Over the Counter # 63

The latest books to catch my eye this week as they passed over my library counter and under my scanner were all about Home Ec. Ahh, I remember the sack dress I made in grade seven....

First up was Home-Ec 101 by Heather Solos. It ws the retro look of the cover that made me take a second look.

From BetterWay Books:

"From quick cleaning solutions, instructions for removing stubborn stains, simple fixes to wardrobe malfunctions, troubleshooting advice for home appliances, a guide to basic home maintenance, or ideas for how to fix quick, healthy meals, Home-Ec 101 will teach you real skills for real life. It’s everything you wish your mom had taught you, written in a funny, easy-to-understand tone. Cut the apron strings and equip yourself with the skills you need for everyday life."

Or how about Making It by Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen from Rodale Books?

"Spending money is the last thing anyone wants to do right now. We are in the midst of a massive cultural shift away from consumerism and toward a vibrant and very active countermovement that has been thriving on the outskirts for quite some time—do-it-yourselfers who make frugal, homemade living hip are challenging the notion that true wealth has anything to do with money. In Making It, Coyne and Knutzen, who are at the forefront of this movement, provide readers with all the tools they need for this radical shift in home economics.

The projects range from simple to ambitious and include activities done in the home, in the garden,
and out in the streets. With step-by-step instructions for a wide range of projects—from growing food in an apartment and building a ninety-nine-cent solar oven to creating safe, effective laundry soap for pennies a gallon and fishing in urban waterways—Making It will be the go-to source for post-consumer living activities that are fun, inexpensive, and eminently doable. Within hours of buying this book, readers will be able to start transitioning into a creative, sustainable mode of living that is not just a temporary fad but a cultural revolution.

Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen grow food, keep chickens, brew, bike, bake, and plot revolution from their 1/12-acre farm in the heart of Los Angeles. They are the keepers of the popular DIY blog, Root Simple, and the authors of The Urban Homestead, which the New York Times describes as "home economics as our greatgrandparents knew it...the contemporary bible on the subject."

(Over the Counter is a regular feature at A Bookworm's World. I've sadly come the realization that I cannot physically read every book that catches my interest as it crosses over my counter at the library. But... I can mention them and maybe one of them will catch your eye as well. See if your local library has them on their shelves!)