Coop: A Year of Poultry, Pigs, and Parenting


Michael Perry - 2009
    "Beneath the flannel surface of this deer-hunting, truck-loving Badger is the soul of a poet." —Chicago TribuneYou'll find in this book a slender silver cord of smart contemplation about meaning and purpose." —Minneapolis Star Tribune"He's the real thing." —USA Today

Bobby Deen's Everyday Eats: 120 All-New Recipes, All Under 350 Calories, All Under 30 Minutes


Bobby Deen - 2014
    But he knows that with a busy lifestyle in and out of the kitchen, finding the time to make delicious, nourishing meals can be tough. Just because your schedule is overstuffed doesn’t mean your belly has to be. Now, in Bobby Deen’s Everyday Eats, Bobby helps you get a tasty and good-for-you dinner on the table in no time flat, with dozens of delectable recipes all under 350 calories and all prepared in less than 30 minutes.   Whether it’s salads and soups that make hearty suppers, lip-smacking dishes for midweek grilling, meatless main courses for watching your waistline, scrumptious sides for every season, or reduced-calorie sweet treats to cap off your meals, Bobby Deen’s Everyday Eats includes such satisfying recipes as   • Light and Easy Scallops and Grits • Deviled Egg Salad • Lightened-Up Beer Cheese Soup • Peachy Pulled BBQ Chicken • Mustard-Rubbed Flank Steak • Grilled Whole-Wheat Flatbreads • Shrimp Coconut Curry • Cajun Ratatouille Bake • Creamy Spinach Polenta • Hot Roasted Green Beans with Sweet Chili • Zucchini Corn Fritters • Strawberry Angel Food Cake • Lighter Chocolate-Mint Shakes • and so much more!   Bobby also serves up time- and money-saving tips for stocking your fridge and pantry, ideas for watching your calories when you go out to eat, and a weekly 1500-calorie-a-day menu plan that helps you pull it all together. He even includes nutritional information for each and every recipe. Bobby Deen’s Everyday Eats is the cookbook you’ll reach for night after night for meals that are quick, delicious, and best of all . . . good for you.

Ruth and Martin’s Album Club


Martin Fitzgerald - 2017
    Make them listen to it two more times. Get them to explain why they never bothered with it before. Then ask them to review it.What began as a simple whim quickly grew in popularity, and now Ruth and Martin’s Album Club has featured some remarkable guests: Ian Rankin on Madonna’s Madonna. Chris Addison on Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On. Brian Koppelman on The Smiths’ Meat is Murder. JK Rowling on the Violent Femmes’ Violent Femmes. Bonnie Greer on The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds. Martin Carr on Paul McCartney’s Ram. Brian Bilston on Neil Young’s Harvest. Anita Rani on The Strokes’ Is This It. Richard Osman on Roxy Music’s For Your Pleasure. And many, many more.Each entry features an introduction to each album by blog creator Martin Fitzgerald. What follows are delightful, humorous and insightful contributions from each guest as they have an album forced upon them and – for better or worse – they discover some of the world’s favourite music.Ruth and Martin’s Album Club is a compilation of some of the blog’s greatest hits as well as some exclusive material that has never appeared anywhere before. Throughout, we get an insight into why some people opt out of some music, and what happens when you force them to opt in.

The Jewel Garden


Sarah Don - 2012
     At the same time THE JEWEL GARDEN is the story of a creative partnership that has weathered the greatest storm, and a testament to the healing powers of the soil. In his weekly column for the Observer, Monty Don has always been candid about the garden's role in helping him to pull back from the abyss of depression; THE JEWEL GARDEN elaborates on this much further. Written in an optimistic, autobiographical vein, Monty and Sarah's story is truly an exploration of what it means to be a gardener.

Passalong Plants


Steve Bender - 1993
    These botanical heirlooms, such as flowering almond, blackberry lily, and night-blooming cereus, usually can't be found in neighborhood garden centers; about the only way to obtain a passalong plant is to beg a cutting from the fortunate gardener who has one. In this lively and sometimes irreverent book (don't miss the chapter on yard art), Steve Bender and Felder Rushing describe 117 such plants, giving particulars on hardiness, size, uses in the garden, and horticultural requirements. They present this information in the informal, chatty, and sometimes humorous manner that your next-door neighbor might use when giving you a cutting of her treasured Confederate rose. And, of course, because they are discussing passalong plants, they note the best method of sharing each plant with other gardeners. Because you might not spy a banana shrub or sweet pea in your neighborhood, the authors list mail-order sources for the heirloom plants described. They also give tips on how to organize your own plant swap. Although the authors live in and write about the South, many of the plants they discuss will grow elsewhere. from the book Amid the clamor of press releases touting the newest, improved versions of this bulb or that perennial, what keeps people interested in old-fashioned plants? Nostalgia, for one thing. It's hard not to feel a special fondness for that Confederate rose, night-blooming cereus, or alstroemeria lovingly tended by your grandmother when you were a child. Such heirloom plants evoke memories of your first garden, of relatives and neighbors that have since passed on, of prized bushes you accidentally annihilated with your bicycle. Recall the time you first received a particular plant, and you'll recall the person who gave it to you.

JoAnn and Vickie's Favorite Recipes


Gooseberry Patch - 2012
    From Jo Ann's Cowboy Cookies and Vickie's Tomato Pie to scrumptious Chicken Casserole Supreme and Comfort Corn Pudding, this new collection features 25 of Vickie and Jo Ann's most delicious recipes for sharing with family & friends!

Home Cooking for Your Dog: 75 Holistic Recipes for a Healthier Dog


Christine Filardi - 2013
    User-friendly, chop-licking recipes like Fido’s Fishcakes, Potluck Polenta, and Peanut Butter and Coconut Cakes call for healthy ingredients you can find in your local grocery store (or may already have at home) to create balanced, nutritious meals for a healthier, happier dog. Headnotes provide nutrition information, cooking tips, and anecdotes from the author about her own four dogs to help readers transition their dogs to a homemade diet. Illustrated with a combination of irresistible color photographs of dogs and humorous line art, the book is a must-have for dog owners everywhere. A portion of the proceeds will support animal rescue.

The Garden Primer


Barbara Damrosch - 1988
    The new edition has gone 100% organic, which in Barbara Damrosch's hands also means completely accessible. It reflects the latest research on plants, soils, tools, and techniques. There is updated and expanded information on planning a garden, recommended plants, and best tools. Ecological issues are addressed much more extensively, covering lawn alternatives, the benefits of native species, wildlife-friendly gardens, and how to avoid harmful invasive species. More attention is paid to plants appropriate to the South, Southwest, and West Coast, while cold-climate gardeners are given detailed advice on how to extend the growing season. Simply put, the book is a richer and fuller compendium than ever before, with more text, more illustrations and garden plans, expanded plant lists, and gardener's resources. But Barbara Damrosch's core of practical, creative ideas and friendly style remain—she is still an "old-fashioned dirt gardener" at heart.