Best Books in 2019

Looking for book gift ideas? Something fun to read? A new topic to explore? Here is our annual compilation of some of the “Best of the Year” lists:

100 notable books of the year from The New York Times: There is also a top ten list on their site and links for children’s books and more. Once again, remember that you can access these and other articles from The New York Times by following directions on our ClassLinks page. If you set up your account a year ago, you may need to renew – see a librarian with any questions.

Best of 2019 from School Library Journal; be sure to read Randy Ribay’s Patron Saints of Nothing (also a Young Adult National Book Award nominee) which School Library Journal describes as follows: “Jay is Filipino, white, and firmly American. He never would have guessed he’d end up spending his time before college in the Philippines trying to uncover family secrets and understand family traditions—all while coming to terms with President Duterte’s war on drugs and the death of his own cousin. Ribay’s affecting novel reveals the many layers of biracial identity and how it can expand beyond the individual experience of having parents from two different places.” Our review is here.

Plus Publishers Weekly: https://best-books.publishersweekly.com/pw/best-books/2019  And there is a children’s list which splits into picture books, middle grade and young adult.

Or Kirkus Reviews https://www.kirkusreviews.com/issue/best-of-2019/section/fiction/lists/ which helpfully shows best fiction by category; separate lists for non-fiction and for best teen books

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/issue/best-of-2019/section/young-adult/lists/  

And Goodreads has released its Choice Awards across several categories for 2019: https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-books-2019    

LibraryReads: Primarily for public libraries, listed top favorites for 2019.

http://libraryreads.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/LibraryReads-Voter-Favorites-2019.pdf  See monthlyupdates throughout the year

National Book Awards: https://www.nationalbook.org/awards-prizes/national-book-awards-2019/

Chicago Public Library Recommendations -- with suggestions for all ages: https://www.chipublib.org/news/cpl-best-of-the-best-books-2019/

Winnetka Public Library Staff Recommendations for books and movies: https://www.winnetkalibrary.org/books-movies/best-of-2019/  

National Public Radio lists 1000s of titles (from 2019 and earlier years) and shows their covers in a fun, interactive way. https://apps.npr.org/best-books/#view=covers&year=2019    PBS offers suggestions https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/we-read-these-29-books-in-2019-you-should-too for 2019 and  includes a list of the Now Read This book club’s monthly choices. Washington Post also offers several lists.  The Wall Street Journal (available online at school) has a best of 2019 list as well as an article about teaching history with diverse voices.

There is plenty of overlap and some delightful selections on these lists. Enjoy!!! Happy Reading!!!

Cookbooks and Healthy Eating ... part one ...

THE VEGETARIAN COOKBOOK contains “More than 50 Recipes for Young Cooks” so it has some nice, basic information about kitchen rules and measurement conversions, clearly labeled pictures of equipment, and a well-illustrated discussion of healthy eating and food groups. The first set of recipes, Brilliant Breakfasts, includes choices like avocado mash, scrambled eggs, and crunchy, sweet pancakes made with grated carrots and sultanas. Other sections highlight Super Snacks, Lovely Lunches, Delicious Drinks, More-ish Main Meals (plenty of pizza ideas), and Sweet Stuff. EVERY recipe has multiple pictures which is perfect for the budding chef. Nutritional information is provided at the end, with a helpful glossary and index. Enjoy!

DASH FOR WEIGHT LOSS by Jennifer Koslo presents “An Easy-to-Follow Plan for Losing Weight, Increasing Energy, and Lowering Blood Pressure.”  I like the emphasis on exercise as well as meal planning. Koslo begins by explaining the various stages of hypertension and offers some ideas for preventive measures (e.g., reduce sodium, increase potassium, become more active, etc.) She includes practical suggestions for eating out (choose baked or grilled options, dressing and toppings on the side, drink water) and weight loss (downsize your plates, keep a food diary). Overall, she tries to make following the DASH diet easy and reasonable, with plenty of charts and explanations, all of which takes at least a fourth of the book. Recipes themselves are grouped by meal type and main ingredient and include nutrition information. The pictures are colorful although there could be more.  This seems intended for a more experienced cook. Ingredients tend to include some unusual ones (flaxseed meal, coconut milk) and preparation involves several steps. 

THE HEALTHSPAN SOLUTION by Raymond J. Cronise and Julieanna Hever also has a health focus since it presents “How and What to Eat to Add Life to Your Years.” Again, a significant portion of the book is devoted to explanation, charts and graphs.  The recipes are divided between Soups, Salads, Sides, and Sweets, plus Sauces and Seasonings.  Filled with appetizing pictures, they often combine selections like Eggplant Rollatini which utilizes Tofu Ricotta, Grandma Marie’s Tomato Sauce, and Cashew Parmesan Sprinkle.  Prep and cook time are estimated, but nutritional information is not included with each recipe.

 

THE 5-INGREDIENT FRESH AND EASY COOKBOOK by Sheila Thigpen contains “90+ Recipes For Busy People Who Love to Eat Well.” Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? Thigpen keeps it simple with recipes grouped by meal (breakfast, lunch, and dinner), adding some extras (Veggies/Sides, Snacks and Dessert). Nutrition information is included (as well as descriptors like nut-free or vegetarian).  A big plus is that the recipes do tend to be fairly easy, with a limited number of generally common ingredients.  Unfortunately, though, only a few include pictures. Thigpen posts many more images on her blog called  Life, Love and Good Food, but that is also pretty saturated with advertising. 

More reviews of upcoming Cookbooks soon ... 

CONVERSATIONS WITH RBG by Jeffrey Rosen

CONVERSATIONS WITH RBG by Jeffrey Rosen is a new work of non-fiction featuring “Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Life, Love, Liberty, and Law.” Rosen, a law professor at George Washington University, is also the president and chief executive officer of the National Constitution Center.  He describes conversations – some almost verbatim -  that he has held over the last two decades with the Supreme Court Justice.  Students interested in Constitutional Law and current issues like those related to support for Planned Parenthood or the Voting Rights Act will find much of interest here.

I loved the characterization from Julie Cohen in The Washington Post who said, “At its best, “Conversations” makes you feel like a student in the world’s coolest law school seminar, with Ginsburg and Rosen deftly leading you through constitutional clauses and case law to elucidate how the court works and why it matters.” Notes and a helpful index are included. And, of course, there is plenty of humor (You can’t spell TRUTH without Ruth). CONVERSATIONS WITH RBG is a unique supplement to other works in our collection, including those that feature Ginsburg like Notorious RBG and the film On the Basis of Sex.

Local note: The Illinois Holocaust Museum in Skokie will be presenting an exhibit titled “Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg” from February 9 until August 16. Authors Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik will speak at the opening program and the exhibit itself will feature interactives, archival photographs, and much more. 

Welcome to Continuing the Conversation!

We are in the midst of migrating book reviews to this new blog.  To see past reveiws and comments, please visit Book Talk ... A Conversation, available at:

https://treviansbookit.blogspot.com/