|
|
|
A new year has begun, and it is once again time to take a look at the highest-circulating non-fiction books for the past year. Let’s count them down to No. 1!
10) “Make it Fast, Cook it Slow: the Big Book of Everyday Slow Cooking,” by Stephanie O’Dea. This title was No. 7 on the list from 2010 and is still popular. In an economy where cooking at home can save some dollars and people are pressed for time, this book is a winner.
9) “The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those who Survived the Great American Dustbowl,” by Timothy Egan. Books about the Dust Bowl are always well-received by readers in this part of the country. Published in 2006, Egan’s oral history of that time won praise from the likes of Walter Cronkite.
8) “The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook,” by Erin Chase. A food budget blogger, Chase provides 200 recipes that are “quick, delicious, and nourishing” — and all easy to prepare for under $5. No wonder it’s popular!
7) “Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Fight Terror and Build Nations,” by Greg Mortenson. A 60 Minutes report on widespread fraud and fabrications in Mortensen’s program to build schools in Afghanistan for young girls shredded his humanitarian reputation. On last year’s list as well, its popularity this year may be for entirely different reasons.
6) “Unbroken: A World War II Airman’s Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption,” by Laura Hillenbrand. Lt. Louis Zamperini was the sole survivor when his bomber crashed into the Pacific in 1943, who endured countless hardships at sea — and then fell into the hands of the Japanese.
5) “Hungry Girl: Recipes and Survival Strategies for Guilt-Free Eating in the Real World,” by Lisa Lillien. The founder of www.hungry-girl.com, Lillien has been criticized for not including the input of a professional nutritionist or dietician in writing her book. Readers appear eager to give it a try.
4) “Mennonite in a Little Black Dress: A Memoir of Going Home,” by Rhoda Janzen. This title slips only slightly from its No. 2 position on last year’s list. After experiencing her husband leaving her, being seriously injured in an automobile accident, and overwhelming financial problems, Janzen returned home to her family and considered the choices she made in her life.
3) “The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible,” by Edward C. Smith. The author’s special “W-O-R-D” system for vegetable gardening promises high yields. More than a few McPherson gardeners appear to have used it in their vegetable plots.
A new year has begun, and it is once again time to take a look at the highest-circulating non-fiction books for the past year. Let’s count them down to No. 1!
10) “Make it Fast, Cook it Slow: the Big Book of Everyday Slow Cooking,” by Stephanie O’Dea. This title was No. 7 on the list from 2010 and is still popular. In an economy where cooking at home can save some dollars and people are pressed for time, this book is a winner.
9) “The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those who Survived the Great American Dustbowl,” by Timothy Egan. Books about the Dust Bowl are always well-received by readers in this part of the country. Published in 2006, Egan’s oral history of that time won praise from the likes of Walter Cronkite.
8) “The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook,” by Erin Chase. A food budget blogger, Chase provides 200 recipes that are “quick, delicious, and nourishing” — and all easy to prepare for under $5. No wonder it’s popular!
7) “Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Fight Terror and Build Nations,” by Greg Mortenson. A 60 Minutes report on widespread fraud and fabrications in Mortensen’s program to build schools in Afghanistan for young girls shredded his humanitarian reputation. On last year’s list as well, its popularity this year may be for entirely different reasons.
6) “Unbroken: A World War II Airman’s Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption,” by Laura Hillenbrand. Lt. Louis Zamperini was the sole survivor when his bomber crashed into the Pacific in 1943, who endured countless hardships at sea — and then fell into the hands of the Japanese.
5) “Hungry Girl: Recipes and Survival Strategies for Guilt-Free Eating in the Real World,” by Lisa Lillien. The founder of www.hungry-girl.com, Lillien has been criticized for not including the input of a professional nutritionist or dietician in writing her book. Readers appear eager to give it a try.
4) “Mennonite in a Little Black Dress: A Memoir of Going Home,” by Rhoda Janzen. This title slips only slightly from its No. 2 position on last year’s list. After experiencing her husband leaving her, being seriously injured in an automobile accident, and overwhelming financial problems, Janzen returned home to her family and considered the choices she made in her life.
3) “The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible,” by Edward C. Smith. The author’s special “W-O-R-D” system for vegetable gardening promises high yields. More than a few McPherson gardeners appear to have used it in their vegetable plots.
2) “Eat, Pray, Love,” by Elizabeth Gilbert. This book about one woman’s quest for fulfillment in her travels across Italy, India and Indonesia was made into a motion picture starring Julia Roberts and has been popular ever since. Gilbert’s “Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace With Marriage,” was on last year’s list.
1) “Escape,” by Carolyn Jessop. In this powerful book, Jessop tells how she was forced into a plural marriage as a teenager with a man 32 years her senior — and how she eventually made the decision to escape with her eight children and fight for custody of them.
That’s the countdown for another year. For more information about these titles — or to check their availability or place them on reserve — visit our website at www.macpl.org and click on the “Hottest non-fiction of 2011” link in the Weekly Bookmark section of the home page. I’ve added a few more hot titles from this year to the online list, so don’t miss it!
Steve Read is director of McPherson Public Library.
