Book Talk

December Update 

And I thought I was the one who came up with the saying “Always Follow the Elephants” based on elephant behavior before the devastating tsunamis in Indonesia. Many others noticed this too, and that led to a frequently asked question. Anahad O’Conner’s, Always follow the Elephants: More Surprising Facts and Misleading Myths about our Health and the World We Live In, answers that and more. Yes- elephants feel low level seismic tremors. Yes – double dipping transfers bacteria. Yes – eat hot peppers for your ulcers. Yes- chewing gum prevents heartburn. And the answer to a reference question I FAILED to answer 20 years ago, Yes- cold water boils faster than warm. 

Cherries in Winter by Suzan Colon was inspired by a job loss. Needing to cut back her spending Suzan followed her Mother’s advice and dug out her grandmother’s recipe book. What she found was more than recipes for food, she found recipes for living. And back then, frugality was a way of life. Nana’s secret for staying slim- eat half! - (of everything!)

If you find eating half an impossible rule to follow, read The End of Overeating: taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite by David A. Kessler. Kessler, former FDA commissioner explains how the food industry has made it almost impossible to people to just say no. The use of artificial flavors, scents and seasonings creates foods that don’t occur in nature, and stimulate appetites, rather than satisfying hunger.

Peter Rudiak-Gould wanted to get away from it all, so he moved to Ujae. On this atoll in the Marshall Islands, 2000 miles away from the nearest continent, he would spend a year teaching English. He learned as much as he taught from people who had been ground zero of America’s nuclear program, and now were caught in the clash between traditional society and modern. As climate change threatens this low lying island, Rudiak-Gould tells about Surviving Paradise. 

We all have our own ideas about what constitutes escape. For Julie Powell (Julie and Julia), it is apprenticing herself as a butcher. Torn between her husband and her lover she finds herself elbow deep in meat. Foodie alert! Read Cleaving: a Story of Marriage, Meat and Obsession. 

Fiction 

When satellite photos reveal long hidden ruins off the Spanish coast, linguist and archeologist, Thomas Lourds, knows that they must be the ruins of Atlantis. While he seeks to decipher the encryptions which will reveal the entrance to the city, he must battle a ruthless group inside the Vatican which believes the survival of the Catholic Church is threatened. Read the Atlantis Code by Charles Brokaw. 

Al Roker treds territory he knows well in The Morning Show Murders. When the head network executive of Wake Up America is murdered, Billy Blessing, cooking segment host falls under suspicion. Well yes, the exec was poisoned with coq au vin from Billy’s kitchen, but Billy knows he’s being set up, even as another murder occurs. 

Popular series, the Sisterhood by Fern Michaels has a new entry, Deadly Deals. Fulfilling a dream, with the help of a large fee, Rachel and Thomas Dawson adopt twins from their surrogate mother. Their hearts are broken when the mother re-appears demanding more money or the babies. And their lawyer? Nowhere to be found. This is just the kind of wrong the Sisterhood was formed to right. 

Virginia Cooper
Adult Services Librarian