DK First Animal Encyclopedia

Written by: Penelope Arlon

First line: The animal kingdom is huge.

Why you should read this book: A beautiful reference book for little kids, young readers, and curious adults, this book breaks the animal kingdom down into five parts and then divides each category up into manageable two-page spreads with quizzes and “links” to related sections in the book. Like all DK books, the draw here is the remarkable, full-color photographs, making this book perfect for perusal by pre-readers. A lovely and kid-friendly reference work perfect to be cherished for many years by any animal lover.

Why you shouldn’t read this book: You don’t like animals.

Hummingbirds: A Portrait of the Animal World

Written by: Hal H. Wyss

First line: Most of the more remarkable physical characteristics of hummingbirds are in some way related to their small size.

Why you should read this book: If you're fascinated by the dazzling colors and zippy maneuverability of these living gems, you have something in common with the author of this text, who has compiled an accessible and informative coffee-table book on the subject of all things Apodiforme. Physiology, iridescence, mating habits, migration patterns, and feeding behaviors are all covered, with gorgeous, larger-than-life photographic illustrations and instructions for attracting more hummingbirds to your yard. All sixteen species commonly found in North America are described in the last chapter.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You hate beauty.

The Nature of Arizona

Edited by: James Kavanagh

First line: James C. Rettie wrote the following essay while working for the National Forest Service in 1948. In a flash of brilliance, he converted the statistics from an existing government pamphlet on soil erosion into an analogy for the ages.

Why you should read this book: A handy little overview, this guide begins with a great description of the history of life in earth, then discusses evolution in general before delving into the specifics of the region's land and climate. The bulk of the book is color coded and divided by groups: mammals; birds; reptiles and amphibians; fishes; invertebrates; trees, shrubs, and cacti; and wildflowers, with short descriptive blurbs and color drawings of each species. Multiple appendices list attractions by region of the state, popular hikes, desert survival information, and more, making it a useful reference for tourists or newcomers to the state.

Why you shouldn't read this book: The size and scope of this book means that there is no depth to any entry, and that many species are omitted entirely.

The Gruesome Guide to World Monsters

Author: Judy Sierra

First line: There are many good books about restaurants, museums, hotels, and interesting sights, but until now there has never been a guide to the monsters that live throughout the world.

Why you should read this book: Take a terrible trip across six continents and become conversant with the local blood-sucking, flesh-eating, life-stealing population, with a strong emphasis on the ones that look like babies before they devour you and the ones that specialize in devouring naughty children. Along the way, you’ll learn how to identify these creatures, along with how to escape them (if possible), and, occasionally, their redeeming characteristics. Global teratology has never been so much fun.

Why you shouldn’t read this book: You never go anywhere for fear of the local fauna.

The Guide to Self-Sufficiency

Author: John Seymour

First line: In the lives we lead today, we take much for granted, and few of us indeed remember why so many so-called advanced civilizations of the past simply disappeared.

Why you should read this book: If you've ever seriously considered living off the fat of the land, generating the necessary provisions for your family by the sweat of your brow through the earth's natural bounty while forsaking the materialistic trappings of the modern world, this is your guide. Every page brims with step-by-step instructions for those essential arts that are often forgotten in our society: farming, animal husbandry, brewing, baking, canning, building fences, weaving baskets, even plans for simple, effective natural energy from sun, water, and air. Reprinted many times since its first run in 1976, some version of this book is invaluable for anyone who senses that toiling for ones own survival and creating even the smallest sense of self-sufficiency in a world run by corporations can be joyful, liberating, and perhaps the greatest adventure upon which one can embark.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You'd rather spend your life in a cubicle and buy things wrapped in plastic when you feel sad.

Diet for a Small Planet

Author: Frances Moore Lappe

First line: In 1971 my book began: "When your mother told you to eat everything on your plate because people were starving in India, you thought it was pretty silly."

Why you should read this book: This is the classic text on the topic of complementary proteins, a reference that vegetarians new and old have turned to for almost four decades. Although my edition is somewhat dated, the text explains how the consumption of meat taxes the environment and why meat is an inefficient protein source. Important information is expressed in easy-to-read charts and multiple appendices, while the bulk of the book contains interesting recipes for delicious, healthy, meatless meals.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You live in a hunter-gatherer society where you must harvest all your food from the bounty of nature, and you count yourself lucky to eat meat once or twice a month.

101 Training Tips for Your Cat

Author: Carina Smith, DVM

First line: My first cat, Charlie, was a gray-and-white tabby that I got at ten years of age--several years after I'd decided to become a veterinarian.

Why you should read this book: It's an easy-to-use reference to understanding, caring for, communicating with, and getting along with your feline companion. Organized alphabetically, with one hundred and one categories, this book allows you to quickly research particular concerns, although it's written in a style that makes reading straight through a pleasant experience as well. Have no fear: despite popular opinion, you can train your cat, and this book offers you plenty of guidance.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You're a dog person.

iPhone: The Missing Manual Second Edition

Author: David Pogue

First line: If you'd never seen all the videos and photos of the iPhone, and you found it lying on someone's desk, you might not guess that it's a phone (let alone an iPod/Web browser/alarm clock/stopwatch/voice recorder/musical instrument).

Why you should read this book: Billed as "The book that should have been in the box (R)", this is a guide for digital immigrants--users over the age of thirty who harbor some essential distrust of modern electronics and are reluctant to play with new devices for fear of breaking them. If that description fits you, and you feel you are not getting the most out of your iPhone, this book will offer helpful hints about taking photos, forwarding your calls, understanding the meaning of the word "app", and removing plastic wrap and headphones to get the most out of your speakers, as well as demystify more complicated functions. Easy to read, not too condescending, with copious illustrations.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You don't have an iPhone. (Um...why did I read this book?)

The Berlitz Self-Teacher: Spanish

Author: The editorial staff of the Berlitz Schools of Languages of America, Inc.

First line: A very strange paradox exists in connection with languages and the learning of them.

Why you should read this book: A standard for sixty years, some of its cultural references are a little out of date, but for the beginning student with little or no access to native-speaking teachers, this book is an excellent way to delve into the intricacies of Espanol. With phonetic spellings and instant translations, it offers the student a full vocabulary with useful phrases and can help in acquiring a basic understanding. Chapter notes help unravel idiosyncratic meaning and end-of-chapter questions (with answers in the back) help readers to begin thinking in Spanish.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You're standing at the border screaming your racist little head off about how English is the official language of America.

The Describer's Dictionary

Author: David Grambs

First line: Consider the case of a traveler or student who wants to describe, in a letter, what the scenic landscape and local dwellings are like in a remote and beautiful area of Ecuador where she is staying.

Why you should read this book: Billing itself as "a treasury of terms and literary quotations for readers and writers" halfway between a thesaurus and a dictionary, this reference book is the perfect resource for anyone searching for that elusive apt and literal term. Whether you are describing something that is like a hedgehog (erinaceous), like a shore (littoral), or like an upside-down pear (obpyriform), you'll find le mot juste on the recto, paired with lovely, relevant exposition from famous authors on the verso. A precise, appealing, useful work for anyone with the slightest interest in the English language.

Why you shouldn't read this book: Just not into communicating clearly.

The Order of Things: How Everything in the World Is Organized into Hierarchies, Structures, and Pecking Orders

Author: Barbara Ann Kipfer

First line: From the inner workings of the smallest things to the complex system of the universe, The Order of Things is an attempt to cover all those things that we ourselves have organized, or what we have found naturally organized, into: hierarchies, structures, orders, classifications, branches, scales, divisions, successions, sequences, rankings.

Why you should read this book: Whether you're trying to remember the seven deadly sins or the seven wonders of the ancient world, all the dynasties of China or the structure of the US government, the order of poker hands or the order in which Shakespeare's plays were published, this book has an answer. From abacus to zoology, Kipfer has classified the known world according to its understood structure including science, religion, history, arts, sports, and philosophy. A remarkable reference for anyone reveling in natural curiosity or suffering from general forgetfulness.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You're an anarchist.

The Encyclopedia of Mammals

Editor: David Macdonald

First line: To say that The Encyclopedia of Mammals covers all known members of the class Mammalia is an accurate but arid summary of this book.

Why you should read this book: As a general, all-purpose reference work on mammals, this book is tops, beginning with its historical discussion of mammalian evolution and continuing through its 800+ pages of stunning photographs (over a thousand) and detailed essays written by experts in the field. From aadvarks to zebras (and a little bit beyond), with close-ups and diagrams, this book is the perfect starting place for anyone looking for an overview of the class or trying to find specific details about certain species. An enduring work.

Why you shouldn't read this book: Given the book's scope, it is not possible for any animal to be covered in great depth; anyone over the age of twelve looking to write a report or gain a detailed knowledge about a particular animal will need to head for the stacks to find more specific information.

The Official Scrabble Players Dictionary Fourth Edition

First line: This is the fourth edition of the enormously popular Official SCRABBLE (R) Players Dictionary, and it includes some 4,000 words not included in the previous edition.

Why you should read this book: Unless you're very serious about your gaming, you probably won't be reading this book per se, but if you play Scrabble, Boggle, or any other word game, this is the definitive reference that will end all argument on the subject of whether or not "QI," "AA," and "ZZZ" are words (they are). Although this volume elimates the Anglo-Saxon expletives for those of you who may play words games with children and like to pretend that certain offensive terms don't actually exist, it is otherwise complete, with lots of surprises from science and foreign words that have made it into the lexicon. Pretty much an indispensible reference for the Scrabble aficionado.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You'd prefer a nice game of chess.