FREE/BARGAIN — Non-Fiction

[sufue]

Per its blurb, This Is NPR: The First Forty Years is a compilation of "behind-the-scenes photos, essays, and original reporting" celebrating, well, the first forty years of NPR. It has dropped to $2.99 at Kindle US.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0093MWK7C

Spoiler:

A celebration of National Public Radio “full of short histories from familiar names . . . [a] retrospective illustrating just how much they have given us” (Publishers Weekly).

“Always put the listener first” has been NPR’s mantra since its inception in 1970, and the result is that its programming attracts tens of millions of listeners every week. This beautifully designed volume chronicles the first forty years of NPR’s storied history, featuring dozens of behind-the-scenes photos, essays, and original reporting by a who’s who of NPR staff and correspondents, and transcripts of memorable interviews. Beyond an entertaining and inspiring tribute to NPR’s remarkable history, this book is an intimate look at the news and stories that have shaped our world, from the people who were on the ground and on the air.

With contributions from: Steve Inskeep * Neal Conan * Robert Siegel * Nina Totenberg * Linda Wertheimer * Scott Simon * Melissa Block * P.J. O’Rourke * David Sedaris * Sylvia Poggioli * Ira Flatow * Paula Poundstone * Daniel Schorr * and many more

One of Cool Hunter’s Top Five Books of the Year

[ZodWallop]

At Day's Close: Night in Times Past by A. Roger Ekirch is $2.99 at Amazon and Kobo US.

I heard an interview with the author on NPR a while back and have been waiting for the book to go on sale.

"Remarkable.… Ekirch has emptied night's pockets, and laid the contents out before us." —Arthur Krystal, The New Yorker

Bringing light to the shadows of history through a "rich weave of citation and archival evidence" (Publishers Weekly), scholar A. Roger Ekirch illuminates the aspects of life most often overlooked by other historians—those that unfold at night. In this "triumph of social history" (Mail on Sunday), Ekirch's "enthralling anthropology" (Harper's) exposes the nightlife that spawned a distinct culture and a refuge from daily life.

Fear of crime, of fire, and of the supernatural; the importance of moonlight; the increased incidence of sickness and death at night; evening gatherings to spin wool and stories; masqued balls; inns, taverns, and brothels; the strategies of thieves, assassins, and conspirators; the protective uses of incantations, meditations, and prayers; the nature of our predecessors' sleep and dreams—Ekirch reveals all these and more in his "monumental study" (The Nation) of sociocultural history, "maintaining throughout an infectious sense of wonder" (Booklist).

[isarl]

Driven to Distraction: Recognizing and Coping with Attention-Deficit Disorder (revised edition), by Edward M. Hallowell and John J. Ratey, is currently $2.

Kobo CA; Amazon.ca
Kobo US; Amazon.com

Groundbreaking and comprehensive, Driven to Distraction has been a lifeline to the approximately eighteen million Americans who are thought to have ADHD. Now the bestselling book is revised and updated with current medical information for a new generation searching for answers.

Through vivid stories and case histories of patients—both adults and children—Hallowell and Ratey explore the varied forms ADHD takes, from hyperactivity to daydreaming. They dispel common myths, offer helpful coping tools, and give a thorough accounting of all treatment options as well as tips for dealing with a diagnosed child, partner, or family member. But most importantly, they focus on the positives that can come with this “disorder”—including high energy, intuitiveness, creativity, and enthusiasm.

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Lawrence in Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly, and the Making of the Modern Middle East by Scott Anderson is on sale today for $2.99 in the US. I read this a while back, mostly prompted by the lyrics to Al Stewart's League of Notions (not a typo, since Stewart loves puns), and really enjoyed it, while also learning a lot, which is kind of nice. It has picked up a bunch of awards including a Goodreads Choice Award, NPR Best Book of the Year, and New York Times Notable Book award. And it was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award in Biography.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BH0VSPI
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/lawrence-in-arabia

Link to lyrics for League of Notions (hard to find a site without too many ads, but this one's not too bad): https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/alst...ofnotions.html, or you can go to Stewart's website (www.alstewart.com), and find the lyrics under the Songs tab, but you have to give him your email....

Spoiler:

The Arab Revolt against the Turks in World War I was, in the words of T. E. Lawrence, “a sideshow of a sideshow.” As a result, the conflict was shaped to a remarkable degree by a small handful of adventurers and low-level officers far removed from the corridors of power.

At the center of it all was Lawrence himself. In early 1914 he was an archaeologist excavating ruins in Syria; by 1917 he was riding into legend at the head of an Arab army as he fought a rearguard action against his own government and its imperial ambitions. Based on four years of intensive primary document research, Lawrence in Arabia definitively overturns received wisdom on how the modern Middle East was formed.

[isarl]

An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace, by Tamar Adler, is on sale for $1.99.
This book has some of the most beautiful prose about food I've ever read.

All ingredients need salt. The noodle or tender spring pea would be narcissistic to imagine it already contained within its cell walls all the perfection it would ever need. We seem, too, to fear that we are failures at being tender and springy if we need to be seasoned. It’s not so: it doesn’t reflect badly on pea or person that either needs help to be most itself.

Amazon.com, Amazon.ca
Kobo US, Kobo Canada

Publisher's description:

In An Everlasting Meal, Tamar Adler has written a book that “reads less like a cookbook than like a recipe for a delicious life” (New York magazine).

In this meditation on cooking and eating, Tamar Adler weaves philosophy and instruction into approachable lessons on feeding ourselves well. An Everlasting Meal demonstrates the implicit frugality in cooking. In essays on forgotten skills such as boiling, suggestions for what to do when cooking seems like a chore, and strategies for preparing, storing, and transforming ingredients for a week’s worth of satisfying, delicious meals, Tamar reminds us of the practical pleasures of eating. She explains what cooks in the world’s great kitchens know: that the best meals rely on the ends of the meals that came before them. With that in mind, she shows how we often throw away the bones, skins, and peels we need to make our food both more affordable and better. She also reminds readers that almost all kitchen mistakes can be remedied. Summoning respectable meals from the humblest ingredients, Tamar breathes life into the belief that we can start cooking from wherever we are, with whatever we have.

An empowering, indispensable work, An Everlasting Meal is an elegant testimony to the value of cooking.

[sufue]

The DK Eyewitness Ireland travel guide is $1.99 right now in the US. I've used some other DK travel guides in the past in DTB, and enjoyed them. Now I just have to find an excuse to travel to Ireland ...

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08SHC5XZ5
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/dk-...ness-ireland-2

Spoiler:

Small but spectacular, the Emerald Isle dazzles from coast to coast.

Whether you're seeking the surreal beauty of the Giant's Causeway, the historic halls of Trinity College, or the perfect pub to enjoy a pint of Guinness, your DK Eyewitness travel e-guide makes sure you experience all that Ireland has to offer.

Beloved by Hollywood filmmakers, Ireland's dramatic beauty will no doubt be recognizable to visitors as the backdrop of Star Wars and Game of Thrones. The cities, meanwhile, beckon with the promise of cosy pubs and charming locals. And with Belfast and Dublin offering their own unique identities and rich histories, Ireland's two capitals are sure not to disappoint.

Our annually updated e-guide brings Ireland to life, transporting you there like no other travel e-guide does with expert-led insights and advice, detailed breakdowns of all the must-see sights, photographs on practically every page, and our trademark illustrations.

You'll discover:

- our pick of Ireland's must-sees, top experiences, and hidden gems
- the best spots to eat, drink, shop, and stay
- detailed maps and walks which make navigating the country easy
- easy-to-follow itineraries
- expert advice: get ready, get around, and stay safe
- color-coded chapters to every part of Ireland, from Donegal to Dublin, Cork to Kilkenny

Oh, and looking a bit more, the DK Eyewitness Guide to Croatia is $2.99 right now as well. It has been $1.99 in the not-too-distant past, though, so you may want to be patient. But if not, here are links...

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09B1SXNRN
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/dk-...ness-croatia-3

Spoiler:

Whether you want to walk the marble streets of Dubrovnik, dip your toe in the azure waters of the Adriatic Sea, tuck into a hearty plate of Dalmatian brodetto in Split ormarvel at tumbling waterfalls in Plitvice Lakes National Park, your DK Eyewitness travel guide to Croatia makes sure you experience all that the country has to offer.

Evidence of Croatia's ancient past is easy to find. Ancient mythology permeates the country, nowhere more so than across the constellation of islands that pepper the Dalmatian coastline. The country is also home to vibrant cosmopolitan cities like Zagreb, which features an array of unique museums and modern art galleries. All the while, sparkling waves lap sultry, sun-drenched beaches where turquoise waters beckon.

Our updated guide brings Croatia to life, transporting you there like no other travel guide does with expert-led insights, trusted travel advice, detailed breakdowns of all the must-see sights, photographs on practically every page, and our hand-drawn illustrations which place you inside the country's iconic buildings and neighborhoods. DK Eyewitness Croatia is your ticket to the trip of a lifetime.

Inside DK Eyewitness Croatia you will find:

- A fully-illustrated top experiences guide: our expert pick of Croatia's must-sees and hidden gems
- Accessible itineraries to make the most out of each and every day
- Expert advice: honest recommendations for getting around safely, when to visit each sight, what to do before you visit, and how to save time and money
- Color-coded chapters to every part of Croatia from Istria to Eastern Croatia, Zagreb to Dubrovnik and Southern Dalmatia
- Practical tips: the best places to eat, drink, shop and stay
- Detailed maps and walks to help you navigate the region country easily and confidently
- Covers: Dubrovnik and Southern, Dalmatia, Split and Central Dalmatia, Northern Dalmatia
Istria, Kvarner Area, Zagreb, Central and Northern Croatia, Eastern Croatia

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I am slightly embarrassed to admit that I know very little about the history of the Philippines, other than a few scant mentions waaaay back in my high school world history class. But now here's my chance to fill the gap: A History of the Philippines: From Indios Bravos to Filipinos by Luis H. Francia, who is a prof at NYU, is on sale at Kindle US. Now I have to decide whether to spend $3.99 on this right now though, or put it on eReaderIQ for $2.99, since it's been on sale at that price a couple of times in the not-too-distant past...decisions, decisions...

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MXGCXDB

Spoiler:

The story of this nation of over seven thousand islands, from ancient Malay settlements to Spanish colonization, the American occupation, and beyond.

A History of the Philippines recasts various Philippine narratives with an eye for the layers of colonial and post-colonial history that have created this diverse and fascinating population. It begins with the pre-Westernized Philippines in the sixteenth century and continues through the 1899 Philippine-American War and the nation's relationship with the United States’ controlling presence, culminating with its independence in 1946 and two ongoing insurgencies, one Islamic and one Communist. Award-winning author Luis H. Francia creates an illuminating portrait that offers valuable insights into the heart and soul of the modern Filipino, laying bare the multicultural, multiracial society of contemporary times.

[salty-horse]

The Secret Life of Fungi: Discoveries From A Hidden World by Aliya Whiteley is $2 in the US (Kobo, Amazon)

Fungi are unlike any other living thing—they almost magically unique. Welcome to this astonishing world. . .

Fungi can appear anywhere, from desert dunes to frozen tundra. They can invade our bodies and live between our toes or our floorboards. They are unwelcome intruders or vastly expensive treats, and symbols of both death and eternal life. But despite their familiar presence, there's still much to learn about the eruption, growth, and decay of their secret, interconnected, world.

Aliya Whiteley has always been in love with fungi—from her childhood taking blurry photographs of strange fungal eruptions on Exmoor to a career as a writer inspired by their surreal and alien beauty. This love for fungi is a love for life, from single-cell spores to the largest living organism on the planet; a story stretching from Aliya's lawn into orbit and back again via every continent.

From fields, feasts and fairy rings to death caps, puffballs and ambrosia beetles, this is an intoxicating journey into the life of extraordinary organism, one that we have barely begun to understand.

[sufue]

Pulitzer prize-winner Anne Applebaum's Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism is on sale today for $2.99 as part of the Kindle US Daily Deal, and matched at Kobo US. Per its blurb, it was named a Best Book of the Year by the Washington Post and the Financial Times.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZN49QQ8
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/twi...of-democracy-1

Spoiler:

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • "How did our democracy go wrong? This extraordinary document ... is Applebaum's answer." —Timothy Snyder, author of On Tyranny

The Pulitzer Prize–winning historian explains, with electrifying clarity, why elites in democracies around the world are turning toward nationalism and authoritarianism.

From the United States and Britain to continental Europe and beyond, liberal democracy is under siege, while authoritarianism is on the rise. In Twilight of Democracy, Anne Applebaum, an award-winning historian of Soviet atrocities who was one of the first American journalists to raise an alarm about antidemocratic trends in the West, explains the lure of nationalism and autocracy. In this captivating essay, she contends that political systems with radically simple beliefs are inherently appealing, especially when they benefit the loyal to the exclusion of everyone else. Elegantly written and urgently argued, Twilight of Democracy is a brilliant dissection of a world-shaking shift and a stirring glimpse of the road back to democratic values.

[salty-horse]

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman is $4 in the US (Amazon, Kobo)

Daniel Kahneman, the renowned psychologist and winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics, takes us on a groundbreaking tour of the mind and explains the two systems that drive the way we think.

System 1 is fast, intuitive, and emotional; System 2 is slower, more deliberative, and more logical. The impact of overconfidence on corporate strategies, the difficulties of predicting what will make us happy in the future, the profound effect of cognitive biases on everything from playing the stock market to planning our next vacation—each of these can be understood only by knowing how the two systems shape our judgments and decisions.

Engaging the reader in a lively conversation about how we think, Kahneman reveals where we can and cannot trust our intuitions and how we can tap into the benefits of slow thinking. He offers practical and enlightening insights into how choices are made in both our business and our personal lives—and how we can use different techniques to guard against the mental glitches that often get us into trouble.

[sufue]

A Message from Ukraine: Speeches, 2019-2022, by Volodymyr Zelensky, is per its blurb, pretty much what it says - an authorized collection of Zelensky's speeches from 2019 to 2022. It's on sale for $2.99 in the US today as part of the Kindle Daily Deal, and price-matched at Kobo US.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BGX2HNJ9
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/a-m...from-ukraine-3

Spoiler:

An urgent call to arms from Time’s Person of the Year, the Ukrainian leader whose unwavering courage in the face of the Russian invasion has inspired the world and turned him overnight into a global beacon of democracy

The words of a man. The message of a people.

Bringing together a new introduction by Volodymyr Zelensky with his most powerful war speeches, this book recounts Ukraine’s story through the words of its president.

It is the story of a nation valiantly defending itself from Russian aggression. And it is the story of a people leading the world in the struggle for democracy.

Above all, it is a battle cry for us all to stand up and fight for liberty. If not now, when?

The only book officially authorized by President Zelensky, A Message from Ukraine includes speeches he has personally selected to tell the story of the Ukrainian people.

[salty-horse]

A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: Murder in Ancient Rome by Emma Southon is $5 on Amazon.com
Was on my wishlist.

An entertaining and informative look at the unique culture of crime, punishment, and killing in Ancient Rome

In Ancient Rome, all the best stories have one thing in common—murder. Romulus killed Remus to found the city, Caesar was assassinated to save the Republic. Caligula was butchered in the theater, Claudius was poisoned at dinner, and Galba was beheaded in the Forum. In one 50-year period, 26 emperors were murdered.



But what did killing mean in a city where gladiators fought to the death to sate a crowd? In A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Emma Southon examines a trove of real-life homicides from Roman history to explore Roman culture, including how perpetrator, victim, and the act itself were regarded by ordinary people. Inside Ancient Rome's darkly fascinating history, we see how the Romans viewed life, death, and what it means to be human.

[sufue]

A friend (now himself retired) recommended Steve Lopez's Independence Day: What I Learned About Retirement from Some Who’ve Done It and Some Who Never Will as both funny and insightful. Now Independence Day is on sale in the US/UK for $2.99/£2.99. Not sure why Michael Connelly (famous mystery author) is the source of the quote in the blurb, but WTH...

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09N8RVS42
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/independence-day-31
Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09N8RVS42

Spoiler:

"Steve Lopez is insightful, ingenious, and often hilarious as he navigates one of life's biggest questions." --Michael Connelly, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Dark Hours

Four-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and longtime Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez explores the meaning of work and how it defines us in this captivating book that combines memoir, investigatory interviews, and practical application.

Grappling with his own decision of whether to retire, Lopez uses his reporter skills not only to look inward but also to interview experts and peers to collect a variety of perspectives as he examines the true nature of a person’s time, identity, and ultimate life satisfaction.

In Independence Day, Lopez talks to those who have chosen to extend their working life to its (il)logical extreme--people like Mel Brooks, still working at 94--those who have happily retired and reinvented themselves outside of the constraints of work, and those who would like to retire but can't because of financial constraints. He also turns to professionals on the matter, like two aging scientists, a geriatric specialist, and a psychiatrist, to understand the research-based reasons to retire.

With his trademark poignancy, wisdom, and humor, Lopez establishes a useful polemic for himself and others in planning ahead, as he also evaluates questions of identity, financial limitations, and ultimately what to do with your life when the obituary pages are no longer filled with strangers.

[salty-horse]

Soonish by Kelly and Zach Weinersmith is $5 in the US and elsewhere (Kobo US, Amazon.com, Kobo WW (small discount, same price))

From a top scientist and the creator of the hugely popular web comic Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal, a hilariously illustrated investigation into future technologies -- from how to fling a ship into deep space on the cheap to 3D organ printing

What will the world of tomorrow be like? How does progress happen? And why do we not have a lunar colony already? What is the hold-up?

In this smart and funny book, celebrated cartoonist Zach Weinersmith and noted researcher Dr. Kelly Weinersmith give us a snapshot of what's coming next -- from robot swarms to nuclear fusion powered-toasters. By weaving their own research, interviews with the scientists who are making these advances happen, and Zach's trademark comics, the Weinersmiths investigate why these technologies are needed, how they would work, and what is standing in their way.

New technologies are almost never the work of isolated geniuses with a neat idea. A given future technology may need any number of intermediate technologies to develop first, and many of these critical advances may appear to be irrelevant when they are first discovered. The journey to progress is full of strange detours and blind alleys that tell us so much about the human mind and the march of civilization.

To this end, Soonish investigates ten different emerging fields, from programmable matter to augmented reality, from space elevators to robotic construction, to show us the amazing world we will have, you know, soonish.

[sufue]

There Is Nothing for You Here: Finding Opportunity in the Twenty-First Century by Fiona Hill is $1.99 as part of today's Kindle Daily Deal in the US, matched at Kobo US. I especially like the recommendation from Timothy Snyder - my husband and I watched his Making of Modern Ukraine course, available from Yale on You Tube, and learned a ton.

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NWT7LZ7
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the...for-you-here-4

Spoiler:

"This book has a miraculous quality.... As a memoir this is hard to put down; if you are seeking a better American future you should pick it up.”—Timothy Snyder, New York Times best-selling author of On Tyranny

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER | A celebrated foreign policy expert and key impeachment witness reveals how declining opportunity has set America on the grim path of modern Russia—and draws on her personal journey out of poverty, as well as her unique perspectives as an historian and policy maker, to show how we can return hope to our forgotten places.

Fiona Hill grew up in a world of terminal decay. The last of the local mines had closed, businesses were shuttering, and despair was etched in the faces around her. Her father urged her to get out of their blighted corner of northern England: “There is nothing for you here, pet,” he said.

The coal-miner’s daughter managed to go further than he ever could have dreamed. She studied in Moscow and at Harvard, became an American citizen, and served three U.S. Presidents. But in the heartlands of both Russia and the United States, she saw troubling reflections of her hometown and similar populist impulses. By the time she offered her brave testimony in the first impeachment inquiry of President Trump, Hill knew that the desperation of forgotten people was driving American politics over the brink—and that we were running out of time to save ourselves from Russia’s fate. In this powerful, deeply personal account, she shares what she has learned, and shows why expanding opportunity is the only long-term hope for our democracy.

“Of every book written by anybody associated with the Trump administration, in any way, [this] is absolutely the one to read.”—Rachel Maddow

A New York Times Bestseller | A Washington Post Bestseller | A Washington Post Notable Book of the Year | A Financial Times Best Book of the Year