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Internet Bookwatch

Volume 17, Number 1 January 2007 Home | IBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice International Studies Shelf Health/Medicine Shelf
Metaphysical Studies Shelf Military Shelf Antiques/Collectibles Shelf
Hunting/Fishing Shelf Fantasy/SciFi Shelf Needlecraft Shelf
Poetry Shelf Humor Shelf Cookbook Shelf
Music Shelf Art Shelf Audiobook Shelf
Mystery/Suspense Shelf Railroading Shelf Civil War Shelf
Travel Shelf Economics Shelf Graphic Novel Shelf
Crafts Shelf American History Shelf Automotive Shelf
Education Shelf Writing/Publishing Shelf Judaic Studies Shelf
Biography Shelf Christian Studies Shelf Library Science Shelf
Psychology Shelf Fiction Shelf Money/Finance Shelf
Nautical Shelf Library DVD Shelf Gardening Shelf
Martial Arts Shelf World History Shelf Philosophy Shelf
Pets/Wildlife Shelf Gaming Shelf Self-Help Shelf
Social Issues Shelf Environmental Studies Shelf Islamic Studies Shelf
Theatre/Cinema/TV Shelf Parenting Shelf Political Science Shelf
Religion/Spirituality Shelf Business Shelf  


Reviewer's Choice

Ganong
David Folster
Goose Lane Editions
500 Beverbrook Court, Suite 330, Fredericton, NB, Canada, E3B 5X4
0864924801, $24.95 www.gooselane.com 1-888-926-8377

James and Gilbert Ganong opened their grocery story in 1873 and found that candy was a best selling, motivating them to invent what would eventually be more than 1100 different kinds of chocolates and confections, making them one of the world's leading candy-makers. "Ganong: A Sweet History Of Chocolate" is a wonderfully illustrated and fascinatingly presented history of the Ganong family and their business from its humble beginnings in St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada, down to its present international status as a unique niche candy-maker in a world dominated by super-sized conglomerates. For the past 133 years, Ganong's chocolates have earned a number of 'firsts' that include the first All-Day Sucker, the five-cent chocolate nut bar, and that Maritime Christmas favorite – the Chicken Bone. They were the first company in Canada to use the heart-shaped chocolate box, first for Christmas, and then for Valentine's Day. Profusely illustrated throughout, "Ganong: A Sweet History Of Chocolate" is an inherently fascinating account of five generations of Ganongs who have worked in the family factory (still located in St. Stephen) and enthusiastically recommended reading!

Vandamere Press
P.O. Box 149, Saint Petersburg, FL 33731
www.vandamere.com

Andy J. Byers' THE IMPERFECT SPY: THE INSIDE STORY OF A CONVICTED SPY (0918339669, $24.95) offers the biography of one George Trofimoff, an American civil servant convicted in 2001 of spying throughout the Cold War for the Soviet Union. Plenty of insights on Russian/U.S. relations of the times permeates his story as it follows his early years living as a Russian refuge in pre-World War II Germany to his American citizenship and progress through the intelligence community. It's this progressive attention to changing social times paired with insights on an evolving life and evolving beliefs leading to espionage choices which makes THE IMPERFECT SPY so compelling a read. Philip Bigler's IN HONORED GLORY: ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY: THE FINAL POST (0918339677, $16.95) comes from a historian and educator who covers the history and future of the Arlington National Cemetery in a new updated fourth edition survey. What is contained here is expanded coverage of ceremonial units, and the impact of modern war outcomes – including the war on terrorism – on the cemetery's institution. IN HONORED GLORY, as an insider's view and survey, makes for an important historical guide to internment and honor alike.

Time at War
Nicholas Mosley
Dalkey Archive Press
ISU Campus Pox 8905, Normal, IL 61790-8905
1564784568 $12.95 www.dalkeyarchive.com

Time at War is the autobiographical account of award-winning author Nicholas Mosley's service during World War II. Born in London, Mosley chose to enlist in the military at the age of twenty, to improve the status of his family name while his father was imprisoned by the government as an alleged security risk. Mosley served on the bloody Italian front, was once rescued from death by one of his men, and witnessed the devastation of war firsthand; but it was a war he knew had to be fought, and it kindled a sense of purpose in him that had eluded him during peacetime. A powerful true story about coming of age and learning to define oneself, as surely as it is a no-holds-barred firsthand account of the terrors and challenges of the European Theater of World War II, Time at War is highly recommended.

Any Damn Fool Can Be A Farmer
Bob Knopes
Archenell Publishing
9607 Laurel Oak Place, Fairfax Station, VA 22039
0976814609 $12.95 archenell@cox.net 1-703-690-2039

Bob Knopes' biography, "Any Damn Fool Can Be A Farmer: Growing Up On A Wisconsin Farm" covers the first nineteen years of his life growing up on a dairy farm just a couple of miles north of Janesville, Wisconsin. Beginning with a description of a fire that destroyed all the buildings on the farm when he was just six months old, Knopes goes on to describe farm activities and how as a young boy on a family dairy farm, he took on more and more of the tasks required in dairy farming as he grew older. Of special note is the background family information on how his Irish and German grandparents came to settle in Wisconsin and how innovations in dairy farming machinery and technology impacted life on a Wisconsin farm in the first half of the twentieth century. "Any Damn Fool Can Be A Farmer" is informative, engaging, and highly recommended reading as Knopes presents a personal account of the joys and trials arising from life on a family farm. Not only every Wisconsin community library should have "Any Damn Fool Can Be A Farmer", but academic libraries should add this superbly written work as a part of their 20th Century American History, Agricultural History, and American Biography collections.

Trilogy Moments
Joseph S. Spence, Sr.; Sheila M. Parrish-Spence; Jonathan Clarence Parrish Spence
PublishAmerica
PO Box 151, Frederick, MD 21705-0151
12605 West North Avenue, Brookfield, WI 53005 (author)
1424152496 $19.95 www.publishamerica.com

The collaborative work of Joseph S. Spence, Sr.; his wife Sheila M. Parrish-Spence; and their teenage son, Jonathan Clarence Parrish Spence, "Trilogy Moments For The Mind, Body, And Soul" is an unusual compendium of 'Epulaeryu Poetry', a new form of poetry that is inspired by, and draws metaphors from 'succulent cuisines from home cooking to exotic dishes and drinks', while blending spirituality, tranquility and self-awareness for life's diverse and unpredictable journey. A lovely volume of deftly written verse, each of which is accompanied by a brief commentary, "Trilogy Moments" is extraordinary reading and a strongly recommended addition to personal, academic, and community library American Poetry collections. "Prayers for Poets": To all poets and writers who have read my poetry and prose/I appreciate your support and the love extended as I compose/You may be from countries like England, Jamaica, the US or Italy/However, I have made you a part of my extended family//I know that there are some poets in great distress/natural disasters have affected them and have taken their best/Loss of many lives I hope not, but some are living with less/In their loss of possessions and loved ones there is stress//God I implore you to lift up their minds, bodies and souls/Only you can bring back their joy and mold them to be whole/To be in your light in a struggle and all are striving as you know/Grant them all your grace as they reckon with nature's ugly blow.

The Seasons Of Grief
Debra Butler & Paisley Woodside
Guest Cottage
PO Box 848, Woodruff, WI 54568
978-1930596658 $14.95 www.theguestcottage.com 1-800-333-8122

"I lost a marriage and found a home./I lost a father and found a heritage./I lost a job and found a life purpose./I lost a Son, but found myself and eternity." With the assistance of Pailsey Woodside, Deb Butler has compiled a small 125-page pocket book of personal observations, journal commentaries, and poetry that helped her to deal with the tragic loss of her son. "The Seasons of Grief: What Nature Can Teach Us About Loss" is nicely illustrated throughout with the color photography of Jane Winkler, whose images are drawn from the beauty and tranquility of the outdoors. Living in Minocqua, Wisconsin, Deb provides life coaching, counseling and transformational guidance augmented by her expertise in Transpersonal Psychology. Of special note is Deb's 'Fall Visualizations: A Daily Practice', a step-by-step example of cultivating a coping mechanism for experiencing and resolving deeply felt emotions. "The Seasons Of Grief" is an ideal gift for anyone having to deal with the loss of a loved one and in need of the healing properties of nature in appreciating that life is 'cyclical and unpredictable, full and possible'.


The International Studies Shelf

Borders and Bridges
Stewart Brewer
Praeger
88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
0275982041 $49.95 www.praeger.com

BORDERS AND BRIDGES: A HISTORY OF US-LATIN AMERICAN RELATIONS is required college-level reading for any who would approach the modern dilemmas of border protection armed with a historical approach. Here the changing relationship between the U.S. and Latin America is examined over the decades with an attention to US/Latin American collaboration and changing social and political interrelationships. From competition between differing political systems to changing military approaches, BORDERS AND BRIDGES is a 'must' for any in-depth analysis.


The Health/Medicine Shelf

Beauty by Nature
Brigitte Mars
Healthy Living Publications
PO Box 99, Summertown, TN 38483
1570671931 $19.95 1-888-260-8458

Herbalist and natural medicine expert Brigitte Mars presents Beauty by Nature, a guide for improving one's appearance with aromatherapy, essential oils, herb facials, massage, yoga postures, improved diet, and other methods that are not only good for the body, but also good for the environment. Covering all aspects of external body care, from natural remedies to treat acne, dry or oily skin, and prevent wrinkles to keeping one's eyes healthy, applying beneficial natural deodorants and fragrances, keeping teeth and nails in good condition and much more. Beauty by Nature is a guide for everyone, men as well as women, young and old alike. Its emphasis on avoiding high-sugar, over-processed diet or harsh drug and chemical remedies in favor of more unprocessed foods, particularly fruits and vegetables, and natural or herbal options is a welcome supplement to personal health and self-care reference shelves.

The New Medicine Book
Ronald Blumer & Muffie Meyer
Atlas Books
30 Amberwood Parkway, Ashland, OH 44805
097782991X $14.95 www.atlasbooks.com 1-800-BOOKLOG

Co-written by documentary film makers Ronald Blumer and Muffie Meyer to accompany their popular Public Television series 'The New Medicine' (hosted by Dana Reeve, the widow of Christopher Reave prior to her own death), This 120-page paperback features in-depth interviews with physicians and academicians drawn from leading medical schools and medical clinics from across the country. Here is a methodical and informative presentation of what medical science has discovered with respect to the influence our mental and emotional state has upon our physical health. "The New Medicine" presents a compelling case for physicians treating the whole person with an illness, and not just the illness alone, if true healing is to occur with maximum efficiency and efficacy. "The New Medicine" is very highly recommended reading for all members of the medical community and is especially accessible for the non-specialist general reader with an interest in their own health and well-being.

Regaining Bladder Control
Rebecca G. Rogers, MD, et. al.
Prometheus Books
59 John Glenn Dr., Amherst, NY 14228-2197
1591024161 $22.00 www.prometheusbooks.com

REGAINING BLADDER CONTROL: WHAT EVERY WOMAN NEEDS TO KNOW covers a very treatable and very common problem. Many women may know of it – but few know that urinary incontinence is very treatable: there are both behavioral changes and exercises that improve the continence of eight in ten women.

The "I Hate To Exercise" Book
Charlotte hayes
American Diabetes Association
1701 North Beauregard Street, Alexandria, VA 22311
1580402534, $14.95 www.diabetes.org 1-800-342-2383

One of the most difficult life-style changes that the newly diagnosed diabetic must deal with is that of proper, regular exercise. Exercise, along with an appropriate diet, blood sugar level monitoring, and medications, is an essential part of diabetes self-care. Exercise also helps the diabetic cope with this life-time disability both emotionally and physically. Now the American Diabetes Association has published a newly expanded and updated second edition of "The 'I Hate To Exercise' Book" by Charlotte Hayes, a nutrition and fitness consultant who has specialized in diabetes management and education for the last seventeen years. Readers will discover how to ease their way into more daily physical activity; build an active lifestyle based on their own daily routines; create fun low-impact walking programs; set realistic exercise goals, chart them, and so much more. Just beginning with five minutes a day, even the most sedentary diabetic will be able to lift their mood, lighten their weight, burn calories while building muscle, reduce stress levels, acquire more energy, look and feel great, and acquire the motivation to pursue their diabetic self-care practices with a growing satisfaction. "The 'Hate To Exercise" Book" should be considered 'must' reading for anyone diagnosed with diabetes who finds the thought of daily exercise intimidating or unappealing.

ACSM's Health/Fitness Facility Standards and Guidelines
American College of Sports Medicine
Human Kinetics Publishers, Inc.
PO Box 5076, Champaign, IL 61820-5076
0736051538 $52.00 www.HumanKinetics.com 1-800-747-4457

Now in a newly revised third edition incorporating most current information from the American College of Sports Medicine, ACSM's Health/Fitness Facility Standards and Guidelines is a straightforward explanation of the proper standards and guidelines to follow in creating and operating health and fitness facilities. ACSM's Health/Fitness Facility Standards and Guidelines covers all aspects of facility management, recommendations concerning technological advances such as automated external defibrillators, ACSM position statements and information from "ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing an Prescription (2006)", and much more. The appendices and supplements outweigh the main text, offering everything from dimensions and markings for pools and courts or fields to illumination requirements for different competitive levels of indoor tennis play to sample preventive maintenance schedules for various types of equipment. An absolute "must-have" for anyone responsible for fitness facilities, from private gyms to community, school, workplace, hotel, and spa facilities.

The Schatz Technique
Bernard Schatz, P.T.
Ascara Publishing
536 Pantops Center, #105, Charlottesville, VI 22911
0977470717 $34.95 www.theschatztechnique.com

Written by expert physical therapist Bernard Schatz, The Schatz Technique: Loving Touch Can Change the World and Reverse Chronic Pain is an extensive discussion of chronic pain caused by contracted tissues that press on nerves, and means to treat it. A disclaimer at the beginning of the Schatz Technique instructs chronic pain sufferers to visit a doctor first; even though doctors are not always trained to diagnose or treat soft tissue dysfunction, they are skilled at detecting other medical problems, from vertebral fractures to various disease processes, that are beyond the scope of The Schatz Technique. The Schatz Technique is different from massage, or massage therapy; the focus is upon exploring tight, contracted fibrotic tissue with the aid of a proper lotion, and gradually coaxing the intense knot of dysfunctional tissue to normalize - to be fully effective, a session usually needs to last at least two hours. The Schatz Technique offers chapters specific to arthritic pain, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, ear pain, knee pain, "logger's hand", neck pain, rotator cuff syndrome, sprained ankle, tennis elbow, and many other types. Perhaps most valuable of all, The Schatz Technique gives detailed instructions for treating one's own pain with the power of one's own touch - no drugs or surgery, given that a doctor has already ruled out causes for which drugs or surgery are the best cure. An utterly invaluable self-treatment aid for anyone who has been given the runaround by the medical establishment while seeking help for pain, and highly recommended for massage and physical therapists seeking to expand their repertoire of healing techniques.


The Metaphysical Studies Shelf

Science and the Soul
Dudley C. Gould
Paragon House
1925 Oakcrest Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55113
1557788596 $19.95 www.paragonhouse.com

After the loss of his wife, author Dudley C. Gould sought to understand the mystery of what happens to the soul after death. The result of his labors is Science and the Soul: What We Can Know, a comprehensive review of scientific evidence and religious literature dealing with what comes after death. Chapters explore human understanding of out-of-body experiences, energies and electricity, and quantum mechanics in relation to the human spirit. An assembly of quotes by famous thinkers about existence after death rounds out this contemplative and serious-minded inquiry.

The Afterlife of Leslie Stringfellow
Stephen Chism
The University of Arkansas Press
McIlroy House, 201 Ozark Avenue, Fayetteville, AR 72701
096351525X $14.95 www.uapress.com 1-800-626-0090

The Afterlife of Leslie Stringfellow: A Nineteenth-Century Southern Family's Experiences with Spiritualism is the true story of a well-educated, nineteenth-century family's contact with their deceased son Leslie Stringfellow. Over the course of fifteen years, their connection to the beyond through seance messages and "automatic writing" guided their actions in the recovery of an inheritance and the adoption of an orphan girl who grew up to be an active suffragist and newspaper editor. Stringfellow also described his personal afterlife and a detailed survey of the geography of paradise. In 191, Stringfellow's mother and her adopted daughter contacted Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, who urged them to publish their manuscript and even proposed and experiment concerning his own deceased son, Kingsley Doyle, who was killed in World War I. A handful of vintage black-and-white photographs round out this compilation of extensive research including some letters published for the first time. A "must-have" for metaphysical studies shelves concerned with what comes after death.

Lessons From The Light
Kenneth Ring
Red Wheel/Weiser
368 Congress Street, 4th floor, Boston, MA 02210
1930491115 $16.95 www.redwheelweiser.com 1-800-423-7087

The 'Near-Death Experience' is the subject of television fiction, family folklore, and considerable scientific research. "Lessons From The Light: What We Can Learn From The Near-Death Experience" by Kenneth Ring (Professor Emeritus of Psychology, University of Connecticut, and co-founder of the International Association of Near-Death Studies) provides an analytical overview of the phenomena known as a 'Near Death Experience'. This newest edition features an extensive foreword by Caroline Myss in addition to the original 1998 foreword by Bruce Greyson. After an extended introduction, 'Living and Dying in the Light of the Near-Death Experience', Professor Ring organizes his material into fourteen distinctive chapters that include 'Journeys to the Light', 'Eyeless Vision: Near-Death Experiences in the Blind'; 'They Come by Light: Healing Gifts and the Near-Death Experience'; and 'Crossing Over into the Light'. Enhanced with notes, references, two appendices ('Bibliography on NDE Literature' and 'Resource Suggestions'), and a comprehensive index, "Lessons From The Light" is a work of impressive and articulate scholarship, making it a seminal contribution to Near-Death studies and an important addition to professional and academic library reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Llewellyn Worldwide
Woodbury, MN 55125-2989
www.llewellyn.com

Anna-Marie Ferguson's THE LLEWELLYN TAROT offers up something different in the way of Tarot card sets: a deck which is based on the medieval world of the Welsh and which offers insights into a mystic Celtic world as well as Tarot. A 78-card, full color deck accompanies the lovely 288-page book and golden beaded brocade tarot bag for the cards, making this a lovely gift set recommendation. Laurie Faria Stolarz's books are literally enchanting, so it's a treat to see them offered in a unified set in THE BLUE IS FOR NIGHTMARES COLLECTION (0738709883, $29.95). Here are her signature Wiccan guides RED IS FOR REMEMBRANCE, SILVER IS FOR SECRETS, WHITE IS FOR MAGIC, BLUE IS FOR NIGHTMARES packaged in a handsome boxed set for durability and easy consultation. Both sets are top picks for gifts.


The Military Shelf

French Strategic And Tactical Bombardment Forces Of World War I
Rene Martel
Scarecrow Press
4501 Forbes Blvd., Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
081085662X $60.00 www.scarecrowpress.com 1-800-462-6420

An impressive body of work, "French Strategic And Tactical Bombardment Forces Of World War I" is an outstanding military history by the team of Rene Martel, Allen Suddaby, and Steven Suddaby. Rene Martel (who served as an observer/bombardier during the conflict) brings a particular expertise to this historical and analytical survey of a particular facet of French military history – the use of aerial bombardment against German forces during World War I. This 461-page study showcases pioneering French efforts in the technology and tactics of bombing enemy forces from the air including the development of aerial bombs, bomb-dropping mechanisms, bombsights, intelligence-based targeting packages, formation flying, night flying and navigation, long-range fighter escorts, and aerial photography for bomb damage assessment. Detailing the men and accomplishments in the rapid evolution of effective aerial bombardment, "French Strategic And Tactical Bombardment Forces Of World War I" is a seminal contribution to academic library Military Studies and Aviation History reference collections.

Dances in Deep Shadows
Michael Occleshaw
Carroll & Graf
245 West 17th Street, 11th Floor, New York NY 10011
0786717890 $26.00 www.carrollandgraf.com

DANCES IN DEEP SHADOWS: THE CLANDESTINE WAR IN RUSSIA 1917-20 provides the setting of 1917 Russia, when a Bolshevik coup set the stage for socialism and vanished a capitalist structure in the country – but it goes beyond most facts in examining the underlying influence and sentiments of the Bolsheviks, who used an alliance with Germany to protect their regime and destroy the opposition to their plans. DANCES IN DEEP SHADOWS goes beyond most histories of the era to examine the complex, interconnected political interactions of Russia with other countries, adding in new information to reveal elements of espionage, subterfuge and manipulation. When added into the picture, these elements go farther than most in explaining the rise of socialism in the country.

Uniforms of the German Soldier
Alejandro M. de Quesada
Greenhill Books
c/o MBI, Distributors
380 Jackson Street Suite 200, St. Paul, MN 55101-3885
1853677086 $34.95 www.mbipublishing.com

If the title sounds familiar, it's because the author's already done one on the topic covering another era: Uniforms of the German Soldier's subtitle is 'An Illustrated History from 1870 to the end of World War I', adding to the information by packing in black and white photos, military history, and uniform specifics for the time period. Even more importantly, contrasts between German uniforms and those of their opposition allows for excellent insights and analysis.

The Eastern Front
Steve Crawford
Potomac Books, Inc.
22841 Quicksilver Drive, Dulles, VA 20166-2012
1597970115 $19.95 www.potomacbooksinc.com 1-800-775-2518

On June 22, 1941, preceded by a massive artillery and aerial bombardment along the entire 2,000-mile border, three million German troops and their allies, along with 3,330 tanks, smashed into the Soviet Union in a military campaign that Adolph Hitler thought would be over in just four months. Four years later, thirty-five million Soviets and five million Germans had been killed in a campaign left the western USSR, Eastern Europe, and German itself, with a gutted landscape, and millions of civilians homeless. "The Eastern Front Day By Day, 1941-45" is a photographic chronology that includes key battles on land, at sea, and in the air, including the great encirclement engagements of 1941 at Minsk, Smolensk, Kieve, Leningrad, Stalingrad, Kursk, and Operation Bagration. Featuring sidebars on all the principle commanders who led the German and Soviet forces on the Eastern Front, as well as the events that occurred on both sides and influenced the war (including the SS and Einsatzgruppen murder squads), the technological advances in planes, tanks, rocket launchers, and more, "The Eastern Front" is a succinct, profusely illustrated, month-by-month historical overview that is as informed and informative, as it is engaging and recommended for personal, academic, and community library Military History reference collections in general, and World War II Eastern Front supplemental reading lists in particular.

Made In America, Sold In the Nam, second edition
Rick Ritter & Paul Richards, editors
Loving Healing Press
5145 Pontiac Trail, Ann Arbor, MI 48105
1932690247 $27.95 www.LoveHealing.com

Now in its second edition, "Made In America, Sold In the Nam" is co-compiled and collaboratively edited by Rick Ritter & the late Paul Richards who have assembled personal commentaries and stories by men and women who found themselves involved in the brutal realities of the Viet Nam War and its aftermath. These are intensely candid stories dealing with the wounds and scars, anger and guilt, lies and fears, mental, emotional and physical stresses that sometimes lingered for years, long after the war was over and they were home. A critically important addition to personal, academic and community library Military Studies and Veteran's Issues reference collections, "Made In America, Sold In the Nam" is the second title in the 'Reflections of History' series from Modern History Press and is a unique contribution to our understanding of how extraordinary circumstances impact ordinary men and women, some of whom eventual learn to deal – while others are eventually destroyed – by their experiences and their memories. This is a timely and relevant contribution to our current national dialogue in view of a whole new generation of American youth who are engaged in combat in Afghanistan and Iraq today. Also very highly recommended reading is the first title in this outstanding series, "My Tour In Hell: A Marine's Battle With Combat Trauma" by David W. Powell.


The Antiques/Collectibles Shelf

Schiffer Books
4880 Lower Valley Road, Atglen, PA 19310
www.schifferbooks.com

Schiffer's extensive catalog of specialty collector's books provides audiences with excellent reference guides to specialty items not covered elsewhere. Jo and Bob Sanford and Barbara & Jim Payne's THE ARTISTIC GLASSWARE OF DALZELL, GILMORE, AND LEIGHTON (076432523X, $39.95) pairs collector history with the latest price guide for these specialty pieces, providing notes as specific as commentary on patterns to accompany a history of makers and production lines. Nicholas Zumbulyadis's MEISSEN'S BLUE AND WHITE PORCELAIN (0764324829, $49.95) packs well over 300 color photos of dining services, vases and more created by the Meissen porcelain manufactory, displaying pieces from rare, early 19th century museum pieces to 19th century easily-found plates. A history of porcelain painting accompanies the values and survey of pieces available. ROCK POSTERS OF JIM PHILLIPS (0764325310, $29.95) provides a 30-year retrospective of rock posters by Phillips, surveying the artist's life and times and following his career from early posters through present times. His computer painted posters as well as his classic rock art signature style is displayed in gorgeous full-page color reproductions paired with biographical and historical perspectives. Stuart Schneider's THE WORLD OF FLUORESCENT MINERALS (0764325442, $29.95) provides a lovely, color photo laden guide of different fluorescent minerals found around the world and displayed in both daylight and ultraviolet light. Nearly a thousand color photos pack descriptions which include both geological information and facts and a price guide of values. It's unusual to find a collector's guide to minerals let alone the rarer fluorescent minerals, making this a valuable reference. Marshall Ketchum's revised, expanded second edition of FREDERICK CARDER'S STEUBEN GLASS: GUIDE TO SHAKES, NUMBERS, COLORS, FINISHES, AND VALUES (076432411X, $29.95) is a 'must' for any collector, offering a new edition which can be used with other books displaying Carder's Steuben glass productions. A cross referencing system links the line drawings of shapes to be found in Paul Gardner's THE GLASS OF FREDERICK CARDER with auction records and references to photos in the nine books cited here: the result is an invaluable index and cross-linked reference Steuben collectors will find essential. Dean Six, Susie Metzler and Michael Johnson's AMERICAN MACHINE-MADE MARBLES (0764324640, $29.95) packs in nearly six hundred color images ranging from historical photos of marble-making factories to products and packages from a wide range of makers to accompany a survey of marble making in America and lists and photos of marbles and their values. This book was nearly forty years in the making, including interviews with over a hundred individuals and references and index packed with specifics marble collectors will want. Desire Smith's FUN HANDBAGS (0764324934, $29.95) comes in an unusual presentation of a paperback with a handbag handle, making the book itself look like the fine handbags it depicts. The attention to values, design, manufacturers and history makes for an important guide. All are top references collectors will want.


The Hunting/Fishing Shelf

The Master Angler
Phil Rabideau
Hancock House Publishers
1431 Harrison Avenue, Blaine, WA 98230-5005
0888395612 $14.95 www.hancockhouse.com 1-800-938-1114

A master angler in his own right, Phil Rabideau has been fishing the waters of North America for over seventy years and in "The Master Angler: Using Color Technology To Catch More Fish", draws upon his seven decades of experience and expertise to take all the 'hit-and-miss' guesswork out of lure selection. Beginning with a presentation on the physiology of fish and fish behavior, "The Master Angler" lays out the attributes of the lure and the factors in lure selection that will minimize, if not eliminate, the trial-and-error choice which lure to use for which breed of fish and in what kind of waters. This little compendium outlines both the art and science of lure selection with a very special focus on the role of color. Simply put, "The Master Angler" with its profusely illustrated and 'fisherman friendly' instructional text is a 'must read' for any dedicated fishing enthusiast.

Floating Alaska!
Don Crane
Frank Amato Publications
PO Box 82112, Portland, OR 97282
157188338X $15.95 www.amatobooks.com

"Floating Alaska!: Planning Self-Guided Fishing Expeditions" is an enthusiastically recommended, step-by-step planning guide for a do-it-yourself excursion to fishing the waters of Alaska. Expert angler and trip-planner Don Crane covers such issues as preparing for the trip, the appropriate gear to include, camping, food, fishing, the wildlife, resources, services, and a great deal more. Practical, comprehensive, 'user friendly', "Floating Alaska!" will insure a productive, inexpensive, well organized, and thoroughly enjoyable fishing trip to Alaska. Incidently, much of Crane's sage advice and practical instructions would apply to planning a fishing trip to anywhere else in the country!

The American Rifle
Major Townsend Whelen
Paladin Press
7077 Winchester Circle, Boulder, CO 80301
9781581605136 $30.00 www.paladin-press.com

THE AMERICAN RIFLE: A TREATISE, A TEXT BOOK, AND A BOOK OF PRACTICAL INSTRUCTION IN THE USE OF THE RIFLE represents twenty-five years of study and work from a soldier, hunter and naturalist who by the 1920s was a renowned expert on military and hunting rifles. It's written for riflemen and any with such must have this, which covers everything from maintenance and care to shooting tactics and common mistakes. A 'foundation' title any weapons library must have.


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

Dream Angus
Alexander McCall Smith
Canongate
841 Broadway, New York, NY 10003
1841958239 $18.00 www.groveatlantic.com

Medical law professor and prolific author of the "No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" series Alexander McCall Smith presents Dream Angus, a fantastic modern-day novel with roots in Celtic lore. Angus is the Celtic god of love, youth, and beauty who distributes dreams at night and inspires love in all who behold him. Yet he loves only the beautiful Caer; his search for her weaves him in and out of mortal dreams. Dream Angus consists of five fables that tell of Angus' quest, penned with insight, wonder, eros, and the mesmerizing rapture of dreams that connect with reality. A buoyant and sensuously enjoyable fantasy.

Pyr
59 John Glenn Drive, Amherst, NY 14228-2197
www.pyrsf.com

Justina Robson's MAPPA MUNDI (1591024919, $15.00) provides engrossing action in telling of a medical nanotechnology advancement which affects psychologist Natalie's research, suddenly catapulted into a sinister mind control project. FBI science specialist Jude is searching for a genius – and getting too close to the truth. The two will find their lives entwined when the Mapa Mundi project reaches a dangerous new level in this engrossing fast-paced plot recommended for any fan of hard science fiction. Marin Sketchley's second book of his 'Structure' series, THE DESTINY MASK (1591024390, $15.00), is a pick for prior fans of THE AFFINITY TRAP and offers a new space opera story telling of twin sons who have grown up ignorant of their parentage, raised apart – and both believing they're the rightful heir to a royal household. Politics and controversy erupt when the inevitable happens, changing a world in a sweeping epic of satisfying high drama. Mike Resnick's NEW DREAMS FOR OLD (1591024412, $15.00) is a diverse short story collection which challenges the notion that science fiction collections can be dry and predictable. Here are funny stories juxtaposed with hard science, novellas that have previously been available only to members of the Science Fiction Book Club, and ten Hugo nominees. The author's introduction to each story which describes its inspirational foundations makes for a particularly notable feature of a diverse, satisfying collection demonstrating Resnick's prowess.


The Needlecraft Shelf

Victorian Lace Today
Jane Sowerby
XRX Books
c/o Independent Publishers Group
814 North Franklin Street, Chicago, IL 60610
1933064072 $29.95 www.xix-inc.com www.ipgbook.com 1-800-888-4741

Deftly edited by Elaine Rowley and enhanced by the photography of Alexis Xenakis, "Victorian Lace Today" by needlecraft expert Jane Sowerby blends the history, mystery, and hands-on techniques of Victorian era lace. From the beginning of lace patterns from basic edgings, to the sophistication of lace patterns employed with the making of scarves, shawls, capes, and fichus, "Victorian Lace Today" offers comprehensive descriptions of the tools and techniques of lace knitting suitable for the beginning novice, with sufficient expertise and information to interest the more experienced knitter. A profusely illustrated compendium of vintage ideas and patterns, "Victorian Lace Today" is a confidently recommended addition to personal, professional, and community library Needlecraft reference collections.

Knitting Loves Crochet
Candi Jensen
Storey Publishing
210 MassMoca Way, North Adams, MA 02147
1580178421 $18.95 www.storey.com

Candi Jensen's projects are designed to highlight the pairing of knitting and crocheting: arts usually kept apart in their own books. From embellishments from the world of crochet to finished sweaters and clothing to knitted products with crochet bands and embellishments incorporated into the design, KNITTING LOVES CROCHET pairs up the best of both worlds.

Complete Knitting
Creative Homeowner Press
24 Park Way, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
1580112919, $24.95 www.creativehomeowner.com 1-800-631-7795

"Complete Knitting: Techniques & Projects" from the 'Home Arts' series by Creative Homeowner Press is an ideal knitting project instructional workbook that is spiral bound inside a covered spine so that it lays down open and flat for the convenience of the knitter. Step-by-step profusely illustrated instructions for knitting twenty five one-of-a-kind garments, accessories, and home accents (including knits for babies and children), result in a comprehensive course in all the knitting basics along with the essential tools and techniques required for successful knitting. Of special note is the 'Stitch Library', the practical advice on correcting knitting mistakes, a knitting glossary, a list of abbreviations, and recommended sources for knitting supplies. "Complete Knitting" is especially recommended for the novice beginner, but has much of value for even the more experienced needle crafter.


The Poetry Shelf

Through The Ages
Michaela Sefler
PublishAmerica
PO Box 151, Frederick, MD 21705-0151
1424102510 $19.95 www.publishamerica.com

The poetry of Michaela Sefler draws inspiration from the ancient Qabala, biblical scripture, and the phenomena of creation to express a compelling desire for knowledge, wisdom, transcendence, unity, and completion. Carefully crafted and skillfully expressed, "Through The Ages" is a superbly presented and enthusiastically recommended compendium of inspirational poetry that can be enjoyed over and over again. 'My Legacy': My legacy outlived,/my triumph outlasted,/my vows outweighted;/yet my days are numbered./My head crowned,/my struggles told./my story written;/and my oaths remain./I live on;/I survive;/my oaths take root,/and strengthen each day./Today I see,/my hopes take form,/but not forgetting,/your wanting soul.

Born in Utopia
Carmen Firan, editor
Talisman House
PO Box 3157, Jersey City, NJ 07303-3157
1584980508 $27.95

Edited by skilled translator and poet Carmen Firan, Born in Utopia: An Anthology of Modern and Contemporary Romanian Poetry is an omnibus assembly of poetry by dozens of Romanian authors. All poems are sublimely translated into English; some are from the years of the tyrannical regime of Nicolae Ceausescu, others are during the cultural proliferation that followed. A one-of-a-kind treasury of Romanian pride and literary art. "The Flower-Eater": You arrived with sixteen gladioli / to pay respects to the dead. / Under my gaze, the colors live / a secret life. / For food we need only / beauty on a plate. // In the morning: saffron. / For lunch: violets with mussels. / In the evening: pollen from sixteen gladioli. // Food is love as yet unborn. / On the table, among your flowers, / the body of the Lord, / offering itself eternally to all.

American Religious Poems
Harold Bloom
The Library of America
14 East 60th Street, New York, NY 10022
193108274X $40.00 www.loa.org

American Religious Poems is a collection of classic American religious poems by an immense variety of authors, covering all stages of America's history and spiritual legacy. Notes, an index, a source list, and an invaluable Reader's Guide complement the poems themselves, which have been carefully selected for their intergenerational appeal. A worthy cross-section of American faith through the centuries as expressed in poetic literature, from classical narrative poems to spirituals and anonymous hymns. "God": I followed and breathed in silence. / What of its task is beheld? / My feeding thee has lent all / Which broke the current thread breeze / That kept the sprout of pregnant seas / Of weathered promising call. / The filling shades he only changes, / Tells the logos, its unearned dew / Not to feed, as if from cages, / His cloak that perfumes fragrant hew; / What of all the bulging mountains, / Sordid earth and rotting clays? / If then sense is suction fountains, / That same thought is but its ways.

Fun Being Me
Jack Wiler
CavanKerry Press
6 Horizon Road No. 2901, Fort Lee, NJ 07024
0972304592 $16.00 www.cavankerrypress.org

AIDS survivor Jack Wiler speaks of his struggle against the virus in Fun Being Me, a work of poetry that also embraces such diverse topics as what it is like to practically die and live again, money, the working life, sex, and the final reality of death. The easygoing, free-verse style treats serious topics with Everyman-style candor. A descriptive chronicle of all the daily and sometimes trivial nuances of life amid the omnipresent, harrowing threat of life's ending. "Sick of Being Sick": I was lying on my back for a month, oh I would get up / to piss or puke, but I mostly / lay and watched tv and / slept and ate. / A skeleton draped with / a ready-made shroud. // Then I began to move about. / To stir as it were in the world. / I might sit in my little white chair / in the shower or move / out to the living room / to receive a reluctant guest / or shuffle out to the / van from the AIDS center / to see a doctor or a nurse.

Terrestrial Music
John Bradley
Curbstone Press
321 Jackson Street, Willimantic, CT 06226
1931896283 $13.95 www.curbstone.org

Prize-winning poet John Bradley presents Terrestrial Music, a collection of poems inspired by Pablo Neruda, Thomas McGrath, Muriel Rukeyeser, and Martin Espada. The haunting stanzas, which range from free-verse to narration approaching stream-of-consciousness, deals with the severities of social injustice, mankind's brutal impact on nature, and the power of the earth as part of the human identity - if only humankind can learn to recognize this and change its destructive ways before all is lost. "Terrestrial Music/2": I want to sleep / until we float / out of our skins / catch / on the maple's / wet leaves / dripping / onto the sleepless earth.

The Rise And Fall Of The Mind
Michael Cook
Author House
1663 Liberty Drive, Suite 200, Bloomington, IN 47403-5161
152 East 94th Street, #6D, New York, NY 10128 (author)
1425933009 $14.99 www.authorhouse.com 1-800-280-7715

"The Rise And Fall of Mind" is a 104-page collection of superbly written and highly recommended poetry by Michael Cook where each poem ranges in length fro six words to one and a half pages. The forms of the poems range from sonnets, villanelles, and pantoums, to haiku, ballad, and free verse. Witty, articulate, epigrammatic, humourous, touching, occasionally grimly descriptive, each carefully crafted verse is a masterfully presented use of language to convey emotions, ideas, contexts, and world we live in. "Pollution": There is a stench of dead fish from the lake./The children are in up to their necks,/wading sweetly through glittering white bellies/that dot the grimy waters. As the day rolls on/the waves slowly fling the dead and dying/up on the beach, where the flies wait.//My feet dig into the sand/come up with two cigarette butts./Impossible to escape a globe of trash and garbage./Breathing the air, we are one with it,/with the rotting fish, the hungry flies,/the dying earth and the bloodshot skies.

The Springs Of Creve Coeur
Martie Marshall
PublishAmerica
PO Box 151, Frederick, MD 21705-0151
215 SW 13th Street, Apt. 106, Grand Rapids, MN 55744 (author)
1424104688 $14.95 www.publishamerica.com

"The Springs of Creve Coeur" is the fifth book of verse by Minnesota poet, novelist and free-lance writer Martie Marshall. Distinctive, distinguished, and documenting Marshall as a master wordsmith, these are poems that use words the way a skilled artist uses the colors of his pallette, or a musician the notes of his music, to convey images to the mind's eye of the viewer. 'The Great Ones': The great ones were stubborn./Hearts breaking, they turned away/when the iron doors of the critics/swung shut in their faces; then/walked back to their easels/or writing desks or claviers/and allowed the tears/before they rescued their/fiery visions of truth/which art only is–/or it is not. The sad/asylums welcomed the prostrate ones/until they could speak again./And they hauled reluctant Time/into their green souls' kingdom.

The Museum of Natural History
Julie Gamberg
Lynx House Books
c/o Eastern Washington University Press
705 West 1st Avenue, Spokane, WA 99201
1597660132 $14.95 1-800-508-9095

Winner of the 2005 Blue Lynx Prize for poetry, Julie Gamberg's "The Museum Of Natural History" is a slender, 62-page book of truly elegant and highly recommended verse. This is the kind of poetry that lingers on the mind with the kind of satisfaction so often sought, but so rarely found, in contemporary American poetry. 'Poison Oak': I may have gotten a touch/of poison oak hiking in low heels/on sharp rock. Sometimes//these decisions are impossible–/avoid the brush or avoid the edge./You brought wild mule's ear to punctuate/our talk, and said words such as It's already too late//that calcified like tooth./Your sunburn peels loiter at my house. How/you could have forgotten them//I have no idea. It's like the way you aks/Who's your daddy and I don't know/what the fuck you're talking about. My legs itch. Your peeling skin amasses.

The Republic of Poetry
Martin Espada
W. W. Norton Company Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
0393062562 $23.95 www.wwnorton.com

The eighth poetry collection by editor, translator, creative writing teacher, and award-winning poet Martin Espada, The Republic of Poetry speaks to the collective power of history, imagination, miracles, justice, and redemption. The first part of the anthology consists of poems speaking to the heart of Chile, once under the harsh heel of the 1973 military coup, now growing as a democracy; the second part is a series of elegies written to poets; and the third and final part consists of powerful anti-war poetry. Written with passion, and scorn toward tyrants, The Republic of Poetry is an unforgettable, immersive experience and highly rewarding reading. "Black Islands (for Dario)": At Isla Negra, / between Neruda's tomb / and the anchor in the garden, / a man with stonecutter's hands / lifted up his boy of five / so the boy's eyes could search mine. / The boy's eyes were black olives. / "Son," the father said, "this is a poet, / like Pablo Neruda." / The boy's eyes were black glass. / "My son is called Dario, for the poet of Nicaragua," / the father said. / The boy's eyes were black stones. / The boy said nothing, / searching my face for poetry, / searching my eyes for his own eyes. / The boy's eyes were black islands.

The Architecture Of Language
Quincy Troupe
Coffee House Press
27 North Fourth Street, Minneapolis, MN 55401
1566891906 $15.00 www.coffeehousepress.org 1-800-283-3572

Quincy Troupe's enthusiastically recommended poetry comprising "The Architecture Of Language" is in the tradition of such American luminaries as Walt Whitman and has as a principle focus how diverse ethnic cultural histories have contributed to and helped to influence America. Troupe draws his inspiration from such diverse elements as art, music, literature, politics, and even sports in verse that is free from cliched rhetoric and staid constructions, infusing his images with energy, vibrancy, and lyrical phrasing. 'The Signatures of Time': binding signatures of time are fading footprints/tracking across wind blown desert floors,//newspapers whipping down cold, empty streets/split apart, become wings sailing light stingrays/swimming through wash of an emerald sea,//history is moments gleaned from unsorted stacks/holding facts, voices steamed clean as mussels/on a plat, disintegrating on worn tapes,/splintering on spools in old tape recorders,//like photos fading out in yellowing newspapers

The Miniature Room
Rebecca Dunham
Truman State University Press
100 East Normal Street, Kirksville, MO 63501-4221
1931112622 $15.95 http://tsup.truman.edu 1-800-916-6802

A beautifully published and enthusiastically recommended collection of poetry by Rebecca Dunham, "The Miniature Room" showcases a true poetic talent and skilled wordsmith able to lyrically evoke detailed images that include an impressive diversity of concepts and a full range of emotional responses. 'The Tempest': Clouds orchard the sky, dangle/flush globes overhead. The storm/has not passed. There is no/rest, I know, just my son's cry//splintering the silence. A flash/both serpentine & bright./If sleep's slick waters could slip/their banks & cover me//like a sheet. If the telephones, tea/kettle, even the raspong green/sofa's slipcovered twill could be/quieted. Below the water's purled//surface, a stillness pours. Please./This, the uninhabited moment.

Everything Preserved
Landis Everson
Graywolf Press
2402 University Avenue, Suite 203, Saint Paul, MN 55114
1555974538 $15.00 www.graywolfpress.org 1-651-641-0077

"Everything Preserved" is a collection of poems by Landis Everson which were composed between 1955 and 1960, then supplemented by poems written between 2003 and 2005. A significant figure of the Berkeley Renaissance in the 1940s and 1950s, Everson was one of those who rebelled agists the strictures of formalism in bringing his word painted images to paper. Receiving the Emily Dickinson First Book Award from the Poetry Foundation, "Everything Preserved" is highly recommended and rewarding reading and an important addition to academic library American Poetry Studies reference collections. 'Landscape with Deer': The forest I step in has to be imaginary./Can you imagine me following you otherwise,/me a non-trail blazer? Even the deer/large-eyed, tawny with twitching tails/were misplaced from the zoo. Do you//wonder, when you hear the mountains/in my speech that I'll never penetrate those trees/because they have become real to me,/and why I shake so in retreat/fearing the snowdrifts, the avalanches, the/broken landscapes that have made you unreachable, a fable to tell to deer/before thy learn old ways to be wild.

Only the Senses Sleep
Wayne Miller
Western Michigan University
1903 Michigan Ave., Kalamazoo, MI 49008-5331
1930974655 $14.00 www.wmich.edu

Award-winning poet Wayne Miller presents Only the Senses Sleep, a compilation of free-verse poems revolving around the theme of night. From the quiet that pervades a nighttime apartment to silent snowfalls and the ferocity of an ice storm, Only the Senses Sleep sublimely captures a wide range of environmental experiences in the dark that pervade the corners of human consciousness. "November Wind": Immured here / by infinitely minute and endlessly exact details - // Air ink-rolls the water, where far off / a trawler's anchored by a cloudlike net. // A curtain blows through a window, / gray (damp) along the bottom lace. // Cars in the street like hollowed cells, / their passengers naming certain stops // arrivals. To name these arrivals - / a ship, a curtain a face - your soul trailing // like a net. The ice wind cuts through. / Yes, to speak it now, and thus absolve it // like a read word. Or else there's no wind, / just the whipping of your shirt.

Tokyo Butter
Thylias Moss
Persea Books
853 Broadway, New York, NY 10003
0892553197 $24.00

Whiting Writer's Award-winning author and professor of poetics (University of Michigan) Thylias Moss presents Tokyo Butter, a free-verse compilation of poetry written to help make sense of the death of her beloved cousin and friend, Deirdre. Tokyo Butter is far from an elegy or a memorial; reaching beyond traditional limitations, it seeks remnants of Deirdre's life, passion, and essence in news stories, arcane tidbits of science, balloon warfare, and Internet search engines, among other places. A work of utmost sincerity about the resonating impressions of humanity, Tokyo Butter is a one-of-a-kind tribute to character and genius. "The Culture of Reena and the Bear (Before the Bear: derived from a theory of gravy)": (The neckline and hem of Reena's gown / were trimmed with real hummingbirds / [just a few tiny pins in the outspread wings / - she could feel the racing unison / that the tiny hearts fell into] and actual orchids. / The beak closest to it tried to extract nectar / from the small cleft - the suprasternal notch - / at the bottom of her perfumed throat) // (Bees drew near; live jewels from the garden.)


The Humor Shelf

Wry Harvest
Chris Lamb, editor
Indiana University Press
601 North Morton Street, Bloomington, IN 47404-3797
0253218721 $17.95 http://iupress.indiana.edu

Edited by Associate Professor of Communication (College of Charleston) Chris Lamb, Wry Harvest: An Anthology of Midwest Humor is an anthology of some of the best and funniest stories from authors ranging from Mark Twain and Don Marquis to Erma Bombeck and Garrison Keillor. Most mirth-inducing anecdotes and tall tales are only a few pages long; each is sure to bring a smile to the face of city slicker and country dweller alike. A hands-down perfect giftbook for anyone who likes a laugh and has hearty respect for Midwest culture.

Andrews McMeel Publishing
4520 Main Street, Kansas City, MO 64111-7701
www.amuniversal.com

Andrews McMeel's collections of syndicated cartoons will be readily recognizable items to any who like to follow newspaper funnies: they gather the best of recent panels and strips and one huge advantage is that you have them all under one cover – something any comics fan will appreciate. Glenn and Gary McCoy's THE FLYING MCCOYS: HIGH MOM! COMICS FOR A BOLD NEW WORLD (0740760440, $10.95) offers many hilarious moments which take the form of black and white panels of social commentary and humor. From vampires to yard sales and funny bullet-proof vests, THE FLYING MCCOYS holds something for everyone. Guy & Rodd's BREVITY (0740760424, $10.95) also offers up powerful one-panel strips: these featuring a somewhat simplified drawing type but one packed with biting commentary and tongue-in-cheek humor. A level of sophistication will lend to appreciation of these zany revelations. The 11th Zits cartoon strip sketchbook is out in Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman's ARE WE OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY YET? (0740761994, $10.95), which is a top recommendation for any family with a teen in residence. Parents will readily recognize their teen's attitude and angst in this hilarious collection of the latest black and white strips. Darrin Bell's ANOTHER STEREOTYPE BITES THE DUST (0740760416, $10.95) is an excellent Candorville strip best suited for urban dwellers who will readily recognize and appreciate the urban settings and issues such as poverty, racism, and street savvy. Social commentary is the strong point of this powerful collection. All are top picks for public lending libraries in particular.


The Cookbook Shelf

The Modern Ayurvedic Cookbook
Amrita Sondhi
Arsenal Pulp Press
1014 Homer Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6B 2W9
1551522047 $22.95 www.arsenalpulp.com

"The Modern Ayurvedic Cookbook: Healthful, Healing Recipes for Life" by Amrita Sondhi is a compendium of 250 culinary recipes showcasing Indian cuisine. These delicious dishes are provided with clear and 'kitchen cook friendly' instructions for turning out meals that are as nutritious as they are palate pleasing. Of special note are the included appendices: 'Seasons of the Year', "Menu Plans', Cleanses', 'Yoga Poses for the Doshas', 'Alternative Ayurvedic Therapies', and 'Food Guidlines for Basic Constitutional Types'. From Fresh Fruit Salad with Yogurt & Flax Seeds; to Vegetable Samosas; to Tea Party Channa Bateta, to Cinnamon & Sweet Warm Almond Milk, "The Modern Ayurvedic Cookbook" will make a welcome and impressive addition to personal and community cookbook collections – and prove to be of very special interest for dedicated students of Indian cooking, holistic health, yoga, and Ayurvidics.

Nuts: Pistachio, Pecan & Pinon
Gwin Grogan Grimes
Rio Nuevo Publishers
PO Box 5250, Tucson, AZ 85703
1887896872 $12.95 www.rionuevo.com

The lowly nut is not only a terrific source of tasty nutrition, it is a surprisingly versatile ingredient in a number of palate pleasing, appetite satisfying, culinary dishes that would grace any table and add to any dining occasion. "Nuts: Pistachio, Pecan & Pinon" by professional food writer and former restaurant reviewer Gwin Grogan Grimes specifically focuses on three western nuts: the smooth pistachio, the woodsy pecan, and the mild but flavorful pinon. Fifty flavorful, easy-to-do, step-by-step recipes truly showcase what these three nuts can do. From a Bleu-Pistachio Cheese Spread; to a Toasted Pecan and Asparagus Pasta; to a Pinon-Garlic Spinach, "Nuts" offers a unique and welcome contribution to personal and community library gourmet cookbook collections! Also very highly recommended from Nio Nuevo Publishers are the other seven cookbooks comprising their 'Cook West' series: "Citrus Essentials; Elegant Olive; Chile Aphrodisia; Cilantro Secrets; Gorgeous Garlic; Absolutely Avocado; and !Mole!.

Happy Holidays From The Diva Of Do-Ahead
Diane Phillips
Harvard Common Press
535 Albany Street, Boston, MA 02118
155832321X $14.95 www.harvardcommonpress.com 1-888-657-3755

In "Happy Holidays From The Diva Of Do-Ahead: A Year Of Feasts To Celebrate With Family And Friends", author, chef, and caterer, Diane Phillips draws upon her more than twenty years of professional experience and expertise to compile a compendium of recipes and ideas for twelve full holiday menus for superbly prepared gourmet meals. Each individual meal menu is broken down into step-by-step preparations that can be easily accomplished in manageable stages days, weeks, and even a month or more ahead of time – all without sacrificing quality in appearance, nutrition or taste! For each menu "Happy Holidays From The Diva Of Do-Ahead" provides the kitchen cook with a helpful countdown, a list of items to have on hand, instructions on economically finding what is needed, as well as 'Diva Tips' on substitutions, decorating and presentation. From a New Year's Eve Party and a Morning-After Brunch, to Memorial Day Picnic, to a Halloween party for All Ages, "Happy Holidays From The Diva Of Do-Ahead" is a unique, 'user friendly', and welcome addition to any family or community library cookbook collection!

Three Guys From Miami Celebrate Cuban
Three Guys
Gibbs Smith, Publisher
PO Box 667, Layton, UT 84041
1423600630 $29.95 www.gibbs-smith.com

If you've seen the Three Guys in their past cookbook THREE GUYS FROM MIAMI COOK CUBAN, you'll find their sequel equally fun: an easy guide to preparing both classic Cuban and innovative Cuban cuisine for everything from grill recipes and sides to soups and main courses. Here are all the dishes stemming from some twenty years of Three Guys parties, suitable for families and parties alike, paired with color photos. As an introduction to Cuban home cuisine it's a fine and colorful presentation encouraging successful results even from novice cooks.

The Cork Jester's Guide To Wine
Jennifer Rosen
Clerisy Press
1700 Madison Road, Cincinnati, OH 45206
1578602777 $14.95

Award-winning wine writer Jennifer Rosen presents The Cork Jester's Guide To Wine: An Entertaining Companion For Tasting It, Ordering It, and Enjoying It, a thoroughly accessible guide to the joy of savoring fine wine for readers of all culinary backgrounds. From how to recognize and distinguish the basic characteristics of wine, to important considerations when storing wine, to how to read and recognize what the nuances of the label say about a potential wine choice and much more, The Cork Jester's Guide To Wine offers savvy advice with wry insights topped off with chuckle-inducing tidbits. An excellent and enthusiastically recommended giftbook for wine lovers of all seasons.

Savoring Appetizers
Chuck Williams
Oxmoor House
c/o Leisure Arts, Inc.
5701 Ranch Drive, Little Rock, AR 772223-963
0848731409, $24.95 www.leisurearts.com 1-800-643-8030

Impressively illustrated throughout with full-color photography of finished dishes, the newest William-Sonoma cookbook, "Savoring Appetizers" offers a culinary cornucopia of palate-pleasing, appetite satisfying, meal-time celebrating, kitchen-cook friendly, step-by-step recipes for a wealth of appetizers for any and all occasions. Drawn from cuisines around the world, the recipes are grouped by regional areas: North America, Asia, France, and The Mediterranean. From Hot-Pepper Jelly Turnovers; Mushroom Empanadas; Yam Dumplings with Corn and Cinnamon; Steamed Shrimp with Soy-Chile Sauce; and Grilled Minced Beef Rolled in La-Lot Leaves; to Veal pate with Dried Apricots and Hazelnuts; Olive and Anchovy Choux Puffs; Salt Cod Fritters; Fried Stuffed Zucchini Flowers; and Black Cabbage Brushcetta, these are elegant little dishes that would grace any family meal, dinner party, or celebratory occasion. A simple delight just to browse through, "Savoring Appetizers" is a welcome and enthusiastically recommended addition to personal, professional, family, and community library cookbook collections!

Sharing Mountain Recipes
Randi L. Levin
The Muffin Lady Inc.
1532 Yankee Creek Road, Evergreen, CO 80439
0974500828, $28.95 www.themuffinlady.com

"Sharing Mountain Recipes: The Muffin Lady's Everyday Favorites" by Randi Levin (aka The Muffin Lady) showcases a compendium of nutritious, delicious, and thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' recipes of easily prepared dishes ranging from breakfast favorites to special occasion treats. Ingredient supplements for special dietary needs are provided in addition to diverse tips for cooking and backing that will prove especially helpful for the novice chef. With recipes ranging from Dreamy Cheese Mashed Potatoes; Lemon Poppy Muffins; Berry Baked French Toast; and Sunshine Salad; to Sweet Poultry Kabobs; Seafood Au Gratin; Fried Bananas; Butter Cream filled Coffeecake. Of special note is the two pages devoted to 'A Few Favorite Submarine Sandwiches", the chapter on 'The Accessories of Foods', and unique recipe cited as being 'The Gourmet Mash for the Elder Horse'. There's even a poem to 'The Alligator Pear'. Enhanced with a 'Cooking Language Conversions' page, a U.S. to Metric Conversions chart, an a detailed index, "Sharing Mountain Recipes" is a welcome and recommended addition to any and all personal, professional, and community library cookbook collections!

Mexican Light
Kris Rudolph
University of North Texas Press
PO Box 311336, Denton, TX 76203-1336
1574412183, $17.95 www.unt.edu/untpress 1-800-826-8911

"Mexican Light: Healthy Cuisine For Today's Cook" by Kris Rudolph (owner of the El Buen Cafe in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico), is a bi-lingual cookbook that features a compendium of fifty delicious recipes that are presented side-by-side on facing pages with Spanish on the left and English on the right The focus is on pre-Columbian Mexican cuisine that was low in fat and high in fiber and vitamins. Ranging from appetizers to after-dinner refreshers, each palate pleasing, appetite satisfying dish not only includes the ingredients and the preparation instructions, but the number of calories, amounts of total fat and saturated fat, grams of carbohydrates, and amount of fiber. Low-fat and low-carbohydrate alternatives 9as well as ways to vary the degree of spiciness) are also provided. From Chayote and Chile Poblano Soup; Green Salad with Jicama, Manco, and Cucumber; and Chicken with Tomatillo Cilantro Salsa; to Beef in Avocado Salsa; Cauliflower with Spicy Tomatoes; and Amaranth Water, "Mexican Light" is an ideal and highly recommended culinary resource for diet conscious kitchen cooks wanting their friends and family to eat healthy while eating Mexican.

Authentic Recipes From Santa Fe
Dave DeWitt & Nancy Gerlach
Periplus
c/o Tuttle Publishing
364 Innovation Drive, North Clarendon, VT 05759-9436
0794602894, $12.95 www.tuttlepublishing.com

Featuring a profusion of impressive photography by Eduardo Fuss, "Authentic Recipes From Santa Fe" is co-authored by Dave DeWitt and Nancy Gerlach who have compiled and edited a cornucopia of culinary dishes from some of the top restaurants in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Beginning with an introduction to food in Santa Fe; a description of the Santa Fe kitchen, a guide to chiles; and a listing of authentic Santa Fe ingredients; a section devoted to Sauces and Salsas; and the basics of taco or tostada shells, pickled red onions; and safron rice. Of special note are the instructions on the proper preparation methods for making do-it-yourself Chile Rellenos and homemade Tamales. The 'kitchen cook friendly' recipes are grouped by Appetizers; Soups and Stews; Main Dishes, Vegetables and Rice, Breads, Desserts, and Drinks. From Grilled Swordfish Tacos (Mark Kiffin, Coyote Cafe); to Grilled Steaks with Chimayo, Chile and Cumin (Came Asada); to Empanaditas with Apricot Peca Filling, "Authentic Recipes From Santa Fe" truly lives up to its title and is strongly recommended for the family cookbook shelf and community library cookbook collections.

Wandering & Feasting
Mary Houser Caditz
WSU Press
PO Box 645910, Pullman, WA 99164-5910
0874221382, $22.95 www.wsupress.wsu.edu 1-800-354-7360

Compiled and organized by Mary Houser Caditz, "Wandering & Feasting: A Washington Cookbook" offers more than two hundred tempting and tasty dishes reflecting the culinary heritage of Washington State. Spiral bound so as to lay flat upon the kitchen table or counter, "Wandering & Feasting is a regional collection organizing dishes from the Olympic Peninsula (Halibut with Macadamia Nut Crust; Whole Baked Salmon with Medley of Three Dill Sauces; Filet of Sole Turbans with Shrimp Sauce), Southwest Washington (Individual Salmon Wellingtons with Dijon Cream Sauce; Cream of Carrot Soup with Marsala; Chocolate Hazelnut Decadence with Rum Cream), North Puget Sound and San Juan Islands (Dungeness Crab Stuffed Mushroom Caps; Strawberries in Raspberry Sauce with Orange Cream; Easy Apple Raisin Chutney), Puget Sound (Fried Calamari in Beer Batter; Cheese Puffs with Smoked Salmon Filling; Steamed Clams with Tomatoes and Herbs), Cascades (Flank Steak with Blue Cheese, Mushroom and Sun-dried Tomato Stuffing; Baked Pears in Apple cider and Cinnamon; Trout with Chive Cream Sauce), Central Washington (Beef on Skewers with Peanut Sauce; Spinach Salad with Apples and Ginger Vinaigrette; Minted Cantaloupe Soup), and the Inland Empire (Venison with Juniper Berry Sauce; Bulgar Wheat Pilaf with Mushrooms; Asparagus napoleons with Orange Hollandaise Sauce). Occasionally illustrated with historical photography, and featuring appendices that include 'Basic Recipes', 'Low-Fat Suggestions', Glossary, 'Selected Bibliography', and an Index, "Wandering & Feasting" is an ideal and strongly recommended addition to any personal and family cookbook collection.

The Very Best Salmon Cookbook
John Nicholas
Nitty Gritty Cookbooks
c/o Bristol Publishing Enterprises, Inc.
2714 McCone Avenue, Hayward, CA 94545
1558673210, $8.95 1-800-346-4889

Salmon is a superb source for many vitamins and beneficial fish oil. But salmon is best when fresh, properly stored, and expertly prepared. "The Very Best Salmon Cookbook" is a specialty cookbook which focuses on how to buy good salmon, details the various types of smoked salmon, offers easy-to-follow instructions for smoking salmon at home, as well as how to best freeze and glaze salmon. "The Very Best Salmon Cookbook" also offers more than 60'kitchen cook friendly' recipes for palate pleasing, appetite satisfying, salmon dishes that range from appetizers (Smoked Salmon Corncakes; Cold Salmon Moose) to entrees (Creamed Salmon Casserole; Salmon fillets in Horseradish-Ginger Crust). Of special note are the recipes for classic sauces for Salmon, including Tartar Sauce, Hollandaise, Bechamel, and Rew Wine Sauce. If you like salmon, then "The Very Best Salmon Cookbook" is the do-it-yourself salmon cookbook for you!


The Music Shelf

Skydog
Randy Poe
Backbeat Books
c/o Hal Leonard Corporation
19 West 21st Street, Suite 201, New York, NY 10010
0879308915 $24.95 www.backbeatbooks.com 1-800-637-2852

Author and Grammy nominee Randy Poe offers a smoothly written, extensively detailed biography of rock music icon Duane Allman in Skydog: The Duane Allman Story. Covering Allman's life from his childhood fascination with music to his efforts to master the slide guitar, his recognition as an A-list player and his creation of the Southern Rock genre, to his tragic death at the young age of 24. A handful of black-and-white photographs illustrate life story, complemented by a discography of Allman's work with his own bands and on other artist's recordings, as well as snapshot summaries of the continuing lives and careers of Allman's friends and bandrates. A top-notch, involving biography of a truly passionate music maker.

The Future of Modern Music
James L. McHard
Iconic Press
PO Box 510355, Livonia, Michigan 48151
0977819507 $18.00 www.futureofmodernmusic.com

Freelance composer, lecturer, and music history author James McHard presents The Future of Modern Music, a guide written for music lovers of all backgrounds - including the general public, music educators, and the students today who will be the composers of tomorrow. The Future of Modern Music looks at dramatic recent changes in composition through biographical snapshots of composers such as Iannis Xenakis, Luigi Nono, Julio Estrada and many more, over ninety total; each portrayal examines the new musical ideas that shaped the composer's works. Many of the composers studied have never been scrutinized before in a single, concise text; The Future of Modern Music remedies the oversight, allowing the reader to gain an effective cross-perspective and overview of the artists worldwide who are transforming the soundscape daily.

I Was There When It Happened
Marshall Grant with Chris Zar
Cumberland House Publishing
431 Harding Industrial Drive, Nashville, TN 37211
1581825102 $24.95 www.cumberlandhouse.com

Country music readers who can't get enough about Johnny Cash despite the many books and autobiographies on the market will relish I Was There When It Happened: My Life With Johnny Cash. Here's a focus that delves deeper than the usual Cash coverage, examining his life with a special focus on the evolution of and influences upon his musical style. Accompanying this focus is a survey of those who helped him attain success along the way, from fellow musicians to those who recorded his works. From Grant's initial introduction to Cash to his tenure as Cash's long-time bassist, this is insider writing at its best.

The Bluegrass Gospel Songbook
Wayne Erbsen
Native Ground Books & Music
109 Bell Road, Asheville, NC 28805-1521
1883206529, $19.95 www.nativeground.com 1-800-752-2656

Compiled and edited by Southern Appalachian music instructor and historian Wayne Erbsen, "The Bluegrass Gospel Songbook" presents 172 pages of lyrics, music, history, and chords to over one hundred bluegrass gospel classics. Enhanced with the inclusion of more than one hundred vintage photographs, "The Bluegrass Gospel Songbook" presents information on the roots of gospel music, a 'painless' gospel music theory, instructions on choosing the right key, and how to operate a Capo. Of special note is 'Harmony 101', as well as tips on singing lead, tenor, baritone and bass. Featuring such wonderfully well known classics as 'Amazing Grace', 'Are You Washed in the Blood', and 'The Old Rugged Cross', to such lesser known gems as 'I Am a Pilgrim', 'Little Moses', and 'Who Will Sing for Me?', "The Bluegrass Gospel Songbook" is a simply wonderful and enthusiastically recommended addition to personal, academic, and community library American Music History reference collections.

Destination Chicago Jazz
Sandor Demlinger & John Steiner
Arcadia Publishing Inc.
3047 North Lincoln Avenue, Suite 410, Chicago, IL 60657
0738523054, $34.99 www.arcadiapublishing.com 1-888-313-2665

Jazz is the authentically original music of America that has spread out to achieve a world wide popularity. While most people know about the roots of Jazz in the New Orleans and Harlem, not so widely recognized is that Chicago was and is another bastion of jazz music in America. "Destination Chicago Jazz", co-authored by documentary photographer Sandor Deminger and jazz scholar, historian, collector, and owner of Paramount Records, John Steiner (1908-2000), presents an impressive pictorial overview of the jazz music and jazz musicians that made 'The Windy City' a significant contributor to the musical genre. From Jelly Roll Morton and Louis Armstrong, to Muggy Spanier and Benny Goodman, we are provided with a virtual and visual tour-de-force that includes the world-famous theatres and clubs that made Chicago's South Side a Mecca for jazz enthusiasts, as well as the cultural influence jazz came to have on the city's North and West sides as well. Enhanced with more than 300 photographic images, "Destination Chicago Jazz"presents more than fifty years of Chicago's jazz history and is a welcome, enthusiastically recommended addition to personal, academic, and community library American Music reference collections and supplemental reading lists.


The Art Shelf

Adam Van Doren
Samuel G. White
Hudson Hills Press
PO Box 205, 74-2 Union Street, Manchester, VT 05254
1555952720 $55.00 www.hudsonhills.com

Enhanced with informed and informative essays by Avis Berman (a former director of the Pennsylvania Academy of fine Arts and Adjunct Associate Professor of hart History at Temple University, Philadelphia) and art historian Avis Berman, "Adam Van Doren" is a coffee table artbook and monograph by Samuel G. White (Fellow of the American institute of Architects and Adjunct Professor of Fine Arts at new York University) showcasing the watercolor paintings of Adam Van Doren. Working in the classical tradition, Van Doren's distinctive drawings are drawn from twenty years of his career and document him as an accomplished colorist with a particular affinity for architectural elements such as domes, corbels, caryatids, bays, oriels, cornices, medallions, entablatures, pediments, and other aspects of architectural distinction, shape and texture. This particular edition includes plates of Van Doren's work in Rome, Venice, Paris and New York. Enhanced with a detailed chronology of his career, a list of selected exhibitions of his work, 'Selected Collections' and 'Selected Bibliography', "Adam Van Doren" is a seminal study and a strongly recommended addition to personal, professional, and academic library Art & Architecture reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Charles Munch Dreaming In Color
Charles Munch
Trails Books
923 Williamson Street, Madison, WI 53703
1879483963 $19.95 www.trailsbooks.com 1-800-236-8088

Charles Munch is a Wisconsin artist whose paintings have as their themes imaginary landscapes in which humans, animals, and the elements combine in iconic and mysterious ways. "Charles Munch Dreaming In Color: Paintings 1971-2006" draws from a retrospective exhibit at the Fairfield Center for Contemporary Art in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, and showcases the best of his work. Enhanced with an informed and informative essays by Jody Clowes and Richard Ely, and featuring full color reproductions of sixty of his best paintings, "Charles Munch Dreaming In Color" is a welcome and strongly recommended addition to personal, community, and academic library 20th Century American Art History collections.

Visual Shock
Michael Kammen
Alfred A. Knopf
1400041295 $35.00 www.aaknopf.com

Art and architectural aspirations have long aroused disputes among artists, scholars and the common citizen over the appropriateness of paintings, memorials and monuments: for the first time these debates are surveyed in VISUAL SHOCK: A HISTORY OF ART CONTROVERSIES IN AMERICAN CULTURE. Here are the social and political disputes which have taken place from the 1830s to modern times, with central themes and relationships including questions on the types of art appropriate for a democratic society, and how to assess and possibly regulate its appearance. Changes in policies, opinions, and conflicts between trustees of the arts and the general public are chronicled in chapters surveying the wild world of art history. An outstanding survey.

Edgar Degas: The Last Landscapes
Ann Dumas, et.al.
Merrell
1858943434 $29.95 www.merrellpublishers.com

There have been so many books on the market covering the life and works of Degas that we're almost hesitant to recommend yet another, but what makes Edgar Degas: The Last Landscapes stand out from the crowd is its in-depth focus on a surprisingly little-known aspect of his work: his scenery of northern France and the small town of his childhood. Here he experimented with painting and print-making techniques and used his sketchbook drawings to integrate landscape painting into his more notable works. A hundred works by Degas provides a new focus on this aspect of his vision and influence.

The Imprint of Place
David P. Becker
Down East Books
P.O. Box 679, Camden, ME 04843-0679
0892727187 $35.00 www.downeastbooks.com

While THE IMPRINT OF PLACE: MAINE PRINTMAKING 1800-2005 would initially seem to be of very narrow regional interest, in reality it deserves a place in the holdings of any art library collection strong in printmaking representations. It represents a catalog celebrating some 200 years of printmaking with a large collaborative fine-arts project embracing a series of exhibitions and education programs, and as such provides the first chronological survey of the subject, standing as well alone as it does with the exhibit.

David C. Driskell
Julie L. McGree
Pomegranate Communications, Inc.
PO Box 808022, Petaluma, CA 94975-8022
978-0-7649-3747-7, $45,00 www.pomegranate.com 1-800-227-1428

Awarded the National Humanities Medal for his contributions to American public life, "David C. Driskell: Artist And Scholar" surveys nearly fifty years of Driskell's artistry, scholarship, humanitarianism, creativity and vision, as well as his work as an artist, teacher, curator, collector, and diplomat. Simply stated, there is no one who has done more to establish the study of African American art within the canon of American art scholarship that David Driskell. Now teacher, researcher and art historian Julie L. McGree (specializing in modern and contemporary visual culture of Africa and the African diaspora and who has spent more than a decade teaching art history at Bowdoin College, Bunswick, Maine) has created a showcase of more than 200 full-color and b/w images featuring Driskell's work and life – including personal photographs of Driskell, his family, friends, and associates. More than 50 years of Driskell's paintings, drawings, prints, and collages are represented, along with an insightfully informative text providing background and biography. "David C. Driskell: Artist And Scholar" is an enthusiastically recommended and substantive addition to academic library African American Studies and American Art History reference collections.

Romare Bearden
Sally Price & Richard Price
University of Pennsylvania Press
3905 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-4112
0812239482, $49.95 www.upenn.edu/pennpress 1-800-537-5487

"Romare Bearden: The Caribbean Dimension", co-authored by Sally Price and her husband Richard (both of whom are professor of American Studies, Anthropology, and History at the College of William and Mary in Virginia) showcases the life and work of the African American artist Romare Bearden (1911-1988) and his Caribbean work during his last twenty years with its themes of 'enchanted places and lush forest settings for sensuous female nudes. Also included is his 'Carnival' series revealing through an artist's eye the quintessential nature of this annual Caribbean celebration. Best known for his paintings and collages of jazz and the rural South, Bearden's work was postumously recognized with an exhibition at the national Gallery of Art in 2003. Enhanced with the inclusion of 130 paintings, as well as a profusion of photographs of Bearden and his friends, "Romare Bearden" also incorporates poet Derek Walcott and writer Albuert Murray's critical assessments of Bearden's enduring legacy, along with the thoughts of such luminaries as James Baldwin, Alvin Alley, and Ralph Ellison. Simply stated, no serious academic library American Art History collection can be considered complete or comprehensive without the inclusion of "Romare Bearden: The Caribbean Dimension".


The Audiobook Shelf

The Few
Alex Kershaw
Brilliance Corporation
PO Box 887, Grand Haven, MI 49417
1423315901 $34.95 www.brillianceaudio.com

If you like military history but find audio's high drama more compelling than the written word, then Scott Brick's reading of THE FEW is for you: he drives home the story of the American pilots who helped save Britain, surveying the Americans who battled to keep the country free. At the end of five years, just one would still be alive. High drama spices an outstanding narrative style.

The Edge of Darkness
Tim LaHaye and Bob Phillips
Random House Audio
1745 Broadway, New York NY 10019
0739331981 $27.95 www.randomhouse.com/audio

Book 4 of the 'Babylon Rising' series requires prior familiarity with the series for smooth entry into this story, with its vivid reading by Paul Michael and its new installment which blends a conspiracy with Biblical interpretation and drama. Here Michael Murphy's quest leads to a revelation that one of the Bible's most dangerous prophecies is about to come true. It's hard to stop listening to this riveting thriller: prior fans won't be disappointed!


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

Drawing Dead
Rick Gadziola
ECW Press
2120 Queen Street East, Suite 200, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4E 1E2
1550227386 $24.95

Written by private investigator Rick Gadziola, Drawing Dead: A Jake Morgan Mystery is the story of a poker-dealing ex-cop who just can't seem to win. Unexpectedly thrust in the center of a lethal conflict between dirty cops, he tries to help Vice squad member Laura Bulloch stay alive. As attempts on his life mushroom, he tries to walk away from the bloodshed, but an unshakable antagonist trails him and will not be denied. A dark, suspenseful, at times outright wicked murder mystery, sure to captivate enthusiasts of the genre.

In the Breath of God: Mendez II
Edward Hancock II
Publish America
PO Box 1476, Gilmer, TX 75644
1424113776 $19.95 www.publishamerica.com

The literal meaning of the Hebrew phrase commonly translated as "Let there be light" is "Light in me, Be!" - as if God breathed light into the world, just as He breathed life into man. In the spirit of this metaphor, Texas native Edward Hancock II presents In The Breath of God: Mendez II, a mystery novel about a man brought back from the brink of death by the inexplicable power of Heaven. Lieutenant Alex Mendez and his wife Detective Lisa Mendez become privy to the hidden possibilities of a secret old as time itself, hidden in the innocent soul of their four-year-old daughter. At the same time, a string of terrible homicides shocks the small east Texas community in which they live, and the prime suspect is the most unlikely of candidates - a seventeen-year-old boy with spina bifida. Biblical allusions crisscross this dogged and intricate story of personal demons, suffering, and the quest for answers; In the Breath of God is an attention-seizing read, skillfully plotted and executed from first page to last.

Poisoned Pen Press
6962 East First Avenue #103, Scottsdale, AZ 85251
www.poisonedpenpress.com

Claudia Bishop and Don Bruns' A MERRY BAND OF MURDERERS (1590583019, $24.95) packs an original mystery anthology with both stories and songs (songs re on an accompanying cd, featuring performances by the authors), pairing the skills of some thirteen mystery writers with a format to include an original story from each and an original musical composition themed around their contribution. Here are tales of mystery, suspense, noir and more from the likes of Jeffrey Deaver, Bill Moody and editors Bishop and Bruns themselves, offering up a diverse, multi-faceted set. John M. Daniel's VANITY FIRE (1590583221, $24.95) tells of a publishing firm which burns to the ground, leaving a body and a total loss. For Guy, it's the end of a career and a lover – and possibly the beginning of a new career and encounters with two strippers. It's a Faustian arrangement that blends the irony and terror of murder with a pact that could rescue or condemn Guy in this excellent mystery. Public libraries will find these very different, involving picks for discriminating patrons looking for more than your usual whodunnit plot.


The Railroading Shelf

Steam Trains
James P. Bell
Voyageur Press
380 Jackson Street, Suite 200, Saint Paul MN 55101
0760322678 $34.95 www.voyageurpress.com

There have been numerous train books published over the decades, but steam trains too seldom receive their own coverages apart from the general train genre – making STEAM TRAINS: A MODERN VIEW OF YESTERDAY'S RAILROADS most notable and a recommended pick for general-interest public library lending collections. The author is also a photographer here, so is not limited to vintage or collection holdings: his lovely black and white photos capture the antiques in their modern activities, while 23 profiles explores the trains' unique characteristics, the places which still run and maintain them to date, and passenger experiences along the way. Simply outstanding – not to be missed by any collection train buffs frequent.


The Civil War Shelf

On the Skirmish Line Behind a Friendly Tree
Stacy Dale Allen, editor
Farcountry Press
PO Box 5630, Helena, MT 59604
1560373229 $19.95 www.farcountrypress.com 1-800-821-3874

On the Skirmish Line Behind a Friendly Tree is personal memoir of Civil War veteran William Royal Oake, who left his family farm in Iowa to fight for the Union at the young age of eighteen. He fought in twenty major battles, was captured and incarcerated as a prisoner of war, and suffered injury during the course of his service. When he turned sixty-nine, he penned his experiences at length, from the day he volunteered for the army to the day he returned home, hardened from the brutal realities of his service. On the Skirmish Line Behind a Friendly Tree is his collected writings as discovered by his family eighty years after his death, and they offer a one-of-a-kind literate, thoughtful, serious-minded insider's view of the terrible war. Black-and-white photographs and extensive clarifying notes by editor Stacy Dale Allen enhance this invaluable primary source and welcome addition to Civil War studies and testimony shelves.

Thunder From a Clear Sky
Ray Mulesky
iUniverse, Inc.
2021 Pine Lake Road, #100, Lincoln, NE 68512
1583483004 $12.95 www.thunderfromaclearsky.com www.iuniverse.com

Written by Ray Mulesky, Thunder From a Clear Sky is the breathtaking true story of Confederate cavalry officer Adam "Stovepipe" Johnson, who led the first Confederate raid across the Mason-Dixon Line to seize the river-port community of Newburgh, Indiana during the American Civil War. Not a shot was fired. A highly accessible true story of how an ordinary man proved capable of a military master stroke, and the fallout thereafter when the territory he claimed was retaken by Union troops. A welcome contribution to Civil War and military history shelves.


The Travel Shelf

The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook
Andrew Doughty
Wizard Publications
PO Box 991, Lihue, HI 96766-0991
0971727953 $15.95 www.wizardpub.com

Now in an updated sixth edition, The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook: Kauai Revealed is an advertising-free, in-depth guide to the "Garden Island" of Hawaii. Packed with full-color photography throughout, The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook covers the top sights, popular activities from golfing to parasailing, skydiving, snorkeling, whale watching and more, and recommendations on where to dine and where to stay. Maps, testimonies from firsthand experience, safety tips and an index for easy reference round out this enthusiastically recommended guide for anyone seeking to get the most out of a visit to sunny Kauai.

A Survivor's Guide to Living in Ireland
Tom Richards
Storylines Entertainment Ltd.
Irish Books and Media Inc
1433 Franklin Avenue East, Minneapolis, MN 55404-2101
0955021200 $17.95 www.irishbook.com

Written by Tom Richards, an American who has lived in Ireland since 1982, A Survivor's Guide to Living in Ireland: A Funny, Insightful Book for Those Wanting to Survive Ireland Like the Irish Do lives up to its title with equal doses of practical advice, tips for coping with culture shock, and mirthful humor. A Survivor's Guide to Living in Ireland is not a tourist guide per se, and doesn't have the many maps, hotel and restaurant recommendations, etc. that guides meant for vacationers do. Instead, A Survivor's Guide to Living in Ireland is a text-heavy account of how to purchase a place to live in Ireland, how to seek a career or become an entrepreneur, how to live frugally, an introduction to Irish holidays, a short dictionary of Irish slang and phrases (English and Gaelic are both official languages of Ireland, and nearly everyone there speaks English, so the language barrier is less of a problem for an expatriate), and plenty of sensible advice such as "Despite Everything You'll be Criticized [by both Americans and Irish!] so Get Used to It". An absolute "must-have" for everyone considering living abroad in Ireland.

Cuba
Brendan Sainsbury
Lonely Planet Publications
150 Linden Street, Oakland CA 94607
174059746X, $21.99 www.lonelyplanet.com 1-800-275-8555

Long off-limits to American businesses and tourists, Cuba is now beginning to reemerge as a desirable destination for both. Brendan Sainsbury provides a superbly written and organized 520-page travel guide and manual to what Cuba has to offer. From the secrets of salsa to the rhythms of the mambo, from recommended places to see and suggested places to eat, Cuba is massively infused with 'traveler friendly' descriptions, directions, maps, history, culture and customs. Seasonal events and celebrations are chartered along with day tripper itineraries. Of special note are the sections devoted to Language and a Glossary. If you are contemplating a trip to Cuba, begin your planning with "Cuba", Brendan Sainsbury's informed and indispensable travel guide to this island destination.


The Economics Shelf

The Collected Works Of Armen A. Alchian
Armen A. Alchian
Liberty Fund, Inc.
8335 Allison Pointe Trail, #300, Indianapolis, IN 46250-1684
0865976376, $15.00 www.libertyfund.org 1-800-955-8335

Armen A. Alchian is Professor Emeritus of Economics at UCLA and in the course of his long and accomplished career helped to found several schools of economic thought, being justifiably considered by his peers to be one of the most influential voices in the areas of market structure, property rights, and the theory of the firm. Complete in two volumes, "The Collected Works Of Armen A. Alchian" is professionally edited and provided with an informative introduction by Daniel K. Benjamin who drew upon Professor Alchian's most important essays, articles, editorials, and lectures to provide a comprehensive and detailed record of this thought on a broad range of topics in the field of economics. Volume One focuses upon the economic themes of "Choice and Cost Under Certainty"; Volume Two deals with "Property Rights and Economic Behavior" issues. "The Collected Works Of Armen A. Alchian: Volumes 1 & 2" is also available in a hardcover edition (0865976368, $30.00), and very strongly recommended for professional and academic library Economics Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.


The Graphic Novel Shelf

Let Us Be Perfectly Clear
Paul Hornschemeier
Fantagraphics Books
7563 Lake City Way, NE, Seattle, WA 98115
1560977523, $19.95 www.fantagraphics.com 1-800-657-1100

"Let Us Be Perfectly Clear" is an anthology of Paul Hornschemeier's short stories illustrated in full color and demonstrating his distinctive artistic approach to the graphic novel techniques of story-telling. "Let Us Be Perfectly Clear" is designed as a 'flip book' with one side (Perfectly Clear) featuring comedic work while the reverse side (Let Us Be) offers stories which are decidedly morose. A product of the underground comix movement, Hornschemeir's storytelling talents are thoroughly documented. Long out of print, these stories are derived from a variety of sources which include his own self-published 'Forlorn Funnies', as well as independent magazines and papers. "Let us Be Perfectly Clear" is especially recommended for its appeal to devotees of the avant garde graphic novel and the counter-culture underground comic.


The Crafts Shelf

Smart Soapmaking
Anne L. Watson
Shepard Publications
1102 Olympia Avenue NE, #18, Olympia, WA 98506
0938497421 $15.00 www.shepardpub.com

"Smart Soapmaking" is a simple, 'user friendly', step-by-step, quick, safe and reliable instructional guide to making handmade soap the traditional way. After debunking myths about soap and soapmaking, Anne Watson goes on to explain just what soap is and what it consists of, the equipment needed to make it at home, and a methodical process for making soap from preparation to clean-up. Of special note are the variations on basic soap recipes that include two 'all-veggie grocery store soap recipes; a grocery store shortening soap; a non-veggie grocer store soap; an olive palm soap; Aaron's Hazelnut Soap; an almond facial soap, and Anne's Longer-Lasting Soap. "Smart Soapmaking" goes on to show how to design a soap, shaping a bar of soap, and packaging soap. Of special note is the section answering frequently asked questions. In addition to a resource list and an index, author and expert soap maker Anne Watson also offers 'A Few Final Thoughts'. An ideal manual that is as fun as it is informative, "Smart Soapmaking" is a must for anyone who would like to try their hand at this traditional craft!

Bead
Elizabeth Bower
Thunder Bay Press
c/o Advantage Publishers Group
5880 Oberlin Drive, San Diego, CA 92121
1592236901, $12.95 www.thunderbaybooks.com 1-800-788-3123

Beautifully illustrated throughout with photographic images of exquisite beaded jewelry, Elizabeth Bower's "Beads: Handmade Style" offers an impressive compendium of projects, each with their own materials list and step-by-step instructions. "Beads" offers a series of truly 'user friendly' beading projects that include jeweled gift-wrapping, chain necklaces, clip-on earrings, beaded flowers, evening bags, drop cluster earrings, beaded tablecloths, brooches, holiday decorations, belts, shoe jewelry, cuffs, a lantern candle holder, tassels, and a beaded curtain. A marvelous compendium of beading projects, "Bead: Handmade Style" is an enthusiastically recommended addition to any personal or community library Crafts reference collection.

Discover Beading
Lesley Weiss
Kalmbach Publishing Company
21027 Crossroads Circle, Waukesha, WI 53186
0871162393, $19.95 www.kalmbachbooks.com 1-800-533-6644

Drawn from 'Bead & Button' and 'BeadStyle' magazines, "Discover Beading: Stringing, Wirework, Knotting" is an impressive and highly recommended collection of projects using basic, beginner-friendly beading techniques to create stunning bracelets, lovely necklaces, striking earrings, macrame chokers, and more. Ideal for the novice beader, specific attention is directed to detail and an emphasis on using high-quality materials is stressed. "Discover Beading" is especially and specifically recommended for the novice craft maker wanting clear, illustrated, step-by-step instructions which will ultimate serve to prepare them to take on ever more elaborate beading-based jewelry making projects. Also very highly recommended for crafts enthusiasts is Kalmbach's "Polymer Pizzazz: 27 Great Polymer Clay Jewelry Projects" (0871162369, $19.95)


The American History Shelf

Seven Superstorms of the Northeast
James Lincoln Turner
Down the Shore Publishing
Box 3100, Harvey Cedars, New Jersey, 08008
0945582951 $32.00

Teacher and weather writer James Lincoln Turner presents Seven Superstorms of the Northeast And Other Blizzards, Hurricanes & Tempests, an in-depth survey of some of America's most severe and dramatic superstorms during the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. From The Blizzard of 1888 to The Great Appalachian Storm of 1950, each of the seven superstorms profiled (plus two massive hurricanes in August 1893) are described in both meteorological and human terms. Vintage black-and-white photographs throughout Seven Superstorms of the Northeast add an extra immersive touch to this captivating true chronicle of the beauty, majesty, and ruthless appetite for destruction of nature's strongest storms, accessible to lay readers and weather science experts alike.

Broken Trust
Samuel P. King & Randall W. Roth
University of Hawaii Press
2840 Kolowalu Street, Honolulu, HI 96822
www.uhpress.hawaii.edu 1-888-847-7377
082483044X $26.00 www.brokentrustbook.com

Written by district court judge Samuel P. King and law teacher Randall W. Roth, Broken Trust: Greed, Mismanagement & Political Manipulation at America's Largest Charitable Trust is the true story of greed, corruption, and mismanagement that plagued the "nation's wealthiest charity" according to the Wall Street Journal circa 1995 - the Bishop Estate, legacy of Hawaiian Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, who created the trust to maintain the educational institution of Kamehamea Schools and therefore benefit the children of Hawaii. In August 1997, four respected leaders of the native Hawaiian community and a professor of trust law publically accused the Bishop Estate's trustees with gross incompetence and severe trust abuse, to the point of being criminal, in a statement titled "Broken Trust". Now Broken Trust: Greed, Mismanagement & Political Manipulation gathers never-before-public information concerning the entire sordid matter, especially highlighting how corruption flourished in the legislature, courts, and legal profession, and how the media and the native Hawaiian community neglected to take a stand against it - virtually the opposite; the community would often be coaxed into protesting attempts to reform the trust or limit the power of the trustees. Broken Trust is not only a case study, but also offers larger lessons about the dangers of unchecked power and civil responsibility, and is very highly recommended reading for American and Hawaiian history shelves in public, college, and private libraries alike.

A Chicago Tavern
Rick Kogan
Lake Claremont Press
PO Box 25291, Chicago IL 60625
1893121496 $10.00 www.lakeclaremont.com

WGN radio personality and Chicago Tribune columnist Rick Kogan presents A Chicago Tavern: A Goat, A Curse, and the American Dream, the true story of a baby goat who fell off a truck in 1934, hobbled into a tavern owned by Greek immigrant William Sianis, and became a Chicago icon. Known as The Billy Goat Inn, Sianis' tavern gained a lasting reputation as the leisure pub of choice for newspaper reporters, policemen, politicians, and more. But did Billy put a jinx on the Cubs? After Billy and one of his goats were prohibited from entering Wrigley Field during the 1945 World Series, the Cubs eventually lost to Detroit - and kept on losing. Today the single tavern has become a prosperous chain of seven, including one in Washington, D.C.; A Chicago Tavern acutely on the folklore, daily life, humorous anecdotes, and more revolving around the classy establishment that started the legend. Numerous vintage black-and-white photographs add a you-are-there touch to this history of a beloved Chicago hangout.

Latino Minnesota
Leigh Roethke
Afton Historical Society Press
PO Box 100, Afton, MN 55001
1890434736, $24.00 www.aftonpress.com 1-800-436-8443

The upper-Midwest American state of Minnesota is principally noted for its waves of immigrants from Norway, Sweden, and Germany. What is not so well known are the waves of Spanish speaking immigrants that came north from Mexico, Central and South America to settle in the 'land of a thousand lakes'. Minnesota historian Leigh Roethke has traced Minnesota's vibrant, diverse, and growing Latino communities which, since around 1910, have provided the principal and core labor group for Minnesota's agricultural, food processing, manufacturing, and service industries. Profusely illustrated throughout and highly recommended for personal, academic, and community library American History reference collections and supplemental reading lists, "Latino Minnesota" is the story of individual and collective Latino accomplishments and contributions to Minnesota's increasingly diverse popular and popular culture. Here is the story of Latino settlement, cultural and political injustices, and the strength that arises from community, history, and hard work.

The American Colonization Society
Allan Yarema
The University Press of America
c/o The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
0761833595 $19.95 www.univpress.com 1-800-462-6420

Written by Assistant Professor of History (Abilene Christian University, Abilene, Texas) Allan Yarema, The American Colonization Society is the true story of a major social movement that originated in the 1800's and gained increasing support in the United States. Growing in the 1820's and 30's, waning in the 40's, and regaining strength in the 50's when slavery polarized the nation, the American Colonization Society movement stumbled in its initial goal of colonizing free blacks and its efforts to encourage voluntary and gradual emancipation. A chronicle of the Society's organization, purpose, growth, and the factors that led to its ultimate failure in dealing with the existence of slavery in a would-be democracy, The American Colonization Society is a scholarly, well-researched, and welcome addition to American History and black studies reference shelves.


The Automotive Shelf

Corvette
Jerry Burton
Hugh Lauter Levin Associates
9 Burr Road, Westport, CT 06880
0883631210, $75.00 www.hlla.com

Corvette: America's Sports Car–Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow by Jerry Burton (founding editor of 'Corvette Quarterly' and one of the Corvette's most knowledgeable historians) is a 320-page history of one of the most popular of America's sports cars at home and abroad. Profusely illustrated with 700 images (500 of them in full color), readers will learn of how the corvette was conceived and its 50+ years of evolution and performance. Featured are exclusive interviews with many of the engineers and designers who defied conventional wisdom in creating a unique American automobile in terms of its design, engineering and racing performance. From its groundbreaking technologies to its impact on popular culture, the corvette set the standard for automotive freedom, speed, power, and fun. Jerry Burton's "Corvette" is an impressively detailed and informative reference and a strongly recommended addition to personal, community, and academic library Automotive History collections.

Volkswagen: History To Hobby
Bob Cropsey
Jersey Classic Publishing
75 Locust Avenue, Wallington, NJ 07057
0976526107, $24.99 www.JerseyClassic.com

"Volkswagen: History To Hobby" by Volkswagen enthusiast and expert Bob Cropsey is a celebration of the history of the little German car that was to signal the invasion of small, fuel efficient, economical automobiles who were to profoundly influence the automotive choices of a major section of the American public from the day they were first introduced down to the present. Nicely illustrated with black-and-white photos, along with the occasional VW cartoon, "Volkswagen: History To Hobby" includes 550 historical VW dates; some 402 VW magazine ads; 50 VW television commercials; 65 fun hobby facts about the VW; 40 movies starring VWs; 100 'Herbie The Love Bug' movie and book facts; 470 VW owner personalized license plates; year to year changes of the VW Beetle since 1945; the great VW buses beginning in 1949; and so very many more 'infobits' about these wonderfully distinctive cars and the company that made them. If you ever owned a VW, then you will definitely want to read Bob Cropsey's "Volkswagen: History To Hobby"!


The Education Shelf

Not Just Test Scores
Bob Paton
Outreach Publications
1219 - 77th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11228
0975522906 $19.95 www.notjusttestscores.com

One of the political techniques employed by Republican neo-cons these past six years has been to make up positive sounding names for some of their most blatantly special interest serving, insidiously community denigrating, personal freedoms restricting, "bait-and-switch" legislation. A perfect example of this is the so-called 'No Child Left Behind' federal education initiative that was allegedly intended to raise the general level of academic competence of all school children, but has instead wrecked havoc on public America's school systems – most especially, the funds strapped inner city schools and rural school districts across the country. Bob Paton is an experienced and dedicated teacher who has ripped back the layers of political chicanery to reveal the often tragic consequences that have resulted from the ham-fisted federal policies imposed upon the states, who in turn, impose them on the school districts, who in their turn impose them upon the classroom teachers who, in order to meet scholastic improvement quotas and deadlines, 'teach the test' instead of getting at the root causes of scholastic underachievement. To put it simply, "Not Just Test Scores: Safeguarding Our Children From Failure" should be 'must reading' for every concerned parent, teacher, administrator, and politician in this country. Not just for its accuracy in portraying what's gone wrong with the 'No Child Left Behind' generated policies and practices, but for it's sage advice and recommendations of how to solve the problems plaguing our failed and failing public school systems around the country.

Atwood Publishing
PO Box 3185, Madison, WI 53704-0185
1-888-242-7101 www.atwoodpublishing.com

To enhance the chances of ultimate success, parents and their young adult children must collaborate, coordinate, and work together to help the student plan and pursue their college and university goals in preparation for there eventual careers. Atwood Publishing has now provided parents and students with two invaluable guides toward these mutual aspirations: The College To Career Road Map: A Four-Year Guide To Finding Your Path, Student Edition" (978-1-891859-66-3 $17.95) and "The College To Career Road Map: A Four-Yar Guide To Coaching Your Student, Parent Edition". The team of Teres Corey Blanck, Peter Vogt, and Judith Anderson collaborate to help parents and students to make the most of each level of a four-year collegiate experience in higher education: Freshman (a time of exploration); Sophomore (including both academic and experiential activities); Junior (with an emphasis on accessible experiences); Senior (with a special focus on graduation and post-collegiate employment). A special feature of the student edition are all the opportunities to record thoughts, experiences and plans during the four year experience of a college or university education. A truly matched pair of instructional guides, both of these outstanding and informative resources are recommended for maximum coordination between a parent and their student to help insure ultimate success both academically, socially, and in terms of establishing a satisfying post-collegiate career.

Workplace Learning
Robert W. Rowden, Ph.D.
Krieger Publishing Company
PO Box 9542, Melbourne, FL 32902-9542
1575242680 $26.50 www.krieger-publishing.com 1-800-724-0025

Author Robert W. Rowden, Ph.D., applies his numerous credentials, including his service to Mercer University-Atlanta as an Associate Professor of Human Resources/Management, in Workplace Learning: Principles and Practice, an in-depth exploration of learning in the workplace written especially for HRD practitioners and adult educators in the dynamic modern world. Designed to help trainers and adult educators of all experience levels develop workplaces that foster learning, Workplace Learning covers environmental factors, individual and group dimensions of workplace learning, how to move from training to workplace learning, the future of workplace learning, and more. A point-by-point analysis that combines theory with gathered data and years of practical experience, Workplace Learning is a useful resource especially for trainers and adult educators in fields such as computer science and cutting-edge medicine, that are constantly being reinvented and transformed by the latest modern discoveries.

Teaching Adolescent Writers
Kelly Gallagher
Stenhouse Publishers
477 Congress Street, Suite 4B, Portland, ME 04101-3451
1571104224, $20.00 www.stenhouse.com 1-800-988-9812

In "Teaching Adolescent Writers", author and academician Kelly Gallagher draws upon his many years of expertise as a full-time English teacher at Magnolia High School in Anaheim, California, to show novice classroom instructors how to teach their students to write effectively. Gallagher offers classroom tested strategies for helping teachers to understand the importance of teaching writing, motivate their students to develop and improve their writing skills, model effective writing using the teacher's own compositions and real-world texts, provide alternatives and choice within the framework of a rigorous curriculum, help their students recognize the importance of purpose and audience with respect to their writing efforts, and how to assess essays in ways that produce better writing performance. Infused with humor and enhanced with illustrative anecdotes, "Teaching Adolescent Writers" is an ideal addition to college and university curriculums for aspiring English teachers.

Assessing Organizational Performance in Higher Education
Barbara A. Miller, Ph.D.
John Wiley & Sons Inc.
111 River Street, 4th floor, Hoboken, NJ 07030
0787986402 $40.00 www.josseybass.com

Written by college and university organizational development consultant Barbara A. Miller, Assessing Organizational Performance in Higher Education is a guide especially for leaders in higher education, offering a tested and proven model for integrating and expanding assessment practices that give a genuinely accurate picture of organizational successes, strengths, and weaknesses. Chapters discuss both internal and external elements in organizations as systems, practical assessment methods and terminology, how to define and measure organizational performance, how to create and maintain reliable assessment programs, and more. Black-and-white charts and tables help clarify the points and procedures spelled out in straightforward, readily accessible terms, in this excellent resource for garnering the necessary information to optimize institutional educational performance.

Time To Write
Robert E. Myers
Good Year Books
PO Box 91858, Tucson, AZ 85752-1858
1596470739, $16.95 www.goodyearbooks.com 1-888-511-1530

Designed as a curriculum supplement for grades 5 to 8, "Time To Write" by Robert Myers is comprised of forty-three standards-based lessons for developing children's creative writing skills. Those skill sets include the use of synonyms, alliterations, descriptions, paragraphs, making advertisements, letter to the editor, writing limericks, haikus, cinquain, research reports, non-fiction narratives, essays, anecdotes, character sketches, humorous speech, the short story, and crafting the dramatic incident. These 'kid friendly' exercises will help students ages 10 to 14 to become progressively more involved and expert with their writing efforts. Enhanced with Teacher Notes for each lesson and student warm-up activities, "Time To Write" is especially commended as a resource to help classroom teachers with their lesson plans. Also very highly recommended for elementary school and home schooling curriculum resources are two other outstanding titles from Good year Books: "Write Away!: 140 Writing Prompts For Grades 4-6" (1596470879, $19.95) and "Moe's Cafe: 48 Decidedly Different Creative Writing Prompts" for grades 6 to 12 (1596470887, $14.95).


The Writing/Publishing Shelf

The Writing Game
W. A. Harbinson
BookSurge Publishing
1419644378 $19.99 www.waharbinson.eu.com www.booksurge.com 1-886-308-6235

W. A. Harbinson's "The Writing Game: Recollections Of An Occasional Bestselling Author" isn't simply another instruction manual on how to write better or how to get published. It is instead, a candid autobiographical account of being a professional writer with more than thirty years of experience at making a living in the highly competitive and volatile publishing industry. That experience includes the writing of more than fifty novels, as well as a wealth of short stories, magazine articles, screenplay adaptations, and radio plays. This is a graphic and detailed account of living a life and pursuing a career fraught with the possibilities of artistic and financial failure. Enhanced with superbly articulated accounts of his dealings with editors, other authors, and showbusiness celebrities, "The Writing Game" is as entertaining as it is engaging, and a 'must read' memoir for anyone who contemplates embarking upon a professional writing career for themselves.

Cite It Right
Julia Johns & Sarah Silvia
Source Aid
1284 A Main Street, Osterville, MA 02655
0977195708 $26.99 www.sourceaid.com

Now in an updated second edition, Cite It Right: The Source Aid Guide to Citation, Research, and Avoiding Plagiarism is a guide written especially for students and researchers. Cite It Right spells out exactly how to give credit where credit is due in circles where being "by the book" in one's references and citations is absolutely critical to earning good grades, furthering one's career, creating a professional-quality paper, and avoiding even the slightest possibility of unintentional plagiarism. Chapters briefly refresh the reader about the basics of researching and writing papers, but the four main chapters of Cite It Right are particularly devoted to the express guidelines required by four different professional organizations: the Modern Language Association, the American Psychological Association, Chicago Manual of Style, and Council of Science Editors. Though not sponsored or endorsed by any of these groups, Cite It Right meticulously spells out each group's precise format guidelines, including their individual terminologies, specific examples, and the format expected for different types of citations. A "must-have" for anyone preparing a scholarly work, especially if for one of these big four writing styles.

Wabi Sabi for Writers
Richard R. Powell
Adams Media Corporation
57 Littlefield Street, 2nd floor, Avon, MA 02322
1593375964 $12.95 www.adamsmedia.com 1-800-872-5627

Wabi Sabi for Writers is a philosophical source of inspiration for intermediate to advanced writers. Author Richard Powell, who studied at the Kootenay School of Writing under such acclaimed authors as Margaret Atwood and David McFadden, Wabi Sabi for Writers emphasizes that while perfection is great to strive for, the struggle to create flawless beauty is in essence a false idea in an imperfect universe - absolute "perfection" is impossible, yet imperfection contains within its own sense of timeless beauty. Written in a soothing style of narrative flow, Wabi Sabi for Writers applies ancient Japanese aesthetic to modern practical principles and suggestions, and is filled cover to cover with tips, tricks, and techniques for improving one's writing production rate. From the value of personally experiencing and connecting with nature, to applying the concept of "yugen" in hinting at depths below the surface and engaging the conscious mind to puzzle over the unseen, Wabi Sabi for Writers is an invaluable and inspirational tool for promoting personal fulfillment as well as improved quality in one's writing.

Rewriting
Joseph Harris
Utah State University
7800 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322-7800
0874216427 $19.95 www.usu.edu/uspress

Written by Duke University Writing Program director Joseph Harris, Rewriting: How to Do Things with Texts is a guide written especially for college students and professionals seeking to refine their academic writing technique. Leaning away from the static ideas of thesis, support and structure and toward a more naturally flowing and dynamic writing style, Rewriting challenges the reader to think of writing an adaptive, social activity and shape one's written intellectual opinions and discussions accordingly. Presented strategies for coaxing a more persuasive and intuitive tone into one's logical academic written arguments include forwarding (taking words, images, or ideas from text and putting them to use in new contexts), countering (suggesting different ways of thinking rather than simple nullification of a given ideal), and much more. Recommended for intermediate to advanced academic writers for its solid recommendations to make prose more readable, immersive, thought-provoking and natural-sounding.

Your Guide to Marketing Books in the Christian Marketplace
Sarah Bolme
Crest Publications
PO Box 481022, Charlotte, NC 28269
0972554653 $17.99 www.marketingchristianbooks.com

Written by Sarah Bolme, the co-founder and director of Christian Small Publishers Association, Your Guide to Marketing Books in the Christian Marketplace is a straightforward guide for publishers, self-publishers and authors seeking to promote quality books specifically among Christians. Chapters discuss basic steps such as securing distribution and garnering book reviews, how to connect with Christian retail stores and churches, harnessing the power of the Internet, reaching out to special markets such as the Christian homeschool market, eBooks, and markets for Spanish-language Christian books, and much more. Contact information and URLs for stores and websites enhances this experience-tested, high-quality "how to" guide. An absolute "must-have" for anyone involved in marketing Christian books, though the general tips, tricks, and techniques will prove useful for marketing mainstream books as well.

The Well-Fed Self-Publisher
Peter Bowerman
Fanlove Publishing
3713 Stonewall Circle, Atlanta, GA 30339
0967059860 $19.95

Award-winning author and self-publishing expert Peter Bowerman explains how to do-it-yourself publish and earn a solid living in The Well-Fed Self-Publisher, a how-to guide that especially focuses upon the steps of the process and how to maximize profits. Self-publishing can potentially be much more lucrative than landing a publisher, since publishers all too frequently come with meager royalty rates, a typical 18-24 month wait to publication, the loss of book rights, and minimal or nonexistent help with marketing. The Well-Fed Self-Publisher covers how to develop a "marketing mindset", find reviewers willing to spread book publicity, get in the big bookstore chains, build a cash-generating website, minimize dependence on the unreliable mainstream media, filter through the print-on-demand hype, and much more. A "must-have" for anyone considering self-publishing as a career.


The Judaic Studies Shelf

Masters of the World
Rabbi Yonatan Kolatch
KTAV Publishing House Inc.
930 Newark Avenue, Jersey City, NJ 07306
0881259365 $35.00 www.ktav.com

Written by Rabbi Yonatan Kolatch, Masters of the World: Traditional Jewish Bible Commentary from the First Through Tenth Centuries, Volume 1 is an extensive exploration of traditional Jewish Bible commentary. Devoting each weekly Torah portion to the exclusive commentary of a different individual scholar, Masters of the World allows the reader to become familiar with a wide variety of commentators through presenting a significant portion of each one's work. This first volume presents the work of commentators Chazal, Targumim, Zohar, R. Saadia Gaon, the Spanish linguists and the Ba'alei Masorah in chronological order, with forthcoming volumes to represent others. Extensive notes and an index round out this rigorous and scholarly compendium of Judaic theological discussion, especially recommended for religious, Judaic, and Biblical studies shelves.

Judaism and Justice
Rabbi Sidney Schwarz
Jewish Lights Publishing
PO Box 237, Sunset Farm Offices, RT 4, Woodstock, VT 05091
1580233120 $24.99 www.jewishlights.com

Written by Rabbi Sidney Schwarz, Judaism and Justice: The Jewish Passion to Repair the World asks the questions: Why are Jews so often involved in causes central to justice, equality, human rights, and peace? Are they influenced by religion, history, sociology, or some other factor? Judaism and Justice examines the relationship between Judaism, social justice, and the Jewish identity of American Jews. From core values of the Rabbinic tradition, to the long history of Jewish struggles for civil rights, to the core and sometimes conflicting impulses to both survive (Exodus) and help the world become in accordance with a higher moral standard (Sinai), Judaism and Justice examines history with a keen account of missteps and falterings among Jews as well as their positive contributions to world history. Of especial interest is the chapter concerning Israel, and how the relationship of identification between American Jews and Israel has had to change in recent years, and is almost certainly not done changing. Highly recommended.


The Biography Shelf

Pilgrim Journey
Naomi Long Madgett
Wayne State University Press
4809 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI 48201-1309
0916418979 $35.00 http://wsupress.wayne.edu 1-800-978-7323

Pilgrim Journey is the autobiography of award-winning African-American poet and author Naomi Long Madgett, from her birth at the beginning of the Harlem Renaissance to her adolescence during the 30's and the Great Depression, to her marriage in 1946 and her personal evolution as a poet. She presents her eighty-three years of success, frustration, greatness, hardship, discovery, and family bonds in plain terms prose, taking the reader on an amazing tour through most of the twentieth century. A handful of black-and-white photographs illustrate this unforgettable true story of a singularly strong-willed woman.

A Voice in the Wilderness
Michael Austin, editor
Utah State University Press
78 Old Marin Hill, Logan, UT 84322-7800
0874216346 $19.95 www.usu.edu/usupress 1-800-239-9974

A Voice in the Wilderness: Conversations with Terry Tempest Williams is a selection of interviews with naturalist, author, and activist Terry Williams, as collected by Michael Austin. The discussions cover Williams' love of wildlife, her reflections upon eroticism, art, family, literature, democracy, politics, Mormonism and much more. A mind-expanding and highly contemplative reflection upon the multifaceted dimensions of life, A Voice in the Wilderness draws the reader in with its succinctly worded insights into the foibles and paradoxes of daily life. An index allows for quick reference to key subjects in this one-of-a-kind reflective memoir.

Oozing the Moon
Dennis Roth
Fithian Press
c/o Daniel and Daniel, Publishers
PO Box 2790, McKinleyville, CA 95519
1564744604 $12.95 www.danielpublishing.com

Cultural anthropologist, historian, social scientist, and outdoorsman Dennis Roth presents Oozing the Moon: A Sky and Night Woods Guide to the Galaxy, a memoir of his search for vision and illumination through experiencing the outdoors and the night sky. Roth used unconventional approaches to literally and metaphysically peer into the mysteries of nature: not only did he walk at night and very early morning to experience the quiet and the dark, he hung upside down from trees, squeezed his vision through cracks between leaves and branches, or contemplated the same sight night after night to personally soak in the progression of differences. Written in a day-by-day (or night-by-night) journal entry format, Oozing the Moon describes the rapturous wonder of simply contemplating natural life, the galaxy, and the expanding universe. Part memoir, part philosophical treatise, Oozing the Moon expresses undiluted joy, wonder, and appreciation of the majesty of the natural world.

Scorekeeping
Bob Cowser, Jr.
The University of South Carolina Press
1600 Hampton Street, 5th floor, Colombia, SC 29208
1570036535 $18.95 www.sc.edu/ucpress

Written by Bob Cowser, Jr., whose previous book "Dream Season" was selected as a New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice, Scorekeeping: Essays from Home is a simple memoir of small-town boyhood, as witnessed by the son of English professors among insular and close-knit townies. Leading the reader through Cowser's adolescence in rural Martin, West Tennessee followed by New Orleans and Lincoln, Nebraska, Scorekeeping covers both wonder and tragedy. From the savory taste of a barbeque sandwich, to learning that a friend from past years had been named in a lawsuit over the death of a young woman, to confronting the question of whether he should attend a reunion at his own school, Cowser's trip through memory lane comes alive with emotion, reflection, and plain and simple honesty.

Alessandro and Domenico Scarlatti
Roberto Pagano
Pendragon Press
PO Box 190, Hillsdale, NY 12529
978-1576471081 $36.00 www.pendragonpress.com 1-518-325-6100

Ably translated into English by Frederick Hammond, "Alessandro and Domenico Scarlatti: Two Lives In One" is an inherently fascinating and impressively informative biography of Alessandro Scarlatti, one of the most celebrated and least performed composers of the Baroque, and his son Domenico. Biographer Roberto Pagano examines their lives within the context of seventeenth-century Sicilian culture and in doing so, draws upon new documentation concerning their lives and careers. A masterpiece of original bibliographic scholarship, there is clear distinction between authenticated sources and Pagano's own insightful speculation. "Alessandro and Domenico Scarlatti" is a seminal work and enthusiastically recommended for academic library European Music History and Biography collections.

Dreaming the Mississippi
Katherine Fisher
University of Missouri Press
2910 LeMone Boulevard, Columbia, MO 65201
0826216862 $18.95

Written by National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium consultant Katherine Fisher, Dreaming the Mississippi is part memoir, part cultural reflection, part celebration of the mighty Mississippi. From the author's daily life in a house so close to the Mississippi banks that each spring she must open her basement doors to accept the regular floods, to tongue-in-cheek accounts of river rats and towboat pilots, to tales of desperate sandbagging against unruly flood tides, river hangouts, choice waterfront taverns, and more. A chapter especially devoted to the river's mouth considers not only the natural gulf itself, but the gulf as a metaphor for the gulf between engineers and naturalists, America's haves and its have-nots. A handful of black-and-white photographs, and somber reflections upon the outcome to Hurricane Katrina's wrath round out this reverent reflection upon not only the celebrated Mississippi, but also humankind's inextricable bond to the natural world.

Love Notes and Letters
Marie-Catherine Desjardins (Madame de Villedieu), author
Roxanne Decker Lalande, translator and editor
Fairleigh Dickinson University Press
c/o Associated University Presses
2010 Eastpark Boulevard, Cranbury, NJ 08512
0838640702 $36.00 www.fdu.edu/newspubs/fdupress.html

Written by Marie-Catherine Desjardins and translated by Roxanne Decker Lalande, Love Notes and Letters is the first English translation of two works by 17th-century French writer Marie-Catherine Desjardins, better known as Madame de Villedieu. The first, "Love Notes and Letters", was a collection of her most intimate letters to her lover, Antoine de Villedieu, and the second, "The Letter Case", was an epistolary novel constructed as a set of ten letters from the Marquis de Naumanoir to a nobleman in the provinces, which lightheartedly discuss the romantic misadventures of various Parisian socialites. A lengthy introduction, bibliography, and index supplement these brief yet vibrant writings of classic erotica and mirth.

Something Must Be Done
Peggy Wood
Syracuse University Press
1600 Jamesville Avenue, Syracuse, New York 13244-5160
0815608772 $16.95 www.syracuseuniversitypress.syr.edu

Retired social worker and longtime civil rights activist Peggy Wood presents Something Must Be Done: One Black Woman's Story, a memoir of her life from being born into the pre-World War I American middle class, a group that a small yet significant number of black Americans had joined, to her years of learning at Alabama's Tuskegee Institute and the Atlanta School of Social Work, to thirty years of campaigning for civil rights. Offering a unique insider's view of early and mid-twentieth century middle-class black family life, Something Must Be Done offers a much-needed peek into an oft-overlooked social dimension of Africa-American culture, as well as an inspirational chronicle of working for the noble cause of civil equality.


The Christian Studies Shelf

Home School Heroes
Christopher Klicka
B&H Publishing Group
127 Ninth Avenue, North, Nashville, TN 37234
0805426000 $14.99

Written by Christopher Klicka, a senior counsel of the Home School Legal Defense Association, Home School Heroes: The Struggle & Triumph of Home Schooling in America is the true story of mothers and fathers who braved powerful legal opposition against the practice of homeschooling, particularly in the 1980's and 90's. Klicka presents numerous true stories of his work for the Home School Legal Defense Association in which he intervened to prevent social workers or police from entering homes without a warrant or interviewing young children without a court order, or worse, taking children away from their loving parents. A devout Christian as well as a legal defense counsel, Klicka also speaks of the strength and comfort provided by God and Jesus Christ in the most dire hours of need. Home School Heroes recounts milestones of progress reached for the right to homeschool, offers practical advice concerning what to do if state agencies attempt to interfere with the legal right to homeschool a child, and is strongly recommended for any parents seeking to pass on a religious, homeschooled education in their children.

Pope Benedict XVI
Peter Seewald
Ignatius Press
PO Box 1339, Fort Collins, CO 80522
1586171518 $26.95 www.ignatius.com 1-800-651-1531

Lavishly illustrated with black-and-white and full color photography throughout, Pope Benedict XVI: Servant of the Truth is a breathtakingly beautiful biography of the 265th pope, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger. Images of Ratzinger from early childhood to his ascent through the priesthood to his first year as pontiff fill this descriptive chronicle of his challenges, achievements, and personality. Pope Benedict XVI does not perhaps the ugliest moment of Ratzinger's past - his enlistment as a child into the Hitler Youth - and goes on to cover the risks he took by choosing to cease attending Hitler Youth meetings, and by deserting military service near the end of World War II. Overall though, Pope Benedict XVI is a glowing and positive portrayal of a dedicated, public-spirited religious leader.

The Dominican Tradition
Thomas C. McGonigle, O.P. & Phyllis Zagano, Ph.D.
Liturgical Press
PO Box 7500, Collegeville, MN 56321-7500
0814619118 $14.95 www.litpress.org

Written by Thomas C. McGonigle (director of the Center for Catholic and Dominican Studies) and Phyllis Zagano (teacher for the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Hofstra University), The Dominican Tradition: Spirituality in History is a history of the spiritual contributions and legacy of great preachers of the Dominican tradition, from Saint Dominic (1171-1221) himself to Thomas Aquinas, Bartolome de Las Casas, to modern-day spiritual thinker and seeker Timothy Radcliffe. A total of sixteen individuals are profiled; The Dominican Tradition pays especial note to each one's theological and spiritual writings, insights, beliefs and achievements. Accessible to readers of all backgrounds, The Dominican Tradition provides an excellent introduction to core Dominican spiritual values, and offers unmistakable evidence that the Dominican legacy is as relevant today as it was centuries in the past.

The Egyptian Origin of Christianity
Lisa Ann Bargeman
Blue Dolphin Publishing
PO Box 8, Nevada City, CA 95959-0008
1577331524 $14.95 www.bluedolphinpublishing.com 1-800-643-0765

Literature and World Religion student Lisa Ann Bargeman presents The Egyptian Origin of Christianity, a thoughtful examination of the parallels between the modern-day Roman Catholic Church and ancient Egyptian ceremony. From the recurrence of trinities the Jesus/Osiris and Mary/Isis connections and Akhenaten's early form of monotheism, The Egyptian Origin of Christianity discusses remarkable transcendence of theological and mythological concepts in plain terms, accessible to readers of all backgrounds. Black-and-white photographs, notes, and an index round out this astute presentation.

Can a Catholic Be a Democrat?
David Carlin
Sophia Institute Press
Box 5284, Manchester, NH 03108
1933184191 $14.95 www.sophiainstitute.com 1-800-888-9344

Can a Catholic Be a Democrat? How the Party I Loved Became the Enemy of My Religion is the personal testimony of devout Catholic David Carlin, who became increasingly alienated from the changes in the Democratic party. In the 1960s, Carlin observed wealthy, secular, and ideological Democrats steer the party away from its pro-life and religious constituencies and form connections with NOW, Hollywood, and the abortion lobby. Carlin openly questions the Democratic party's position on human issues of life, sex, faith, morality, and suffering, and explains in depth how he came to the conclusion that the Democratic party and the Catholic Church are irreconcilable. Though the reader may not agree with Carlin's arguments, it greatly behooves open-minded thinkers of all faiths to contemplate them at length, and evaluate what personal values are embraced through voting for a specific candidate, and what it truly means to be a Democrat.

The Mystery of Christian Marriage
Fr. Peter Jeffery, CSSp
Paulist Press
997 MacArthur Boulevard, Mahwah, NJ 07430
0809144190 $18.95 www.paulistpress.com 1-800-218-1903

Moral theologian Fr. Peter Jeffery, whose work included serving on the social and bioethical committees of the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales as well as thirteen years of service in Nigeria, wrote The Mystery of Christian Marriage seeking to answer the question, "What is God's vision of Christian marriage?" In an era when marriage is increasingly secularized, and its theological dimension is neglected in favor of its psychological, sociological, and anthropological dimensions, modern-day evaluation of the institution appears to focus on sexual morality rather than marital theology. The Mystery of Christian Marriage strives to balance that error by exploring the theological concepts of covenant in the context of conjugal love, the mystery of two as one flesh, the ecclesiology of the Christian family, marital sacrament, and much more. Clarifying its citations of scripture with numerous notes, The Mystery of Christian Marriage is a profoundly reflective theological discourse.

Seven Things They Don't Teach You In Seminary
John Killinger
The Crossroad Publishing Company
481 Eighth Avenue, Suite 1550, New York, NY 10001
082452392X $16.95 1-800-395-0690

Theologist, churchman and former seminary professor John Killinger presents Seven Things They Don't Teach You In Seminary, a no-nonsense guide to the practical, real-world truths that every prospective minister should know - truths that are driven home through sometimes bitter experience. Among the important real-world lessons that Seven Things They Don't Teach You In Seminary expounds are "Churches Are Really Institutions, Not Centers of Spirituality", "Every Successful Minister Is Drowning in a Sea of Minutiae", "There Is a Meanness in Some Church Members that Is Simply Incredible", and "The Calling to Be a Minister Transcends All the Problems that Being a Minister Entails". An absolute "must-read" for anyone contemplating any type of church career or service.

Poor Old God, He Always Gets the Blame
Arlene Claire Cartwright
Vantage Press Inc.
419 Park Avenue South, 18th floor, New York, NY 10016
0533152135 $12.50 1-212-736-1767

When things go very badly, it is all too common for God to be blamed - "It's all in God's plan," "God is testing me," "The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away." In Poor Old God, He Always Gets the Blame, author Arlene Claire Cartwright dares to take the role of His defense attorney, and questions whether He really is to blame for everything that goes wrong. Poor Old God, He Always Gets the Blame constructs God's defense through a close scrutiny of the Bible's Old and New Testaments, and shows the reader a new means of looking at the joyful journey that is life. A positive testimony of reinforcing faith through accepting personal responsibility, Poor Old God, He Always Gets the Blame challenges the reader to reexamine how he or she perceives the world, and is highly recommended.

Jesus' Family Values
Deirdre Good
Seabury Books
445 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016
1596270276 $15.00

Written by Professor of New Testament (The General Theological Seminary, New York City) Deirdre Good, Jesus' Family Values is a rigorously scholarly examination of exactly what "family values" and dimensions of the family were in the days of Jesus Christ and the apostles, and precisely what the New Testament has to say - and what it doesn't say - about such matters. Setting scripture in a firm and well-researched historical context, and meticulously noting the nuances of translation as well as which scriptures are considered apocryphal by which churches other factors influencing their interpretation, Jesus' Family Values makes every effort to analytically answer the questions: What were Jesus Christ's family values, and those of his apostles? What does this mean for modern Christians with abiding faith in both God and the importance of family? Of especial note is the keen observation that today's suburban family household divorced from the workplace perhaps resembles Victorian era households more than those of Jesus' time. A desperately needed antidote to proponents of "family values" who quote or misquote snippets of scripture to support specific narrow views, Jesus' Family Values places the highest value of all on truth - and concerning such thorny and controversial topics such as religion, the best way to reach the truth is to offer as much research, evidence, broad-ranging interpretation, and logical means of analysis as reasonably possible and let the reader come to his or her own informed conclusions, precisely as Deirdre Good has done. Highly recommended.

A Life That Says Welcome
Karen Ehman
Revell Books
PO Box 6287,Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
0800731395 $12.99 www.revellbooks.com

Written by Hearts at Home speaker Karen Ehman, A Life That Says Welcome: Simple Ways to Open Your Heart & Home to Others is a practical introduction to the art of hospitality. Ad Ehrman explains, the secret of hospitality isn't primarily about how one's home is decorated or maintained, or what dishes are cooked; it's making one's guests feel welcome, and comes straight from the heart. Material matters are of course discussed as well, including the basics of battling clutter, dustballs and dirt; decorating on a shoestring budget; tips for hospitality on the road; and much more. As a devoted Christian, Ehman also shows how to open not only one's home to guests but also how to open one's life and soul as an avenue for God's love. An excellent selection of tips, tricks, and techniques for receiving guests with warmth and spreading joy.

Acting Up In Church
M. K. Boyle
Meriwether Publishing
PO Box 7710
Colorado Springs, CO 80933-7710
1566081092, $15.95 www.meriwether.com

A compilation of forty-five witty sketches by M. K. Boyle (a member of the Christian Writers Guild, and the Drama Director at her church, as well as the founder of Acts One, a youth drama company), each of which offers a fresh take on basic Christian concepts, "Acting Up In Church" utilizes humor to address important (and sometimes controversial) issues in a non-threatening manner that is as entertaining as it is thought-provoking. These are sketches that feature a contemporary twist ranging from classic Bible stories to marriage retreats. The themes of the individual sketches are readily accessible through three different indexes; Scriptural Index; Theme Index; Scriptural Story Index – which makes it quick and easy to match a sermon topic with a thematically appropriate sketch. Of interest to Christian drama students, "Acting Up In Church" is especially recommended to church school and Sunday School reference and resource collections.

The Work of the Chaplain
Naomi K. Pagnet & Janet R. McCormack
Judson Press
PO Box 851, Valley Forge, PA 19482
0817014993 $12.00 www.judsonpress.com

Written by Naomi K. Pagnet and Janet R. McCormack, both of whom are board certified with the Association of Professional Chaplains, The Work of the Chaplain is a straightforward and specific guide for the multireligious areas in which chaplains minister. Chaplaincy in the military, prisons, health-care professions, the workplace, and much more are all covered, as well as common "minefields" for anyone in the profession, how to prepare oneself for chaplain work, anecdotes of chaplains seeking to aid those in greatest distress, and much more. An absolute "must-have" for anyone interested in becoming a professional chaplain, and a useful resource of practical and tested advice for practitioners in the field.

Philokalia
Allyne Smith, annotator
G. E. H. Palmer, Philip Sherrard, and Bishop Kallistos Ware, translators
SkyLight Illuminations
Sunset Farm Offices, Route 4, PO Box 237, Woodstock, VT 05091
1594731039 $16.99 www.skylightpaths.com

Extensively annotated by Orthodox priest Allyne Smith and skillfully translated by G. E. H. Palmer, Philip Sherrard, and Bishop Kallistos Ware, Philokalia: The Eastern Christian Spiritual Texts, Selections Annotated & Explained is a collection of writings by monks from the fourth to fifteenth centuries, embodying the Eastern Church's interpretation of biblical meaning. Emphasizing mystical and contemplative practices that engage all senses in worship and prayer, Philokalia is wonderfully made fully accessible to professional theologians and lay Christians and spiritualists alike. Each two-page spread contains a passage on the right, and annotations on the left, the better to simplify reference and understanding. An invaluable addition to spirituality and Christian literature shelves, whether as part of a church or home library.

Creation to Revelation
James O. Chatham
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
255 Jefferson Avenue S.E., Grand Rapids, MI 49503
0802863221 $14.00 www.eerdmans.com

Pastor emeritus James O. Chatham presents Creation to Revelation: A Brief Account oh the Biblical Story, a condensed guide to biblical scripture from Genesis to Revelation. Spelling out the narrative of the Bible in layman's language across twenty-six short segments, Creation to Revelation is meant not to replace the Bible, but to entice the reader to read the Bible with a fuller understanding of what is happening, and improve his or her comprehension of it for the sake of biblical studies and personal understanding of its message. Sample questions for deliberation at the close of each chapter round out this excellent abbreviated survey of the story that scripture has to tell us.

Raising Children in Blended Families
Maxine Marsolini
Kregel Publications
PO Box 2607, grand Rapids, MI 49501-2607
082543355X $11.99 www.kregel.com

Written by American Association of Christian Counselors member Maxine Marsolini, Raising Children in Blended Families: Helpful Insights, Expert Opinions, and True Stories is a guide especially for Christian parents facing the unique challenges of a blended family and being a stepparent. Presenting testimony both from children affected by divorce or remarriage, and from experts on how best to help children deal with grief or anger, and how to make the adjustments to a new way of living. Raising Children in Blended Families also upholds the role of faith in God and Jesus Christ as a key to finding faith, stability, and nourishment of the soul. An excellent resource that blends equal measures of piety, practicality, testimony and psychology.

Evil and the Justice of God
N. T. Wright
IVP Books
c/o DeChant Hughes & Associates
1440 N. Kingsbury, Chicago, IL 60622
0830833986 $18.00 www.dechathughes.com

Bishop and theologian N. T. Wright presents Evil and the Justice of God, a faith-minded look at the all too real problem of evil in the modern world - child abuse, ethnic cleansing, torture, terrorism, and more. How can the existence God be reconciled with the unarguable presence of such suffering? Is a world in which humanity is delivered from evil possible? Wright puts forth the reasoned philosophy and theology that the problem of evil will only be solved by God's creation of a new world, with new heavens and new earth, and redeemed, renewed human beings ruling over it. Stressing that the continued presence of evil in today's world cannot prevent God's creation of a world free from evil due to the power of forgiveness, intrinsically linked to Jesus Christ's resurrection, Evil and the Justice of God lives up to its title with its measured reasoning supporting Wright's interpretation. Wright also acknowledges the importance of human choices in either becoming part of God's new world, or excluding oneself from it. A thoughtful, serious-minded and deep philosophical on an ancient and perplexing moral quandary.

Psalms Through the Year
Marshall D. Johnson
Augsburg Fortress Publishers
4001 Gantz Road, Suite E, Grove City, OH 43123-1891
0806653329 $14.99 www.augsburgbooks.com 1-800-328-4648

Biblical scholar and pastor Marshall D. Johnson presents Psalms Through the Year: Spiritual Exercises for Every Day, a daily devotional that presents Psalm 1 through Psalm 150 in sequence, distributed among days of the year. Psalms Through the Year is applicable to any calendar year, and each psalm's one-page entry comes with thoughtful contemplation concerning the theological messages, spiritual life lessons, and means to open one's heart to God that are intrinsic to the psalms. A selection of notes and recommendations for further reading round out this excellent resource for reminding oneself daily to honor God.

Living A Radical Peace
Claire Krulikowski
PublishAmerica
PO Box 151, Frederick, MD 21705-0151
1424122791 $19.95 www.publishamerica.com www.clairekrulikowski.com

Living A Radical Peace: Creating Life Anew is a spiritual call to learning how to live one's life in true peace. Addressing how people actually fear peace in the modern world, due to inaccurate portrayals that equate peace with passivity and other factors, Living A Radical Peace calls the reader to follow the example of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, who took active peace into the streets daily. Connecting links between the soul's need, the most radical of biblical teachings, quantum physics, indigenous wisdom, and human destiny, Living A Radical Peace charts the course to reexamine Christian thought and experience life anew, through the drive to serve others and in so doing serve God. Highly recommended.


The Library Science Shelf

Developing Strategic Marketing Plans That Really Work
Terry Kendrick
Neal Schuman Publishers Inc.
100 William Street, Suite 2004, New York, NY 10038-4512
185604548X $89.95 www.neal-schuman.com

Written by former library worker and current strategic marketing planning consultant Terry Kendrick, Developing Strategic Marketing Plans That Really Work: A Toolkit for Public Libraries is a practical, hands-on integrated guide to librarians to getting libraries back in the focus of the public eye with a more effective method than distributing a handful of leaflets. Chapters discuss how to make sense of the market for public library services, how to make sound priority choices using a basic SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis, attention-seizing marketing communications, and much more. Black-and-white charts, diagrams, and a handful of reproducible figures useful for putting the concepts and plans into practice round out this enthusiastically recommended library marketing guide.


The Psychology Shelf

Strengthening Family Resilience
Froma Walsh, Ph.D.
Guilford Publications, Inc.
72 Spring Street, New York, NY 10012
1593851863 $44.00 www.guilford.com 1-800-365-7006

Now in an updated second edition, Strengthening Family Resilience is a guide for both families and therapists by Froma Walsh, who has received awards for her leadership in the field of family therapy from the Division of Family Psychology of the American Psychological Association, the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, and AFTA. Strengthening Family Resilience especially focuses upon the quality of being able to withstand and rebound from a crisis or persistent challenges, the key difference between families shattered by tragedy and trauma while other families survive and even grow stronger in the wake of adversity. A scholarly text of especial value to professionals and students in the field of counseling and therapy, Strengthening Family Resilience covers the key processes in resilience such as belief systems, organizational patterns, and communication processes, as well as means to facilitate the cultivation of resilience in times of greatest need, forming connections in times of dire conflict, and much more. Highly recommended.

Freud & Tragedy
Heinz Politzer, author; Michael Mitchell, translator
Wilhelm W. Hemecker, editor
Ariadne Press
270 Goins Court, Riverside, CA 92507
1572411465 $24.00 www.ariadnebooks.com

Skillfully rendered into English by award-winning translator Michael Mitchell, and now featuring a new introduction, Freud & Tragedy is a classic examination of the father of psychology, Sigmund Freud. Exploring tragedy as a concept critical to Freud's works and life, Freud & Tragedy covers Freud's interpretation of Sophocles and Shakespeare; his relationship with Jung in the dynamic of father-son conflict; his concept of the "death principle"; and much more. In addition to deconstructing the sources of Freud's views on humanity, Freud & Tragedy also honors Freud as a literary author in his own right. A classic, in-depth intellectual psychoanalysis of the first true psychoanalyzer.

Bereavement in Late Life
Robert O. Hansson, Ph.D. & Margaret S. Stroebe, Ph.D.
American Psychological Association
750 First Street, NE Washington DC 20002
1591474728 $59.95 www.apa.org

Written by Robert O. Hansson, Ph.D. (Professor of Psychology, University of Tulsa, Oklahoma) and Margaret S. Stroebe (Associate Professor of Psychology, Utrecht University, the Netherlands), Bereavement in Late Life: Coping, Adaptation, and Developmental Influences is a serious and scholarly examination of bereavement among older people confronting the loss of loved ones, as well as personal changes in patterns of cognitive and emotional functioning, social integration, loneliness, and financial risk. Bereavement in Late Life offers a critical review of the most recent literature and dominant theories in the field of bereavement psychology, particularly concerning how problematic developmental processes in late life affect the experience and outcome. The conclusions drawn point to the need for a new, more fine-tuned understanding of how the processes of aging and bereavement are interconnected, and can be integrated to provide an improved strategy that takes individual differences into account. Especially recommended for therapists helping elder patients to cope, Bereavement in Late Life is a valuable addition to both college and professional psychology and bereavement therapy reference shelves.

The Structure & Measurement of Intelligence
Hans J. Eysenck
Transaction Books
390 Campus Drive, Somerset, NJ 08873
1412805953 $32.95 www.transactionpub.com

Written by Professor of Psychology (University of London) Hans J. Eysenck, The Structure & Measurement of Intelligence is a scholarly examination of what precisely defines intelligence and how best to quantify it. Originally published in 1979, and now reissued with a new preface by the wife of the late author Sybil B. G. Eyesenck, The Structure & Measurement of Intelligence discusses the controversy as to whether IQ can be trusted to measure intelligence, nature vs. nurture factors determining intelligence ranging from heredity to socio-economic status, sample intellect models and development models, and much more. Charts, graphs, and tables help order the extensive research and data underlying this classic inquisition into psychology's understanding of the human brain and its capacities.


The Fiction Shelf

The Cielo
Paul Salsini
iUniverse, Inc.
2021 Pine Lake Road, #100, Lincoln, NE 68512
0595406971 $19.95 www.iuniverse.com 1-800-288-4677

In the summer of 1944, members of the Italian Resistance fought against German troops in Tuscany. When the SS heard that the Allies were fast approaching the area, they began to commit ghastly atrocities against the citizens of Tuscan villages, killing all those that could not flee from their farms into the hills for safety. In "The Cielo", author and journalism teacher Paul Salsini (a writer, editor and writing coach at the 'Milwaukee Journal', and the son of Italian immigrants) provides a fact-based but fictional account of some of those villages who resisted the Germans while having to overcome their own petty differences, endure deprivation, deal with betrayal, sheltered an escaped POW, and survive a raid by the SS. Not all of them would survive their ordeal. Enthusiastically recommended reading and a welcome addition to any community library fiction collection, "The Cielo" is a superbly crafted, deeply engaging, positively gripping story of courage, endurance, and testament to the Tuscany peasantry who suffered the scourge of war upon the gorgeous landscape and peaceful people of Tuscany.

Subway
C.G. Calabres
Publish America
724 Third Street, Hoquiam, WA 98550
1424145694 $19.95 www.publishamerica.com

Tax consultant and world traveler C.G. Calabres presents Subway, a novel about an ordinary businessman whose midnight stroll on a New York subway platform has life-changing consequences. Mugged and left for dead on the rail bed, he is rescued and slowly nursed back to health by a mysterious bag lady. He discovers a whole new world on the other side of society, one that he prefers to his old life . When elements of his former existence try to drag him back into daily routine he despised, friends both old and new are his only chance of escape. An insightful tale of discovering and reaching for one's dream life, no matter how radical or unorthodox it may appear to others.

WMD Machete
Mark Plimsoll
Lulu Press
860 Aviation Parkway, Suite 300, Morrisville, NC 27560
0976779544 $22.96 www.lulu.com

WMD Machete is a novel written in the style of a memoir. Following an ordinary hitchhiker with two semesters of college Spanish to his name into Guatemala, WMD Machete takes a dark turn when the traveler uncovers a terrible secret that implicates his family in terrible machinations of murder and slavery. The brink of war, and an earthquake that kills 22,000 people rip apart any remaining semblance of an ordinary vacation in this fast-paced, nation-spanning saga offering a fascinating glimpse into changing cultural norms of the near future, in both the US and its steadily growing Latino population, and in South America.

Widow's Weeds
Kimberly Cifone
AuthorHouse
1663 Liberty Drive Suite 200, Bloomington, IN 47403
1420884506 $14.49 www.authorhouse.com 1-800-839-8640

Winner of the Writer's Digest International Self-Published Book Awards, Widow's Weeds is the dark, haunting story of a famous eccentric woman, whose sudden death spawns a preponderance of chaos as every skeleton in her closet becomes exposed in the unyielding light of day. In the wake of her passing, one man dies, another goes mad, and a third encounters an unimaginable fate. Penned in a strongly visual style by speechwriter and radio journalist Kimberly Cifone, Widow's Weeds captivates the reader's attention with its domino-like unfolding of tragic consequences. Highly recommended.

Issi's and Other Tales
Anthony Waugh
Llumina Press
PO Box 772246, Coral Springs, FL 33077-2246
1595264051 $29.95 www.llumina.com

Issi's and Other Tales is an anthology of colorful tales by author and business expert Anthony Waugh. Twelve stories ranging in setting from first-century Judea to Ireland of the sixties to modern-day Indianapolis and the inner mind of a man gradually losing his sanity, covering human love, murder, and intrigue, as well as wit and wisdom. Tantalizingly written, each story sparking curiosity to delve deeper into its tangled mystery, Issi's and Other Tales is a treat to be savored, one mysterious story at a time or all at once.

Longinus
Steven Maines
iUniverse
10425 Woodbine Street, Suite 11, Los Angeles, CA 90034
0595396178 $16.95 www.stevenmaines.com

Film and television industry veteran Steven Maines presents Longinus: Book I of the Merlin Factor, a novel about the Roman Centurion Longinus who stabbed Jesus Christ as He hung from the cross, inadvertently enshrouding himself and his spear in Biblical legend. Longinus: Book I of the Merlin Factor follows Longinus as he flees Rome, barely escaping the priests who seek to claim the power of the Lance of Longinus for themselves; his love for the prostitute Irena; his mystic studies with the Druids of Gaul; and most fascinating of all, his spiritual awakening through his Druidic studies and the voice of Jesus Christ that he hears from the spear. Told in first person from Longinus' point of view, Longinus: Book I of the Merlin Factor is an unforgettable glimpse of what life and spiritual discovery in the time of Christ could have been like, and nearly impossible to put down.

All Men Are Brothers
Shi Napan & Luo Guanzhong
Pearl S. Buck, translator
Moyer Bell
459 Old North Road, Kingston, RI 02881
1559213035, $19.95 www.moyerbellbooks.com 1-888-789-1945

Originally published as two 700-page volumes, Pearl S. Buck's translation of Shi Napan (1290-1365) and Luo Guanzhong's (1330-1400) Chinese martial arts novel "All Men Are Brothers" is now available in a new single volume edition from Moyer Bell. This 600 year-old epic tale of a band of patriots in the latter part of the Sung Dynasty is the story of a band of 108 outlaws 9105 men and 3 women) who struggle to help the Emperor rid himself of a despotic prime minister. Also involved in this work of classical Chinese fiction are ghosts, innkeepers who augment their groceries with the bodies of their guests, giants with superhuman strength, lovely ladies in distress, wily intellectuals, crafty merchants, and more! A sage replete with sorcery, action, beats, demons, and heroes, "All Men Are Brothers" is a terrific read from beginning to end and a very highly recommended addition to academic and community library collections!

Southern Cross
LaVetia Poole
American Literary Press
8019 Belair Road, Suite 10, Baltimore, MD 21236
156167740X $12.95 www.americanliterarypress.com 1-800-873-2003

"Southern Cross" is a delightfully entertaining contemporary romance by LaVetia Poole, a gifted writer who deftly blends urban sophistication with a touch of Southern charm. The story is about Aquila Sutton, a dedicated career woman with no time for the distractions of romance – until the day a chance encounter turns her life upside down. Very highly recommended reading and an excellent addition to community library fiction collections, "Southern Cross" is enhanced with a roster of memorable characters who add substance to what is a raging contemporary romance that leads down a problematic road to an emotionally satisfying resolution.


The Money/Finance Shelf

Health Care on Less Than You Think
Fred Brock
Times Books
c/o Henry Holt and Company LLC
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
0805079807 $15.00 www.henryholt.com

Written by New York Times contributor Fred Brock, Health Care on Less Than You Think: The New York Times Guide to Getting Affordable Coverage is a one-stop guide to reducing health-care costs while remaining as covered as possible. Chapters cover basic steps anyone can take to improve their health and therefore protect their budget, how to decipher the fine print of one's insurance policy, the increasing modern trend of shifting risk and health insurance payments from the corporation to the individual (without a corresponding increase in individual real wages!), guidelines for effectively weighing the pros and cons of all the different available options, and much more. An absolute "must-have" especially for anyone anticipating retirement, and a valuable money-saving resource for everyone else.


The Nautical Shelf

The Last Schoonerman
Joe Russell
Nautical Publishing Company
1227 South Florida Avenue, Rockledge, FL 32955
0978935004 $24.95 www.nauticalpublishing.com

Author Joe Russell spent over two years working with and gathering stories from Captain Lou Kennedy's family prior to penning The Last Schoonerman: The Remarkable Life of Captain Lou Kennedy, a biography that reads like an exciting nautical adventure. The ten vessels that Kennedy owned and skippered highlighted his remarkable life; chapters tell how Kennedy dared to leave college in 1918 to live on his own terms, used sail-only "tern" schooners to deliver freight up and down the eastern seaboard from the Nova Scotia to the Caribbean until nearly the 1950s, and continued to pursue his passion for sailing schooners until his passing in 1991. An enthralling story about a schoonerman who spurned excessive changes in modern boats and defiantly remained passionate about the type of vessel he loved, until he was almost literally the last of his breed. An enjoyable read for armchair travelers and nautical enthusiasts alike.


The Library DVD Shelf

A Prairie Home Collection
Garrison Keillor
Highbridge Audio Books
201 Sixth Street SE, Suite 220, Minneapolis, MN 55414
1598870637 $34.95 www.highbridgeaudio.com 1-800-755-8532

The Prairie Home Companion is one of National Public Radio's most popular and entertaining weekly programs. Now some of the truly great moments from the show are brought together in "A Prairie Home Collection", a three volume DVD set that highlights the best of special guests and Garrison Keillor as they make music, tell jokes, and, of course, relate the latest news from the characters that inhabit Lake Wobegon. Showcased guests include Emmylou Harris, Vince Gill, Leo Kottke, Doc Watson, Bobby McFerrin, The Everly Brothers, Taj Mahal, Robin and Linda Williams. Simply stated, "A Prairie Home Collection" is a "must" for Garrison Keillor's legions of fans, especially those who appreciate a legendary Midwest community where the "all the children are above average"! Total Time: 3 hours

Vision Video
PO Box 540, Worcester, PA 19490-0540
www.visionvideo.com 1-800-523-0226

Vision Video is the premier producer of Christian videos. Two of their newest DVD titles are particularly impressive and very highly recommended for the non-specialist general viewer. "Behold the Man" (#501055D, $19.99) is narrated by British theologian Michael Green who is joined by Israel-based American scholar Steven Notley and author Jacob van Bruggen to presents a 43 minute, full color documentary on the history, literature, and archeology relevant to the life and claims of Jesus Christ and specifically addresses the fundamental questions as to the existence of Jesus in the opening decades of the first century, was Jesus more than merely human, and the resurrection of Jesus an actual event. "Overlord: A Might Host" (#501057D, $19.99) is a 58 minute, full color documentary focused on the events of June 6, 1944 during the greatest military operation in the history of recorded human warfare. This was the landing of more than 150,000 Allied troops on the beaches of northern France against the fierce opposition of the German military. Before the battle of Normandy was over in late August, these allied troops would have experienced heavy casualties as the Germans were experiencing the beginning of the end of their wars of conquest. The story is presented from the viewpoint of the soldiers, sailors and paratroopers who were involved in the invasion and the lives of these men who survived that extraordinarily lethal conflict undertaking against a foe that would be infamous for their determined and premeditated mass slaughter of Jews, Christians, Gays, Gypsies, and political opponents. Both of these outstanding documentaries are flawlessly produced, informed and informative, thoughtful and thought-provoking, and important additions to personal and community library DVD collections.


The Gardening Shelf

Gardens In Time
Alain Le Toquin & Jacques Bosser
Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
115 West 18th Street, New York, NY 10011
0810930927 $60.00 www.abramsbooks.com 1-800-759-0190

Alain Le Toquin is one of the foremost nature photographers of France. Jacques Bosser is a writer and translator of more than forty books on architecture, design, and photography. Together, Toquin and Bosser have collaborated in their highly recommended coffee table book, "Gardens In Time", to provide a showcase compendium of almost 130 gardens drawn from twenty different countries in a photo documentary that is nothing short of extraordinary. Ranging from the Roman gardens at Hadrian's villa, to the late 16th century gardens of Castello Ruspoli in Italy, to the 17th century topiary gardens of Levens Hall in Kendal, Great Britain, to the 19th century gardens of Claude Monet at Giverny, to the work of such contemporary landscape gardeners as Fernando Caruncho, the Wirtzes, and Robert Irwin, "Gardens In Time" takes the reader on a brilliant and visually impressive tour. Whether it's a rooftop garden in Paris, or a Japanese garden in Kyoto, or the Tacaruna garden in Petropolis, Brazil, "Gardens In Time" is a dream tour that will provide inspiration for both amateur home gardeners and professional landscapers alike!


The Martial Arts Shelf

Combat Fitness For The Elite Female Martial Artist
Martina Sprague
Wish Publishing
PO Box 10337, Terre haute, IN 47801
1930546815 $20.00 www.wishpublishing.com

Martial arts training for women must take into consideration their physiological differences from men including being an average of 20% smaller than men, have less upper body strength, and often must overcome social conditioning afforded women that can have an inhibiting influence on their engaging in physical combat. A welcome addition to any personal, professional, or dojo Martial Arts reference collection, "Combat Fitness For The Elite Female Martial Artist" focuses specifically on the martial arts training needs of women needing to deal with real life situations requiring them to protect themselves and their loved ones from physical attack. Martial art expert Marrina Sprague draws upon her many years of experience and expertise (having achieved Black Belt status in Kenpo karate, kickboxing, and street freestyle fighting) to take women through a rigorous and effective step-by-step instruction process to develop their physical strength and stamina, hit hard and grip strong, acquire a winning attitude, press their attack against an opponent or adversary, and control counterattacks. Of special note are the chapters devoted to diverse kinds of failure, pain, gross vs. fine motor skills, 'fight or flight', finishing a fight, and exit strategies. Women wanting to train themselves to be able to defend themselves in all manner of situations and wherever they may arise, should give Martina Sprague's "Combat Fitness For The Elite Female Martial Artist" a careful reading.


The World History Shelf

The Siege Of Vienna
John Stoye
Pegasus Books
45 Wall Street, Suite 1021, New York, NY 10005
1933648147 $24.00 www.pegasusbooks.us

The siege by the Islamic Turks of the Christian city of Vienna in 1683 was a watershed incident in European history. Had the Turks been successful, there well might have been no Christian Europe to dominate the world stage for the next 500 years. Facing that magnitude of threat, European powers that were normally jealous and hostile to one another suppressed their mutual antagonisms to defeat the armies of Islam and their brutal Tartar Allies. The Ottoman empire lost control of half of their European territories which led to the long, slow, decline and inevitable collapse, even as the Hapbsburgs were able to parley the Viennese victory into control of the Balkans and expand their influence into France and the Rhine country. An enthusiastic recommendation for inclusion into both academic and community library World History collections, "The Siege of Vienna: The Last Great Trial Between Cross & Crescent" by John Stoye (Fellow in Modern History, Magdalen College, Oxford, England) is a superbly presented and accurately detailed account of this pivotal incident between the forces of a militant Islam and the armies of a European Christendom.


The Philosophy Shelf

The Implications Of Immanence
Leonard Lawlor
Fordham University Press
2546 Belmont Avenue, University Box L, Bronx, NY 10458-5172
0823226549 $20.00 www.fordham.edu 1-800-247-6553

"The Implications Of Immanence: Toward A New Concept of Life" by Leonard Lawlor (Faudree-Hardin University Professor of Philosophy, University of Memphis) draws from postphenomenological French philosophers such as Merleau-Ponty, Derrida, and Foucault, along with Husserl and Heidegger to expound upon a philosophy of life that is in opposition to the concept of 'bio-power' which reduced humanity to a mere biological existence. "The Implications Of Immanence" begins with the current and on-going genocide in Darfur and goes on to provide conceptual tools for such diverse cultural issues as the AIDS epidemic and care for the terminally ill. Professor Lawlor's writings are insightful, articulate, scholastically rigorous, thoughtful and thought-provoking. Also available in a hardcover edition, "The Implications Of Immanence" is a highly recommended addition to personal and academic library Philosophy Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.


The Pets/Wildlife Shelf

Wildlife Of North America
Whit Bronaugh
University Press of Florida
15 Northwest 15th Street, Gainesville, FL 32611-2079
0813030129 $29.95 www.upf.com 1-800-226-3822

"Wildlife Of North America: A naturalist's Lifelist" by Eugene, Oregon based professional nature photographer and writer Whit Bronaugh is an informatively impressive compendium of all 4,000 species of animals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, freshwater fish, butterflies, dragonflies, and damselflies to be found in the United States and Canada. This 565-page encyclopedic compilation provides each species with its common and scientific name, conservation status, and even ample space for the reader to record the details of their own sightings of that particular creature. Offering a wealth of up to date information on biodiversity, zoogeography, and taxonomy, Bronaugh has even included extinct species that can be seen in museum collections throughout North America. Offering combining the features of a checklist and journal, "Wildlife Of North America" is especially recommended for zoology students, environmentalists, wildlife enthusiasts, and aspiring naturalists.


The Gaming Shelf

Dangerous Weapons: The Sicilian
John Emms & Richard Palliser
Everyman Chess
c/o The Globe Pequot Press
PO Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437
185744423X $23.95 www.globepequot.com 1-800-243-0495

Even in this era of the video game, chess still continues to grow in popularity world wide. This is partly because the complexities of chess seem to constantly expand and develop with each new generation of players. Now Grandmaster John Emms and International Master Richard Palliser have collaborated to focus on the variations of opening moves that are collectively referred to as 'Sicilian' in "Dangerous Weapons: The Sicilian". This 304-page instructive guide and manual offers a huge array of opening moves for both white and black piece players. Showcasing opening Sicilian moves in a new light, this simply outstanding and 'player friendly' contribution the game is enthusiastically recommended for personal, professional, academic, and community library Chess reference collections and supplemental reading lists as being suitable for both the novice and the experienced chess player.


The Self-Help Shelf

Everyday Greatness
Stephen R. Covey, author
David K. Hatch, compiler
Rutledge Hill Press
PO Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000
140160241X $24.99 1-800-251-4000

Written by the author of the bestselling "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People", Everyday Greatness: Inspiration for a Meaningful Life is a guide to mentally transforming one's life through creating one's own dream, focusing on a purpose, and teaming with others as needed to make the vision a reality. Numerous insights, quips, and proverbs from famous people pepper Everyday Greatness, adding extra punch to its points on the virtues of humility, dedication, empathy, adaptability, and more. The core text draws upon the author's lifelong wisdom, alternating between overviews of positive traits to cultivate in oneself and vignettes written by others that lend a palpable dimension to life lessons. A highly recommended repository of insight and drive, that flavors its wisdom with subtle humor. "Originality is unexplored territory. You get there by carrying a canoe - you can't take a taxi." - Alan Alda

Love and Freedom
Philip Ferranti M.Ed.
iUniverse, Inc.
2021 Pine Lake Road, #100, Lincoln, NE 68512
0595394868 $18.95 www.iuniverse.com

Written by Philip Ferranti M.Ed., founder of Transformation Seminars, Love and Freedom: Pathways to Personal Transformation is a self-help guide to achieving freedom from dependency. Chapters describe in plain terms how to empower onself and rise above psychosocial conditioning, the virtue that is independence, interdependence whether in friendships or other relationships as a process of personalization, and much more. Love and freedom offers practical tools for life-assessment and solid, tested strategies for living life day-to-day in the present with out the harangues of an overactive mind, false identities, negative emotions, or inaccurate ideas. A straightforward guide to truly becoming one's own person.


The Social Issues Shelf

When Invisible Children Sing
Dr. Chi Huang with Irwin Tang
Tyndale House Publishers
351 Executive Drive, Carol Stream, IL 60188
1414306164 $19.99 www.tyndale.com 1-800-323-9400

When Invisible Children Sing is the true story of five street of La Paz, Bolivia, by Dr. Chi Huang, a doctor who traveled to work with orphans and children in need for a year. A heart-rending portrait of children abandoned and betrayed by the very institutions meant to protect them, When Invisible Children Sing describes the slow process of rehabilitation, and the shining power of hope. There are 70 million "invisible" street children in the world; When Invisible Children Sing is the story of how help was extended a few, and offers insights into how more can be given aid, one child at a time.

The Market for Virtue
David Vogel
Bookings Institute Press
1775 Massachusetts Avenue, NW., Washington DC 20036
0815790775 $19.95 www.brookings.edu

Written by Professor of Business Ethics (Haas School of Business) David Vogel, The Market for Virtue: The Potential and Limits of Corporate Social Responsibility is a scholarly examination of a politically charged and highly polarized debate concerning what corporate social responsibility can, cannot, and must accomplish in a modern capitalist economy. Chapters explore answers to and differing perspectives on the questions "Is there a business case for virtue?" and "What is the demand for virtue?" as well as examining corporate responsibility with regard to both the environment and human rights. Extensively researched, The Market for Virtue is an invaluable resource offering a serious-minded, in-depth discussion of a complex issue. Enthusiastically recommended especially for college library shelves, and invaluable reading for activists, businessmen, and legal personnel grappling with all dimensions of the interests and responsibilities of corporations.


The Environmental Studies Shelf

The Muskegon
Jeff Alexander
Michigan State University Press
1405 South Harrison Road, Suite 25, East Lansing, MI 48823-5202
0870137867 $24.95 www.msupress.msu.edu

Award-winning environmental journalist Jeff Alexander presents The Muskegon: The Majesty and Tragedy of Michigan's Rarest River, part history, part environmental scrutiny, part wake-up call to the Muskegon River's vital role in both the environment and to local communities that have relied on it for fisheries, tourism, and hydroelectric power. A handful of black-and-white photographic plates illustrate this evenhanded look at all sides of modern environmental issues surrounding the river, from controversies over where and to what extent dams should be built or kept along its length, to pollution runoff problems, to conflicts between those who want to use the river for industry and sports fishermen, and much more. The Muskegon is also a contemplative piece on the river, observing its splendor and glory even as it chronicles man's use and overuse. A highly recommended in-depth case study for environmental studies reading lists and reference shelves.


The Islamic Studies Shelf

Islam & Muslims
Mark Sedgwick
Intercultural Press
100 City Hall Plaza, Suite 501, Boston, MA 02108
1931930163 $24.95 www.interculturalpress.com 1-866-372-2665

Dr. Mark Sedgwick (associate professor of modern Middle East history, American University in Cairo) introduces Western readers to the Islamic world and explores the various different Muslim societies in Islam & Muslims: A Guide to Diverse Experience in a Modern World. Accessible to lay readers of all backgrounds, regardless of personal familiarity with Islam, Islam & Muslims briefly surveys the faith's history but is much more strongly concerned with Muslims in the present day - from world view and worship practices to family practices, daily life, the intersection of Islam and politics including the unfortunate reality of Islamic political violence. An evenhanded, straightforward evaluation, to be commended especially for its close scrutiny of the cultural differences that at first glance make Islamic and Muslim practices alien to Westerners, and Western culture confusing to or misinterpreted by Muslims.

Islam and the Moral Economy
Charles Tripp
Cambridge University Press
32 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10013-2473
0521682444 $27.99 www.cambridge.org 1-800-872-7423

Charles Tripp (Reader in Politics with reference to the Middle East, University of London) applies logistical, journalistic, and scholarly principles of debate and accuracy in Islam and the Moral Economy: The Challenge of Capitalism, a seasoned exploration of how the principles of capitalism have greatly challenged and changed the Muslim world over the past sixty years. Chapters scrutinize economic development among Muslim societies and nations in depth, from Islamic socialism to social critics, and the development and efficiency of advanced economic institutions and banks. Of especial note is a final chapter about incidents of violence in reaction to capitalistic changes. Islam and the Moral Economy is an advanced economic treatise that squarely frames critical issues confronting Islamic society and the world in the twenty-first century - in particular, how to charter capitalism in the future so that acceptance is not read as subordination and active involvement can become part of self-definition.


The Theatre/Cinema/TV Shelf

Gospel of the Living Dead
Kim Paffenroth, Ph.D.
Baylor University Press
One Bear Place, #97363, Waco, TX 76798-7363
DeChant Hughes & Associates (publicity)
1440 North Kingsbury, Chicago, IL 60622
1932792651 $19.99 www.baylorpress.com 1-800-710-3217

Kim Paffenroth (Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Iona College) presents Gospel of the Living Dead: George Romero's Visions of Hell on Earth, a literary exploration of director George A. Romero's hellish zombie horror films such as "Night of the Living Dead" (1968) "Dawn of the Dead" (1978), and "Day of the Dead" (1985), as well as the more recent "Land of the Dead" (2005). Written with scholarly rigor, Gospel of the Living Dead inspects how Romero uses Christian imagery from the Bible and Dante in the macabre examination of the dark sides of human nature - both living and unliving. Romero's zombie films comment upon man's cruelty and inhumanity to man, as well as the degeneration of the social contract into the strong devouring the weak into ruthless individual anarchy. A thoughtful scrutiny of the underlying artistic expressions driving Romero's pop culture horror films.

Adapting Henry James to the Screen
Laurence Raw
The Rowman & Littleman Publishing Group
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
0810857073 $50.00 www.scarecrowpress.com

Written by Laurence Raw, a senior lecturer in the Department of American Culture and Literature at Baskent University, Turkey, Adapting Henry James to the Screen is an exploration of classic novelist Henry James' signature works as conveyed in movies. Suggesting that most James adaptations have worked to refocus attention away from the classical narrative itself to the audience's interaction with that narrative, Adapting Henry James to the Screen covers numerous movies based on James' works, from "Berkeley Square" (1933) to "I'll Never Forget You" (1951), "The Turn of the Screw" (1974, 1989, 1992, 1995, and 1999), "The American" (1998), and many more. An extensive bibliography and index round out this scholarly, in-depth literary and cultural analysis of the tenuous media transition of immortal stories.

Finding Lost: The Unofficial Guide
Nikki Stafford
ECW Press
2120 Queen Street East, Suite 200, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M4E 1E2
1550227432 $17.95 www.ecwpress.com 1-800-888-4741

Finding Lost: The Unofficial Guide is a treasure trove of insights and foreshadowings revealed about the pop culture sensation that is the hit television series "Lost". Covering seasons 1 and 2, and extrapolating mysteries of season 3 therefrom, "Finding Lost" includes an in-depth episode guide, chapters on the real John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau as well as how they compare to fictional ones, biographies of all the major actors on the show, summaries of the show's many literary references, black-and-white photographs of the filming locations in Hawaii including a detailed map for dedicated Lost fans interested in undertaking their own tour in Oahu, and much more. A lucidly written "must-have" guide, and the perfect giftbook for "Lost" series enthusiasts! Also highly recommended are author Nikki Stafford's guides to other popular television shows: "Bite Me! An Unofficial Guide to the World of Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Uncovering Alias: An Unofficial Guide".


The Parenting Shelf

Children with Visual Impairments
M. Cay Holbrook, Ph.D., editor
Woodbine House
6510 Bells Mill Road, Bethesda, MD 20817
1890627402 $18.95 www.woodbinehouse.com 1-800-843-7323

Special education expert M. Cay Holbrook, Ph.D. applies her years of experience educating visually impaired children in the updated second edition of Children with Visual Impairments, a jargon-free resource especially for parents of children who are blind, legally blind, or have low vision. Especially focusing on children from birth through age 7, Children with Visual Impairments covers issues such as treatment options and medical problems, the development of a visually impaired child, how to nurture self-esteem, legal issues, cultivating literacy, helping children learn Braille and becoming familiar with it oneself, dealing with problems of orientation and mobility, and much more. Children with Visual Impairments is enthusiastically recommended not just for parents, but also for anyone in contact with a blind child, and for library and educational reference shelves.


The Political Science Shelf

Democracy and the Constitution
Walter Berns
American Enterprise Institute
1150 - 17th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036
0844742392 $20.00 www.aei.org

Democracy and the Constitution is a compilation of essays by scholar and historian Walter Berns (recipient of the 2005 National Humanities Medal) concerning such issues as natural law, civil rights, states' rights, multiculturalism, patriotism, the First Amendment, the role of academic and religious institutions, and especially, a solid defense of the strengths of the American Constitution as a governing and socially binding document. Berns particularly notes that lawyers and judges are crucial in shaping the living constitution, as any serious question of constitutional law is sure to be presented to the court system in due time. Examining the lessons of history as well as contemporary legal and governmental theory, Democracy and the Constitution is a vibrant contribution to political science shelves and especially recommended for college library collections.

Going Dirty
David Mark
Rowman & Littlefield
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200 Lanham, MD 20706
0742545008 $24.95 www.amazon.com

Written by David Mark (editor-in-chief of Campaigns & Elections magazine), Going Dirty: The Art of Negative Campaigning is a no-nonsense history of negative campaigning in American politics, with especial attention paid to case studies of notable races during the modern era of television. In particular, Going Dirty notes campaign negativity has increased sharply since September 11, 2001, with commercials routinely suggesting that political opponents are irresolute in pursuing the war on terror. Going Dirty explores incidents when negative campaigning has backfired, most often due to non-credible charges or the attackers failure to correctly gauge the sentiments of the electorate, and incidents when negative campaigning has been remarkably successful, which are common enough to explain its persistence as an electoral tactic. Accessible to lay readers and political scientists alike, Going Dirty is a nonjudgmental, thorough, insider's history of an undeniably strong aspect of the American political institution, and highly recommended.


The Religion/Spirituality Shelf

The Instruction Manual for Receiving God
Jason Shulman
Sounds True
PO Box 8010, Boulder, CO 80306-9886
1591795192 $22.95 www.soundstrue.com 1-800-333-9185

Spiritual awakening teacher Jason Shulman presents The Instruction Manual for Receiving God, a spiritual self-help guide that focuses upon making oneself available to receive the presence of God, rather than seeking God. Drawing upon the Kabbalist and Buddhist Dharma traditions embraced by Shulman, The Instruction Manual for Receiving God consists of 108 "seed passages", each a brief insight into divine mysteries of life, death, and wonder. The Instruction Manual for Receiving God is not meant to be read as a blueprint or lecture book; instead, each of the seed passages is meant to be pondered at length, perhaps absorbed individually over the course of days or weeks, in order to motivate contemplation of the divine and help open up one's heart and spirit. An inspirational and insightful tool. "Ecstasy is not something separate from fear. Ecstasy is something that includes fear in the price of being human."

Birds Divine Messengers
Andrea Wansbury
Findhorn Press
c/o Independent Publishers Group
814 North Franklin Street, Chicago, IL 60610
1844090744 $16.95 www.ipgbook.com 1-800-888-4741

Physiotherapist and counselor Andrea Wansbury passes on the spiritual lessons that can be learned from our avian friends in Birds Divine Messengers, a reminder that connection to the divine lies within all of us, and the creations of nature. Chapters discuss birds as spiritual communicators, birds in mythology, folklore and superstition, how birds have helped humanity over the millennia, the functional beauty and simplicity of feathers and eggs, and much more. An appendix of symbolic and folklore connotations attached to different species of birds, as well as notes and a quick reference guide to the type of inspirational message is commonly connected to different bird sightings, round out this deeply reverent and respectful guide.

Sky Above, Earth Below
John P. Milton
Sentient Publications
1113 Spruce Street, Boulder, CO 80302
1591810280 $15.95 www.sentientpublications.com

Written by meditation teacher and workshop leader John P. Hamilton, Sky Above, Earth Below: Spiritual Practice in Nature is a simple guide to healing one's physical and spiritual body and creating a new relationship with oneself through meditation and connecting with nature's healing energy. Chapters walk the reader through how to experience the joys of meditation, a 10-minute practice designed to restore internal balance, means by which to cut through mental clutter to clarity and spaciousness, and much more. Written out of boundless reverence for the Earth and life itself, Sky Above, Earth Below transfers the wisdom of Taoism into simple terms accessible to all readers regardless of personal background.

How Should We Talk About Religion?
James Boyd White, editor
University of Notre Dame Press
310 Flanner Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46556
0268044074 $40.00 www.undpress.nd.edu 1-800-621-2736

How Should We Talk about Religion? is an anthology of essays by fourteen esteemed scholars concerning the fundamental question: how should we talk about religion, whether regarding our own religion or the faiths of others? Taking its genesis from a year 2000 seminar that examined that very question, How Should We Talk about Religion is written in the languages of a variety of academic disciplines, the essays explore the Christian experience in Spanish America, the intersection between religion and philosophy, the definition of "fundamentalism" in religious discourse, monotheism versus pluralism, a look at the meaning of geometry in Islamic art, and much more. A welcome contribution to religious studies reference shelves, due to its meticulous cross-examination of how to properly frame debates of the most profound magnitude.

Forbidden Religion
Douglas Kenyon, editor
Bear & Company
c/o Inner Traditions
One Oak Street, Rochester, VT 05767
1591430674 $18.00 www.bearandcompany.com

Edited by Douglas Kenyon, the editor and publisher of the bimonthly journal "Atlantis Rising", Forbidden Religion: Suppressed Heresies of the West is an expose of hidden religions banned by the orthodox Church, from the time prior to Christ to the turbulent times of the Cathars and the Templars, to the Masons of the New World and much more. From connections between the roots of Western faith and ancient Egyptian religion, to the true identities of the three magi, to the real clandestine organization behind the secrets in the popular novel "The Da Vinci Code", Forbidden Religion covers a mind-expanding plethora of little-contemplated history affecting modern concepts of faith. Black-and-white photographs and a glorious section of inset color plates illustrate this one-of-a-kind survey of the nether corners of Western religious history.


The Business Shelf

Conscious Business
Fred Kofman
Sounds True Audio
413 South Arthur Avenue, Louisville, CO 80027
1591795176 $24.95 www.soundstrue.com 1-800-333-9185

Written by Fred Kofman (co-founder and president of Axialent consulting company), Conscious Business: How to Build Value Through Values is a straightforward guide to applying conscious awareness to its fullest extent, recognizing the needs of others, and effectively expressing one's own needs order to build responsibility, integrity, leadership, and reputation - all of which are invaluable tools to a business' continued success. Drawing from real-world examples by such famous companies as Microsoft, Yahoo!, and much more, Conscious Business reveals how being mindful of fundamental human virtues and even "spiritual" questions such as "Who am I?" and "What is my real purpose here?" are positive, empowering assets. A clarion call for balancing fiscal obligations with ethical and moral responsibilities for increased success in all dimensions of business life.

Branded Customer Service
Janelle Barlow & Paul Stewart
Berrett-Koehler Publishers
235 Montgomery Street, Suite 650, San Francisco, CA 94104-2916
1576754049 $19.95 www.brandedservice.com

Written by chief executives Janelle Barlow and Paul Stewart, Branded Customer Service: The New Competitive Edge is a no-nonsense guide filled with strategies, exercises, and real-world examples to teach the reader how to harness the power of branded customer service. Unbranded customer service can potentially harm one's business, even when it is of good quality; branded customer service helps foster repeat business and word-of-mouth referral, among its many other advantages. Chapters discuss how to link the world of branding to one's customer service, how to embed on-brand service into the DNA of one's organization, tips, tricks, and techniques for supporting one's brand from within, and much more. Accessible to readers of all backgrounds, Branded Customer Service is a "must-read" especially for business executives, marketers, and even small business owners with the power and need to foster lasting improvements in this dimension of their chosen enterprise.

The Entrepreneurial Conversation
Edward G. Rogoff, Ph.D. and Michael Corbett with Perry-Lynn Moffitt
Pinnacle Books Inc.
1375 Broadway, Suite 600, New York, NY 10018
0966738373 $14.95 www.thinklistenspeak.com

Authors Edward G. Rogoff and Michael Corbett combine their expertise in The Entrepreneurial Conversation: The Powerful Way to Create Mutually Beneficial, Long-Term Business Relationships, a guide to promoting dialogues that converge toward creative solutions to business problems in a non-adversarial way. Tips, tricks, and techniques from steering conversations away from confrontations that put either or both parties on the defensive, and toward positive consensus-building outcomes range from the simple importance of being a great listener to making time to speak face-to-face to the perils of excessive small talk. Point-by-point recommendations for keeping conversations on track make The Entrepreneurial Conversation an asset to a reader who frequently engages in work- or job-related conversations, whether the reader is personally an entrepreneur or not.


James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Diane C. Donovan, Editor
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129
phone: 1-608-835-7937
e-mail: mbr@execpc.com
e-mail: mwbookrevw@aol.com
http://www.midwestbookreview.com


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