His shorter volumes, “In Defense of Food” and “Food Rules,” engaged my hunger (pun not intentional… I promise!) for simplifying my habits of cooking, for returning to whole foods and real ingredients, for taking the time to cook meals instead of relying on premade meals.

So when I saw Martin Library had ordered a copy of Pollan’s new book, “Cooked,” I requested it right away. And I have to say, I wasn’t impressed.

Pollan writes on the importance of home-cooked meals, not only because they are typically healthier but also because it unites families — Pollan himself grew closer to his teenage son through afternoon cooking excursions, a shared hobby.

All of this, I support. I love home-cooked meals. I frequently spend a full weekend emptying the fridge of ingredients and creating an assortment of dishes for the week.

And in the parts where Pollan is telling the story of a North Carolina barbecue man who stays up overnight to tend the coals of a smoldering fire, or the meticulous baker who treats bread as a near religion — this is where Pollan shines. In telling stories. In relating cultural trends.

But Pollan gets unnecessarily technical in each of the book’s four sections (Fire, Water, Air and Earth, which loosely translate to barbecue, stews, bread and pickles/alcohol). Bacteria names and details in the “Earth” section, especially, led me to skim entire paragraphs. And aside from the “Water” section, I can’t imagine many folks are going to roast a whole hog or begin baking their own bread on a regular basis.

Quite frankly, as I neared the book’s end, I was glad the final 30 or so pages were recipes, an appendix and a bibliography.

It’s an interesting read for those over the moon about cooking, sure. But if Pollan’s intention (as he presents it in the introduction) was to encourage everyday folks to spend more time in their kitchen, he needed to focus on more approachable subjects.

Holding a stuffed ‘Pete the Cat’ toy, Giovanni Silimperi, then 5, of Manchester Township, listens as storyteller Miss Ellen reads aloud the book ‘Pete the Cat’ at Sovereign Bank Stadium as the 2012 Summer Reading Club kicked off. (YORK DAILY RECORD/SUNDAY NEWS — FILE)

By DEB SULLIVAN 
On the Shelves 

Summer is one of those funny times. As parents, we look forward to having more time with our kids over summer vacation.

The stress of getting everyone up and moving for school is gone for a few months. It’s a chance to slow down. You can kick around, go to the park, swim, even have a picnic lunch on the back porch. The daily rush goes away.

But alas, as the days pass, the gentler pace becomes a challenge as the kids don’t quite know what to do to fill their time.

My best advice to forgo the summer doldrums is to head to the York County library closest to you. It is by far the best entertainment bargain around.

Don’t have a card? Simply sign up to gain free access to a summer packed with shows, activities and, of course, awesome books.

York County Libraries and Get Outdoors York hosts an annual summer reading club and physical activity program that keeps around 12,000 kids busy all summer long. We sneak in some learning and help kids avoid the summer slide (the loss of reading skills) — and did I mention it is fun for parents, too?

Starting June 1, kids up to 18 years old can visit one of our 13 library locations and pick up this year’s “Gardener’s Journal” — the official guide to the summer program. It has everything that’s happening at the libraries and contains the clues to find 30 “Garden Plots” (rubbing posts) that are hidden at area parks.

This year’s theme is “Dig Into Reading! GO and Dig It Up!” And if you haven’t guessed already, gardening and what’s underground are both going to be a big part of the summer’s focus. All of the posts are named after fruits and vegetables and the GO York! program is highlighting produce that is grown right here in York County.

Our libraries have books on everything from gardening to insects to dinosaurs, and the free programs will be just as diverse.

Entomologist Ryan Bridge, who kids know as “The BugMan,” is bringing real insects and arthropods to our libraries for everyone to see up close. He’ll be talking about what kind of bugs love dirt and live underground and why they can survive in a dark and dirty environment.

Geologist Jeri Jones and storyteller Lisa Schmittle are digging up a little pre-historic history. Jones will share an actual dinosaur fossil and get kids thinking about how dinosaurs walked and what we can tell from their footprints. And Schmittle will tell dinosaur tales and allow kids to create their own dinosaurs to take home.

Annual worm races return at several of the libraries, including the Mason-Dixon Public Library, which held its first race 14 years ago. Kids each bring a worm or borrow one from the “bookworm corral” to see which worm can cross the finish line first.

Gifford Pinchot State Park Naturalist Beth Kepley-McNutt will introduce even more kids to “The Wiggly World of Worms!” at the Dig It! Faire July 13 at the park. She will be joined by Jesse Rothacker from Forgotten Friend’s Sanctuary when he presents an “Undercover Reptiles” show as part of the day’s free entertainment.

How it works

Registration for the York County Libraries Summer Reading Club and GO York! Physical Activity Program begins June 1 at all 13 York County library locations and online at www.yorklibraries.org. It is free for kids up to 18 years old. Kids can sign up for the program anytime during the summer as it runs until Aug. 18. Most participants start in June to have more time to read and to discover the hidden posts at area parks. As participants reach goals, they win prizes donated by area companies. Kids and families participate at their own pace, attending programs that fit their schedules and planning trips to area parks. Kids and teens use the “Gardener’s Journal” to record the posts they find and to track reading minutes, which they ultimately log online.

Don’t miss these events

• Summer Reading Club & GO York! kick-off event—10 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 1 at the West Manchester Mall, 1800 Loucks Road, West Manchester Township. There will be lots of entertainment and activities including magician Dave Rojahn and Skeeta the Clown.
• Dig It! Faire — 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 13 at Gifford Pinchot State Park, 2200 Rosstown Road, Warrington Township. The annual mid-summer fair is packed with great entertainment, make-and-take crafts and more. Highlights include Jesse Rothacker, puppet shows by the Paul Smith Library of Southern York County, storybook favorite Pete the Cat, park naturalist Beth Kepley-McNutt and GO York! Bring a chair or blanket, and pack a picnic lunch or visit food vendors. The event is held rain or shine.

That’s how Mechanicsburg author Carl Alves describes his second novel, “Blood Street.” It follows Alexei, a vampire who angers Philadelphia mob boss Enzo Salerno when he claims Salerno’s associate as his latest victim — and it’s coming soon as an e-book.

The e-book will be available through True Grit Publishing May 20 for $2.99.

High school reading staple “The Great Gatsby” has been adapted to film before, but the most recent version is a very different take on the classic tale of the American Dream gone wrong. Previous iterations, such as the 1974 film starring Robert Redford and the 2000 A&E TV movie starring Toby Stevens, have tried to tell F. Scott Fitzgerald’s story in a straight-forward manner, capturing the aesthetic and look of the 1920s. The version in theaters now makes a lot of stylistic changes, and director Baz Luhrmann chooses to melt the Roaring ’20s with the present day, an idea that general audiences and fans of the book have been awaiting with great curiosity.

Did the modernization enhance the story? Critics disagree on that front, though they (for the most part) agree on two things: The visuals are stunning, and Leonardo DiCaprio’s Gatsby is terrific. The 3D-made visuals, the hefty use of CGI and the hip-hop-heavy soundtrack have some purists crying foul, as does the film’s unique framing of the story, which is totally different from the book. Largely, though, the movie’s story is true to the source, and the 21st-century tone helps the tale hit home to those who might be taking in the story for the first time.

From the get-go, audiences familiar with the book will realize a huge difference: The movie opens with narrator Nick Carraway, played by Tobey Maguire, in a sanitarium as he tries to recover from a drinking problem he went through after the events of the book. His narrations serve as a means of therapy as he looks back on his experiences with Gatsby, the self-made millionaire who did whatever it took to gain the wealth and influence that was necessary to try to win over the girl of his dreams. This helps to provide a smooth way to get Fitzgerald’s prose into the film, but it does get overused at points, contributing to an overall feeling that the symbolism can’t just be shown, but has to be thoroughly explained to be understood.

There are moments when the narration chimes in at times when the power of the dialogue and the scene itself should have been sufficient, and those instances can be irritating. However, this framing does help bring more depth to Nick’s character. In the book, Nick is basically a voyeur in a world in which he doesn’t belong, and so he doesn’t really take part in the important points in the plot. Readers can connect with him because the framing makes it feel they don’t belong in the world of big money and extravagance, either, but the movie helps make him more of an actual character without taking this tool away from the overall story.

This is where the modernized style helps enhance the story. Luhrmann makes exquisite choices in just how to blend the ’20s with the culture from nearly 100 years later, showing that glitzy parties, flagrant showcases of wealth and carefree living are not just an invention of this generation. There’s a good mix of the jazz of the time and the music of today purveying the film, but the look, talk and actions of the characters and the settings hold true to the era of the original story. The modern effects also make the green light across the bay, one of the main symbols in the story, feel more unearthly than any other adaptation thus far, making it stand out more than the bright lights and glam of the rest of the film.

By no means is this a perfect adaptation. I wasn’t comfortable with Nick constantly calling Gatsby by his first name. Hearing “Jay” so much takes away the impact of that glorious invention the character had made: the name Gatsby. Nick was more friendly than most toward Gatsby in the book, but never so much that the formalities of the time would let Nick call him anything other than “Mr. Gatsby.” Also, Jordan Baker, the sort of/maybe love interest for Nick, just about disappears from the plot after she reveals Gatsby and Daisy’s past relationship to Nick about halfway through the movie. It’s especially a shame considering she had been an interesting character up to that point.

Ultimately, the movie is a successful adaptation, though it might not be for everyone. If you’re a true fan of the ’20s and want to be transported directly back into the decade, the 1974 film will likely be your preferred adaptation. If, however, you don’t mind a little modern flavor that encapsulates the spirit of the era, then this version will suit you wonderfully.

Flipside’s Bethany Fehlinger (our resident Comic Book Wednesday expert) previews a recently released book. Dive in!

Take a trip to hell with Brown
Renaissance men weren’t the only one holding deep, dark secrets, professor Robert Langdon will soon find out in Dan Brown’s latest book, “Inferno.” Langdon is back in the heart of Italy, and this time he is sucked into a world centered on one of history’s most mysterious literary masterpieces — Dante Alighieri’s “Inferno,” part of his Divine Comedy. Brown creates a world filled with classic art, secret passageways, extreme dedication and futuristic science, testing the fine line between fact and fiction. If you enjoy mystery, suspense and history, check out Brown’s “Inferno.”

More:
– Find more entertainment news at FlipSidePA.com
– Find other recent book releases at Amazon.com
– Find more on Dan Brown at Book Buzz.

(Submitted photo)

York author and attorney Ron Hershner will celebrate today’s release of “Letters From Home,” a collection of letters describing the Civil War home front, with a June book signing at the York County Heritage Trust.

The book is a product of family connections: The letters were written by Harvey Anderson from 1863-65 and passed on to his granddaughter, Burneta Wiley Anderson.

When Hershner, her great-nephew, visited Burneta’s home in Lancaster, he found “a story of a family coping with the distance that divided them from each other,” Hershner wrote in a release.

Hershner will sign copies of the book at 7 p.m. June 19 at the Trust’s Historical Society Museum, 250 E. Market St., York. Hershner will speak briefly on the book, and readers will be able to see some of the letters on display in a Trust exhibit.

Copies of “Letters From Home” will be available for $19.99 starting May 17 at the Trust’s museum bookstore, 250 E. Market St. For details, call 717-848-1587 or visit yorkheritage.org.

1. “Happy Happy Happy: My Life and Legacy as the Duck Commander” by Phil Robertson
2. “Dead Ever After” by Charlaine Harris
3. “12th of Never” by James Patterson
4. “The Casual Vacancy” by J.K. Rowling
5. “The Duck Commander Family” by Willie Robertson

Find books we’ve reviewed on the blog under our “book reviews” tab at the top of the homepage.

(Submitted photo)

Scott Mingus Sr. and James McClure will sign copies of their new book “Echoing Still: More Civil War Voices from York County, Pa.” from 10 a.m. to noon May 25 at Brown’s Orchards and Farm Market.

The signing is tied to the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, which will be celebrated this summer with a series of events.

Brown’s Orchards is located at 8892 Susquehanna Trail South, Springfield Township.

Read more:
– Historians Mingus, McClure share area voices of Civil War in new book
– Jim McClure’s “East of Gettysburg” now available as an e-book
– Scott Mingus releases biography of Confederate Gen. William “Extra Billy” Smith

“We did this. We did it with open eyes and willing hands. We broke it, and there is no putting it back together.”

It is really hard to describe this new comic by Jonathan Hickman and Nick Dragotta. The main overall story arc centers around the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, but this only scratches the surface of everything going on, especially in the first issue. It is about a dystopian future of the United States and the world, which includes an alternative history lesson. There are different facts, different events, different important characters and new folklore.

It might seem like an information dump, as Hickman moves us from the Civil War to the “present” in 2064, where we have the Seven Nations of America.

And, unknown to the world, three of the four horsemen have arrived: Famine, Conquest and War. Death just isn’t cooperating with the crew, and is on a quest to pursue his own vendetta.

The story is set in what seems like the old wild West, but technology is more advanced than we can dream right now. To warn you, the comic is gruesome, with piles of bloody bodies every few pages. There also are religious undertones, some Christian, some pagan and Native American.

This comic is a multitude of themes and ideas, and somehow Hickman eloquently wraps it all into one.

I will say that I do think it is a massive amount of information for a first issue, which might overwhelm readers. However, it is still enticing and seems like a story idea that would also work well in a novel, TV show or movie. It is one-of-a-kind and original. If developed correctly, it can be on par with Suzanne Collins’ “The Hunger Games” or George R.R. Martin’s “A Tale of Fire and Ice.”

The artwork is equally amazing. It takes the comic to the next level and pushes the action from one page to the next. Dragotta knew when to add drama with just a look, or when a massive pile of dead bodies does the job better.

I have high hopes for “East of West,” and I hope it won’t disappoint. With how popular the title seems right now, I don’t think I — or you — will be.

Comic Book Wednesday showcases a variety of visually based books that fit into this wide category, to give a taste of this other form of reading.

This month will feature:

• Pittsburgh author Stephanie Keyes, of “The Fallen Stars”
• Camp Hill poet Maria James-Thiaw, of “Talking ‘White’”
• Lebanon author Lillie Leonardi, of “In the Shadow of a Badge: A Memoir About Flight 93
• Author Sarah DiCello, of “As I Wake” and “As I Close My Eyes”

Midtown Scholar is located at 1302 N Third St., Harrisburg. The signings are free and open to the public; visit www.midtownscholar.com or call 717-236-1680 with questions.