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Staff Picks

Foraging for mushrooms is a ton of fun! As an amateur, I want a field guide with comprehensive identification & safety information, while also being accessible to novices. Believe me when I say this book has it all, including beautiful photographs and practical info on cleaning, storing, preserving, and cooking mushrooms after you bring in your haul. [Adrienne]

I undoubtedly enjoyed her poems. They reminded me how life is about what details we choose to attend to not only as we experience the present but also in what we remember from our past. Cisneros crafts her life into crisp stanzas and unpredictable metaphors. [Blanca]

This book is a wide-ranging book of essays and memoir that brings together the history of country music from DeFord Bailey and Linda Martell to Little Nas X and Beyoncé, centering the Black creators and fans that made country music what it is today. Both a fun and informative read. [sweet pea]

Enchanting protagonist! I would have loved to sit down and chat with Adela Ramirez, a seventh grader confronting big themes: identity, family, and morality. From searching for her biological father to questioning honesty and integrity, she applies knowledge from archeology and telenovelas to reach her keen perceptions. There was never a dull moment following her story. [Blanca]

Yes! Now these are the fairy tales I wish I'd read growing up. Seven delicately illustrated and simply, but beautifully, told stories that are full of heart and positive messages for young readers. [Adrienne]

I learned about more than the banjo in this history of the instrument. Kristina R Gaddy follows the banjo from its roots in slavery, as well as its ties to black spirituality and its place in music history. An illuminating read. [Karen]

When i read my first passage of this book, on the invention of books in the ancient world, i thought, "Oh, so that's what i'd be doing in ancient Greece." I never really thought of roving booksellers in ancient Greece? This book takes a somewhat ephemeral history of books, bookmakers, booksellers, and libraries in ancient Greece and Rome. A fascinating read for any book lover. [sweet pea]

Gregg has that eloquent prowess of turning scientific and philosophical concepts into readable and entertaining ideas. His book is well-researched, and I admired how he used the name of a corvid given to it by the Shoshoni before it became "Clark's nutcracker". How did Nietzche relate to human and animal intelligence? Well, I don't want to spoil it. [Blanca]

With this book, you no longer have to find the nearest panaderia! Esteban Castillo guides you through recipes of the most beloved Mexican treats and drinks. And the pictures, and the personal stories just make this baking book a delight to own. [Blanca]

I am a bit of a fiend for any vegetarian dumplings, but have a deep affection for Polish dumplings as i have lived in some very Polish American places. [Why are there no polka bars in the Northwest? There, i said it.] This is the author of store favorite Polska and they give a wide variety of pierogis from savory to sweet. Recommended. [sweet pea]