LibraryAware August 2025

Books You Might Have Missed

Make it meatless : 100 "meaty" recipes that taste just like the real thing
by Shreya Walia

The author uses new techniques and unique ingredients such as lion's mane, banana blossom, and king oyster mushrooms (no processed meat substitutes here!) to recreate not only the appearance but also the texture of fish, chicken, pork, and beef, in over 100 plant-based recipes.

I don't believe in astrology : a therapist's guide to the life-changing wisdom of the stars
by Debra Silverman

"An accessible guide to the life-changing benefits of astrology by renowned psychotherapist and astrologer, Debra Silverman. In a chaotic, confusing, and divisive world, Debra Silverman introduces astrology as the medicine for accepting our human nature--its idiosyncrasies and dilemmas. Through an application of both therapy and astrology, this breakthrough guide equips readers with tools that release self-judgment, inner criticism, negativity, and misunderstanding. Every sign struggles with psychological issues. Understanding the unique topics relative to your sign, it's no surprise you are quirky. Learning how to accept who you are and love yourself unconditionally through the lens of astrology is at the heart of this book. Debra Silverman teaches you how to step away from the struggle of your ego and see yourself with the calm objectivity of your soul. You will learn to love what you see-not just your best qualities but everything about you. She shows you how to aim for the high road of your personality. Most of all, you will cultivate compassion for all the other signs in the zodiac. Learn the meaning of the sun, moon, rising sign, Mercury, and Saturn. Using Debra's method combining the wisdom of astrology and psychology, readers will remember the truth of their soul's expression, seen through the eyes of self-love"

Slither : how nature's most maligned creatures illuminate our world
by Stephen S. Hall

"For millennia, depictions of snakes as alternatively beautiful and menacing creatures have appeared in religious texts, mythology, poetry, and beyond. From the foundational deities of ancient Egypt to the reactions of squeamish schoolchildren today, it is a historically commonplace belief that snakes are devious, dangerous, and even evil. But where there is hatred and fear, there is also fascination and reverence. How is it that creatures so despised and sinister, so foreign of movement and ostensibly devoid of sociality and emotion, have fired the imaginations of poets, prophets, and painters across time and cultures? In SLITHER, science writer Stephen S. Hall presents a naturalistic, cultural, ecological, and scientific meditation on these loathed yetmagnetic creatures. In each chapter, he explores a biological aspect of The Snake, such as their cold blooded metabolism and venomous nature, alongside their mythology, artistic depictions, and cultural veneration. In doing so, he explores not only what neurologically triggers our wary fascination with these limbless creatures, but also how the current generation of snake scientists is using cutting-edge technologies to discover new truths about these evolutionarily ancient creatures--truths that may ultimately affect and enhance human health"

Sister, sinner : the miraculous life and mysterious disappearance of Aimee Semple McPherson
by Claire Hoffman

Having disappeared in 1926 before reappearing with a kidnapping story, America's most famous evangelist used spectacle, storytelling, and the newest technology—including her own radio station—to bring God's message to the masses, but was she everybody's saintly sister, or a con-artist sinner?

The Martians : the true story of an alien craze that captured turn-of-the-century America
by David Baron

Recounts early twentieth-century Mars mania, following Percival Lowell's rise and fall as he championed the belief in intelligent Martians, revealing how scientific speculation, public fascination, and cultural projection transformed the red planet into both a symbol of hope and a mirror of human ambition.