Library News
In This Day and Page: Making Libraries Accessible
In today’s episode, I spoke with two staff members from the West Des Moines Public Library, Kate Thompson and Susan Greenwood, who were founding members of our Accessibility Committee.
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View All PostsNew Fiction
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Medusa
An intimate look into the life of a legendary mythical villain who has so often been stripped of her voice and humanity in this debut novel, perfect for fans of Madeline Miller's Circe and the works of Jennifer Saint.
You know how Medusa's story ends, but you've never heard her tell her own story... until now.
The only mortal daughter of two sea gods, and a priestess of Athena, Medusa was a woman who thought she had found her place in the world. But when Medusa suffers a horrific violation at the hands of Poseidon, Athena is outraged over the desecration of her name and sends a message by transforming Medusa into the snake-haired monster of legend. With one look, any who meet her gaze is turned to stone. Word of her monstrosity travels fast, igniting a king's fear so greatly that he commands the boy-hero Perseus to bring him her head. With a power that will spare no one, Medusa begins to wonder if this is a blessing or a curse. Medusa only knows that she must leave the city she has come to call home before she harms another soul.
Searching for a haven free from mortals, anger buoying her every step, Medusa journeys across ancient Greece. Her eyes are hidden beneath a blindfold, with nothing but the snakes for company. Through her travels, Medusa discovers solace and understanding in the mythical figures she stumbles upon: A debaucherous wine god, an alluring nymph, and a three-headed dog. But one cannot escape fate forever. As Perseus closes in, Medusa faces a choice: become the monster everyone expects her to be, or cling to the last piece of her humanity.
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Guide Me Home
In this stunning culmination of the award-winning Highway 59 trilogy, Detective Darren Mathews is pulled out of an early retirement to investigate the case of a missing black college student from an all-white sorority and soon finds a town that will stop at nothing to keep its secrets hidden.
Texas Ranger Darren Mathews isn't sure he's been a good cop, but believes he's got a shot at being a good man--if he manages to dodge the potential indictment hanging over his head and if he, from here on out, pledges allegiance to the truth. It's a virtue the country appears to have wholly lost its grip on, but one Darren sees as his salvation. He is in the midst of remaking his life with the woman he loves, hoping for the peace of country living at his beloved farmhouse, when he is visited by someone who couldn't hold the truth on her tongue if it was dipped in sugar, a woman who's always been bent of tearing his life apart. His mother. Armed with a tall tale about a missing Black college student, Sera (whose white sorority sisters insist she isn't missing at all). Darren must decide if his can trust his mother is telling the truth--and what her ulterior motive may be, and what if that motive has to do with a grand jury deciding his fate.
Darren gets his hooks into the investigation, along the way discovering things about Sera's family and her hometown that are odd at best, vaguely sinister at worst. Hamstrung by local law enforcement and the Texas Rangers who likewise doubt the account of a missing girl, if Darren wants answers, he'll need help from the person whom he swore to never trust again--his mother.
In this emotionally stirring conclusion to the singular Highway 59 series, set three years after the events of Heaven, My Home, Darren reckons with his life's purpose as he's forced to choose between his own peace and the higher call to do good. -
Errands & Espionage
After being recruited to pose as a secret agent, a single mom finds herself on an unexpected adventure in this fast-paced and deliciously witty spy romcom, perfect for fans of Finlay Donovan Is Killing It.
Meet Gabby Greene: Housewife. Glorified taxi driver and maid. Burner of meatloaf. Recently divorced Gabby Greene spends most of her days listening to self-help books while wrangling her loving yet erratic kids. Having been married for over a decade, Gabby has shoved aside her career and ambitions to make room for mountains of laundry, running errands, and investigating the case of the missing socks. Her number one suspect: their horny Bichon Frise, Mr. Bubbles. All that changes when a secret government agency comes knocking on Gabby's door.
At first, she thinks some reality show is pranking her, but the truth hits home when they announce they need her to go undercover and finish a mission that one of their-now-dead-agents started. While she can't deny the uncanny resemblance to her apparent doppelgèanger, taking agent Darcy Dagger's place won't be easy, though, and hilarity and hijinks soon ensue as Gabby contends with juggling her responsibilities and trudging through a crash course in Spy 101 with a handsome James Bond-type who has secrets of his own.
As Gabby embarks on a dangerous mission involving money laundering, a Russian oligarch, and an unfortunate incident with a prosthetic nose, she begins to realize that she is far from the invisible housewife she once believed herself to be, and that maybe, just maybe, she might be capable of saving the day
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Graveyard Shift
THE USA TODAY NATIONAL BESTSELLER!
The author of sales sensation If We Were Villains returns with a story about a ragtag group of night shift workers who meet in the local cemetery to unearth the secrets lurking in an open grave.
Every night, in the college’s ancient cemetery, five people cross paths as they work the late shift: a bartender, a rideshare driver, a hotel receptionist, the steward of the derelict church that looms over them, and the editor-in-chief of the college paper, always in search of a story.
One dark October evening in the defunct churchyard, they find a hole that wasn’t there before. A fresh, open grave where no grave should be. But who dug it, and for whom?
Before they go their separate ways, the gravedigger returns. As they trail him through the night, they realize he may be the key to a string of strange happenings around town that have made headlines for the last few weeks—and that they may be closer to the mystery than they thought.
Atmospheric and eerie, with the ensemble cast her fans love and a delightfully familiar academic backdrop, Graveyard Shift is a modern Gothic tale in If We Were Villains author M. L. Rio’s inimitable style. -
Our Long Marvelous Dying
Palliative-care physician and award-winning author Anna DeForest returns with an ode to life and to death, and the ways we care for ourselves and others on our long, marvelous walk toward the end.
In a pandemic-hushed city, a young doctor lives a life of insecure attachments: to a distant partner in an untended marriage, to a loaner child who stirs up hurts from the past, to houseplants wilting in a dark apartment on a once-vibrant street.
Through a yearlong fellowship caring for the dying and their families, death is impossible to ignore, and still more endings loom at every turn--endings made worse by wounded, avoidant doctors who don't know how to let go. But after the sudden loss of a long-estranged father, our unnamed narrator's work is thrown into painful relief, and we see, under threats large and small, how far we will go to hold on to our lives--no matter how little we live them.
Lyrical and with piercing insight, Our Long Marvelous Dying is a meditation on the twin drives of life and death--and how all of us reckon, day by day, with their ecstatic, inevitable collide. -
Rogue Community College
From the author of White Trash Warlock and Dark Moon, Shallow Sea, Rogue Community College is a delightful fantasy full of magic and mayhem ...
Isaac Frost is an assassin. Raised in the Graveyard of the cruel and mysterious Undertaker, he has mastered the deadly art of the knife and the skill of survival, together with scores of others just like him--young men taken from their families to become the most infamous killers throughout the realms of elves and humans. But Isaac is unique: a single drop of another's blood can confer upon him the knowledge and power of friend and foe alike.
After crossing paths with the elf queen Argent, Isaac is sent to a strange magical school for wayward practitioners in the hopes that he can learn where he--and his unusual talent--fit in the world. Isaac is charmed by the school's chaotic nature and finds himself unexpectedly drawn to Vran, a Sea Elf haunted by secret knowledge.
But Vran isn't the only one with secrets, and Isaac's arrival is no accident. The Undertaker has charged him with infiltrating the school for the purpose of destroying it utterly, and his future rests on completing his mission--before the Undertaker takes matters into his own hands.
A new novel set in the world of the Adam Binder series!
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The Hurricanes of Weakerville
Middle grade star author Chris Rylander brings his signature sense of humor, a compelling and original baseball story, and tons of heart to the story of the Hurricanes of Weakerville.
All his life, Alex Weakerman has had one passion: baseball. Specifically, the Hurricanes of Weakerville, Iowa--the scrappy independent-league team owned by his Grandpa Ira.
Even as team and the town have fallen on tough times, there's no place Alex would rather be than at the ballpark--a hot dog in one hand, a pencil and scorebook in the other, keeping track of each and every statistic. Alex has never been all that great at playing baseball, but that doesn't matter. For someone as painfully awkward as Alex, being a fan--and a wiz with baseball stats--is all he needs.
When Grandpa Ira passes away, though, Alex is crushed. He's lost his best friend, and he doesn't see any way that the team will survive. But Ira, it seems, has one last trick up his sleeve: his will names Alex the new manager of the Hurricanes.
Alex is as excited as he is terrified at the chance to finally put some of his fantasy baseball genius to use. But as he sets to work trying to win over the players, he soon learns that leading them to victory is about more than just stats. Will he be able to save his team, his hometown, and his family legacy
From the author of The Fourth Stall, a SCBWI Sid Fleischman Humor Award winner and multiple state-award favorite, The Hurricanes of Weakerville is sure to appeal to middle grade readers looking for a funny book about real kids.
(added by Amy)
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Big Tree
The fate of all life on Earth may depend on the bravery of two little seeds in this epic adventure from the #1 New York Times bestselling creator and Caldecott Medalist of The Invention of Hugo Cabret.
"The tale of the natural world is the greatest story we have to tell, and Brian delivers a brilliant chapter of that tale throughout the pages of Big Tree." -- STEVEN SPIELBERG
* "An enthralling and expansive meditation on what it means to be alive on this planet."--Booklist, starred review
* "A balanced and rich book. . . . Powerful."-- The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred and recommended review
* "In evocative prose and peppery dialogue . . . the cinematic story journeys across time and space, contemplating the power of life to heal."-- Publishers Weekly, starred review
* "A special, one-of-a-kind book for the whole family that readers won't soon forget." -- School Library Journal, starred review
"Inspirational, important, and beautiful. A fable for our times." -- Alan Gratz, bestselling author of Refugee and Ground Zero
"Hello, stars. I thought I heard you calling me."
A mysterious voice has been speaking to Louise in her dreams. She and her brother Merwin are Sycamore seeds, who hope to one day set down roots and become big trees. But when a fire forces them to leave their mama tree prematurely, they find themselves catapulted into the unknown, far from home. Alone and unprepared, they must use their wits and imagination to navigate a dangerous world--filled with dinosaurs, meteors, and volcanoes!--and the fear of never finding a safe place to grow up. As the mysterious voice gets louder, Louise comes to realize their mission in life may be much bigger than either of them ever could have imagined!
Brimming with humor, wonder, mystery, and a profound sense of hope, Big Tree is a trailblazing adventure, illustrated with nearly 300 pages of breathtaking pictures. It is Selznick's most imaginative and far-reaching work to date and a singular reading experience for the whole family.
The audiobook edition of BIG TREE is brought magnificently to life by Meryl Streep and features music composed by Ernest Troost.
(added by Amy)
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Flipping Forward Twisting Backward
A diagnosis of dyslexia could change everything for an aspiring fifth-grade gymnast struggling at school in this authentic, high-energy novel in verse.
The print edition of this title is set in a font developed to be easy to read.
The gym is where Claire shines and she’s on her way to qualifying for the state championships. But at school, she’s known as a troublemaker—which is fine with her since it helps her hide her reading problem. Claire has never been able to make sense of the wobbling jumble of letters on a page.
When a sympathetic principal wonders if she’s acting out because she may have dyslexia, she’s stunned. Claire has always assumed she’s dumb, so she’s eager to get evaluated. But her mother balks. Afraid Claire will be labeled “stupid,” she refuses testing. Can Claire take on both her reading challenges and her mother’s denial? Is it worth jeopardizing her dream of the state championships?
Told in clear and poignant verse and featuring black and white illustrations, Claire’s struggle with something that seems to come easily to everyone else will resonate with readers and have them cheering her on.(added by Amy)
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The Secret of Glendunny #2: the Searchers
"Magical, exciting, and deeply moving. Lasky's perfectly constructed fantasy is told in beautifully descriptive, soaring language, with invented words and names feeling just right and an abundance of detailed information about each animal's habitat, attributes, and physiology." --Kirkus (starred review)
Newbery Honor winner Kathryn Lasky, author of the bestselling Guardians of Ga'Hoole series, delivers the second book in her new middle grade adventure series about a colony of beavers on a courageous quest to save the swan that protects their world.
Return to the brilliant, adventure-filled world of Glendunny. Dunwattle and Locksley are going on their greatest journey yet in their search for their beloved mother figure, Elsinore the swan, who has been kidnapped by dark forces. Little do they know, they have a much larger expedition in store when they discover other persecuted animals and baby otters being held against their will for nefarious purposes.
Will they be able to save Elsinore, the innocent animals, and themselves? Join Dunwattle and Locksley as they embark on this winding adventure, explore unknown lands beyond their pond, and endeavor to save their world and all the creatures in it.
(added by Amy)
New Non-Fiction
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Sinéad O'Connor: The Last Interview
A significant collection of interviews with the defiant, controversial, and ground-breaking singer, songwriter, and activist throughout her turbulent career . . .
“It’s not like I got up in the morning and said, ‘Okay, now let’s start a new controversy’.” -- Sinéad O’Connor
Sinéad O'Connor’s music — both in her songwriting and in her beautiful voice —addressed both emotional despair and incandescent joy with glorious ardor. But she may have been just as well known for her outspokenness. This collection of interviews covers the entire span of O'Connor's career, from the early days to her last interview. From giddy teenager to seasoned superstar, she speaks candidly about her meteoric rise to fame, and recounts what happened when she ripped up a photo of Pope John Paul II on live television in an act of protest. Unguarded and unpredictable, O'Connor was a woman who electrified the globe: imaginative, opinionated, and eloquent. -
The Greatest U.S. Opens
In The Greatest U.S. Opens, veteran golf journalist and author David Barrett brings readers inside the ropes at the most dramatic tournaments since the Open's inception in 1895. Renowned as the most challenging of the major championships, the U.S. Open has showcased the country's greatest golf courses, including Pebble Beach, Oakmont, Merion and Shinnecock Hills. And, with notoriously long "Open rough" and super-fast greens, the U.S Open is typically the toughest challenge of the year, providing a forum for the greats of the game to test their mettle and prove their stature by winning multiple times--including Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods. The extreme difficulty of a U.S. Open course has also yielded the occasional and unlikely upset, including Francis Oiumet's 1913 thrilling victory over English greats Harry Vardon and Ted Ray or Jack Fleck stealing a shocking win from Hogan in 1955. Barrett also captures the tournament's many classic moments including Arnold Palmer's heroic charge in 1960, Tom Watson's chip-in to take down Nicklaus at Pebble Beach in 1982, and Payne Stewart's putt to clinch a victory at Pinehurst in 1999 just months before his tragic death.
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Finding the Fox
An intimate portrait of a mysterious and misunderstood animal.
"Tjernshaugen writes in an easy-to-read style that is full of insight and understanding. I felt like I was sitting beside him as he described fox behavior." --Rick McIntyre, Yellowstone wolf researcher and author of The Rise of Wolf 8
If you look into the fox's amber eyes, you'll notice vertical pupils. With such feline eyes in a slender canine body, the fox is a relative of the dog and the wolf, but it hunts alone, like a cat. The fox lives close to people, both in the city and in the country, but it's wild, shy, and secretive.
Taking long walks in the early morning, equipped with wildlife cameras--and sometimes with his dog Topsy by his side--Andreas Tjernshaugen journeys into the forest hoping to encounter the foxes living just outside his small town in Norway. He knows the telltale signs of how to find a fox den, how to identify a pawprint in the snow, and the smells that foxes leave behind. He meets a vixen he named Blackback, and he watches carefully as she and other foxes hunt, play, and live together as families.
Throughout this captivating book, Tjernshaugen investigates the fox's place in our own cultural history--such as Reynard the Fox, the Scandinavian inspiration for Disney's Robin Hood, and the fables of Aesop, which depict foxes as sly and cunning, a reputation that may not be fully earned, Tjernshaugen argues. What is true is "the fox is wilder than other wildlife...and largely survives in spite of our plans and regulations, like an outlaw, so I see it as a symbol of freedom and independence."
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The Amen Effect
The national bestseller
From one of our country’s most prominent rabbis, an inspiring book about the power of community based on one of her most impactful sermons.
In a time of loneliness and isolation, social rupture and alienation, what will it take to mend our broken hearts and rebuild our society?
Sharon Brous—a leading American rabbi—makes the case that the spiritual work of our time, as instinctual as it is counter-cultural, is to find our way to one other in celebration, in sorrow, and in solidarity. To show up for each other in moments of joy and pain, vulnerability and possibility, to invest in relationships of shared purpose and build communities of care.
Brous contends that it is through honoring our most basic human instinct-- the yearning for real connection-- that we reawaken our shared humanity and begin to heal. This kind of sacred presence is captured by the word amen, a powerful ancient idea that we affirm the fullness of one another’s experience by demonstrating, in body and word: “I see you. You are not alone.”
An acclaimed preacher and story-teller, Brous pairs heart-driven anecdotes from her experience building and pastoring to a leading-edge faith community over the past two decades with ancient Jewish wisdom and contemporary science. The result is a clarion call: the sense of belonging engendered by our genuine presence is not only a social and biological need, but a moral and spiritual necessity.
With original insights and practical tools, The Amen Effect translates foundational ideas into simple practices that connect us to our better angels, offering a blueprint for a more meaningful life and a more connected and caring world. -
Betty Crocker Found Recipes
From Betty Crocker, the brand beloved by generations of Americans, a carefully curated treasure trove of more than 100 favorite vintage recipes found in the Betty Crocker archives, dusted off and so delicious you'll love them on today's table.
Over the last century, Betty Crocker has created thousands of well-tested, wonderful recipes, some especially that spark fond memories today, whether they were made by a grandparent, served at holiday meals, or were part of a trend of the time. In Betty Crocker Found Recipes, you'll find these rediscovered vintage but timeless favorites. Some of these rare recipes were most frequently requested by lifelong Betty Crocker fans, which you'll see in the Found Lost Recipe features throughout the book. Others are ones that rose to the top of the Betty Crocker Test Kitchens recipe boxes over the years. And, during the search for favorite recipes to be included in this book, Betty Crocker fans shared stories of favorite recipes they've lost and couldn't find--so the Betty Crocker Kitchens recreated them for the Recreated Lost Recipes features, along with the fans' heartwarming memories behind them.
The comprehensive chapters are organized by occasion and course, from Holiday Celebrations, Memorable Main Dishes, and Warm from the Oven Breads, to Irresistible Cookies & Bars, and Better than Ever Desserts, and the specially curated recipes include nostalgic favorites like:
Betty Crocker Found Recipes shares these timeless, rediscovered recipes, with full nutritional information, for the next generation of home cooks and bakers to enjoy for years to come. These tasty dishes are lost no more!
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The Quilting Experience
12 quilt block designs to craft your personal quilt, plus shared quilter stories and more quilting projects, in this community-themed quilting book by internationally renowned award-winning teacher Victoria Findlay Wolfe
Foreword by quilting thought-leader Meg Cox, author of The Quilter's Catalog
Victoria Findlay Wolfe is an award-winning quilter, artist, and teacher whose designs balance traditional, modern, and art-quilting styles. In The Quilting Experience, she shares twelve original block designs for quilters to create their own unique "Experience Quilt." Each block represents a profound life theme such as Friendship, Travel, Celebration, and Grief, to let crafters reflect their personal life narrative. Clear instructions for each block allow for multiple size and color variations.
Also included are:
- Thought-provoking, poignant, and amusing stories shared by diverse quilters, to illuminate each Quilting Experience life theme
- 11 additional projects for quilts and pillows, with lessons and tips on techniques like efficient partial seam construction, to collage together blocks of various sizes beyond a basic grid layout
- A foreword by quilting thought-leader Meg Cox, emphasizing how diversity among quilters offers strength to all
Connect through the stories of a diverse community of quilting bees as you're life's journey takes visual shape with The Quilting Experience.Edited by Kate
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101 Tips for a Zero-Waste Kitchen
Kathryn Kellogg is taking her accessible tips for a zero-waste lifestyle and focusing on the heart of the house. Our kitchens can produce a shocking amount of waste and, even though food scraps may seem harmless, they can't properly decompose in a landfill. What's more: wasting food can strain your wallet. The average American family of four will lose $1,500 annually on food waste. It's time to turn things around!
101 Tips for a Zero Waste Kitchen is your guide to reducing waste in your kitchen. Kathryn will teach you how to buy in bulk, avoid unnecessary packaging, upcycle jars, and more. Plus, she'll give you recipes that make use of your scraps: preserve your lemon peels for extra flavor, create simple syrup from strawberry tops, and revive shriveled mushrooms. With a little work and Kathryn in your corner, you'll have the tools you need to reach the ultimate goal: no produce left behind!
Edited by Kate
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Eat Sleep Tantrum Repeat
A down-to-earth, actionable guide that culls through the chaos of information and misinformation into digestible, accessible chapters that balances proven science with the demands of being a busy new parent of toddler.
Congratulations! You’ve survived the first twelve months of parenthood, along with all the joys, worry, and sleep deprivation they bring. Welcome to the toddler years—and a whole new set of challenges.
From toilet training, picky eating, and naptime to separation anxiety, screen time, and (whisper it) tantrums, toddlerhood brings developmental milestones and decisions that can feel totally daunting, especially in this golden age of mommy bloggers, parenting podcasts, and fear-mongering posts. How can you feel confident and empowered in your choices when there is so much at stake?
As both an experienced pediatrician and a mother, Rebekah Diamond understands the need for a child rearing approach that keeps things simple, without sacrificing science or safety. Just as she did in her first book, Parent Like a Pediatrician, which focused on your baby’s first year, she cuts through the noise to tackle the wonders and hardships of raising a toddler. Instead of strict guidelines and overwhelming commands, Dr. Diamond offers advice that is medically sound, inclusive, and realistic for busy parents. There is no single “right” away to parent, but Eat Sleep Tantrum Repeat will show you how to create a way that is right for you and your child, and make these toddler years safe, science-approved, and joyful.Edited by Kate
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National Geographic World from Above
Go on a global aerial odyssey with this photographic compendium of more than 200 full-color images from on high, by the world's most innovative photographers at National Geographic.
See the world from a unique perspective with this gorgeous, oversized coffee table book--the perfect gift for lovers of art, nature, photography, and travel!
Join National Geographic on a world tour like no other, with over 200 exhilarating photographs that'll take you soaring above the colorful roofs of European cities, discovering the intricate patchwork of American cornfields, tracing the surprising silhouettes of tropical islands, and witnessing the startling intricacy of underwater anemones--all thanks to photographers who refocused their lenses, looking down.
This extraordinary collection contains:
- 4 sections exploring how these images from above speak to us through color, shape, texture, and scale.
- In-depth interviews with prestigious photographers showing how the artists climbed, flew, dug, or rocketed into space to capture their most impressive shots.
- Dedicated sidebars revealing how we have always experimented with top-down perspective, from ancient earthworks to modern drones.
Curated by acclaimed nature photographer and National Geographic explorer Jeffrey Kerby, every photo in World From Above offers a new way of looking at life on our planet.Edited by Kate
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Monet
A groundbreaking look at the life and art of one of the most influential, modern painters of the late nineteenth century and founder of the Impressionist movement
“Wullschläger emerges with a strikingly different picture of the artist. Passionate, prickly, edgy and unstable, her Monet, the unrecognizable Monet, is a powerful new character in art.” —The Sunday Times (London)
Drawing on thousands of never-before-translated letters and unpublished sources, this biography reveals dramatic new information about the life and work of one of the late nineteenth century’s most important painters. Despite being mocked at the beginning of his career, and living hand to mouth, Monet risked all to pursue his vision, and his early work along the banks of the Seine in the 1860s and ’70s would come to be revered as Impressionism. In the following decades, he emerged as its celebrated leader in one of the most exciting cultural moments in Paris, before withdrawing to his house and garden to paint the late Water Lilies, which were ignored during his lifetime and would later have a major influence on all twentieth-century painters both figurative and abstract.
This is the first time we see the turbulent life of this volatile and voracious man, who was as obsessed by his love affairs as he was by nature. He changed his art decisively three times when the woman at the center of his life changed; Wullschläger brings these unknown, passionate, and passionately committed women to the foreground. Monet's closest friend was Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau; strong intellectual currents connected him to writers from Zola to Proust, as well as to his friends Manet, Renoir, and Pissarro. Brilliant and absorbing, this biography will forever change our understanding of Monet's life and work.Edited by Kate
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Baking in the American South
Experience mouthwatering Southern baking--from humble home kitchens to innovative new Southern chefs. One of the world's richest culinary traditions comes to life through this essential cookbook from bestselling author Anne Byrn. With 200 recipes from 14 states and more than 150 photos, Baking in the American South has the biscuits, cornbread, cakes, and rolls that will help you bake like a Southerner, even if you aren't.
Recipes can tell you volumes if you pay attention--the crops raised, languages spoken, family customs, old world flavors, and, often, religion. Did you know that where a mill was located affected the recipes handed down from that area? Or that baking and selling pound cakes directly impacted the Civil Rights Movement? These stories and recipes, developed from good times and bad, have been collected and perfected over years and are now accessible to us all. Anne's expertise in assessing, modernizing, and developing well-written recipes makes this the definitive guide for bakers of all levels.
From-scratch, Southern classic recipes include:
- Thomasville Cheese Biscuits
- Ouita Michel's Sweet Potato Streusel Muffins
- Nina Cain's Batty Cakes with Lacy Edges
- The Best Lemon Meringue Pie
- Georgia Gilmore's Pound Cake
This fascinating dive into the history of 14 Southern states--Texas, Florida, Kentucky, and more--features stories and beautifully photographed recipes from pre-Civil War times to today's Southern kitchens. It's about the places, the people, the products and the culture of the moment that influenced what people baked. It's about African-American women and the monumental contributions they have made to the art of Southern baking, about home cooks and how they've kept traditions alive wherever they settle by baking family recipes each year for holidays and celebrations, and about the pastry chefs who have thoughtfully reimagined how the South bakes.
Experience the recipes and the stories behind them that showcase the substantial contributions Southern baking has made to American baking at large. Food historians, bakers, foodies, and cookbook collectors from every corner of the country will want this cookbook in their collections.
Edited by Kate
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The Day of the Dead
A tribute to Mexico’s most important holiday, this extraordinary and definitive volume documents the immense creativity displayed by this popular annual celebration.
While there have been other books about the Day of the Dead, most are long out of print and aridly academic. This book features both exceptional “traditional” Indigenous material—such as vibrant folk art and crafts, flamboyant costumes and masks, special food and drink—but also a much more funky, modern approach that blends lively music and dance, colorful parades, cutting-edge contemporary street art, and a festive atmosphere that engages all of the senses with handmade altars, flowers, painted skulls, toys, paintings, murals, and other art objects.
Featuring hundreds of specially commissioned photographs and voluminous in-depth research, the book is lavishly illustrated and designed with an aesthetic that draws on both traditional material as well as Mexico’s contemporary street art style. Blending visual elements inspired by the country’s pre-Hispanic heritage, European influences, and modern art trends, the book explores the evolution of the Day of the Dead and the special role it plays. This book is the definitive, authentic resource for all things Day of the Dead.Edited by Kate
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Every Way with Granny Crochet
Want the granny look but too hip to be square? This is the book is for you!
Most granny square books offer patterns for squares (and only squares), in one size only, using many different stitches. Every Way with Granny Crochet offers 50 fab shapes to crochet all using the classic 'granny' stitch. Think outside the box (or square, that is), grab your hook and create circles, stars, flowers and a bounty of geometric shapes.
With in-depth exploration of familiar granny stitch shapes and instructions for exclusive motifs not seen elsewhere, the shape section is an invaluable resource. Each granny pattern is provided in full written form as well as easy-to-follow visual charts suitable for crocheters at any level of experience.
Learn how to resize, customize and utilize the shapes to create your own original granny-gorgeous designs, from tiny ornaments to epic afghans. What's more, pairings are suggested to highlight which shapes work well together and spark inspiration for unique 'patchwork' crochet projects.
The finishing section walks you through multiple techniques to whip(stitch) your gorgeous grannies together or give them a finishing touch with clean and simple crochet borders. See all the grannies in action in the showcase sampler blanket, outlining how to use shapes and techniques from the book to create a graphic-granny showstopper!
Every Way with Granny Crochet is the go-to crochet stitch dictionary missing from your craft bookshelf and has what it takes to be a shelf staple to inspire crocheters for years to come.
Edited by Kate
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Puppy Kindergarten
The New York Times bestselling authors of The Genius of Dogs take us into their “Puppy Kindergarten” at Duke University, a center to study how puppies develop, to show us what goes in to raising a great dog.
Don’t miss Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods in Netflix’s film Inside the Mind of a Dog!
“A firehose of knowledge suffused with levity and charm.”—Alexandra Horowitz, author of Inside of a Dog
What does it take to raise a great dog? This was the question that husband-and-wife team Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods hoped to answer when they enrolled one hundred and one puppies in the Duke Puppy Kindergarten. With the help of a retired service dog named Congo, Brian, Vanessa, and their team set out to understand the secrets of the puppy mind: What factors might predict whether a puppy will grow up to change someone’s life?
Never has cuteness been so cutting edge. Applying the same games that psychologists use when exploring the development of young children, Hare and Woods uncover what happens in a puppy’s mind during their final stage of rapid brain development. Follow the adventures of Arthur, who makes friends with toy dinosaurs; Wisdom, the puppy genius; and Ying, who fails at cognitive games that even pigeons usually pass with flying colors. Along the way, learn about when puppies finally start to retain memories for longer than just a few seconds, or when they finally develop some self-control.
Raising dozens of puppies on a college campus means you get pretty good at answering big questions, such as: When do puppies sleep through the night? How do you stop them from eating poop? How can we help our puppies grow up to be the best dogs they can possibly be? Whether you are a new puppy parent or a perennial puppy lover, Puppy Kindergarten will answer every question you’ve ever had about puppies—and some you never thought to ask.Edited by Kate
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Family Handyman Handy Hints, Volume 2
A collection of easy tips, tricks and hacks from Family Handyman to help readers clean better, get organized, solve everyday problems around the house and more.
From the reader-favorite section in Family Handyman magazine comes Handy Hints. Inside, more than 200 reader-submitted tips save you time and money and solve problems around the house and garden — from hidden pipes to sagging shelves to stinky gym bags. You’ll find:
•Chapters of hints devoted to cleaning, maintenance, organization, safety and security, DIY tools and techniques, and everyday solutions to minor inconveniences around the home
•Projects to replace broken tile and build a storage lift for the garage
•Easy-to-understand instructions for each hint and accompanying photosEdited by Kate