New Non-Fiction Hitting the Shelves

Here is a selection of new non-fiction titles that have recently hit our shelves:

The Homemade Kitchen: Recipes for Cooking With Pleasure by Alana Chernila. Beautifully photographed cookbook that encompasses from scratch pantry items to dinner dishes.


Infectious Madness: The Surprising Science of How We "Catch" Mental Illness by Harriet A. Washington. Examines the connection between our bodies' affect on our brain and mental health.

My Old Dog: Rescued Pets with Remarkable Second Acts by Laura T.
Coffey. First off, how can you resist this book cover? You can't. And the inside is just as sweet. If you love animals, not just dogs, you'll enjoy this quick read.

Near and Distant Neighbors: A New History of Soviet Intelligence by Jonathan Haslam. "A uniquely comprehensive and rich account of the Soviet intelligence services," according to the book jacket. For the Russian history or spy enthusiasts among us.

Works Well with Others: An Outsider's Guide to Shaking Hands, Shutting Up, Handling Jerks, and Other Crucial Skills in Business That No One Ever Teaches You by Ross McCammon. Who couldn't use help with deciphering others?

Write Back Soon!: Adventures in Letter Writing by Karen Benke. This book celebrates hand-written letters with trivia, ways to help you begin anew with this lost art, tips and more.

Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking by Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook. Packed with photos (including some how-to photos) this cookbook would help you expand your ethnic dish repertoire.

New Non-Fiction

Here's a sampling of some new non-fiction book hitting our shelves:

Arts & Crafts: Living With the Arts & Crafts Style by Judith Miller. A photographic look at the wares of famous Arts & Crafts makers, from Grueby to Tiffany to Oakes.



Hand Made Baking: Recipes to Warm the Heart by Kamran Siddiqi. Perfect recipes for a cold winter night, with gorgeous photos help you along the way.


 It's What I Do: A Photographer's Life of Love and War by Lynsey Addario. Memoir of a female war photographer (who has been kidnapped twice).


Journeys Home: Inspiring Stories, Plus Tips & Strategies to Find Your Family History. Those interested in travel and/or genealogy will want to check this out. Includes an entry by Andrew McCarthy, the 80s "Brat Pack" actor. Lots of nice photos.


Sapiens: A Brief History of Mankind by Yuval Noah Harari. It's kind of amazing that this book is only 443 pages, although it does say "brief."


Selected Letters of Langston Hughes, edited by Arnold Rampersad and David Roessel with Christa Fratantoro. Letters of the famous 20th century poet. Presented chronologically by decade.


This Is What You Just Put In Your Mouth?: From Eggnog to Beef Jerky, the Surprising Secrets of What's Inside Everyday Products by Patrick Di Justo. Ignorance is bliss, right? After you read this, you might change your mind about some of the products you consume.

New Non-Fiction

A selection of the newest non-fiction titles to hit our shelves:

The 40s: The Story of a Decade, from the New Yorker. Compilation of pieces, even criticism, that ran in the New Yorker during the 40s. This would be a nice view of the decade for those of us who weren't living at the time (ahem). Find it in the catalog!

Joe and Marilyn: Legends in Love by C. David Heymann. Biography of the unlikely couple, Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe. Find it in the catalog!

Letters of Note: An Eclectic Collection of Correspondence Deserving of a Wider Audience, compiled by Shaun Usher. Includes many images of the originals (handwritten postcard, typed letter, etc.). Spans history and cultures to present interesting letters by people of note. Find it in the catalog!

Off the Leash: A Year at the Dog Park by Matthew Gilbert. For dog lovers - an observation on the "dog park subculture," which I wasn't aware even existed. Find it in the catalog!

One-Hour Cheese: Ricotta, Mozzarella, Chèvre, Paneer--even Burrata. Fresh and Simple Cheeses You Can Make in An Hour or Less by Claudia Lucero. It begins with basics such as pantry staples and equipment for making cheese. Chock full of photos to help along the way. Find it in the catalog!

Price of Fame: The Honorable Clare Boothe Luce by Sylvia Jukes Morris. Biography of renaissance woman Luce, a playwright and screenwriter who became a congresswoman and the first American woman foreign ambassador. Find it in the catalog!

Supersuvivors: The Surprising Link Between Suffering and Success by David B. Feldman and Lee Daniel Kravetz. Highlights people who have rebounded from traumatic events to accomplish great things, not just survive. Find it in the catalog!

The Zhivago Affiar: The Kremlin, the CIA, and the Battle Over a Forbidden Book by Peter Finn and Petra Couvee. Part classic Russian literature history, part Cold War history, and part censorship history. Which all means it was difficult to assign a Dewey number. Find it in the catalog!

Good Mail Day

Good Mail Day: A Primer for Making Eye-Popping Postal Art by Jennie Hinchcliff and Carolee Gilligan Wheeler NEW NON-FICTION (FAMILY) 709.04 HIN Find it in the catalog!

"Read me the letter, baby, do not leave out the words."
-- Pete Yorn, "Strange Condition"

Letters. Cards. Postcards. Correspondence. I love mail. I obsess over creating cards and writing letters. I love surprising friends and family with mail and I love looking in the mailbox and finding something hand-addressed to me. This does not happen too often lately, as people prefer to use email, Facebook, or even texting over "snail mail." Well, I consider snail mail to be awesome mail! Read the book Good Mail Day and you too will see the awesome possibilities of what you can send someone in the mail. Don't use the excuse that you're too busy to write letters. Even a short, handwritten note or postcard sent to someone in the mail will most likely totally brighten his or her day.

Not only will this book motivate you to write a letter, but it will also motivate you to recycle everyday items (even trash) while making something creative at the same time. According to Hinchcliff and Wheeler the First Commandment of Mail Art is "Thou shalt not feel the need for fancy-pants supplies and equipment." The authors provide many colorful examples of hand illustrated envelopes and mail art and share creative ideas like making a "transit map" on a plane or bus trip or gathering materials from a walk around the block to create mail art. Included in the book is an envelope template you can copy and then trace to create your own envelopes.

Click below to see a few examples of what I was inspired to make: