It’s a particular thrill to receive a present that shows the giver knows you well. When a friend gave me this one, it was like she had conjured it out of my psyche. Converting abandoned Wal-Marts into civic centers? Sign me up! But when I sat down with Christensen’s brilliant documentary project, I realized that poetic justice, made material, is only one of many facets to this surprising, timely portrait of America’s landscapes: how corporations have shaped them, and how regular people are reclaiming them. Its multi-dimensionality (including gorgeous, haunting photographs) gives Big Box Reuse broad appeal, making it a wonderful gift for anyone who gets a kick out of:
(a) community building
(b) environmentalism
(c) architecture
(d) politics
(e) alternative economics
(f) sociology
(g) beauty
(h) inspiration
(i) books
(j) goodness
Super Natural Cooking: Five Ways To Incorporate Whole and Natural Ingredients into Your Cooking
by Heidi Swanson Celestial Arts
Our Price: $20.00
This book is a staple in my kitchen for a few reasons. Unlike much of the recent inundation of literature on whole foods, Swanson’s approach doesn’t center on alarmism: fears of chemicals, corporatism, or corpulence. She lets her love of food speak for itself.
The recipes in this collection are straight-up crowd pleasers. They consistently wow my dinner guests, vegan, vegetarian, and dilemma-plagued omnivore alike. Check out pages 62 and 151 for some of my go-to’s.
Finally, let’s be honest: one of the best parts about buying cookbooks is looking at the pictures. And Swanson happens to be a pro photographer. (Her award-winning recipe blog, 101cookbooks.com, is utterly addicting.) SNC can essentially moonlight as a coffee table book, notwithstanding the olive oil stains it’s bound to accumulate with use.
