Non-fiction gems

Originally published in the Ketchikan Daily News, December 2017; written by Kelly Johnson.

I tend to approach the new non-fiction book shelves the way I imagine some folks use that ever falling rabbit hole called Google, or perhaps more so the mirror maze known as Pinterest. I wander along, seeing what might catch my interest for the moment, even though I am pretty sure it is not something I’ll really stay with for the long haul, but I must look anyhow. Of course there are always so many interesting things tucked into those few shelves it is easy to come away with an armful.

My first find is The Complete Guide to Edible Wild Plants by the Department of the Army. Yes, the Army! The cover is a really good clue that this is no regular Army Manual, but a really wonderful resource. Lots of really good pictures, descriptions, habitat, edible bits and other information is included with every plant shown. In the front is a good overview of plants in general with identifier information and a universal edibility test. There is also a brief section on medicinal plants and how they can be used in different situations. In the back there is a handy short section on the most common poisonous plants so you can be sure to cross those off your list of snack possibilities. It would be a bit more useable if they had sorted the plants by region rather than just list them alphabetically, but it does have that information available elsewhere.

On a nearby shelf I find 5-Gallon Bucket Book: DIY Projects, Hacks, and Upcyces by Chris Peterson. Now, having grown up a daughter to a house painter I have seen 5 gallon buckets used in all sorts of ways – including several that Mr. Peterson has included here, but it would not have crossed my mind to use them for portable wine/beer coolers or toy holders. It seems they do those jobs very well; they also make good baby swings, fishing gear holders, and planters. I think some of these ideas would work just as well, if not better with a two or three gallon bucket and some with a 10 gallon bucket, but he had his idea and he is going for it –and doing a really creative job.

Next I pull 101 Easy Homemade Products for Your Skin, Health & Home by Jan Berry. Mrs. Berry is, according to the cover, “Founder of the blog The Nerdy Farm Wife”. Also on the cover is a note “A nerdy farm wife’s all-natural DIY Projects using commonly found herbs, flowers & other plants”. These types of books (and blogs) are very popular and seem to have quite a few followers online and off. This one has a bit of extra appeal to me because it is not just the usual run of smelly lotions and creams- no offence meant- they just do tend to run that way. Her collection of dry shampoo alone would get me interested and the ‘pick what you like’ style recipes is a real bonus. The one recipe I know I’m going to give a try is her Peppermint & Parsley Fresh-Breath Dog Treat, our dog is tiny but her breath is fierce and this seems promising and simple.

Heading around the corner of the collection shelving I find Micro Macrame: 25 Superfine Jewelry Projects, Every Technique Explained, for Beginners Up by Jenny Townley. Back in my summer camp days I did quite a bit of macramé, but none this delicate and lovely. Using lots of pictures and careful explanation Ms. Townley does a very good job of walking folks through the knots and stages of these pieces. The adorable owl pendant certainly does not bear a great deal of resemblance to the macramé owl I made back in the day, but I would be much more likely to wear this one than the old one – even if it was shrunk down to a manageable size. These pieces are not all simply knots either, many include beads, metalwork and lovely findings as well. Makes one want to warm up those old knot tying skills and try something tiny.

My final find as I wander the collection today is Vargic’s Miscellany of Curious Maps: Mapping the Modern World by Martin Vargic. Now this treasure I actually have seen bits and pieces of online, they are quite amazing works. The book contains sixty-four maps: large, medium and mini. The nine large maps include “the Map of Stereotypes, Video Websites, Internet, Literature, Music, Gaming, Disasters, Corporations and Sports”. Medium maps show such things as common foods and extinct animals and the “mini maps” are infographics spread throughout. Mr. Vargic states that “These maps are creations of my imagination, how these realms of human society would look if they were real, physical worlds on their own, with all their landmasses, oceans, islands, rivers, countries and cities.” I think I could spend hours tracing the coastlines of Popular Non-Fiction and Sci-Fi on the Literature map, but that doesn’t keep me away from the Map of Paranormal Activity in the USA (Wyoming is not the place for alien sighting, but the North East Coast is much more active than I would have thought – and what is the Payette Serpent? And what is it doing in Idaho?). Wow. Now I know for sure what I am taking home today. So give it a few weeks then you can give this one a look – a map of happiness? New Zealand sure, but Venezuela – never would have guessed. Good Reading!