Janet's Five Suggestions for Hot, Humid Summer Days When Your Brain Turns to Mush and Movement Slows to a Meander

Watch a cat swat at various bugs, watch your garden grow (including the wonderful shapes and sizes of mushrooms and other forms of mold), come to Greene and Carpenter and watch the number of pregnant woman go by...or come and browse in the luxurious air conditioning at 551.

How to be a Cat by Nikki McClure (Abrams Appleseed, $16.95)
Inspired by Bud, an old and blind cat that came with a house the author purchased in 2001, our newest McClure addition appeals to the simple pleasures of cat gazing. McClure adds a kitten to her pages which increases the allure.

Revolutionary Yardscape: Ideas For Repurposing Local Materials To Create Containers, Pathways, Lighting and More by Matthew Levesque (Timber Press, $22.95)
Take a look at this book. It makes me want to take a week off to forage and build.

Beautiful No Mow Yards by Evelyn Y. Hadden (Timber Press, $24.95)
Finally an answer to living in Mt. Airy with sloped yards filled with roots or shade or rocks that we try every year to beautify by mowing, trimming, and pleading.

"Where Did I Come From?" by Peter Mayle (Kensington, $9.95)
So if your child notices and has questions about the new wave of pregnant women and newborns, try answering with this illustrated, no nonsense approach, or the following:

What Makes a Baby by Cory Silverberg (Seven Story Press, $16.95)
Any cover illustrated with a smiling yellow sperm and a blue smiling egg deserves attention.

Janet Elfant, July 2013