Over the Counter #458

What book caught my eye this week? This one doesn't release until October, but I'm hoping my library buys it....

A Walk Around the Block: Stoplight Secrets, Mischievous Squirrels, Manhole Mysteries & Other Stuff You See Every Day (And Know Nothing About) by Spike Carlsen.

From Harper One:

"The bestselling author of A Splintered History of Wood uses a walk around his hometown to explore how every part of our urban landscape—from manhole covers and recycling bins to pedestrian crossings and bike lanes—impact and shape our lives in this fascinating work of popular science.

 A simple walk around the block set Spike Carlsen off on an investigative journey to discover everything he could about every thing we take for granted in our everyday life.

Leading readers on a spirited tour of his hometown, and a few other environs, he teaches us how to best appreciate and make the best use of the world’s most useful things with illuminating narrative tales about the hidden world outside and underneath our front door.

With wit and everyman expertise, Carlsen explains the engineering marvels, unheralded utilities, and how to make the best use of the world’s most useful things, including:

How the addition of a front porch reduces crime and increases property value
How planting a $10 boulevard tree cuts air-conditioning costs by 20 percent, while generating approximately $30,000 worth of oxygen and $31,000 worth of erosion control.
How a simple walk, in addition to reducing the chance of a stroke (20 percent), cardiovascular disease (30 percent), and broken bones (40 percent), can increase creativity by 60 percent.
Engaging, entertaining, and informative, illustrated with black-and-white photographs, A Walk Around the Block celebrates all the seemingly random yet essential stuff we encounter yet overlook every day. "

(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 the 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!)