Kristen's Picks

Secret Medicines from Your Garden: Plants for Healing, Spirituality, and Magic (Paperback)

By Ellen Evert Hopman

$19.95

ISBN: 9781620555576

Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days

Published: Healing Arts Press - February 12th, 2016

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In Secret Medicines from Your Garden, Ellen Evert Hopman takes the reader on a fascinating tour of various facets of herbalism:  In part one, "A Wildcrafting Primer," we learn about medicinal and delicious plants to harvest in each season, as well as cold and flu care and plants to repel insects.  In part two we meet animal spirit medicines, herbal astrology, plant spirits, and more.  Part three encourages us to enjoy nature's bounty from honey to hedgerows, and includes two full chapters on tree medicine.  Part four brings the reader into some finer points of formulation and developing protocols, including the details of William LeSassier's method of formulation.  Drawing on many traditions, this book is likely to have something for everyone!

What's Wrong With My Houseplant?: Save Your Indoor Plants With 100% Organic Solutions (What’s Wrong Series) (Paperback)

By David Deardorff, Kathryn Wadsworth

$28.94

ISBN: 9781604695908

Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days

Published: Timber Press - January 27th, 2016

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This book is so helpful and a pleasure to use.  Within minutes, a fellow bookseller and I had sussed out the until then mysterious ailments afflicting our houseplants, and also found helpful recommendations to solve these problems.  A brilliant book for anyone who aspires to a green thumb and thriving, vibrant houseplants.
—Kristen

The Culinary Herbal: Growing and Preserving 97 Flavorful Herbs (Hardcover)

By Susan Belsinger, Arthur O. Tucker, Shawn Linehan (Photographs by)

$27.50

ISBN: 9781604695199

Availability: Backordered

Published: Timber Press - January 27th, 2016

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The Culinary Herbal is just wonderful.  It contains all the classic culinary herbs, but then goes a step further to include many plants that are less commonly featured, from papaloquelite (a marigoldlike plant that has been used in Mexico as the equivalent of cilantro) to plantain (a common "weed" that is both edible and a favorite of herbalists).  Each herb is pictured in a gorgeous color photograph, and then profiled with tips on cultivation and propagation as well as harvesting and preserving.  Appealing and easy to use, this book is sure to be a favorite of anyone who enjoys growing edible herbs, and is also a wonderful resource for gardeners looking to grow medicinal plants.
—Kristen

The Birth of the Pill: How Four Crusaders Reinvented Sex and Launched a Revolution (Paperback)

By Jonathan Eig

$16.95

ISBN: 9780393351897

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Published: W. W. Norton & Company - October 19th, 2015

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I wouldn't have thought a book on pharmaceutical history would be a pageturner, but this one proved me wrong!  Jonathan Eig has written a compelling account of the development of the birth control pill.  This often surprising narrative is rich in its depiction of cultural attitudes, scientific discoveries, eccentric characters, and establishment opposition.  Definitely recommended reading, this book provides valuable context to a technology that is now often taken for granted.
—Kristen

Plants with Style: A Plantsman's Choices for a Vibrant, 21st-Century Garden (Paperback)

By Kelly Norris

$24.95

ISBN: 9781604694017

Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days

Published: Timber Press - December 30th, 2015

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This gorgeous, exuberant book is an ode to gardening and plants.  I admit that - although I grow herbs and other edibles - I'm an armchair gardener when it comes to ornamentals, so when I first picked this book up, I wasn't sure if it would earn a permanent place on my shelf.  It absolutely has!  The author's language is so vivid and evocative that I keep stopping to read passages aloud to whomever else is in the room, and it's obvious that Norris is passionate about and has a deep respect for plants.  I recommend this to gardeners of all stripes, and in fact to anyone who loves plants.  I'm writing this review in January in Vermont, and this is an ideal book to read on a snowy winter day when you're dreaming of spring and gardening.

The Herbal Apothecary: 100 Medicinal Herbs and How to Use Them (Paperback)

By JJ Pursell

$24.95

ISBN: 9781604695670

Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days

Published: Timber Press - December 30th, 2015

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A gorgeous new herbal that covers a wide range of plants, including some you won't find in most other books on herbalism.  As Vermont's own Rosemary Gladstar says, “Well researched and exceptionally well written, The Herbal Apothecary is a brilliant addition to any herbal library.”

Fresh Made Simple: A Naturally Delicious Way to Eat: Look, Cook, and Savor (Hardcover)

By Lauren K. Stein, Katie Eberts (Illustrator)

$18.00

ISBN: 9781612126081

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Published: Storey Publishing, LLC - October 20th, 2015

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This book's beautiful illustrations evoke the tastes and textures of fresh, nourishing foods while the playful instructions inspire the reader to be creative with simple, accessible ingredients.  A wonderful gift for anyone who loves cooking but just doesn't have the time or energy to get fancy, this book is lush and lighthearted.

The Backyard Homestead Book of Kitchen Know-How: Field-to-Table Cooking Skills (Paperback)

By Andrea Chesman

$19.95

ISBN: 9781612122045

Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days

Published: Storey Publishing, LLC - August 25th, 2015

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This fascinating book is packed with kitchen survival skills that you'll find indispensible as soon as you know how to do them.  Andrea Chesman (a Vermont author!) has a wonderful way of making once-intimidating tasks approachable.  I'll bet anyone could find some useful information in this book, but it's an especially good pick for aspiring homesteaders and others that would like to be more self-sufficient but haven't known where to start.

Hild: A Novel (Paperback)

By Nicola Griffith

$20.00

ISBN: 9781250056092

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Published: Picador - October 28th, 2014

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The story of one of the most powerful women in the middle ages, Hild has a gritty, almost tactile sense of place, deft use of language, and nuanced, complex, and fascinating characters.  A great choice for fans of Tolkein and Arthurian legends, but be warned:  This isn't T. H. White's Middle Ages.  Game of Thrones fans will want to read this as well.

The Tea Party in the Woods (Hardcover)

By Akiko Miyakoshi, Akiko Miyakoshi (Illustrator)

$16.95

ISBN: 9781771381079

Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days

Published: Kids Can Press - August 2015

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This beautifully illustrated story of Kikko's adventures in the woods is genuinely heartwarming.  A great pick for those who love fairy tales and celebrations.