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Joy’s Simple Food Remedies: Tasty Cures for Whatever’s Ailing You

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Title: Joy’s Simple Food Remedies: Tasty Cures for Whatever’s Ailing You by Joy Bauer
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Adults

The purpose of this book is to offer healthy food suggestions to alleviate the distress of everyday common ailments.  Each chapter addresses a complaint and gives a detailed explanation of what causes it and how to combat it.  Five foods are highlighted that can offer relief, and the science of each and why it can help is explained.  Recipes for each food follows, with clear instructions and excellent photographs. There are sixty recipes designed to help with aches and pains, increase energy, and reduce anxiety and stress.

Joy Bauer is a well-known leading health authority.  She is a nutrition consultant for the Today Show, Woman’s Day magazine, and the New York City Ballet.  She has written twelve best-selling books.

Find it in our catalog.

Traditionally Fermented Foods

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Traditionally Fermented Foods by Shannon Stonger
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Adults

Kvass, kombucha, yogurt, sourdough, kefir . . . Fermented foods have been on my radar for a while but this book, with its inviting cover featuring Taco Kraut, has persuaded me to jump on the fermentation bandwagon. Stonger describes the fermentation process and includes best practices, with troubleshooting tips for beginners, before launching into a wealth of tasty recipes in 5 categories: Vegetables, Grains, Dairy, Beverages and Condiments.

My first ferment from the book is Summer Squash Cortido, simply made from zucchini, yellow squash, carrot, garlic, salt, oregano and red pepper flakes. The veggies are grated to create a colorful relish which I’m patiently waiting to sample in about a week. Maybe I’ll serve it with the Sourdough Biscuits Sans Baking Powder or Soda, found on page 92. And I could wash them down with a Carrot-Clementine Kvass, from page 191.

Whether you’re an experienced fermenter or a newbie (like me) I would venture to say this book provides inspiration for us all. Shannon Stonger has won me over to another way of preserving! Find it in the catalog.

First Bite: How We Learn To Eat

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First Bite: How We Learn to Eat by Bee Wilson
Format: Book, eBook, Digital Audiobook
Who it’s for: Adults

We all know that we’re “supposed” to eat better: more broccoli and whole wheat bread, less soda and cotton candy. Sounds easy…but often it feels next to impossible, because the broccoli just doesn’t taste good to us. But how do we learn that “soda tastes good” and “broccoli tastes bad” to begin with? Believe it or not, the author tells us, it’s not an inborn preference.

As Wilson notes, once a baby anteater is weaned, it will eat ants for the rest of its life. For us humans, well…it’s a little more complicated. The author takes us on an intriguing tour of how we learn what to eat (and what not to). The book covers the bizarre history of what has been considered “children’s food” in different eras, how siblings affect our eating habits, and a close look at some of the causes and possible treatments for those who struggle with eating disorders. There are numerous gentle lessons along the way, both for adults in charge of the care and feeding of a child, and for adults who’d like to retrain their own palates. Find it in the catalog.

What to Do When I’m Gone: A Mother’s Wisdom to Her Daughter

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What to Do when I’m Gone: A Mother’s Wisdom to Her Daughter By Suzy Hopkins & Hallie Bateman (illustrator)
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Adults

This is a nonfiction book written and illustrated by a mother-daughter duo. Bateman has the sudden realization that her mother, writer Suzy Hopkins, will not live forever. Unable to imagine life without her mother’s guiding voice, Bateman asks her mother to write step-by-step instructions to follow in the event of her mom’s death. Hopkins agrees, and the end result is an illustrated, day-by-day instruction manual on navigating life’s up and downs, including everything from making new holiday traditions to making the decision to have children. Despite the solemn topic, Hopkins maintains a lighthearted tone and sprinkles her writing with bits of humor and recipes, including fajitas, chocolate brownies, chili, chicken and dumplings, and curry to cure your heartbreak. Find this book in our catalog.

Yaffa and Fatima: Shalom, Salaam

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Submitted by Ms. Tess!

Yaffa and Fatima: Shalom, Salaam by Jawzia Gilani-Williams, with pictures by Chiara Fedele, is the story of two friends who live on neighboring date farms. Yaffa is Jewish, and Fatima is Muslim. They do a lot of the same things, they just do them a little different. For instance, they both love to pray. Yaffa prays in the synagogue and Fatima prays in a mosque. They both celebrate holidays. Yaffa celebrates Yom Kippur and Passover, Fatima celebrates Ramadan, and Eid. And they both wish each other peace. Yaffa says “Shalom,” and Fatima says “Salaam.” One year, there was very little rain, and so there were very little dates to eat or sell at market. Yaffa can’t sleep at night wondering if Fatima has enough, so she loads up her donkey and carries a supply of dates over to her friend’s home. Meanwhile Fatima’s been lying awake at night wondering if Yaffa has enough, so she loads up her donkey and carries a supply of dates over to her home! In the morning they both wake up to find more dates than they thought they had, and plan to repeat the scheme that night, which they do, but this time they run into each other in the field between their farms. They hug and laugh, and thank the other for thinking of them! This is a lovely story that shows we can be friends with people from different backgrounds as us. We may find we’re actually very similar in all the areas that count, like kindness, thoughtfulness, and generosity. See this book listed in our catalog

Chewie and the Porgs

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Submitted by Ms. Tess!

“A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…” begins Chewie and the Porgs by Kevin Shinick, with pictures by Fiona Hsieh, a story about some of our old and new favorite Star Wars characters! On a remote island, on a remote planet, Ahch-To, lives Luke Skywalker, last of the Jedi Knights, but this isn’t a story about him! This is a story about porgs, native creatures who live a peaceful existence until a spaceship, the Millenium Falcon, arrives, carrying a girl, Rey, a droid, R2-D2, and a Wookiee, Chewie. The porgs are most interested in Chewie, and follow him around the island as he looks for food. Chewie tries fishing, but the porgs eat all the grubs he found for bait! Then when he gets back to the ship, he finds the porgs having a party! Chewie remembers he has some snacks on the ship, but the porgs eat those too! Chewie is furious until he realizes: they landed right on the porgs’ nest, crushing their supply of food for the winter! No wonder they won’t leave him alone. Good thing Chewie has a plan to make things right, and fill everyone’s bellies. Chewie, R2, and Rey arrived on Ahch-To with questions. They leave with some answers, and some delightful new friends, the porgs! See this book listed in our catalog