Books

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Review: Way of Water

Yesterday we talked about the current “Change the World Wednesdays” challenge.  Here is the second installment of my project.

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28Sep2009 | Elizabeth Barrette | Comments Off | Continued
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Review: Enter the Earth

This week’s “Change the World Wednesdays” challenge over on Reduce Footprints is about getting children involved in the environment.  For this project, I’m reviewing the first two books in the Gaia Girls series.

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27Sep2009 | Elizabeth Barrette | Comments Off | Continued
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International Literacy Day Activities

Today is International Literacy Day.  Previously I listed some resources for celebrating this holiday.  You can also visit the Bloggers Unite event page. Here are some activities today that celebrate literacy…

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8Sep2009 | Elizabeth Barrette | Comments Off | Continued
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Plan Ahead for International Literacy Day

The purpose of International Literacy Day on September 8 is to remind people about the importance of reading and to measure our progress towards universal literacy. Please drop by Bloggers Unite and join this event. There are over 460 bloggers signed up already, wow!  We are going to raise a lot of awareness by posting about this topic.

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2Sep2009 | Elizabeth Barrette | Comments Off | Continued
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Three Questions: “If Dirt Could Talk”

I found this meticulous review of what sounds like a very impressive book. It’s a textbook about the environmental destruction of the American West.

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30Aug2009 | Elizabeth Barrette | Comments Off | Continued
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Book Review: Crescent City Farmers Market Cookbook

Crescent City Farmers Market Cookbook by Poppy Tooker. Marketumbrella.org, 2009. Trade paperback, 216 pages. ISBN: 978-1-60358-099-1. Three stars.

Regional farmers’ markets often develop a following based on their particular combination of locally produced foods – and then recipes for what to do with those foods. This book collects some of the recipes from the Crescent City Farmers Market in New Orleans, Louisiana. There are full-color photos, but mostly of people and ingredients, not finished dishes, which was a bit disappointing.

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24Aug2009 | Elizabeth Barrette | Comments Off | Continued
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Book Review: Green Your Home

Green Your Home All in One For Dummies by Yvonne Jeffery, Liz Barclay, Michael Grosvenor, Elizabeth B. Goldsmith, Betsy Sheldon, Eric Corey Freed, Rik DeGunther, Ann Whitman, The National Gardening Association, and Owen Dell. Wiley Publishing, Inc., 2009. Trade paperback, 668 pages. ISBN: 978-0-470-40778-3. Four stars.

This book is actually seven books bundled together, covering the main areas of establishing a sustainable lifestyle. Like all “For Dummies” books, this one features italicized vocabulary words (followed by definitions), bulleted lists, numbered instructions, and dingbats for “Remember” (information you’ll use repeatedly), “Tips” (ideas that can help you accomplish things), and “Warnings” (dangers to avoid).

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17Aug2009 | Elizabeth Barrette | Comments Off | Continued
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Book Review: Gaia’s Garden

Gaia’s Garden, Second Edition: A Guide To Home-Scale Permaculture by Toby Hemenway. Trade paperback, 313 pages. ISBN: 978-1-60358-029-8. Five stars.

This book presents the principles of permaculture – landscaping inspired by nature, designed to be both sustainable and useful – with instructions for applying them to yard-sized areas. It is illustrated with photos in full color and black-and-white, plus diagrams and charts in shades of green and brown.

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11Aug2009 | Elizabeth Barrette | Comments Off | Continued
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Book Review: Fresh Food from Small Spaces

Fresh Food from Small Spaces: The Square-Inch Gardener’s Guide to Year-Round Growing, Fermenting, and Sprouting by R. J. Ruppenthal.  Chelsea Green Publishing, 2008.  Trade paperback, 178 pages.  ISBN: 798-1-60358-028-1.  Three stars.

             Most books about producing your own food are aimed at rural readers with a substantial amount of outdoor space.  This one is aimed at suburban and urban readers with little or no outdoor space.  It focuses on “square inch” methods that can get great results from a tiny yard, sidewalk strip, balcony, patio – or even indoor locations such as a windowsill or kitchen.

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8Jun2009 | Elizabeth Barrette | Comments Off | Continued
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Book Review: The End of Money

The End of Money and the Future of Civilization by Thomas H. Greco, Jr.  Chelsea Green, 2009.  Trade paperback, 268 pages.  ISBN: 978-1-60358-078-6.  Three stars.

             This book takes a look at how “the economy” evolved, what causes its instability, and what could be done to create a healthier exchange system.  The early chapters describe the author’s personal background in economics, crisis and metamorphosis, and opposing philosophies of control.

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5Jun2009 | Elizabeth Barrette | Comments Off | Continued