Hunter Library Leisure Reading

2011 National Book Critics Circle Finalists – Fiction

ksginanni — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:43:50 +0000

The National Book Critics Circle announced finalists in fiction for 2011 at an event in New York City earlier this month. The winners will be announced on March 8 at the New School in NYC.

Open City by Teju Cole

The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

The Stranger’s Child by Alan Hollinghurst

Binocular Vision by Edith Pearlman

Stone Arabia by Dana Spiotta

2011 National Book Awards

ksginanni — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 20:55:54 +0000

The National Book Awards Ceremony and Benefit Dinner was held on November 16, 2011 in New York City. In the fiction category, the winner was Jesmyn Ward for her novel, Salvage the Bones. The finalists were:

Andrew Krivak, The Sojourn

Téa Obreht, The Tiger’s Wife

Julie Otsuka, The Buddha in the Attic

Edith Pearlman, Binocular Vision

Winners in other categories, photos, and more details can be found at http://www.nationalbook.org/nba2011.html.

2011 Pulitzer Prizes

ksginanni — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 19:58:44 +0000

Every year the Pulitzer Prizes are awarded to recognize excellence in journalism and the arts. The 2011 Pulitzer Prizes were announced earlier this year, and many of these books are available here at WCU and/or in the WNCLN cooperative catalog. Here are the winners in Letters, Drama, and Music:

Fiction: A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
Drama: Clybourne Park by Bruce Norris
History:The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery by Eric Foner
Biography: Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow
Poetry: The Best of It: New and Selected Poems by Kay Ryan
General Nonfiction: The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee
Music: Madame White Snake by Zhou Long

To learn more about these awards and to see information about past winners and finalists, check out the Pulitzer Prize website.

New Kindle Books!

acraft — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 16:38:21 +0000

Hunter Library’s popular Kindle lending service has gotten an update with some fresh titles. Included are new releases, such as Stieg Larsson’s The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest; favorite contemporary classics, such as C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe; popular children’s and young adult literature, like Rick Riordan’s The Lost Hero and Maggie Stiefvater’s Linger; classic science fiction, like Isaac Asimov’s Foundation and Empire, cookbooks, including Martha Stewart Living’s Everyday Food: Fresh Flavor Fast; and many other titles in these and other genres.
To add your name to the Kindle waiting list, you can request a hold through the Kindle page in the library catalog, or you can make a request at the library’s Circulation Desk. You can also browse the list of Kindle titles in the library catalog to see what books are available to read. Want to add something to the list? Let us know by sending a suggestion!

Ship Breaker: 2011 Printz Award Winner

acraft — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 18:20:44 +0000

This year’s Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults is Paolo Bacigalupi’s Ship Breaker. This science fiction novel is set in a futuristic, dystopian version of America’s Gulf Coast Region, where the oil has run out and inhabitants scavenge wrecked tankers for copper wire and other parts. Main character Nailer finds a newly-beached ship after a hurricane and has to make a choice between trying to save the lone survivor or stripping the ship for all it is worth. Fans of The Hunger Games may also enjoy this adventure story.

Other ALA youth media award winners were announced this week, including winners and honor books of the prestigious John Newbery and Randolph Caldecott Medals. Moon over Manifest, by Clare Vanderpool, is the winner of the Newbery Medal, while A Sick Day for Amos McGee, illustrated by Erin E. Stead and written by Philip C. Stead, is this year’s Caldecott Medal winner. The complete list of ALA youth media award winners includes the Newbery and Caldecott honor books, the Coretta Scott King awards, and several other awards. Look for many of these books will be added to the WCU collection soon!

2010 Best Books Lists

acraft — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 17:05:02 +0000

The end of the year brings a flood of best-of lists, which can be handy for gift ideas and for those looking for reading material for the holiday break from work or school. Today’s post pulls together some Best of 2010 lists from book review publications and media outlets. To find out if a book is available at Hunter Library or through the collections of UNC-Asheville or Appalachian State, use our online catalog to search for it. If you don’t find what you’re looking for, drop us a line and let us know what you want by using our suggestion form.

The editors of Kirkus Reviews provide lists of their choices for the 2010 Best Books for Children and Teens, with separate section break-outs in each area for genres such as nonfiction, historical fiction, and fantasy and science fiction. They also group all of the choices together in full lists, one of the Best Books for Teens and one for the Best Children’s Books.
Numerous reading suggestions can be culled from the The New York Times, which has lists of the 10 Best Books of 2010, 100 Notable Books of 2010, Notable Children’s Books of 2010, and Best Illustrated Children’s Books of 2010.
Publishers Weekly offers a list of their choices for the Best Books of 2010, with 100 titles that include both fiction and nonfiction. The magazine also picks their favorites for young readers with this list of Best Children’s Books of 2010, where you’ll find ideas for all ages and interests, including picture books as well as fiction and nonfiction chapter books.
School Library Journal, which reviews materials for young readers, has lists for the Best Picture Books, Best Fiction, and Best Nonfiction.

James Beard Awards 2010

acraft — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 22:39:23 +0000

Today we are closing out November’s food-focused blog posts by featuring two recent James Beard Award winners, Colman Andrews’ The Country Cooking of Ireland and Ad Hoc at Home by Thomas Keller.

Both of these sturdy, beautifully-photographed books can serve not only as cooking companions in the kitchen, but as coffee table centerpieces for conversation and visual enjoyment. The Country Cooking of Ireland won this year’s James Beard Award for Best International Cookbook, as well as the overall award for Cookbook of the Year. If you’re under the impression that there’s not much you’d want to know about Irish cooking, this book may change your opinion. Colman Andrews sets out mouth-watering recipes, each accompanied by notes on historical context, all documented in an extensive bibliography. Recipes include Colcannon, Watercress and Almond Soup, Potato-Oat Cakes, and Roast Pike with Lamb Sauce, Lovage, and Bacon. Eaters looking for hearty recipe ideas, as well as culinary and cultural historians with an interest in Ireland, should take note of this book.

Ad Hoc at Home is this year’s winner in the General Cooking category. Author Thomas Keller, best-known as chef/proprietor of The French Laundry and per se, is also the head chef at Ad Hoc, a family-style restaurant in Yountville, California and the basis for the recipes in this book. According to Keller’s introduction, here you’ll find “a big collection of family meals and everyday staples, delicious approachable food, recipes that are doable at home. No immersion circulator required. No complicated garnishes. I promise!” He follows through with home-style favorites like Buttermilk Fried Chicken, Braised Beef Short Ribs, Green Bean and Potato Salad with Mission Figs and Ibérico Ham, Scallion Potato Cakes, and Pineapple Upside-Down Cake. Most recipes include photographs, and some have step-by-step photographic depictions of processes like how to cut up a chicken, how to truss a chicken, and how to roll out and cut dough for soup crackers. The beginning of the book offers tips on equipment, ingredients, and some pointers on how to become a better cook. If you’re looking for an instructive volume of non-fussy recipes from a master chef, this might be the book for you.

Curious about what other books won James Beard Awards this year? Check out the complete list of award winners (pdf).

- Anna Craft, nonfiction selector

Momofuku, by David Chang and Peter Meehan

acraft — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 20:00:36 +0000

Inside this deceptively unassuming, wood-grained cover you’ll find a beautifully photographed book documenting the history and recipes of David Chang’s Momofuku restaurant group of New York. (For the curious: momofuku means “lucky peach” in Japanese.) The book is structured with three parts, one for each restaurant in the group: Noodle Bar, Ssäm Bar, and Ko. Each part includes history and recipes, with informational bits interspersed, such as how to shuck and serve oysters.
What sorts of recipes will you find here? Simple but richly-flavored noodle dishes, including how to make all of the basics from scratch – broths, sauces, toppings, and the noodles themselves; simple appetizers and sides such as a wide variety of pickled items; and other Asian-infused dishes: Pan-Roasted Asparagus with Poached Egg and Miso Butter, Spicy Pork Sausage and Rice Cakes with Chinese Broccoli and Crispy Shallots, 48-Hour Short Rib with Braised Daikon, Pickled Carrot, and Mustard Seeds; and even twists on familiar dishes such as shrimp & grits and fried apple pie. Looking for something a little different? Check this out!
- Anna Craft, nonfiction selector

Vegetarian and Vegan Cooking Ideas

acraft — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 22:59:42 +0000

This week we’ve got some vegetarian and vegan-friendly cookbook suggestions for you. Searching for dishes for Thanksgiving? Considering cutting meat out of your diet completely? Just curious about what a vegan eats? Check these titles out:
Knack Vegetable Cookbook: Savory Gourmet Recipes Made Easy, by Mary Beth Crain
The Knack series of how-to books ranges in topic from car camping to piano playing and beyond, and here we have the vegetable cooking edition. Like the others in the series, this one is filled with excellent photographs and easy-to-follow steps. Author Mary Beth Crain provides not just recipes, but tips on selecting vegetables and overviews on different cooking techniques. Recipes include Asparagus Tempura, Grilled Mediterranean Salad, Creamy Carrot and Ginger Soup, Spinach Lasagna, and a multitude of others. Though vegetables are the focus here, some recipes do include meat. Perfect for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike, especially those interested in learning to cook more vegetables.

Veganomicon, by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero
Perhaps the best-known vegan cookbook in existence, this trusty tome will teach you about how to stock a vegan pantry, the types of kitchen equipment you’ll need, as well as vegetable, grain, and bean cooking techniques – and that’s all before you get to the recipes! What it lacks in photographs, it makes up for in number of interesting, flavor-filled recipes – here are some examples of what you’ll find: Greek-Style Tomato-Zucchini Fritters with Fresh Herbs, Blueberry Corn Pancakes, and Ancho-Lentil Soup with Grilled Pineapple.

Venturesome Vegetarian Cooking: Bold Flavors for Meat- and Dairy-Free Meals, by J.M. Hirsch and Michelle Hirsch
A delightful vegan cookbook filled with mouth-watering recipes and featuring eye-catching design and photographs to boot. This book jumps right in with the recipes, so if you’re a new cook looking for technique information, this might not be the book for you. Recipes include Spare-the-Pigs Hash, Chunky Mushroom Chowder, Seitan and Soba Noodle Salad, and Name-Your-Fruit Coffee Cake.

- Anna Craft, nonfiction selector

November Feature: Food

acraft — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 21:38:01 +0000

November has arrived! Thanksgiving is on its way, and it is time to start thinking about recipes for the upcoming holiday occasions. If you’re in need of new ideas, you’re in luck – we’ve got a wide variety of cookbooks to choose from. Whether you want recipes that are sweet or savory, simple or complicated, vegetarian or meat-featuring – we’ve got something for you.

Our first featured cookbook this month is for serious bakers and dessert lovers: Rose’s Heavenly Cakes, from “The Diva of Desserts”, Rose Levy Beranbaum. This well-designed and beautifully-photographed book is the winner of the 2010 Cookbook of the Year Award from the International Association of Culinary Professionals.
Inside you’ll find recipes like the Heavenly Coconut Seduction Cake, the Sicilian Pistachio Cake, the Chocolate Tomato Cake with Mystery Ganache, and Mini Vanilla Bean Pound Cakes. Most recipes include mouth-watering photographs, and all have easy-to-read ingredient lists that show ingredients by volume and weight (in both ounces and grams). This pdf preview includes recipes for the She Loves Me Cake and the Black Chocolate Party Cake. Be sure to check this out if you’re looking to make something sweet this holiday season!
- Anna Craft, nonfiction selector