Inside Jacket

The texture. The bite. The aroma. Not to
mention that my dog, Sam, likes to park himself on a rug in the kitchen
and watch me cook, that is when I make it up from the couch where I'm
reading about exquisite pastries that make me want to get up and bake
them or wander into one of Bellingham's great bakeries.

Here are some of my favorite books to read and peruse when I want to cook, bake, or just luxuriate in the possibilities of what I could pop into my mouth.

Confections of a Closet Master Baker by Gesine Bullock-Prado

Babycakes by Erin McKenna

Frank Stitt's Bottega Favorita by Frank Stitts

America's Best Lost Recipes by Cook's Country Magazine

Food and Booze: A Tin House Literary Feast

–Sheri

I recently told a friend that I had begun reading The Magicians by Lev Grossman and he replied "Do let me know what you think of the book, from your perspective not steeped in
sf/fantasy." He's right. I typically . . . mostly . . . alright 98% of the time cannot stand sci-fi/fantasy. That's most evident when sheer panic arises when I'm approached by a customer and asked to recommend something from that section. I tried reading the first Harry Potter. I really did. It just wasn't for me. Actually, I'm so resistant to those genres (they are two separate ones, correct? Kidding! I'm kidding! I think.) that when my friend introduced even the possibility of The Magicians being fantasy, my opinion changed. Do I really want to read this? Even as I carry on through the book, I find myself asking, "Is this too much fantasy for me? Am I getting my usual sci-fi/fantasy heebie-jeebies?" To be fair, though (perhaps I need to whisper this): I am enjoying the book. There, I said it. I AM ENJOYING THE MAGICIANS!  Actually, I'm finding myself as intrigued with the story as I was while reading The Secret History (now THERE'S an amazing book!) This inner conflict ("I hate this genre, but I like this book") has me thinking–what have I missed out on by closing myself off from certain types of books? What amazing pieces of writing exist that, simply because of a dragon or perhaps a robot alien thingy on the cover, I have overlooked? I mean, perhaps I don't need to delve into The Wheel of Time series, but maybe it wouldn't hurt to check out American Gods. Don't hold me to that, though. I'm not ready to commit. I mean, I love zombie reads. That counts for something, right? But my endeavor with The Magicians does beg the question: What have I been missing? And really, I suppose, the same could be asked of you.

–Lindsey

Recently I've found myself involved in numerous conversations about favorite children's books. Perhaps these talks are the result of the surge in young adult fiction (most recently, of course, being the Twilight series). One thing I've noticed–bringing up kid's books with a group of adults causes an immensely different reaction than say, bringing up religion or politics. Rather than heated arguments, people let out exclamations of "Oh my god! I LOVE that book!" or get wide-eyed with excitement and wave their arms wildly, practically jumping up and down like a 5-year-old (maybe that's just showing the true maturity of my friends). Now that I think about it, these recent conversations are the result of the upcoming release of Where the Wild Things Are (Chills! Chills, I tell you, from the trailer alone! SO excited for the movie!) A beloved book of so many of our own youths is being made into what looks to be an amazing movie. Huzzah! My absolutely favorite kid's book is and always will be The Monster at the End of This Book, narrated by none other than Grover. Know this one? If not, you need to set aside 2 minutes to read it (plus you can say you read an entire book today). My mom used to read this book to me, doing the most fantastic Grover impression she could conjure. And no matter how many times we came to find out who the monster at the end of the book was (I won't spoil it for you), I still held my breath as the brick wall crashed down and the ropes shredded apart at the turn of each page. And my mom, such an amazing mom she is, would be just as shocked as I was when the monster was revealed. I get so excited when I sell someone that book. I tell them my own story and, quite often, they've had a similar experience as a child. Few things can so quickly transport adults back to their childhood like their favorite book as a child. Think about it–what is your favorite children's book? Do you remember how you felt when you read your favorite book as a child? Are you smiling right now just thinking about it? When is the last time you sat down and read ________? Maybe today's a good day.

–Lindsey

The other day, a customer called up and wanted to know if
there was just a general book for the lay reader that explained the US Health
Care system. Seeing as how we
are in the middle of a national debate on the subject, I took a look for
something similar to Sowell's Basic Economics – a general text for the lay
person on a very important subject.  But
what did I find? Nothing! Zip! Zilch! A thousand memoirs of
doctors, a dozen angry diatribes about some specific problem with the system or
a conspiracy of right-wingers/socialists to turn us into Cuba…but no basic
"HEALTH CARE FOR DUMMIES" or "COMPLETE IDIOT'S GUIDE TO THE US
HEALTH CARE SYSTEM." What I did
find were several $300 text books for nursing and pre-med students.

Surely there must be some book out there that explains
the role of insurance in pooling risk, the difference between a hospital and a
clinic, who licenses whom and why, the current state of malpractice law, and so
on…Isn't there?

–Andrew