Madison Library District
Choice Awards
Nonfiction NOMINEES FOR 2025
Voting Begins August 19!
Find all the nominees below.
Nominees
The Hunger Habit
by Judson Brewer
Anyone who struggles with overeating knows what it’s like to feel out of control-and to feel the guilt attached to it. While ordinary anxiety feels like something that happens to …
Read the full synopsis
Nourish
by Gisele Bündchen
Superstar model and philanthropist Gisele Bündchen believes wellness begins with food. At home she chooses lean, healthy proteins and nutrient-rich vegetables; she also believes in …
Read the full synopsis
Does This Taste Funny?
by Stephen and
Evie McGee Colbert
As Evie and Stephen explain it, Does This Taste Funny? had its beginnings in the Covid lockdown. “We were all stuck together and couldn’t go out, so we cooked. We had all three …
Read the full synopsis
One Nation Under Guns
by Dominic Erdozain
This takedown of American gun culture argues that the nation’s founders did not intend the Second Amendment to guarantee an individual right to bear arms—and that this distortion of …
Read the full synopsis
Sharing Too Much
by Richard Paul Evans
Before he was the #1 New York Times bestselling author of holiday classics such as The Christmas Box, Richard Paul Evans was a young boy being raised by a …
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A Walk in the Park
by Kevin Fedarko
From the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of the epic adventure tale The Emerald Mile comes the most dramatic and deeply moving account ever of walking the …
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Be Ready When
the Luck Happens
by Ina Garten
Here, for the first time, Ina Garten presents an intimate, entertaining, and inspiring account of her remarkable journey. Ina’s gift is to make everything look …
Read the full synopsis
A History of the World in Twelve Shipwrecks
by David Gibbins
Since we first set sail on the open sea, ships and their wrecks have been an inevitable part of human history. Archaeologists have made spectacular discoveries excavating these …
Read the full synopsis
Cast, Catch, Release
by Marina Gibson
As her twenty-first birthday approached, Marina Gibson received a unique gift suggestion from her parents, who offered her a choice between fishing rods or jewelry. In an …
Read the full synopsis
The Shepherd
and the Lamb
by Gerrit W. Gong
Of the many titles by which Jesus could be known, none are more tender, powerful, or illuminating than the Shepherd and the Lamb. In The Shepherd and the Lamb: Our Covenant …
Read the full synopsis
Fight Right
by Julie Schwartz Gottman
and John M. Gottman
Conflict is the top reason couples seek help—but it’s also an opportunity for greater intimacy, deeper connection, and lasting love according to this essential guide from the …
Read the full synopsis
The Anxious Generation
by Jonathan Haidt
After more than a decade of stability or improvement, the mental health of adolescents plunged in the early 2010s. Rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide rose …
Read the full synopsis
And Then? And Then? What Else?
by Daniel Handler
(AKA Lemony Snicket)
Writing as Lemony Snicket, Daniel Handler has led several generations of young readers into that special and curious space of being hopelessly lost, and joyfully finding yourself, in the …
Read the full synopsis
The New Menopause
by Mary Claire Haver
Menopause is inevitable, but suffering through it is not! This is the empowering approach to self-advocacy that pioneering women’s health advocate Dr. Mary Claire Haver takes for …
Read the full synopsis
Cooking in Real Life
by Lidey Heuck
Lidey Heuck landed the most plum after-college job—working for Ina Garten in her East Hampton kitchen. There, she learned how to develop recipes that work every time and how to …
Read the full synopsis
ADHD Is Awesome
by Penn and Kim Holderness
Hi, friend! Welcome to the ADHD club. You’re here because, like me, you’ve been diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder—which, by the way, just might be the worst …
Read the full synopsis
Milk Street 365
by Christopher Kimball
This is Milk Street’s new and comprehensive guide to today’s recipe repertoire, full of fresh flavors and simple yet game-changing techniques. This is everyday cooking you actually …
Read the full synopsis
The Demon of Unrest
by Erik Larson
On November 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln became the fluky victor in a tight race for president. The country was bitterly at odds; Southern extremists were moving ever closer to destroying the …
Read the full synopsis
How to ADHD
by Jessica McCabe
Diagnosed with ADHD at age twelve, Jessica struggled with a brain that she didn’t understand. She lost things constantly, couldn’t finish projects, and felt like she was putting more effort in …
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The Small and the Mighty
by Sharon McMahon
From America’s favorite government teacher, a “fascinating and fun” (Adam Grant) portrait of twelve ordinary Americans whose courage formed the …
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A Year of Granny Squares
by Kylie Moleta
Kylie Moleta has designed these colorful, creative, and diverse squares with the changing seasons in mind. From lacy, lightweight summer squares to heavier, textured …
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Here Not There
by Andrew Nelson
Design a truly unique vacation with 100 intriguing alternatives to more predictable, expensive, and overcrowded destinations. Let’s face it. These days, many of the …
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5 Ingredients Mediterranean
by Jamie Oliver
5 Ingredients Mediterranean is everything people loved about the first book, but with the added va-va-voom of basing it on Jamie’s lifelong travels around the …
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Roctogenarians
by Mo Rocca and
Jonathan Greenberg
Eighty has been the new sixty for about twenty years now. In fact, there have always been late-in-life achievers, those who declined to go into decline just because they were eligible for …
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Bad Therapy
by Abigail Shrier
In virtually every way that can be measured, Gen Z’s mental health is worse than that of previous generations. Youth suicide rates are climbing, antidepressant prescriptions for …
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Lore Olympus:
Volume 6
by Rachel Smythe
Chaos reigns in Olympus as Zeus publicly declares Persephone a traitor and issues a warrant for her arrest. But Hades defies his brother’s decree, sheltering Persephone in the …
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The Backyard Bird Chronicles
by Amy Tan
A gorgeous, witty account of birding, nature, and the beauty around us that hides in plain sight. Tracking the natural beauty that surrounds …
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It’s Not Hysteria
by Karen Tang
Did you know that up to 90% of women experience menstrual abnormalities or pelvic issues in their lifetime? Yet these conditions are overwhelmingly misunderstood …
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Knit Wild
by Anna-Sofia Vintersol
With animal- and nature-inspired themes, the wander-full sweater designs of Anna-Sofia Vintersol share your love of all things wild and free. Delightful motifs feature yokes of …
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The Law of Love in Action
by Steve Young
The law of love: loving as God loves, seeking another’s healing, expecting nothing in return. How can the law of love apply to life’s challenges, from …
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The Hunger Habit: Why We Eat When We’re Not Hungry and How to Stop
by Judson Brewer
A program proven to heal our relationship with food and our bodies from New York Times bestselling author of Unwinding Anxiety.
Anyone who struggles with overeating knows what it’s like to feel out of control-and to feel the guilt attached to it. While ordinary anxiety feels like something that happens to us, the siren song of food cravings feels like something we should be able to control. The result is a toxic cocktail of shame and self-loathing that makes it impossible to change our behavior.
The Hunger Habit is based on Judson Brewer’s deeply researched plan proven to help us understand what is going on in our brains so that we can heal the shame and overcome overeating. The step-by-step program focuses on the power of awareness-there is no willpower, calorie-counting, or restricted eating. Setbacks are a good thing! The key is to learn how to work with our brains rather than to fight cravings, and to adopt an attitude of self-kindness rather than self-judgment.
Grounded in cutting-edge neuroscience, The Hunger Habit is both accessible and compassionate. It will finally help you break out of food jail and reclaim your life.
Nourish: Simple Recipes to Empower Your Body and Feed Your Soul
by Gisele Bündchen
Superstar model and philanthropist Gisele Bündchen believes wellness begins with food. At home she chooses lean, healthy proteins and nutrient-rich vegetables; she also believes in eating with flexibility (pizza night with the kids!). This means recipes that are gluten free and rely on body-fueling ingredients like almond flour, avocado oil, and dates.
In her cookbook, Gisele provides thoughtful guidance on how to create a routine filled with positive intention, nourishing food, and gratitude to support a healthy lifestyle. The first part of her cookbook walks readers through adjusting to this new mindset and offers practical guidance. Many of the recipes include suggestions for light and hearty pairings, as well as tips for making meals “kid friendly.”
From breaking cycles to journaling and setting intentions, minimizing waste, meal planning, and preparing healthful meals for your kids, Nourish is as much about living with mindfulness as it is about cooking.
Does This Taste Funny? Recipes Our Family Loves
by Stephen and Evie McGee Colbert
“Hopefully reading this book and cooking these recipes will feel like hanging out with us at home. We basically live in the kitchen anyway.” —Evie and Stephen Colbert
As Evie and Stephen explain it, Does This Taste Funny? had its beginnings in the Covid lockdown. “We were all stuck together and couldn’t go out, so we cooked. We had all three kids back under one roof for the first time in a long time, and we had dinner each night as a family. Cooking together became a major source of entertainment.”
Now, the Colberts invite us into their kitchen and around their dining room table. Sharing Stephen and Evie’s favorite recipes, as well as those of their family and friends, this book offers everything from Party Food (called “party food” because “appetizers” implies something to follow when we all know that, often, this is the only course), to Seafood, to Poultry and Meat (“Evie and I have different relationships to meat. I like it. Evie can take it or leave it, and mostly she leaves it.”), to Desserts (“This is one of the largest sections of the book. Evie always reminds me that desserts are a great way to postpone clearing up.”), to Drinks (“I love cocktail hour. It feels like a reward for having gone so long without a cocktail”), all tied together with playful dialogue between Stephen and Evie and gorgeous shots of their food, family, and home.
One Nation Under Guns:
How Gun Culture Distorts Our History and Threatens Our Democracy
by Dominic Erdozain
This takedown of American gun culture argues that the nation’s founders did not intend the Second Amendment to guarantee an individual right to bear arms—and that this distortion of the record is an urgent threat to democracy.
More than a hundred lives are lost to firearms every day in America. The cost is more than the numbers—it is the fear, the anxiety, the dread of public spaces that an armed society has created under the tortured rubric of freedom. But the norms of today are not the norms of American history or the values of its founders. They are the product of a gun culture that has imposed its vision on a sleeping nation.
Historian Dominic Erdozain argues that we have wrongly ceded the big-picture argument on guns: As we parse legislation on background checks and automatic-weapons bans, we fail to ask what place guns should have in a functioning democracy. Taking readers on a brilliant historical journey, Erdozain shows how the founders feared the tyranny of individuals as much as the tyranny of kings—the idea that any person had a right to walk around armed was anathema to their notion of freedom and the peaceful republic they hoped to build. They wrote these ideas into the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, ideas that were subsequently affirmed by two centuries of jurisprudence.
And yet the twin scourges of racism and nationalism would combine to create a darker American vision—a rogue and reckless freedom based on birth and blood. It was this freedom, not the liberty promised by the Constitution, that generated our modern gun culture, with its mystic conceptions of good guys and bad guys, innocence and guilt. By the time the U.S. Supreme Court reinvented the Second Amendment in 2008’s District of Columbia v. Heller, an opinion that Erdozain convincingly eviscerates, many Americans had already acceded to the the unfreedom of an armed society. To save our democracy, he argues, we must fight for the founders’ true idea of what it means to be free.
A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon
by Kevin Fedarko
From the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of the epic adventure tale The Emerald Mile comes the most dramatic and deeply moving account ever of walking the Grand Canyon, a highly dangerous, life-changing 750-mile trek.
The Grand Canyon is an American treasure, visited by more than 6 million people a year, many of whom are rendered speechless by its vast beauty, mystery, and complexity. Now, in A Walk in the Park, author Kevin Fedarko chronicles his year-long effort to find a 750-mile path along the length of the Grand Canyon, through a vertical wilderness suspended between the caprock along the rims of the abyss and the Colorado River, which flows along its bottom.
Consisting of countless cliffs and steep drops, plus immense stretches with almost no access to water, and the fact that not a single trail links its eastern doorway to its western terminus, this jewel of national parks is so challenging that when Fedarko departed fewer people had completed the journey in one single hike than had walked on the moon. The intensity of the effort required him to break his trip into several legs, each of which held staggering dangers and unexpected discoveries.
Accompanying Fedarko through this sublime yet perilous terrain is the award-winning photographer Peter McBride, who captures the stunning landscape in breathtaking photos. Together, they encounter long-lost Native American ruins, the remains of Old West prospectors’ camps, present day tribal activists, and signs that commercial tourism is impinging on the park’s remote wildness.
An epic adventure, action-packed survival tale, and a deep spiritual journey, A Walk in the Park gives us an unprecedented glimpse of the crown jewel of America’s National an iconic landscape framed by ancient rock whose contours are recognized by all, but whose secrets and treasures are known to almost no one, and whose topography encompasses some of the harshest, least explored, most awe-inspiring terrain in the world.
Be Ready When the Luck Happens: A Memoir by Ina Garten
Here, for the first time, Ina Garten presents an intimate, entertaining, and inspiring account of her remarkable journey. Ina’s gift is to make everything look easy, yet all her accomplishments have been the result of hard work, audacious choices, and exquisite attention to detail. In her unmistakable voice (no one tells a story like Ina), she brings her past and her process to life in a high-spirited and no-holds-barred memoir that chronicles decades of personal challenges, adventures (and misadventures) and unexpected career twists, all delivered with her signature combination of playfulness and purpose.
From a difficult childhood to meeting the love of her life, Jeffrey, and marrying him while still in college, from a boring bureaucratic job in Washington, D.C., to answering an ad for a specialty food store in the Hamptons, from the owner of one Barefoot Contessa shop to author of bestselling cookbooks and celebrated television host, Ina has blazed her own trail and, in the meantime, taught millions of people how to cook and entertain. Now, she invites them to come closer to experience her story in vivid detail and to share the important life lessons she learned along the way: do what you love because if you love it you’ll be really good at it, swing for the fences, and always Be Ready When the Luck Happens.
A History of the World in Twelve Shipwrecks by David Gibbins
The Viking warship of King Cnut the Great. Henry VIII’s the Mary Rose. Captain John Franklin’s doomed HMS Terror. The SS Gairsoppa, destroyed by a Nazi U-boat in the Atlantic during World War II.
Since we first set sail on the open sea, ships and their wrecks have been an inevitable part of human history. Archaeologists have made spectacular discoveries excavating these sunken ships, their protective underwater cocoon keeping evidence of past civilizations preserved. Now, for the first time, world renowned maritime archeologist David Gibbins ties together the stories of some of the most significant shipwrecks in time to form a single overarching narrative of world history.
A History of the World in Twelve Shipwrecks is not just the story of those ships, the people who sailed on them, and the cargo and treasure they carried, but also the story of the spread of people, religion, and ideas around the world; it is a story of colonialism, migration, and the indominable human spirit that continues today. From the glittering Bronze Age, to the world of Caesar’s Rome, through the era of the Vikings, to the exploration of the Arctic, Gibbins uses shipwrecks to tell all.
Drawing on decades of experience excavating shipwrecks around the world, Gibbins reveals the riches beneath the waves and shows us how the treasures found there can be a porthole to the past that tell a new story about the world and its underwater secrets.
Cast, Catch, Release: Finding Serenity and Purpose Through Fly Fishing
by Marina Gibson
As her twenty-first birthday approached, Marina Gibson received a unique gift suggestion from her parents, who offered her a choice between fishing rods or jewelry. In an unconventional decision, she opted for fishing rods. Her intention was to rekindle a childhood passion and carry on a family tradition initiated by her mother, who had dedicated years to pursuing salmon in the rivers of the Scottish Highlands.
As fishing overtook Marina’s life and evolved into a full-time career, she became enraptured by the silent mysteries of the river and the quiet magic of angling. The complexity of fly fishing and the rituals of casting provided her refuge from a failing marriage, giving her a reliable source of comfort that benefited both her mind and soul. It also revealed the barriers that exist for women trying to make it in a tradition-bound and male-dominated world.
Tracing the epic, migratory journey of the Atlantic salmon alongside the ups and downs of her personal story, Cast, Catch, Release brings to life the joys of fishing, the spirited quest of the angler, and how these two paths meet on lakes and riverbanks around the world. A love letter to this exhilarating yet serene sport, Gibson shows what it means to find peace and purpose amidst the majesty of the great outdoors.
The Shepherd and the Lamb: Our Covenant Hope in Christ
by Gerrit W. Gong
Of the many titles by which Jesus could be known, none are more tender, powerful, or illuminating than the Shepherd and the Lamb. In The Shepherd and the Lamb: Our Covenant Hope in Christ, Elder Gerrit W. Gong shares insights on these powerfully complementary, symbolic titles of the Savior.
Elder Gong writes, “As our Good Shepherd and the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ succors and saves. He lifts and liberates. He rises above and descends below all things.” To help readers better understand these two roles of our Savior, Elder Gong examines the unique blessings that Jesus Christ offers.
As our Good Shepherd, He calls and gathers His sheep to Him. He ministers to the one and strengthens us as we reach out to each other. As the Lamb of God, He restores that which was lost and should be found. He forgives and brings reconciliation. He delivers and redeems. He makes covenant belonging possible.
Through the messages found on its pages, The Shepherd and the Lamb, is also an invitation to each one of us—an invitation to discover how coming to Jesus Christ as the Shepherd and the Lamb fires our faith, hopes, and spiritual imagination, how it lends perspective to our lived experiences and our faith-filled future. Jesus Christ is the Light and the Life of the World. He is the Father and the Son. He is the Shepherd and the Lamb.
Fight Right: How Successful Couples Turn Conflict into Connection
by Julie Schwartz Gottman, PhD, and John M. Gottman, PhD
Conflict is the top reason couples seek help—but it’s also an opportunity for greater intimacy, deeper connection, and lasting love according to this essential guide from the world’s leading relationship scientists and bestselling authors of The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work and Eight Dates.
How we fight predicts the future of our relationships. Most of us blunder into conflict without knowing what we are really fighting about and then quickly become overwhelmed by physiological responses we can’t control and emotions we don’t anticipate. The truth is the happiest and most successful couples fight—all the time. Conflict is human, and necessary.
Through decades of research, Drs. John and Julie Gottman, founders of the world-famous Love Lab, have identified the five common mistakes we make when we are at odds. In Fight Right, we learn the five secrets that help us to get back on track and harness conflict to build stronger, healthier relationships. With kindness, clarity, and a deep understanding of the struggles couples are going through, the Gottmans show us that we each have a unique conflict culture, borne of how we were raised and how we experienced past relationships, and they take us through all the possible combinations, from Avoiders, to Validators, to Volatiles, and how they can best work together.
Fight Right is an essential resource that will help couples escape the win-or-lose mentality in favor of a collaborative calming down, staying connected, and really understanding, so that our fights can bring us closer.
The Anxious Generation:
How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness
by Jonathan Haidt
After more than a decade of stability or improvement, the mental health of adolescents plunged in the early 2010s. Rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide rose sharply, more than doubling on many measures. Why?
In The Anxious Generation, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt lays out the facts about the epidemic of teen mental illness that hit many countries at the same time. He then investigates the nature of childhood, including why children need play and independent exploration to mature into competent, thriving adults. Haidt shows how the “play-based childhood” began to decline in the 1980s, and how it was finally wiped out by the arrival of the “phone-based childhood” in the early 2010s. He presents more than a dozen mechanisms by which this “great rewiring of childhood” has interfered with children’s social and neurological development, covering everything from sleep deprivation to attention fragmentation, addiction, loneliness, social contagion, social comparison, and perfectionism. He explains why social media damages girls more than boys and why boys have been withdrawing from the real world into the virtual world, with disastrous consequences for themselves, their families, and their societies.
Most important, Haidt issues a clear call to action. He diagnoses the “collective action problems” that trap us, and then proposes four simple rules that might set us free. He describes steps that parents, teachers, schools, tech companies, and governments can take to end the epidemic of mental illness and restore a more humane childhood.
Haidt has spent his career speaking truth backed by data in the most difficult landscapes—communities polarized by politics and religion, campuses battling culture wars, and now the public health emergency faced by Gen Z. We cannot afford to ignore his findings about protecting our children—and ourselves—from the psychological damage of a phone-based life.
And Then? And Then? What Else? by Daniel Handler (AKA Lemony Snicket)
Writing as Lemony Snicket, Daniel Handler has led several generations of young readers into that special and curious space of being hopelessly lost, and joyfully finding yourself, in the essential strangeness of literature.
The wondrous and perilous journey of the Baudelaire orphans sprung from the author’s own path, from his childhood discovery of Baudelaire’s poetry through the countless peculiarities of his pursuit of a literary life–abject failure and startling success, breakthrough and breakdown, concordance and controversy–lit along the way by the books and culture he loved best.
At once a personal memoir and a literary exploration, a how-to book and a critical inquiry, a sequence of stories and a series of events, And Then? And Then? What Else? is a book not just for anyone curious about the creator of Lemony Snicket, but for anyone who loved books when they were a child, and still loves them now.
The New Menopause: Navigating Your Path Through Hormonal Change
with Purpose, Power, and Facts
by Mary Claire Haver, MD
Menopause is inevitable, but suffering through it is not! This is the empowering approach to self-advocacy that pioneering women’s health advocate Dr. Mary Claire Haver takes for women in the midst of hormonal change in The New Menopause. A comprehensive, authoritative book of science-backed information and lived experience, it covers every woman’s needs:
– From changes in your appearance and sleep patterns to neurological, musculoskeletal, psychological, and sexual issues, a comprehensive A to Z toolkit of science-backed options for coping with symptoms.
– What to do to mediate the risks associated with your body’s natural drop in estrogen production, including for diabetes, dementia, Alzheimer’s, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, and weight gain.
– How to advocate and prepare for annual midlife wellness visits, including questions for your doctor and how to insist on whole life care.
– The very latest research on the benefits and side effects of hormone replacement therapy.
Arming women with the power to secure vibrant health and well-being for the rest of their lives, The New Menopause is sure to become the bible of midlife wellness for present and future generations.
Cooking in Real Life: Delicious & Doable Recipes for Every Day
by Lidey Heuck
Lidey Heuck landed the most plum after-college job—working for Ina Garten in her East Hampton kitchen. There, she learned how to develop recipes that work every time and how to put together dishes that are at once special and unfussy.
Cooking in Real Life represents the golden middle ground that new and experienced home cooks crave: recipes that are inventive but not overly complicated, that use familiar ingredients but encourage us to do things a little bit differently. They are designed to be low-effort, practical, and high-reward. Lidey combines straight-forward delicious cooking with innovative, vegetable-forward recipes, inspired by bold flavors from near and far. Chapters and recipes include the following:
Busy, fuss-free weeknights: Salmon with Honey and Chili Crunch, Cider-Glazed Sausages with Apples and Fennel, Saucy Shrimp alla Vodka. Plus, dozens of ideas for turning single recipes into one complete meal (Think: adding some sauteed shrimp to Shaved Carrot Salad with Ginger Tahini Dressing).
Flexible, seasonally-inspired recipes with easy-to-find ingredients: Maple-Roasted Squash with Grapes and Shallots, Escarole with Cara Cara Oranges, Spicy Paloma Punch.
Celebratory dishes for occasions that call for something extra special: Short Ribs with Port, Shallots, and Cranberries; Champagne Chicken; and Rainbow Sprinkle Ice Cream Cake.
Throughout, Lidey includes swaps, make-ahead hacks, and tips for making leftovers into something new. Cooking in Real Life meets you where you are—whether you’re here for the practical tips or the endless possibilities.
ADHD Is Awesome: A Guide to (Mostly) Thriving with ADHD
by Penn and Kim Holderness
Hi, friend! Welcome to the ADHD club.
You’re here because, like me, you’ve been diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder—which, by the way, just might be the worst name for a condition ever—and you’re trying to figure out how to make your life a little more manageable. Or because, like my wife, Kim, you love, teach, or work with someone who has ADHD, and you’re trying to figure out how to best support them.
The world isn’t built for ADHDers, and navigating it can wear us down. But we’ll let you in on a little secret: having ADHD doesn’t have to be a burden. It can actually be a superpower that propels you to creative heights and allows you to achieve more than you ever thought possible.
We want to give you a new perspective on ADHD, whether it’s your own brain or a friend or family member’s that you’re trying to understand. We hope you come away with strategies you can employ to make things a little easier. (We also hope you laugh out loud, at least once or twice.)
Most of all, we want you to silence that voice that whispers that you’re broken or a mess or a failure. None of that is true. You have ADHD—and that makes you awesome.
Milk Street 365: The All-purpose Cookbook for Every Day of the Year
by Christopher Kimball
This is Milk Street’s new and comprehensive guide to today’s recipe repertoire, full of fresh flavors and simple yet game-changing techniques. This is everyday cooking you actually want to cook every day.
Milk Street 365 is both inspiration and reference for the contemporary kitchen, with recipes that will change the way you cook at home – from soups, stews and salads to flatbreads, pizzas and noodles.
You’ll learn better ways to roast chicken (flat birds crisp better, and seasonings stay in place when slid under the skin) and discover bold finishes for chops and steaks (think a slather of cilantro-lime sauce or a smear of miso butter).
Here, fundamental recipes and their nearly endless variations are paired with lessons on the art and science of good cooking. Sidebars and charts deliver valuable guidance about the tools, ingredients and techniques that comprise the modern kitchen.
It’s a 360-degree approach for all 365 days of the year.
The Demon of Unrest:
A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War
by Erik Larson
On November 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln became the fluky victor in a tight race for president. The country was bitterly at odds; Southern extremists were moving ever closer to destroying the Union, with one state after another seceding and Lincoln powerless to stop them. Slavery fueled the conflict, but somehow the passions of North and South came to focus on a lonely federal fortress in Charleston Harbor: Fort Sumter.
Master storyteller Erik Larson offers a gripping account of the chaotic months between Lincoln’s election and the Confederacy’s shelling of Sumter—a period marked by tragic errors and miscommunications, enflamed egos and craven ambitions, personal tragedies and betrayals. Lincoln himself wrote that the trials of these five months were “so great that, could I have anticipated them, I would not have believed it possible to survive them.”
At the heart of this suspense-filled narrative are Major Robert Anderson, Sumter’s commander and a former slave owner sympathetic to the South but loyal to the Union; Edmund Ruffin, a vain and bloodthirsty radical who stirs secessionist ardor at every opportunity; and Mary Boykin Chesnut, wife of a prominent planter, conflicted over both marriage and slavery and seeing parallels between them. In the middle of it all is the overwhelmed Lincoln, battling with his duplicitous secretary of state, William Seward, as he tries desperately to avert a war that he fears is inevitable—one that will eventually kill 750,000 Americans.
Drawing on diaries, secret communiques, slave ledgers, and plantation records, Larson gives us a political horror story that captures the forces that led America to the brink—a dark reminder that we often don’t see a cataclysm coming until it’s too late.
How to ADHD: An Insider’s Guide to Working with Your Brain (Not Against It)
by Jessica McCabe
Forget “try harder.” When your brain works differently, you need to try different.
Diagnosed with ADHD at age twelve, Jessica struggled with a brain that she didn’t understand. She lost things constantly, couldn’t finish projects, and felt like she was putting more effort in than everyone around her while falling further and further behind. At thirty-two years old—broke, divorced, and living with her mom—Jessica decided to look more deeply into her ADHD challenges. She reached out to experts, devoured articles, and shared her discoveries on YouTube.
In How to ADHD, Jessica reveals the tools that have changed her life while offering an unflinching look at the realities of living with ADHD. The key to navigating a world not built for the neurodivergent brain, she discovered, isn’t to fix or fight against its natural tendencies but to understand and work with them. She explains how ADHD affects everyday life, covering executive function impairments, rejection sensitivity, difficulties with attention regulation, and more. You’ll also find ADHD-specific strategies for adapting your environment, routines, and systems, including:
• Boost the signal and decrease the noise. Facilitate focus by putting your goals where you can see them and fighting distractions with distractions.
• Have less stuff to manage. Learn why you have trouble planning and prioritizing, and why doing more starts with doing less.
• Build your “time wisdom.” Work backward when you plan, and track how long it actually takes you to do something.
• Learn about your emotions. Understand how naming your emotions and letting yourself experience them can make them easier to regulate.
With quotes from Jessica’s online community, chapter summaries, and reading shortcuts designed for the neurodivergent reader, How to ADHD will help you recognize your strengths and challenges, tackle “bad brain days,” and be kinder to yourself in the process.
The Small and the Mighty:
Twelve Unsung Americans Who Changed the Course of History,
from the Founding to the Civil Rights Movement
by Sharon McMahon
From America’s favorite government teacher, a “fascinating and fun” (Adam Grant) portrait of twelve ordinary Americans whose courage formed the character of our country.
In The Small and the Mighty, Sharon McMahon proves that the most remarkable Americans are often ordinary people who didn’t make it into the textbooks. Not the presidents, but the telephone operators. Not the aristocrats, but the schoolteachers. Through meticulous research, she discovers history’s unsung characters and brings their rich, riveting stories to light for the first time.
You’ll meet a woman astride a white horse riding down Pennsylvania Ave, a young boy detained at a Japanese incarceration camp, a formerly enslaved woman on a mission to reunite with her daughter, a poet on a train, and a teacher who learns to work with her enemies. More than one thing is bombed, and multiple people surprisingly become rich. Some rich with money, and some wealthy with things that matter more.
This is a book about what really made America – and Americans – great. McMahon’s cast of improbable champions will become familiar friends, lighting the path we journey in our quest to make the world more just, peaceful, good, and free.
A Year of Granny Squares: 52 Grannies to Crochet, One for Every Week of the Year
by Kylie Moleta
Kylie Moleta has designed these colorful, creative, and diverse squares with the changing seasons in mind. From lacy, lightweight summer squares to heavier, textured designs for when it gets chilly. From charming florals to geometric patterns, each granny square is a mini-masterpiece waiting to be brought to life by your skilled hands.
4 seasonal projects are included, with the flexibility to use many of the 6 x 6in. (15 x 15cm) squares in them. Here, you’ll find designs for all skill levels, written patterns, and corresponding charts to suit every kind of crocheter. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced crocheter, there’s something for everyone in this captivating collection.
Featuring clear instructions, detailed stitch diagrams, and stunning photography, A Year of Granny Squares ensures that you have all the tools you need to embark on your crochet adventure with confidence. Expand your skills, learn new techniques, and watch your crochet expertise grow throughout the year.
Lore Olympus: Volume 6 by Rachel Smythe
“We have to make an example of her.”
Chaos reigns in Olympus as Zeus publicly declares Persephone a traitor and issues a warrant for her arrest. But Hades defies his brother’s decree, sheltering Persephone in the Underworld—and as the pair spend more time together, they are able to speak openly about their pasts. The goddess of spring admits the truth behind the bloody secret that led to Zeus’s ire, and the king of the Underworld shares the trauma he suffered at the hands of his power-hungry father, Kronos.
But as Hades and Persephone’s relationship grows stronger, others begin to fall apart. The bond between Hades and Zeus is stretched to its limit, threatening to fracture the peace between their realms. Persephone and Artemis’s friendship hangs by a thread as the goddess of the hunt slowly uncovers the vile truth about her twin, Apollo. A line is being drawn in the heavens, putting everyone’s loyalties into question as all the gods are forced to choose sides.
And as the cracks in the foundation of the pantheon spread, something darker and more earth-shattering might soon be released. . . .
Here Not There: 100 Unexpected Travel Destinations by Andrew Nelson
Design a truly unique vacation with 100 intriguing alternatives to more predictable, expensive, and overcrowded destinations.
Let’s face it. These days, many of the world’s most beloved places have become expensive and overcrowded, making their celebrated allure that much harder to enjoy. But fear not: Here Not There helps you create a more robust, off-the-beaten path vacation by revealing 100 alternative destinations to the standard travel playbook—as well as expert tips on when to visit, where to eat, what to see, and where to stay.
In this surprising collection of lively travel itineraries, you’ll find authentic, unexpected, and rewarding destinations of a lifetime to add to your bucket list. Both surprising and inspiring, Here Not There offers readers a chance to think beyond our typical borders and discover undreamed-of destinations.
5 Ingredients Mediterranean: Simple Incredible Food by Jamie Oliver
5 Ingredients Mediterranean is everything people loved about the first book, but with the added va-va-voom of basing it on Jamie’s lifelong travels around the Mediterranean.
With over 125 utterly delicious, easy-to-follow recipes, it’s all about making everyday cooking super-exciting, with minimal fuss – all while transporting you to sunnier climes.
You’ll find recipes to empower you to make incredibly delicious food, but without copious amounts of ingredients, long shopping lists or loads of cleaning up. 65% of the recipes are meat-free or meat-reduced, and all offer big, bold flavor.
With chapters including Salads, Soups and Sandwiches, Pasta, Vegetables, Pies and Parcels, Seafood, Fish, Chicken and Duck, Meat, and Desserts, you’ll find something for every day of the week, and every occasion.
Dishes include:
· Tender smoky eggplant
· Epic prawns & beans
· Rogue ratatouille risotto
· Sizzling squid
· Island salad
· Herby steak & crispy potatoes
· Easy fig tart
· Jools’ chocolate dreams
It’s a real celebration of hero Mediterranean flavors and ingredients – quick and easy recipes for exciting everyday cooking.
Roctogenarians: Late in Life Debuts, Comebacks, and Triumphs
by Mo Rocca and Jonathan Greenberg
Eighty has been the new sixty for about twenty years now. In fact, there have always been late-in-life achievers, those who declined to go into decline just because they were eligible for social security. Journalist, humorist, and history buff Mo Rocca and coauthor Jonathan Greenberg introduce us to the people past and present who peaked when they could have been puttering—breaking out as writers, selling out concert halls, attempting to set land-speed records—and in the case of one ninety-year tortoise, becoming a first-time father. (Take that, Al Pacino!)
In the vein of Mobituaries, Roctogenarians is a collection of entertaining and unexpected profiles of these unretired titans—some long gone (a cancer-stricken Henri Matisse, who began work on his celebrated cut-outs when he could no longer paint), some very much still living (Mel Brooks, yukking it up at close to one hundred). The amazing cast of characters also includes Mary Church Terrell, who at eighty-six helped lead sit-ins at segregated Washington, DC, lunch counters in the 1950s, and Carol Channing, who married the love of her life at eighty-two. Then there’s Peter Mark Roget, who began working on his thesaurus in his twenties and completed it at seventy-three (because sometimes finding the right word takes time.)
With passion and wonder Rocca and Greenberg recount the stories of yesterday’s and today’s strongest finishers. Because with all due respect to the Golden Girls, some people will never be content sitting out on the lanai. (PS Actress Estelle Getty was sixty-two when she got her big break. And yes, she’s in the book.)
Bad Therapy: Why the Kids Aren’t Growing Up by Abigail Shrier
In virtually every way that can be measured, Gen Z’s mental health is worse than that of previous generations. Youth suicide rates are climbing, antidepressant prescriptions for children are common, and the proliferation of mental health diagnoses has not helped the staggering number of kids who are lonely, lost, sad and fearful of growing up. What’s gone wrong with America’s youth?
In Bad Therapy, bestselling investigative journalist Abigail Shrier argues that the problem isn’t the kids—it’s the mental health experts. Drawing on hundreds of interviews with child psychologists, parents, teachers, and young people, Shrier explores the ways the mental health industry has transformed the way we teach, treat, discipline, and even talk to our kids. She reveals that most of the therapeutic approaches have serious side effects and few proven benefits. Among her unsettling findings:
- Talk therapy can induce rumination, trapping children in cycles of anxiety and depression;
- Social Emotional Learning handicaps our most vulnerable children, in both public schools and private;
- “Gentle parenting” can encourage emotional turbulence—even violence—in children as they lash out, desperate for an adult in charge.
Mental health care can be lifesaving when properly applied to children with severe needs, but for the typical child, the cure can be worse than the disease. Bad Therapy is a must-read for anyone questioning why our efforts to bolster America’s kids have backfired—and what it will take for parents to lead a turnaround.
The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan
A gorgeous, witty account of birding, nature, and the beauty around us that hides in plain sight.
Tracking the natural beauty that surrounds us, The Backyard Bird Chronicles maps the passage of time through daily entries, thoughtful questions, and beautiful original sketches. With boundless charm and wit, author Amy Tan charts her foray into birding and the natural wonders of the world.
In 2016, Amy Tan grew overwhelmed by the state of the world: Hatred and misinformation became a daily presence on social media, and the country felt more divisive than ever. In search of peace, Tan turned toward the natural world just beyond her window and, specifically, the birds visiting her yard. But what began as an attempt to find solace turned into something far greater—an opportunity to savor quiet moments during a volatile time, connect to nature in a meaningful way, and imagine the intricate lives of the birds she admired.
It’s Not Hysteria: Everything You Need to Know About Your Reproductive Health
(But Were Never Told)
by Karen Tang
Did you know that up to 90% of women experience menstrual abnormalities or pelvic issues in their lifetime? Yet these conditions are overwhelmingly misunderstood, misdiagnosed, or dismissed. The root causes for these issues, such as PCOS, endometriosis, fibroids, ovarian cysts, PMDD, or pelvic floor dysfunction, don’t receive the stream of funding for research and new treatments that other conditions do, despite affecting up to half the population.
Dr. Karen Tang is on a mission to transform how we engage with our bodies and our healthcare. It’s Not Hysteria is a comprehensive guide to common conditions and potential treatment options, with practical tools such as symptom prompts and sample questions for your provider, to equip readers to take control of their gynecologic health.
Reproductive healthcare, from abortion to gender-affirming care, is under siege. The onus continues to fall on patients to find and advocate for the care they need. In the face of uncertainty and misinformation, It’s Not Hysteria is destined to become a new classic that educates and empowers women and those assigned female at birth.
Knit Wild: 21 Sweaters with Nature-inspired Motifs
in Insulating Yarns to Keep You Warm Wherever You May Roam
by Anna-Sofia Vintersol
With animal- and nature-inspired themes, the wander-full sweater designs of Anna-Sofia Vintersol share your love of all things wild and free. Delightful motifs feature yokes of wolf faces and foxes, bears, whales, pawprints, and other colorwork patterns. A favorite pattern is sure to be Kitulo, a “choose your own adventure” sweater that can be endlessly customized with myriad mix-and-match charts. Every sweater from this design is one of a kind!
Beautifully detailed, colorful, and robust when knitted in hardy wool yarns, these sweaters are ready for outdoor adventures and will keep you toasty on hikes and camping trips. Prefer to sip cocoa indoors when temperatures dip? Knit them in a less-insulating wool and you’ll be quite comfortable. The colorwork keeps the knitting interesting; you’ll love watching the patterns emerge. Sizes range from 2XS to 4XL and are unisex—ready to be knit and enjoyed by all!
The Law of Love in Action by Steve Young
The law of love: loving as God loves, seeking another’s healing, expecting nothing in return.
How can the law of love apply to life’s challenges, from daily struggles like loving those you disagree with to the tough situations of abuse, infidelity, or war?
Building on his bestselling book The Law of Love, Steve Young explores the depth and breadth of how others practice living the law of love. This volume brings together insights and experiences from a wide variety of people, including a grandpa at a family reunion, a journalist visiting a prison before a big football game, a father with a temper, a bride diagnosed with terminal cancer the day before her wedding, a neurodivergent daughter of God, a broadcaster comforting survivors at a crime scene, and more.
See how in every situation of life, the law of love is undefeated.
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Closures in 2025
- January 1 – New Year’s Day
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- December 31 – New Year’s Eve
- January 1, 2026 – New Year’s Day
Address
73 North Center
Rexburg, Idaho 83440
We are located on Center Street, just north of Main Street, by the Historic Rexburg Tabernacle.
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