The Parrot and the Igloo by Lipsky

THE PARROT AND THE IGLOO by David Lipsky received the rare distinction of being recommended by LibraryReads even though it is a work of non-fiction. Lipsky, a professor of writing and literature at NYU and a contributing editor at Rolling Stone, adopts a narrative approach which will succeed in engaging readers as they learn more about the history of climate change and its denial. For example, Lipsky outlines the impact of events like the harnessing of electricity, increased use of fossil fuels, 1970's environmental movement, and the documentary, An Inconvenient Truth. The text is divided into sections on inventors (primarily Edison, Tesla, and Westinghouse), scientists (e.g., Jim Hansen, Roger Revelle, Svante Arrhenius) and deniers (and their links to the tobacco industry strategy). Some rather startling observations (e.g., discovery of greenhouse effect in 1824; a 1956 Time Magazine article warning that “in fifty years or so this process … may have a violent effect on the Earth’s climate”) contrasts with the better-known (and, sadly) ongoing political lobbying and inaction. At 496 pages, this is already a lengthy text so the endnotes are published online. THE PARROT AND THE IGLOO received starred reviews from Kirkus (“simultaneously captivating and disturbing”) and Publishers Weekly (“a first-rate entry in the field of climate denial studies”). Interested readers should definitely check out related titles like Greta Thunberg’s compilation The Climate Book.

The Last Ride of the Pony Express by Will Grant

THE LAST RIDE OF THE PONY EXPRESS by Will Grant is subtitled “My 2,000-mile Horseback Journey into the Old West” and it offers fascinating facts while providing quite a travelogue on horseback between St. Joseph, Missouri and Sacramento, California. Grant is accompanied by two horses, Chicken Fry (love that name!) and Badger on a series of adventures that trace the route of the Pony Express (see map). Readers will be astounded to learn that the Pony Express was in operation for only about 18 months, from April 1860 to October 1861, completing no more than 150 round trips. Introducing readers to hosts such as the head of the National Pony Express Association, locales involving river crossings, and origins of words like mustang, Grant weaves in numerous tidbits and reflections on how the West has changed, even recently. He notes, for example, that “between 1970 and 2020, the number of dairy farms in the US fell from 648,000 to 32,000.” Musings on the impact of the Western frontier on the national psyche and the “fabling” inspired by the short-lived Pony Express balance descriptions of potential danger and also glimpses of humor. Grant is a former cowboy and horse trainer who began a journalism career in 2008 with many of his stories involving horses, including exploits in Mongolia, Arizona, and Kyrgyzstan. I am looking forward to more adventures from him. Both informative and entertaining, THE LAST RIDE OF THE PONY EXPRESS received a starred review from Booklist. 

Young and Restless By Mattie Kahn

YOUNG AND RESTLESS by Mattie Kahn is subtitled “the Girls who Sparked America's Revolutions.” This title offers a unique look at lesser-known American girls like Mabel Ping-Hua Lee, the first woman to receive a PhD from Columbia and campaigner for women's suffrage. Students may recognize those, like Linda Brown and Claudette Colvin, who are associated with civil rights struggles. More contemporary examples include Alice de Rivera who broke the barrier at all-male Stuyvesant High School in New York or Naomi Wadler who (like X González, Jaclyn Corin, Samantha Fuetes, and Delaney Tarr) led protests for gun reform after the shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. YOUNG AND RESTLESS appears on the Next Big Idea Book Club list for June 2023 and was heralded by both Vogue and Glamour as one of the Best Books so far of 2023. Students will likely be surprised and inspired by many of the stories. Notes and a bibliography make up roughly forty percent of the text, providing ample options for follow-up research efforts. In the past, we have also offered projects on health advocacy by teens and on Malala or older international activists.

Firescaping Your Home and This is Wildfire

FIRESCAPING YOUR HOME by Adrienne Edwards and Rachel Schleiger is “A Manual for Readiness in Wildfire Country.” The first inside picture is beautiful – hills covered with trees and grasses with a suburban-like street in the foreground – but it could also be dangerous in this age of increasing temperatures, burn bans, and drought. Edwards and Schleiger offer perspective about fire and its dangers while also focusing on habitat and providing useful information on what to plant, where, and when. Their comments and extensive charts, however, are focused on plants (trees, shrubs, and grasses) indigenous to the West Coast, specifically for Washington State, Oregon or California environs, although some points (reduced wildlife habitat, increased erosion, fewer natural windbreaks) do also apply generally. They discuss, for example, the use of succulent gardens which can be both fire resistant and drought tolerant. A different section outlines how to determine prevailing wind patterns where you live. They also provide links to national databases and maps like the Understand Risk web page, the FEMA’s Wildfire web page, and Risk Factor from First Street Foundation. Throughout, Edwards and Schleiger include numerous colorful photos and drawings, diagrams, and highlighted, boxed summaries. There is a wealth of information in the text itself as well as several pages with suggested Resources and Further Reading, Source Notes, and an Index spanning a dozen pages.

Local Links for Travis County: Travis County Wildfire Hazard Map;  Texas A&M AgriLife Extension with suggestions on what not to plant and Preparing for Wildfires pdf. 

THIS IS WILDFIRE by Nick Mott and Justin Angle appears on the August Next Big Idea Book Club list. The authors, a journalist podcaster and a professor at the University of Montana College of Business, provide a balanced perspective into “How to Protect Yourself, Your Home, and Your Community in the Age of Heat.” They begin with background history (e.g., sections on Public Land, Big Burn, and Yellowstone Fire) as well as information about Firefighters, the stress they face, and how to help them. Next, Mott and Angle describe Forest Management and various steps related to Fire Ecology, noting that some burns are needed in that they encourage ecosystem renewal and growth. At roughly two-thirds of the way into the text, the authors discuss “What You Can Do” in terms of contacting local or national authorities and adapting by changing people’s behavior so as to live more resiliently with fire. They note, for example, “by 2010, about thirty million homes, occupied by sixty million people, were in the WUI” (wildland urban interface) and then describe the home ignition zones: immediate (within five feet), intermediate (six to thirty feet) and extended (thirty to one hundred feet). Their checklists (e.g., keep trees at least 10 feet from structures like fences or outbuildings) seem rather unrealistic given that many suburban lots are fifty feet or less in width. The authors themselves note the difficulty in instituting change, even providing an estimate that “it would cost $6 billion to replace all roofs in the WUI in the country with fire resistant materials.” Some resources and web links are noted which may provide more targeted, practical information for the average homeowner.

Zero Days by Ruth Ware

I love how the publisher describes ZERO DAYS by Ruth Ware as combining Mr. and Mrs. Smith with The Fugitive – there is plenty of danger, running, and hiding in this latest thriller from a premier mystery writer (author of The It Girl and many more titles). The main character, Jacintha Cross (called Jack), is a security penetration expert with her “hacktivist” husband, Gabe. He handles the digital side of their testing and she checks for physical weaknesses, finding ways to sneak through or around physical barriers, ID tag checks, etc. Those skills are essential when Jack runs from police after Gabe is killed and she becomes the prime suspect. As with Ware's earlier award-winning titles, there are numerous twists in this page-turning mystery. ZERO DAYS received well-deserved starred reviews from Booklist and Library Journal; plus it was a June 2023 LibraryReads Hall of Fame selection. Readers who enjoy suspenseful adventures should also look for Alias Emma by Ava Glass and Red Queen by Juan Gómez-Jurado.

Eldercare 101 and The Gift of Aging

ELDERCARE 101 by Mary Jo Saavedra is an updated version of “A Practical Guide to Later Life Planning, Care, and Wellbeing.” In her introduction Saavedra compassionately points out that “while many of the twists and turns of eldercare are similar across America, each caregiving situation is unique” and that one’s own personal life situation and commitments “can be undermined by the unpredictable demands of elder caregiving, the time-consuming research it requires, and the crisis that is a constant companion.” A lifecare coach and counselor, Saavedra has compiled essays related to her Six Pillars of Aging Well-being. She begins by focusing on Legal issues, as described by a lawyer, then moves to the Living Environment itself. One sub-section there offers roughly 30 pages on various options (Adult Foster Care Homes, Continuing Care Retirement Communities, Assisted Living Facilities, and Memory Care) which are laid out in a straightforward manner. Other pillars include Spiritual, Social (looks at connecting and belonging), Medical (with a sub-section on the aging brain) and Financial. This text is full of details and helpful suggestions. ELDERCARE 101 also contains a glossary, notes, bibliography, and index, and brief biographies of chapter authors. See also Successfully Navigating Your Parents’ Senior Years and When your Aging Parent Needs Help. 

From Cambridge University Press, THE GIFT OF AGING by Marcy Cottrell Houle (a scientist and award-winning author) and Elizabeth Eckstrom (Chief of Geriatrics in the Division of General Internal Medicine & Geriatrics at Oregon Health & Science University) is subtitled “Growing Older with Purpose, Planning, and Positivity.” Referring to “the third act of our lives,” the text begins with a  Foreword by Bill McKibben and then offers multiple chapters split into four areas: Caring for Your Mind, for Your Body, for Yourself & Family (practical issues) and for Your Soul. Each offers a blend of scientific facts with inspirational stories. For example, they cite updated work by the American Geriatrics Society on the Beers List Criteria and “Ten Medications Older Adults Should Avoid or Use With Caution.” Other comments stress that “the top ten habits, including exercise, healthy diet, cognitive stimulation, creative engagement, and healthy sleep, all help prevent cognitive decline.” THE GIFT OF AGING is a generally cheerful book with numerous suggestions like wearing sturdy shoes even inside (slippers have their name for a reason) to avoid falls. Several Mediterranean Diet recipes and an Index are included, too. Other recent books on positive aging experiences include: The Wisdom of Morrie, and Wake Up With Purpose!

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center

HELLO STRANGER is another light, relatively feel good book by Katherine Center (What You Wish For and How to Walk Away). Her latest novel centers on Sadie Montgomery who undergoes an operation that leaves her unable to recognize faces – difficult for any of us, but especially for a portrait artist. Sadie’s perseverance is tested, of course, but she overcomes a number of obstacles and disappointments as readers of Center’s work would expect. HELLO STRANGER has quite a bit of “woe is me” mixed in, but Sadie grows to accept help from others. Buried in the angst of post-operative trauma, a dysfunctional family, and somewhat far-fetched boyfriend troubles are some thought-provoking, inspirational asides: “our thoughts create our emotions;” “I just wasn't going to let the things I was afraid of hold me back anymore;” and “isn't it lucky when we're drawn to people who can teach us things we need to learn?” HELLO STRANGER received a starred review from Publishers Weekly and was chosen as a LibraryReads Hall of Fame selection for July 2023.

The Mistress of Bhatia House by Sujata Massey

THE MISTRESS OF BHATIA HOUSE by Sujata Massey (The Bombay Prince) is the latest in the historical mystery series featuring Perveen Mistry, a female solicitor in India. Massey masterfully evokes 1920s Bombay and the rampant prejudice and discrimination faced by women, whether poor servants, like Sunanda, or highly educated and professional, like Perveen. Accused of Garbhapaat, knowingly causing an abortion, Sunanda is jailed until, by chance, Perveen intervenes and offers respite at Mistry House. It is difficult to find a male barrister willing to represent Sunanda and tensions escalate between Perveen and her father, who is also a lawyer and her business partner. The mystery becomes more complicated when a rich donor to a women’s hospital dies and multiple suspects turn to Perveen for guidance. The story is slow in places, but the echoes of today’s debates over women’s rights to make decisions about their own bodies cannot be ignored. Kirkus sums up THE MISTRESS OF BHATIA HOUSE  well: “A complex whodunit that also provides a fascinating immersion in a bygone era.”