Since many community events are canceled or postponed, you might have more free time during these spring months. So why not grab a book and head outside to lounge in the sun? Here are some reads the Upper Arlington Public Library recommends.
Adult Reads
Salt. Fat. Acid. Heat.
by Samin Nosrat.
Salt. Fat. Acid. Heat. is not a typical cookbook by standards of other cookbooks. With cover to cover recipes, brief anecdotes and alluring photos of prepared dishes, Samin Nosrat's book manages to elevate you beyond copying someone’s recipe. Instead, it focuses on mastering cooking and creating better meals, from scratch. Salt. Fat. Acid. Heat. is akin to a portable cooking class, with plenty of recipes, but even more methodologies, techniques, and tips for why the recipes work and how you can complement and improve your own cooking.
Feeding the Whole Family: Cooking with Whole Foods: More than 200 Recipes for Feeding Babies, Young Children, and Their Parents
by Cynthia Lair
Cynthia Lair’s classic cookbook has been the source for parents looking to cook healthy meals for the entire family for more than 15 years. Newly updated with 200 recipes, this edition teaches the basics of a balanced whole-foods diet, from grains and beans to meat, dairy, fruits and vegetables. Her section on cooking for babies is excellent for early healthy eaters and provides nourishing meals for little ones.
The Keto Sheet Pan Cookbook
by Sarah Anne Jones
Ketogenic eating restricts carbohydrate in your diet which may burn fat, naturally suppress the appetite, lower blood sugar and improve energy. These keto-friendly recipes are both simple and delicious, and perfect for busy weeknight cooking. Plus, clean-up is a breeze, only one sheet pan!
Nutrition in Crisis
by Richard David Feinman, PhD
Almost every day it seems a new study is published that shows you are at risk for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or death due to something you’ve just eaten for lunch. Many of us no longer know what to eat or who to believe. Entertaining, informative and irreverent, Feinman paints a broad picture of the nutrition world. Whether it’s the beauty of the underlying biochemistry, the embarrassing failures of the medical establishment, the preeminence of low-carbohydrate diets for weight loss, diabetes and other metabolic diseases, this book is a useful resource. Other discussions talk about what’s wrong with the constant reports that the foods we’ve been eating for centuries represent a threat rather than a source of pleasure
Kid Reads
Octopus Stew
by Eric Velásquez
Ramsey thought it was just another day with his grandmother while they ate her infamous octopus stew, but when the octopus grows to gigantic proportions and captures his grandma, Ramsey will put on his cape and rescue his grandma super-hero style. Velásquez does an excellent job weaving traditional storytelling with gorgeous illustrations creating a wonderful story you’ll want to share with your family. Ages 5 and Up.
You Are My Friend
by Aimee Reid
Learn more about the iconic television host Fred Rogers in this picture book biography. You’ll learn about Fred’s childhood, his first television job and the classic children’s show Mister Roger’s Neighborhood. At the end, readers will come away with a renewed sense of kindness and gentility that Mister Rogers was so great at spreading.
Planet Earth is Blue
by Nicole Panteleakos
Twelve-year-old Nova is excited because soon the space shuttle Challenger will be launched into space with the very first teacher inside. Nova is also excited because that’s the day her older sister, Bridget, will come back for her. In the meantime, Nova has found herself once again living with a new foster family and starting a new school, but this time it’s different. While past families and teachers have thought Nova could never learn because she’s autistic and nonverbal, her new family starts to see what Bridget always has—that “she’s a thinker not a talker.” Readers who love The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise and The Bridge Home will also enjoy this hopeful and inspiring story.
