Each month Reference Librarian Aurora highlights a few of her most anticipated non-fiction new releases.
Northeaster: A Story of Courage and Survival in the Blizzard of 1952 by Cathie Pelletier
Remember when it used to snow in Maine? Reading Cathie Pelletier’s bracing account of the calamities that befell Mainers during the infamous Blizzard of 1952 ought to jog your memory. Pelletier, a novelist born and raised in Allagash, lays out the story of the storm through the lives of the ordinary people who survived it, including a young mother and a firefighter from Bath. Both a fascinating window into local history and a riveting adventure tale of human resilience in the face of extreme weather, Northeaster is this winter’s Maine must-read, preferably paired with a cup of hot cocoa. Author Cathie Pelletier will be at PFL Friday, February 17 at 3 p.m.
For local history buffs, armchair storm chasers, and fans of action-packed narrative nonfiction.
The Vegan Baking Bible by Karolina Tegelaar
I spend more time than I’d like to turning down baked goods, watching other people eat baked goods whilst I sit alongside maybe nibbling a carrot (nothing against carrots), and generally not eating all of the cakes, cookies, brownies, and extravagant pastries that I would very much like to eat. What possible reason could there be for such abstinence? The fact is that an alarming proportion of the world’s baked goods are not vegan. Shocking, I know, especially when Karolina Tegelaar has proven the joys of vegan baking by “veganizing” over 300 treats in this hefty compendium of cruelty-free deliciousness. And since The Vegan Baking Bible was named Sweden’s Best Baking Cookbook of 2020, you can trust that it’s first-rate—as my mother would tell you, Swedes don’t mess around when it comes to baking.
For fans of cinnamon buns, gingerbread, snickerdoodles, and Princess Cake.
Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains by Bethany Brookshire
Squirrels, pigeons, and bears—oh my! Humans have a complicated, often strained relationship with the furry and feathered creatures who have learned to live with us. And I don’t mean the critters with whom we share our homes, affectionately called “pets,” but the ones who reside in our backyards, back alleys, and creepy basements. These animals we deem “pests,” with no affection implied. But what is it about rats, coyotes, snakes, squirrels, and sparrows that gets people so pestered? Brookshire’s book promises to answer that question, and with any luck, show the way to a truce between the species.
For fans of popular science, animal-human relations, and urban wildlife.
