March 2024 Prime Picks
The
Culinary Corner
Kyle Books
www.octopusbooksusa.com
Two new cookbooks
from Kyle Books provide recipe titles both attractive and filled with
versatile, appealing dishes not to be found elsewhere.
Nicky Corbishley’s Kitchen Sanctuary Quick & Easy
(9781804191002, $26.99) features a hundred recipes that can be created in 30
minutes or less. These are family-friendly creations, promoting healthy dishes
from scratch without the demanding requirements of hours of cooking or prep
work.
A chapter of quick
chicken recipes answers the typical question of a busy cook who has chicken and
wants to use it in creative new ways. Examples of such dishes are Naan Chicken
Tikka Pizza, a Chicken Salsa Bake, and stir-fried Black Pepper Chicken.
Each dish is
accompanied by a full-page facing colorful photo, introduced with at-a-glance
information on prep and cook times and green sidebars of author ‘pro tips’
which provide insights on reheating for optimum make-ahead results.
Sarah Johnson’s Fruitful (9781804191033, $34.99) stands
out from other fruit cookbooks on the market by including a selection of savory
recipes for using fruits in main dishes, as well as the usual dessert and jam offerings
in most fruit cookbooks.
Recipes for North
African Lamb with Plums, Pan-Fried Duck Breast with Blackcurrants and Black
Pepper, and Peach and Tomato Salsa are just a few of the savory dishes peppered
within this fruit guide, which comes with dialogues about fruit pairings and
use, and insights into what kinds of fruits work best in selected endeavors (and
why).
Both are exceptional
standouts for any library seeking a blend of appealing photos and recipes.
Reviewer's Choice
The Accidental
Detectorist
Nigel Richardson
Octopus Books
9781788403726 $14.99
www.octopusbooksusa.com
The Accidental Detectorist: Uncovering an Underground Obsession evolved
during the locked-down period of the COVID pandemic, when Nigel Richardson’s
search for a solitary and safe hobby lead into the world of metal detecting
after he encountered an enthusiast of the art.
His rising passion
for the history and discoveries involved in metal detecting led to this travel
writer to venture into new territory as he uncovered buried treasures of the
past and received lessons on where the real treasure lies.
Readers seeking a
blend of travelogue and hobby, paired with a road trip through new kinds of
relationships, will welcome the multifaceted nature of this uplifting, revealing
blend of memoir and experiential journey.
The Modern Apothecary
Brendan Murdock &
Gabriel Weil
Kyle Books
9781804191408 $34.99
www.octopusbooksusa.com
The Modern Apothecary: How to Harness the Power of Botanicals to
Support Your Health and Improve Wellbeing reviews the nuts and bolts of an
ancient art related to wellbeing. It considers the history of wellness
literature and the ideal of the apothecary as an herbalist healer who can
deliver on the promise of not just health, but happiness.
The authors provide a
holistic survey of five basic wellbeing foundations, how roots of dysfunction
and illness which are promoted in modern society by lifestyle and ideals alike,
and why 22 selected botanicals featured herein offer new formulas for health
and self-care.
The result harnesses
knowledge in a manner that re-envisions the role and tools of the apothecary,
bringing them within reach of modern audiences.
www.newworldlibrary.com
These new books from
Kelli Miller, LCSW’s Love Hacks: Simple Solutions to Your Most
Common Relationship Issues (9781608689088, $18.95) synthesizes relationship
advice into small bites of wisdom, organizes these into chapters that outline
the problem (“We Can’t Trust Each Other After Infidelity” or “We Are Too
Culturally Different”), and offers tips on fine-tuning communications,
expectations, and the tipping points of problems which may seem insurmountable,
but actually can benefit from further enlightenment about boundaries,
perception, and communication.
Plenty of books have
been written about mental health, but the specifically-targeted The College Student’s Guide to Mental
Health: Essential Wellness Strategies for Flourishing in College (9891608689019,
$21.95) by Mia Nosanow, MA, LP narrows the focus and audience to college
students and college life challenges.
Licensed psychologist
Nosanow tackles such subjects as building healthy friendships, how to observe
without judgment, handling procrastination, and more, with a special eye to
subjects college students will typically confront in the course of their
education and becoming new adults.
Both books are highly
recommended choices for general-interest libraries seeking hard-hitting,
specific, yet succinctly accessible discussions that new generations can easily
access and understand.
Outside In
Sean A. Pritchard
Mitchell Beazley
9781784728854 $39.99
www.octopusbooksusa.com
Outside In: A Year of Growing and Displaying pairs gardening
objectives with interior design tools to make the most of designs that embrace
the concept of year-round interior flower displays.
As garden designer
Sean A. Pritchard moves through the process of growing for display, readers
interested in both design and gardening will find a rich loam of new possibilities
in pages that, themselves, feature extraordinary visual displays through
full-page color flower photos.
From how to choose
and display flowers to bulbs and specific flowers that feature special
attributes (such as nasturtiums or autumn annuals), the lavish appeal of this
title lies in not just its visual attractors, but in the promise that flower
growing and display can be just as accessible to average readers as to interior
design or gardening professionals.
All it takes is this
book and an interest in growing and arranging flowers for year-round indoor
displays.
Photography – A Queer
History
Flora Dunster &
Theo Gordon
Ilex Press
9781781578698 $49.99
www.ilex.press
If only one book on
queer photography were to be chosen for an arts collection, make it Photography – A Queer History. There’s simply
nothing as wide-ranging or nicely detailed on the market today.
Flora Dunster &
Theo Gordon create categories that represent and expand the concept of ‘queer’
and arrange images by themes central to queer photography efforts. This allows
readers interested in both the arts and social sciences an astute form of
analysis connecting photography to LBGTQ+ aesthetics, political and social
ideals, and artistic production and attraction.
Themes that range
from documentary to performance, landscapes, and more receive examples from
some 140 photographers, from famous names such as Robert Mapplethorpe to young
Canadian JJ Levine, who works within a queer communal context that celebrates
and profiles queer differences.
The result is
outstanding both artistically and in its portrait of the queer community and
definitions that break the mold of traditional thinking.
Young Adult/Children
Candlewick Press
www.candlewick.com
Candlewick’s latest
picture books are highly recommended for elementary-level collections seeking
colorful, lasting presentations for young readers.
Christine Iverson’s Santiago Saw Things Differently
(9781536224535, $18.99) follows the life of
As Santiago comes to
understand how his artistic eye translates to being a better physician, young
readers receive an aspiring story that blends Santiago’s real sketches of the
nervous system with Lozano’s art and a vivid exploration of a world improved by
a creative eye and sense of wonder.
My Mother’s Tongues: A
Weaving of Languages by Uma Menon (9781536222517, $18.99) receives colorful
illustrations by Rahele Jomepour Bell as it explores Sumi’s mother, who can not
only speak two languages fluently, but switches between them in an instant.
As Sumi considers the
magic of her mother’s linguistic abilities, she absorbs the story of her
mother’s migration and how her experiences with more than one culture lend to
her fluency in both. As this reflection expands to other family members whose
tongues may be even more talented, Sumi gains insights into her own heritage.
Stone Age Beasts by Ben Lerwill (9781536231342, $19.99) receives
vivid, large-size illustrations by Grahame Baker-Smith as it introduces young
readers to the prehistoric era of saber-roothed cats, mammoths, and other
creatures. Some eighteen are profiled in this book, which also explains how
humans lived alongside them in the Stone Age.
Vivid illustrations
draw attention, while sidebars of information and an equally compelling
introduction to each creature (“Warning:
do not approach this bear.”) represent entertainment and educational value
alike.
Jyoti Rajan Gopal’s One Sweet Song (9781536219816, $18.99)
is illustrated by Sonia Sánchez and tells of a neighborhood of
diverse cultures brought to unity and life by shared musical efforts.
Everyone joins in as
instruments from around the world accompany a rhythmic textual description of
music from all ages and groups that embrace the participants (“Five notes, six notes, seven notes SOAR/from
balconies, windows, every door.”).
All are highly
recommended choices for discriminating library collections looking for
diversity and long-term lending value.
Wm. B. Eerdmans
www.eerdmans.com
These picture book
selections provide stories which are intriguingly different, recommended for
libraries seeking out-of-the-box thinking in early presentations.
Marion Kadi’s Harriet’s Reflections (9780802856219,
$18.99) will reach ages 4-8 with the compelling story of a lion’s reflection,
which picks little Harriet to reflect to, changing her perception of herself.
Imagine looking into
the waters or mirror to find a lion looking back, complete with a new ferocious
countenance and courage!
A fine, unusual
portrait of self-image and strength emerges from this whimsical tale.
Victor D.O. Santos’s What Makes Us Human (9780802856258,
$18.99) will reach ages 5-9 with its celebration of language. It comes in the
form of a riddle that invites young people to consider linguistic,
psychological, and cultural forms of human connections.
Anna Forlati’s
illustrations enhance the exploration of history and experience, inviting young
readers to consider their own past, present, and future history and shared
relationships.
Joanna LaPati’s Guts for Glory: The Story of Civil War
Soldier Rosetta Wakeman (9780802854643) tells of teen Rosetta, who wants
more involvement with the greater world outside of her family’s farm in upstate
So she cuts her hair,
dresses as a man, and enlists to fight for the
The excerpts of these
writings pair nicely with a biography which explores this uncommon hero’s
impact and experiences.
All are top picks that elementary-level library collections will want to consider.