Title: The Playful Brain: The Surprising Science of How Puzzles Improve Your Mind

Author: Richard Restak, M.D., with puzzles by Scott Kim

Publisher: Riverhead Books, December 2010

Summary: Did you ever look at a word puzzle and think, “I could never solve that in a million years!” Are you a whiz with crossword puzzles? Do expert Sudoku puzzles bore you, or do they frustrate you? Maybe Tetris is more your style? This book explains puzzles, how your mind works to solve them, and the lasting effects on the brain they can have by working on them – even possibly staving off mental deterioration as we age. Details include why and how our minds work, and puzzles that can help strengthen the different parts of your memory follow many of the discussions. The authors also provide explanations, tips, tricks and clues on how to solve all the puzzles, so if you’re curious to know how to be better at word games, or number games, or any other game, definitely pick this one up. The technical details are broken down into basic terms, so you can save your brain energy for the puzzles and tests throughout the book instead.

Who will like this book? People who enjoy puzzles, or maybe need some extra tips. People who are interested in psychology and how our brains work.

Recommended by: Merry, Webmaster

Look like a book you’d like to read? Click here to enter our catalog and place a hold!

Title: The Woman Who Fell from the Sky: An American Journalist in Yemen

Author: Steil, Jennifer.

Publisher: Broadway May, 2010

Summary: Journalist Jennfier  Steil,  at the age of 37, unattached and unsatisfied with her work in New York, flew off to Yemen  to teach journalism at the Yemen Observer, an English language newspaper in Sanaa.   The three week position transitioned into a one year stay as she assumed the position of editor, but not the title as it is illegal for foreigners to run a Yemeni newspaper.  

Steil finds herself teaching the importance of accuracy and objectivity in reporting, almost unknown to most of the men who are often busy chewing khat, a legal substance in Yemen, and to the few young women hidden beneath burkas.  Although the staff is receptive to her teaching, there is a clash of cultures as she tries to instill in the men the importance of turning in assignments on time, and must make exceptions for the women who need to be home before dark.  She eventually forms very close friendships with some of the female employees, and even chews khat with the men and their families. 

Needless to say, this is one very adventuresome woman!   Accustomed to hanging out at bars and flirting with strangers in New York, she needs to adjust to life in a poor Islamic society.  And adjust she does –  learning enough Arabic to get around the beautiful city of Sanaa on her own,  sleeping on the floor at times, tasting new foods,  avoiding  the gaze of men on the narrow city streets, and risking danger travelling in the countryside.   This is a book for those who love reading about other cultures.

Recommended by : Paula, Reference Librarian

Click here to visit our catalog to find more information and put the book on hold!

Title: The Gourmet Cookie Book: The Single Best Recipe From Each Year 1941-2009 and Chewy, Gooey, Crispy, Crunchy Melt in Your Mouth Cookies 

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, November 2010 and Artisan, November 2010

Author: Gourmet Magazine and Alice Medrich

Summary: Two great new cookie books – just in time for holiday baking. 

Many people who bake for the holidays understand the role tradition plays in cookie selection.  If I don’t include almond cookies, butter cookies decorated with red and green sprinkles, peanut butter blossoms, molasses crinkles and the traditional chocolate chip on my cookie platters I’ll probably hear about it.  So don’t neglect the favorites, but these wonderful books will inspire you to try a few new recipes that might become next years asked for cookie. 

The Gourmet Cookie Book offers up the “best” recipe each year from 1941-2009.  I would have loved to have been on that selection committee. 

According to Gourmet, Speculaas, baked in the Netherlands for centuries were left in the fields as offerings to the gods to ensure a good harvest. A cross between a spice cookie and a shortbread I think this will definitely find its way onto my list of holiday cookies.

It’s fascinating to see how the presentation of the recipe evolves over the years.  The earlier recipes read like someone transcribed their grandmother’s directions as she was explaining how to make the cookie. It wasn’t until 1982 that Gourmet started to separate the list of ingredients from the instructions and not until 1984 were the ingredients presented in the shopping list format that we’re used to today. 

Each recipe is accompanied by a picture of what you’d like your cookie to look like when you’re done. Chewy,Gooey, Crispy, Crunchy Melt in Your Mouth Cookies organizes the recipes by texture. I skipped immediately to gooey and can say that the cocoa brownies are most excellent. I received no complaints from my test group – my fellow co-workers who are always ready to help out.  But seriously, if you’re giving away baked goods they have to be truly awful for people to complain so it’s kind of tough to judge based on that. Next on my list of recipes to try out – the Chocolate Pudding Bars. 

Alice Medrich has written a number of cookbooks and you can view her blog at http://alicemedrich.blogspot.com.  Read the introduction and User’s Guide in Chewy Gooey.  She gives some excellent advice – especially if you really do want your cookie to not only taste good but also look like the cookies in the pictures.

Both books were on my holiday wish list, but I can’t wait that long so I’ll be placing my order this week.

Here’s an idea – give one, or both, of these books as early holiday gifts for someone on your list who loves to bake.  Give them with book marks - to mark the pages of one of the many recipes that I’m sure you’d like to try.  You might luck out and get back a cookie platter that you probably won’t want to share. 

Recommended by: Sue D’Anum, staff member

The White Cascade: The Great Northern Railway Disaster and America’s Deadliest Avalanche

Author: Gary Krist

Publisher: Henry Holt, 2008

Summary: It never occurred to me to read this fascinating book until I met the author. In 1910, in the Cascade Mountains of Washington State, two Great Northern Railway trains, one carrying mail and one carrying passengers, became trapped in a blizzard never before seen in these mountains. Parked precariously between a mountainside and a steep ravine and under constant threat of avalanches, the terrified passengers watched as 30 feet of snow fell burying the trains in drifts. Despite desperate attempts to clear the tracks of snow slides, no help arrived in time. After nearly a week, on March 1 at 1am, while most passengers and railroad employees slept, an avalanche swept nearly 100 of them to their deaths. Gary Krist, a historian, meticulously researched the tragedy through telegrams, journals, letters, and court records. He intersperses the personal stories with details of snow clearing capabilities in those days and railroad history. Even though, we know the outcome from the beginning, the personal stories and the monumental attempts at rescue held my interest throughout.

 If you like this, try this: Isaac’s Storm by Erik Larson 

Recommended by: Paula, Reference Librarian

Title: How To Disappear. Erase your Digital Footprint, Leave False Trails, and Vanish Without a Trace

 Author: Frank M. Ahearn

Publisher: Lyons Press, Sep 2010

Summary: The author of this book used to be a “skip tracer”, which is a person who tracks people by uncovering private information.  He or she will find jailbirds, subpoenaed witnesses, and anybody else, including movie stars, who are trying to hide.  The reason why this former profession is so important is that Mr. Ahearn knows how to obtain information on just about anybody– and in this book he describes exactly where and how he can do it.  You may ask yourself why you should care?  Who would want to find out about me?  It is important to know that your personal information is a valuable commodity, no matter who  you are.

You will be surprised to learn some of the most fruitful sources of information are real live customer service representatives:  the author says that with charm and pretext, he can get just about any information that he needs.   Ahearn also names utility companies and cable TV companies as a valuable repository of customer information and easy to infiltrate.  (In one instance, he pretended to be a repair person for a cable company and called in requesting a telephone number of a customer who needed service–the number was promptly provided. ) 

And as you may have guessed, social networks and viral media are privacy’s worst enemies.
The use of credit cards leaves a long trail information.  According to the author, other rich sources of  personal information are phone companies, cellular companies, Video rental stores, banks, magazine subscription services, and frequent flier accounts!

If you are curious about what sort of information is out there (other than googling) on you, take a look at Zabasearch, which is known as the skip tracers promised land. I did not want to pay the $10 to see what else they had about me, but someone might.   While I personally do not need to or want to disappear, I have become uncomfortable about my personal security.  This book is not a complete “how to” on how to protect yourself from identity theft, but it is an short and easy read that will have you thinking of being less casual with your personal information.

Recommended by: Susan Z., Reference Librarian

Title: Stolen Innocence

Author: Elissa Wall

Publisher: William Morrow, May 2008

Summary: Elissa Wall’s heartbreaking memoir chronicles her life in- and eventual abandonment of- the FLDS church, a polygamist sect of Mormons living in Utah under Warren Jeffs. Elissa’s entire life she has been taught that the only way to get into Heaven is to obey Warren Jeffs (and any other man) without question, get rid of anything the Lord does not approve of (including classical music, friends, and books), and most of all, by “keeping sweet”. As Elissa grows older her family is torn apart by a series of shocking events, including a number of brothers and sisters abandoning their faith.

Elissa Wall’s story will not only shock readers, but keep them in awe throughout the entire book. As frustrating as it can be, the reader feels deep compassion for a young woman caught up in a life of systematic bullying and brainwashing. The book also mentions another prominent family in the FLDS, the Jessops- Carolyn later went on to write her own memoir.

Who will like this book?: People who enjoy memoirs or biographies. Those who are interested in other religions or who would like to know more about the FLDS.

If you like this, read this: Triumph or Escape by Carolyn Jessop, The Lonely Polygamist by Udall

Recommended by: LB, Circulation Assistant

Title: Babushka’s Beauty Secrets: Old World Tips for a Glamorous New You 

Author: Raisa Ruder and Susan Campos

Publisher: Wellness Central, June 2010

Summary: Today, spa-owner Raisa Ruder is a renowned celebrity esthetician in Los Angeles, but she was born in the Ukraine and learned by the side of her grandmother, or Babushka, who created beauty treatments out of the simplest ingredients available. Part of Ruder’s popularity is her reliance on many of these same ‘recipes,’ and in this charming, easy-to-follow instructional book, she shares them with everyone.

The formulas are basic and easy to assemble with a minimum of time and equipment – the most complicated tool needed is a blender. Ruder provides recipes to create a natural – and comparatively inexpensive – version of every type of beauty product imaginable, from an eyelash lengthener to body scrubs to foot treatments. This book is a great choice for people looking to downsize their beauty and cosmetics budget or for planning a ‘girls night in.’ Ruder gets my vote of confidence: She includes instructions for boosting your hair’s natural shine and highlights with beer – something that I learned when I was little from my own grandma!

If you like this, try this: Return to Beauty by Narine Nikogosian. The Beauty Cookbook by Kym Douglas.

Recommended by: Nicole, Teen Librarian

Title: Fire Your Doctor!

Author:  Andrew Saul, Ph.D.

Publisher: Basic Health Publications, December 2005

Summary: I first learned about Andrew Saul when I watched the movie Food Matters. He is somewhat of an authority on orthomolecular medicine (nutrition therapy). He brings 30 years of experience researching non-medicinal options to many common ailments into all of his books. He is a bit snarky with a wry sense of humor which makes reading about health, nutrition and mega-doses of vitamins something you won’t just put back on the shelf and forget about. After finishing Fire Your Doctor! I moved on to an earlier book of his with similar information; Doctor Yourself. One of the things I like about his writing style and the style of the movie Food Matters is they don’t try to scare you into eating healthily. They present solid facts about what you SHOULD be eating and why and leave the rest up to you. He is very proud of the fact that he raised two children from birth through college age without even one dose of antibiotics! Want to know how they did that or more about him or his books? Visit his website: www.doctoryourself.com and look up an ailment of your own, a friend or family member.

Recommended by: Jim S., Systems Administrator

Title:  Let’s Take the Long Way Home

Author:  Gail Caldwell

Publisher:  Random House, 2010

“It’s an old, old story: I had a friend and we shared everything, and then she died and so we shared that, too.”  So begins Gail Caldwell’s devastatingly beautiful memoir about her soul-deep friendship with writer Caroline Knapp, who died from lung cancer at the age of 42.  It is a true privilege to bear witness to the relationship that develops between these two women.  It’s seems as though they were twins, separated at birth, twins whose lives had unknowingly taken eerily similar paths – successful writing careers, alcoholism, canine companions, a love of watersports – only to be reunited in a friendship that completes them both.

At the heart of their friendship are the dogs, Lucille and Clementine – it’s during hours-long walks through the woods with them that Gail and Caroline begin and build their relationship. It’s not hard to believe, then, that Caroline’s spirit is summoned when the woods become a dark place during a particularly terrifying event for Gail and Clementine, coming to their aid.

Whenever we open our hearts to love, we know that we’re also making ourselves vulnerable to the pain of loss.  The story of this “pack of four” is an elegant reminder of why we take the plunge again and again.

If you like this try: “Drinking: A Love Story” and “Pack of Two” by Caroline Knapp

Title: Without a Map: A Memoir

Author: Meredith Hall

Publisher: Beacon, April 2007

Summary:  If you think you had problems as a teen, try finding yourself pregnant at 16, being disowned by your family, and shunned by everyone in your community.  This memoir takes place in the 1960’s in a small New Hampshire town.   Hall’s parents are divorced.  She is sent away from her family, friends, and school to live with her father and stepmother where she is basically ostracized in an attempt to hide her pregnancy.  She is forced to give up the baby and then spends her early adulthood wandering and longing for the baby she gave up and the parents who betrayed her.

 She eventually reconnects with her son when he is a young adult, but it is bittersweet as he has been adopted by a family who lived in poverty and had abused him.  Hall ultimately helps to care for her aging parents, offering them what they were never able to offer her.  She is brutally honest in recalling her life.  She takes responsibility for her mistakes.  Hers is a story about hope, survival, and finding forgiveness.

 Recommended by: Barbara, Head of Children’s Services