|
|
On Display! Adult Nonfiction books |
|
Sitcom : a history in 24 episodes from I love Lucy to Community
by Saul Austerlitz
"Obsessively watched and critically ignored, sitcoms were a distraction, a gentle lullaby of a kinder, gentler America--until suddenly the artificial boundary between the world and television entertainment collapsed. In this book we track the growth of the sitcom, following the path that leads from I LOVE LUCY to THE PHIL SILVERS SHOW; from THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW to THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW; from M*A*S*H to TAXI; from CHEERS to ROSEANNE; from SEINFELD to CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM; and from THE LARRY SANDERS SHOW to 30 ROCK. In twenty-four episodes, SITCOM surveys the history of the form, and functions as both a TV mix tape of fondly remembered shows that will guide us to notable series and larger trends, and a carefully curated guided tour through the history of one of our most treasured art forms"
|
|
|
Monsters : a fan's dilemma
by Claire Dederer
Exploring the audience's relationship with artists from Woody Allen to Michael Jackson, a New York Times bestselling author, book critic, essayist and reporter, in this candid, deeply personal book, discusses whether and how we can separate artists from their art.
|
|
|
Better : a surgeon's notes on performance
by Atul Gawande
The surgeon-author of Complications explores the efforts of physicians to close the gap between best intentions and best performance in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles, discussing such topics as the ethical considerations of lethal injections, the influence of money on modern medicine, malpractice, and surgical errors.
|
|
|
Worried? : science investigates some of life's common concerns
by Lise A. Johnson
Quick--what do you worry about most? Dying in a plane crash? Invisible chemicals in your environment? Catching a disease from a public restroom? In a world where we hear about the latest misfortunes and disasters as they happen, anytime and anywhere, no one is immune to the pervasive effects of anxiety brought on by normal, everyday activity. In this witty investigation of worry, Eric Chudler and Lise Johnson get to the root of our fears, all the while using rigorous science to help tame the anxiety beast. Each topic in this wide-ranging study is subjected to scientific scrutiny and assigned its place on the "worry index." Chudler and Johnson explain why it's only worth worrying about things that are likely to happen and are (somewhat) preventable. Whether you're an unabashed worrywart or a stick-your-head-in-the-sand-and-hope-for-the-best sort of person, you'll find something to love in this clever, funny, and informative guide to the worrisome world.
|
|
|
Chatter : the voice in our head, why it matters, and how to harness it
by Ethan Kross
"An award-winning psychologist reveals the hidden power of our inner voice and shows how we can harness it to live healthier, more satisfying, and productive lives. Tell a stranger that you talk to yourself, and you're likely to get written off as eccentric. But the truth is that we all have a voice in our head. When we talk to ourselves, we often hope to tap into our inner coach but find our inner critic instead. When we're facing a tough task, our inner coach can buoy us up: Focus--you can do this. But just as often, our inner critic sinks us entirely. I'm going to fail. They'll all laugh at me. What's the use? In Chatter, acclaimed psychologist Ethan Kross explores the silent conversations we have with ourselves. Interweaving groundbreaking behavioral and brain research from his own lab with real-world case studies--from a pitcher who forgets how to pitch to a Harvard undergrad negotiating her double life as a spy--Kross explains how these conversations shape our lives, work, and relationships. He warns that giving in to negative and disorienting self-talk--what he calls "chatter"--can tank our health, sink our moods, strain our social connections, and cause us to fold under pressure. But the good news is that we're already equipped with the tools we need to make our inner voice work in our favor. These tools are often hidden in plain sight--in the words we use to think about ourselves, the technologies we embrace, the diaries we keep in our drawers, the conversations we have with our loved ones, and the cultures we create in our schools and workplaces. Brilliantly argued, expertly researched, and filled with compelling stories, Chatter gives us the power to change the most important conversation we have each day: the one we have with ourselves"
|
|
|
Upstream : selected essays
by Mary Oliver
A collection of essays with a new piece on Provincetown, follows the author as she contemplates the pleasure of artistic labor; her boundless curiosity for the flora and fauna that surround her; and the responsibility she has inherited from the great thinkers and writers of the past, to live thoughtfully, intelligently and to observe with passion
|
|
|
Replenish : the virtuous cycle of water and prosperity
by Sandra Postel
Explores water projects around the world that work with nature's rhythms, from a forest rehabilitation in New Mexico that is safeguarding drinking water to China's "sponge cities" to curb urban flooding
|
|
|
Egg : a culinary exploration of the world's most versatile ingredient
by Michael Ruhlman
An award-winning author dedicates his latest work to the common egg, taking a tour of all the wonders this ordinary but powerful ingredient can help create, from poached and scrambled breakfasts, to brioche, Italian meringue, mayonnaise, custards, quiches and cakes.
|
|
|
Grocery : the buying and selling of food in America
by Michael Ruhlman
Looks at the historical role of the grocery store in the production and distribution of food in America and discusses how changes in food needs and tastes have transformed the mom-and-pop grocery store of the past into the large-scale supermarkets of today
|
|
|
Sinkable : obsession, the deep sea, and the shipwreck of the Titanic
by Daniel Stone
In this fascinating work of personal journalism, the author discusses the Titanic as a shipwreck, exploring generations of eccentrics who attempted to raise it, and then turns inward to his own obsession with the Titanic and shipwrecks in general. Illustrations.
|
|
|
Frostbite : how refrigeration changed our food, our planet, and ourselves
by Nicola Twilley
"An engaging and far-reaching exploration of refrigeration, tracing its evolution from scientific mystery to globe-spanning infrastructure, and an essential investigation into how it has remade our entire relationship with food--for better and for worse.How often do we open the fridge or peer into the freezer with the expectation that we'll find something fresh and ready to eat? It's an everyday act, easily taken for granted, but just a century ago, eating food that had been refrigerated was cause for both fear and excitement. Banquets were held just so guests could enjoy the novelty of eggs, butter, and apples that had been preserved for months in cold storage--and demonstrate that such zombie foods were not deadly. The introduction of artificial refrigeration overturned millennia of dietary history, launching an entirely new chapter in human nutrition. We could now overcome not just rot, but also seasonality and geography. Tomatoes in January? Avocados in Shanghai? All possible. In FROSTBITE, New Yorker contributor and co-host of the award-winning podcast Gastropod Nicola Twilley takes readers with her on a tour of the cold chain from farm to fridge, visiting such off-the-beaten-track landmarks as Missouri's subterranean cheese caves, the banana-ripening rooms of New York City, and the vast refrigerated tanks that store the nation's OJ reserves. Today, more than three-quarters of everything on the average American plate is processed, shipped, stored, and sold under refrigeration. It's impossible to make sense of our food system without understanding the all-but-invisible network of thermal control that underpins it. Twilley's eye-opening book is the first to reveal the transformative impact refrigeration has had on our health and our guts; our farms, tables, kitchens, and cities; global economics and politics; and even our environment. In the developed world, we've reaped the benefits of refrigeration for more than a century, but as Twilley soon discovers, the costs are catching up with us. We've eroded our connection to our food, extending the distance between producers and consumers and redefining what "fresh" really means. More importantly, refrigeration is one of the leading contributors to climate change. As the developing world races to build a U.S.-style cold chain, Twilley asks, can we reduce our dependence on refrigeration? Should we? A deeply-researched and reported, original, and entertaining dive into the most important invention in the history of food and drink, FROSTBITE makes the case for a recalibration of our relationship with the fridge--and how our future might depend on it"
|
|
|
Rising : becoming the first North American woman on Everest
by Sharon A. Wood
On May 20, 1986, high on Mount Everest, Sharon Wood was ready to give up. Snow plumes swirled off the summit ridge and spilled down the North Face, engulfing her. A four-hundred-foot high rock wall, the crux of the Hornbein Couloir, loomed above impossible. Then Wood's partner, Dwayne Congdon, handed her the end of the rope and said, "your lead." Hours later, at the far too late hour of 9:00 p.m., Wood became the first North American woman to reach the summit, and the first woman in the world to do so via the difficult West Ridge. Their ascent of the West Ridge by a new variation, without Sherpa assistance, is an accomplishment that has never been repeated.
|
|
|
Never be without a book you love. Come to the desk for more great book suggestions! |
|
|
|
|
|
