This month for our display, we asked the staff: "Which non-fiction books have instructed or inspired you?" Here are our picks—we'd love to hear yours too!
Boo
Windows 7 by Joyce Cox Preppernau (005.446 Pre)A Bitter Sweet Season: Caring for our Aging Parents-and Ourselves
by Jane Gross (306.874 Gro)
We are Their Heaven: Why the Dead Never Leave Us by Allison DuBois (133.91 Dub)
Skyland: The Heart of the Shenandoah National Park by George Pollock (975.594 Pol)
The Great Valley Road of Virginia: Shenandoah Landscapes edited by Warren Hofstra (975.5 Gre)
The Book of Quotes compiled by Barbara Rowes (808.8 Boo)
Melissa
Holy Bible (220.5 Hol)Where have all the Leaders Gone? by Lee Iacocca (303.3 Iac)
Carrots Love Tomatoes: Secrets of Companion Planting for Successful Gardening by Louise Riotte (635 Rio)
Draw Me a Tree: What the Tree You Draw Reveals About You by Ethel Johnson (158.2 Jo)
Almost Christian: What the Faith of our Teenagers is Telling the American Church by Kenda Creasy Dean (277.3 Dea)
Drive: the Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink (Overdrive Ebook)
Stop Getting Ripped Off: Why Consumers Get Screwed, and How You Can Always Get a Fair Deal by Bob Sullivan (381.34 Sul)
Tips for the Lazy Gardener by Linda Tilgner (635 Til)
Heaven is for Real: a Little Boy’s Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back by Todd Burpo (133.901 Bur)
Universal Design for the Home by Wendy Adler Jordan (728 Jor)
Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki (332.024 Kiy)
The Post American World by Fareed Zakaria (303.49 Zak)
Show Me How: 500 Things You Should Know, Instructions for Life From the Every Day to the Exotic by Lauren Smith (640 Smi)
Ben
Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank (Bio Frank Anne)The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli (320.1 Ma)
Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller (812.52 Mil)
The Double Helix by James D. Watson (572.86 Wat)
Autobiography of Mark Twain by Mark Twain (Bio Twain Mark)
The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African by Olaudah Equiano (Slave Narratives 920 Sla)
Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston (796.522 Ral)
Stonewall Jackson–the Man, the Soldier, the Legend by James I.Robertson Jr. (Bio Jackson Stonewall)
Kathy J.
The BibleAuthor Max Lucado
Betty Crocker’s Cookbook by Betty Crocker
Michal
The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir (942.052 We)Frommer’s Bermuda 2004 by Dawn Porter (917.29 Por)
Bermuda Guide by Ron Charles (917.29 Ch)
The Holographic Universe by Michael Talbot (530 Ta)
An Embarrassment of Mangoes: a Caribbean Interlude by Ann Vanderhoof (917.29 Van)
The Life of Elizabeth I by Alison Weir (Bio Elizabeth I)
Home Herbal by Penelope Ody (615.321 Od)
Gardening for Fragrance by Ann Bonar (635.968 Bo)
Trees and Shrubs for Fragrance by Glyn Church (635.968 Chu)
Aromatherapy for Mind and Body by David Schiller (615.321 Sch)
Kristin
A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson (500 Bry)You Were Always Mom’s Favorite by Deborah Tannen (306.875 Tan)
Three Weeks With My Brother by Nicholas Sparks and Micah Sparks (813.54 Spa)
Generation Kill by Evan Wright (956.7044 Wri)
Waiting on a Train by James McCommons (385 McC)
This Book is Overdue! By Marilyn Johnson (027 Joh)
Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind by Ellen Brown (813.52 Bro)
Death and the Virgin Queen by Chris Skidmore (942.05 Ski)
A Voyage Long and Strange by Tony Horwitz (970.01 Hor)
Confederates in the Attic by Tony Horwitz (973.7 Ho)
Taylor’s Guide to Bulbs by Barbara Ellis (635.94 Ell)
Joan 1
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand (940.54 Hil)Stolen Lives: Twenty Years in a Desert Jail by Malika Oufkir (Bio Oufkir Malika)
Until Tuesday: A Wounded Warrior and the Golden Retriever Who Saved Him by Luis Carlos Montalvan (362.4 Mon)
Lost City of Z: a Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann (918 Gra)
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi (820.9 Naf)
River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey by Candice Millard (918.1 Mil)
Personal History by Katharine Graham (Bio Graham Katharine)
Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson (371.822 Mor)
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote (364.1 Cap)
Overdiagnosed: Making People Sick in the Pursuit of Health by Gilbert H. Welch (616.074 Wel)
Eat This, Not That by David Zinczenko (613.25 Zin)
In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan (613 Pol)
The Wild Trees: a Story of Passion and Daring by Richard Preston (585 Pre)
Jessica
How to (Un)Cage a Girl by Frances Lia Block (YA 811 Blo)Girls to the Front by Sara Marcus (305.4 Mar)
Earth: Then and Now by Fred Pearce (779.361 Pea)
Mid-Atlantic Gardener’s Guide by Andre Viette (635.9 Vie)
Curly Girl: More than Just Hair by Lorraine Massey (646.724 Mas)
Exit Through the Gift Shop (DVD 751.7 Exi)
Food, Inc. (DVD 338.1 Foo)
Walmart: the High Cost of Low Price (DVD 381.149 Wal)
Jeanne—“Would have starved without” Joy of Cooking
The Joy of Cooking by Irma Rombauer (641.5 Rom)
Crockett’s Victory Garden by James Underwood Crockett (635 Cr)
Mammals of the Carolinas, Virginia, and Maryland by William David Webster (599.09 We)
Trees of North America by C. Frank Brockman (582 Br)
American Sterling Silver Flatware by Maryanne Dolan (739.2 Dol)
The Pleasures of Cross-Stitch (746.443Ple)
Cheese Primer by Steven Jenkins (641.313 Jen)
Lonely Planet: Corsica by Oda O’Carroll (914.495404 Oca)
Birds of North America by Chandler Robbins (598.2973 Ro)
The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders by Lorus and Margery Milne (595.7097 Mil)
Katie
The 150 Healthiest 15 Minute Recipes on Earth by Jonny Bowden (641.555 Bow)Your Beautiful Wedding on Any Budget by Todd Outcatt (395.22 Out)
Simple, Stunning Wedding Showers by Karen Bussen (793.2 Bus)
Don’t Throw it Out by Lori Baird (640.41 Bai)
Herbs and Spices: the Cook's Reference by Jill Norman (641.657 Nor)
American Christmas edited by Chuck Williams (641.5686 Ame)
Wedding Cakes You Can Make by Dede Wilson (641.8653 Wil)
Get Married Without a Hitch by Lisa Helmanis (395.22 Hel)
Why Don’t Penguins’ Feet Freeze? (500 Why)
The Itty Bitty Kitchen Handbook by Justin Spring (641.5 Spr)
Jan
The Cleaner Plate Club by Betty Bader (641.5 Bad)The Makeup Wake Up by Lois Johnson (646.726 Joh)
Garden Stone by Barbara Pleasant (717 Ple)
Inside the Not So Big House by Sarah Susanko (728 Sus)
Singer Sewing Essentials (642.2 Si)
Almost Vegetarian by Diana Shaw (641.5636 Sha)
Mark Bittman’s Kitchen Express by Mark Bittman (641.555 Bit)
Newman’s Own Cookbook by Paul Newman (641.5 Ne)
Root Cellaring by Mike and Nancy Bubel (641.452 Bu)
Shop Smart, Save More by Teri Gault (640.73 Gau)
Grow Vegetables by Alan Buckingham (635 Buc)
Guide to Virginia Vegetable Gardening by Walter Reeves (635 Ree)
Deer Proofing Your Yard and Garden by Rhonda Hart (635.0496 Har)
The Plant Propagator’s Bible by Miranda Smith (631.53 (Smi)
The 20th Century Year by Year by Charles Phillips (Oversize 909.82 Twe)
Joan 2
Life at the Edge and Beyond by Shonda Schilling (616.85 Sch)Look Me in the Eye: My Life With Asperger’s Syndrome by John Elder Robison (362.196 Rob)
Stop Walking on Egg Shells by Paul T. Mason (616.85852 Mas)
Smart But Scattered by Peg Dawson (649.15 Daw)
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (612.027 Skl)
Your Kids and Sports by Michael Koehler (796.083 Koe)
Rae: My True Story of Fear, Anxiety and Social Phobia by Chelsea Rae Swiggett (YA 618.9285 Swi)
Hannah: My True Story of Drugs, Cutting and Mental Illness by Hannah Westberg (YA 618.9285 Wes)
My House is Killing Me by Jeffrey May (616.97 May)
The 5 Minute Face: the Quick and Easy Makeup Guide for Every Woman by Carmindy (646.72 Car)
No Lye: The African-American Women’s Guide to Natural Hair Care by Tulani Kinard (646.724 Kin)
Fix it and Forget it Cookbook by Dawn J. Rank (641.5884 Ran)
Unmarried Parents’ Rights by Jacqueline D. Stanley
The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis (Bio Oher Michael)
Tamara
Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams (591.529 Ad)Storms of My Grandchildren by James Hansen (363.738 Han)
Great British Cooking: a Well Kept Secret by Jane Garney (641.5941 Gar)
When Gadgets Betray Us by Rob Vamosi (004.46 Vam)
Stitch-n-Bitch by Debbie Stoller (746.432 Sto)
Teach Yourself Visually, Knits and Crochet (746.43 Tea)
Traffic by Tom Vanderbilt (629.283 Van)
On Writing: a Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King (813.54 Kin)
Foxfire books (any of them) (917.58)
Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards (741.2 Edw)
Why Does He Do That? by Lundy Bancroft (362.82 Ban)
Cake Mix Doctor by Anne Byrn (641.8653 Byr)
Heloise: Hints for All Occasions by Heloise (640 He)
Made by Hand by Mark Frauenfelder (BCD 339.4 Fra)
Julie and Julia by Julie Powell (641.5 Pow)
The Book of Games by Peter Arnold (794 Boo)
My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business by Dick Van Dyke (Bio Van Dyke Dick)
That’s Not All Folks by Mel Blanc (Bio Blanc Mel)
Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey (332.024 Ram)
The Between the Lions Book for Parents by Linda Rath (372.4 Rat)
Dangerous Book For Boys by Conn Iggulden (J 031.02 Igg)
Complete Book of Home Preserving (641.42 Com)
Canning and Preserving with Ashley English by Ashley English (641.4 Eng)
Bad Science by Ben Goldacre (500 Gol)
