affects many people and often goes undiagnosed, as well as an explanation of the
link between mental and physical fitness.
As Hibbert makes clear, she has not written
a workout regimen or weight-loss how-to,
but a guide to using exercise to become
both mentally and physically stronger.
This book is divided into three parts containing eight “keys” in total: part one
focuses on understanding what exercise
offers, part two primes the mind for success,
and part three details how to develop and
adhere to an exercise program. Specific
topics include “Improve Your Self-Esteem
with Exercise” and “Exercise as a Family” in
part one, “Change How You Think About
Exercise” in part two, and “Implement
Your Vision and Flourish” in part three.
Sprinkled throughout Hibbert’s compelling and easily comprehensible facts are
self-assessment “reflection questions.”
This is an enlightening and empowering
instrument for people who have struggled
with mental illness. (Apr.)
Home & Garden
Cut the Clutter:
A Simple Organizational Plan for a
Clean and Tidy Home
Cynthia Townley Ewer. DK, $16.95 trade paper
(240p) ISBN 978-1-4654-5305-1
Ewer, founding editor of the Organized
Home website, advocates for a clutter-free
home to restore mental stability and calm,
and gives readers the tools to make it
happen, in this easy-to-follow color-coded
manual. Her system, which she developed
as a beleaguered single mom 25 years ago
and originally published in 2006 under
the title Houseworks, boils down to
“reversing the tide of clutters by finding
the roots of the problem in personality
traits, mind-set, and behavior.” Ewer’s
process is “assess, banish and box, corral,
and control.” The book is divided into
strategies for decluttering, organizing,
cleaning, and planning in each room of the
house. The book delves into the nitty-gritty of list-making, menu planning, and
the cycles of cleaning. It’s best used as a
reference guide for specific chores (e.g.,
stain removal or surface cleaning) rather
than as a method to follow strictly. This
practical guide will be a solid resource for
young adults and new parents. Color
photos. (Apr.)
How to Plant a Garden:
Design Tricks, Ideas, and Planting
Schemes for Year-Round Interest
Matt James. Mitchell Beazley, $34.99 (288p)
ISBN 978-1-84533-984-5
British garden designer James (The
Urban Gardener) has produced a garden
bible as deliciously seductive as it is
clearly informative. James begins with
macro-essentials—climate, soil, and
orientation—before considering the
plants that are already in-ground. Next
he asks, “Who’s [the garden] for?” He
strongly suggests that readers take the
time to think about what they like and
need from plants individually and the
garden in general, and provides key considerations to do so. Topics include garden
themes and concentrations, weeds and
other “plants with a purpose,” and
clumps and blocks and drifts for putting
the garden together. James discusses
scent and texture as well as safety (with
children in mind). In the last section he
offers ready-made designs as malleable
models. The layout of the content is busy,
with multiple design elements (lists,
charts, bubbles, and borders) and tiny
fonts embedded among glorious pictures. Color photos. (Apr.)
Heirloom Plants:
A Complete Compendium of
Heritage Vegetables, Fruits,
Herbs & Flowers
Thomas Etty and Lorraine Harrison. Chicago
Review, $29.99 (224p) ISBN 978-1-61373-575-6
Based on the catalogs of Etty, a 19th
century seed merchant, and the modern-day experience of garden writer Harrison
(Latin for Gardeners), this book offers a
detailed and comprehensive exploration
of the value of preserving heirloom plant
varieties and keeping good “seed lines”
robust. (An heirloom or “heritage” plant
is one that has been open-pollinated and
spread by nature for more than 50 years.)
The premise of the book is that the quality
of food and flowers is directly informed by
the caliber of the seed. Observing that “so
much of what gardeners do is about the
future,” the book issues a “clarion call” to
devoted gardeners to prevent the extinction
of choice specimens and keep pure lines
in the game. It includes an abundance of
classic botanical drawings, quaint historical
tidbits, and general how-to horticultural
guidance. This encyclopedic delineation
of “directories” of vegetable, fruit, herbs,
and flowers offers practical help to the
gardener who’s interested in preserving
heirloom cultivars and turning a green-
thumb hobby into an all-out mission.
Color illus. (Apr.)
All the Presidents’ Gardens
Marta McDowell. Timber, $29.95 trade paper
(336p) ISBN 978-1-60469-589-2
The land surrounding the White House
is “one of the oldest continually cultivated
patches on the North American continent,”
explains McDowell (Beatrix Potter’s
Gardening Life) in her delightful dig
through White House gardens. She plots
their history from the Washington administration to the Obamas, skipping the
presidents and first ladies who made few
changes. Her descriptions of the grounds
and evolving garden tastes are complemented with a colorful array of illustrations.
McDowell fills the book with juicy tidbits:
the last cow to graze on the White House
lawn (1912) was named Pauline Wayne;
Herbert Hoover wanted “the help” to seem
invisible, so they hid behind hedges when
he passed by. In between stories of glass
conservatories and golf greens, McDowell
digresses interestingly to cemeteries and
extension services; however, her factual
style too often descends to the cutesy,
which is overkill in an already lighthearted
treatment of the subject. Color illus. (Apr.)
Miraculous Abundance:
One Quarter Acre, Two French
Farmers, and Enough Food to
Feed the World
Perrine and Charles Hervé-Gruyer, trans. from
the French by John F. Reynolds. Chelsea Green,
$24.95 trade paper (272p) ISBN 978-1-60358-
642-9
Charles Hervé-Gruyer tells the starry-eyed, dirty-nailed story of how he and his
wife, Perrine, transformed a “dilapidated
cottage” and “a mediocre field” into an
idyllic, prolific 37-acre farm and educational center in Normandy over the course
of eight years. La Ferme du Bec Hellouin,
one of the few French farms employing
permaculture and intensive, nonmecha-nized agriculture, has attracted the
attention of aspiring microfarmers and
mainstream agronomists. Grounded in
permaculture and inspired by intuition
