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I'm always trying to figure out ways to spend less time on my phone. Sometimes I might pick it up to be inspired by art, home design, and cooking on Pinterest. Other times I'm interested in conversation on a wide variety of topics on Reddit. I've been thinking about how I can replace some of this time with browsing through books instead. You don't have to read every book cover to cover to enjoy it (gasp!). Check out these nonfiction ideas that you can meander through, pick up and put down at your leisure, learn something new, or be inspired by. If you have a particular topic you're interested in, try a searching our catalog or ask staff to help you find something of interest. Want something digital instead? The library gives you access to online magazines, newspapers, and books too! Contact us with questions on how to access these materials.

User from Johnson County Library

22 items

  • Japanese Comfort Food

    Delicious Everyday Home Cooking

    Ichihara, Saori,
    Cookbook "With 60 recipes for noodles, rice, stew, soups and small plates - alongside hacks and tips to avoid common pitfalls, everyone can learn how to cook more Japanese food for the everyday."
    Book, 2025London : Dorling Kindersley Limited, [2025] — 641.5952 Ichihara 11/2025
  • Steak House

    the People, the Places, the Recipes

    Wareheim, Eric, 1976-
    Cookbook "The New York Times bestselling author of Foodheim returns to apply his curiosity and culinary expertise to a disappearing American icon, the steakhouse, traveling across the country to gather the best recipes and stories from classic…
    Book, 2025California ; New York : Ten Speed Press, [2025] — 641.5973 Wareheim
  • History, Architecture ". . . ward-winning author and native New Yorker Stephanie Azzarone takes readers on a captivating journey through the artistry, history, and hidden stories behind these remarkable waterworks."
    Book, 2025New York : Empire State Editions, an imprint of Fordham University Press 2025. — 731.724 Azzarone 12/2025
  • America the Abandoned

    Captivating Portraits of Deserted Homes /

    Sansivero, Bryan
    ". . . Sansivero documents the inhabitants' everyday living rooms, kitchens, and bedrooms just as he found them, showcasing their unique furniture, clothing, books, appliances, toys, artwork, and other personal items, which often appear as if they…
    Book, 2025New York : Artisan, [2025] — 779.4097 Sansiver
  • Nature "Myhrvold's gorgeous photography showcases world wonders like you've never seen them--taken with custom-built cameras--from the vineyards of Italy to the cliff faces of the Grand Canyon."
    Book, 2025Washington, D.C. : National Geographic, 2025. — 779.36 Myhrvold 11/2025
  • Pop Culture "FLOSS comprises a collection of monographs showcasing retrospective photographs by Roger Erickson, highlighting Hip Hop and Rock'n Roll music artists from the 1990s through the 2020s."
    Book, 2024[Novato, California] : Goff Books, an imprint of ORO Editions, [2024] — 779.092 Erickson
  • Art, History "This massive volume includes more than 1,150 vintage images of WWII aircraft nose art."
    Book, 2025Atglen, PA : Schiffer Military History, 2025. — 358.4183 Vincent 12/2025
  • Dark London

    a Journey Through the City's Mysterious and Macabre Underworld

    Gray, Drew D.,
    Crime, History "Explore over 100 tales of this morbid history, case-by-case, with social historian Dr Drew Gray, a specialist in the history of crime and punishment."
    Book, 2025London, United Kingdom : Frances Lincoln, 2025. — 364.9421 Gray 12/2025
  • Photography "Humans of New York meets The French Cat in this carefully cultivated, gorgeous full-color collection featuring New York's iconic felines and the stories behind them, featuring eight new cats/shops and updated stories."
    Book, 2025Philadelphia : Running Press, 2025. — 636.8009 Arslania 11/2025
  • Photographs "In this charming book, photographer Grace Chon pairs stunning portraits of mixed-breed pups with their DNA breakdowns, revealing the origins of their adorable quirks--from long bodies and stubby legs to that one floppy ear that refuses…
    Book, 2025New York : The Countryman Press, 2025. — 779.3297 Chon 11/2025
  • Science "A richly illustrated, trade-science book about marine reptiles from the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras and their modern descendants."
    Book, 2023Princeton : Princeton University Press, [2023] — 567.937 Bardet 12/2023
  • The History Gossip

    a Slice of Ye Olde Scandal for Every Day of the Year

    Kennedy, Katie (Social media influencer),
    History "In her first book, Katie Kennedy, star of the hugely popular TikTok account (504.8K followers) serves up a delicious blend of fascinating, witty, and salacious historical facts for every day of the year that makes our shared histories…
    Book, 2025Philadelphia, NY : Running Press, 2025. — 902 Kennedy 12/2025
  • Upstate Now

    Art, Design, and Rural Life in the Hudson Valley and Catskills

    Arnaud, Michel,
    Home Design "Place, community, and living a creative life alongside the Hudson River and in the Catskill Mountains."
    Book, 2025New York : Princeton Architectural Press, [2025] — 974.71 Arnaud 12/2025
  • Sanctuary

    Creative Homes With Intention, Meaning & Beauty

    Home Design ". . . a beautifully curated interiors book featuring 21 homes from around the world that showcase the art of authentic living and intentional style."
    Book, 2025Berkeley : Hardie Grant North America, 2025. — 747 Sanctuar 12/2025
  • Creative Collage

    Techniques, Projects, and Inspiration

    Vona, Naomi,
    Art "Instruction and inspiration combine in this visually stunning how-to guide on creative collage through a comprehensive explanation of techniques, project ideas, and an abundance of artistic examples by Italian artist Naomi Vona."
    Book, 2025Los Angeles, California : Chronicle Chroma, [2025] — 702.812 Vona 12/2025
  • Poetry "Winner of the Trio House Press Editor's Choice Prize, Kim's debut collection evokes modes of language and culture that shape the contours of memory and expose the fault lines of family and self, as well as the grace and generosity of…
    Book, 2025Minneapolis : Trio House Press, Inc., [2025] — 811.6 Kim 11/2025
  • Worlds of Wonder

    Celebrating the Great Classics of Children's Literature

    Art, Literature "A beautifully illustrated journey through the most beloved classics of children's literature, spanning more than twenty countries and one hundred and fifty years. From Little Women to Harry Potter, children's literature is a…
    Book, 2025Princeton : Princeton University Press, 2025. — 809.8928 Worlds 11/2025
  • Food "From tracing the history and endurance of heirloom Laotian rice to investigating how foraging is transforming a city's restaurant culture, to meditating on the significance of Indigenous communities reclaiming their ancestral lands, these…
    Book, 2025New York : Mariner Books, [2025]. — 641.013 Best 2025
  • Flora

    the Secret Language of Plants in Art

    Werness, Hope B.,
    Art " This visually captivating survey from Hope Werness is arranged thematically by the trees, flowers, fruit, vegetables, spices, grasses, grains, and vines that have served as a root for artistic inquiry across time."
    Book, 2025Portland, OR ; New York, NY : Timber Press, an imprint of Hachette Book Group, Inc., 2025. — 704.9434 Werness 11/2025
  • The Language-lover's Lexipedia

    An A-Z of Linguistic Curiosities

    Blackburn, Joshua,
    "A delightful rollick through language unlike any you've ever experienced. As the inventor of the bestselling game about words, League of the Lexicon, Joshua Blackburn has created an A-Z that's part-encyclopedia, part-treasure map, and an all-around…
    Book, 2025New York, NY : Avid Reader Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, LLC, 2025 — 422.03 Blackbur 11/2025