by the end of the war provided nearly 40% of the nation’s vegetables. Called Victory Gardens or Liberty Gardens, they were also considered morale boosters, allowing people to feel empowered by their contribution as well as being rewarded by the produce they grew. Doesn’t that sound like something we could use right now?

Home gardens are becoming popular again as people rediscover the joys and advantages of growing their own food. Burpee Seed reports a 40% increase in seed sales in 2008, and expect another increase this year. The city of San Francisco developed a program that provides starter kits and information to help urban gardeners convert part of their backyard (or windowsill) into growing vegetables. Then there is Eat the View, an organization that is asking President Obama to plant an organic Victory Garden on the White House lawn (it wouldn’t be the first time this has been done – Eleanor Roosevelt had one installed during World War II). And Secretary of Agriculture (and former Iowa governor) Tom Vilsack has recently announced that his department would create “The People’s Garden” out of a paved area outside their building.

Not sure how to get started? Don’t worry – the library is here to help. Here’s a list of books that will guide you through those first steps – and encourage you to try something new!

The Garden Primer by Barbara Damrosch – Great practical information, presented in a straightforward, no-nonsense manner. All organic.

The Complete Compost Gardening Guide by Barbara Pleasant – Lots of info on all kinds of composting, including vermiculture (worms) as well as great gardening tips. All organic.

The Farmer’s Wife Guide to Growing a Great Garden by Barbara Doyen – As well as how to grow, Doyen has information on harvesting, storing and cooking your produce.

Rodale’s Vegetable Garden Problem Solver by Fern Bradley – No problem is insurmountable – this book will show you all kinds of solutions. All organic.

Deer Proofing Your Yard and Garden by Rhonda Hart – Keeping those lovely creatures at bay.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver – Provocative and thoughtful examination of what it takes to eat locally.

On Display — March Madness

- Ann Leave a comment

If you like basketball, then look for our March Madness display. Not only do we have books about college basketball and the final four, but  also about the pro teams and individual biographies. There’s a new Rick Pitino title that should prove popular, Rebound Rules: The Art of Success 2.0, but I also found a few other gems hidden in the stacks.

I’d never envisioned the author of Prince of Tides and Beach Music as being particularly athletic, but My Losing Season by Pat Conroy is his rendition of what happened on the court during his senior year of college at the Citadel.  It reads more like a novel than a basketball book, and if you’ve liked his other works, you’ll like this, too.  One unexpected tidbit is a reference to his father playing basketball at St. Ambrose, right here in Davenport, Iowa!

Counting Coup: A True Story of Honor and Basketball on the Little Big Horn, by Larry Colton, also reads like fiction.  This  story  is a journalist’s peek into the profound effect of girls’ basketball on an impoverished  Crow Indian Reservation in Montana.  Though he focuses on one especially talented player, Sharon LaForge, he also brings the reader along into the struggles of her family and her teammates as well.

pitino conroy counting-coup

The Armchair Traveler – Travel Writing Part I: Great Travel Writers

- Lynn Leave a comment

travel-writerThe Armchair Traveler is starting a travel writing series; Part I focuses on writers who excel in describing both the place and the process of travel.

The Art of Travel by Alain de Botton

de Botton excels in capturing the alternate reality and mindset that occurs when you leave home, especially when you are a solitary traveler. He describes the sensation of pleasant isolation and anonymity you experience on a train; or the phenomenon of marveling at the smallest differences in a foreign city.

As the Romans Do by Alan Epstein

This is Rome from the American point of view; the author moves his family to the city to experience the daily life of a Roman (getting an apartment, enrolling his kids in school, grocery shopping, etc.) as well as absorbing the cafe culture, soccer obsession, the Italian sense of fashion, and the passion for evenings spent in the piazza.

Best American Travel Writing

These pieces from newspapers, magazines and websites are edited by a Who’s Who of travel writing (Bill Bryson, Frances Mayes, Anthony Bourdain, Ian Frazier) and range from the lighthearted (David Sedaris on an ariport layover and Bill Buford sleeping in Central Park) to New York post 9-11, and extreme adventures in Uganda and the Australian Outback.

Italian Journey by Jean Giono

This small book is both an appreciation of post-war Venice and philosophical reflections of why we travel. A Frenchman, Giono finds an oasis of beauty and quiet after experiencing the more obvious attractions of Naples and Capri.

Landscaping with Fruit by Lee Reich

- Ann Leave a comment

landscaping-with-fruitThe next time you’re thinking about adding a tree or bush to your landscape, consider one that bears fruit. Most are just as beautiful as “ornamental” trees and they have the added bonus of rewarding you with fresh, delicious fruit!

Lee Reich, well known in gardening circles for his excellent The Pruning Book, now brings us Landscaping with Fruit.  He’s gone through all the varieties and types of fruiting plants available and compiled a list of the best – best for beauty, ease of maintenance and tasty fruit. Only plants that meet all three requirements are included. Among others you’ll find sweet cherry, raspberries, grapes and apples as well as exotic tropicals that can be grown in pots. You’ll find that alpine strawberries make excellent edging plants and blueberries make beautiful shrubs year round.

In addition to information on plant varieties, Reich has an excellent section on growing and maintaining, and lots of ideas on how to incorporate these plants in your yard (so it doesn’t look like you’ve plopped an orchard down in your front yard) What about an alle of pear trees along your front walk? Or a hedge of strawberries, Nanking cherry and red current? Or try surrounding a patio with huckleberry, blueberry and Juneberries. The possibilities are endless – and delicious!

Dilbert Meets the Recession

- Lynn Leave a comment

then-we-came-to-the-end1Seems like there is a novel for every situation. We can take some comfort from the fact that people have gone through layoffs and recession before.

Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris is the devastating tale of an ad agency, where, one by one, workers carry their box of belongings out of their office during the dot-com bust of the late ’90’s. Ferris captures exactly the love/hate relationship we have with our cubicles and our co-workers. He depicts how painful it is to lose the community, the gossip , the petty resentments, and the infantile behavior that make up our work lives.

Described  as “The Office meets Kafka,” (Nick Hornby) the characters are written with compassion and depth by Ferris,  a University of Iowa graduate.

On Display — Irish Authors,Tales & Trips

- Ann Leave a comment

What better time than St. Patrick’s Day than to honor the Irish?  Just so you have something green to read,  we’ve put together a display of some popular Irish authors at the Fairmount Branch.

When Frank McCourt came on the scene with Angela’s Ashes, it seemed everyone was speaking with an Gaelic lilt.    If you’ve already read that, then try his ‘Tis or Teacher Man.

If you’d like a fun little romp, try The Pig Did It by Joseph Caldwell.  I blogged about it last year, so I won’t repeat myself.

Ireland is known as the Emerald Isle, and for good reason.  If you’re thinking about traveling, this beautifully green country has got to be on your list.  Check out our travel section and then reserve your chance to kiss the blarney stone.

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Emma’s Table by Philip Galanes

- Ann 1 Comment

emmas-tableIn Emma’s Table by Philip Galanes, Emma Sutton – famous interior design and lifestyle guru – attends the prestigious FitzCoopers auction determined to purchase a unique antique table, no matter who stands in her way. Fresh from a stint in Federal Prison and feeling battered by the accompanying public scrutiny, Emma doesn’t realize she’s going to come away with much more than a table.

Still enjoying great success professionally, Emma’s personal life needs some work – her ex-husband has returned to try to work things out, her adult daughter is aimless and angry and Emma  goes through personal assistants at an alarming rate. Despite the public image of perfection, she has no idea where or how to make the needed changes.

Emma’s weekend-personal assistant Benjamin (one of the few that has hung on), struggles with his own issues – a social worker during the week, he is puzzled by the case of Grace, a troubled, overweight little girl and her mother, as well as demands from his girlfriend. And then there’s the Japanese diplomat whom Emma outmaneuvered for the table. Emma searches for a way to make things right, heal all the insults and wounds she’s inflicted and therefore somehow save herself.

These disparete characters slowly come together in a story that is both lighthearted and thoughtful, about second (and even third) chances, redemption and starting again. Because everyone deserves a second chance.

Pizza : Grill It, Bake It, Love It by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough

- Ann Leave a comment

pizza-grill-it-bake-it-love-itWho doesn’t love pizza? An Italian staple that has been embraced by America and made our own, we consume, on average, more than 46 slices of pizza a year. From deep-dish to exotic toppings, loaded with meat or vegetables only, the pizza can be adapted to any taste, any whim and still be delicious. Now Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough take it up another notch in Pizza : Grill It, Bake It, Love It when they show you just how easy – and scrumptious – homemade pizza can be.

The authors first cover the basics – including in-depth descriptions of different cheeses, recipes for eight crusts and three basic sauces – and then launch into ideas for putting together your masterpiece. Pizzas range from the classic Pepperoni to international Tandoori Chicken to modern Prosciutto and Arugula as well as ten variations of Deep Dish pizza. Weinstein and Scarbrough also provide inspiration for “appetizer” pizzas (including Artichoke, Olive and Feta) and “salad” pizzas (such as Chicken Ceasar Salad)

Our own Frugal Librarian will soon be posting his own tips for making this dinnertime favorite that is both economical and fun – watch this space!

Good Dog!

- Lynn 1 Comment

dog-trainingYet another way libraries can transform your life! What if you need to introduce a couple new dogs to a cat household? It’s critical to have some control over the dogs’ behavior (forget about controlling the cat).

Many will tell you, “Just throw them all together and it’ll work out.” Maybe, but probably not without a lot of needless stress.

The following books will fundamentally change the way you think about training; it’s amazing to witness the transformation in your pets and yourself:

Dog-Friendly Dog Training by Andrea Arden explains in clear language the philosophy of the Reward-Good-Behavior/Ignore-Bad-Behavior method of training.

Teach Yourself Visually Dog Training by Sarah Hodgson then shows you how to do it with well-chosen photographs and concise instructions.

Another wonderful service your library provides is interlibrary loan. Dvds in the PetsIncredible series are great reinforcement to the techniques you’ve read about.  Just ask at the Reference staff for more information.

Snark attack

- Bill 1 Comment

snark1David Denby is a man on a moral, ethical mission in Snark: A Polemic in Seven Fits. In it, he seeks to quell “the bad kind of invective — low, teasing, snide, condescending, knowing” he refers to as snark.

This extended essay of a little over 100 pages has a definite academic lean. In it, he defines and traces forms of this disdainful rhetoric over the centuries. Included is a section on the purported origin of the word in Lewis Carroll’s Hunting the Snark, as well as its roots among macho posturing poets and warriors over the ages.

The more poignant examples are culled from the combatants in the last presidential campaign.  A shocking revelation, I know.