The Future Is History: How Totalitarianism Reclaimed Russia


Masha Gessen - 2017
    Award-winning journalist Masha Gessen’s understanding of the events and forces that have wracked Russia in recent times is unparalleled. In The Future Is History, Gessen follows the lives of four people born at what promised to be the dawn of democracy. Each of them came of age with unprecedented expectations, some as the children and grandchildren of the very architects of the new Russia, each with newfound aspirations of their own–as entrepreneurs, activists, thinkers, and writers, sexual and social beings. Gessen charts their paths against the machinations of the regime that would crush them all, and against the war it waged on understanding itself, which ensured the unobstructed reemergence of the old Soviet order in the form of today’s terrifying and seemingly unstoppable mafia state. Powerful and urgent, The Future Is History is a cautionary tale for our time and for all time.

The Enigma of Japanese Power: People and Politics in a Stateless Nation


Karel Van Wolferen - 1989
    A full-scale examination of the inner workings of Japan's political and industrial system.

Butter: A Rich History


Elaine Khosrova - 2016
    Ubiquitous in the world’s most fabulous cuisines, butter is boss. Here, it finally gets its due. After traveling across three continents to stalk the modern story of butter, award-winning food writer and former pastry chef Elaine Khosrova serves up a story as rich, textured, and culturally relevant as butter itself. From its humble agrarian origins to its present-day artisanal glory, butter has a fascinating story to tell, and Khosrova is the perfect person to tell it. With tales about the ancient butter bogs of Ireland, the pleasure dairies of France, and the sacred butter sculptures of Tibet, Khosrova details butter’s role in history, politics, economics, nutrition, and even spirituality and art. Readers will also find the essential collection of core butter recipes, including beurre manié, croissants, pâte brisée, and the only buttercream frosting anyone will ever need, as well as practical how-tos for making various types of butter at home--or shopping for the best.

Everyday Drinking


Kingsley Amis - 1984
    A celebratory volume of writings by the late author of Lucky Jim includes favorite pieces on such topics as hangovers, food-and-drink combinations, and (presumably) how to avoid getting drunk, in a collection complemented by cocktail recipes.

Party Politics in America


Marjorie Randon Hershey - 1976
    It covers the historic 2008 Presidential campaign and election while looking ahead to assess what the shifting political winds have in store for the future of the major political parties and Americans' political views.

David Tanis Market Cooking: Recipes and Revelations, Ingredient by Ingredient


David Tanis - 2017
    Sections on universal ingredients—such as alliums (garlic, onion, shallots, leeks, etc.)—offer some of the simplest yet most satisfying recipes in the world. Consider the onion in these three marvelous incarnations: Lebanese Caramelized Onions, American Buttermilk Fried Onion Rings, and French Onion and Bacon Tart. And the chile section encourages readers to use real chiles (rather than reach for bottled hot sauce) on an everyday basis in recipes from Morocco to India, from Mexico to China, with wonderful results. A masterwork of recipes, approach, technique, and philosophy, David Tanis Market Cooking is as inspiring as it is essential. This is how to become a more intuitive and spontaneous cook. This is how to be more discerning in the market and freer in the kitchen. This is how to transform the freshest ingredients into one perfectly delicious dish after another, guided by the core beliefs that have shaped David Tanis’s incomparable career: Food doesn’t have to be fussy to be satisfying. Seasonal vegetables should be central to a meal. Working with food is a joy, not a chore.