Suffering Succotash

As a child Stephanie Lucianovic lived for years on grilled cheese and created an elaborate system for disposing of revolting food involving bookshelves, holiday centerpieces, and, later, boyfriends. She agonized not over meeting her future in-laws, but over the peaches they served her. As an adult, this picky eater found herself in the most unlikely of circumstances: a graduate of culinary school who became a cheesemonger and then a food writer. Along the way, she realized just how common her plight was. It wasn’t surprising to discover that picky eating is an issue for millions of kids, but who knew there are even support groups for adults who can’t overcome it? Yet remarkably little is known about the science of picky eating, and cultural and historical questions abound. Are picky eaters destined to ascend to a higher plane of existence, and what happens when picky eaters fall in love or go to restaurants? How can you tell if you’re a “supertaster”? How does the gag reflex affect pickiness (and what secrets do sword swallowers impart to help overcome it)? Suffering Succotash is a wide-angle look into the world of picky eating, told by a writer who’s been in the culinary trenches. With wit and charm, through visits to laboratories specializing in genetic analysis, attempts to infiltrate the inner workings of a “feeding” clinic, and interviews with fellow picky eaters and adventurous foodies young and old, Stephanie explores her own food phobias and gets to the bottom of what repulses us about certain foods, what it really means to be a picky eater, and what we can do about it.

By listening to the expressions of others, Linda Cutler has come to realize that there is thankfully more humor in life than not, especially when it comes to well-known quips. In a collection of witticisms, Linda humorously dissects why we repeat sayings like “he drinks like a fish” and “happy as a clam” without questioning whether anyone has ever measured fish consumption for comparison and whether it is even possible to tell if a clam is happy or sad. While examining other amusing sayings such as “sweating like a pig,” “barking up the wrong tree,” and “striking while the iron is hot,” Cutler offers witty reflections and clever wisdom that encourages others to stop and think about what they are saying on a daily basis and what each phrase really means. Happy as a Clam is a collection of quips that make us all scratch our heads while wondering how we can sow wild oats, why we would ever want to spill our guts, and why there are vegetables like suffering succotash.

Minette’s Feast introduces the iconic American chef Julia Child to a new audience of young readers through the story of her spirited cat, Minette, whom Julia adopted when living in Paris. While Julia is in the kitchen learning to master delicious French dishes, the only feast Minette is truly interested in is that of fresh mouse! This lively story is complete with an author’s note, a bibliography, and actual quotations from Julia Child and comes just in time for the 100th anniversary of her birth. UPraise for Minette's Feast/u DIV “Foodie parents who love cats will love to read this delightful book to their kids.†?/div DIV —The Atlantic/div DIV “This charming portrait...†?/div DIV —Publishers Weekly/div "A delectable tale about Julia Child discovering her culinary calling in Paris...This book is a charmer to share aloud with young people who enjoy a well-paced story and with cat lovers and food lovers of any age." —Horn Book "A charming picture book." —The New York Times Sunday Book Review "Amy Bates uses pencil and watercolor to crate artwork that is as playful as Minette the cat." —Library Media Connection STARRED REVIEWS DIV “A fine recipe for pleasure: Julia Child, the culinary arts, Paris and a lucky cat. Magnifique!†?/div DIV —Kirkus Reviews, starred review "Bates’ illustrations work marvelously well with this charming conceit." —Booklist, starred review "Reich's internal rhymes make the proceedings feel festive, while her overall prose conveys Julia's seriousness of purpose. The smooth flow of her narrative belies the impressive amount of research she undertook to relate actual conversations and events...Discover: A delectable banquet that charts Julia Child's culinary progress through the eyes of her cat, Minette." —Shelf Awareness, starred review  /div DIV “...feast for the senses†?/div —School Library Journal, starred review UAward/u Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC) Choices 2013 list - Picture Book

With gentle humor and quirkiness, this sympathetic book demonstrates how to say goodbye to a beloved pet and give it a proper sendoff. “[The End of Something Wonderful is] really good. It’s funny and sardonic and it gets to be touching at the end.” —Betsy Bird, School Library Journal Children love their pets very much—and when the animals die, that loss can be hard to process. The End of Something Wonderful helps kids handle their feelings when they’re hurting and can’t find all the right words. In a warm, understanding, sometimes funny way, it guides children as they plan a backyard funeral to say goodbye, from choosing a box and a burial spot to giving a eulogy and wiping away tears. Most of all, it reassures them that it’s not the end of everything . . . and that Something Wonderful can always happen again.

A hilarious and heartwarming debut about picky eating, finding your people, and standing proud. In Muffuletta, being good at eating is the key to success. French fries and grilled cheese? Beginner food! Haggis and truffles? Delicacies! After failing a school eating test, picky eater Minerva is placed in the lowest eating track of all: Remedial Eating to Change Habits. RETCH class is full of kids with weird personalities and even weirder food preferences. And to make matters worse, Minerva's best friends, in the Gifted and Gourmet class, no longer speak to her. But soon Minerva finds she is not alone in her pickiness, and forms friendships with her new classmates. And together, they find a way to stand up for themselves--picky and proud!

The hilarious adventure of the elf hunters continues! Junpei, Airi and Ritsuko need to rescue their friend Celcia (aka Spot) so they can continue their search for the spell fragments. After all, they need Celcia's help to get back to Japan (and Celcia is a friend). Remember Ritsuko's fondness for cute animals? Well, this time she makes friends with a fluffy little teddy bear in the mountains... but this one has a rather strange habit.

F uck the Fuckity Fuckin’ Fucker. Readers of Katherine Dunn won’t be surprised that this was her father’s favorite sentence, or that, as a young girl, she heard it as a kind of profane poem, a secret song. For many of us, the language of Geek Love carries a similar staying power, born of Dunn’s agile use of language and her strange, beautiful diction. And as a true exegete of the expletive, she remained undividedly devoted to obscenity—both as scholar and practitioner. In On Cussing, Dunn sketches a brief history of swear words and creates something of a field guide to their types and usages, from the common threat (“I’ll squash you like a shithouse mouse”) to the portmanteau intensifier (“Fan-fucking-tastic”). But she also explores their physiology—the physical impact on the reader or listener—and makes an argument for how and when to cuss with maximum effect. Equal parts informative and hilarious, this volume will delight Dunn’s legion of fans, but it’s also a must-have for anyone looking to more successfully wield their expletives, be it in writing or in everyday speech.

The original 1997 publication, as a guidebook for Conversations with God, Book 1, had net sales of more than 140,000 copies. This new edition includes exercises and study questions for all three Conversations with God books. Millions have read all three volumes of Conversations with God (over 7.5 million copies have sold worldwide in 37 languages). The Conversations with God Companion helps individuals and groups interactively experience the wisdom found in the books. Filled with exercises, assignments, and experiments, this new edition of the guidebook shows readers how to live the teachings that Walsch reveals in all of the books.