Emoke
Spring is springing and I am feverishly purchasing new books for the coming summer and fall.
Our children’s books are going to be in the able hands of Amy. Erin can also help out since she loves children’s books. These recommendations don’t mean you can’t ask anyone else, but these two are more focused on literature for the young people.
Or you could be in a bookstore (like the one in the photo that my brother Denes sent) where browsing is discouraged and you can only rely on the knowledge of the staff. This bookstore is in Tokyo, Japan. I have seen places like that in the US in my lifetime but it is not my way of being with books and their readers.
I just read two amazing books. Hang on because these two will only be available in the fall. Jot them down now or reserve your copy with us.
Local author Monika Schroder, who wrote Saraswati’s Way, has a new novel that I really enjoyed. Yes, it is a young adult title, but reading the book Be Light Like a Bird is something for all readers to enjoy and learn from—about love and loss, trust and family, and of course BIRDS. It’s like David Van’s book Aquarium, which is about fish as well as all of the above…love, loss, family and healing.
My second recommendation is Wonder, by Emma Donoghue. Her book The Room is making its way around the world on celluloid and in book format also. The new book is about the room in our heads and how strong and unbelievable it is that belief—and heart—are much greater than what we understand rationally.
Ali McGhee
I’m starting this spring with an international trip to South America to fully break the chains of winter and make room for the new possibilities sprouting up in my life. Travel is a priority in my life, whether it’s to some place far away or somewhere closer to home. This spring, embrace possibility and take a trip. You don’t have to go very far to see something in a new way. Here are my favorite books that highlight travel and adventures, whether they’re internal or external.
The Heart of the World by Ian Baker. I have probably given this book as a gift more than any other. Buddhist scholar and world-class climber and adventurist Ian Baker’s breathtaking true story of his multi-year journey into Tibet’s hidden lands is perfect and shimmering. His search for a mystical 108 foot high waterfall was a game-changer for me—when I picked it up I’d read very little nonfiction, and I was hooked. It’s a beautiful meditation on Tibetan Buddhism, environmentalism, and the breakneck speed at which the world transforms.
Wayfaring Strangers: The Musical Voyage from Scotland and Ulster to Appalachia by Fiona Ritchie and Doug Orr. Fiona Ritchie and Doug Orr have written a carefully researched history of Appalachian music’s roots in Scotland and Ulster. Starting with the Age of the Troubadours during the 12th and 13th centuries and eventually moving into contemporary takes on old songs from beloved musicians, it’s not just academic; rather, it’s a joyful exploration of the subject complete with personal letters, pictures, anecdotes, and a CD with 20 songs from artists featured in the book.
Bread, Wine, Chocolate: The Slow Loss of Foods We Love by Simran Sethi. I loved Simran Sethi’s luscious descriptions of food—breaking bread, sipping wine, swooning over a plate of pulpo (octopus). This book is a transportive food memoir, but it’s also a compelling and deeply important examination of how we eat and why we need to shift our attitudes toward the foods that are the most deeply important to us. Sethi argues that our food is becoming more and more homogenized through our agricultural and eating practices, when in fact we should be concentrating on diversifying our farms and foods. Sethi reminds us that food is what sustains us, but also what deeply connects us.
M.F.K. Fisher’s Provence, with photos by Aileen Ah-Tye. M.F.K. Fisher is one of my favorite travel and food writers, and Provence brings these two strains together with Aileen Ah-Tye’s gorgeous photographs. Ah-Tye met M.F.K. Fisher in Provence and the two began a deep friendship, one result of which was this book. The photographs show us one manifestation of Provence that complements Fisher’s words: “I was [a] brash newcomer to [Provence], and yet when I first felt the rhythm of its streets and smelled its ancient smells, and listened at night to the music of its many fountains, I said, ‘Of course,’ for I was once more in my own place, an invader of what was already mine.”
Blue Ridge Parkway Vistas by Tim Barnwell. Whether you’re just visiting Asheville or you’ve been here all your life, Blue Ridge Parkway Vistas will show you a familiar place in an entirely new way. Now that the Parkway has reopened and the weather is perfect for long drives along windy roads, take Tim Barnwell’s book to help you situate yourself in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The remarkably easy to use guide gives you the names of the mountains, valleys, rivers, gaps, and towns that you can see along the way.
The Stargazer’s Handbook: The Definitive Field Guide to the Night Sky by Giles Sparrow. Once you’ve mapped your surroundings on planet Earth, expand your view to take in a bit of the cosmos with Giles Sparrow’s gorgeous guide to the celestial realms. The book includes breathtaking images of major constellations and heavenly bodies and clear, detailed star charts that will help you find your place in the cosmos. Each entry also includes a bit of science and history, giving contextual information about related mythology, key features, and recommendations for telescopes.
Hannah Richardson
I have a confession: I am decidedly un-self-sufficient when it comes to food. I don’t currently have a vegetable garden or raise chickens or bees. I can’t make my own kombucha and I’ve haven’t canned anything, ever. It might be time to forfeit my Asheville card. That said, before this happens I’m hoping the spring will grant me a new agricultural beginning. While I might not be ready for my rooftop urban farm, here are a few books that make me feel like I can take one step closer to foodie freedom this year.
One-Hour Cheese (Claudia Lucero) – Not only does this book include a wide variety of cheeses (rated on an easiest –easy scale), pairings, and fun facts, but it reads as a photographic step-by-step process for each cheese. Basically, you can’t mess it up.
The Backyard Homestead (Carleen Madigan) – This is a great overview of everything you can raise or grow in your backyard and then what the heck to do with it! There are even beautiful step-by-step drawings of everything from brewing your own beer to milking your goat…if you are so brave.
Vinegar Socks (Karin Berndl & Nici Hofer) – While I might not run to this book in the throes of a severe migraine, this is a good look at some traditional home remedies for everyday ailments and why they work.
Preserving Everything – This book makes me want to build more shelves in my kitchen and move somewhere with long winters. Forget fresh foods, I’m ready for fermented chard and candied grapefruit peels.
Finally, for those of you who are leaps and bounds beyond me, I challenge you to this: The Rooftop Growing Guide (Annie Novak). This book has the ins and outs, ups and downs of urban gardening, something Asheville could use a little more of.
Lauren Harr
Last night, in a breathless hush, my 7-year-old, my husband, and I finished Peter Brown’s debut middle grade book, The Wild Robot. The story of Roz, a robot shipwrecked and accidentally activated on a remote island, it explores themes of nature vs. technology, fear, community, and the nature of love. This didn’t feel like a radically different story; rather, it felt familiar, and its characters—including a bear family, a chatty squirrel, and an orphaned gosling—kept us reading chapter after chapter, pushing the boundaries of bed time.
All three of us loved it from beginning to end and were sad to say goodbye to Roz and her island. Brown is also the author of kids’ favorites like Mr. Tiger Goes Wild and Creepy Carrots—one of my 7-year-old’s other favorite books. The Wild Robot comes out on April 5.