Books for Grownups December 2008

Here is what our generation wants to read.

by: The Editors of Publishers Weekly and AARP The Magazine, from: AARP The Magazine

LIFESTYLE/SELF-HELP

Cuisine à Latina: Fresh Tastes and a World of Flavors from Michy’s Miami Kitchen
By Michelle Bernstein and Andrew Friedman (Houghton Mifflin, $30)
For those in search of a unique culinary voice, Bernstein is the one to tune in to. A Jewish Latina who studied classical French technique, worked in several four-star restaurants, danced ballet on a professional level, and now runs Michy's restaurant in Miami, she is a multicultural force to reckon with.

Urban Italian: Simple Recipes and True Stories from a Life in Food
By Andrew Carmellini and Gwen Hyman (Bloomsbury, $35)
In one of the more creative yet accessible Italian cookbooks to come along, Carmellini (formerly chef of A Voce in New York City) presents spectacular recipes while opening a window onto his life with food, from his Italian-American boyhood and cooking school to revelations while traveling in Italy and being a top New York chef.

The Smart Cookies’ Guide to Making More Dough: How Five Young Women Got Smart, Formed a Money Club, and Took Control of Their Finances
By The Smart Cookies with Jennifer Barrett (Delacorte, $24)
The enterprising authors address the nitty-gritty of goal-setting, raise negotiations, debt management, and mortgages. Their plainspoken, encouraging style and helpful breakdown of information make this the perfect gift for recent grads—or anyone who needs convincing in these trying times that financial health is attainable.

The Self Sufficient-ish Bible: An Eco-living Guide for the 21st Century
By Andy and Dave Hamilton (Hodder & Stoughton, $34.95)
This inspiring blueprint for eco-living is an elegantly produced guide that provides hundreds of suggestions in four general areas (home, garden, food, and lifestyle) to help readers live more harmoniously with Mother Earth and leave her intact for future generations.

The Overflowing Brain: Information Overload and the Limits of Working Memory
By Torkel Klingberg; foreword by Elkhonon Goldberg (Oxford University Press, $21.95)
Klingberg, a cognitive neuroscientist, warns that the huge burden of information overload and multitasking can exceed the limits of our slowly evolving “stone-age” brain, leading to memory malfunctions. Klingberg also offers a keen examination of the impact on working memory of problem-solving, meditation, computer games, and caffeine. And who among us is not thinking about our memories?

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