Reading List

 The book fairy was kind to me over the past month! For you, a list of what's new on my bookshelf. I heartily endorse each of these titles.

• Make Your Place: Affordable, Sustainable Nesting Skills by Raleigh Briggs. The "type" and illustrations are all done by hand for a 'zine edge with a radical feel. This is an excellent resource for wild-crafting and making your own tinctures, as well as natural home and health care.

• The Handmade Marketplace by Kari Chapin. Valuable to anyone who wants to build a presence in today's crafting market. 

• Made From Scratch by Jenna Woginrich. I haven't read this yet, but I am anxious to get started!  Part memoir and part how-to manual, Made from Scratch recounts Woginrich’s growing independence and the successes and missteps she experiences as she learns to more fully live off the land. By turns upbeat, dramatic, and sometimes sorrowful, her story embodies the experience of the new homesteader  one who is committed to reducing dependence on commercially produced goods while still working a day job to pay the rent. Woven into the narrative, readers will find easy-to-follow instructions for making clothing, playing a musical instrument, preserving fruit, brewing the best pot of coffee imaginable, and much more.  (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.com)

• Moby Duck by Donovan Hohn. I haven't cracked this one yet either, but the concept is incredibly compelling! Selected by The New York Times Book Review as a Notable Book of the Year. When the writer Donovan Hohn heard of the mysterious loss of thousands of bath toys at sea, he figured he would interview a few oceanographers, talk to a few beachcombers, and read up on Arctic science and geography. But questions can be like ocean currents: wade in too far, and they carry you away. Hohn's accidental odyssey pulls him into the secretive world of shipping conglomerates, the daring work of Arctic researchers, the lunatic risks of maverick sailors, and the shadowy world of Chinese toy factories. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.com)
  
  
• Making It by Kelly Coyne & Erik Knutzen. Written by the couple behind Root Simple and Urban Homestead (which I gifted to Jessica and have heard high reviews). Full of DIYs for the home that go beyond mixing baking soda and lemon juice and venture into castile soap making (with lye!), building your own chicken coops, slaughtering said chickens in a humane way if you so choose, kombucha brewing, and plenty of other truly radical projects. 

• Bust DIY Guide to Life from Bust Magazine. Clever sewing projects, easy vegan recipes, DIY intimacy ideas for yourself and/or your partner, wedding planning, and even your rights in caring for loved ones when they pass. It's Bust magazine, how could this not be wonderful? And it is.

• The Cook & The Butcher by Brigit Binns. A meat-oriented cook book from Williams Sonoma, with contributions from Mark Martin. Mark is a family friend, fellow Iowan, and owner of Nelson's Meat Market, a dying breed of classic butcheries. He's an incredibly kind and knowledgeable man, I'm so glad to see him find this success! Below you can see his personal inscription in my book, written after he was told Jake and I eat mostly vegetarian these days.

• Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison. This is the bible of vegetarian cooking. Organized by ingredient, Madison gives detailed information including storage, health benefits, choosing the best fruits and vegetables, and cooking methods, followed by tried-and-true recipes for the ingredient.  This is more of a reference book than recipe book. Have a surplus of tomatoes? Head to the tomato chapter and learn how to make marinara. Want to try lentils for the first time? There's four pages to guide you through the process and make something you'll love. I can't recommend this tome enough.

 To Brooke & Jake

In a weak moment think "BEEF"!

Happy grilling

Mark Martin

Christmas 2011