Summer @ Skyway Archive.

Maybe it's kind of gruesome, but I always like a good archaeology book with lots of pictures of skeletons and bodies. It's fascinating what the combination of archaeology, forensics and cultural anthropology can tell us about people and cultures that lived hundreds or even thousands of years ago. And, as science and technology continue to advance, we get to learn even more about the people who came before us. Two books I always pull from the shelves for those who share my love of preserved people are Bodies From the Ash: Life and Death in Ancient Pompeii and Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland.

Bodies from the Ash is always a hit with kids and adults alike. After a brief introduction about the eruption of Vesuvius, the author really starts digging into the good stuff like how, exactly, archaeologists made all those incredible plaster casts of the volcano's victims in Pompeii. Details from jewelry and clothing provide all sorts of clues into the identity of some of the people who were excavated and, because the disaster happened so quickly, we have learned quite a bit about the daily life of people living in Pompeii.

Written in Bone is an incredibly fascinating read that will appeal to both fans of archaeology and early American history. Through careful and extensive excavation of cemeteries, homes and other sites throughout the James Fort area in Jamestown, Virginia, readers get a very intimate glimpse into the lives of some of the people who lived in the Chesapeake Bay area in the 1600s and 1700s. Clues such as copper pins and coffin materials provide insight into whose remains have been found buried in grave sites. When excavations are compared to various journals and logs from the era, it is possible to pinpoint exactly who many of these people were. Not all of the excavations were so benign, however. One skeleton was found under a hearth, and scientists were able to determine from the arrangement of the bones that he was hastily buried, and they even found evidence of the digging tools!

For anyone who grew up reading Where the Wild Things Are, no doubt just thinking about the book brings back all sorts of memories from when you were a kid: where you lived, who you read the book with, and, most importantly, how you felt when you read this strange and wonderful story.  I was always captivated by the monsters, with their funny hippie hair and mish-mash of animal parts, but I also felt kind of bad for Max.  He seemed like such a lost and unhappy kid - at least until he got his supper.

I've been thinking a lot about this book lately, no doubt in response to seeing this trailer for the film adaptation (those of you worried about the film staying loyal to the crazy sensibilities of Maurice Sendak's original vision can relax, it looks fantastic).  But seeing it also made me want to dive back into that original tale, so I wandered over to the children's book section this afternoon and pulled it from the shelf.  Nearly 50 years after publication, I can say it definitely stands the test of time.  Lushly illustrated and fully engaging, it's a book that will still appeal to children for all its wildness, although you can almost appreciate more as an adult.  Try it... it only takes a few minutes to read and you'll be amazed at what it brings back!

If you are interested in reading more about the film adaptation done by indie director Spike Jonze, the New York Times did a great feature article in their Sunday Magazine, which you can read here (login may be required).

"Do you really need a recipe for a platter of figs? No. Is that the point? Yes."

Thus begins the new cookbook, A Platter of Figs, by author and Chez Panisse chef David Tanis. Although this is primarily a cookbook, it is also a kind of manifesto about the joys of eating and the benefits of simple cooking based on ingredients used only at their peak. To highlight this, the book is organized into four sections corresponding to the seasons and each starts with six sample menus to help readers get the most out of their ingredients and their cooking. Each suggested menu begins with a brief essay about its inspiration and the thoughts behind pairing certain ingredients or a particular method of preparation, which really helps the reader visualize the menus and dishes before they even start chopping. And, although most of the recipes are based in European cooking traditions (and somewhat heavy on the meat), some do touch on North American and African cuisines, making the book a little more flexible for vegetarians.

I like a cookbook with lots of illustrations, and the lush color photographs throughout this book do not disappoint. At least half of the recipes are accompanied by a full page photograph that really brings the food to life.  Even if you don't end up actually cooking anything, it's still a fun book to look through and is certain to inspire even the most reluctant of cooks. Lucky for us, there are still some fresh figs to be had in the markets, but hurry up, because they won't be here for long!

Every summer, Luke and his family spend two weeks at their little cabin by the lake.  It's something he looks forward to every year, and this one is no different.  His excitement builds as they pass the familiar landmarks - the ice cream stand that sells the best flavor (peppermint stick), the decrepit barn, the little factory belching out smoke - until they finally hit the gravel road that takes them to the cabin and the lake. 

Surface Tension: A Novel in Four Summers is a poignant and bittersweet coming of age tale.  At 13, Luke is still excited to swim, go hiking and hang out on the lake.  But the next year, Luke is starting to see things a little differently; has the cabin always looked so small and run down?  And just when did his parents start getting so annoying?  By the time Luke is 16, he is learning some pretty hard lessons about what it means to grow up.  As his personal life gets more and more complicated, Luke begins to crave the simplicity of his childhood summers when things were easy and fun.  But, as we all know, you can never go back, much as you might like to.  And that, perhaps, is the hardest lesson of all.

Yeah, I know.  It's another vampire book.  But before you roll your eyes, sigh, and dismiss The Reformed Vampire Support Group as an unnecessary addition to an already overcrowded genre, you might want to give this one a try.  It's smart, it's funny, and it definitely doesn't subscribe to the dark-n-sexy goth chic you find in most vampire novels.

Nina, perpetually stuck at age 15, was turned into a vampire in 1973 and she's been suffering ever since.  The constant nausea and fatigue alone are enough to drive her mad, not to mention having to dispose of all those guinea pig carcasses every week.  Add to that the mundane task of trying to make a living when you are essentially dead between the hours of sunup to sundown and you've got a fairly miserable existence.  No surprise, then, that all eleven of Australia's vampires meet every Tuesday for a weekly support group; being a vampire is stressful. 

And, until now, life as a vampire has also been fairly mundane.  But when one of them turns up dead at the hands of an obvious vampire killer (who else would use a silver bullet and a stake through the heart?), Nina and her friends must find out who killed him unless they want to be next.

(FYI, this is a great audio book!)

Deeba definitely wasn't the Chosen One.  That was supposed to be Zanna. The prophecy said she would be coming to save everyone from the Smog; the giant Book even said so!  But Zanna didn't stop the Smog, and once they were back home she soon forgot about it altogether.  Un Lun Dun could do that to you, though. An alternate London filled with living words, carnivorous giraffes, spying unbrellas and ninja dustbins would be enough to make anyone want to forget.

But Deeba couldn't forget, and she couldn't just leave the inhabitants of Un Lun Dun to perish in the Smog, so she searches for a way back.  Armed with information gleaned on the Internet and with the help of some very unusual friends, Deeba attempts to fill Zanna's shoes.  But as Deeba, the unChosen One, attempts to follow the prophecy laid in the Book, things start to go terribly, terribly wrong.

Saffron Adams is a typical teenager.  Her parents are incredibly annoying, she can't stand her idiot brother and high school seems to be nothing more than an exercise in uninspired mediocrity.  Saffron is just biding her time until graduation, that glorious moment when she will be free to pursue her real interests instead of following her parents' wishes.  The only thing that keeps her sane until then are her elaborate fantasies of maiming and killing her family in all manner of ways. 

If that doesn't last bit doesn't sound quite like a normal teenager, it could be because Saffron Adams is not exactly Saffron Adams.  She is, in fact, a pirate, and a rather deadly one at that. Three hundred years ago, Emer Morrisey was sailing around the Caribbean, stealing treasure from trade ships bound for Europe and making a rather nice living at it, but an unfortunate incident with a tiresome Frenchman and his first mate leaves her murdered, but also cursed to live the lives of 100 dogs, memories intact, before being born again as a human.  Finally free, and slightly wiser in canine ways, Saffron is headed back to Jamaica to claim her treasure buried three hundred years before.  Now, if only she knew exactly where it was...

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains.  Never was this truth more plain than during the recent attacks at Netherfield Park, in which a household of eighteen was slaughtered and consumed by a hoarde of the living dead."

And so begins a very warped retelling of the Jane Austin classic entitled, appropriately enough, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Classic Regency Romance - Now With Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem.  In this version, however, the sleepy village of Meryton has been overrun by a mysterious plague that turns the normally quiet and well-mannered dead into flesh-eating zombies of the most unpleasant sort.  Thankfully, due to the forward thinking of their father, the Bennett sisters are highly trained killers.  Having studied with Shaolin Masters and skilled at slaying zombies in a variety of ways, they are now the primary protectors of Meryton.  Elizabeth, in particular, likes nothing more than a sharp blade for taking out the "unmentionables" during a sporting good fight.

While purists may scoff and take offense at such sacrilege, those willing to loosen up and have a little fun with their classics will delight in seeing Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy join forces to fight the never-ending onslaught of the undead.  Never read the original Pride and Prejudice?  No problem!  With almost all the original text intact in the zombiefied version, now you have!   Well, sort of...

I can't remember when I first heard about Orangette, the foodie blog written by Molly Wizenberg, but ever since I started reading it, I've been hooked.  I'm not usually drawn into personal blogs written by people I've never actually met, but there's something about this one that's different.  It's wordy by blog stardards, yet I'm never bored and am constantly looking forward to her next update.  Wizenberg writes primarily about her life and cooking, two things which are bound together in an inseparable way; one always seems to be influencing the other.  She is generous enough to share recipes with her readers (along with charmingly retro Polaroid photos, usually of the final results) and I can confirm that the Broccoli Soup with Lemon-Chive Cream is a winner.   Her writing and recipes on the blog share the same qualities:  homey and cozily familiar, yet sharp, interesting and contemporary.

This style is mirrored in her new book A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes From My Kitchen Table.  Loosely gathered in chronological order, each mini-chapter centers around an important event in Wizenberg's life in which food and cooking were central elements: spending an evening with her parents roasting tomatoes during a particularly prolific summer in the garden, the French-Style Yogurt Cake with Lemon that led her to true love, or the eggs she made for her father when he was ill with cancer.  Her book is a poignant memoir of grief, but it is also filled with romance, wonderful memories and the importance of home and cooking for those you love.

If a simple lifestyle change could help you lose weight, reduce your risk of long-term and chronic diseases, and cut your grocery bills, would you do it?  Would it help to know that, by making this simple lifestyle change, you would be helping to slow the rate of global warming?  If so, Food Matters:  A Guide to Conscious Eating, might be your next favorite book.

A few years ago, author and food columnist Mark Bittman realized he was pretty unhealthy.  The extra pounds he had put on over the years left him with bad knees and sleep apnea, among other physical ailments.  Realizing he need to lose some weight and get healthier, he started eating less meat and more plants.  No calorie counting, no strict rules.  Bittman simply replaced most of the meat and dairy in his diet with fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes, and the results were dramatic.  Just by making this simple change in his eating habits, Bittman lost 35 pounds and remarkably improved his health. 

If you are not familiar with Mark Bittman, you should be (full disclaimer: I'm a huge fan).  Author of the weekly New York Times food column, The Minimalist, Bittman has a keen sense for simple but delicious recipes that rely on just a few fresh ingredients.  He has also written a number of excellent cookbooks, including How to Cook Everything: 2000 Simple Recipes for Great Food.  Food Matters can also be considered a cookbook, but only partially so.  As the subtitle suggests, Bittman provides (along with some recipes) guidelines for making food choices that are not only good for you, but good for the environment as well.  What I really appreciate about this book is that, even though it is based on hard science*, it is still very readable and never feels preachy.  Instead, Bittman provides enough information to let the reader make his or her own decisions about what and how to eat.  It's informative, enlightening, and remarkably simple.  With a month's worth of recipes and menu suggestions, there's no excuse not to try.

*Get ready for some horrifying statistics: the average American eats the equivalent of a cup of sugar per day.  A cup of sugar!  EVERY DAY!