Bookmarks

Here are some books that have crossed our desks recently.

HARDBACKS

"VEGETABLES, HERBS AND FRUIT: An Illustrated Encyclopedia" by Matthew Biggs, Jekka McVicar and Bob Flowerdew, Firefly Books, $29.95 (nf)

There might still be snow on the ground, but it's not too soon to start planning your garden. This comprehensive garden book goes beyond the dirt, offering tips on growing, harvesting, preserving and cooking. This illustrated reference helps gardeners choose the plants best suited to their space, climate and needs. Accompanied by full-color photographs and a brief introduction discussing the plant's origins and history, each entry presents practical tips on cultivation, dealing with pests, medicinal value and other uses. A particularly nice addition is an accompanying recipe with each entry. Also included are in-depth sections on creating a garden, pollination, soil fertility and greenhouse growing.

— Jessica Harrison

"GALWAY BAY" by Mary Pat Kelly, Grand Central Publishing, $26.99 (f)

In 1839 Ireland, Honora Keeley and Michael Kelly marry and start a family, selling both their catch and their crops to survive. They live off the potato, but when blight destroys the potatoes three times in four years, a natural disaster becomes what they call The Great Starvation. Honora and Michael join 2 million other Irish refugees immigrating to America, where they find a new set of hardships and danger.

— Jessica Harrison

"A WALL OF WHITE: The True Story of Heroism and Survival in the Face of a Deadly Avalanche" by Jennifer Woodlief, Atria Books, $25 (nf)

On March 31, 1982, a once-in-a-century avalanche devastated the Alpine Meadows ski resort near Lake Tahoe, Calif., killing seven people. A combination of events created the most massive and deadliest ski resort avalanche in U.S. history. Woodlief takes readers into the lives of all those who perished, and those who gave their all to save others. She also tells the story of the heroic search and rescue of Anna Conrad, who survived five days buried alive.

"TO TELL THE TRUTH FREELY: The Life of Ida B. Wells" by Mia Bay, Hill and Wang, $35 (nf)