Return to home
page Book Reviews, Book Lover Resources, Advice for Writers and Publishers
Home / Internet Bookwatch

Internet Bookwatch

Volume 25, Number 7 July 2015 Home | IBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Nautical Shelf American History Shelf
World History Shelf Economic Studies Shelf Christian Studies Shelf
Islamic Studies Shelf Needlecraft Shelf Education Shelf
Science Shelf Pets/Wildlife Shelf Cookbook Shelf
Fiction Shelf Mystery/Suspense Shelf Social Issues Shelf
Self-Help Shelf Metaphysical Studies Shelf Business Shelf
Autism Shelf Jobs/Careers Shelf Biography Shelf
Travel Shelf Gardening Shelf Automotive Shelf
Graphic Novel Shelf Audiobook Shelf Library CD Shelf
Library DVD Shelf Health/Medicine Shelf Art Shelf
Music Shelf Architecture Shelf Crafts Shelf
Theatre/Cinema Shelf Sports Shelf Fantasy/SciFi Shelf
International Studies Shelf Parenting Shelf Culinary Shelf
Photography Shelf Writing/Publishing Shelf Poetry Shelf
Native American Studies Shelf Civil War Shelf Money/Finance Shelf
Dance Shelf Martial Arts Shelf LGBT Studies Shelf
Gaming Shelf Philosophy Shelf Archaeology Shelf
Psychology Shelf Holocaust Studies Shelf Religion/Spirituality Shelf
Literary Studies Shelf    


Reviewer's Choice

Fundamentals of Fire Protection for the Safety Professional, second edition
Lon H. Ferguson and Christopher A. Janicak
Bernan Press
c/o Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
4501 Forbes Blvd., Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
9781598887112 $79.00 http://www.bernan.com

Now in an updated second edition, Fundamentals of Fire Protection for the Safety Professional is a resource by expert authors Lon Ferguson, CSP, CFPS and Christopher Janicak, CSP, CEA, ARM, both of whom are Professors of Safety Sciences at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Readers will learn how to design fire safety management programs to not only prevent industrial fire, but also protect assets and promote safe evacuation if needed. Chapters walk one through the establishment of emergency action plans, fire prevention plans, fire alarm and fire extinguishment systems, and comprehensive fire management plans in compliance with OSHA and National Fire Protection Association standards. Particular attention is paid to the chemistry and physics of fire, the threat of mechanical and chemical explosions, hazardous processes, and more. Fundamentals of Fire Protection for the Safety Professional is an absolute "must-have" for any safety or business professional responsible for protecting both people and property.

Desert Diplomat
Robert W. Jordan with Steve Fiffer
Potomac Books, Inc.
c/o University of Nebraska Press
22841 Quicksilver Drive, Dulles, VA 20166-2012
www.potomacbooksinc.com
c/o Cindy Birne Public Relations
9781612346700 $32.95 hc / $22.45 Kindle www.amazon.com

Desert Diplomat: Inside Saudi Arabia Following 9/11 is the vivid personal testimony of author Robert W. Jordan, a Dallas attorney appointed to serve as ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 2001 to 2003, the time period immediately after the deadly September 11 terrorist attack in America. Jordan had no previous diplomatic experience, but Saudi Arabia required the U.S. ambassador to be a political appointee with the ear of the president. Jordan had to learn on the fly how to run an embassy, interact with a foreign culture, and protect U.S. interests. He worked with Crown Prince Abdullah and Saudi leaders on the issues of terrorism and human rights, as well as doing everything in his power to ensure their cooperation with the war in Afghanistan and the invasion of Iraq. At the same time he coordinated his efforts with the top officials of Washington, including President Bush, Dick Cheney, Colin Powell, Donald Rumsfeld, Condoleezza Rice, George Tenet, and Tommy Franks. An up-close and personal glimpse into a tangled situation, sometimes horrendously dysfunctional politics, and the economic and social changes transforming Saudi Arabia at the time, Desert Diplomat is as fascinating as it is illuminating, and highly recommended.

Hot Wind, Boiling Rain
Lyn Ford
Parkhurst Brothers Publishers
110 West Main Street, Marion, Michigan 49665
9781624910579, $12.00, 144pp, www.parkhurstbrothers.com

"Hot Wind, Boiling Rain: Scary Stories For Strong Hearts" by Lyn Ford is a compilation showcasing lifetime collection of quotations, stories, wise words, and assembled musings about overcoming hurdles, elusive enlightenment, personal evolution, persistence in the face of discouragement. in a literary pastiche of short stories designed to encourage the downhearted, lift up the strivers, and add wings to the heels of spiritual seekers, "Hot Winds, Boiling Rain' is as eclectic and iconoclastic as it is unrelentingly entertaining. "Hot Wind, Boiling Rain" is enthusiastically recommended for community library collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "Hot Wind, Boiling Rain" is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.50). For those readers to whom "Hot Wind, Boiling Rains" is their first introduction to the storytelling skills of Lyn Ford, they are urged to visit her web sites: www.storytellerlynford.com and www.storynet.org

Land Access and Resettlement: A Guide to Best Practice
Gerry Reddy, Eddie Smyth and Michael Steyn
Greenleaf Publishing
Aizlewood Business Centre
Aizlewood's Mill, Nursery Street, Sheffield S3 8GG, UK
9781783532131 $50.00 www.greenleaf-publishing.com

Land Access and Resettlement: A Guide to Best Practice provides a guide to plans for how to implement and review land access and resettlement processes to avoid common problems, and is based on many lessons learned the hard way: as such, it will appeal to any college-level reader of natural resource management projects and community development issues. From the different stages of preparing for a land resettlement project to involving business leaders, political forces, and social groups in project management and planning, this discusses land access and resettlement strategies with an eye to using project examples to illustrate best practices. Black and white photos of projects around the world accompany charts, statistics, and highlighted project examples, making the book an excellent pick for any looking for specifics to streamline the resettlement process.

Last Child in the Woods
Richard Louv
Algonquin Books
PO Box 2225, Chapel Hill, NC 27515-2225
9781565126053 $15.95 www.algonquin.com

Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder is a 'must' for any parent who wants their child to appreciate nature, and brings together the latest studies that consider how an ongoing exposure to and relationship with nature is key to a child's healthy physical and emotional growth. It presents evidence that without this link, children experience more issues with obesity, attention disorders, and depression; and it advocates a campaign to involve kids in outdoors events and appreciation. From discussion points for book groups and communities to lists of practical actions that are easy for parents and concert adults to act on, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder provides a powerful assessment and call to action that no parent should ignore.


The Nautical Shelf

Silent and Unseen
Alfred Scott McLaren
Naval Institute Press
291 Wood Road, Annapolis, MD 21402
9781612518459 $39.95 www.nip.org

Silent and Unseen: On Patrol in Three Cold War Attack Submarines is the memoir of a submariner's life on board three U.S. attack submarines during the early years of the Cold War, a time of great risk and tension. Submarines engaged in reconnaissance and intelligence-collection missions of great strategic value, which often required venturing within weapons range of the enemy. Of particular fascination is the author's personal testimony of serving aboard the USS Skipjack submarine during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Engaging and detailed, Silent and Unseen takes the reader behind the scenes for an up-close and personal glimpse of nautical history. Highly recommended!

Lusitania
Diana Preston
Bloomsbury Press
175 Fifth Avenue, Suite 315, New York, NY 10010
9781632860842 $20.00 www.bloomsbury.com

Lusitania: An Epic Tragedy is an engrossing story of the tragedy that took place in 1915 when one of Great Britain's ocean liners was struck by a German submarine's torpedo, killing nearly twelve hundred people. But the bigger picture is that the story of the Lusitania offers insights on the maritime world of its times, which include the rise of the luxury liner, the effects of submarine warfare, and struggles for control of the Atlantic. The process of describing the series of events thus evolves to become much more as it pairs eyewitness accounts and stories from newspapers with a larger perspective of its times in a recommendation history readers will appreciate.


The American History Shelf

Before Custer
M. John Lubetkin, editor
The Arthur H. Clark Company
2800 Venture Drive, Norman, OK 73069
9780870624315 $34.95 www.ahclark.com

Before Custer: Surveying the Yellowstone, 1872 is an anthology of previously unpublished documents, primary sources and firsthand testimonies from the Northern Pacific Railroad's expedition to survey the Yellowstone Valley. Lakota chief Sitting Bull had warned the two surveying expeditions (eastern and western) not to enter the valley; his warning was ignored, sparking a deadly conflict. Before Custer meticulously annotates accounts of the survey's three-months struggle with Lakotas and other Plains Indian people, and the unfolding fallout from a military and public relations disaster. Ambushes harassed army forces of nearly a thousand men; a determined attack by Sitting Bull repulsed one surveying party before it could meet its objectives; and an ambush upon the other party resulted in the death of a member of President Ulysses S. Grant's family. The entire debacle directly led to the failure of the nation's largest private banking house, which in turn sparked the Panci of 1873; Sitting Bull became a focus of national attention; and George Armstrong Custer was transferred to the Department of Dakota. Intense, vivid, and an invaluable window into a tumultuous time in U.S. Government - Native American relations, Before Custer is a welcome addition to public and college library American History shelves.

Nixon's First Cover-Up
H. Larry Ingle
University of Missouri Press
2910 LeMone Boulevard
Columbia, MO 65201
9780826220424 $50.00 www.umsystem.edu/upress

Nixon's First Cover-Up: The Religious Life of a Quaker President is a scholarly analysis of Richard Nixon's tenure as President of the United States, with particular focus on Nixon's background of evangelical Quakerism. Nixon was unquestionably a pragmatic politician, concealing his religion when he wanted to, and displaying it when advantageous. At times Nixon bent or even outright ignored the traditional rules of Quakerism. Author and retired history professor (University of Tennessee at Chattanooga) H. Larry Ingle applies his extensive knowledge of Quakerism to reveal new insights into the only American President to have resigned his office. Highly recommended, especially for public and college library American History collections.

Lincoln and Emancipation
Edna Greene Medford
Southern Illinois University Press
1915 University Press Drive, SIUC Mail Code 6806
Carbondale, IL 62901
www.conciselincolnlibrary.com
9780809333639 $24.95 www.siupress.com

Part of the succinct yet illuminating "Concise Lincoln Library" series, Lincoln and Emancipation is a scholarly examination of the evolution of President Lincoln's perspective on slavery, from the beginning of the Civil War (when he was open to a noninterference compromise if it would save the Union) to championing the cause of abolition before the conflict ended. Lincoln and Emancipation explores not only President Lincoln's words and ideology as they evolved over time, but also the voices of those who clamored for slavery's end: abolitionists and Radical Republicans, War Democrats, and both enslaved and free black people. Thought-provoking and expertly researched, Lincoln and Emancipation is a welcome addition to American History collections.

War in the Chesapeake
Charles Patrick Neimeyer
Naval Institute Press
291 Wood Road, Annapolis, MD 21402
9781612518657 $44.95 www.nip.org

War in the Chesapeake: The British Campaigns to Control the Bay, 1813-14 is nuanced history of the U.S. Navy's performance during the War of 1812. President James Madison's decision to go to war with Britain could have been disastrous; at the time, Britain was the decidedly superior military power, albeit distracted by an ongoing war with Napoleonic France. Britain achieved victory at Bladensburg and burned Washington, D.C., yet the fledgling nation of America earned a historic victory in its steadfast defense of Fort McHenry, remembered to this day in the words of the American national anthem. War in the Chesapeake goes beyond standard historical scrutiny to spotlight the notable achievements of individual naval leaders, such as John Rodgers and Stephen Decatur, as well as pay tribute to acts of courage on both sides (of course, the failings and acts of incompetence on both sides are also given close study). Extensive notes, a bibliography, and an index round out this superb military history, highly recommended especially for public and college library collections.

Minnesota's Lost Towns: Central Edition
Rhonda Fochs
North Star Press of St. Cloud
PO Box 451, St. Cloud, MN 56302-0451
www.northstarpress.com
9780878398041, $19.95, 240pp, www.amazon.com

"Minnesota's Lost Towns: Central Edition" is ideal for the armchair traveler to visit and learn about more than 125 central Minnesota locations. Author Rhonda Fochs covers twenty-seven of Minnesota's central corridor counties, from east to west. Reader will learn how the towns were created, how they developed and lived, and why they died. Discovering the people and places of Minnesota's past, "Minnesota's Lost Towns: Central Edition" is filled from cover to cover with tales and photos and is a fun and educational read for anyone who loves history or a good story. It should be noted that "Minnesota's Lost Towns: Central Edition" is also available in a Kindle edition ($7.99).

Minnesota's Lost Towns: Northern Edition
Rhonda Fochs
North Star Press of St. Cloud
PO Box 451, St. Cloud, MN 56302-0451
www.northstarpress.com
9780878397631, $19.95, 240pp, www.amazon.com

In "Minnesota's Lost Towns: Northern Edition", armchair travelers once again journey to the past and visit over 100 northern Minnesota lost towns. Readers will find out what created them, how they grew and prospered, why they died, where they are located, and what there is to see at all these sites today. Readers will learn of the stages of a "boom and bust" cycle and how lost towns are classified according to their physical remnants. Written in a personal narrative style, "Minnesota's Lost Towns: Northern Edition" is filled with then and now historical photos and amusing tales and anecdotes. "Minnesota's Lost Towns: Northern Edition" is a fun read for historians, tourists, genealogists, and anyone who loves a good story. It should be noted that "Minnesota's Lost Towns: Northern Edition" is also available in a Kindle edition.

1920: The Year That Made the Decade Roar
Eric Burns
Pegasus Books
80 Broad Street, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10004
9781605987729 $27.95 www.pegasusbooks.us

1920: The Year That Made the Decade Roar covers one of the most dynamic periods of American history - the 1920s - and considers how exactly the surge of innovation and culture emerged at the beginning of the decade. Thus, with the attention narrowed to 1920, the start of the Roaring Twenties, readers learn about a crucial period and how it evolved. Many books have covered this time frame, but most focus on the events and culture of the era as a whole. This title offers a fine review of the new kinds of power emerging among women and minorities of the times, and the concurrent events that made the 1920s so significant. Any American history holding needs this, not as a recap of events, but as a deeper probe into why and how they emerged and their underlying impact on American culture today.


The World History Shelf

Dreams of the Hmong Kingdom
Mai Na M. Lee
University of Wisconsin Press
1930 Monroe Street, Third Floor, Madison, WI 53711-2059
9780299298845 $29.95 www.uwpress.wisc.edu

Drawing upon a wealth of oral interviews conducted in the United States, France, and Southeast Asia, as well as information from French archival documents, Dreams of the Hmong Kingdom: The Quest for Legitimation in French Indochina, 1850-1960 is a detailed study of the interplay between French colonial authority and the Hmong people. Hmong lived in China, Vietnam, and Laos, often negotiating with the French to maintain political autonomy amid a land of emerging nation-states, nationalist movements, and competing ideologies. The Hmong were themselves divided by clan rivalries, a situation that hampered their quest for sovereignty. Author Mai Na M. Lee examines a recurring pattern of two different types of Hmong leaders - political brokers who allied with Southeast Asian governments and the French, and messianic resistance leaders who claimed Heaven's authority as their own, inspiring rebellion. Thus the Hmong cycled through phases of collaboration and resistance. After World War II, the Hmong Ly clan and associates sided with the French and the monarchy in Laos, but the rival Hmong Lo clan and their supporters allied with Communist coalitions. Dreams of the Hmong Kingdom postulates that these Hmong leadership conflicts contributed to the destabilization of French rule. A thoughtful and extensive analysis of history, politics, and conflict, Dreams of the Hmong Kingdom is a welcome addition to public and college library World History shelves.

The Armenian Genocide
Alan Whitehorn, editor
ABC-CLIO
PO Box 1911, Santa Barbara, CA 93116-1911
www.abc-clio.com
9781610696876, $89.00, www.amazon.com

The Armenian Genocide was the Islamic Ottoman government's systematic extermination of its minority Armenian Christian subjects inside their historic homeland, which lies within the territory constituting the present-day Republic of Turkey. The total number of people killed as a result has been estimated as high as 1.5 million. The starting date is conventionally held to be 24 April 1915, the day Ottoman authorities rounded up, arrested and deported some 250 Armenian intellectuals and community leaders from Constantinople, the majority ultimately being murdered. The genocide was carried out during and after World War I and implemented in two phases: the wholesale killing of the able-bodied male population through massacre and subjection of army conscripts to forced labor, followed by the deportation of women, children, the elderly and infirm on death marches leading to the Syrian desert. Driven forward by military escorts, the deportees were deprived of food and water and subjected to periodic robbery, rape, and massacre. To this very day, the government of Turkey denies that the Armenian genocide ever took place. Other indigenous and Christian ethnic groups such as the Assyrians and the Ottoman Greeks were similarly targeted for extermination by the Ottoman government, and their treatment is considered by many historians to be part of the same genocidal policy. The majority of Armenian diaspora communities around the world came into being as a direct result of the genocide. Compiled and edited by Alan Whitehorn (Emeritus Professor of Political Science, royal Military College of Canada), "The Armenian Genocide: The Essential Reference Guide" is a 320 page compendium includes of a List of Entries and Maps; a List of Primary Source Documents; and informative Preface; a list of Acknowledgments. This is followed by an Overview; Causes; Consequences; Perpetrators; Victims, Bystanders; International Reaction; and A-Z Entries. Enhanced with the addition of a roster of Primary Source Documents; and Appendix (Historical Dilemmas in the Armenian Genocide); a Chronology; a Bibliography; an Index, and a listing of the Editor and Contributors. A solid work of detailed research and documented scholarship, "The Armenian Genocide: The Essential Reference Guide" is an essential and core addition to community and academic library Armenian History and Ottoman Empire History reference collections and supplemental studies reading lists.

America Invades
Christopher Kelly and Stuart Laycock
Book Publishers Network
PO Box 2256, Bothell, WA 98041
9781940598420 $29.95 www.AmericaInvades.com

America Invades is a different kind of history book, listing virtually every nation in the world - with a brief yet accessible summary of how America has either invaded it, or been militarily involved with it! Only three countries remain overlooked by America's military. (Wondering which three? Read the book!) A handful of color plates and an index round-out this straightforward case-by-case accounting of America's military reach. America Invades does not sermonize or make judgments; readers are left to decide for themselves, based on the facts, which military interventions were justified and which were not. Highly recommended!

Waterloo
Bernard Cornwell
HarperCollins Publishers
10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022-5299
9780062312051 $35.00 www.harpercollins.com

Waterloo: The History of Four Days, Three Armies, and Three Battles may represent best-selling fiction author Cornwell's first venture into nonfiction; but it's a powerful work focusing on a pivotal point in history that has long interested him, and Waterloo thus pairs his ability to bring drama and intrigue to life with an in-depth collection of facts about Waterloo, already a hit best-seller in the UK and being published in the U.S. to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the 1815 battles. Anticipate a survey packed with solid researched facts and a focus on narrative life that follows Napoleon's escape from his exile in Elba and continues to his surprising offensive strategy. Cornwell brings the battles to life, probes their underlying politics and strategy, and creates a powerful historical saga that is a 'must' for any definitive examination of the events surrounding Waterloo.


The Economic Studies Shelf

Handbook of Research on Fair Trade
Laura T. Raynolds & Elizabeth A. Bennett, editors
Edward Elgar Publishing
9 Dewey Court, Northampton, MA 01060-3815
www.e-elgar.com
9781783474608, $270.00, 608pp, www.amazon.com

Fair trade is a social movement whose stated goal is to help producers in developing countries achieve better trading conditions and to promote sustainability. Members of the movement advocate the payment of higher prices to exporters, as well as higher social and environmental standards. The movement focuses in particular on commodities, or products which are typically exported from developing countries to developed countries. The movement seeks to promote greater equity in international trading partnerships through dialogue, transparency, and respect. It promotes sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalized producers and workers in developing countries. Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by Laura T. Raynolds (Co-Director, Center for Fair & Alternative Trade and Professor, Sociology Department, Colorado State University) and Elizabeth A. Bennett (Assistant Professor, International Affairs Department, Lewis & Clark College and Associate, Center for Fair & Alternative Trade, Colorado State University) is a compendium comprised of thirty seminal and scholarly articles by knowledgeable contributors and deftly organized into four major sections: Introduction to Fair Trade; The Fair Trade Movement; The Business of Fair Trade; Fair Trade and International Development. Provided with a useful fifty-nine page Index, the "Handbook of Research on Fair Trade" is a critically important and highly recommended addition to governmental, NGO, and academic library International Economics reference collections and supplemental studies reading lists.

Misbehaving
Richard H. Thaler
W. W. Norton & Company
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
9780393080940 $27.95 www.wwnorton.com

Misbehaving: The Making of Behavioral Economics comes from "the founding father of behavioral economics" who considers how economic theory relates to social lives, improvements, and change, and is a recommended pick for general-interest, psychology and social issues readers alike. It synthesizes and creates a foundation for the basics of an economic theory that links economic models with human habits through history, and it discusses the process of human decision-making by translating it into a new branch of economics that is psychology-based as well as integrated into social theory. Evidence about 'economic misbehaving' comes from a range of settings and makes for an outstanding survey.

Banking on Confidence
Dale K. Cline
iUniverse
c/o Author House
1663 Liberty Dr. Suite #300, Bloomington, IN 47403
www.iuniverse.com
9781491755822 $18.95 www.amazon.com

Dale K. Cline is a CPA in public practice as well as a businessman and a real estate investor, so his book covering how money works is central to understanding the economy, fiscal policies, and how banks work. No prior background in economics or business is required to appreciate this primer, which includes everything from how to read financial statements to considering the roles government and politics play in personal economic success or failure. From the basics of currency trading - which are surprisingly straightforward and accessible to lay readers - to 'shadow banks', this is packed with important considerations the general public needs to know.

Separating Fools from their Money
Scott B. MacDonald and Jane E. Hughes
Transaction Publishers
10 Corporate Place South, Piscataway, NJ 08854
9781412855006 $24.95 www.transactionpub.com

Separating Fools from their Money provides an economic-based American history that analyzes the changes in the US financial market, consider the scandals that occurred through four different epochs of American history from the early Republic through the Gilded Age, Roaring 20s, and 1980s and modern times. College-level readers with a special interest in finance scandals and their lasting impact on American lives will find here a lively, absorbing coverage.


The Christian Studies Shelf

Selections from Three Works of Francisco Suarez, S. J.
Francisco Suarez
Liberty Fund, Inc.
8335 Allison Pointe Trail, Indianapolis, IN 46250
9780865975163, $24.00, www.libertyfund.org

Francisco Suarez (5 January 1548 - 25 September 1617) was a Spanish Jesuit priest, philosopher and theologian, one of the leading figures of the School of Salamanca movement, and generally regarded among the greatest scholastics after Thomas Aquinas. His work is considered a turning point in the history of second scholasticism, marking the transition from its Renaissance to its Baroque phases. Such philosophical luminaries as Leibniz, Grotius, Pufendorf, Schopenhauer, and Heidegger, all found cite him Francisco Suarez as a source of inspiration and influence with respect to their own works. :Selections from Three Works of Francisco Suarez, S. J." is compiled and edited with and informative introduction by Thomas Park and is a 1053 page compendium comprised of 'A Treatise on Laws and God the Lawgiver'; 'A Defense of the Catholic and Apostolic Faith'; A Work on the Three Theological Virtues: Faith, Hope, and Charity'. Enhanced with the inclusion of an eighteen page Bibliography; a three page listing of Suggestions for Further Readers; and a forty-two page Index, "Selections from Three Works of Francisco Suarez, S. J." is a critically important and highly recommended addition for seminary and academic library Christian Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

A Still and Quiet Conscience
John A. McCoy
Orbis Books
Box 302, Maryknoll NY 10545-0302
9781626981171 $26.00 www.orbisbooks.com

A Still and Quiet Conscience: The Archbishop Who Challenged a Pope, a President, and a Church covers the life of Raymond G. Hunthausen, archbishop of Seattle from 1975-1991, who embraced the spirit of the Vatican II church and reached out to those on the margins of Catholic circles. He was an advocate of peace, he ran against the Cold War policies of the Reagan Administration, and he also conflicted with Vatican visions of what American Catholicism could be. His biography thus is about more than one man: it's about the evolution of the American Catholic Church as a whole, and key to understanding Catholic beliefs.

The Exiled Generations
Carl L. Kell, Editor
University of Tennessee Press
110 Conference Center UT, Knoxville, TN 37996
9781621901129 $35.95 www.utpress.org

The Exiled Generations: Legacies of the Southern Baptist Convention Holy War gathers testimonials by individuals whose parents and relatives were purged from or left the Southern Baptist Convention in the take of modern fundamentalism, and provides a follow up to Kell's earlier work, Exiled, which revealed the stories of those who were banished. It discusses how those involved in the movement were themselves exiled, and probes the underlying religious and political forces in Southern Baptist circles. Stories of these events have not been documented until now: in this collection Professor Kell provides a diverse range of voices that considers the conflict and its lasting effects. Scholars will appreciate the primary sources while students of Baptist history will find it essential for understanding church history.

A Faithful Farewell
Marilyn Chandler McEntyre
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
2140 Oak Industrial Drive, NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49505
9780802872609 $15.00 www.eerdmans.com

A Faithful Farewell: Living Your Last Chapter With Love offers essays reflecting on the approach of death, are written in the first person, and provide biblical reflections on the love of God and the approach of the end of days, and is a recommended work for Christian readers considering impending death. Over fifty short meditations consider the issues faced by those who are dying, from psychological and family conflicts to emotional and spiritual challenges, and offer prayers and sentiments directed toward peaceful resolution in life's final moments. Any facing dying and death will find this a heartfelt set of simple insights.


The Islamic Studies Shelf

The Dark Side of the Crescent Moon
Georgy Gounev
Transaction Publishers
10 Corporate Place South, Piscataway, NJ 08854
9781412854061 $39.95 www.transactionpub.com

The Dark Side of the Crescent Moon blends history with political process as it analyzes the growth of radical Islam throughout the world and traces its spread through Europe, which brought the U.S. and Russia into an unlikely alliance in the process of its expansion. This survey traces the rise of Islam and global movements that have led it to become a threat, considering elements of the network that has evolved and the strategies both long- and short-term to deal with it. It serves as an alarm for future events and a growing danger around the world and should be on the shelves of any college-level reader of Islamic and political history.


The Needlecraft Shelf

Beginner's Guide To Quiltmaking
Jeri Simon
Landauer Corporation
3100 NW 101st Street, Suite A, Urbandale, Iowa 50322
www.landauercorp.com
9781935726722, $24.95, 128pp, www.amazon.com

"Beginner's Guide To Quiltmaking" by quilting expert Jeri Simon is a 128 page, fully and profusely illustrated, step-by-step instruction guide for the novice needlecrafter who is setting out for their first time to master the art and craft of quilting. From Getting Started (equipment and supplies, choosing fabrics, pressing, 1/4" seams); to Quilt Making Basics (rotary cutting, cutting and piecing half-square and quarter-square triangle blocks, fussy cutting, chain piecing, strip piecing, and sewing basic blocks); to Applique Basics (machine applique, hand applique; bias strips); to Assembling the Quilt Top (quilt center, borders); to Finishing the Quilt (layering the backing, batting and quilt top, quilting the quilt, binding the quilt, adding a hanging sleeve, labeling), the instructions are clear, concise, and thoroughly 'user friendly'. Enhanced with Projects, Charts, and Quilting Terms & Definitions, "Beginner's Guide To Quiltmaking" is the ideal introduction to quilting and a very highly recommended addition to personal, family, community, and academic library Needlecraft instructional reference collections.

Sewing for Your Girls
Yoshiko Tsukiori
Tuttle Publishing
364 Innovation Drive, North Clarendon, VT 05759-9436
9784805313275 $16.95 www.tuttlepublishing.com

Sewing for Your Girls: Easy Instructions for Dresses, Smocks and Frocks includes pull-out patterns - which may limit its usefulness for library lending, but will delight sewers who want an easy instructional for sewing for girls. Black and white and a selection of color step-by-step photos require very little prior sewing experience as instructions walk readers through the process of sewing dresses for girls. The pieces are versatile and easy to produce and the results will especially delight needleworkers who have some basic knowledge of machine and hand sewing, but want to move on to the next level of expertise: creating a dress for a child. All the tools, patterns, and options are here.

Increase Decrease
Judith Durant
Storey Publishing
210 Mass MoCA Way, North Adams, MA 01247
9781612123318 $16.95 www.storey.com

The key to professional-looking, polished knitting results lies in using the right increase or decrease technique to shape one's knitting, but while nearly all knitting patterns ask for increases and decreases, most don't specify which option to use. These techniques can improve fit when properly matched with stitch patterns, and that's where Increase, Decrease comes in, offering insights to making informed knitting decisions. Some 99 methods are covered in chapters that survey stitches, offer step-by-step how-to photos, swatches capturing the featured stitch, and a list of best uses for each. Knitters who have been somewhat puzzled by the options and when to apply them will find this an important guide.

Martingale & Company
19021 Avenue NE, Bothell, WA 98011
www.shopmartingale.com

Boho Crochet: 30 Hip and Happy Projects (978160685510 $22.99) packs in a powerful collection of crocheted projects that represent bohemian style, from crochet mug warmers to blankets, pillows, bags and more, and uses step-by-step color photos to teach the basics. It helps to know and understand basic crochet instruction abbreviations (ch, dc, sl, de1 into ring). This note aside, the easy color photo-enhanced project selectors, the full-page color photos of finished results, and the directions for crocheting and finishing make for an appealing survey packed with a variety of easy projects all useful for capturing the 'boho style'. Pat Sloan's Teach Me to Applique: Fusible Applique That's Soft & Simple (9781604685237, $26.99) provides a class in a book' and comes from a popular teacher and designer who already has a big podcast following. Here she shares fusible techniques for machine-stitched quilts, using projects from wall hangings to quilts to produce a range of options designed to teach newcomers the basics of fusible applique. The result is a fine survey packed with easy-to-follow tips on how to use fusible applique.


The Education Shelf

Setting the Standard for Project-Based Learning
John Larmer, John Mergendoller, and Suzie Boss
ASCD
1703 North Beauregard Street
Alexandria, VA 22311-1714
9781416620334 $27.95 www.ascd.org

Project-based learning is essentially a "learn through doing" approach, emphasizing student involvement in activities over traditional paper-based rote memorization or classroom lectures. Three experts from the Buck Institute for Education present Setting the Standard for Project Based Learning: A Proven Approach to Rigorous Classroom Instruction, a guide to making the most of hands-on project-based learning strategies for students of all grade levels. Chapters address the latest research on project-based learning, how to design and manage a project, how project-based learning can be utilized in informal education or summer programs, and much more. Numerous examples and an index round out this excellent addition to educator's resource shelves.

When Gifted Kids Don't Have All the Answers, revised & updated edition
Judy Galbraith, M.A. and Jim Delisle, Ph.D.
Free Spirit Publishing
217 Fifth Avenue North, Suite 200
Minneapolis, MN 55401-1299
www.freespirit.com
9781575424934 $23.99 pbk / $16.49 Kindle www.amazon.com

Now in a revised and updated edition including discussions of ADHD, Asperger's, the Common Core educational standards, and more, When Gifted Kids Don't Have All the Answers: How to Meet Their Social and Emotional Needs is a resource written for teachers, guidance counselors, parents, and others who work with gifted children. Offering practical strategies to aid children, including recommendations for dealing with issues of perfectionism, underachievement, and challenges to children's self-image and self-esteem. Classroom-tested activities, guided discussions, and plain-spoken testimonies make When Gifted Kids Don't Have All the Answers an invaluable educational resource, highly recommended for college library and professional educators' collections.

Acing the Public University
Jeff Gimpel
GPAMaxx, LLC
2525 Arapahoe Avenue, Suite E4, Boulder, CO 80302
9780991535705 $14.95 www.GPAMaxx.com

Acing the Public University is a guide written especially for high school students/graduates and anyone else with plans to attend a public university. Chapters discuss the real rules of getting into a public university, how to maximize one's grades and GPA, cost-effective degree completion, how to make the most of academic credit by examination, how to select the best professors, need-to-know information about university grading, and much more. Thoroughly accessible and user-friendly, Acing the Public University lives up to its title and is highly recommended.

In Defense of Read-Aloud: Sustaining Best Practice
Steven L. Layne
Stenhouse Publishers
480 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101-3451
9781625310408 $21.00 www.stenhouse.com

In Defense of Read-Aloud: Sustaining Best Practice advocates the process and practice of reading aloud and presents the research that defends this practice in grades K-12, considering the ongoing debate over its value and methodology. Any instructor or parent who wants to continue to use read-alouds more effectively would do well to consider this book, which offers insights from leading researchers in the field of literacy and provides keys to understanding how read-alouds work and why they are essential to improving literacy. From recommendations of particular read-aloud books and why they lend so well to the practice to the selection process and making the most of read-aloud time, this is a solid survey highly recommended for any education holding.

Corwin Press, Inc.
2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320-2218
www.corwin.com

The second updated edition of Karla Reiss's Leadership Coaching for Educators (9781483359151, $34.95) reflects the latest research projects and trends in the field, and provides school leaders with specifics based on these new findings. It provides evaluation tools for coach development and comes from an educational consultant who offers a research for implementing a proven school wide coaching system. Chapters given plenty of applied examples of how this process works in a variety of settings, considering core coaching competencies for various grade levels and exploring how to get started as a coach. The result is a reference that is a recommended 'must' for any education reference collection, and for educators and leaders who want to explore coaching methods. Toby J. Karten's Inclusion Strategies That Work! Research-Based Methods for the Classroom (9781483319902, $39.95) appears in its third updated edition to help educators address students with diverse needs, and considers why inclusion is essential and how to go about it. The latest updated information on ADA, IDEA, and inclusion strategies accompanies tips for working with families, integrating interactive classroom activities, and addressing academic standards and behavioral and emotional expectations. With its attention to describing legal and social changes, Inclusion Strategies That Work! Research-Based Methods for the Classroom is packed with forms, resources, and ideas of how to use brain-friendly learning strategies on many different levels, making it a 'must' for any educator seeking workable, realistic methods for inclusion goals. Maria C. Grant, et.al.'s Reading and Writing in Science: Tools to Develop Disciplinary Literacy (9781483345680, $29.95) provides an updated edition of a best-selling discussion of how science-literature students can analyze and defend data orally and in writing, and provides strategies linked to literary curriculum approaches to learning. From how to use science to develop cognitive and literary skills to monitoring student process, this survey is a 'must' for science teachings looking to achieve more than education. Finally, the second updated edition of Lynne Schrum and Barbara B. Levin's Leading 21st Century Schools: Harnessing Technology for Engagement and Achievement (9781483374413, $30.00) provides an update to the 2009 classic, which provided administrators and teachers with strategies for encouraging student engagement, and which returns with a second updated edition that presents some eighty percent new material to cover the latest technological developments. From aligning this technology to Common Core State Standards and others to offering resources and trends that school leaders need to know about, this provides a continuing formula for success.


The Science Shelf

Intellectual Property in Molecular Medicine
Salim Mamajiwalla & Rochelle Seide
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press
500 Sunnyside Boulevard, Woodbury NY 11797-2924
www.cshlpress.com
9781621820833, $135.00, 304pp, www.amazon.com

Patents are an important way of protecting inventions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. However, intellectual property law reforms have not kept pace with the rapid advances in genomics, synthetic biology, and stem cell research. Meanwhile, universities are increasingly spinning off companies that use these technologies, requiring the academic scientists involved to gain an understanding of intellectual property law and the patent system as it applies to biomedical innovations. Collaboratively compiled by Salim Mamajiwalla & Rochelle Seide, "Intellectual Property in Molecular Medicine" is a collection of articles providing a clear, current, and comprehensive understanding of biomedical intellectual property and the laws that protect it. The contributors describe patent laws and practices in the United States, Canada, Australia, and the European Union. They explain the roles of regulatory agencies in intellectual property, various opinions on the patentability of biological materials (e.g., DNA and stem cells), and the implications of recent court decisions (e.g., the Myriad case). Practical issues related to licensing agreements and patent applications are also discussed. The authors offer guidance on the criteria for patent eligibility (e.g., utility, nonobviousness, and novelty), issues related to timing and possession, and rules for determining inventorship. Other topics covered include trade secrets, research exemptions, and the protection of traditional knowledge related to biological resources. "Intellectual Property in Molecular Medicine" will serve as an essential reference for all scientists, physicians, and technology transfer professionals seeking to navigate the complex rules, regulations, and procedures concerning intellectual property in biotech and pharma. Enhanced with the inclusion of illustrations (17 color, 1 b&w), and a twenty-one page Index, "Intellectual Property in Molecular Medicine" is a seminal work of extraordinary scholarship throughout and an essential, core addition to professional and academic library Medical Research and Intellectual Property Rights reference collections and supplemental studies reading lists.

Nature Anatomy
Julia Rothman
Storey Publishing
210 Mass MoCA Way, North Adams, MA 01247
9781612122311 $16.95 www.storey.com

Nature Anatomy: The Curious Parts & Pieces of the Natural World blends art and nature in a visual tour that considers the life cycles of plants, animals, and mountains alike, and provides a fun exploration designed to invite all ages to learn about nature. From leaf and bug identification to basic rules for wild foraging safety, what can be found in and under a rotting log, what happens during a sunset and why color patterns form, and considering forest, marine, and underground animals, Nature Anatomy is a wonderful and lively set of drawings that encourage understanding and insights into the natural world. The result is recommended for middle school through adult audiences: any curious about nature basics who will appreciate the warm artistic drawings that identify plants, animals, and life cycles.

The Story of Science
Susan Wise Bauer
W. W. Norton & Company
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
9780393243260 $26.95 www.wwnorton.com

The Story of Science: From the Writings of Aristotle to the Big Bang Theory comes from a writer and historian who considers science writing and how it developed, and who begins with ancient Greek works and carries the discussion to modern times - some 2,500 years of scientific texts. Most of these classic works are in the public domain and readily available at the book's website, and most represent some of the greatest science writings in history. Her probe not only lists these books, but discusses what makes them great not just in their own times, but to modern readers. Chapters consider how science is interpreted and presented and probes the basics of creating landmark works supporting it. No science reader should neglect this unique coverage with its expansive scope and lively style.

The Mercy of the Sky
Holly Bailey
Viking Books
c/o Penguin Group USA
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
9780525427490 $27.95 www.penguin.com

The Mercy of the Sky: The Story of a Tornado documents the growing number of twisters going through 'tornado alley', the corridor from Texas to Kansas, and what this means for its residents. In 2013 one of the worst tornadoes on record landed on the small town of Moore, killing children and decimating neighborhoods. The school involved lacked protection because tornados have been changing their habits, coming earlier in the season and hitting with more force. This book gathers first-hand narratives of those caught in this tornado and explores the changing weather patterns in the region. It considers the storm chasers and scientists who are studying tornadoes and it provides a combination of personal experience and scientific inquiry into the nature of climate change, making it a pick for science and general lending libraries alike.


The Pets/Wildlife Shelf

Tales of Remarkable Birds
Dominic Couzens
Bloomsbury Press
175 Fifth Avenue, Suite 315, New York, NY 10010
9781408190234 $25.00 www.bloomsbury.com

Tales of Remarkable Birds offers a fun exploration of avian behavior around the world, considering how various species of birds conduct courtship, defend territory, conduct kidnappings of rival birds, and more, and is a lively survey that focuses on the odder behaviors of birds. From how some birds provide distraction to how others display aggression and fight, Tales of Remarkable Birds pairs its natural history with some outstanding and often little-known facts and fine color photos throughout. The result is an appealing natural history that will delight any casual birder.

Bug Book
Nick Baker
Bloomsbury Press
175 Fifth Avenue, Suite 315, New York, NY 10010
9781472913791 $20.00 www.bloomsbury.com

Bug Book offers a fun format and a lively coverage designed to help readers understand the natural history of all kinds of insects and their relatives, and provides a fun blend of color photos and details on bug habits, bug watching, and bug collecting. While its format lends to use by advanced elementary grades, adults who also harbor an interest in insects will find this Bug Book comes packed with plenty of science and nature details perfect for adults who want a lively read. The result is a collection that is unique in its ability to cross over and appeal to many audiences.


The Cookbook Shelf

Vegan with a Vengeance
Isa Chandra Moskowitz
Da Capo Press
c/o Perseus Book Group
250 W. 57th St., Suite 1500, New York, NY 10107
www.perseusbooksgroup.com
9780738218335 $22.99 pbk / $13.08 Kindle www.amazon.com

Illustrated with tantalizing, full-color photography throughout, Vegan with a Vengeance is a meatless, dairy-free cookbook filled with sumptuous delicacies to tempt every palate! Recipes such as Hazelnut Scones, Chickpea and Rice Soup with a Little Kale, Tempeh Reuben, BBQ Pomegranate Tofu, Raspberry Blackout Cake with Ganache and much more offer bold, alluring, and inventive flavor combinations. A choice pick for gourmet vegans (or gourmet non-vegans interested in enjoying a meatless meal now and then!), Vegan with a Vengeance is highly recommended.

New Prairie Kitchen
Summer Miller
Midway
c/o Agate Publishing
1328 Greenleaf Street, Evanston, IL 60202
www.agatepublishing.com
9781572841673, $29.95, 256pp, www.amazon.com

In "New Prairie Kitchen", freelance writer and culinary expert Summer Miller showcases twenty-five of the most exciting and groundbreaking chefs, farmers, and producers of artisanal goods from Nebraska, Iowa, and South Dakota. Their personal stories are interspersed with more than fifty chef-contributed recipes that range from refreshingly simple to exquisitely gourmet. Deftly organized by season and wonderfully illustrated with the full color photography of Dana Damewood, "New Prairie Kitchen" will transport readers to a revitalized Midwestern heartland where traditional favorites interweave with inspiring new flavors and techniques. The recipes themselves range from Sweet-Corn Chowder with Bacon and Sweet-Corn Salsa; Toast with Homemade Ricotta and Fresh Strawberry Jam; and Pork-Fennel Sausage with Pickled Mustard Seeds; to Spring Garlic Soup; Caramelized Pattypan Squash Salad with Summer Peaches; and Walleye Tacos with Charred Salsa. As much fun to browse through as it is 'kitchen cook friendly' to prepare menus with, "New Prairie Kitchen" is very highly recommended for personal, family, and community library cookbook collections. It should be noted that "New Prairie Kitchen" is also available in a Kindle edition ($16.17).

Lighten Up, Y'all
Virginia Willis
Ten Speed Press
c/o The Random House Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, 17th floor, New York, NY 10019
www.crownpublishing.com
9781607745730, $24.99, www.amazon.com

The traditional cuisine of the American south is as delicious as it is usually 'weight-watcher unfriendly'. But no more! Not with the recipes that comprise Virginia Willis' "Lighten Up, Y'all: Classic Southern Recipes Made Healthy and Wholesome", a beautifully and profusely illustrated 232 page compendium showcasing southern cuisine that has been re-worked and modified with recipes that are as palate pleasing and appetite satisfying as they are nutritious and healthy. These dishes range from Cornmeal-Crusted Chicken Bites with Jalapeno Dipping Sauce; Grilled Potato Salad with Bacon Vinaigrette; Baked Zucchini Crisps; and Pan-Seared Fish Steaks with Cherry Tomatoes and Basil; to Smothered and Covered Chicken and Gravy; Rack of Lamb with Pecan-Mint Dipping Sauce; Buttermilk Biscuits with Turkey Sausage Gravy; and Multigrain Pecan Waffles. Each individual recipe notes the number of servings, is introduced with a brief commentary, provides a list of ingredients, and complete step-by-step instructions. "Lighten Up, Y'all: Classic Southern Recipes Made Healthy and Wholesome" will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to personal, family, and community library cookbook collections! It should be noted that "Lighten Up, Y'all" is also available in a Kindle edition ($11.84).

Vegan Tapas
Julia Barnard
MTC Books
PO Box 356, McLaren Vale, SA, 5171, Australia
http://veggietapas.com
9780980759075, $9.99, www.amazon.com

Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products, particularly in one's diet, as well as following an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of sentient animals. A follower of veganism is known as a vegan. Tapas are a wide variety of appetizers, or snacks, in Spanish cuisine. They may be cold (such as mixed olives and cheese) or hot (such as chopitos, which are battered, fried baby squid). In select bars in Spain, tapas have evolved into an entire, sophisticated cuisine. In Spain, patrons of tapas can order many different tapas and combine them to make a full meal. In some Central American countries, such snacks are known as bocas. In Mexico, similar dishes are called "botanas". Compiled and presented by Julia Barnard, "Vegan Tapas" is an impressive 190 page collection of 150 quick and delicious tapas snacks and bites expressively appropriate for sharing with family and friends. The recipes are organized into nine sections: Dips; Toppings; Vegetables; Tofu and Cheese; Grains, Pulses and Nuts; Potatoes; Bread, Polenta and Fritters; Pastries and Biscuits; Desserts. Of special note are the inclusion of an informative Introduction, the practical Cook's Notes, and a useful Index. Thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' throughout, "Vegan Tapas" is certain to be an enduringly popular addition to personal, family, and community library Vegetarian & Vegan cookbook collections. It should be noted that "Vegan Tapas" is also available in a Kindle edition ($6.99).

Wok Wisely: Chinese Vegetarian Cooking
Dharma Realm Cookbook Team, author
Jin Rou Shi, editor
Buddhist Text Translation Society
4951 Bodhi Way, Ukiah, CA 95482
www.drba.org www.buddhisttexts.org
9781601030757, $10.00, 200pp, www.amazon.com

Not just a cookbook, but a way of life for your body, mind and spirit, "Wok Wisely, Chinese Vegetarian Cooking", presents not only a collection of nourishing, flavorful recipes, but information on how to keep the body in balance. Originally assembled by the Dharma Realm Cookbook Team in Chinese for a Buddhist monastery, this English version was done under the guidance of American Buddhist nun, Jin Rou Shi. In addition to recipes and tips on keeping the body in balance, "Wok Wisely: Chinese Vegetarian Cooking" contains nutrition facts from both Chinese classics and contemporary Western sources, guidelines for vegetarian children, quotes by about vegetarianism from the likes of actress Alicia Silverstone, physicist Albert Einstein, scientist Charles Darwin, poet George Bernard Shaw, and Buddhist masters, among others. "Wok Wisely: Chinese Vegetarian Cooking" also covers how to maintain a safe home through the use of natural cleaning products. Thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' from beginning to end, "Wok Wisely: Chinese Vegetarian Cooking" is very highly recommended and will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to personal, family, and community library Vegetarian & Vegan cookbook collections.

Bake Good Things
William-Sonoma Editorial Staff
Weldon Owen, Inc.
415 Jackson Street, San Francisco, CA 94111
www.weldonowen.com
9781616287672, $19.95, www.amazon.com

"Bake Good Things: Simple Techniques and Foolproof Recipes for Everyday Eating" is a 144 page instructional cookbook specifically designed for the novice baker seeking to create a variety of delectable baked goods from scratch. Offering a complete course of step-by-step instructions, "Bake Good Things" is presented in individual chapters, each of which features a single baking technique accompanied by step-by-step directions and photos. The instructive recipes range from cookies and bars; to muffins and quickbreads; biscuits, scones, and cobblers; pies; cakes and cupcakes; and yeast breads and pizzas. These 'how to' lessons in baking detail any tools needed, reveal secrets to success, demystify confusing terms, and outline essential dos and don'ts. Each of the 60 recipes includes bonus information such as how to frost and decorate sweets, tips for buying the right ingredients, and how to hack everyday kitchen items to stand in for fancy baking tools you don't have laying around. As absolute "must" for the novice baker seeking to master the basics, "Bake Good Things" will prove to be of enduring value to experienced kitchen cooks as an addition to personal, family, and community library cookbook collections!

Vegan Everyday
Douglas McNish
Robert Rose Inc.
120 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 800
Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M4P 1E2
www.robertrose.ca
9780778804994, $24.95, 567pp, www.amazon.com

Expertly compiled by Douglas McNish (a vegan executive chef, instructor and consultant, with a strong commitment to health and organics), "Vegan Everyday: 500 Delicious Recipes" is a 567 page culinary compendium showcasing five hundred recipes for nutritious and delicious dishes for vegans and vegetarians. Enhanced with two sections of color photographs of finished dishes, the recipes range from Grilled Tofu with Peanut Sauce; Spiced Pumpkin Cashew Butter; Indonesian Black Rice Salad; Creamy Sweet Potato Linguine; and Stir-Fried Broccoli with Ginger and Hoisin; to Shepherd's Pie with Cauliflower Mash; Grilled Portobellos with Sweet Potato Gratin and Sauteed Green Beans; Banana Goji Cookies; Buttermilk Biscuits; Fresh Berry Sabayon; and Watermelon Lime Granita. Each recipes is provided with serving size information, 'Tips' relevant to that particular recipe, a clear listing of ingredients, thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' directions, and even 'Variation' notes. No personal, professional, family, or community library vegetarian/vegan cookbook collection should be without a copy of "Vegan Everyday: 500 Delicious Recipes"!

The Geeky Chef Cookbook
Cassandra Reeder
Race Point Publishers
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
400 First Avenue North, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55401-1722
www.quartous.com
9781631060496, $29.99, www.amazon.com

"The Geeky Chef Cookbook: Real-Life Recipes for Your Favorite Fantasy Foods - Unofficial Recipes from Doctor Who, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, and More" by Cassandra Reed is a 144 page, beautifully illustrated, flex culinary compendium showcasing more than sixty superbly presented recipes that are as much fun to browse through as they are to plan menus with. Featuring thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' directions, the fantasy and science fiction literature based recipes range from Spice Beer (inspired by Dune); Cheese Buns (inspired by The Hunger Games); Plomeek Soup (inspired by Star Trek); and Big Kahuna Burger (inspired by Pulp Fiction); to Cauldron Cakes (inspired by Harry Potter); Turkish Delight (inspired by The Chronicles Of Narnia); Poffins (inspired by Pokemon); and Chocolate Salty Balls (inspired by South Park). A unique addition to personal, family, and community library cookbook collections, "The Geeky Chef Cookbook: Real-Life Recipes for Your Favorite Fantasy Foods - Unofficial Recipes from Doctor Who, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, and More" is enthusiastically recommended. It should be noted that "The Geeky Chef Cookbook" is also available in a Kindle edition ($10.99).

Estonian Tastes and Traditions
Karin Annus Karner
Hippocrene Books, Inc.
171 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016
9780781813457 $18.95 www.hippocrenebooks.com

Estonian Tastes and Traditions is not only a cookbook; it's also a culinary tour of Estonia, one of the northernmost Baltic nations. Estonian cuisine is known for its reliance on the staples of potatoes, pork, preserved fish, and dark bread. Sauces are made from milk, sour cream, or cottage cheese, and the most common flavor enhancements are salt and pepper, onions, or fresh herbs. Tidbits about the history of cherished dishes accompany recipes such as Sauerkraut with Bacon and Apples, Smoked Salmon Sandwiches, Baked Apples in Puff Pastry, Cream Candy, and much more. An English/Estonian and Estonian/English glossary of cooking terms, a bibliography, and an index round out this "must-have" for anyone with a keen interest in Estonian cuisine!

The Apple Cookbook, third edition
Olwen Woodier
Storey Publishing
210 Mass MoCA Way, North Adams, MA 01247
9781612125183 $14.95 www.storey.com

Featuring a wealth of full-color photography, The Apple Cookbook: 125 Freshly Picked Recipes is a gourmet guide that would make Johnny Appleseed proud. A brief introduction to the history of apples and the basics of using them in cooking precedes a wealth of apple-based delights, from rousing breakfasts to drinks and snacks, salads and sides, main courses, and desserts. A brief survey of the nuances of assorted apple varieties and an index round out this superb resource apple enthusiasts, as well as everyone who enjoys healthy cooking!

Ally's Kitchen
Alice Phillips
Front Table Books
c/o Cedar Fort, Inc.
2373 West 700 South, Springville, Utah 84663
www.cedarfort.com
9781462115464, $28.99, www.amazon.com

Ordinary family meals can be utterly transformed into palate pleasing, appetite satisfying, celebratory cuisine with the 'kitchen cook friendly' recipes that comprise "Ally's Kitchen: A Passport for Adventurous Palates". This beautifully illustrated, 240 page international culinary compendium begins with a chapter on Boholicious Sauces & Spice Mixtures; then goes on to showcase Charming European Flavors; The Stunning Mediterranean; Middle Eastern Allure; An African Excursion; Exploring Exotic Asia; Caribbean Island Eats; Side Trip Escapades. The dishes themselves range from European Tuna Salad with Nicoise Black Olives; Warsaw Apple Crisps Date Cake; Greek Eggs with Spinach, Mozzarella, & Cherry Peppers; Spiced Grilled Beef, Shrimp & Veggie Kabobs with Fig Balsamic Glaze; and African Corn Crepes Stuffed with Beef & Mushrooms with Lime Yogurt Sauce; to Vindaloo Oven-Roasted Chicken; Jamaican Jerk Caramelized Onion Burgers; Cardamom Coconut Sugar Friend Plantains; and Slow-Cooked Garlic Onion Pork with Dates & Pineapple. "Ally's Kitchen: A Passport for Adventurous Palates" is simple joy to browse, inspiring to plan menus with, and an enduringly popular addition to personal, family, professional, and community library cookbook collections. It should be noted that "Ally's Kitchen: A Passport for Adventurous Palates" is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).

Smoking, Curing, & Drying Meat & Fish
Turan T. Turan
Stackpole Books
5067 Ritter Road, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055-6921
www.stackpolebooks.com
9780811714990, $29.95, www.amazon.com

Profusely illustrated throughout, "Smoking, Curing, & Drying Meat & Fish" by Turan T. Turan is a 224 page instruction manual and guide that contains all the information needed to create and enjoy delicious smoked, cured, and dried meats and fish at home. Smoking, curing and drying are all food preservation and preparation processes that will improve the taste of good ingredients naturally-no artificial flavors needed. Featuring more than fifty recipes that range from dried lamb and beef jerky to pastrami and hot-smoked salmon, "Smoking, Curing, & Drying Meat & Fish" offers clear and simple directions for building a smoker, along with expert tips for mastering artisan cooking techniques, including hot and cold smoking, brining, curing, air-drying, and more. Detailed, comprehensive, practical, informed and informative, "Smoking, Curing, & Drying Meat & Fish" will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to personal, family, and community library reference collections.

Betty's Pies Favorite Recipes, second edition
Betty Lessard
Lake Superior Port Cities
310 East Superior Street, Duluth, MN 55802
www.lakesuperior.com
9781938229183, $18.95, www.amazon.com

Betty's Pies began as a smoked fish stand in the 1950s and grew into a full-fledged restaurant by the time Betty Lessard sold it in 1984. Now in a newly revised, updated, and expanded second edition, "Betty's Pies Favorite Recipes" continues the culinary traditions that she draws upon to provide today's kitchen cooks with palate pleasing, appetite satisfying recipes for dishes that would be welcome addition to any dining occasion from simple family meals to elegant celebratory occasions. Featuring recipes and culinary instructions organized into eight chapters (Pie Crusts; Baked Pies; Baked Fresh Fruit Pies; Special Pies; Cream Pies; Cheesecake; Cookies & Bars; Breads & Quick Breads; 'Other Favorites', the recipes themselves range from an Oreo Cookie Crust; a Cranberry-Apple Pie with Crunch Topping; and a Macadamia Nut Chiffon Pie; to Drommer Swedish Cookies; Dilly Bread; and Rutabaga Pudding. Certain to be an enduringly popular addition to personal, family, and community library cookbook collections, "Betty's Pies Favorite Recipes" is enthusiastically recommended!

Low & Slow 2
Gary Wiviott & Colleen Rush
Running Press
c/o Perseus Book Group
250 W. 57th St., Suite 1500, New York, NY 10107
www.runningpress.com
9780762453955, $22.00, 280pp, www.amazon.com

Smoke-roasting meats, barbecuing meats over an open flame, and curing meats against spoilage are culinary skills that are as old as the human race. Compiled with commentary by the culinary team of barbecue expert Gary Wiviott and freelance food writer Colleen Rush, "Low & Slow 2: The Art of Barbecue, Smoke-Roasting, and Basic Curing" is a 280 page compendium comprised of a basic instruction guide and recipes deftly organized into eleven chapters: The Stuff; The Set-Up; Turkey, Duck & More Poultry; Beef; Fish & Seafood; Lamb; Lagniappe; Side Dishes; Brines & Marinades; Rubs; Sauces & Condiments. The palate pleasing, appetite satisfying, kitchen cook friendly recipes themselves range from Smoked Brisket; Standing Rib Roast; Smoked Salmon; and Smoke-Roasted Leg of Lamb; to Smoked Fresh Ham; Grilled Corn; Basic Buttermilk Brine; Szechuan Five-Spice Rub; and Salsa Verde. "Low & Slow 2: The Art of Barbecue, Smoke-Roasting, and Basic Curing" will prove to be an enduringly popular and much referred to addition for personal and family cookbook collections. Indeed, no community library's cookbook collections should be without a copy of "Low & Slow 2: The Art of Barbecue, Smoke-Roasting, and Basic Curing"! It should be noted that "Low & Slow 2: The Art of Barbecue, Smoke-Roasting, and Basic Curing" is also available in a Kindle edition ($12.49).

Sweet Cast Iron Creations
Doug Martin
Hobble Creek
c/o Cedar Fort, Inc.
2373 West 700 South, Springville, Utah 84663
www.cedarfort.com
9781462114450, $16.99, www.amazon.com

A Dutch oven is a thick-walled (usually cast iron but also ceramic and clay) cooking pot with a tight-fitting lid. Dutch ovens have been used as cooking vessels for hundreds of years. Compiled and presented by culinary expert Doug Martin, "Sweet Cast Iron Creations: Dutch Oven Desserts" is a specialized, 128 page, beautifully illustrated collection of palate pleasing recipes for desserts and treats made with the use of a Dutch Oven. Each recipe begins with a succinct personal commentary, a list of ingredients, and thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' directions. The delectable dishes range from a Green Chili Apple Pie; Grandma's Zucchini Chocolate Cake; English Fruit Cake; and Peach Cobbler; to Buttery Sugar Cookies; Gooey Fudge Brownies; Banana Bread; and Raspberry Brioche Pudding. Of special note is an entire chapter devoted to Frosting, Ganaches, and Compotes! A delight to browse through and inspiring to plan menus with, "Sweet Cast Iron Creations: Dutch Oven Desserts" is a must for anyone and everyone who has a Dutch Oven of their own! It should be noted that "Sweet Cast Iron Creations: Dutch Oven Desserts" is also available in a Kindle edition ($6.99).

Buttercream Dreams
Jeff Martin
Andrews McMeel Publishing
1130 Walnut Street, Kansas City, MO 64106-2109
www.andrewsmcmeel.com
9781449468095, $14.99, 96pp, www.amazon.com

Compiled and presented by Jeff Martin (former chef and the founder of the wildly popular franchise Smallcakes), "Buttercream Dreams: Small Cakes, Big Scoops, and Sweet Treats" showcases thirty of the best, fun, and easiest recipes for iced cupcakes, ice creams, and sweet treats from his fast growing company. But more than just a beautifully illustrated collection of recipes, "Buttercream Dreams " is also the story of how Jeff Martin created the wildly popular and fast-growing Smallcakes franchise. He shares his experiences on starting his business and coming up with some of his very first signature cupcake flavors like Cookies-n-Cream. He appeared on the Food Network's reality show called Cupcake Wars and famously became the guy who forgot the pumpkin in a pumpkin cupcake challenge. The recipes themselves range from Chocolate Malted Milk Ball Cupcakes; Cookies 'N' Cream Cupcakes; Jax's Bubble Gum Cupcakes; and Blueberry Muffin Cupcakes; to Red Velvet Whoopsie Pies; Mom's Holiday Fudge; Spiced Apple-Pear Pies in a Jar; and Oatmeal Cream Pie Cookies. Certain to be an enduringly popular addition to personal, family, and community library cookbook collections, it should be noted that "Buttercream Dreams: Small Cakes, Big Scoops, and Sweet Treats" is also available in a Kindle edition ($5.99).

Nong's Thai Kitchen
Nongkran Daks & Alexandra Greeley
Tuttle Publishing
364 Innovation Drive, North Clarendon, VT 05759-9436
9780804843317 $14.95 www.tuttlepublishing.com

Nong's Thai Kitchen: 84 Classic Recipes That Are Quick, Healthy and Delicious requires only an interest in Thai cooking and access to an Asian market for specialty items such as Pandan Leaves and Sticky Rice to prove accessible to all. Preparation times average 10-15 minutes (all under 30) while dishes are as varied as Fish Fillets with Ginger and Shrimp Soup with Coconut Milk and Thai Ginger. The result is an easy, appealing introduction to Thai cuisine that requires little in the way of prep or expertise to duplicate with success, and is especially recommended for those who have eyed more extensive Thai cookbooks but want
something more accessible and inviting.

Chowderland
Brooke Dojny
Storey Publishing
210 Mass MoCA Way, North Adams, MA 01247
9781612123752 $14.95 www.storey.com

Chowderland: Hearty Soups & Stews with Sides & Salads to Match takes the concept of the traditional chowder recipe and embellishes it, from contrasting different approaches to clam and corn chowder to outlining such different creations as a Saint Patrick's Chowder, Parsnip Chowder, Seafood Chowder, and many more. Chowders are traditionally filled with potatoes, onions, meats and flavor: this encourages experimentation with seasonal dishes and celebratory foods, and comes packed with color photos on nearly every page. Introductions to the special dishes accompany descriptions of what to expect in a title that takes the basic chowder concept and makes it an appealing, innovative creation.


The Fiction Shelf

No One Gets Out of Here Alive
Adam Nevill
St. Martins Press
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
9781250041289 $32.50 www.stmartins.com

No One Gets Out of Here Alive tells of Stephanie, who moves to a North Birmingham neighborhood to an affordable room for rent that's bigger than the 'cell' she held prior. Unfortunately it wasn't meant to house more than one person - unfortunate, because she hears things in the night, feels things - or people - who vanish when the lights go on, and comes to believe that her room is haunted. More than this, the terror builds as the presence she senses becomes increasingly hostile, and as she becomes aware that not only has something deadly taken place in this house, but it's out to get her. A chilling novel of horror slowly and deliciously emerges: perfect for any who enjoy vivid, wonderful supernatural sagas.

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell
Susanna Clarke
Bloomsbury Press
175 Fifth Avenue, Suite 315, New York, NY 10010
9781620409909 $18.00 www.bloomsbury.com

At the dawn of the nineteenth century, most believe magic is dead in England - but Mr. Norrell reveals strange powers and revives the belief, and then he's challenged by another magician, novice Jonathan Strange, who is charismatic and young and daring. It seems obvious that the two magicians will join forces: what is less obvious is that the war against France is another factor that draws both these figures into a battle not just of politics and societies, but worlds of magic and myth. It's unusual to find a novel over a thousand pages; much less one that is compelling, multi-faceted, and embraces history and magic at the same time. This is a unique presentation in so many ways and provides an engrossing survey packed with drama and tension throughout - a true achievement in a story of over 1,000 pages of intrigue and food for thought.


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

Manhattan Mayhem
Mary Higgens Clark, editor
Quirk Books
215 Church Street, Philadelphia PA 19106
www.quirkbooks.com
9781594747618, $24.95, 320pp, www.amazon.com

Mary Higgins Clark has established herself as one of our leading authors in the mystery/suspense genre. In "Manhattan Mayhem: New Crime Stories from Mystery Writers of America" she invites readers on an inherently fascinating tour of Manhattan's most iconic neighborhoods in an outstanding anthology of all-new stories from members of the Mystery Writers of America. From the Flatiron District (Lee Child) and Greenwich Village (Jeffery Deaver) to Little Italy (T. Jefferson Parker) and Chinatown (S.J. Rozan), "Manhattan Mayehm" features an impressive roster of short stories showcasing crimes, mysteries, and riddles large and small. Illustrated with iconic photography of New York City, "Manhattan Mayhem" is a delightful read for armchair detectives and armchair travelers alike! Indeed, "Manhattan Mayhem" will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to any personal reading list or community library Mystery/Suspense collection. It should be noted that "Manhattan Mayhem" is also available in a Kindle edition ($12.99), as an audio book ($19.95), and in an MP3 format ($17.98).

A Finely Knit Murder
Sally Goldenbaum
Obsidian Mysteries
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
9780451471604 $24.95 www.penguin.com

A Finely Knit Murder provides a new 'Seaside Knitters' mystery and is a special recommendation for knitters who love murder puzzles. It tells of Birdie, who is thrilled that her granddaughter will be staying with her for the fall semester while attending a local school. When an outspoken school board member is murdered, however, it's up to Birdie and her knitting group to untangle the yarns in her life to find a murderer in their own community. A fine tale of puzzles and intrigue evolves, perfect for those who love knitting and women's group participations in community events.

Berkeley Prime Crime
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
www.penguin.com

Laura Childs' Ming Tea Murder (9780425281642, $25.95) shows what happens when scones mix with scandal as Theodosia is forced into a black tie affair by her handsome boyfriend, only to find that at this bastion of high society, murder crashes the party. When Theodosia discovers the body of museum donor Edgar, her invitation to tea becomes more complicated, and she must examine his life, his enemies, and the many motivations behind his murder. The story is involving and well-woven. Carolyn Hart's Don't Go Home (9780425276549, $25.95) tells of the owner of the Death on Demand mystery bookstore who hosts a party to celebrate successful Southern literary icon Alex Griffith and his new novel Don't Go Home. It's when a local reporter states that the author intends on revealing the real-life inspiration behind his characters that a book signing turns deadly and arguments erupt that eventually result in too realistic a murder mystery. A gripping saga of change makes for a solid, involving read.


The Social Issues Shelf

Rich Media, Poor Democracy
Robert W. McChesney
The New Press
126 Wall Street, floor 31, New York, NY 10005-4007
www.thenewpress.com
9781565849754, $22.95, 496pp, www.amazon.com

Originally published in 2000, "Rich Media, Poor Democracy: Communication Politics in Dubious Times" by Robert W. McChesney is a meticulously researched exposition of how U.S. media and communication empires are threatening effective democratic governance. What happens when a few conglomerates dominate all major aspects of mass media, from newspapers and magazines to radio and broadcast television? Since the original publication of this prescient and award winning work the concentration of media power and the resultant "hypercommercialization of culture" has only intensified. A clarion work of enduring value and relevance, "Rich Media, Poor Democracy: Communication Politics in Dubious Times" is very highly recommended for community and academic library Media Studies and Political Science Studies reference collections and supplemental studies reading lists. Impressively well written and fully accessible for the non-specialist general reader with an interest on the impact of corporate media on local, state, and federal level governance, it should be noted that "Rich Media, Poor Democracy: Communication Politics in Dubious Times" is also available in a Kindle edition ($12.99).

So You've Been Publicly Shamed
Jon Ronson
Riverhead Books
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
9781594487132 $27.95 www.riverheadbooks.com

So You've Been Publicly Shamed follows the author as he traveled the world for three years, meeting recipients of famous public shamings. It's a personal account of not only those who have been publicly shamed, but others who use shame as a method of social control, and it offers some powerful commentary on secrets, shame, violence, and most of all, how people can find a way out of shame. Relatively little has been written about the process of shame, especially in modern times, which makes So You've Been Publicly Shamed so unique and important a title for any collection strong in social issues discussions.


The Self-Help Shelf

Enough Already
Mike Lamele
Conari Press
c/o Red Wheel/Weiser
65 Parker Street, Suite 7, Newburyport, MA 01950-4600
9781573246477 $14.95 www.redwheelweiser.com

Enough Already: Create Success on Your Own Terms tells of a man who by the age of 24 was making large sums of money at his own public relations firm. Far from being happy, the success was literally killing him, and when a stress-induced illness brought looming disaster, he decided it was time to question the ideals of success. His transformation changed his business from a PR approach to being a wellness coach, and his path for making these changes is presented in a blend of autobiography, business savvy, and personal wellness and change routines that promise readers the same opportunities to turn potentially deadly success into better opportunities. From paying attention to the messages of one's own body to making money doing what is truly loved in life, Enough Already: Create Success on Your Own Terms is about different kinds of success and approaches to them, and is a highly recommended guide.

Find the Good
Heather Lende
Algonquin Books
PO Box 2225, Chapel Hill, NC 27515-2225
9781616201678 $16.95 www.algonquin.com

Find the Good: Unexpected Life Lessons from a Small-Town Obituary Writer provides short chapters and discussions geared to attacking negative attitudes and understanding positive approaches to life, and uses the author's experiences as an obituary writer in Alaska to impart this wisdom, gained from last words and how a meaningful life is truly lived. The synthesis of her experiences lies in 'finding the good' life has to offer; and while other books advocate similar approaches, this one differs in its succinct exploration of method. One person's angst is another's view of opportunity - and Find the Good tells how to make these connections to change hearts and lives.


The Metaphysical Studies Shelf

The Book of Oberon
Daniel Harms, James R. Clark, Joseph H. Peterson
Llewellyn Worldwide, LTD.
2143 Wooddale Drive, Woodbury, MN 55125
www.llewellyn.com
9780738743349, $65.00, 600pp, www.amazon.com

The collaborative work of Daniel Harms, James R. Clark, and Joseph H. Peterson, "The Book of Oberon: A Sourcebook of Elizabethan Magic" is a lavishly illustrated grimoire that will prove to be an indispensable addition to the Metaphysical Studies reference collections of magic practitioners, grimoire collectors, and Elizabethan Era historians. "The Book of Oberon" is the meticulous transcription and translation of a sixteenth-century manuscript acquired by the esteemed Folger Shakespeare Library. Unlike the more theoretical magic books of the era, this collection of spells, secrets, and summonings was compiled gradually by unknown authors for working practical magic. Now published by Llewellyn Worldwide in a premium hardcover edition retaining the original's red lettering of significant words and holy names, "The Book of Oberon" includes rituals for summoning a long list of spirits and faeries (including Oberion, Fairy King and close relation to Shakespeare's Oberon); original drawings; common prescriptions used by cunning folk; instructions for dealing with Goetic demons that were censored in other texts; one of the oldest known copies of the magical manual The Enchiridion; and much more. "The Book of Oberon" is a significant contribution to the annals of magical history, bringing to light the kind of grimoire that was commonplace in its era but is so rarely published today. Enhanced with the inclusion of a twelve page Bibliography and a thirty-one page Index, "The Book of Oberon: A Sourcebook of Elizabethan Magic" is unique and highly recommended for personal, community, and academic library Metaphysical Studies and Elizabethan History reference collections.

Hidden Histories and Ancient Mysteries of Witches, Plants, and Fungi
Frank Drugan
APS Press
3340 Pilot Knob Road, St. Paul, MN 55337
www.scisoc.org
9780890544655, $69.95, 180pp, www.amazon.com

In "Hidden Histories and Ancient Mysteries of Witches, Plants, and Fungi", author Frank Drugan provides an inherently fascinating history of ancient rituals and plant lore that formed the foundations for medicine, botany, and modern agriculture. For millennia, shamans and healers invoked a metaphysical relationship that involved a myriad of plants and human beings. For centuries, peasants leaped over bonfires with accompaniment of song, ale and courtship, in spring, mid-summer and fall, all to combat smut, rust, darnel, and rinderpest. During these times, rituals for protection of crops and livestock were the primary basis of social life and cohesion, and these rituals contributed to a vigorous plant lore that later transmuted into the foundations of medicine, botany, and modern agriculture. Exceptionally well written and impressively informative, "Hidden Histories and Ancient Mysteries of Witches, Plants, and Fungi" is a substantial and unique read, a seminal work of outstanding research scholarship, making it very highly recommended for personal reading lists, as well as community, and academic library collections.

Norse Goddess Magic
Alice Karlsdottir
Destiny Books
c/o Inner Traditions International, Ltd.
One Park Street, Rochester, VT 05767
www.innertraditions.com
9781620554074 $16.95 www.destinybooks.com

Norse Goddess Magic: Trancework, Mythology, and Ritual is a recommendation for spirituality and new age holdings and blends traditional research on folklore with meditation techniques to reveal the feminine side of the Norse goddess for group ritual and personal spirit work. She uses her own trancework journeys and goddess insights to fuel an exploration of various icons, sharing their appearances, relationships, and connections to Old Norse society. The result is a survey perfect for new age readers working with goddess spirit influences.

Toward the Light
Amy Major
New Page Books
c/o Career Press Inc.
220 West Parkway, Unit 12, Pompton Plains, NJ 07444
9781632650009 $14.99 www.newpagebooks.com

Toward the Light: Rescuing Spirits, Trapped Souls, and Earthbound Ghosts is the first guide that addresses spirit rescue and how it can help save earthbound spirits from an exile on earth, and it's designed to appeal to mediums, spirit communicators, and any who strive to understand the world from a ghost's perspective. From why spirits remain earthbound and where they tend to gravitate to spirit attachments and techniques used to clear spirit energies, Toward the Light is all about release methods and different approaches to viewing and dealing with the spirit world.

Awakening Higher Consciousness
Lloyd M. Dickie and Paul R. Boudreau
Inner Traditions International, Ltd.
One Park Street, Rochester, VT 05767
9781620553947 $18.95 www.innertraditions.com

Awakening Higher Consciousness: Guidance from Ancient Egypt and Sumer provides an in-depth study of ancient Sumerian, Egyptian, Babylonian and Hebrew myths and uses their cross-comparison to identify similarities in classic myths that address awakening higher consciousness. In considering creation and ancient myths as actual guideposts to higher consciousness and thinking, this approach allows for a full review of connects myths with modern thinking. The authors spent more than a year in Egypt to personally investigate the myths, so their discussions of sacred narratives offers an ample blend of personal research and impressions from the cultural traditions they survey.

Llewellyn Worldwide, LTD.
2143 Wooddale Drive, Woodbury, MN 55125
www.llewellyn.com

Jane Meredith's Circle of Eight: Creating Magic for Your Place on Earth (9780738742151, $17.99) is a recommended pick for any reader strong in paganism, and reviews a magical system for developing new rituals based on one's relationship with the land. It explores the nature of mythic work, considers innovations and how relationships develop within magical circles, and considers the localized influence of environment on magical endeavors and perceptions. First-person discussions of how to work with invocations, children, totems and local elements make for a satisfying blend of author introspection and insights into the nature and process of magic, making for a powerful and thought-provoking survey. Sherrie Dillard's Develop Your Medical Intuition (9780738742014, $16.99) is recommended for health and healing and new age holdings alike, and shows how to improve health through basic step-by-step exercises that include guided visualizations, case studies on intuitive processes, and how to assess main medical intuitive types and skills from clairvoyance and claircognizance to vibrational sensitivity. The basic premise is that developing one's intuitive powers will lead to better medical intuition and that exercises can be used to strengthen this process. Chapters draw important connections on how this all works.


The Business Shelf

Accounting for Non-Accountants, tenth edition
David Horner
Kogan Page USA
1518 Walnut Street, Suite 1100, Philadelphia, PA 19102
9780749472818 $49.95 www.koganpage.com

Accounting for Non-Accountants appears in its tenth updated edition to provide a basic introduction to accounting and finance, and has been updated for 2015 to include information on the new UK GAAP accounting standards and the latest international standards. It provides analysis in three key areas, covers such major topics as accounting standards, balance sheets, and cash flows, and provides new coverage of the technology used for management and financial bookkeeping. Any non-accountant who wants to get up to speed on terminology and accounting basics will relish this.


The Autism Shelf

An Asperger's Guide to Entrepreneurship
Rosalind A. Bergemann
Jessica Kingsley Publishers, Inc.
400 Market Street, Suite 400, Philadelphia, PA 19106
9781849055093 $29.95 www.jkp.com

An Asperger's Guide to Entrepreneurship: Setting Up Your Own Business for Professionals with Autism Spectrum Disorder is for any business person with Asperger Syndrome who is considering a new career path, for new graduates, or for any who want to consider if self employment fits with their personality and abilities. Especially tailored for Aspies, the book discusses developing working relationships, self-marketing, and other common business concerns with an eye to understanding the special concerns and psyche of Asperger's individuals, and makes for an involving discussion filled with specific tips for getting at the heart of a business pursuit and understanding the special business challenges faced by Asperger's individuals.

Jessica Kingsley Publishers, Inc.
400 Market Street, Suite 400, Philadelphia, PA 19106
www.jkp.com

Caroline Baker's Developing Excellent Care for People Living with Dementia in Care Homes (9781849054676, $29.95) discusses the award-winning PEARL program for improving care home practices, and provides an easy introduction describing the program's key framework and how to blend this approach in a care home. It provides care home workers with all the basics needed to make this part of their plan and it pairs examples with theory to cover everything from helping residents to sleep well to managing pain. Philip Wylie's Very Late Diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome (Autism Spectrum Disorder): How Seeking a Diagnosis in Adulthood Can Change Your Life (9781849054331, $19.95) tackles a common issue: what happens when Asperger syndrome is undiagnosed until well into adult years. Its focus on what to do after such a diagnosis offers invaluable keys to handling the choices and journey that evolves from that point onward, and uses the author's own experiences as one of the foundations for considering the ramifications of such a diagnosis. Bill Nason's The Autism Discussion Page titles offers two different books packed with tools for helping children with autism feel accepted and safe. On the Core Challenges of Autism (9781849059947, $24.95) discusses the sensory, social, and emotional challenges of autism and provides information and tools for helping kids. It's based on the posts and online community interactions around the subject and teaches readers how to understand about the sensory challenges involved in autism. On Anxiety, Behavior, School, and Parenting Strategies (9781849059954, $24.95) surveys anxiety and stress and different behavioral and social issues, providing more general teaching and mentoring strategies for helping autistic children with the challenges of school and social settings. Both of these books, together, provide invaluable keys to success.


The Jobs/Careers Shelf

Becoming Generation Flux
Miles Anthony Smith, MBA
Miles Anthony Smith, Publisher
http://www.milesanthonysmith.com/contact.html
9780988405332 $16.95 www.milesanthonysmith.com

Becoming Generation Flux: Why Traditional Career Planning is Dead: How to be Agile, Adapt to Ambiguity, and Develop Resilience discusses career ambiguity, job searches, and how to incorporate a career search that leads to future success. Traditional career planning, readers may be surprised to note, is dead - the key to success lies in becoming agile and adapting to ambiguity and change as the job market goes through vast transitions. Chapters discuss how to develop such resilience and how to adapt to make the most of a career path that isn't linear, but fluid.


The Biography Shelf

Gustave Trouve
Kevin Desmond
McFarland
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
9780786497096 $39.95 www.mcfarlandpub.com

Gustave Trouve: French Electrical Genius (1839-1902) is a an expanded edition of the 2012 biography of the brilliant Parisian electrical engineer. In the course of his life, Trouve conceived and patented some 75 inventions, including the endoscope, the electrical car, and the frontal headlamp. He also created luminous fountains, an electric piano, an electric rifle, wearable technology and ultraviolet light therapy. Trouve never traveled to America, and was gradually forgotten after his accidental death in 1902, even though his ideas and inventions contributed significantly to modern-day industrialization. A wealth of black-and-white illustrations including vintage photographs and diagrams, chapter notes, a bibliography, and an index round out this edifying account of the man once dubbed "the French Edison" by the Chevalier of the Legion of Honor. Highly recommended, especially for public and college library biography shelves.

It Is Written
Philip Lee Williams
www.philipleewilliams.com
Mercer University Press
1400 Coleman Avenue, Macon, GA 31207-0001
9780881464931 $29.00 www.mupress.org

It Is Written: My Life in Letters is the autobiography of prize-winning author Philip Lee Williams, from his youth in Madison, to his days at the University of Georgia, his years as a journalist, and this successful thirty-year career as a published author of fiction, poetry, and essays. A handful of black-and-white photographs from Williams' life enriches this biographical testimony of the publishing industry, Hollywood, and checkered successes and failures. Witty and always engaging, It Is Written is an excellent addition to public library biography shelves.

The Book of Wanderings
Kimberly Meyer
Little, Brown & Company
c/o Hachette Book Group
237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017
www.hachettebookgroup.com
9780316251211 $27.00 www.littlebrown.com

The Book of Wanderings: A Mother-Daughter Pilgrimage is a thought-provoking, moving saga of a daughter born during a single mother's last year of college, a haunted relationship affected by a mother's longing to travel and a daughter's fear of being abandoned, and a later joint journey that takes them on a journey to retrace the footsteps of a medieval Dominican friar, discovering their connections and relationship in their shared process of exploring the world. It's a powerful memoir of family connections, what it means to undertake a shared pilgrimage, and the encounters and forces that change lives, and it's a powerful story that is perfect for mothers and daughters to read together.

I Regret Nothing
Jen Lancaster
New American Library
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
www.newamericanlibrary.com
9780451471079 $26.95 www.penguin.com

I Regret Nothing: A Memoir comes from an author whose life represents reinvention and change, who has documented her attempts to improve and move ahead - and provides a lively memoir that documents zany encounters, fun friends, American culture, and more. Lancaster's approach to midlife will have fellow midlifers laughing and relating to her experiences while black and white photos throughout enhance her stories and lively adventures. The result is a romp through one woman's life which will feel like a shared experience at book's end, recommended for any general interest collection and for both newcomers to and old fans of Jen Lancaster's brand of humor.


The Travel Shelf

Lonely Planet: Sardinia
Kerry Christiani and Duncan Greenwood
Lonely Planet Publications
150 Linden Street, Oakland CA 94607
www.lonelyplanet.com
9781742207353 $21.99 pbk / $12.49 Kindle www.amazon.com

Part of the top-quality Lonely Planet series of international travel guides, Lonely Planet: Sardinia is a user-friendly resource for visitors to this beautiful Mediterranean island, which is also one of Italy's five autonomous regions. Crammed cover to cover with need-to-know information, Lonely Planet: Sardinia includes highlight destinations (with their hours, phone numbers, and websites) sorted by region, a wealth of maps and color photographs, an A-Z directory, and much more. An excellent choice for business travelers and vacationers alike!

The Wilderness of the Upper Yukon
Charles Sheldon
B&C Classics
c/o Boone & Crockett Club
250 Station Drive, Missoula, MT 59801
9781940860084 $24.95 www.boone-crockett.org

Any interested in the wildlife and land of the Yukon Territory - particularly those who want a study of historic travels in the region by an author who recorded his field experiences from 1904 to 1905 - will find The Wilderness of the Upper Yukon provides an unusual blend of a natural history, hunter's observations, and travelogue. Readers who are interested in science, nature, hunting, and travel alike - especially those with a particular affinity for the Yukon - will find this filled with nearly a hundred photos and paintings of the trip from the viewpoint of a hunter who also appreciates natural history. It's part of the 'B&C Classics' series launched in 2012 by the hunter's group Boone and Crockett Club, in which each book is authored by a club member of the late 1800s to early 1900s. The result is a lively, fun survey that will delight any looking for vintage, early impressions of wilderness encounters.


The Gardening Shelf

The Complete Guide to Companion Planting, second edition
Dale Mayer
Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc.
1405 S.W. 6th Avenue, Ocala, FL 34471
9781620230039 $14.99 www.atlantic-pub.com

The second updated edition of The Complete Guide to Companion Planting: Everything You Need to Know to Make Your Garden Successful provides a solid, revised reference complete with a new insert of color images, facts, and tips for companion planters and is a top pick for any who would learn the basics of companion planting techniques. From crop rotation and working with a garden's natural condition to creating a gardening schedule, this book teaches the best companions, what not to pair, and how to arrange a garden to make the most of a companion placement. From design strategies to pros and cons, this book comes packed with information and a centerfold of color photo examples.

Kyoto Gardens
Judith Clancy
Tuttle Publishing
364 Innovation Drive, North Clarendon, VT 05759-9436
9780805313213 $22.95 www.tuttlepublishing.com

Kyoto Gardens: Masterworks of the Japanese Gardener's Art provides a lively survey of Kyoto's gardens and landscapes and comes from a master photographer and a Kyoto-based writer who capture the beauty of the city's major gardens. Historic, artistic, and cultural insights accompany displays of seasonal color and discussions of how the master gardeners injected different feelings into imperial, temple, and public garden settings. While the city may be known for its gardens, what is less usual is a guide that embraces all these elements, moving beyond gardening specifics to cover all of Japanese gardening objectives in the course of examining one city's diverse horticultural wonders, making this a pick for gardening and travel holdings alike.


The Automotive Shelf

CarTech
39966 Grand Avenue, North Branch, MN 55056
www.cartechbooks.com

Pat Ganahl's Hot Rod Gallery: A Nostalgic Look at Hot Rodding's Golden Years: 1930-1960 (9781613251157 $39.95) provides a compelling history of hot rod races, covering cars, personalities, racers and events, and is packed with photos which in many cases come from the personal photo albums of those pioneers who made hot rodding history. This wasn't a one-time event: Pat Ganahl has reported on rods since the early 1970s and his collection numbers between 30,000 and 40,000 images - so this book selects the best of a vast number of images and represents both top events and riveting photo treatments of their circumstances. Tommy Lee Byrd and Kyle Tucker's Detroit Speed's How to Build a Pro Touring Car (9781613251379, $26.95) offers step-by-step instructions for brake upgrades, LS engine swaps, cooling and writing upgrades, and much more, and teaches both a history of the Detroit Speed company and how their performance parts work. Chapters discuss various systems and pair auto history and performance facts with how-to directions auto buffs will appreciate. With its color photos of performance cars being worked on and keys to constructing and refitting a pro touring car, this is the auto tinkerer's dream book. Tony Candela's EFI Conversions: How to Swap Your Carb for Electronic Fuel Injection (9781613250839, $26.95) teaches the basics of how to convert from a carburetor fuel system to electronic to improve vehicle performance, and discusses the benefits of EFI systems and their management. There are various EFI systems available, from multiport fuel injection to stack systems and special applications: this book discusses the basics of each and provides keys to installing, calibrating and optimizing them. Color photos, charts, and sidebars of highlighted information contribute to a winning approach for any home car mechanic.


The Graphic Novel Shelf

Just So Happens
Fumio Obata
Abrams ComicArts
c/o Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
115 West 18th Street, 6th floor
New York, NY 10011
9781419715969 $17.95 www.abramsbooks.com

Sometimes there simply are no easy answers to life's most difficult questions. Just So Happens is a color graphic novel about a young woman coming to terms with both sides of her heritage and upbringing. Yumiko was born in Japan, the daughter of a Japanese father and British mother. Her parents divorced years ago due to irreconcilable differences; like her mother, Yumiko also chafed at the confining prospects of a dull job or becoming a traditional Japanese housewife. Instead, Yumiko opted to embark upon an ambition design career in London. Her success has made her a woman of two worlds, and she has grown close to her British fiance. Then, her father's sudden death from a mountaineering accident brings her back to the land of her roots. Just So Happens is a story of the search for identity, life-changing decisions and their consequences, grief, family, and love. Thoughtful and thought-provoking, Just So Happens is highly recommended, especially to connoisseurs of quality graphic novel literature.

The Divine
Boaz Lavie, author
Asaf Hanuka and Tomer Hanuka, artists
First Second
175 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10010
9781596436749 $19.99 www.firstsecondbooks.com

The Divine is a full-color graphic novel blending narrative elements of contemporary war, fantasy, and horror. Mark is an ex-military explosives expert trapped in a dead-end job, with a baby soon to come. His old friend Jason sweet-talks him into a potentially lucrative contract in the remote Southeast Asian nation of Quanlom. Yet Mark has no idea of what awaits him; in Quanlom, the ruthless greed of humans clashes violently with the will of ancient, powerful spirits of the land. A pawn buffeted by the brutality of both sides of the war, will Mark survive to see his family again, let alone salvage his own conscience? Gripping to the very end, The Divine is highly recommended for adult and older teen readers, but is definitely not for the faint of heart due to scenes of graphic violence.

Seven Stories: Lucky Luke
R. Goscinny, author
Morris, illustrator
Cinebook Ltd.
c/o National Book Network
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
www.nbnbooks.com
9781849182263, $11.95, 48pp, www.amazon.com

The newest addition to the wonderfully entertaining 'Lucky Luke' graphic novel series, "Seven Stories" continues the western adventures of the Lonesome Cowboy known as Lucky Luke. We all know that Lucky Luke has a busy life. When it's not Washington calling upon him for some national project, it's the local penitentiary asking him to recapture the Daltons. But not every moment is spent in such grand adventures. Here is a collection of smaller stories depicting the everyday life of our cowboy, from taking a child to the dentist to helping passing settlers -- and even attending a classical concert in Houston! What a full life he leads! A solid entertainment from first page to last, "Seven Stories" is a must for all Lucky Luke fans -- and will result in those new to these graphic novels by the team of Goscinny and Morris to seek out all the other fabulous tales of the Lonesome Cowboy. It should be noted that "Seven Stories: Lucky Luke " is also available in a Kindle edition ($7.99).


The Audiobook Shelf

The Social Contract
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, author
Read by Neville Jason
Naxos of America, Inc.
1810 Columbia Avenue, Suite 28
Franklin, TN 37064
9781843799023 $34.98 www.naxosaudiobooks.com

Also available as a digital download ($23.00), The Social Contract is the unabridged audiobook reading of the classic treatise about the concept of human freedom in the context of political structures, originally penned by Genevan philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778). Rousseau puts forth the concept that the sovereign power of a nation-state lies not with an individual ruler, but rather the will of the population as a whole, and that the ideal form of governance is a direct democracy in which critical decisions are undertaken by citizens who meet in assembly, just as was once done in the ancient city-state of Athens. Rousseau's writings were literally revolutionary for their time, inspiring both the American Revolution and the French Revolution. A crucial, world-changing re-examination of humanity and governance, superbly read by prize-winning radio dramatist Neville Jason, The Social Contract is a "must-have" for public and college library audiobook collections. 5 CDs, 6 hours 16 min.

The Book of Speculation
Erika Swyler, author
Read by Ari Fliakos
Macmillan Audio
175 Fifth Avenue, Suite 315, New York, NY 10010
9781427261434 $39.99 www.macmillanaudio.com

The Book of Speculation is the unabridged audiobook version of a memorable debut novel. Librarian Simon Watson comes from a strange and tragic lineage. His mother, a circus mermaid who performed holding her breath, drowned in the waters overlooked by his dilapidated house on the Long Island Sound. His father is also dead. Then Simon discovers an ancient book that appears to be the log of a traveling carnival in the 1700s, reporting strange and mysterious events - including the drowning death of a circus mermaid on July 24th, the same day of the year that Simon's mother drowned. Could Simon's family be afflicted with a generational curse? Is there a way that Simon can protect his younger sister from the same fate? Elements of magic and intrigue intertwine in this captivating, original story. 9 CDs, 11.5 hours.

Tucker
Louis L'Amour
Random House Audio Books
c/o The Random House Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, 5th floor, New York, NY 10019
www.randomhouseaudio.com
9780804192538, $30.00, www.amazon.com

"If a man won't fight for what is rightly his, then he ain't much account." With this challenge from his dying father, young Shell Tucker rode out after three men who had stolen the twenty thousand dollars his father was carrying. Two of the men he hunted, Doc Sites and Kid Reese, were his friends. Dreaming of adventure, Tucker had wanted to join their gang. But now, with his father gone and the people back home desperately in need of the proceeds from the cattle drive, Shell was determined to uphold his father's reputation and recover their money. He knew the odds were against him. Finding his friends would be difficult. Getting the money back would be nearly impossible. "Tucker" is one of the late author Louis L'Amour's very best western novels and is brought to life with the superb narrative gifts of Michael Crouch in this complete and unabridged audio book edition. Certain to be an enduringly popular addition to personal and community library audio book collections, "Tucker" is given the very highest recommendation. (5 CDs, 6 Hours).

The Legend of Caleb York
Mickey Spillane & Max Allan Collins
Brilliance Corporation
PO Box 887, Grand Haven, MI 49417
www.brillianceaudio.com
9781501231117, $24.99, www.amazon.com

In the heyday of American Western cinema, bestselling author Mickey Spillane wrote a film script for his good friend and Hollywood legend, John Wayne, star of western classics like Stagecoach, The Searchers, and True Grit. Though the film was never made, Max Allan Collins, Mickey Spillane's literary partner and executor, has adapted the original screenplay into a hard-hitting, action-packed novel that evokes the classic Westerns of the Duke. Trading his trench coat for a duster and Stetson, Spillane turns out to be every bit as compelling in the western genre as in his immortal detective stories. In "the Legend of Caleb York", crooked Sheriff Harry Gauge rules the town of Trinidad, New Mexico, with an iron fist. His latest scheme is to force rancher George Cullen into selling his spread and to take Cullen's beautiful daughter Willa for his bride--whether she's willing or not. The old man isn't about to go down without a fight. He sends out a telegram to hire the west's toughest gunslinger to kill the sheriff. But when a stranger rides into Trinidad, no one's sure who he is. Wherever he came from, wherever he's going, it's deadly clear he's a man who won't be pushed--and that he's a damn good shot. With stirring authenticity and heart-racing drama, Spillane and Collins add Caleb York to the roster of unforgettable western heroes. With a superb narration by Phil Gigante, this complete and unabridged edition "The Legend of Caleb York" is enthusiastically recommended for personal and community library audio book collections. (5 CD, 6 hours, 30 minutes).

Tribes
Nina Raine
Read by a full cast
L.A. Theatre Works
681 Venice Boulevard, Venice, CA 90291
9781580816670 $29.95 www.latw.org

Vividly performed by a full cast of professional actors, Tribes is an audiobook play about a a young boy who has been deaf since birth. His family never learned sign language, and no one has truly understood him prior to his meeting with Sylvia. Sylvia is fluent with ASL, and her efforts to show Billy a new world reveals a conundrum of the human condition - what is communication and understanding, and can these things truly be shared? Tribes is an excellent and thought-provoking addition to public library audiobook collections, highly recommended. 2 CDs, 1 hour 33 min.

Crow Hollow
Michael Wallace, author
Performed by Rosemary Benson
Brilliance Corporation
PO Box 887, Grand Haven, MI 49417
9781501230530 $14.99 www.brillianceaudio.com

Crow Hollow is the unabridged audiobook rendition of a saga set in 1676, following a most unlikely couple with a shared destiny. Prudence Cotton is a young Puritan widow who has recently lost her husband. Her daughter was captured by the Nipmuk tribe during King Philip's war; she is convinced that her daughter is alive, but needs help to search for her in the hostile wilderness. James Bailey is an agent of the crown, sent to Boston to investigate the murder of Prudence's husband, and fan the flames of ire to create a pretext for the king to install royal governors. After James' partner is murdered, he makes a bargain with Prudence; together, they travel the New England landscape in search of clues. Intricate and featuring complex, conflicted characters, Crow Hollow is a work of unforgettable storytelling, highly recommended for connoisseurs of quality audiobook fiction. 9 CDs, 10 hours 42 min.

Shadow Ops: Breach Zone
Myke Cole
Graphic Audio
4940 Hampden Lane, Suite 300, Bethesda, MD 20814
9781628511390, $19.99, www.graphicaudio.net

"Shadow Ops: Breach Zone" continues Myke Cole's gripping saga of The Great Reawakening where random people began developing terrifying powers with some who could summoning storms, others who could raising the dead, and still others able to set everything they touch ablaze, and more. In the wake of a bloody battle at Forward Operating Base Frontier and a scandalous presidential impeachment, Lieutenant Colonel Jan Thorsson, call sign "Harlequin," becomes a national hero and a pariah to the military that is the only family he's ever known. In the fight for Latent equality, Oscar Britton is positioned to lead a rebellion in exile, but a powerful rival beats him to the punch: Scylla, a walking weapon who will stop at nothing to end the human-sanctioned apartheid against her kind. When Scylla's inhuman forces invade New York City, the Supernatural Operations Corps are the only soldiers equipped to prevent a massacre. In order to redeem himself with the military, Harlequin will be forced to face off with this havoc-wreaking woman from his past, warped by her power into something evil. This audio book edition does full justice to Myke Cole's riveting novel -- including providing the back stories for the two main protagonists - Harlequin and Scylla. Indeed, portrayal of Scylla is truly extraordinary and follows that even the most horrific of villains are to themselves but misunderstood heroes. A gripping presentation of flawless technical production values, an impressively talented cast, and the deft incorporation of digital sound effects and music, make "Shadow Ops: Breach Zone" a true 'theater of the mind' experience and highly recommended for personal and community library audio book collections. (7 CDs, 8 Hours).

Silver
Rhiannon Held
Graphic Audio
4940 Hampden Lane, Suite 300, Bethesda, MD 20814
9781628511482, $19.99, www.graphicaudio.net

"Silver" launches the superbly crafted werewolf series by Rhiannon Held. Andrew Dare is a werewolf. He's the enforcer for the Roanoke pack, and responsible for capturing or killing any Were intruders in Roanoke's territory. But the lone Were he's tracking doesn't smell or act like anyone he's ever encountered. And when he catches her, it doesn't get any better. She's beautiful, she's crazy, and someone has tortured her by injecting silver into her veins. She says her name is Silver, and that she's lost her wild self and can't shift any more. The packs in North America have a live-and-let-live attitude, and try not to overlap with each other. But Silver represents a terrible threat to every Were on the continent. Andrew and Silver will join forces to track down this menace while discovering their own power and their passion for each other. Flawless production values, a large and talented number of actors, the deft inclusion of digital sound effects and music, all combine to make an enormously entertaining 'theatre of the mind' experience. "Silver" is very highly recommended for personal and community library audio book collections. (5 CDs, 6 Hours).

Shawn O'Brien: Manslaughter
William W. Johnston & J. A. Johnston
Graphic Audio
4940 Hampden Lane, Suite 300, Bethesda, MD 20814
9781628511536, $19.99, www.graphicaudio.net

In Broken Bridle, Wyoming, Jeremiah Purdy, the town's tinhorn sheriff is a college kid who wants to become governor some day. But outlaw Darius Pike couldn't care less about anyone else's ambitions. With Pike holding Broken Bridle in a bloody grip of terror, Purdy sends a desperate cry for help out to town tamer Shawn O'Brien. Shawn's mission is to ride to Wyoming and pry Broken Bridle loose from Pike's reign of fear. What Shawn finds is that something even more evil than Pike is haunting Broken Brindle back up in the hills. Now, in a storm of bullets and blood, in a deal with the devil, Shawn O'Brien can only tame this town by entering hell itself. Under the direction of Rose Elizabeth Supan and with a case of over 40 talented actors, the Graphic Audio edition of "Shawn O'Brien: Manslaughter" provides a masterful performance superbly augmented by digital sound effects and music. "Shawn O'Brien: Manslaughter" is a 'must' for all action/adventure western fans and community library audio book collections. (5 CDs, 6 hours).

Daughter of Twin Oaks
Lauraine Snelling, author
Read by Meredith Mitchell
Tantor Media, Inc.
6 Business Park Road, Old Saybrook, CT 06475
9781494512811 $39.99 www.tantor.com

Daughter of Twin Oaks is the unabridged audiobook rendition of Book 1 in award-winning author Lauraine Snelling's "A Secret Refuge" series. Set during the American Civil War, Daughter of Twin Oaks follows eighteen-year-old Jesselynn Highwood in her desperation to preserve her family and her legacy. She embarks on a life-or-death journey to take her little brother and her family's remaining thoroughbred horses from their Kentucky plantation to her uncle's farm in Missouri. But the situation in Missouri is even more perilous than Jesselynn could have dreamed - what can young woman do to protect all she holds dear against the tides of war? A sweeping tale of courage and resourcefulness, Daughter of Twin Oaks is sure to prove popular among audiophiles. 9 CDs, 10 hours.

Make Something Up
Chuck Palahniuk
Performed by various narrators
Recorded Books, LLC
270 Skip Jack Road
Prince Frederick, MD 20678
9781470383916 $72.75 www.recordedbooks.com

Also available as a downloadable audiobook ($65.00) or an ebook ($80.85), Make Something Up: Stories You Can't Unread lives up to its title as an unabridged audiobook anthology of eyebrow-raising, gut-wrenching short stories. An addiction craze to electroshocks from cardiac defibrillators runs rampant in a high school; a son tries to tell his dying father the ultimate off-color joke to ease his passing; and a precursor story to the smash hit "Fight Club" reveals a side of Tyler Durden never glimpsed before. Walking the tightrope divide between life and death, comedy and tragedy, the profound and the absurd, Make Something Up is unforgettable. 9 CDs, 11 hours.

The Santagelos
Jackie Collins
Read by the author
www.jackiecollins.com
Macmillan Audio
175 Fifth Avenue, Suite 315, New York, NY 10010
9781427261632 $39.99 www.macmillanaudio.com

Read by the author, The Santagelos is the unabridged audiobook adaptation of Jackie Collins' novel about a glamorous, power-broker family, ferocious in its zeal to protect its own. "Never cross a Santagelo" is a mantra for a reason - but an unknown, bitter enemy is determined to be their ruin. The resourceful Lucky Santagelo and her supportive husband Lennie Santagelo learn that their son Bobby is being set up for a murder he didn't commit. When Lucky opens an expensive, gilded note card printed with a single word - "VENGEANCE" - she knows that she is in for the fight of her life. Sensuous, violent, and at times Machiavellian, The Santagelos will hold the listener's rapt attention to the very end. 11 CDs, 14.5 hours.

Hachette Audio
237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017
www.HachetteAudio.com

Henry M. Paulson, Jr.'s Dealing with China: An Insider Unmasks the New Economic Superpower (9781611138993 $35.00) comes from a former U.S. Treasury Secretary, is narrated by Kevin Stillwell, and appears in an unabridged audio production perfect for any who would consider China's economic reforms and strategies. Recommended for listeners who want a combination of history and economic insights, Dealing with China provides a solid review based on Paulson's unique access to modern China's economic and political elite at their highest levels, and reviews how China become an economic superpower, how business is done there, and what it means to compete with the Chinese on a political and economic level. It packs in anecdotes and observations in a discussion that is key to understanding China's progress and place in the world, and most notably, its relationship to the U.S., and in audio format this discussion comes to life. George Bodenheimer and Donald T. Phillips' Every Town is a Sports Town: Business Leadership at ESPN, from the Mailroom to the Boardroom (9781478905257, $35.00) is narrated by Bodenheimer and follows the rise of the ESPN dynasty, from a few trailers in a parking lot to becoming a top television network, and blends a memoir with a series of insights on business leadership to cover how ESPN rose to the top. It pairs business history with anecdotes about the channel's personalities and influences on sports and TV culture as a whole, and follows the history and evolution of the network in an engrossing study highly recommended for any business, sports, or media collection. Joyce Meyer's The Battle Belongs to the Lord: Overcoming Life's Struggles Through Worship (9781478903642, $18.00) teaches how to turn personal adversity and struggle into success by giving battles to the Lord, and advocates trusting God to live a better life. It's about empowerment through belief and trust, and provides a solid survey that uses Biblical teachings to draw important connections between spiritual belief and life's struggles. Christian readers will find it an inspiring, moving saga.


The Library CD Shelf

Iluminar
Paula Maya
paulamaya.com
Yellow House Records
c/o Press Junkie PR
$8.99 CD / $7.84 download cdbaby.com

The sixth studio album by Austin-based keyboardist and singer/songwriter Paula Maya, Iluminar (meaning "To Shine) is a music CD celebration of Brazilian music, with world fusion, jazz, African soukous and Latin rhythm elements. Sung primarily in Portuguese, Iluminar features seven original songs plus one traditional bossa nova. Maya taps into the memories of her childhood, pours out her love for her new home of Austin, shares reggae about how oblivious, unrequited love can bring about a broken heart, and much more. International is an excellent choice for world medley music collections! The tracks are "Iluminar Voce" (5:17), "Baiao de Cabo Frio" (5:18), "Tarde em Itapoa" (3:33), "The Rain (Austin Springs)" (4:46), "Queria te Encontrar" (2:47), "Julia (instrumental)" (5:10), "So In Tune (bilingual)" (4:42), and "Menina Bonita" (3:49).

Sorrow Bound
Kaia Kater
Kingswood Records
c/o Hearth PR
www.hearthmusic.com
$14.99 CD / $8.99 MP3 www.amazon.com

Music artist Kaia Kater presents Sorrow Bound, an album of ballads drawn heavily from Appalachian traditions. Kater's extensive study and masterful skill with the banjo and her soulful voice bring a fresh infusion into the roots music scene. Featuring mostly traditional arrangements with a few original compositions, Sorrow Bound is a modern folk treasury, by and for those with a passion for soulful Appalachian performance art. The tracks are "When Sorrows Encompass Me Round" (2:58), "Southern Girl" (3:23), "Sun to Sun" (2:04), "En Filant ma Quenouille" (2:19), "Moonshiner" (3:04), "Rose on the Mountain" (3:30), "Oh Darlin'" (2:39), "Valley Forge" (2:04), "West Virginia Boys" (2:12), "Salt River" (3:52), and "Come and Rest" (3:26).

Equilibrium
Kerani
www.kerani.nl
Privately Published
c/o The Creative Service Company
4360 Emerald Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80918
www.thecreativeservicecompany.com
$TBA CD / $8.91 MP3 www.amazon.com

Equilibrium is an instrumental album by new age keyboardist Kerani, created to celebrate the courage and accomplishments of women worldwide, including those who confronted or suffered death for their knowledge and perseverance. Kerani's piano and synthesizer, accompanied by orchestral instruments played by European professionals, convey a life-giving energy that lifts the spirit and the fires the imagination. The love, empathy, and understanding of "feminine energy" provides inspiration for this magnificent treasury. The tracks are "Equilibrium" (8:10), "Fragrant Mountain" (8:22), "Anchoress" (5:45), "Boudicca, Heart on Fire" (6:18), "Hypatia's Universe" (6:26), "O, Aeterne Deus" (6:02), "Lady's Grace" (6:25), "Avane" (5:48), and "The Wyse Wytch" (5:20).

White Sun
White Sun
www.whitesun.com
c/o The Creative Service Company
4360 Emerald Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80918
www.thecreativeservicecompany.com
$TBA CD / $11.99 digital www.itunes.com

White Sun is the self-titled debut album of a modern musical group that balances the power of instrumentation with the healing resonance of mantras. The group White Sun consists of two dedicated Kundalini Yoga practitioners and teachers, and an Emmy Award-winning musician and producer. Mantras sung on the album are in a 600-year-old written language known as Gurmukhi, with even more ancient roots. The result is an experience that enriches the words of traditional mantras with melody and harmony, creating a beautiful wellspring in the mind's eye. Highly recommended! The tracks are "Trinity", "Aap Sahaee Hoa", "Rakhe Rakhanhar", "Ong Namo", "Rom Rom", "Mul Mantra", "Healing Gong", "Ardas", "Lakshman", "Sat Nam", "Ammatay", 'Ra Ma Da Sa", "Wish Fulfilling Gong", "Guru Ram Das" and "Ardas Choir".

Sonny Knight and the Lakers Do It Live
Sonny Knight and the Lakers
Secret Stash Records
1621 Hennepin Avenue, Suite 150A, Minneapolis, MN 55403
www.secretstashrecords.com
c/o Press Junkie PR
$16.98 CD / $TBA digital www.amazon.com

Sonny Knight and the Lakers Do It Live is a live double-CD release of rhythm, blues, and soul artists Sonny Knight and the Lakers, created especially to capture the improvisational essence of a concert performance. Brimming with energy and passion, Sonny Knight and the Lakers Do It Live is contagious in its enthusiasm. The next best possible thing to witnessing a stage performance in person, Sonny Knight and the Lakers Do It Live makes an excellent gift for connoisseurs of the genre. The tracks are "The Lion of Lyndale/Introduction" (2:50), "Juicy Lucy" (2:53), "Get Up and Dance" (6:00), "Through With You" (3:41), "Sonny's Booglado" (5:40), "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?" (5:00), "Day Tripper" (2:52), "Baby, Baby, Baby" (4:05), "It's You for Me" (3:44), "Sock a Poo Poo" (9:42), "When You're Gone" (6:11), "Cave Man" (6:56), "I'm Still Here Part 1" (4:55), "I'm Still Here Part 2" (3:44), "Sugar Man" (3:28) and "Hey Girl" (7:21).

Viva Bandolera
Patricia Vonne
www.patriciavonne.com
Bandolera Records
c/o Press Junkie PR
$15.00 CD / $8.99 MP3 www.amazon.com

Viva Bandolera is the sixth album of "Texas border rock" superstar Patricia Vonne, compiling songs from her previous five albums that dwell upon and celebrate her life experience as a proud "Tejana" - a Texan of Latino heritage. Brimming with joy, freedom, and passionate rock-'n'-roll, Viva Bandolera is festivity incarnate! The tracks are "Traeme Paz", "Dulce Refugio", "El Marinero y La Sirena", "Viva Bandolera", "Que maravilla", "Guitarras y Castanuelas", "La Huerta de San Vicente", "Torera", "La Gitana de Triana", "Mujeres Desaparecidas", "Fuente Vaqueros", "Fiesta Sangria", "Tequileros", "La Lomita de Santa Cruz", "Soledad", "Severina", and "Mexicali de Chispa".


The Library DVD Shelf

New Worlds
Starring Jamie Dornan
Acorn Media
c/o RLJ Entertainment
9781621722243 $39.99 www.acornonline.com

Set during the era of North American colonization, New Worlds is a British historical drama miniseries about autocracy and rebellion. England's King Charles II rules with an iron fist; yet rebels risk life and limb to earn freedom and reforms. A secret love affair blossoms amidst the machinations of settlers, agents of the crown, wealthy nobles and impoverished natives. Intrigue, action, love, and violence interweave in this vivid saga of the Restoration, featuring breathtaking location shoots and cinematography. Bonus materials include a behind-the-scenes featurette, deleted scenes, and a photo gallery. 4 episodes on 2 DVDs, 233 min.

Lovejoy Series 6
Starring Ian McShane
Chad Campbell
Publicity Department
Acorn Media
c/o RLJ Entertainment
9781621723905 $49.99 www.acornonline.com

Lovejoy Series 6 is the DVD collection of the sixth and final series of Lovejoy, a British mystery-drama series featuring ever-so-slightly roguish antiques dealer Lovejoy, played with aplomb by Ian McShane. The high-spirited auctioneer Charlotte Cavendish (played by Caroline Langrishe) at last begins to respond to Lovejoy's romantic overtures, but doing so could put her in the crosshairs of a vengeful murderer from Lovejoy's checkered past. Can Lovejoy carve out a niche of prosperity in the antiques trade when a lifetime's worth of enemies relentlessly hound him? A "must-see" for connoisseurs of British television! 10 episodes on 3 DVDs, 500 min, SDH subtitles, contains mild coarse language and brief nudity.

Me Without You
A film by Sandra Goldbacher
First Run Features
630 Ninth Avenue, Suite 1213
New York, NY 10036
$24.95 www.firstrunfeatures.com

Me Without You is an original movie about two young women, who grow up as best friends in the London suburbs during the 1970s, and navigate the rocky chasm of adult life together. The free-spirited and rambunctious Molly has a dramatically different temperament from the serious-minded and bookish Holly. Their friendship sees them through the boredom of suburban life, and the minefield of adulthood. Spanning three decades, Me Without You tells of the toll of hard drugs, random sex, manipulation, betrayal, and the search for purpose. Intense, connected, and emotional, Me Without You is a movie to remember. 100 min., rated R for sexuality and strong language.

A Place to Call Home, Season 2
Acorn Media
c/o RLJ Entertainment
9781621724049 $59.99 www.acornonline.com

A Place to Call Home, Season 2 continues the popular Australian drama, set in the 1950s. Strong-willed nurse Sarah Adams is in love with the dashing and wealthy George Bligh, but Blighs mother considers her unsuitable and schemes to drive them apart. George's daughter and son have similar problems - his daughter Anna wants to prove her love for the questionable Gino, while his son James and his pregnant wife Olivia face stinging opposition to their marriage. Directly addressing issues of social class and sexuality, A Place to Call Home draws the reader into a vividly recreated world, filmed amid gorgeous natural scenery. Highly recommended! Bonus features include 70 minutes of behind-the-scenes interviews, and 20 minutes of clips about the characters. 10 episodes on 3 DVDs, 430 min. plus bonus, widescreen, SDH subtitles, contains violence and sexual situations.

Just Walk: The Tone Every Zone Walk
Leslie Sansone
Anchor Bay Entertainment
2401 West Big Beaver Road, Suite 200
Troy, MI 48084-3304
www.anchorbayentertainment.com
$14.98 www.walkathome.com

Just Walk: The Tone Every Zone Walk is a DVD that makes staying fit as easy as walking. Fitness professional Leslie Sansone leads the viewer through three 20-minute workouts, suitable for use individually or in combination. The first circuit workout alternates walking with upper body toning; light hand weights are recommended. The second workout alternates lower body strength training with walking, and the third is an all-cardio fast walk with standing moves that exercise muscles of the core. Thoroughly accessible to all ages and fitness levels, Just Walk is an excellent and user-friendly way to get and stay in shape! Highly recommended. 65 min., widescreen.


The Health/Medicine Shelf

The Paleo Vegetarian Diet
Dena Harris
Ulysses Press
PO Box 3440, Berkeley CA 94703-3440
9781612434438 $15.95 www.ulyssespress.com

Part vegetarian cookbook, part Paleo lifestyle resource, and part weight loss and fitness guide, The Paleo Vegetarian Diet teaches the reader how to embrace the Paleo diet for improved health, while staying true to vegetarian principles. The Paleo diet is a nutrition program based on the principle that it is better for one's body to eat foods in a similar manner to the diets that humans ate in prehistory, prior to large-scale agriculture and animal domestication. Thus, the Paleo diet excludes (or at least minimizes) grains, legumes, dairy, and high-calorie processed foods. The Paleo diet is expected to be protein rich, which appears to present a conundrum for vegetarians. What to do? "...aim to include as many and as much of these foods in your diet as possible: fish and seafood (if a part of your diet); whole eggs (pasture-raised preferred); flax and chia seeds; hemp seed; olive oil, nuts, especially walnuts (pecans and pine nuts as well); leafy greens - kale, spinach, collards, Swiss chard, mustard greens, etc.; cabbage; broccoli; avocados (limit to one per day if trying to lose weight); brussels sprouts; seaweed - kelp and spirulina; berries; potatoes (for athletes after hard workouts)." An excellent, health-conscious guide.

Goldfrank's Toxicologic Emergencies, tenth edition
Robert S. Hoffman, et.al.
c/o McGraw Hill Professional
1221 Avenue of the Americas, 45th Floor, New York, NY 10020
www.mhprofessional.com www.mcgrawhillmedical.com
9780071801843 $325.00 www.amazon.com

The tenth updated edition of Goldfrank's Toxicologic Emergencies provides a weighty industry reference in medical toxicology, long considered the leading resource for poison emergencies, and offers updated case studies, discussions of the pathophysiologic basis of medical toxicology, and discussions of risk management, patient safety, and even post mortem toxicology. It presents the basics of medical toxicology principles and techniques but moves on to review the molecular and biochemical aspects, considering the latest research in science and medicine and applying them to patient management. Packed with tables, charts, color illustrations, and detailed explanations throughout, this is an in-depth authoritative reference on the subject that is crammed with all the information a health reference collection would need to access the latest information covering toxicologic emergencies.

The Digital Doctor
Robert Wachter
McGraw Hill Professional
1221 Avenue of the Americas, 45th Floor, New York, NY 10020
www.mhprofessional.com www.mcgrawhillmedical.com
9780071849463 $30.00 www.mhprofessional.com

The Digital Doctor: Hope, Hype, and Harm at the Dawn of Medicine's Computer Age considers the many problems of healthcare industry transitions from analog to digital worlds, and uses real-life stories gained from interviews with clinicians and patients alike to consider the growing distance between doctor and patient. Technology may be the key to improving healthcare, but too often it is distracting, illogical and can even be dangerous. One might anticipate from its title that the discussions would revolve around technology's improvement of medical care; but as The Digital Doctor proves, quality care can only be provided once new challenges posed by new systems are met. This considers those challenges, the positive prospects at work for physician and patient alike, and make for a discussion highly recommended for any involved in the medical industry.

Finding Robert
Robert J. Stevens & Catherine E. Stevens, MS
Square One Publishers
115 Herricks Road, Garden City Park, NY 11040
9780757004025 $16.95 www.squareonepublishing.com

Finding Robert: What the Doctors Never Told Us About Autism Spectrum Disorder and the Hard Lessons We Learned charts the struggles of a Long Island family who saw their son falling into behavioral disorders despite his exceptional intelligence. Robert could not function in a mainstream environment and caused problems whenever he tried: he had no friends and no self-control - and his parents were warned he also had no future. Placed in a special education program and on powerful medications, Robert suffered immensely and still became more and more troubled as his parents struggled to find the answers. Holistic therapies helped Robert begin to improve, despite doctor discouragement about their effectiveness - and when his parents conducted their own research and used these alternative approaches, Robert began to return to them. By third grade he was off all medications and attending a mainstream school. More than one family's journey, Finding Robert holds hope for any who find themselves struggling with conventional treatments and logic that just don't seem to make sense.


The Art Shelf

Dali Pop-Ups
Martin Howard, author
Courtney Watson McCarthy, artist
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110-0017
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500517505, $29.95, 25pp, www.amazon.com

Salvador Dali (May 11, 1904 - January 23, 1989), was a prominent Spanish surrealist painter, sculptor, scenographer, filmmaker, jewelry designer, and writer born in Figueres, Catalonia, Spain. Decades after his death, Seven pop-ups and twenty-five full color illustrations of Dali's surreal paintings are brought to vividly life through the spectacular pages that comprise "Dali Pop-Ups". Produced in association with the Dali estate by paper engineer and graphic designer Courtney Watson McCarthy with informative commentary by Martin Howard, "Dali Pop-Ups brings some of the most celebrated paintings of Salvador Dali to spectacular three-dimensional life, thereby providing new layers of appreciation of the surreal genius of the artist. Due to the fragile nature of its pop-ups, "Dali Pop-Ups" is not suitable for community library collections, but would prove to be an immensely popular and unique addition to personal and academic library Art History collections in general, and to appreciative students of Dali's surrealism in particular.

John Fery
Larry Len Peterson
The Coeur d'Alene Art Auction
8836 North Hess Street, Suite B, Hayden, ID 83835
9780692348833, $75.00, www.cdaartauction.com

John Fery (1859 - 1934) (born Johann Nepomuk Levy) was an Austrian-born painter, known for his works of the Western United States. He was a painter of outdoor scenes, whose largest customer was the Great Northern Railway. His works were large format, often over 100 squar feet. Fery's paintings were hung in train stations and other places, promoting travel, particularly to Glacier National Park. Now the very best of Fery's work has been compiled along with informative commentary in Larry Len Peterson's "John Fery: Artist Of Glacier National Park & The American West". This 268 page coffee-table compendium chronologically showcases Fery's art with the paintings being flawlessly reproduced in full color. An extraordinarily beautiful book of Fery's art, "John Fery: Artist Of Glacier National Park & The American West" is enhanced with the inclusion of eleven pages of Notes; two appendices; a seven page Bibliography, and a comprehensive ten page Index, making it very highly recommended as an essential, core addition to personal, community, and academic library American Art History collections.

Collage Paint Draw
Sue Pelletier
North Light Books
c/o F+W Media
1140 Broadway, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10001
9781440337024 $24.99 www.artistsnetwork.com

Collage Paint Draw: Explore Mixed Media Techniques & Materials provides a daily chronicle of mixed-media projects and teaches how to use images as the starting point to consider materials, techniques, and images that lend to painting. Some thirty techniques use drawing, painting, and collage ideas from some forty materials to create mixed-media projects, while the focus also uses symbols and tools to explore both traditional and new ways of creating mixed-media art. The result is a compelling collection of ideas packed with color images and a wide range of techniques.

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

E. Ashley Rooney & Stephanie Standish's Contemporary American Print Makers (9780764346910 $34.99) is an outstanding collection packing in some five hundred color images to display the works of over seventy printmakers and thirty print shops, and is a recommendation for any who would understand the latest artistic paths of lithography, screen print, installation and digital approaches, and more. Each set of images is accompanied by a short artist autobiography and lends insights into the specific objectives and approaches of the artists, while an attention to diversity and detail makes for a gathering of symbols, images, and art that stretches the boundaries of the form. The result is a top pick for any interested in the intersection of art and print technique: a gathering that is representative of some of the most creative innovations of modern printmakers. The Center for Art in Wood's Your Personal Hang-Ups (9780764348112, $19.99) is a recommended pick for any who are interested in wardrobe arrangement and hanging systems, and narrows its focus to artists who were invited to create inventive forms for an exhibition at the Center for Art in Wood in Philadelphia. Some thirty-eight artists created sculptures from free-standing poles, racks, stands, wall systems and more, and used a wide range of woods and embellishments in the process. The result is a lively collection of art forms that won't appear anywhere else, and which demonstrate the extent of creativity directed art can take.


The Music Shelf

Deal
Bill Kreutzmann with Benjy Eisen
St. Martin's Press
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
9781250033796 $27.99 www.stmartins.com

Deal: My Three Decades of Drumming, Dreams, and Drugs with the Grateful Dead offers an intriguing story of the author's experience playing with the popular cult band, and tells of Kreutzmann's music explorations in a band that led him to push the boundaries of his music and experience high times as a member of the Grateful Dead. Thirty years of a wild roller coaster ride would lead the band and its members to encounter some of the greatest musicians of their generation. More than another history of the Dead or its experiences, Deal is about the culture that emerged from its efforts, and is an essential key to understanding the counterculture movement and its participants.


The Architecture Shelf

Japanese Architecture
Mira Locher
Tuttle Publishing
364 Innovation Drive, North Clarendon, VT 05759-9436
9784805313282 $29.95 www.tuttlepublishing.com

Japanese Architecture is more than a picture book of buildings: it's a discussion of the architectural components that translate to uniquely-Japanese buildings, and it supports photographs with discussions of particular interest to designers, architects, and artists. It provides discussions of traditional Japanese design and construction methods, it incorporates fencing, landscaping, and materials, and it even includes furniture, removable walls, garden bridges, and more. Wider-ranging than most and packed with extensive discussions, Japanese Architecture is a satisfying introductory survey for any who would understand the unique style, function and approach of Japanese design.

Fifty Modern Buildings That Changed the World
Design Museum and Deyan Sudjic
Conran
c/o Octopus Publishing
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
9781840916805 $20.00 www.octopusbooksusa.com

Fifty Modern Buildings That Changed the World is one of two new titles in the Design Museum Fifty series published this season with London's Design Museum, and provides a fine history of modern architecture by exploring fifty of the most accessible buildings in the world. From the Seagram Building in New York to the National Congress of Brazil, full-page color and black and white photos accompany discussions that survey the building's history and its impact on architectural design. History includes architectural costs, technical problems, and descriptions of special challenges and attributes, and presents a powerful survey of how these buildings made a lasting impact in the world.


The Crafts Shelf

Origami Toy Monsters
Andrew Dwar
Tuttle Publishing
364 Innovation Drive, North Clarendon, VT 05759-9436
9780804844567 $14.95 www.tuttlepublishing.com

Origami Toy Monsters: Easy-to-Assemble Paper Toys That Shudder, Shake, Lurch and Amaze is a book paired with a kit that includes instructions and assembly materials for some eleven pop-out paper monsters. Directions are easy and assume no prior experience making models or working with paper, while the step-by-step instruction book is clear and inviting. From mummy heads and zombies to dragons and aliens, kids and many an adult will find this a fun set of inspiring paper creations that takes the modeling process and makes it accessible to anyone.


The Theatre/Cinema Shelf

The Sound of Music FAQ
Barry Monush
Applause Books
c/o Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group
19 West 21st Street, Suite 201, New York, NY 10010
www.halleonard.com
9781480360433 $27.99 www.applausebooks.com

The Sound of Music FAQ: All That's Left to Know About Maria, the Von Trapps, and Our Favorite Things joins a host of others that have recently appeared in response to the anniversary of The Sound of Music, and pairs a trivia collection with a comprehensive guide analyzing the film's origins, rise to success, and more. Where other collections would stop here, however, The Sound of Music FAQ moves further to explore the cultural and social impact of the movie, its phenomenal economic success, and why it became one of the greatest works of all times. From the Austrian shooting locations and critical reviews to its stage revivals and tributes to its achievements, this book is the definitive in-depth reference for any who would read all about The Sound of Music.


The Sports Shelf

Gironomo!
Tim Moore
Pegasus Books
80 Broad Street, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10004
9781605987781 $27.95 www.pegasusbooks.us

Gironimo! Riding the Very Terrible 1914 Tour of Italy comes from a cyclist who attempts the route of the 1914 Giro d'Italia, the hardest bike race in history, and took place twelve years after he had followed the route of the Tour de France, only to find some of his accomplishment shadowed by the Lance Armstrong matter. The notorious 1914 Giro d'Italia involved some 400 kilometer stages packed with storms and dangerous roads: out of eighty-one who began from Milan, only eight complete it. Moore acquired a wooden-wheeled 1914 road bike, maps, and attempted to duplicate the experience: his adventures are perfect for adventure readers, cyclists, and sports fans alike.


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

A Long Time Until Now
Michael Z. Williamson
Baen Books
PO Box 1188, Wake Forest NC 27588
9781476780337 $25.00 www.baen.com

A Long Time Until Now tells of U.S. soldiers who arrive on a convoy in Afghanistan only to find themselves transported through time to Earth's Paleolithic world of Asia, where they discover groups of people throughout time who have also been displaced. The soldiers may be the most technologically advanced of the lot, but there are only ten of them and they have no better tools than the others - until time travelers from the far future enter the picture, with their own agenda. Readers interested in a military sci-fi read will find this a gripping account.


The International Studies Shelf

Nordicana
Kajsa Kinsella
Cassell
c/o Octopus Publishing
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
9781844038053 $14.99 www.octopusbooksusa.com

Nordicana: 100 Icons of Scandi Culture & Nordic Cool celebrates the traditions that have inspired Nordic style, from sweaters and foods to house decor and literature, and is a pick for any who would incorporate Nordic style and culture into their homes and lives. From pendant lamps and vases to chairs, foods, and cultural icons, this goes beyond home and garden to consider the latest trends and insights relating to Nordic culture, making it a pick for both home and garden and arts readers alike.


The Parenting Shelf

The Expectant Father, fourth edition
Armin A. Brott and Jennifer Ash
Abbeville Press
137 Varick Street, New York, NY 10013
9780789212139 $13.95 www.abbeville.com

The Expectant Father: The Ultimate Guide for Dads-to-Be has been updated in its fourth edition to cover the emotional, financial and physical effects of fatherhood on men and uses Brott's experience as a father of three, combined with interviews with real dads, physicians, psychologists and more. It provides a solid reference packed with details on what is in the future of a father's new life, and it should be a shower gift for any father-to-be. The blend of personal experience, research, and facts makes this a top recommendation.


The Culinary Shelf

The Food Activist Handbook
Ali Berlow
Storey Publishing
210 Mass MoCA Way, North Adams, MA 01247
9781612121802 $17.95 www.storey.com

The Food Activist Handbook provides a political view of food systems, their dysfunctions, and how to make community-level changes in food distribution and growth to return food to small-scale management, and is a top pick for any interested in developing community food projects from neighborhood gardens and harvesting methods to setting up a community composting program. It discusses food pantries and how they can connect with local producers and products, it considers ethnic food traditions, and it advocates being a 'guerrilla gardener', among other approaches, to keep food fresh, healthy, and at a small-scale community level. Any interested in the intrusion of big business and agribusiness into the food chain will find this handbook offers solid, practical recipes for success based on country-wide small community experiences.

Pig Tales
Barry Estabrook
W. W. Norton & Company
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
www.wwnorton.com
9780393240245 $26.95 www.amazon.com

Pig Tales: An Omnivore's Quest for Sustainable Meat comes from a prize-winning food writer who here examines the American pork industry, and uses his same light conversational style to inquire into American methods of raising, processing, cooking and presenting pork. It's filled with both insights into the idea and challenges of sustainable meat and keys to understanding why pork from such animals looks and tastes more succulent than the ordinary factory pork most Americans are more familiar with, and it considers the finer points of commercial pig farming, wild pig harvesting, and more. The result is a 'must' for any interested in the possibilities of the pig.

Darjeeling
Jeff Koehler
Bloomsbury Press
175 Fifth Avenue, Suite 315, New York, NY 10010
9781620405123 $27.00 www.bloomsbury.com

Darjeeling: The Colorful History and Precarious Fate of the World's Greatest Tea surpasses most explorations of tea history in that it narrows its focus to Darjeeling's tea bushes and their story, following how India's tea industry grew to be the biggest in the world and considering how it came to symbolize British rule in India. Any with an affection for tea and history will find this a solid story of family plantations, political influences on tea development, discussions of tea's organic future, and more. The history also involves a sense of place, so others interested in India's overall history, culture, and agriculture will find Darjeeling explores the tea, the people, and the place with equal detail, all presented in a lively cup of wonder.


The Photography Shelf

Africa
Michael Poliza
teNeues Publishing Group
7 West 18th Street, New York, NY, 10011
www.teneues.com
9783832798666, $59.95, 408pp, www.amazon.com

World-renowned wildlife and nature photographer Michael Poliza's enormously popular photography book, "Africa" was originally published in 2006, and has now been re-released by the teNeuse Publishing Group in a smaller, 408 page hardcover coffee-table style edition. A stunning collection of photographs that captures Africa's elegant natural beauty and animal life, "Africa" is very highly recommended for personal, community and academic library Wildlife Photography collections. Indeed, this outstanding edition of "Africa" would be an ideal 'Memorial Fund' acquisition for library based collections.

Edward S. Curtis: One Hundred Masterworks
Christopher Cardzo
Prestel Publishing
900 Broadway, Suite 603, New York, NY 10003
www.prestel-usa.com
9783791354217, $65.00, 184pp, www.amazon.com

Edward Sheriff Curtis (February 16, 1868 - October 19, 1952) was an American ethnologist and photographer of the American West and of Native American peoples. Compiled with commentary and captioning by Christopher Cardzo (with contributions by A. D. Coleman; Louise Erdrich; Eric J. Jolly; and Michael Charles Tobia), "Edward S. Curtis: One Hundred Masterworks" flawlessly reproduced Edward Curtis vintage duo tone photographs of Native Americans. Selected from a personal archive of more than 3,000 Curtis originals, the brilliance of this early American pioneer in photography is a truly impressive compilation from beginning to end. "Edward S. Curtis: One Hundred Masterworks" is an extraordinary and highly recommended addition to community and academic library American Photography History and Native American Studies reference collections.

Desire: New Erotic Photography
Patrick Remy
Prestel USA
900 Broadway, Suite 603, New York, NY 10003
9783791349527, $49.95, www.prestel-usa.com

"Desire: New Erotic Photography" showcases and celebrates the female form through the artistic lens of a series of talented photographers. Primarily in full color, although with many images in black-and-white, each of the 32 photographers is cited with a succinct introduction while the photos themselves are presented without caption and range in content from the mundane to the surreal. An inherently fascinating, 280 page volume of images from first page to last, "Desire: New Erotic Photography" is a compelling body of work and very highly recommended for 'Adults Only" personal, professional, and academic library Photography Studies reference collections.


The Writing/Publishing Shelf

The Frugal Editor, second edition
Carolyn Howard-Johnson
HowToDoItFrugally Publishing
www.howtodoitfrugally.com
9781505712117 $17.95 pbk / $9.00 Kindle www.amazon.com

Now in an updated second edition, The Frugal Editor is part of the "How To Do It Frugally" series for writers and publishers, and an absolute "must-have" for virtually all aspiring and practicing authors in these tough economic times. Tips, tricks, techniques, and do-it-yourself editing secrets will aid in improving one's writing at every stage of the process - from creating an initial query letter to revising rough drafts, putting the finishing touches on the final manuscript, and marketing the published work. "Remember when you first realized that a blow-by-blow account of a movie bored your parents? It's true with books, too. When space is limited, your plot should be a mere logline, pitch, or teaser. Your credentials or experience will be far more impressive to an agent or publisher." Extensive appendices filled with useful things like professional sample cover letters or query letters, tips for Kindle formatting made easy, and more round out this top-notch guide by award-winning author and former New York publicist Carolyn Howard-Johnson. Also highly recommended is the second edition of "The Frugal Book Promoter" (9781463743291, $17.95 pbk / $9.95 Kindle).

A Writer's Guide To Persistence
Jordan Rosenfeld
Writer's Digest Press
F+W Media
1140 Broadway, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10001
www.fwmedia.com
9781599638843, $16.99, 234pp, www.amazon.com

Persistence is defined as the quality that allows someone to continue doing something or trying to do something even though it is difficult or opposed by other people, as well as the state of occurring or existing beyond the usual, expected, or normal time. For writers it means know matter how inconvenient or uninclined they may be to sit down and start writing, they compel themselves to do so if that article or poem or novel is to ever see print. But like so much else in the art and craft of writing, there is no need to reinvent the wheel. Not when you have access to Jordan Rosenfeld's "A Writer's Guide To Persistence: How to Create a Lasting and Productive Writing Practice". This 234 page instruction guide reveals practical ways to balance writing with the rest of your life: taming your busy schedule, increasing your productivity, and committing to a writing practice; provides sound advice for developing authentic work: finding your voice, writing bravely, and breaking the blocks to creative flow; explains methods for stretching your skills through craft and revision; and offers salient thoughts on pushing through rejection and doubt, submitting strong, nourishing yourself to avoid burnout, and keeping your mind and body fit. Especially for the aspiring writer seeking to establish their themselves as professionals and eventual achieve publication and a readership for their work, "A Writer's Guide To Persistence" will prove an invaluable and essential addition to their personal reference collections and reading lists. It should be noted that "A Writer's Guide To Persistence" is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).

Storytelling Tips
Mark Goldman
Parkhurst Brothers, Inc.
110 West Main Street, Marion, Michigan 49665
9781624910500 $17.00 www.parkhurstbrothers.com

Professional actor, teacher, and mediator Mark Goldman shares his life experience in skilled storytelling with Storytelling Tips: Creating, Crafting & Telling Stories, a guide filled with tips, tricks, and techniques of the trade. Storytelling Tips has "words of wisdom" applicable to writers, comedians, actors, teachers, and anyone else who needs to hone the knack for spinning a good yarn. "What's your story about? Can you say it in one sentence? I don't mean tell me a one-sentence story. I mean, in one sentence, tell me what the essence of your story is. If you can do that, you are well on your way to being a better story crafter and teller." Highly recommended!


The Poetry Shelf

A Ladder Of Cranes
Tom Sexton
University of Alaska Press
PO Box 756240, Fairbanks, AK 99775-6240
www.alaska.edu/uapress
9781602232570, $14.95, www.amazon.com

Blueberry Barren at Dusk: Wind has stripped it of snow / leaving a rocky field that glows // like embers beneath ash, a darker / mood, an open wound, late March // even the north wind seems to sigh, / not even a single crow in the sky. // From the idling car, I watch it darken / Above tall pines to the east a single star. Tom Sexton's slender book of poetry is one of those deftly crafted collections of verse that will linger in the mind and memory long after "A Ladder Of Cranes" has been finished and set back upon the shelf. This splendid little 60 page anthology is very highly recommended for community and academic library American Poetry collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "A Ladder Of Cranes" is also available in a kindle edition ($11.39).

Goat's Milk: New and Selected Poems
Frank Ormsby
Wake Forest University Press
PO Box 7333, Winston-Salem, NC 27109
www.wfu.edu/wfupress
9781930630741, $15.95, www.amazon.com

In "Goat's Milk: New and Selected Poems", northern Irish poet Frank Ormsby's keen eye is trained on numerous subjects: the unheralded country people in Northern Ireland, American soldiers stationed there during World War II, and the rich natural world of Westchester County north of Manhattan. These sympathetic poems are not untroubled observations, however. The Troubles of Northern Irish history hover in the margins of many poems, but are not central to the stories the poems have to tell how life continues in its daily forms no matter what type of fate descends. There are poems of death and birth, love and heartbreak, but the voice behind the poems unites them in the simplicity of his telling. Ormsby's words are seldom flashy, but glow steadily with both transparency and assuredness. 'The Flamethrower': We were all in the lap of the gods, as Smokey said, / an unpredictable, tumescent place. / You might be dandled there or due a caress / or fucked quick as lightning if your tree camouflage / wasn't just right. / His own lightning never struck less than twice, / the woods in front of him a melting waste / of real and human trees. "Goat's Milk: New and Selected Poems" is an extraordinary anthology that is very highly recommended for community and academic library Contemporary Poetry collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "Goat's Milk: New and Selected Poems" is also available in a Kindle edition ($13.99).


The Native American Studies Shelf

Tipi: Home of the Nomadic Buffalo Hunters
Paul Goble, author/illustrator
Rodney Frey, Foreword
Wisdom Tales Publishers
1501 Hillside Dr., Bloomington, IN 47401
9781933316390, $26.95, www.worldwisdom.com

"Tipi: Home of the Nomadic Buffalo Hunters" is a magnificent new title about the history, culture, architecture, and aesthetics of the traditional home of nomadic buffalo hunters of North America. The award-winning illustrations and work of Paul Goble bring to life the origins, use, and historic display of the buffalo skin tipi shelter, traditionally used by the Lakota, Blackfeet, Kiowa, and other North American tribes of buffalo hunters. Considerable effort is evident in the description of habits of constructing and decoration of the tipi, with exquisitely detailed colored illustrations of traditional tipis and also in the presentation of the mythic background stories of the construction of the tipi of First Man and First Woman, with its door pitched to the East to greet the Sun and Morning Star rising. Many fascinating details are included, for example, a map of tipi dwelling tribes on page 16 shows distinctions between three and four-pole base tipis, and between nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes. In all, over 100 pages present beautiful illustrations of many different tipis, modern, traditional, and historic. This is a fascinating study of many different adaptations and customs reflected in different tribes' tipi construction and decoration. Like all Paul Goble creations, "Tipi" is meant to be read and savored, as the treasure of knowledge and custom that it represents so beautifully. "Tipi: Home of the Nomadic Buffalo Hunters" is appropriate and interesting for readers of all ages.

Prairie Man
Norman E. Matteoni
Twodot
c/o Globe Pequot
www.globepequot.com
c/o Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
4501 Forbes Blvd., Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
9781442244757 $18.95 www.rowman.com

Prairie Man: The Struggle Between Sitting Bull and the Indian Agent James McLaughlin is a carefully researched and detailed historical scrutiny of a conflict not just between individuals, but also worldviews. After the 1876 Battle of Little Big Horn, the infamous defeat of General George Armstrong Custer, Sitting Bull was publically vilified for refusing to sign treaties, and personifying resistance to U.S. intrusion upon Lakota lands. Indian Agent James McLaughlin represented the U.S. Government's point of view - the desire to "kill the Indian and save the man" by forcibly moving native tribes to reservations, dismantling their culture, and transforming them into Christian farmers. The story of the conflict between Sitting Bull and James McLaughlin reflects the stormy history between the U. S. and its native peoples, and is at once both worrying and edifying. Extensive notes and an index round out this welcome addition to public and college library Native American Studies or American History shelves.

Osage and Settler
Janet Berry Hess
McFarland
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
9780786495825 $39.95 www.mcfarlandpub.com

Also available as an ebook (9781476621173), Osage and Settler: Reconstructing Shared History through an Oklahoma Family Archive is a scholarly examination of the history and relationship between white settlers, African-Americans, and the Osage of Oklahoma. Drawing upon a rare family archive, as well as archival material from the Osage Nation, Osage and Settler uses an anthropological approach, noting the lives of individual. Art, architecture, body ornamentation, sacred objects, ceremonies, and performances of the Osage are all contemplated in this multilayered and thoughtful study, enriched with a handful of black-and-white photographs, chapter notes, and a bibliography. Osage and Settler is a welcome and highly recommended addition to Native American Studies collections.


The Civil War Shelf

Fight Like the Devil
Chris Mackowski, Kristopher D. White, and Daniel T. Davis
Savas Beatie
PO Box 4527, El Dorado Hills, CA 95762
9781611212273 $12.95 www.savasbeatie.com

Fight Like the Devil: The First Day at Gettysburg July 1, 1863 is a historical analysis and re-creation of the first day of the horrifically deadly Battle of Gettysburg, which lasted for three days during the American Civil War. A trio of expert historians reconstruct the chance encounter between Confederate forces and Federal cavalry that quickly became a voracious battle, spiraling out of control. Black-and-white photography adorns virtually every page of this vivid, meticulous, and unforgettable study, peppered with revealing anecdotes. A "must-have" for Civil War history shelves!


The Money/Finance Shelf

Stop Trying To Keep Up With the Joneses
Brad Berger, CFP, CLF
Advantage Media Group
65 Gadsden Street, Charleston, SC 29401
http://advantagefamily.com
9781599325149 $14.99 pbk / $9.99 Kindle www.amazon.com

Certified Financial Planner and managing partner and owner of Cornerstone Financial Strategies Brad Berger presents Stop Trying To Keep Up With the Joneses: They're Broke Anyway, a practical-minded financial planning guide for business owners and laypeople alike. Chapters cover how to tailor one's approach to meet personal needs, preparing for the destination of retirement, the six biggest financial risks and how to mitigate them (including sickness/injury, improper tax planning, legal entanglements and more), and the anatomy of a financial plan. "Even if you have the money to self-insure, why would you? It is always more cost effective to transfer the risk than to reserve it for yourself. The problem with self-insuring is the opportunity cost. If you are reserving $200,000, that means it cannot be used for other things... You cannot invest it and put it at risk in the market - meaning you would be losing the potential to gain $16,000 a year if the market returned 8 percent." Thoroughly accessible and user-friendly from cover to cover, Stop Trying To Keep Up With the Joneses is highly recommended.

Living a Beautiful Life On Less
Danielle Wagasky
Plain Sight Publishing
c/o Cedar Fort, Inc.
2373 West 700 South, Springville, Utah 84663
www.cedarfort.com
9781462116072 $12.99 pbk / $5.99 Kindle www.amazon.com

Living a Beautiful Life On Less is a user-friendly resource and guide to living well on a tight budget. When author Danielle Wagasky's husband was deployed to Iraq, her own income plunged, and she learned how to keep her family of four happy and healthy on a $14,000 annual income with no debt, not even a mortgage. Chapters cover tips, tricks, and techniques to reduce grocery bills, become a strategic shopper, plan nutritious meals for less, pay down debt, and lay a sustainable financial foundation for the future. As a faithful Christian, Wagasky also touches upon the importance of making time for God no matter how dire one's financial straits may seem, but Living a Beautiful Life On Less is thoroughly accessible to readers of all religious backgrounds. "Forgetting to carry the two an really wreak havoc on a budget, so we like to always double check our math. our online banking is crucial to this step. You can't manage your finances efficiently without having access to an online banking system, and most banks offer this for free." Highly recommended.

The Scholarship & Financial Aid Solution, second edition
Debra Lipphardt
Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc.
1405 S.W. 6th Avenue, Ocala, FL 34471
9781601389503 $16.95 www.atlantic-pub.com

Now in a revised second edition, The Scholarship & Financial Aid Solution lives up to its title as a practical guide to identifying and properly applying for different types of scholarships. Chapters cover how to search for scholarship applications, guidelines for filling out applications or writing essays, preparing for interviews, avoiding scholarship scams, and more. "Some [scammers] will offer a 'free' workshop. The workshop is free, but the meeting they setup afterward will not be. Parents and students ask for my advice about whether or not they should go. I tell them what I have just told you, and to attend if they want to but never pay money for anything... These scam companies always seem to rent a room at reputable places, which makes them seem trustworthy." An excellent reference and resource for anyone confronting rising college and tuition costs, highly recommended.


The Dance Shelf

So You Want To Be A Dancer
Matthew Shaffer
www.MatthewShaffer.com
Taylor Trade Publishing
c/o Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
4501 Forbes Blvd., Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
9781630760267 $19.95 www.rowman.com

Stage and screen performer Matthew Shaffer presents So You Want To Be A Dancer: Practical Advice and True Stories from a Working Professional, a practical-minded guide for anyone looking to break into the creative enterprise of professional dancing. From promoting one's career aspirations through social media, to the pros and cons of getting a degree in dance, to tips and tricks for audition success and much more, So You Want To Be A Dancer is a "must-read"! Even readers who have no interest in dancing for a living will be fascinated by Shaffer's true-life, behind-the-scenes stories


The Martial Arts Shelf

The Mind Inside Tai Chi
Henry Zhuang
YMAA Publications
PO Box 480, Wolfeboro, NH 03894-0480
9781594393334 $16.95 www.ymaa.com

Tai Chi Chuan is an excellent physical activity for promoting health, longevity, and mental clarity. But engaging in the exercises regularly throughout the course of one's busy life can be difficult. The Mind Inside Tai Chi offers strategies and recommendations for staying focused and adhering to a consistent Tai Chi regimen. Author Henry Zhuang, a Tai Chi expert of thirty years' experience, shares how to cultivate an optimal mindset conductive to the benefits of this time-honored practice. "Practice at least twice a day, that is, one half hour after getting up in the morning and an hour before going to bed in the evening. Perform at least three sets of the complete forms. The first time is just for stretching, and gongfu can be enhanced only after the second time. For health preservation, one should practice for at least one half hour or more." The philosophy and elements of Tai Chi are discussed as thoroughly as the physical movements (which are also demonstrated with occasional black-and-white photographs). The Mind Inside Tai Chi is a "must-read" for anyone who is serious about incorporating Tai Chi into their daily life! Also highly recommended is the YMAA Publications title "Conflict Communication" (9781594393310, $18.95), a solid guidebook to learning principles and practical methods of conflict de-escalation.


The LGBT Studies Shelf

Equal Before the Law
Tom Witosky and Marc Hansen
University of Iowa Press
100 Kuhl House, 119 West Park Road
Iowa City, IA 52242-1000
www.uiowapress.org
9781609383497 $19.95 pbk / $15.89 Kindle www.amazon.com

Award-winning reporters Tom Witosky and Marc Hansen present Equal Before the Law: How Iowa Led Americans to Marriage Equality is a fascinating, scholarly study of Iowa's contribution to America's movement toward equality for same-sex marriages. The story begins with Iowa's Defense of Marriage Act, an anti-gay marriage law passed in 1998. In 2005, six ordinary Iowa couples joined Lambda Legal's suit against the law. The suit's triumph in 2009 initiated a conservative backlash against the state's elected supreme court judges. This court decision, Varnum v. Brien, made moderate, Midwestern Iowa the third state of the U.S.A. to permit same-sex couples to wed, years before more left-leaning states such as California and New York. Equal Before the Law reveals that this change should not have come as a shock - Iowa has a long history of leadership on civil rights, a legacy that remains influential to this day. Extensive notes and an index round out this worthy addition to American History and LGBT Studies shelves.


The Gaming Shelf

A Brief History of Video Games
Richard Stanton
Running Press
c/o Perseus Book Group
250 W. 57th St., Suite 1500, New York, NY 10107
9780762456154 $14.95 www.runningpress.com

Illustrated with full-color photography and screenshots on virtually every page, A Brief History of Video Games: The Evolution of a Global Industry is a researched, plain-spoken, and thoroughly accessible chronicle of video games as a pop culture phenomenon turned major creative industry. From the earliest arcade games, to the rise and fall of Atari, the industry resurrection driven by Nintendo, the proliferation of handheld systems, the more recent surge in mobile (smartphone) gaming, and more, A Brief History of Video Games is an edifying whirlwind tour of market forces, creative geniuses, and spectacular business successes and failures. A Brief History of Video Games is a "must-read" for serious minded game historians and curious video game connoisseurs alike!


The Philosophy Shelf

The Philosophy Of Hilary Putnam
Randal E. Auxier
Open Court Publishing Company
70 East Lake Street, Suite 800, Chicago, IL 60601
www.opencourtbooks.com
9780812698930, $179.95, www.amazon.com

Hilary Whitehall Putnam (born July 31, 1926) is an American philosopher, mathematician, and computer scientist who has been a central figure in analytic philosophy since the 1960s, especially in philosophy of mind, philosophy of language, philosophy of mathematics, and philosophy of science. He is known for his willingness to apply an equal degree of scrutiny to his own philosophical positions as to those of others, subjecting each position to rigorous analysis until he exposes its flaws. As a result, he has acquired a reputation for frequently changing his own position. Putnam is currently Cogan University Professor Emeritus at Harvard University. The newest addition to the outstanding Open Court Publishing Company series 'Library of Living Philosophers', "The Philosophy of Hilary Putnam" is compiled and co-edited by the team of Randall E. Auxier (Professor of Philosophy, Southern Illinois University - Carbondale), Douglas R. Anderson (Professor of Philosophy, Southern Illinois University - Carbondale), and Lewis Edwin Hahn (former editor of the Library of Living Philosophers from 1981 to 2001). "The Philosophy Of Hilary Putnam" is a 960 page compendium of Professor Putnam's contributions to the study of philosophy deftly organized and presented in three major sections: Intellectual Autobiography of Hilary Putnam; Descriptive and Critical Essays on the Philosophy of Hilary Putnam with Replies; Bibliography of the Writings of Hilary Putnam. Enhanced with the inclusion of a thirty-five page Index, "The Philosophy Of Hilary Putnam" is an impressive body of scholarship and a highly recommended addition to academic library Contemporary Philosophy reference collections and supplemental studies lists. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "The Philosophy Of Hilary Putnam" is also available in a Kindle edition ($110.31).


The Archaeology Shelf

Discovering the City of David
Ahron Horovitz
Aggid Books
c/o Koren Publishers Jerusalem Ltd.
PO Box 8531, New Milford, CT 06776-8531
www.korenpub.com
9781592644216, $24.95, www.amazon.com

"Discovering the City of David: A Journey To The Source" brings the wealth of archaeological finds and detailed research of ancient Jerusalem to the doorstep of non-specialist general readers for the first time. The first part surveys the major historical periods in the history of ancient Jerusalem. The second part is a guided tour of all the major sites in the City of David. Featuring illuminating drawings and exciting reconstructions, as well as fascinating photographs, this 116 page compendium is as informed and informative as it is stunningly beautiful to browse through. Deftly written commentaries and inherently interesting archaeological sites, "Discovering the City of David " is enthusiastically recommended for personal, community and academic library collections.


The Psychology Shelf

Frances Tustin Today
Judith L. Mitrani & Theodore Mitrani, editors
Routledge
711 - 3rd Avenue, Floor 8, New York, NY 10017-9209
www.routledge.com
9781138820449, $200.00, 276pp, www.amazon.com

Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by Judith L. Mitrani and Theodore Mitrani (Fellows of The International Psycho-Analytical Association, Training and Supervising Psychoanalysts at The Psychoanalytic Center of California in Los Angeles. They are founding members of the Board of Trustees of The Frances Tustin Memorial Trust, and authors, editors, translators and teachers in the private practice of psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic therapy with Adults and Children in Los Angeles, California. ) "Frances Tustin Today" is comprised of thirteen erudite and scholarly articles that explore some of the ways and means by which Tustin's work has enabled psychoanalytic clinicians to enter into the elemental domain of sensation: what Bion called the 'proto-mental' area of the psyche-soma. Through detailed clinical contributions of several of her exponents worldwide and organized into two major section (Prenatality through Latency; Adolescence through Adulthood), "Frances Tustin Today" demonstrates how her ideas (rooted in decades of work with children on the autistic spectrum) have influenced and are being expanded, extended and applied to the treatment of ordinary patients from early childhood through adulthood. The contributors represent a selection of the contemporary thinking that organically grew out of Tustin's discoveries, and show that Tustin's model has added new dimensions to the fields of infant observation, family therapy and neuro-psychology. Each chapter is augmented by demonstrable clinical experience. "Frances Tustin Today" is a valuable resource for psychoanalysts, psychotherapists, educators and parents who are interested in learning more about this uniquely independent clinical observer's findings and their impact upon the treatment of autistic states in children, adolescents and adults by contemporary workers in the field of mental health. "Frances Tustin Today" is an exemplary body of scholarship and strongly recommended for professional and academic library Psychiatric Studies reference collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "Frances Tustin Today" is also available in a paperback edition (9781138820456, $47.95) and in a Kindle format ($41.75).


The Holocaust Studies Shelf

Passionate Crusaders
Heather Voight
Privately Published
www.heathervoight.com
9780990305200 $10.99 www.amazon.com

Passionate Crusaders is the true story of a few righteous, individual Americans who worked to save more than 100,000 lives from the Nazi Holocaust. By January 1944, Treasury Department officials Henry Morgenthau, John Pehle, and Josiah DuBois had convinced President Franklin Roosevelt to create the War Refugee Board, an agency authorized to aid Jews and other groups persecuted by the Nazis. Though scholars have criticized the Board for failing to do more, the agency's achievements are noteworthy. Its members risked their reputations and sometimes their lives to save Jews, and pressured the War Crimes Commission to broaden its definition of war crimes to include the murder of civilians by their own countrymen. A bibliography and an index round out this thoughtful, well-researched, and accessible chronicle of human efforts to fight back against genocide.


The Religion/Spirituality Shelf

Understanding Jainism
Lawrence A. Babb
Dunedin
c/o International Specialized Book Services (dist.)
920 Northeast 58th Avenue, Suite 300, Portland, OR, 97213
9781780460321 $22.00 www.isbs.com

Understanding Jainism is an in-depth guide to the history and principles of the Jain faith. Jainism and Buddhism are the only surviving non-Vedic religious practice of ancient India, and thus are often grouped together, yet the two belief systems have profound differences. Unlike Buddhism, Jainism has not spread beyond the Indian subcontinent very much, yet it remains prominent among the medley of religions practiced there today. Understanding Jainism seeks to demystify Jain religious traditions, cultural practices, and doctrinal basics. The practices of both Jain laity and the monastic elite are analyzed, as are the social identities of Jain communities in modern-day Indian. Understanding Jainism is an absolute "must-have" for college and public library Religious Studies shelves, highly recommended.


The Literary Studies Shelf

Leo Tolstoy's 5 Greatest Novellas Annotated
Andrew Barger, editor
www.AndrewBarger.com
Bottletree Books LLC
6318 Anise Drive, Sarasota, FL 34238
9781933747163 $13.98 BottletreeBooks.com

Leo Tolstoy's 5 Greatest Novellas Annotated is an anthology of lesser-known short novels by acclaimed Russian author of the classic "War & Peace", Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910). Annotated with hundreds of detailed explanations for difficult-to-translate Russian terms, and historic background information relevant to the stories, Leo Tolstoy's 5 Greatest Novellas Annotated is a superb resource for anyone seeking to not only enjoy but also better understand Tolstoy's work. The five novellas included are "The Invaders", "The Death of Ivan Ilyich", "Two Hussars", "Father Sergius", and "Master & Man". Highly recommended, especially for public and college library literary studies shelves.


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


Copyright ©2001

Site design by Williams Writing, Editing & Design