Staff reviews: NonfictionLike this list

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• The Lost Kitchen

  Recipes and a Good Life Found in Freedom, Maine

  French, Erin (Chef)

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  They don’t accept reservations. But if you send them a postcard, and it is selected in a unique kind of lottery, you can get an invitation to dinner. If you are not that lucky, the chef and author shares her first collection of recipes here. Along…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Following My Spirit Home

  a Collection of Paintings and Stories

  Zimmerman, Sam, 1978-

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  This beautiful book includes much more than the inspiration behind some of the artist’s work. It reveals Ojibwe wisdom, language, and culture, love for the natural world, and a deep understanding of the interconnectedness of all things. I love the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Adventures in the Louvre

  How to Fall in Love With the World's Greatest Museum

  Sciolino, Elaine

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  Readers planning a future vacation to Paris have probably already flipped through a Rick Steves Paris travel guide in preparation, but they should add "Adventures in the Louvre" to their reading queue. This is an ideal book for someone who has…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Life After Cars

  Freeing Ourselves From the Tyranny of the Automobile

  Goodyear, Sarah, 1963-

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  A brilliant primer on the history of the automobile's dominant grip on our American society, the ongoing problems that has caused, and what activists can do about it now. An inspiring read for those who dream about a more sustainable life and a more…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Maple Syrup

  a Short History of Canada's Sweetest Obsession

  Kuitenbrouwer, Peter, 1962-

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  I'm not sure what I was expecting from a book about maple syrup, but it was not jaw-dropping stories about a maple syrup heist (think of the logistics!) or about the maple syrup cartel of Quebec! I was totally hooked. Even the quieter bits are…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Hey, Hun

  Sales, Sisterhood, Supremacy, and the Other Lies Behind Multilevel Marketing

  Paulson, Emily Lynn

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  This was such a fascinating read about multilevel marketing schemes, the cult adjacent tactics they use to suck people in, and how white supremacy lurks behind it all. - Mallory

• America the Beautiful?

  One Woman in a Borrowed Prius on the Road Most Traveled

  Roberson, Blythe

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  A great book about the beauty of the nature we live in while examining the barriers and challenges for everyone to access it and reasons we maybe shouldn't enjoy that nature at all. - Gail

• Trail of the Lost

  the Relentless Search to Bring Home the Missing Hikers of the Pacific Crest Trail

  Lankford, Andrea

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  The author, a former park ranger who conducted many searches and rescues, dives into the case of 3 hikers who went missing on the Pacific Crest Trail one year after another. The author has a writing style that hooks, and I kept wanting to know more…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• A Flat Place

  Moving Through Empty Landscapes, Naming Complex Trauma

  Masud, Noreen, 1989-

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  A book that is hard to explain, deep to feel, and mesmerizing in its connection of CPTSD (complex post-traumatic stress disorder) and landscape. - Gail

• Selfish, Shallow, and Self-absorbed

  Sixteen Writers on the Decision Not to Have Kids

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  Super affirming and wide-ranging collection of essays from folks on their own decision not to have children -really appreciated this one! - Anna

• Mind Games

  Lennon, John, 1940-1980

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  A gorgeous, well documented dive into the world of John and Yoko, during the making of Lennon's Mind Games album. Quality through and through with the book's layout and production. - Kurt

• Grief Is Love

  Living With Loss

  Lee, Marisa Renee

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  One of the best books I have read about grief, its nonlinear fashion, and the different ways it shows up. - Gail

• Over My Dead Body

  Unearthing the Hidden History of America's Cemeteries

  Melville, Greg

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  This was one of my favorite reads this past year! The author takes the reader on a tour through the history of US cemeteries that explores how, where, and why we bury our dead and where our values as a country truly lay. - Mallory

• You Gotta Eat

  Real-life Strategies for Feeding Yourself When Cooking Feels Impossible

  Eby, Margaret

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  This book made cooking accessible for me again! If you often find yourself exhausted by the idea of making food for yourself, you're too busy, or you just don't like cooking, then this is a great resource. The book is divided up into several…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Finding a Likeness

  How I Got Somewhat Better at Art

  Baker, Nicholson

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  This was my favorite book of 2024! Similar to David Hockney’s Spring Cannot Be Cancelled, it explores making art during the pandemic, yet Baker has more humility and persistence in his quest as a novice artist. It’s a fascinating look at life during…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Rare Gems

  How Four Generations of Women Paved the Way for the WNBA

  Megdal, Howard

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  A must-read for Minnesota sports fans—especially those missing the WNBA and the Lynx. Not a basketball fan? Neither was I, but this book won me over. Through the experiences of four generations of women, the book explores Minnesota’s rich basketball…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Begin Again

  James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own

  Glaude, Eddie S., Jr., 1968-

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  This book uses James Baldwin's work (especially his later work) to understand the first election of Donald Trump, and connects the dots between the retrenchment that happened in American society after the Civil Rights Movement with the changes in…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This

  El Akkad, Omar, 1982-

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  El Akkad weaves together major events in his own life growing up in Egypt and Canada and career as a journalist with reflections on the genocide in Gaza into a gripping chronicle of his disillusionment with the values that undergird the politics and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Everything Must Go

  the Stories We Tell About the End of the World

  Lynskey, Dorian

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  For as long as people have been around, they've imagined different means by which the world around them might come to an end. Lynskey examines each of these visions, from asteroids to zombies to the development of nuclear weapons and chronicles how…Read moreRead more of this annotation