Local Books: An Armchair Tour of Wisconsin

A nicely illustrated introduction to coffeehouses in Wisconsin and neighboring states; a primer on hybrid neighborhoods and how they can help us use less gas; a guide to the more unusual traveling destinations in Wisconsin; a story about a pickle-farming community and the changes facing Midwestern farmers in the middle of the twentieth century; a gardening book on how to create bird habitats in our backyards; a collection of recipes from one of Madison’s better-known restaurants; a new look at the Wisconsin countryside and the people who live there: A wide variety of recent releases from local book publishers.

Brewed Awakenings
An Illustrated Journey to Coffeehouses in Wisconsin (and Beyond)
By Jeff Hagen
Itchy Cat Press

The trouble with most theme-based guidebooks is that they invariably omit places, and this one is no different. Of course, guidebooks are rarely supposed to be complete listings, unless they are called phonebooks. Instead, they reflect the author’s preferences – the likes, not the dislikes, since publishers very rarely want to waste valuable pages on negative recommendations. There is probably a reason why they didn’t call this book a 'guide’, but rather a ‘journey’ to coffeehouses. Jeff Hagen is known as much, if not more, for his illustrations as for his writings, and Brewed Awakenings shows why. Both the texts and the watercolor illustrations are simple and to the point, with the illustrations radiating a very homey kind of warmth. Besides about 30 coffeehouses located throughout Wisconsin as well as just across the border in Minnesota and Iowa, the square booklet (six inches by six inches) also describes the history of coffee and how the coffee break was invented in Stoughton.

Hybrid Neighborhoods
Where to Live Now to Spend Less at the Pump
By John L. Gann, Jr.
Carpe Horam

‘Carpe Horam’ means ‘seize the hour’ and John L. Gann, Jr. has designed his book on hybrid neighborhoods to be read in about an hour. Its 38 pages are tightly packed with information about the end of cheap gasoline, alternative means of transportation – including the advantages and disadvantages of hybrid cars, bicycles and public transportation, and, the heart of the matter, hybrid neighborhoods. According to the author, hybrid neighborhoods are not expensive new urban developments like Middleton Hills in the city of Middleton, but older, established neighborhoods with homes in a wide price range and mixed uses. John L. Gann, Jr. makes a convincing case for hybrid neighborhoods, and the booklet can indeed be read in about an hour. For the sake of clarity (and even quicker reading) he should, however, include a table of contents and an index.
He can be contacted at citykid@uwalumni.com

Sidetracked in Wisconsin
A Guide for Thoughtful Travelers
By Mary Bergin
Itchy Cat Press

No matter where in Wisconsin your travels take you, you are likely to find a worthwhile destination, or detour, in this handy travel guide. Written by Mary Bergin, whose weekly column ‘Roads Traveled’ appears in newspapers throughout the state, the book is an eclectic collection of place descriptions, historical facts, recipes, business profiles, personal portraits and short trip and long vacation destinations that will make you never want to leave Wisconsin. Organized geographically by dividing the state into four parts (northwest quadrant, southwest quadrant, etc.), it is easy and practical to use. And armchair travelers will find the book fun to read, even if they never plan to leave their house – although they’d miss a lot of great places and people.

In A Pickle
A Family Farm Story
By Jerry Apps
Terrace Books/The University of Wisconsin Press

The name Jerry Apps is almost synonymous with rural history and country life in Wisconsin. In his more than fifteen books, he has covered many aspects of Wisconsin rural life, from its brewing and cheesemaking traditions to its historic barns and scenes of everyday life. In this work of fiction, set against a real historical background, Jerry Apps sketches the changes facing a rural community in Wisconsin during the mid-1950s through the story’s main character, Andy Meyer, a young farmer and manager of a local pickle factory. Through the well researched history and the and warmly told story, Jerry Apps reminds us (and, boy, do a lot of us need reminding!) that the changes that took (and still take) place in rural America are not merely economic statistics, but affect real people – often tragically.

Birdscaping in the Midwest
A Guide to Gardening with Native Plants to Attract Birds
By Mariette Nowak
Itchy Cat Press

Birds and plants have developed some of the most successful collaborative relationships in nature, with plants providing birds with food and birds helping plants reproduce, among others. The success of these collaborations depends of course on the right birds finding the right plants, and, as Mariette Nowak shows, we can help by creating the right habitats in our backyard. She takes the reader from a useful introduction into the “ancient collaboration” between plants and birds and the case for native and against invasive plants, through the basics of creating habitats for birds, to establishing habitats for specific birds. Also included in this very useful book are information about Midwestern plants that attract birds and maintaining a bird-friendly garden, as well as resources for gardeners.

Bluephies New American Cooking
Recipes your Mom never made you
By Bill Horzuesky
Itchy Cat Press

Cookbooks should be fun, interesting, informative and, above all, full of recipes that the average reader can reproduce at home. This cookbook is all of these. Bill Horzuesky is the colorful, literally, co-owner and executive chef at Bluephies restaurant on Monroe Street in Madison, and the book reflects both his personality and the eclectic menus from his restaurant. Besides cooking instructions for a wide variety of dishes, it also contains a whole range of practical tips, including two pages of ‘Billy’s Cooking Tips’. As opposed to illustrations in conventional cookbooks, the photographs here are only loosely connected to the food described on the pages. Instead, they show the restaurant staff at work: Bill Horzuesky also wanted to produce a book that gives credit to all the people who help him make his restaurant work. Which is also why it includes a four-page spread on ‘A Day in the Life of Bluephies’.

Renewing the Countryside – Wisconsin
Editors: Jerry Hembd, Jody Padgham, Jan Joannides
Published by Renewing the Countryside
Distributed by The University of Wisconsin Press

Through profiles, portraits and stories this beautifully illustrated book explores how people, organizations and businesses establish sustainable practices in Wisconsin. It showcases 39 examples of efforts to revitalize and preserve our rural heritage, including the Folklore Village in Dodgeville, the Wormfarm Institute in Reedsburg, Bullfrog Fish Farm in Menomonie, Turkey Ridge Organic Apple Orchard in Gays Mills, the Dane County Farmers’ Market in Madison, Northwoods Community Radio WOJB by the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of the Lake Superior Ojibwe in Hayward, sustainable forestry practices by the Menomonee Tribal Enterprises in Keshena, the Eco-Municipalities on Chequamegon Bay, Ashland and Washburn, the Ice Age Trail, Inn Serendipity Bed & Breakfast and Farm in Browntown, Organic Valley Family of Farms in La Farge, Viking Brewery in Dallas, the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service in Spring Valley and the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute in East Troy – to name but these. There is hope, and this book proves it.