Mr. Paperback

Making the Transition to Vegetarianism:

With the arrival of spring comes the renewed desire to shed weight, and incorporate healthier eating habits into our daily routines.  After all, swimsuit season is fast approaching. The standard approach to dropping pounds is to embark on a new diet, but diets often only provide temporary results, and can be challenging to continue for long periods of time.  As we all know, the most effective way to lose weight and, more importantly, keep it off is by making a lifestyle change.  Mr. Paperback has a plethora of both health and cooking books which provide many different techniques for making simple and healthy changes. However, one of the easiest ways to make a dietary change for the better is to begin eating vegetarian or vegan, or at least reducing your meat consumption. 

A vegetarian diet has many benefits, including dropping weight without counting calories or giving up treats.  A study by Dean Ornish, MD, president and director of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, California, conducted over a span of 6 years, found that people who maintained a vegetarian diet lost an average of 24 pounds in the first year and kept off that weight 5 years later. Eating vegetarian also reduces the risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and Type 2 diabetes, and vegetarians have been shown to live longer and have more energy than non-vegetarians.

Along with the numerous health benefits of going vegetarian, there are many moral and ethical reasons to make the transition as well. Of course, many people choose to go vegetarian because they disagree with the inhumane practices of modern factory farming, yet there are also many environmental benefits to reducing meat consumption. For example, compounds, such as nitrous oxide and methane, produced by cows account for about 18 percent of the global-warming effects of GHGs. Animal-based agriculture is also the leading cause of air pollution, water pollution and deforestation. Essentially, a hamburger is worse for the environment than a Hummer.

Whatever your reason for becoming a vegetarian, Mr. Paperback has the resources to help you make the transition. Our cooking section includes several vegetarian cookbooks, as well as some located on the bargain book table. We also carry both Vegetarian Times and VegNews magazines, and we can order most books if they are not available in the store. For more information on vegetarianism you can also visit adaptt.org.

Listed below is one of my favorite dinner recipes: vegan tofu jambalaya. Easy, healthy and delicious!

Tofu Jambalaya

1 lb extra-firm tofu, frozen and defrosted
1 lg. onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped (green and/or red)
2 ribs celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup white rice
1 lg. can diced tomatoes (28 ounces)
1/2 cup tomato juice or water
2 1/2 tsp chili powder (may use part chipotle chili powder)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp Liquid Smoke seasoning (optional)
red (cayenne) and black pepper to taste

Prepare the tofu by gently squeezing out the excess water and cutting it into 1/2-inch cubes. Set aside.

Oil or spray a large, non-stick pot with a light coating of olive oil. Over medium-high heat, sauté onion, bell pepper, and celery until soft. Add rice and garlic and cook, stirring, until it browns slightly. Add tomatoes, water, chili powder and other seasonings, and stir. (It’s the cayenne pepper that makes this spicy, so be sure to add plenty!) Gently stir in tofu, cover tightly and put on low heat. Cook for 30 minutes or until rice is done and liquid is absorbed.

This makes about 4-6 servings.

(Recipe from fatfreevegan.com)

April is National Poetry Month

Poet’s Tree

Underneath the poet tree

Come and rest a while with me,

And watch the way the word-web weaves

Between the shady story leaves.

The branches of the poet tree

Reach from the mountains to the sea.

So come and dream, or come and climb—

Just don’t get hit by falling rhymes.

-Shel Silverstein

I opened this entry with an appropriate poem by one of my absolute favorite poets because April is National Poetry Month in the United States. Poetry Month is a celebration of poetry aimed at widening the poetic horizons of individuals and the media. The Academy of American Poets suggests celebrating by reading a book of poetry, putting a poem in your lunchbox, writing a poem on the pavement or posting one in another unusual place, or even playing a poetry-related game where you and your friends write a poem together. There are many ways to enjoy and share poetry every day. Serious poems or silly poems, it doesn’t matter what your tastes are you can come in to Mr. Paperback and pick out a book to read in April. And if your interests are in writing poetry we have books to inspire you or help you brush up on your skills as well. But whatever you do I hope you enjoy at least one poem this month.

4/05/11
     39 Clues #11 Vespers Rising  by  Rick Riordan   12.99
     44 Charles Street  by  Danielle Steel  28.00
    I'll Walk Alone  by  Mary Higgins Clark  25.99
    Miles to Go  by  Richard  Paul Evans  22.00
    Silver Boat  by   Louanne Rice  25.95
    Spoken From the Heart   by  Laura Bush  18.00
    4/12/11
     Chasing Fire  by  Nora Roberts   26.95
     Mobbed  by  Carol Higgins Clark  25.00
     Save Me  by  Lisa Scottoline  27.99
     Search  by  Nora Roberts   7.99
     Twilight Saga Official Guide  by  Stephenie Meyer   24.99
     4/19/11
     Diary of a Player  by  Brad Paisley  24.00
     Eve  by  Iris Johansen  27.99
     Quicksilver  by  Amanda Quick  25.95
     Ranger's Apprentice #10 Emperor of Nihan-Ja   17.99

4/26/11
     Bel Air Dead  by  Stuart Woods  25.95

The most human human? Is the title of this book an oxymoron? Are humans not, by virtue of the fact that “human” is their label, human? We humans describe other things or animals as being human or almost human or like humans in the way they do things. Well, how do you define human? Is a person who acts inhumane (meaning  literally “not human”) a human or not? What would a human human be? How would you identify them? Is every person belonging to the race of homo sapiens sapiens a human or are some of them, like criminals who are so often described as monsters, not human? What if there was something out there that was not human by any traditional definition but could mimic being human so well that no one talking to them could tell that they weren’t human… would that then be a human? The last is the question of the Turing Test and the rest is the deep concern of Brian Christian in “The Most Human Human”.

The Turing Test is the question of machine intelligence. Alan Turing posited that if a computer, during conversations with humans, could fool thirty percent of the people it conferred with into thinking that it was human then that computer would pass the Turing Test and transcend into the realm of being human. Every year for over a decade a competition called the Loebner Prize is held where several short conversations are held, via instant messenger, between not only human judges and computer programs but human judges and other humans. The judges try to decide whether each “person” they conversed with is a human or a computer, performing the Turing Test. The computer programs compete with their programmers dreams that they will be the first to pass the Turing Test, the human confederates compete for fun and so the programs have someone to compete against. But not according to Brian Christian- in his view the Turing Test is not a question merely of machine intelligence but a question of being human. What is there to be said of a person who cannot pass the Turing Test and prove their humanity? That is what he wants to know in “The Most Human Human.”

I very much enjoyed this book and the questions of humanity it posed. The writing style Brian Christian uses is thoroughly engaging. The contents of the book range from poetry to love to customer support lines to the famed chess match between Garry Kasparov and the program Deep Blue and many things in between.  What it means to be human is the consuming question of the book and the thread that ties it all together. I would highly recommend this book as reading for anyone interested in technology and artificial intelligence or any member of the human race.

Look for these titles by some of your favorite authors available in March

March 1st      River Marked  by  Patricia Briggs   $27.95
     Sing You Home  by  Jodi Picoult    $28.00
     Water for Elephants  by  Sara Gruen   $7.99

March 8th
     Jungle  by  Clive Cussler  $27.95
     Love You More  by  Lisa Gardner  $26.00
     Silent Mercy  by  Linda Fairstein  $26.95

March 22nd
     Cold Wind   by  C. J. Box  $25.95
     Live Wire  by  Harlan Coben  $27.95
     Night Road  by  Kristen Hannah  $27.99
     Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party  by  Alexander McCall Smith  $24.95
     March 29th
     Devious  by  Lisa Jackson  $25.0
     Land of Painted Caves  by  Jean Auel  $30.00
     Lover Unleashed  by  J. R. Ward
     Mystery  by  Jonathan Kellerman  $  28.00

March second is the National Education Association’s Read Across America Day. It’s also known as Dr. Seuss Day as it is held on his birthday in honor of his contribution to children’s books. Next week in classrooms all over the country volunteers will be reading The Cat in the Hat and other books to children of all ages. I fondly remember this experience in elementary school when the regular routine was broken up with a special reader who came in just to read Dr. Seuss to us. I also remember, just as fondly, in high school when I got the opportunity to read to some of the younger students one year, trying to read the words just right and not mess anything up so the magical experience of the craziness of Dr. Seuss was preserved for them as well.

Read Across America Day is not just for children, though. It’s a day to promote literacy and recreational reading in people of all ages. I encourage you to turn off your television for the day, take your news from the daily paper, and spend some quality time reading. Whether you’re reading by yourself or reading to children the day will be well-spent.

Come in and pick up a Dr. Seuss book or another book much-appreciated by children. Or come in and indulge yourself with a new book. Whether it’s light reading like a romance novel or a psychological thriller you’re interested in we should have something to please your tastes. Take a day to remember the importance of reading and enjoy a good story.

Well, it’s now February. Hopefully you all know what February means besides the continued onslaught of snow and the generally miserable state of the weather and everyone’s spirits. I suppose if you don’t yet know it will probably be a good thing that I have reminded you. February means Valentine’s Day, of course. Situated smack-dab in the middle of the month is the anticipated (or possibly dreaded) day of love and romance for all couples and envy and resentment for everyone who has their dating status on Facebook set to “single”.

Some people feel that Valentine’s Day is a huge deal requiring several different gifts, a night out and a great deal of money spent doting on their loved one. Most people, however, feel that it’s a little bit less of a big deal as long as they remember not to skip it entirely lest they elicit the ire of their significant other.  Depending on how you feel regarding the subject you might consider a different range of gifts or outings appropriate to give. A greeting card expressing your feelings, be they light-hearted or mooshy-gooshy, is a pretty standard item and can be given alone or accompanying other things. A piece of jewelry or thoughtful trinket might be appreciated. A certain kind of adult book could be more what you need. Maybe a teddy-bear to squeeze tight when you have to be apart is what you’re looking to give this year. We have all that and more.

Valentine’s Day is not just for couples. The rest of us have to live through it as well. Though some gifts are appropriate for people you’re not romantically involved with and you can easily give a friend a card or stuffed animal to cheer them up you may not want to shop for another person at all. If your plans for Valentine’s day are to ensconce yourself in your room and avoid all the loving couples you will invariably see everywhere I would recommending picking up a good book or magazine to keep you company. A jigsaw puzzle or Sudoku puzzle book would likely work to keep you occupied on that day as well.

However you feel about Valentine’s Day this year stopping in here between now and then could serve you well for when the day arrives.

Although weather.com seems a little confused about the recent weather (they observed only .33 inches of precipitation for 01/21/11 in Bangor and less than a full inch for the month of January so far) weather.gov is probably a little more accurate with an average range of 8-14 and as much as 16-20 inches in places. You and I would probably describe it less in terms of inches and more in terms of work necessary to clear it and annoyance (or delays, or cancellations, or accidents) caused by it. Yesterday I thought of the snow as a blizzard but today I thought of it more as hiking up the stairs two at a time except the stairs in question move when you step on them and grab at your knees and try to swallow them up when you lift your feet because, of course, there were no sidewalks today just long stretches of unbroken snow (now adorned with a string of size-seven footprints).

However you think of the snow (or try desperately not to think of the snow) that we already have you know very well that (unfortunately) it’s only January and we have a great deal of it left to come. They’re already predicting snow for later next week, in fact, but we do, supposedly, have a few days of clear weather ahead. So if you can manage to dig yourself out of the snow bank in time you should be able to be mobile long enough to stock up on ice melt and groceries. While you’re out for the necessities you may want to stop in and stock up on some reading material.

It’s a new year complete with new books. Several new titles from popular authors have come in during the last few days. If serious reading is not your style we also have a huge selection of magazines that range in topic from celebrities to science to videogames to crafting. Or, if you’re not interested in reading at all, we also have puzzle books full of crosswords, Sudoku and more. Also for the non-reading types there are books to hone your drawing skills and recipe books full of tasty treats to warm you up on a cold winter’s day. We have a little something to keep you all occupied the next time we’re entrapped by the snow.

Don't forget our annual Cabin Fever Sale!

Sale date for this year is Presidents day weekend. Saturday & Sunday, February 19th & 20th

Save 20% on all books, bargin books, gifts and greeting cards!!

Stock up on books for winter reading or find that perfect gift for an upcoming occasion!

“How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming”

Most people of my generation would agree that the perfect word to describe what happened to the planet Pluto a few years ago actually arose into use after the fact. Pluto was pluted. It means it was demoted without due cause or reason. Pluto went from being the last planet to be discovered, an icy but beloved oddball among the nine planets of our solar system, to being nothing more than a “dwarf planet” in truth just the second-largest Kupier belt object among hundreds of others. Mike Brown, author of “How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming” and also one of the people who stood to gain the most from Pluto remaining a planet, paints a different picture of events. Pluto wasn’t demoted without due cause or reason, it wasn’t plutoed, not according to Mike Brown anyway.

Despite being written by a respected astronomer the book is far from dry and boring. It doesn’t read even remotely like an article you might find in Sky & Telescope or some other scientific journal. Mike Brown sets out to tell you a story- not a story of an abandoned planet now cast out of the pantheon but a story of an entirely different kind. It is a story about a man convinced that there were more planets out there in our solar system waiting to be discovered. It is a story about astronomy, about values, about falling in love, and about rivalry but most of all it is a story about science. Even if you disagree with the verdict eventually issued about Pluto’s status among celestial bodies (Mike Brown even disagrees) I’m sure you’ll find that you enjoy this story.

The book was very enjoyable to read and difficult to put down. There’s a lot to be learned about astronomy in this book without having anything forced down your throat. The book is also surprisingly humorous and very compelling. It does not require a very high reading level or contain a lot of complex language. It does include some complex ideas about science and astronomy in particular but the author does a fantastic job of breaking them down and explaining them in an accessible manner. I would recommend this book to anyone old enough to appreciate (and maybe be a little outraged by the demotion of) the former planet called Pluto.