Staff Recommendations
Sheryn Morris
Pages
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A year of last things : poems
by Ondaatje, Michael, 1943-
April 8, 2024
Call Number: 821 O575
Michael Ondaatje is first and foremost a poet whose insights, perceptions and writing style are evident, as well, in his prose. Generally he is well known for his historical novel, The English Patient, and the eponymous film. Even though the film differed, somewhat, from the novel, it was just as elegiacally beautiful and haunting in plot, photography and accompanying score. As I have stated before, “Poetry is the most intense and concentrated form of... Read Full Review
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Leave Me Alone With the Recipes: The Life, Art, and Cookbook of Cipe Pineles
March 28, 2024
Call Number: 641.594 L4395
The story of how this manuscript was found and eventually published is a serendipitous adventure, with many discoveries about the woman who created it and connections with some of the people who knew her. In 2013 Sarah Rich was at an exhibition of the California International Antiquarian Book Fair in San Francisco. It was a chilly, somewhat gloomy day, and the books on display seemed to mirror that atmosphere. All the book jackets were in muted, dull color tones until "The climactic moment of our visit to the fair could only be captured in the most brilliant hues, for the work we found that... Read Full Review
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Breaking through : my life in science
by Karikó, Katalin
March 4, 2024
Call Number: 574.19092 K183
Katalin Karikó shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2023, with Drew Weissman “for their discoveries concerning base modifications that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19." Her journey to this achievement could not have been predicted by her, or by anyone else. Her life and work are remarkable in many ways that she recounts in this warm, insightful memoir, sometimes told with wry, humorous asides. The inspiration for the book is “a long-belated thank-you [to] all my teachers from my earliest days in Hungary right through to the world-renowned... Read Full Review
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Tanya Holland's California Soul: Recipes From a Culinary Journey West
by Holland, Tanya
February 27, 2024
Call Number: 641.59794 H737-1
In her cookbook/memoir/history Tanya Holland organizes recipes in four chapters arranged by the seasons (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter), preceded with a lovely foreward by Alice Walker. In the introduction the successful American chef, restaurateur, podcaster, writer and cookbook author states, “I claim it all,” Black, African American, from the African diaspora, descended from enslaved people “brought to this country by Europeans. Americans have been and still are all on the journey together. And as an African American woman, the contributions that my ancestors made to what Americans eat... Read Full Review
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Walk through fire
by Johnson, Sheila, 1949-
February 13, 2024
Call Number: 658.31242 J69
Sheila Johnson has had an exceptionally rewarding personal and professional life, overcoming many obstacles that would have discouraged and leveled many other people. All her life, from the time she was very young, Sheila Johnson has worked steadily and relentlessly. Among her many accomplishments are: co-founder of BET (Black Entertainment Television); the first African American woman billionaire; the only Black woman to be the co-owner of three professional sports teams; and the founder of Salamander Hotels and Resorts. The pathways to those signal achievements are part of her... Read Full Review
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How not to be a politician : a memoir
by Stewart, Rory
January 31, 2024
Call Number: 320.942 S851
Both the title and book jacket of Rory Stewart's political memoir are ironic. The title because it is emblematic of Rory Stewart’s sincere attempts to make a difference, domestically and internationally, by entering British politics, in which he was frequently confounded by the motivational tactics of other politicians. It was very easy for that to happen because elected officials, to whom he was obligated, frequently changed political positions in mid-sentence. If the intricacies of American congressional politics are confusing, well British parliamentary ways and means are even more so.... Read Full Review
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But will you love me tomorrow? : an oral history of the '60s girl groups
by
January 22, 2024
Call Number: 789.1 B9835
You know the melodies, the tunes, the lyrics, the remixes because you have heard them, and you do hear them everywhere: the radio, piped-in in stores, online, e-media, movies … Sometimes it’s just the music, sometimes it's the music and the lyrics. There is a certain brightness, rhythm, saucy innuendo in the lyrics or titles, and often some irreverence in the vocal interpretation by those female singers, all in harmony, singing those unforgettable songs. The book's title is the title of a song, "But will you love me tomorrow?" which was controversial in its day, 1961, because it raised all... Read Full Review
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Oh, la la! : homegrown stories, helpful tips, and garden wisdom
by Morris, Ciscoe
January 2, 2024
Call Number: 716 M875
Although it might not be apparent from his off-beat, congenial stories and stretched-to-the-limit puns, Ciscoe Morris is an expert gardener, whose inordinate enthusiasm and expertise has created a loyal following. He is well known in the northwest with his weekly radio program on KSQM 91.5, and according to his website gives over 50 garden presentations a year. He and his wife also love to travel and lead worldwide garden tours, as well as embark on their own adventurous junkets, such as a 360-mile hiking trek in France. Their 1,000-mile biking trip in France became the source of his well-... Read Full Review
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The World Central Kitchen Cookbook: Feeding Humanity, Feeding Hope
by Andrés, José
December 26, 2023
Call Number: 641.59 A561
Chef José Andrés tells us, “This book is dedicated to everyone who understands the power of a hot meal in a time of need.”This is the first cookbook from the World Central Kitchen, aka the WCK. The organization was the inspiration of José Andrés, professional chef and humanitarian. “Since 2010 the World Central Kitchen has cooked hundreds of millions of fresh, nourishing meals for people impacted by natural disasters and other crises." In this book the WCK shares recipes inspired by many global areas where disasters hit, and stories from chefs, volunteers and the communities that were... Read Full Review
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Camera girl : the coming of age of Jackie Bouvier Kennedy
by Anthony, Carl Sferrazza
December 11, 2023
Call Number: 92 O575An-1
As First Lady of the United States (1961 - 1963), then as the wife of one of the world’s richest men (1968 - 1975), until the time of her death in 1994, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis was among the most photographed and well known women in the world. But did the world really know that much about this enigmatic woman, who became an international celebrity? In a 1972 interview she stated,“People often forget that I was Jacqueline Bouvier, before being Mrs. Kennedy or Mrs. Onassis. Throughout my life I have tried to remain true to myself.” In this new biography Carl Sferrazza... Read Full Review
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George : a magpie memoir
by Hughes, Frieda
December 6, 2023
Call Number: 598.864 H893
In the prologue to this memoir Frieda Hughes says, “The things I longed for, other than health, happiness and wealth, probably in that order, were plants, pets, and a home of my own that I would never have to move from. The plants and pets were the embellishment and confirmation of the permanent home and, therefore, the sense of stability and belonging that I craved.”From her earliest memories, as a very young child, she craved and yearned for a stable permanent home, which for most of her life she did not have. She had a family, but they were never in one physical location for any length of... Read Full Review
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Seed to plate, soil to sky : modern plant-based recipes using Native American ingredients
by Frank, Lois Ellen
November 7, 2023
Call Number: 641.63 F828
Lois Ellen Frank is the Chef and owner of Red Mesa Cuisine, where she cooks and works with Chef Walter Whitewater. In this book she highlights basic indigenous foods: corn, beans, squash, chiles, tomatoes, potatoes, vanilla and cacao as starting points for scrumptious modern recipes. She refers to these ingredients as “the Magic Eight, [that] were given to the world by Native Peoples of the Americas. Part of Red Mesa Cuisine’s mission is to provide Indigenous foods and cultural education. We like to call it Native American Cuisine with a modern twist.” Pause for more than a few... Read Full Review