Kindle singles may be reviving the lost art of the essay, which now only exists within the walls of educational institutions. The variety of topics covered by Kindle Singles makes it fun look over new titles as they are added. Now I’m hooked.

Don’t be put off by the unfortunate choice in naming them Kindle Singles. Why couldn’t they have called it Kindle essays? Too intellectual? When I first read the name my immediate impression was that it would be a written version of Kraft Singles : slick, processed and plastic wrapped, not made to benefit the health of the consumer.  In fact, Kindle Singles are not cheesy at all.

If you have a Kindle I highly recommend you read Jesus is My Gardener by Wade Graham, which confirms everything I loathe and despise about our culture’s expectations of what a garden should look like and how that should be accomplished (i.e. with leaf blowers and chemicals). The brief history of horticulture and yard maintenance in Southern California that Wade provides sets the stage for a clearer understanding of the disconnect between client expectations and the natural cycles and characteristics of the seasons.

I also recommend Mark Bittman’s What I Grill and Why. As usual Bittman comes through with simple recipes that result in sophisticated flavors. This little collection of recipes would be well worth the $.99 even without the recipe for my new favorite soy sauce based grilling marinade. The part about chicken is short enough that I persuaded my husband to read the few paragraphs about how to grill chicken properly and he even followed the directions!

Next up on the reading list is The Heart of Haiku by Jane Hirshfield…