Inyo County Free Library - New Acquisitions
April 2024 - July 2024
These are books and media new to the library and cataloged by the Inyo County Free Library.
Additional information about each title can be found in the catalog (click on the title). For older acquisition lists choose from Select another list. To request any of these titles please contact your local library branch.
The best American science and nature writing 2014 Publishing Date: 2014 Classification: 500 Call Number: 508.05 Presents a collection of nature and science essays published in American periodicals in 2013, including works by such authors as Katherine Bagley, Barbara Kingsolver, Fred Pearce, and Carl Zimmer. |
Stalin and the scientists: a history of triumph and tragedy 1905-1953 By Ings, Simon Publishing Date: 2017 Classification: 500 Call Number: 509.47 ING "Stalin and the Scientists tells the story of the hugely gifted scientists who worked in Russia from the years leading up to the Revolution through the death of the 'Great Scientist' himself, Joseph Stalin. It weaves together the stories of scientists, politicians, and ideologues into an intimate and sometimes horrifying portrait of a state determined to remake the world. They often wreaked great harm. Stalin was himself an amateur botanist, and by falling under the sway of dangerous charlatans like Trofim Lysenko (who denied the existence of genes), and by relying on antiquated ideas of biology, he not only destroyed the lives of hundreds of brilliant scientists, he caused the death of millions through famine. But from atomic physics to management theory, and from radiation biology to neuroscience and psychology, these Soviet experts also made breakthroughs that forever changed agriculture, education, and medicine"--Inside jacket. |
Math with bad drawings: illuminating the ideas that shape our reality By Orlin, Ben Publishing Date: 2018 Classification: 500 Call Number: 510 ORL A hilarious reeducation in mathematics-full of joy, jokes, and stick figures-that sheds light on the countless practical and wonderful ways that math structures and shapes our world. In Math With Bad Drawings, Ben Orlin reveals to us what math actually is; its myriad uses, its strange symbols, and the wild leaps of logic and faith that define the usually impenetrable work of the mathematician. Truth and knowledge come in multiple forms: colorful drawings, encouraging jokes, and the stories and insights of an empathetic teacher who believes that math should belong to everyone. Orlin shows us how to think like a mathematician by teaching us a brand-new game of tic-tac-toe, how to understand an economic crises by rolling a pair of dice, and the mathematical headache that ensues when attempting to build a spherical Death Star. Every discussion in the book is illustrated with Orlin's trademark "bad drawings," which convey his message and insights with perfect pitch and clarity. With 24 chapters covering topics from the electoral college to human genetics to the reasons not to trust statistics, Math with Bad Drawings is a life-changing book for the math-estranged and math-enamored alike--Publisher's description. |
NEW RELEASE The new world on Mars: what we can create on the red planet By Zubrin, Robert Publishing Date: 2024 Classification: 500 Call Number: 523.43 ZUB "SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic are building fleets of space vehicles to make interplanetary travel as affordable as Old-World passage to America. We will settle on Mars, and with our knowledge of the planet, analyzed in depth by Dr. Zubrin, we will utilize the resources and tackle the challenges that await us. What will we build? Populous Martian city-states producing air, water, food, power, and more. Zubrin's Martian economy will pay for necessary imports and generate income from varied enterprises, such as real estate sales--homes that are airtight and protect against cosmic space radiation, with fish-farm aquariums positioned overhead, letting in sunlight and blocking cosmic rays while providing fascinating views. Zubrin even predicts the Red Planet customs, social relations, and government--of the people, by the people, for the people, with inalienable individual rights--that will overcome traditional forms of oppression to draw Earth immigrants. After all, Mars needs talent"--Amazon. |
By Schrodinger, Erwin Publishing Date: 1992 Classification: 500 Call Number: 570.1 SCH Nobel laureate Erwin Schrodinger's What is Life? is one of the great science classics of the twentieth century. A distinguished physicist's exploration of the question which lies at the heart of biology, it was written for the layman, but proved one of the spurs to the birth of molecular biology and the subsequent discovery of the structure of DNA. The philosopher Karl Popper hailed it as a "beautiful and important book." It appears here together with Mind and Matter, his essay investigating a relationship which has eluded and puzzled philosophers since the earliest times. Brought together with these two classics are Schrodinger's autobiographical sketches, published and translated here for the first time, which offer a fascinating fragmentary account of his life as a background to his scientific writings.--Publisher description. |
NEW RELEASE By Schlanger, Zoe Publishing Date: [2024] Classification: 500 Call Number: 571.201 SCH "A book exploring the emerging science on plant intelligence, uncovering plants' complex and unimaginable capabilities and calling into question what we consider to be conscious agents in the natural world"-- |
I contain multitudes: the microbes within us and a grander view of life By Yong, Ed Publishing Date: [2016] Classification: 600 Call Number: 612.001 YON This book lets us peer into the world of microbes--not as germs to be eradicated, but as invaluable parts of our lives--allowing us to see how ubiquitous and vital microbes are: they sculpt our organs, defend us from disease, break down our food, educate our immune systems, guide our behavior, bombard our genomes with their genes, and grant us incredible abilities. While much of the prevailing discussion around the microbiome has focused on its implications for human health, Yong broadens this focus to the entire animal kingdom, prompting us to look at ourselves and our fellow animals in a new light: less as individuals and more as the interconnected, interdependent multitudes we are. I Contain Multitudes is the story of extraordinary partnerships between the familiar creatures of our world and those we never knew existed. It will change both our view of nature and our sense of where we belong in it--Adapted from book jacket. |
Molecules of emotion: why you feel the way you feel By Beebe, Candace Publishing Date: 1999, 1997 Classification: 600 Call Number: 612.8 BEE This volume describes how the immune and neurological systems communicate with each other through biochemical messengers, thus demonstrating a mind-body connection. The author establishes a biomolecular basis for our emotions and explains eight ways to use awareness and intention to tap into the psychosomatic network, in order to prevent disease and maximize health. |
By Norman, Donald A Publishing Date: 2002, 1988 Classification: 600 Call Number: 620.82 NOR Even the smartest among us can feel inept as we fail to figure out which switch turns on which light or stove burner, or whether to push, pull, or slide a door. The fault lies in product designs that ignore the needs of users and the principles of cognitive psychology. A bestseller in the United States, this classic work on the cognitive aspects of design contains examples of both good and bad design and simple rules that designers can use to improve the usability of objects as diverse as cars, computers, doors, and telephones.--From publisher description. |
By Bloom, Adrian Publishing Date: 2002 Classification: 600 Call Number: 635.9 BLO A guide to using and growing conifers in gardens of any size, with design ideas, sources, and a directory of six hundred different conifers. |
By MacKenzie, Edie Publishing Date: [2019] Classification: 600 Call Number: 636.72 MAC "Lively, funny, intelligent, and true: that's the Goldendoodle. This beautiful dog is a cross between the cheerful, happy-go-lucky Golden Retriever and the faithful, fun-loving Poodle. First bred about three decades ago, these now-popular dogs make faithful household companions. Here is everything new pet owners will need to know about life with their Goldendoodle. Like all of Barron's Complete Pet Owner's Manuals, this book is filled with useful information and heavily illustrated with instructive, high-quality photos. Every book in this series is written by breeders, trainers, veterinarians, and other pet-care specialists, and offers advice on purchasing, feeding, health care, training, grooming, and other aspects of responsible pet ownership."--ONIX annotation |
By Whitwam, Linda Publishing Date: [2016] Classification: 600 Call Number: 636.728 WHI Learn about the care and behavior of the goldendoodle. |
The beekeeper's bible: bees, honey, recipes & other home uses By Jones, Richard Publishing Date: 2011 Classification: 600 Call Number: 638.1 JON Overview: The Beekeeper's Bible is as much an ultimate guide to the practical essentials of beekeeping as it is a beautiful almanac to be read from cover to cover. Part history book, part handbook, and part cookbook, this illustrated tome covers every facet of the ancient hobby of beekeeping, from how to manage hives safely to harvesting one's own honey, and ideas for how to use honey and beeswax. Detailed instructions for making candles, furniture polish, beauty products, and nearly 100 honey-themed recipes are included. Fully illustrated with how-to photography and unique etchings, any backyard enthusiast or gardener can confidently dive into beekeeping with this book in hand (or daydream about harvesting their own honey while relaxing in the comfort of an armchair). |
By Markel, Ronald G Publishing Date: 1995 Classification: 600 Call Number: 639.396 MAR Explains how to select and care for a pet snake - (Baker & Taylor) |
The insect crisis: the fall of the tiny empires that run the world By Milman, Oliver Publishing Date: 2022 Classification: 600 Call Number: 639.97 MIL "A devastating examination of how collapsing insect populations worldwide threaten everything from wild birds to the food on our plate. From ants scurrying under leaf litter to bees able to fly higher than Mount Kilimanjaro, insects are everywhere. Three out of every four of our planet?s known animal species are insects. In The Insect Crisis, acclaimed journalist Oliver Milman dives into the torrent of recent evidence that suggests this kaleidoscopic group of creatures is suffering the greatest existential crisis in its remarkable 400-million-year history. What is causing the collapse of the insect world? Why does this alarming decline pose such a threat to us? And what can be done to stem the loss of the miniature empires that hold aloft life as we know it? With urgency and great clarity, Milman explores this hidden emergency, arguing that its consequences could even rival climate change. He joins the scientists tracking the decline of insect populations across the globe, including the soaring mountains of Mexico that host an epic, yet dwindling, migration of monarch butterflies; the verdant countryside of England that has been emptied of insect life; the gargantuan fields of U.S. agriculture that have proved a killing ground for bees; and an offbeat experiment in Denmark that shows there aren?t that many bugs splattering into your car windshield these days. These losses not only further tear at the tapestry of life on our degraded planet; they imperil everything we hold dear, from the food on our supermarket shelves to the medicines in our cabinets to the riot of nature that thrills and enlivens us. Even insects we may dread, including the hated cockroach, or the stinging wasp, play crucial ecological roles, and their decline would profoundly shape our own story. By connecting butterfly and bee, moth and beetle from across the globe, the full scope of loss renders a portrait of a crisis that threatens to upend the workings of our collective history. Part warning, part celebration of the incredible variety of insects, The Insect Crisis is a wake-up call for us all."-- |
Eating to extinction: the world's rarest foods and why we need to save them By Saladino, Dan Publishing Date: 2022 Classification: 600 Call Number: 641.3009 SAL "Over the past several decades, globalization has homogenized what we eat, and done so ruthlessly. The numbers are stark: Of the roughly six thousand different plants once consumed by human beings, only nine remain major staples today. Just three of these--rice, wheat, and corn--now provide fifty percent of all our calories. Dig deeper and the trends are more worrisome still: The source of much of the world's food--seeds--is mostly in the control of just four corporations. Ninety-five percent of milk consumed in the United States comes from a single breed of cow. Half of all the world's cheese is made with bacteria or enzymes made by one company. And one in four beers drunk around the world is the product of one brewer. If it strikes you that everything is starting to taste the same wherever you are in the world, you're by no means alone. This matters: when we lose diversity and foods become endangered, we not only risk the loss of traditional foodways, but also of flavors, smells, and textures that may never be experienced again. And the consolidation of our food has other steep costs, including a lack of resilience in the face of climate change, pests, and parasites. Our food monoculture is a threat to our health--and to the planet. In Eating to Extinction, the distinguished BBC food journalist Dan Saladino travels the world to experience and document our most at-risk foods before it's too late. He tells the fascinating stories of the people who continue to cultivate, forage, hunt, cook, and consume what the rest of us have forgotten or didn't even know existed. Take honey--not the familiar product sold in plastic bottles, but the wild honey gathered by the Hadza people of East Africa, whose diet consists of eight hundred different plants and animals and who communicate with birds in order to locate bees' nests. Or consider murnong--once the staple food of Aboriginal Australians, this small root vegetable with the sweet taste of coconut is undergoing a revival after nearly being driven to extinction. And in Sierra Leone, there are just a few surviving stenophylla trees, a plant species now considered crucial to the future of coffee"-- |
Jacques Pepin quick + simple: simply wonderful meals with surprisingly little effort By Pepin, Jacques Publishing Date: 2020 Classification: 600 Call Number: 641.512 PEP "250 of master chef Jacques Pepin's classic and timeless recipes for unexpectedly polished and satisfying meals with minimal prep and cleanup"-- |
NEW RELEASE Cooking in real life: delicious & doable recipes for every day By Heuck, Lidey Publishing Date: [2024] Classification: 600 Call Number: 641.555 HEU From the rising star who learned to cook when she worked for Ina Garten and inherited the Barefoot Contessa's intuition for what people want to cook comes a collection of 100 recipes that are cook-pleasing and crowd-pleasing and written with the shopper, chopper and dish-doer in mind. |
The wok: recipes and techniques By López-Alt, J. Kenji Publishing Date: [2022] Classification: 600 Call Number: 641.5951 LÓP "The obsessive mastermind behind one of the decade's best-selling cookbooks returns with the definitive English-language guide to the science and technique of cooking in a wok. J. Kenji López-Alt's debut cookbook, The Food Lab, revolutionized home cooking, selling more than half a million copies with its science-based approach to everyday foods. And for fast, fresh cooking for his family, there's one pan López-Alt reaches for more than any other: the wok. Whether stir-frying, deep frying, steaming, simmering, or braising, the wok is the most versatile pan in the kitchen. Once you master the basics--the mechanics of a stir-fry, and how to get smoky wok hei at home--you're ready to cook home-style and restaurant-style dishes from across Asia and the United States, including Kung Pao Chicken, Pad Thai, and San Francisco-Style Garlic Noodles. López-Alt also breaks down the science behind beloved Beef Chow Fun, fried rice, dumplings, tempura vegetables or seafood, and dashi-simmered dishes. Featuring more than 200 recipes--including simple no-cook sides--explanations of knife skills and how to stock a pantry, and more than 1,000 color photographs, The Wok provides endless ideas for brightening up dinner"-- |
Indian-ish: recipes and antics from a modern American family By Krishna, Priya Publishing Date: [2019] Classification: 600 Call Number: 641.5954 KRI A witty and irresistible celebration of one very cool and boundary-breaking mom's "Indian-ish" cooking--with accessible and innovative Indian-American recipes. Indian food is everyday food! This colorful, lively book is food writer Priya Krishna's loving tribute to her mom's "Indian-ish" cooking--a trove of one-of-a-kind Indian-American hybrids that are easy to make, clever, practical, and packed with flavor. Think Roti Pizza, Tomato Rice with Crispy Cheddar, Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Green Pea Chutney, and Malaysian Ramen. Priya's mom, Ritu, taught herself to cook after moving to the U.S. while also working as a software programmer--her unique creations merging the Indian flavors of her childhood with her global travels and inspiration from cooking shows as well as her kids' requests for American favorites like spaghetti and PB & Js. The results are approachable and unfailingly delightful, like spiced, yogurt-filled sandwiches crusted with curry leaves, or "Indian Gatorade" (a thirst-quenching salty-sweet limeade)--including plenty of simple dinners you can whip up in minutes at the end of a long work day. Throughout, Priya's funny and relatable stories--punctuated with candid portraits and original illustrations by acclaimed Desi pop artist Maria Qamar (also known as Hatecopy)--will bring you up close and personal with the Krishna family and its many quirks. |