I’m highlighting some nonfiction books coming out in July. All of the mentioned titles are available to put on hold in our catalog and will also be made available via the library’s Overdrive website on the day of publication in eBook and eAudiobook format (as available). For a more extensive list of new nonfiction books coming out this month, check our online catalog.
Top Picks
“This Is Your Mind on Plants” by Michael Pollan (Jul 6)
Of all the things humans rely on plants for — sustenance, beauty, medicine, fragrance, flavor, fiber — surely the most curious is our use of them to change consciousness: to stimulate or calm, fiddle with or completely alter, the qualities of our mental experience. Take coffee and tea: People around the world rely on caffeine to sharpen their minds. But we do not usually think of caffeine as a drug, or our daily use as an addiction, because it is legal and socially acceptable. So, then, what is a “drug”? And why, for example, is making tea from the leaves of a tea plant acceptable, but making tea from a seed head of an opium poppy a federal crime? In “This Is Your Mind on Plants,” Michael Pollan dives deep into three plant drugs — opium, caffeine, and mescaline — and throws the fundamental strangeness, and arbitrariness, of our thinking about them into sharp relief. Exploring and participating in the cultures that have grown up around these drugs while consuming (or, in the case of caffeine, trying not to consume) them, Pollan reckons with the powerful human attraction to psychoactive plants. Why do we go to such great lengths to seek these shifts in consciousness, and then why do we fence that universal desire with laws and customs and fraught feelings? In this unique blend of history, science, and memoir, as well as participatory journalism, Pollan examines and experiences these plants from several very different angles and contexts, and shines a fresh light on a subject that is all too often treated reductively — as a drug, whether licit or illicit. But that is one of the least interesting things you can say about these plants, Pollan shows, for when we take them into our bodies and let them change our minds, we are engaging with nature in one of the most profound ways we can. Based in part on an essay published almost 25 years ago, this groundbreaking and singular consideration of psychoactive plants, and our attraction to them through time, holds up a mirror to our fundamental human needs and aspirations, the operations of our minds, and our entanglement with the natural world. Continue reading “Nonfiction Roundup: July 2021”
During these hot, steamy days of summer, we’re often stuck inside. I love to curl up with a good book or movie and a cold drink. I imagine many of you do as well. But sometimes we need a bit more stimulation, something to give the brain a bit of a workout. If that sounds appealing to you, you might want to give our digital escape room a try.
A digital escape room works very much like one of our in-person rooms in that you work to solve puzzles that will help you come up with the combinations for a variety of types of locks. In this newest digital escape room, Trapped in a Folk Tale, a visit to your local library leads you into a world of folk and fairy tales. Characters have gone missing from the stories and it’s up to you to help them get back to their worlds. Do you think you have what it takes to find all the clues?
This room is geared towards adults, but would be fine for ages 12 and up (maybe even younger if you have some little problem-solvers in your household). It’s something you can work on by yourself or you could pair up with members of your household to solve. Because it’s available online, you might even set up an escape room night with family or friends who live far away and have a little friendly competition to see who can escape first.
Give it a try and let us know if you were able to get out!
Image credit: Summerly, Felix, Little Red Riding Hood via Flickr (license)
In “I Am the Night Sky & Other Reflections by Muslim American Youth” 10 teens draw on their experience as Muslims living in the U.S. to create a powerful collection of poetry, artwork, mini-memoir and short fiction. A combined effort of the Next Wave Muslim Initiative in Washington, DC and Shout Mouse Press, this book was selected by Missouri Librarians as part of the new Dogwood Readers Award for Nonfiction titles for grades 9-12 and is a must read for any teen or adult seeking an understanding of and empathy toward Muslim American youth.
Three words that describe this book: moving, enlightening, uplifting
You might want to pick this book up if: You want an own-voices look into the experiences of Muslim American youth
-Katie
This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. Submit your own book review here for a chance to have it featured on the Adults Blog.
The Fourth of July weekend is nearly upon us. For many, it is the unofficial start of summer; and with Summer comes cookouts, my favorite consequence of any seasonal shift. In my eyes, the star of every cookout is barbecue. Will you be making food for your next gathering? Is it your first time and you need guidance? Do you want to know why some use a dry rub while others marinate? Are you a pitmaster but are interested in trying a new style?
So. Many. Styles. Memphis, Carolina (with differences between North and South), Kansas City, Texas (also remember there are regional differences within the state), Korean, Alabama and Kentucky, among others. Continue reading “Cue the BBQ!”
Last year, Book Riot’s Read Harder Challenge asked participants to read a graphic memoir. I happen to love comic books and graphic novels but have never been a fan of non-fiction or biography. As a result, I was really dreading this particular task. I ended up enjoying the graphic memoir I chose so much, that by the end of last year, I would end up reading a dozen more. This book was on my list of graphic memoirs I wanted to read, but I chose to focus on lesser-known titles. By the time I had crossed those other titles off my list, I realized I was burned out on graphic memoirs.
Over a year after I read my first graphic memoir, I decided to sit down and finally read “They Called Us Enemy.” Since May was Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and June is Pride Month, it felt like the perfect time to cross this book off my list. Co-written by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, and Steven Scott, “They Called Us Enemy” chronicles Takei’s experiences growing up in a Japanese internment camp. The book also highlights Takei’s efforts to fight intolerance and to stand up for equity, equality, and justice. Takei and his co-writers also sprinkle bits of history into the narrative of Takei’s life, adding context to the emotional events playing out on the page. Continue reading “Reader Review: They Called Us Enemy”
Move over, beach reads! The pandemic forced me to be a lot more outdoorsy than usual just to get out of the house. I’ve always enjoyed camping, but I definitely started doing it more frequently when it became my only vacation option. I know definitions of what can actually be considered “camping” vary widely from person to person. For some people, a cabin in the woods with AC and a functional toilet counts. For others, if it’s not in a tent with no access to running water, it’s not “real camping.” Some people are into yurts. I’m not here to gatekeep. Whatever the case, camping is prime reading time. You’re surrounded by nature, you’re disconnected from wifi and technology … what else is there to do? One of my favorite things about camping is picking out which books I’m going to bring along. Here are some suggestions for whatever genre you’re into. Continue reading “Camping Reads”
Our Summer Reading theme this year is “Tales & Tails,” so our next Crafternoon-To-Go kit is using the traditional art of origami to make a paper crane (with a tail, of course.) These kits are for adults and will be available while supplies last in all of our branches Friday, June 25. You may pick them up at the second-floor reference desk at the Columbia Library and by the service desks at our other branches.
There are instructions and supplies in your kit to make four cranes (or if you are like me, extra paper for mistakes). We also supplied some fishing line if you would like to hang them. If you find these difficult, here is an online video that provides step-by-step instructions. This is an inexpensive craft that can be done with friends, family and kids, so check our library collection for more resources.
In the cozy mystery “The Broken Spine,” the main character is a librarian whose small town leaders want to change the library to offering only digital resources. How can a library be a library without any books?! She has a plan, but will a murder stop it? What about the new man in town who doesn’t talk about his past, or the new police detective who broke her heart in high school? The likable characters and plausible story make this an enjoyable read.
Three words that describe this book: Cozy, library, cat
You might want to pick this book up if: If you like cozy mysteries. The setting is a library. The main character adopts a cat, or does the cat adopt her?
-Mary
This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. Submit your own book review here for a chance to have it featured on the Adults Blog.
It is a truth universally out there that any discussion of UFOs must be in want of an “X-Files” reference. For several decades at least, humans have been fascinated by the idea of extraterrestrial life, which might explain why many television viewers were as obsessed with “The X-Files” as Agent Mulder was with finding aliens. Of course, that wasn’t the first or last TV show centered on the idea of otherworldly visitors to Earth. There’s been the ever-enduring “Doctor Who” and more recently, “Project Blue Book,” with dozens of others along the way.
Since the release of U.S. Department of Defense videos showing navy pilot encounters with unexplained aerial phenomena and the announcement of a forthcoming Pentagon report on the same subject, UFOs have become an even hotter topic. For folks trying to sort out fact from rumor and alien spacecraft from weather balloon, you have lots of company. Several authors have tackled the issue. Continue reading “UFOs”
“What Happens in Paradise” is a book about a woman who is grieving the unexpected loss of her husband who died in a helicopter crash. The woman is also grappling with the news that her husband was leading a double life in the Caribbean with a mistress and a 13-year-old daughter. In this second installment of the series, the woman and her two adult sons are back on the island of St. John to uncover the truth about the death and double life of their husband and father. In the process, they learn truths about themselves and what they want for their futures. This book is a true page turner, and I could not wait to read what new information would be revealed or what would happen next. This book was also very clean — no uncomfortable intimate moments.
Three words that describe this book: Page-turner, Dramatic, Tropical
You might want to pick this book up if: You want to escape to the island of St. John for family drama and secrets, romance, and overall fun in the sun.
-Anonymous
This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. Submit your own book review here for a chance to have it featured on the Adults Blog.
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