A book about running, and writing. Murakami took up running and writing at the same time, and he puts the two activities side by side. A totally lovely read.

This is the book to buy if you are looking for an American English style guide and don't have one already dictated by your job or field. It has answers to every style question you'll have -- and online forums for new style needs that come up along the way.

I love everything I've made from here, especially the fudgesicles and pop tarts. Definitely chock full of good rainy day projects. 

We're lucky to have Diana as a teacher at the Brainery, and even if you can't take a class, I'd highly recommend her cookbook. The best scallion pancakes ever, amongst a million other great recipes!

These are long, long essays by McPhee, most of which were originally published in The New Yorker on a topic I never really thought about before: how things get from one place to another.

There're essays on long-haul truckers, UPS sorting facilities, and tow boats on the Illinois River, to name a few. An awesome primer on the Way Things Work. 

More modern quilting books.

Modern, bright, happy quilt books!

These are all great texts for anyone interested in Art Deco design.

Modern, bright, happy quilt books!

These are all great texts for anyone interested in ART DECO design. 

The Cube is a fun, visual book on the history of the Rubik's Cube and other twisty puzzles. Lots of pictures, color. Fun, interesting designs. 

Speedsolving is a quick guide to learning how to solve the Rubik's Cube efficiently. Also has outlines for more advanced puzzles (4X4, 5X5).

You should read this because how many black female science fiction authors do you know? And also, if you are a true sci-fi junkie, I guarantee her stories will blow your mind.

You should read this because it's recognized as one of the first novels to be written about the everyday Haitian peasant. Plus, it was translated from French into English by another legend, Langston Hughes!

This is my own portable guide to understand the concepts behind disease pathways.

Oliver Sacks is also required reading in every cognitive neuroscience class. All his books are fascinating.

V.S. Ramachandran was required reading in one of my neuroscience seminars. This is a masterpiece.

I saw this gentleman lecture on nutrition. He is very smart.

The Merck Manual is the clinician's Bible. They made a version for patients to keep at home, written in lay English for the general public, but with exactly the same information. This is such a valuable book, really.

Yes, this book came out a million years ago, but it's a quick read that manages to pack in lots of super interesting facts (they happen to be about death and anatomy and corpses, but so what). 

Throw out all those pairing books written by overly opinionated chefs and their egos. Instead take a spin with Chartier's book which uses SCIENCE. 

A book designed to help guide you outside of your comfort level with wine, without trying to bombard you with all the regions, vintages and facts that often make many wine books a drag. 

Because inspiration, even for cooking, came come from unlikely sources. Plus, this is what I can read and re-read and read again whilst stirring chutney all day!

Published in 1985 and widely available in used copies online, Julia Sahni covers the gamut of regional Indian cuisines in a surprisingly succinct tome (well, under 550 pages anyway). A careful selection of highly curated recipes + elegant food writing at its most refined.