Books to Note for Winter Reading by Janice Clauser

The Crawfordsville Library staff wishes everyone a happy holiday, while the building will be closed December 24^th, 25^th, and 26^th.   

 

         

 

 

 

 

 

New history books continually add to our cultural knowledge. Peter Ackroyd’s “Foundation” presents the history of England, from its earliest beginnings to the Tudor period with special pages like beautiful colored plates from Stonehenge and a dynasty poster showing the Rose of Tudor which incorporated the white rose of Yorkshire within the red rose of Lancashire. “The Founders and Finance” by Thomas McCraw reviews how Alexander Hamilton, Albert Gallatin, and other immigrants forged a new economy, solving the fiscal crisis of their time, and setting the U. S. on a path to long-term economic success. 

 

 

           

 

 

 

 

            In March and April of 1944, Gestapo gunmen killed fifty POWS – a brutal act in defiance of international law and the Geneva Convention. “Human Game” by Simon Read is the true tale of the men who hunted them down. “500 Days” is Kurt Eichenwald’s revelation of secrets and lies in the terror wars; he recounts the days after 9/11, and his story is a gripping page-turner read. As an actress in Hollywood, Jayne Larson needed a job, so she became a limousine driver for the Saudi royal family vacationing in Beverly Hills. She describes her eye-opening adventures as the only female in a detail of over 40; she was assigned to chauffeur a princess and her family and entourage. Her title is “Driving the Saudis.” 

            Nolo’s “Becoming a U.S. Citizen” is a guide to the law, exam, and interview. It shows how to fill out the forms, study for the exam, and interview successfully. The author is Ilona Bray.

 

 

             

 

 

 

 

 

            Kenny Rogers’ “Luck or Something Like It” is the memoir of his lifelong journey to become one of American music’s elder statesmen, creating hit records while staying true to his values as a performer and a person. “Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story” is Arnold Schwarzenegger’s own life adventure with his theme-song of keeping growing and making new contributions.

            “Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair with Trash” by Edward Humes analyzes the 7.1 pounds a day, 102 tons across a lifetime the American presently throws away, and he  asks “Are we China’s trash compactor or will the country pioneer a new and less wasteful path?” Brene Brown offers “Daring Greatly” telling how the courage to be vulnerable transforms the way we live, love, parent, and lead. In “Change Your Words, Change Your Life” Joyce Meyer writes that she believes our words can increase or decrease our level of joy, affecting the answers to our prayers, and having a positive or negative effect on our future. Jim Cymbala offers “Spirit Rising” about tapping into the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

 

           

 

 

 

 

            Two books about eating look helpful. First, “The Food and Feasts of Jesus” take us inside the world of first-century fare, with menus and recipes by Douglas Neel and Joel Pugh (like always - appreciated stuffed dates, split with the stone removed, filled with cream cheese and an almond sliver).  The second is “Hunt, Gather, Cook: Finding the Forgotten Feast” by Hank Shaw who doesn’t ask us to forgo the supermarket, but does ask us to make more meals from basic ingredients, not prepackaged foods, because “honest food need not be wild, but it must be made by hand and with love.”