By DONNA HINE
Some months it seems difficult to find good books to write about and others, like this one, it’s difficult to winnow down the choices to just five. I’m completely intrigued by the one fiction choice and fascinated by all the nonfiction choices. There’s just not enough time in the day to read everything we want to read!
Let’s start with the fiction. “The Man on the Washing Machine” (COX) by Susan Cox, a First Crime Novel Award winner of the Mystery Writers of America. I did not want to put this book down, yet I can’t tell you why it was so riveting! The author immediately engages you with her characters in some mystical way so that you need to read on to find out the outcome. Read this twisty, complex mystery, but you’ll have to wait until I finish it.
Moving on to nonfiction, it’s true I cannot resist paging through a good or a bad cookbook. But really, “Sea Salt Sweet: The Art of Using Salts for the Ultimate Dessert Experience” (641.8 BAI) just calls to me. The salty-sweet combination is mouthwatering, and the recipes are inventive. Recipes are grouped by how little or how much salt is required – from a pinch for lightly seasoned to more for a well-seasoned salty flavor. Could you resist Bananas Foster Belgian Waffle Sundaes? How about a Coconut Lime Mojito Shooter with Fleur de Sel? Yum.
“438 Days: An Extraordinary True Story of Survival at Sea” (910.9164 FRA) by Jonathan Franklin tells the tale of Salvador Alvarenga, who was caught in a five-day storm just 20 miles from the shore of Mexico and set adrift for 14 months. His companion didn’t survive, and it is a miracle that Alvarenga was able to endure shark attacks, thoughts of suicide, brutally hot days and a constant struggle to find edible food and obtain water from rain. On day 438, Alvarenga washed ashore on Tile Islet, a nearly deserted island on the far side of the Pacific Ocean. This is a very readable story.
Next is “The Generals: Patton, MacArthur, Marshall, and the Winning of World War II” (94054 GRO) by Winston Groom. World War II history buffs will relish this in-depth look at the military lives of these iconic figures, from their stint in their respective military schools to their bold and brash leadership during the war. The details should be boring, but the storytelling is so well done that even laymen will find the book mesmerizing.
A more visual but no less fascinating book is “Light: The Visible Spectrum and Beyond” (535 ARC) by Kimberly Arcand and Megan Watzke. Interspersed with remarkable photographs of the various ways light is seen are many snippets about the scientists who made discoveries about light. From the mundane visit to the dentist to exploring deep space, this book examines every aspect of how we see light. This book could be a “cocktail table” item, but the text with each picture is absorbing and brings science to life.
Middlebury Public Library Adult Services Librarian Donna Hine writes Library Lines. If you have a topic you’d like her to cover, contact her at the library at 203-758-2634.
