Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer

Carpenter, Novella. Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer. 2009. (630.973 Carpe.N) 

"I have a farm on a dead-end street in the ghetto." So begins Novella Carpenter's charming, engaging account of her experience establishing a farm in the middle of Oakland, California. She and her cuddly boyfriend, Bill, start simply enough by planting vegetables and keeping bees. Gradually, they increase their stake in the farm by adding poultry, then rabbits, and finally pigs. She and Bill, not wanting to feed their menagerie manufactured chow (never mind that they couldn’t afford such a convenience, especially for their ravenous porkers), go midnight Dumpster diving at Oakland’s finer restaurants and bakeries, making their little crew very happy indeed. On one of her midnight runs, Carpenter meets a restaurateur who, though initially he thinks she’s nuts, winds up helping her process her pigs into delectable edibles, thus aiding the noble goal of the entire enterprise, knowing exactly where her food comes from, and wasting not a morsel. (Mary B., Reader's Services)

Spare Parts

I was surprised to read three books recently which touched on the theme of organ transplants. Is this a new subject for mystery writers?

Clark, M. Just Take My Heart. 2009 (Mystery Clark, M.)

Lawyer Emily Wallace 's secret past (a heart transplant) catches up with her as she prepares to prosecute the husband of a murdered actress. Between trusting a neighbor with an unknown violent past and experiencing odd emotions during the trial, Emily is unaware of the immediate danger to herself. She tries  to understand the "mind-body" connections she senses. As usual, Clark provides fairly "gentle" suspense and a good mystery. (Shira S., Reader's Services)

Two more books on the subject

The Flavor Bible

The Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs. by Karen Page. 2008. (641.5 Page.K)

Karen Page, along with her fellow chef and husband, Andrew Dornenburg, have gathered the collective experiences of dozens of professional food people to produce a wonderful book. Their main objective is to describe an ingredient and its complementary flavors; likewise, disastrous combinations receive a heads-up!

Much more information is added through the use of sidebars, photos, and anecdotes.Anyone with a passing interest in cooking or food could enjoy The Flavor Bible, but it has enough content for advanced foodies. (Shira S., Reader's Services)

Pie in the Sky

Pie in the Sky. 2009 (DVD 791.4572 Pie Series 1)

After 25 years on the job, all Detective Inspector Henry Crabbe wants to do after he retires is cook - and who can blame him? He makes the best steak and kidney pie in the fictional town of Middleton, England. Too bad his boss has other ideas. Because of a bungled incident, Henry is blackmailed into remaining on the police force investigating cases his boss doesn't want to handle. Never mind - Henry opens his dream restaurant Pie in the Sky assisted by his accountant wife Margaret (who would rather eat a chocolate bar than Henry's culinary creations) and cooks everything from the perfect omelet to bread pudding. Henry Griffiths (Uncle Vernon in the Harry Potter films) is terrific as the semi-retired sleuth-turned chef in this delightful BBC mystery series. If only recipes were included. (Laura H., Reader's Services)