Kate's 5 Favorite Novels That Take You To Exotic Places

Kate's 5 Favorite Novels That Take You To Exotic Places

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Harper Perennial Modern Classics, $16.99)
Journey to South America and follow the tumultuous and often highly dysfunctional lives of multiple generations of the Buendia family as they experience love, death and war.

Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende (Harper Collins, $26.99)
Immerse yourself in the beautiful but violent world of Haiti in the late 18th century, and witness the triumph of the human spirit.

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy (Random House, $16.00)
Part mystery, part social commentary, the plot of this novel is as lush as it's Indian setting.

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver (Harper Collins, $14.99)
Travel to Africa with the Price family as they embark on a missionary expedition and find their individual purposes in the midst of hardship.

The Painted Veil by Somerset W. Maugham (Vintage Books, $14.95)
Join Kitty Fane as her physician husband drags their unhappy marriage to a cholera-stricken province in China.




April 2011, Kate Musliner

Kate's 5 Books That Changed the Way She Thinks About Food

Kate's 5 Books That Changed the Way She Thinks About Food

The following books completely changed the way I think about the food I put in my own body, the way our culture relates to food, the global food economy, and the ethics of how we eat. I have listed them here in the order in which I first read them. They represent, for me, the evolution of my own approach to eating and my food philosophy. I highly recommend each and every one of them!

Fast Food Nation, by Eric Schlosser (Harper Perennial, $14.99)
I first read this book when I was in college, right around the time "Super Size Me" came out. It was the first time I ever thought seriously about food.

The Omnivore's Dilemma, by Michael Pollan (Penguin Books, $16.00)
I read this book a few years later, between college and grad school. It made a lasting impression on how I think about the western diet and American food culture.

(Editor's Note: The Omnivore's Dilemma is also one of Nif's April 2010 Picks.)

In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto, by Michael Pollan (Penguin Books, $15.00)
I loved the Omnivore's Dilemma so much, I came back for more Michael Pollan! This book prompted me to try to eliminate processed food from my diet.

The End of Food, by Paul Roberts (Mariner Books, $14.95)
This book was recommended by my environmental health professor in graduate school. It opened my eyes to some of the broader aspects and consequences of the global food economy.

Eating Animals, by Jonathan Safran Foer (Back Bay Books, $14.99)
Just as a disclaimer, I had already decided to be a vegetarian before I read this book. But I still found it extremely moving and thought provoking. It made me think about things that had never occurred to me, even after all four of the previous books and many others.



March 2011, Kate Musliner

Kate's Five Young Adult Series You Should Read If You Liked The Hunger Games

If you like dark, action-packed young adult sci-fi/fantasy novels that are full of romance and adventure, you will love the following series!

Science Fiction:

The Uglies Series, by Scott Westerfeld: Uglies, Pretties, Specials, and Extras (Simon Pulse, $9.99 each)

The Maximum Ride Series, by James Patterson: The Angel Experiment, School's Out Forever, and Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports (Little Brown and Co., $7.99-$8.99)

Incarceron and Sapphique, by Catherine Fisher (Penguin, $17.99)

Fantasy:

The Mortal Instruments Series, by Cassandra Clare: City of Bones, City of Ash, and City of Glass (Margaret K McElderly, $9.99-$17.99)

A Modern Faerie Tale Series: Tithe, Valiant, and Ironside, by Holly Black (Margaret K McElderly, $8.99 each)

January 2011, Kate Musliner

Kate’s Five Books That Changed the Way She Thinks About Society

Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America by Barbara Ehrenreich (Holt Paperbacks, $14.00)

Consumed: How Markets Corrupt Children, Infantilize Adults, and Swallow Citizens Whole by Benjamin Barber (Norton, $16.95)

The Working Poor: Invisible in America by David K. Shipler (Vintage Books, $16.00)

The Trouble With Diversity: How We Learned to Love Identity and Ignore Inequality by Walter Benn Michaels (Owl Books, $15.00)

Flat Broke With Children: Women in the Age of Welfare Reform by Sharon Hays (Oxford University Press, $19.95)

October 2010, Kate Musliner

Kate's Top Five Favorite Kids’ Chapter Books with Plucky Heroines

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
(Random House, $5.99)
One of the most well-loved heroines of all time, 12-year-old orphan Anne Shirley captures hearts with her stubborn optimism and indomitable spirit in the face of harsh life circumstances.

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Spear
(Yearling Books, $6.99)
This book tells the story of Kit Tyler, a 16-year-old girl living in 17th century colonial America who is forced to take matters into her own hands to save herself and those she cares about from an unjust fate.

Catherine Called Birdy by Karen Cushman
(Trophy Press, $6.99)
14-year-old Catherine is the daughter of a knight in 12th century medieval England who is determined to marry her off against her will. But spunky Catherine has other ideas, and sets about foiling her father's plans at every turn.

Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
(Penguin Books, $5.99)
Life is one big adventure for Pippi Longstocking, a charmingly irreverent and outrageous heroine who takes her neighbors Tommy and Annika along for the ride on her crazy escapades.

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
(HarperCollins, $6.99)
Ella of Frell was saddled with a terrible curse at birth: she must obey every order given to her. But that won't stop spirited Ella from setting out on an adventure to save a prince, his kingdom and herself in the process!

August 2010, Kate Musliner