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

Wisconsin Bookwatch

Volume 3, Number 3 March 2008 Home | WBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Real Estate Shelf Writing/Publishing Shelf
American History Shelf Economics Shelf Cookbook Shelf
Criminology Shelf Religion/Spirituality Shelf Environmental Studies Shelf
Literary Shelf Anthropology Shelf Business Shelf
Parenting Shelf Biography Shelf Needlecraft Shelf
Christian Studies Shelf Psychology Shelf Pets/Wildlife Shelf
Art Shelf Women's Studies Shelf Health/Medicine Shelf
Judaic Studies Shelf Interior Design Shelf Antiques/Collectibles Shelf
Travel Shelf Poetry Shelf Comix/Graphic Novel Shelf
Humor Shelf Political Science Shelf Mystery/Suspense Shelf
Fiction Shelf Metaphysical Studies Shelf Native American Shelf
Gardening Shelf Education Shelf  


Reviewer's Choice

Flyfisher's Guide To Wisconsin & Iowa
John Motoviloff
Wilderness Adventures Press, Inc.
45 Buckskin Road, Belgrade, MT 59714
9781932098365, $28.95 www.wildadvpress.com 1-800-925-3339

Whether fishing creeks, rivers, ponds, or lakes, Wisconsin and Iowa offer some of the best fly-fishing sport in the nation. "Flyfisher's Guide To Wisconsin & Iowa" by fishing and hunting expert John Motoviloff is a 600-page compendium of information covering more than 275 of the best fly-fishing waters for trout, steelhead and salmon, small-mouth bass, and all of the other warm water species to be found throughout Wisconsin and in the Northeast region of Iowa. "Flyfisher's Guide To Wisconsin & Iowa" provides illustrated and detailed descriptions of the various waters, the fish, and is profusely illustrated with maps throughout. The text is enhanced further with listings for sporting goods outlets, guides and outfitter resources, restaurants and lodging resources, campgrounds, airports, car rentals, and even hospitals. Anyone planning a fly-fishing expedition anywhere in Wisconsin or the adjoining northeast areas of Iowa would be very well advised to obtain a copy of "Flyfisher's Guide To Wisconsin & Iowa" as an instructive, take-a-long reference and guide for their fishing trip itinerary.

Outdoor Navigation with GPS
Stephen W. Hinch
Wilderness Press
1200 Fifth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710-1306
9780899974453, $16.95 www.wildernesspress.com 1-800-443-7227

Now in an updated second edition, Outdoor Navigation with GPS is a no-nonsense guide to basic GPS navigation skills, useful for all kinds of outdoor activities ranging from hiking, mountain biking, and fishing to geocaching, outdoor photography, canoeing/kayaking, and any other activity involving the negotiation of wild terrain. Written in a jargon-free style accessible to readers of all backgrounds, chapters cover how to program waypoint coordinates and reach them, prepare for and recover from disaster, read topographic maps, and much more. Black-and-white photographs and diagrams illustrate this "must-have" for outdoorsmen in the modern age.

Laura Ingalls Wilder, Farm Journalist: Writings from the Ozarks
Laura Ingalls Wilder, author
Stephen W. Hines, editor
University of Missouri Press
2910 LeMone Boulevard, Columbia, MO 65201
9780826217714, $34.95 www.umsystem.edu/upress 1-800-828-1894

Now in a revised edition that adds forty-two additional articles and restores passages previously omitted from other articles, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Farm Journalist: Writings from the Ozarks assembles essays written by Laura Ingalls Wilder (1867-1957), which originally appeared in the "Missouri Ruralist" between 1911 and 1924. Best known for her classic novel "Little House on the Prairie", which she would later publish in 1935, Wilder was also seasoned in political, relationship, and practical matters. Her essays range from how women could be equal partners with their husbands, how they should stay true to their new freedoms including the recently won right to vote, how to maintain traditional family values in a rapidly changing world, and much more, as well as relatively mundane tasks such as raising chickens and managing one's time. New articles in this edition include "Making the Best of Things", "Economy in Egg Production", "Spic, Span, and Beauty", "Magic in Plain Foods", and more. A singularly wonderful portrait of a beloved woman's wisdom; though Wilder was indeed a product of her time, many of the insights contained are truly transcendent. Highly recommended.


The Real Estate Shelf

Profits in Buying & Renovating Homes
Lawrence Dworin
Craftsman Book Company
6058 Corte del Cedro, Carlsbad, CA 92009
9780934041577, $19.75 www.craftsman-book.com 1-800-829-8123

Written by spec rehab professional Lawrence Dworin, Profits in Buying & Renovating Homes is an in-depth guide to buying, repairing, and selling fixer-upper homes. Chapters cover how to determine costs and profit before buying, repairs and improvements that are absolutely necessary for any job, which upgrades charm buyers the most, and much more. Profits in Buying & Renovating Homes does not focus on real estate finance per se, but rather the nuts and bolts of when and how to fix structural and mechanical problems, add rooms, correct defects, and so on. Step-by-step instructions and black-and-white photographs make Profits in Buying & Renovating Homes easy to follow and use. A "must-read" for anyone interested in the spec rehab business.


The Writing/Publishing Shelf

Writing As A Small Business
Nash Black
Outskirts Press, Inc.
10940 South Parker Road, #515, Parker, CO 80134
9781432716257, $19.95 www.outskirtspress.com 1-888-672-6657

Earning a living as a professional writer is a business. Writing freelance is the equivalent of being a self-employed small business owner and operator. As such, meticulous attention must be made to how that business is structured, operated, and kept track of. Failure to keep aware of the proverbial 'bottom line' can lead to financial and professional disaster. Enter Nash Black's 196-page instructional guide and reference "Writing As A Small Business" covers what every aspiring (and practicing) professional author needs to know about the financial side of their work including whether or not to incorporate or operate as a sole proprietorship, the keeping and storage of financial records, filling out state and federal tax forms, avoiding audits, handling advances with respect to royalties, grants and gratuities; safeguarding the computer from hackers and online viruses, and generally protecting the financial rights and aspects of a written work -- before and after publication. Enhanced with bibliographies of thematically appropriate informational resources on the subject of the economics of professional writing, a glossary of terms, and an index, "Writing As A Small Business" is a critically important, thoroughly 'user friendly', instructional guide that should be on the personal reference shelf of every aspiring writer seeking to financially support themselves and their loved ones through their writing regardless of the genre, category, or discipline they are writing in and for.

Good Writing for Journalists
Angela Phillips
Sage Publications
2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320-2218
9781412919173, $39.95 www.sagepub.com 1-800-818-7243

Written by journalist and college teacher Angela Phillips, Good Writing for Journalists is a no-nonsense guide to improving the quality of one's nonfiction writing. Chapters cover genres ranging from profile writing and interviews to direct reporting, news analysis, investigation, sports writing, personal and opinion columns, "lifestyle" writing, and more. A large portion of Good Writing for Journalists is devoted to sample journalistic pieces that exemplify positive and memorable qualities, all the better to see Phillips' teachings in use. Enthusiastically recommended especially for journalism students and majors.

ACTS Of Teaching
Joyce Armstrong Carroll & Edward E. Wilson
Teacher Ideas Press
PO Box 6926, Portsmouth, NH 03802-6926
9781591585176, $45.00 www.teacherideaspress.com 1-800-225-5800

The art of writing is a learned skill honed through practice. Now in an extensively updated and significantly expanded second edition, "ACTS Of Teaching: How To Teach Writing" by academicians Joyce Armstrong Carroll and Edward E. Wilson (both of whom are Co-Directors of Abydos Learning International) is a 501-page compendium of instruction on all aspects of the art and craft of teaching aspiring authors how to write effectively regardless of the genre or discipline they are writing in or for. After an informed and informative introduction, "ACTS Of Teaching: How To Teach Writing" is dived into two primary sections dealing with 'Process' and 'The Theory and Pedagogy'. An overview of writing as a process beings with 'Prewriting: More Than the Beginning', continues on with 'Writing and Organizing', 'Writing as a Social Act', 'Grammar and Correcting', 'Grammar through Revision', Grammar through Reformulation', 'Postwriting and Publishing', and 'Assessment'. "ACTS Of Teaching: How To Teach Writing" continues with a major and detailed chapter on the way the brain works in the writing process, before going on to address such issues as 'Learning How to Learn', 'Early Literacy', 'Research', and 'Writing as a Mode of Learning. Enhanced with an extensive and extended bibliography, "ACTS Of Teaching: How To Teach Writing" also features nine highly relevant appendices (note especially the first one offering a List of Genres), and a comprehensive index. "ACTS Of Teaching: How To Teach Writing" is note only very highly recommended as an educational curriculum guide and supplement for the teaching of writing in a college or university level course, it is also invaluable reading for any aspiring writer seeking to become as effective as they can be within the demands of any scientific discipline, literary genre, or commercial enterprise they might find themselves working in.

Off the Page
Carole Burns, editor
W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
9780393330885, $14.95 www.wwnorton.com

Off the Page: Writers Talk About Beginnings, Ending, and Everything in Between is an anthology of interviews with a diversity of authors describing the creation process of a literary work. Joyce Carol Oates begins and ends her writing process creating and reworking the beginning of a book; A.S. Byatt assembles a novel from "blocks of color"; and E.L. Doctorow crafts a story from a specific and compelling image that often springs to mind without context. From the intersection of sex, love, and literature (Martin Amis insists that good sex is impossible to write about!) to the reader's part in the creative process (or at least, the effect that readers' imagined reaction has on the mind of the author), Off the Page runs the gamut of influences and effects upon the evolution of a book. Originally typed directly on interviewer Carole Burns' computer as she listened to the interviewees and posted in real-time on the Web, Off the Page is undeniably authentic in his honest portrayal of the authors' mission to write literature worth reading.


The American History Shelf

Jacksonian And Antebellum Age
Mark R. Cheathem, editor
ABC-CLIO
PO Box 1911, Santa Barbara, CA 93116-1911
9781598840179, $85.00 www.abc-clio.com 1-800-368-6868

No segment of America's two-hundred year old history has been more colorful and critical than the years between the election of Andrew Jackson to be the first populist president of the United States and the advent of the American Civil War. The latest volume in the ABC-Clio 'Perspective in American Social History' series, "Jacksonian And Antebellum Age: People And Perspectives" offers an informed and informative survey of America during a time of westward expansion, increasing conflicts with Native Americans, the coming of the Industrial Revolution, and the emerging abolitionist movement. Enhanced with occasional black-and-white illustrations, the text is composed of contributions by accomplished historians and academicians under the skilled editorship of Mark R. Cheathem (Assistant Professor of History, Southern New Hampshire University), the nine articles comprising "Jacksonian And Antebellum Age" cover such issues as African American Revolutionaries; Presidential Politics and Social Scandal; Children and Culture; The Jacksonian Frontier; women, Taverns, and Travel; Religious Sects and Social Reform; New England Industry and Workers; Native American Politics and Removal; and Slave Traders. Enhanced with lists of primary documents, references, a bibliography, and an index, "Jacksonian And Antebellum Age" is an impressive and recommended addition to school and community library American History reference collections in general, and supplemental reading lists for non-specialist general readers with an interest in the issues and personalities of Jacksonian Era in particular.


The Economics Shelf

Optimal Monetary Policy Under Uncertainty
Richard T. Froyen & Alfred V. Guender
Edward Elgar Publishing
9 Dewey Court, Northampton, MA 01060-3815
9781845429645, $270.00 www.e-elgar.com 1-800-390-3149

The ancient Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times" is particularly apt for economists, investors, and governmental policy makers for today's problematically volatile economic climate. In "Optimal Monetary Policy Under Uncertainty", academicians and economists Richard T. Froyen (University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill) and Alfred V. Guender (University of Canterbury, New Zealand) have collaborated on presenting an informed and informative survey of optimal monetary policy literature arising during the 1970s and 1980s as a groundwork for understanding current market and other economic influences on such germane issues as discretion versus commitment, target versus instrument rules, and the delegation of policy making authority within the private and public sectors. With meticulous attention to scholarship and objectivity, the text for "Optimal Monetary Policy Under Uncertainty" is divided into two parts: 'Imperfect Information, Responses to Shocks, and Credibility Issues' and "Recent Developments in Monetary Policy'. Enhanced with extensive references and a comprehensive index, "Optimal Monetary Policy Under Uncertainty" is a thoughtful and thought-provoking body of work that is very strongly recommended for professional, academic, corporate, and governmental economic reference collections and supplemental reading lists.


The Cookbook Shelf

The Lebanese Cookbook
Hussien Dekmak
Hippocrene Books, Inc.
171 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016
9780781812085, $29.95 www.hippocrenebooks.com 1-212-685-4371

Regional and ethnic cookbooks are always prized additions to any personal or community library cookbook collection. "The Lebanese Cookbook" is a superbly illustrated, organized, and presented compilation of recipes highlighting and showcasing the culinary traditions and dishes of Lebanon. Comprising more than 100 authentic, delicious, nutritious, step-by-step recipes, "The Lebanese Cookbook" will enable event the most novice kitchen cook to turn out perfect meals reflecting the Lebanese type Mediterranean cuisine with its emphasis on fresh vegetables, olive oil, garlic, fish, lamb, chicken, and whole grains. Of special note are the chapters devoted to Barbecues; Doughs, Rice, Sauces and Pickles; as well as Desserts and Drinks. With recipes ranging from Fattoush (Toasted Bread Salad); to Foul Medames (Fava Beans with Garlic and Garbanzo Beans); to Daoud Basha (Meatballs with Pine Nuts and Tomato Sauce); to Lahma Meshwi (Grilled Lamb on Skewers), "The Lebanese Cookbook" is an especially recommended addition to any ethnic cookbook shelf.

Food Made Fast: Desserts
Williams-Sonoma
Oxmoor House
PO Box 11095, Des Moines, Iowa 50336-1095
9780848731434, $17.95 www.oxmoorhouse.com 1-888-859-8056

Featuring an impressive diversity of recipes by award-winning pastry chef and cookbook author Elinor Klivans, "Food made Fast: Desserts" is a compilation of fabulous, elegant, sophisticated, but thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' delicacies that would crown any meal, celebrate any occasion, please any palate, and satisfy any appetite. Each of these desserts is beautifully illustrated with the full-color photography of Jeff Tuck and Kevin Hossler. The individual desserts are organized into three main sections: 30 Minutes Start to Finish; 15 Minutes Hands on Time; and Make More to Store. They range from an Italian Affrogato; Pears Poached in White Wine; Chocolate Mocha Mousse; and Plum Sorbet; to a Lemon Pudding Cake; Blueberry Streusel Galette; Hot Fudge Parfaits; and a Chocolate Icebox Cake. Of special note are the occasional 'Cook's Tips' sidebars; 'The Smarter Cook' commentary; and 'The Well-Stocked Kitchen' advisory. Published under the general editorship of Williams-Sonoma founder Chuck Williams, "Food Made Fast: Desserts" is highly recommended for community library cookbook collections in general, and the personal reference collections for time-stressed family chefs in particular!

You've Got It Made
Diane Phillips
Harvard Common Press
535 Albany Street , Boston, MA 02118
9781558323513, $14.95 www.harvardcommonpress.com 1-888-657-3755

"You've Got It Made: Deliciously Easy Meals To Make Now & Bake Later" by Diane Phillips comprises a compendium of 150 high-quality and culinarily interesting recipes that can be made ahead of time and then frozen or refrigerated until needed. Each individual recipe features a one-paragraph introduction, a serving size estimate, a list of ingredients, 'Make It Now' step-by-step directions, and a "Bake it Later" series of instructions. Each recipe is also presented with a 'Variation' and 'Diva Notes' relevant to that particular dish. After a 'Do-Ahead Strategies' chapter, recipes themselves are grouped into sections on Appetizers and Small Bites; Pasta and Grain Bakes; Hot Dish; The Main Dish: Meat; The Main Dish: Poultry; The Main Dish: Sea Food; On the Side; and Desserts. With recipes ranging from Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp with Many Basting Sauces; Old-Fashioned Mac and Cheese with Variations; French Toast Cobblers; and Mom's Old-Fashioned Meat Loaf; to Green Chile, Monterey Jack, and Chorizo-Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Salsa Verde; Baked Salmon and Spinach Casserole; Baked Stuffed Chipotle-Maple Sweet Potatoes; and Maple Praline Pumpkin Cheesecake Streusel Bars, "You've Got It Made" is an ideal and thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' addition to any family or community library cookbook collection.

Diabetic Cooking
Publications International
7373 North Cicero Avenue, Lincolnwood, IL 60712
1412726271, $15.99 1-847-676-3470

Spiral bound with sturdy covers, "Diabetic Cooking" is a combination of three cookbooks (Snacks, Main Dishes, Desserts) in one. Focusing upon recipes appropriate for diabetics, this is one of Publication International's series of cookbooks that showcase the theme of 'Favorite Brand Name' high lighting the use of brand name products as an integral part of the ingredients to be used in the various dishes. Superbly illustrated throughout with full color photography, the recipes (and some photos) are drawn from companies and organizations that include the almond Board of California; Cabot Creamery Cooperative; Del Monte Corporation; Dole Food Company; Equal (sweetener); the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Bureau of Seafood and Aquaculture; Glucerna (Ross Products, a Division of Abbott laboratories); Guiltless Gourmet; The Hershey Company, Masterfood USA; the Minnesota Cultivated Wild Rice Council; Mrs. Dash; the National Honey Board; the National Watermelon Promotion Board; NatraTaste (Stadt Holding Corporation); and the Wheat Foods Council. The three primary sections are divided by tabs, while the spiral binding allows for the cookbook to be laid out flat upon a kitchen counter. Each recipe is provided with 'Nutrients per Serving' and 'Dietary Exchange' information. The dishes themselves range from a Chutney Cheese Spread; Inside-Out Turkey Sandwiches; and Grilled Flank Steak with Horseradish Sauce; to Vegetable Lasagna; Chocolate-Almond Meringue Puffs; and Fresh Strawberry Cream Pie. Exceptionally 'kitchen cook friendly', "Diabetic Cooking" is a welcome and strongly recommended addition to personal, family, and community library cookbook collections in general, and the culinary reference shelf of anyone having to cope with diabetes in particular.

Breakfast In Bed
Carol Frieberg
Sasquatch Books
119 South Main Street, Suite 400, Seattle, WA 98104-2555
9781570615474, $19.95 www.sasquatchbooks.com 1-800-775-0817

Having a gourmet quality breakfast in bed is one of life's true luxuries. Now with Carol Frieberg's "Breakfast In Bed: More Than 150 Recipes For Delicious Morning Meals" anyone can enjoy such delightful decadence. Each dish is thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' and simple in its preparation. The recipes are drawn from the menus of elegant west-coast bed-and-breakfasts and other inns, presenting the very best of breakfast menu favorite fare. All of them are simply delicious palate pleasing and appetite satisfying, ranging along the whole spectrum of breakfast entrees. The recipes range from French Breakfast Puffs (Abigail's, Victoria, British Columbia); Chocolate Zucchini Rum Cake (Hammons House Inn Bed & Breakfast, Sonora, California); and Blueberry Sourdough Cobbler (Chambered Nautilus, Seattle, Washington); to South of the Border Crustless Quiche (Salisbury House, Seattle, Washington); Apple Cider Syrup (Hilltop Bed 7 Breakfast, Ferndale, Washington); and Baked Breakfast Apples (Glendeven Inn & Gallery, Little River, California).

A Fistful Of Lentils
Jennifer Felicia Abadi
Harvard Common Press
535 Albany Street, Boston, MA 02118
9781558322196, $16.95 www.harvardcommonpress.com 1-888-657-3755

Showcasing more than 125 recipes that celebrate and represent Syrian-Jewish culinary traditions of the Mideast, "A Fistful Of Lentils: Syrian-Jewish Recipes From Grandma Fritzie's Kitchen" by Jennifer Felicia Abadi also includes family anecdotes, religious and historical lore, and her original artwork. Of special note are the uses of spices in these recipes that range from Baba Ganush (Eggplant Dip with Sesame Paste); Lift Meh'lee (Fried Turnips); and Shanech b' Limoneh (Creamed Lemon Spinach with Chickpeas); to Fassouley b' Chuderah (Vegetarian Bean Stew with Cinnamon and Tomato Paste); Kibbeh fil Seeniyah b'Lah'meh (Meat-filled Bulgur Pie); Dja'jeh Burd'aan b'Teen (Orange Chicken with Golden Raisins and Figs); and Mish Mosh M'raba (Syrian Apricot Jam). Of special note is the Menu Planning Guide. Enhanced with the inclusion of an equivalents chart, a glossary of Syrian-Arabic terms, a resource section for specialty grocery and spice stores, a bibliography, and an index, "A Fistful Of Lentils" is an especially recommended addition for personal and community library Ethnic Cookbook reference collections.

Best Of The Best From South Carolina Cookbook
Gwen McKee 7 Barbara Moseley
Quail Ridge Press
PO Box 123, Brandon, MS 39043
9781893062887, $16.95 www.quailridge.com 1-800-343-1583

Some of the finest, most authentic, and culinarily unique recipes to be found are in local and regional cookbook collections. Quail Ridge Press is famous within knowledgeable circles for their state-specific cookbook anthologies that select the very best of recipes from favorite cookbooks published within the geographical and culinary traditions of a particular state. Such is the case with Gwen McKee and Barbara Mosely's "Best Of The Best From South Carolina Cookbook" which showcases true dinner table treasures taken from a series of diverse cookbooks who hold one thing in common -- they were all published within the confines of South Carolina. From Beverages and Appetizers, to Pies and Other Desserts, the recipes range from Sweet Potato Muffins (Catering to Charleston); Street party Grape Salad (Cooking Carley Style); Broccoli Rice Casserole (A Taste Through Time); and Venison Meatballs (Family Treasures); to Crabmeat Stuffing (A Collection from Summerville Kitchens); Chicken Parmigiana (Go-o-od Goodies from Good Hope's Good Cooks); Red Velvet Cake (Bountiful Blessings); and Half-Way Cookies (Gracious Goodness: Christmas in Charleston). One especially nice feature of "Best Of The Best From South Carolina Cookbook" is its 'Catalog of Contributing Cookbooks" which provides a succinct description and ordering information for those cookbook enthusiasts who would like to seek out what else is offered in addition to the selected or representative recipes from that particular source. There's even a one-page 'South Carolina Timeline' that presents chronological highlights of the state from 1521 to 2005. Dedicated cookbook collectors while want to visit the Quail Ridge Press website for their complete and extensive list of 'Best of the Best' state oriented cookbooks. Spiral bound so as to lay out flat upon a kitchen counter, and thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' in the presentation of the individual recipes, "Best Of The Best From South Carolina Cookbook" is an enthusiastically recommended addition to any personal or community library cookbook collection!


The Criminology Shelf

The Mafia and the Machine
Frank R. Hayde
Barricade Books, Inc.
185 Bridge Plaza North, Suite 308-A, Fort Lee, NJ 07024
9781569803363, $22.00 www.barricadebooks.com 1-800-592-6657

Law enforcement officer Frank R. Hayde presents The Mafia and the Machine: The Story of the Kansas City Mob, the mesmerizing true story of the Mafia's influence in Kansas City politics during the course of the twentieth century. Mob infiltration in the police department, the Democratic Party, the Teamsters Union, and more manifested as terror spread on election days, "licensed" and "protected" criminal rackets, and eruptions of violence. Mob activity was a daily part of Kansas City life for decades. Efficiently researched and told with a sense of excitement sure to intrigue readers of all backgrounds, The Mafia and the Machine is a highly recommended contribution to American history and criminal history shelves.

Murder City
Michael Lesy
W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
9780393330595, $15.95 www.wwnorton.com 1-800-233-4830

Professor of literary journalism Michael Lesy presents Murder City: The Bloody History of Chicago in the Twenties, is a true crime anthology that lives up to its title -- and then some! Written in attention-grabbing prose for readers from all walks of life, Murder City intersperses its seventeen gritty murder stories with a handful of vintage black-and-white photographs. An excellent addition to true crime shelves and highly recommended reading for true crime buffs and students of Windy City history!


The Religion/Spirituality Shelf

Storms Over Genesis
William H. Jennings
Fortress Press
c/o Augsburg Fortress Publishers
100 Fifth Street, Suite 600, Minneapolis, MN 55402-1210
9780800662110, $17.00 www.augsburgbooks.com 1-800-328-4648

Written by William H. Jennings (Professor of Religion Emeritus, Muhlenberg College) Storms Over Genesis: Biblical Battleground in America's Wars of Religion is the amazing true story of conflicting and controversial interpretations over the first three chapters of Genesis in the Christian Bible. Opening with the New Revised Standard Version of Genesis 1-3, so that the reader may evaluate the source material directly, Storms Over Genesis examines the views of fundamentalists, modernists, Catholics, Protestants, Jews, feminists, and more concerning these passages, while striving to illuminate core concerns fundamental to all who critically regard this text. An enlightening study that also reveals just how hotly disputed religious passages can be.

The Serpent Handlers
Fred Brown and Jeanne McDonald
John F. Blair, Publisher
1406 Plaza Drive, Winston-Salem, NC 27103
9780895873521, $15.95 www.blairpub.com 1-800-222-9796

The Serpent Handlers: Three Families and Their Faith tells the stories of three families of the Signs Followers faith - a branch of Christianity originating in 1910, whose members take Mark 16: 17-18 as a central tenet of their belief. Known for the sensational aspects of their belief - picking up poisonous snakes, drinking strychnine, and speaking in tongues - Signs Followers have often been negatively portrayed by the media, and . Journalist Fred Brown earned their trust through longstanding respect, and offers The Serpent Handlers as a counterbalance. Great pains have been taking to present the stories of the serpent handlers in their own words, without extraneous or editorializing, though each individual's memoir is prefaced by with a summary of who he or she is and his or her role in the movement. A "must-read" primary source highly recommended for anyone interested in learning more about Signs Followers and their faith.


The Environmental Studies Shelf

The Governance of Western Public Lands
Martin Nie
University Press of Kansas
2501 West 15th Street, Lawrence, KS 66049
9780700615582, $39.95 www.kansaspress.ku.edu 1-785-864-4154

Martin Nie (associate professor of natural resource policy in the College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana) presents The Governance of Western Public Lands: Mapping Its Present and Future, a big-picture survey of the history and future of America's public lands, with especial attention paid to the contentious debate concerning how they should be used, and to what extent their wildlife should be protected. Examining both individual case studies (such as that of conflict over the forests in southeast Alaska) and broader general dilemmas of opposing viewpoints concerning national resource management, The Governance of Western Public Lands offers a balanced, serious-minded assessment of both present and future needs. "Experimentation could help ground some of the ideological debates discussed... We could use a few concrete cases to examine the virtues and drawbacks of trying something different on our public lands. Experimentation might thus give a strong shot of pragmatism to public land politics by rejecting sweeping generalities and abstract theorizing in favor of more practical experience and empirical knowledge. Instead of hypotheticals, we could focus our attention on the outcome of a particular project." Highly recommended.


The Literary Shelf

Mechademia Volume 2: Networks of Desire
Frenchy Lunning, editor
University of Minnesota Press
111 Third Avenue South, Suite 290, Minneapolis, MN 55401-2520
9780816652662, $19.95 www.upress.umn.edu

The Mechademia series is an extraordinary anthology of original essays by scholars, artists, and fans discussing the popular culture of Japanese animation, manga, and their derivative fan-works, as gathered from an annual forum. Mechademia Volume 2: Networks of Desire especially focuses upon sexual and gender issues and subtexts present in manga and anime - although, despite the provocative cover image of a nude girl bound in ropes, most of the manga and anime examples discussed are emphatically not pornographic. Sample essays include "Shojo Manga! Girls Comics! A Mirror of Girls' Dreams", "Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction Writers: New Narrative Themes or the Same Old Story?", "The Animalization of Otaku Culture", "Between the Child and the Mecha", and much more. A handful of black-and-white animation stills and other photographs illustrate this welcome contribution to Japanese popular culture studies.


The Anthropology Shelf

Ethnic Identity In Nahua Mesoamerica
Frances F. Berdan, et al.
University of Utah Press
1795 East South Campus Drive, #101, Salt Lake City, UT 84112-9402
9780874809176, $50.00 www.uofupress.com 1-800-773-6672

Over the past couple of decades there has been a virtual explosion of informative data on and about the pre-Columbian native populations of Central and South America. A seminal work of dedicated academic scholarship, "Ethnic Identity In Nahua Mesoamerica: The View From Archaeology, Art History, Ethnohistory, And Contemporary Ethnography" is the collaborative effort of a team of researchers and academics that includes Frances F. Berdan (Professor of Anthropology, California State University - San Bernardino); John K. Chance (Professor of Anthropology, Arizona State University); Alan R. Sandstrom (Professor of Anthropology and Chair of the Department of Antrhopology, Indiana University - Purdue University at Fort Wayne); Barbara L. Stark (Professor of Anthropology, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University); James Taggart (Lewis Audenreid Professor at Franklin and Marshall College); and Emily Umberger (Professor of Art History, Arizona State University). A compilation of eight major papers ranging from Professors Stark and Chance's 'Diachronic and Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Mesoamerican Ethnicity', to Professors' Sandstrom and Berdan's "Some Finish Thoughts and Unfinished Business", provides the reader with a multifaceted, multidisciplinary survey on Mexico's Nahuas population's ethnic identity, history, and social conditions drawing upon perspectives provided by archaeological researches, contemporary ethnographical studies, historical overviews, and art appreciation. Enhanced with the inclusion of figures, tables, notes, reference citations, and an index, "Ethnic Identity In Nahua Mesoamerica" is an impressively informed and informative contribution which is confidently recommended for academic library reference collections, as well as Native American Studies, Mexican History, and Nahua Ethnographic Studies supplemental reading lists.


The Business Shelf

Every Landlord's Property Protection Guide
Ron Leshnower
Nolo Press
950 Parker Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
9781413307009, $29.95 www.nolo.com 1-800-955-4775

Renting out a property, be it commercial or residential, can be a profitable dream come true or a financial and legal nightmare come to pass. An indispensable, invaluable, reliable, and 'user friendly' instruction guide of step-by-step procedures and advice by attorney Ron Leshnower, "Every Landlord's Property Protection Guide: 10 Ways To Cut Your Risk Now" covers all of the most commonly encountered kinds of legal troubles that renting a property to a tenant can give rise to. More specific in scope than some general 'how to' manual for making money as a landlord, "Every Landlord's Property Protection Guide" focuses on the legal aspects of everything from fair housing laws to property conditions like mold. Leshnower draws upon his years of experience and expertise to provide a month-by-month plan that can be adopted and customized by any landlord for any property so as to avoid damaging law suits while protecting their financial investment both short-term and long-term. The reader will learn how to obtain the correct kind of insurance for their particular property, lower the risk of crime with respect to their property, adhere to municipal, state, and federal property laws, and abide by the legal restrictions and mandates when hiring help or acquiring a tenant. Whether a novice property owner or an experienced professional, "Every Landlord's Property Protection Guide", enhanced with the inclusion of an accompanying CD, qualifies as an essential reference and guide to renting property lawfully and profitably.


The Parenting Shelf

Parenting After Divorce
Philip M. Stahl, Ph.D.
Impact Publishers, Inc.
PO Box 6016, Atascadero, CA 93423-6016
9781886230842, $17.95 www.impactpublishers.com www.rebuilding.org

Forensic psychologist and high-conflict divorce specialist Philip M. Stahl, Ph.D. presents Parenting After Divorce: Resolving Conflicts and Meeting Your Children's Needs, now in a revised and updated second edition. Grounded firmly in real-life experience rather than overly idealistic assumptions, Parenting After Divorce covers how to amicably share custody, the importance of keeping the child out of the middle of conflict, the need to take care of oneself (or else one will be in no shape to look after children), dealing with the courts, and much more. Real-world examples help to clarify the key points discussed in this highly accessible and enthusiastically recommended advice guide for divorced parents everywhere.

How We Make Our Kids Angry
Roger Cross
InterVarsity Press
PO Box 1400, Downers Grove, IL 605151426
9780830833658, $16.95 www.ivpress.com 1-800-843-9487

Written by father of three Roger Cross, who served thirty-eight years of ministry to tens of thousands of kids through Youth for Christ, How We Make Our Kids Angry: Suggestions for Parents Who Want to Change is a parenting guide about respecting children while simultaneously providing them with the boundaries they need. Though addressed to Christian parents, How We Make Our Kids Angry is about principles of good parenting universal to all faiths. Chapters discuss the perils of expecting kids to fill adult roles, unjustly pressuring a child to fulfill one's own fantasies, playing favorites, and other behaviors that may not be unconsciously done but are none the less harmful. "Consider and Respond" questions at the end of each chapter round out this thoughtful parenting book grounded in practical wisdom. "Understand the difference between discipline and punishment. The difference has to do with motives. The motive of punishment is to make sure the child experiences pain for stepping over the line. Discipline, while it usually involves some kind of pain (a swat, being grounded, privileges withheld, etc.) is motivated by correcting and improving behavior. Punishment can often be administered in anger, while discipline is more controlled and measured."


The Biography Shelf

Life With Mae
Neal Shine
Wayne State University Press
The Leonard N. Simons Building
4809 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI 48201-1309
9780814332986, $24.95 http://wsupress.wayne.edu 1-800-978-7323

Written by the late Neil Shine, longtime editor and former publisher of the Detroit Free Press, Life With Mae: A Detroit Family Memoir is the true story of daily life in Detroit as well as a biography of the author's strong-willed and spirited mother Mae. Born in 1909 in a small Irish town, Mae worked as a housekeeper at fourteen, and saved enough money for a one-way ticket to the United States by age eighteen. Life With Mae recounts her quirks, enthusiasm, protection, and love, as well as her identification with and compassion for the poor and downtrodden. An inspirational memoir and tribute.

The Butterfly Garden
Chip St. Clair
Health Communications, Inc.
3201 S.W. 15th Street, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442-8190
9780757306952, $15.95 1-800-441-5569

The Butterfly Garden: A Memoir is the true-life story of author Chip St. Clair, who survived a bitterly abusive and life-threatening childhood overshadowed by the menace of a physically abusive father. Eventually he learned a shocking truth; the man he called "Dad" was an escaped child killer who had fled justice for over two decades, and one of America's Most Wanted. Forced to turn his father in rather than risk allowing him to harm any more children, Chip St. Clair subsequently dedicated himself to protecting children and keeping child predators behind bars. A grim true crime story that at its heart deals with roots, identity, and cultivating the will to make a better future no matter what horrors lie in the past.


The Needlecraft Shelf

Knitting Patterns for Dummies
Kristi Porter
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5773
9780470045565, $19.99 www.wiley.com 1-800-225-5945

Knitwear designer Kristi Porter presents Knitting Patterns for Dummies, a worthy addition to the exemplary "For Dummies" series of guides designed to make their subject matter thoroughly accessible to beginners. Chapters address how to choose the right yarn and needles, common stitches and pattern shapes, how to measure one's gauge, read a pattern, and understand garment sizing, proper care of completed knitted creations, and much more. A handful of color plates and an assortment of black-and-white diagrams illustrate this step-by-step guide, enthusiastically recommended as a top-notch self-teaching resource.


The Christian Studies Shelf

The Churches Of Egypt
Gawdat Gabra & Gertrud J. M. van Loon
The American University in Cairo Press
c/o International Publishers Marketing
22841 Quicksilver Drive, Dulles, VA 20166
9789774161063, $59.95 www.internationalpubmarket.com 1-800-758-3756

Profusely and beautifully illustrated throughout with the color images by Egyptian photographer Sherif Sonbol, and deftly edited by editor, publisher and lecturer Carolyn Ludwig, "The Churches Of Egypt: From The Journey Of The Holy Family To The Present Day" the collaborative work of Gawdat Gabra (former director of the Coptic Museum and a Visiting Professor of Coptic Studies at Claremont Graduate University) and Gertrud J. M. van Loon (research expert in Coptic Art and Archaeology). Superbly organized and presented by regional classifications, the Christian churches of Egypt depicted and showcased include those in the Coptic Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Protestant, Armenian Orthodox traditions, as well as what are described as 'Ruined Churches. From The Cathedral of te Holy Virgin in Port Said, Lower Egypt, to The Tomb of Ibrahim and Girgis al-Guhari in Old Cairo, to The Monastery of the Archangel Gabriel in Fayyum, Upper Egypt, to Churches in Luxor Temple and Karnak Temple in Luxor, "The Churches Of Egypt" is a truly extraordinary volume that with the inclusion of a Glossary, Notes, Bibliographic References, Bibliography, and Index, make it a welcome and enthusiastically recommended addition to personal and academic library collections, as well as being an especially appropriate 'Memorial Fund' acquisition selection for community libraries.

Reconciliation
Robert Morneau
Orbis Books
PO Box 308, Maryknoll, NY 10545-0308
9781570757136, $10.00 www.orbisbooks.com

Written by Robert Morneau (Auxiliary Bishop and Vicar General of the Diocese of Green Bay, Wisconsin), Reconciliation is a discussion of Catholic spirituality, holy sacrament and the mercy of Jesus Christ created to inspire, instruct, and uplift. Chapters discuss principles and sacrament of reconciliation, the suffering caused by sin, the far-reaching implication's of God's forgiveness, and much more. "For some individuals, a monthly confession helps foster a sensitivity to God's grace and human sin... For others, bi-monthly or quarterly confession will be a routine that keeps them in touch with God's mercy. Still others make it a practice of celebrating the sacrament during Lent and Advent. Much depends upon one's self-awareness in light of God's daily call and on the sensitivity of one's conscience." A deeply moving tract of timeless and transcendent concepts of Catholic spirituality.


The Psychology Shelf

Handbook Of Depression in Children And Adolescents
John R. Z. Abela & Benjamin L. Hankin, editors
Guilford Publications, Inc.
72 Spring Street, New York, NY 10012
9781593855826, $65.00 www.guilford.com 1-800-365-7006

Expertly compiled and deftly edited by John R. Z. Abela (Associate professor and William Dawson Scholar in the Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry, McGill University, and Director of the Cognitive Behavior Therapy Clinic, Montreal Children's Hospital) and Benjamin L. Hankin (Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of South Carolina), the "Handbook Of Depression in Children And Adolescents" is a compilation of contributions by some of the foremost scientist-practitioners working in the field of juvenile depression, its origins and treatments. Utilizing a framework of developmental psychopathology, the "Handbook Of Depression in Children And Adolescents" divides the articles into five major sections: Introduction and Epidemiology of Depression; Etiology of Depression; Treatment of Depression; Prevention of Depression; and Special Populations. Presenting an impressive body of seminal studies, and enhanced with both an Author Index and a Subject Index, the "Handbook Of Depression in Children And Adolescents" is a core and strongly recommended addition to both professional and academic library Psychology & Psychiatry reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Inner City Books
Box 1271, Station Q, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M4T 2P4
www.innercitybooks.net 1-416-927-0355

Daryl Sharp is a Zurich-trained analyst, publisher of Inner City Books, and the author of fifteen titles in the 'Studies in Jungian Psychology' series. In a two-volume celebration of the contributions of pioneer psychologist C. G. Jung, Daryl Sharp has written "Jung Uncorked: Rare vintages from the Cellar of Analytical Psychology", which offers a new generation of readers with selected passages from Jung's writings, together with Sharp's own experiential commentaries on their psychological significance and contemporary relevance. The first volume of "Jung Uncorked" (9781894574211, $25.00) explicates and comments on essays from Jung's 'Collected Works', volumes 1-9. The second volume of "Jung Uncorked" (9781894574228, $25.00) covers excerpts taking from Jung's Collected Works' volumes 9ii to 18. Covering and representing Jung's wide ranging interests and contributions, there are chapters in both volumes of "Jung Uncorked" that deal with one essay from each volume of the eighteen individual volumes comprising Jung's 'Collected Works'. "Jung Uncorked: Volumes 1 & 2" is a welcome and strongly recommended addition to personal, professional, and academic library Psychology & Psychiatry reference collections and supplemental reading lists.


The Pets/Wildlife Shelf

Martes: Taxonomy, Ecology, Techniques, and Management
Gilbert Proulx, Harold N. Bryant, and Paul M. Woodard, editors
Provincial Museum of Alberta
University of Alberta Press
Ring House 2, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 2E1
0773253726, $34.95 www.uap.ualberta.ca

Martes: Taxonomy, Ecology, Techniques, and Management is an scholarly amalgamation of essays garnered from the Second International Martes Symposium concerning the small North American mammals commonly known as martens or fishers. Individual essays include "Maternal den attendance patterns of female American martens", "Interactions among marten prey availability, vulnerability, and habitat structure", "Improved trapping standards for marten and fisher", "Socio-economic aspects of marten management", and much more. Extensive research, tables, diagrams, and statistics form the foundation of this professional-level species study, intended for fellow experts in the field. "We recommend the following procedures to ensure that disturbance at dens is minimized. Do not approach a den or set up a camera until the female leaves the area. Do not use artificial lighting systems to illuminate the scene. If possible, set up cameras in the opposite direction from which the female leaves the vicinity of the den site. Set cameras and sensors at least 20 m from the den structure. Minimize the number of people involved in establishing the camera station and, to the extent possible, avoid human activity in the immediate vicinity of the den."


The Art Shelf

The Painted Valley
Christopher Armstrong and H.V. Nelles
University of Calgary Press
2500 University Drive, N.W., Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 1N4
9781552382073, $54.95 www.uofcpress.com 1-800-565-3770

Compiled by history professor emeritus Christopher Armstrong and Canadian history professor H.V. Nelles, The Painted Valley: Artists Along Alberta's Bow River, 1845-2000 is a gathering of artworks of the beautiful Bow River valley in Alberta, Canada, as drawn by both local and visiting artists. Black-and-white as well as color plates illustrate this broad survey of works reflecting a variety of historical periods, artistic styles, and points of view. The extensive text offers a thoughtful discussion of works by European topographers, military artists, painters commissioned by the Canadian Pacific Railway, modernists, abstractionists, and much more. An index rounds out this reasoned, historically informed, and highly literary blend of landscape art and its appreciation.

Gothic Fantasies
Anne Sudworth
AAPL Artists' and Photographers' Press Ltd.
Church Farm House, Wisley, Surrey GU23 6QL
Sterling Publishing Company (distribution)
387 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10016-8810
9781904332565, $29.95 www.aappl.com info@appl.com

Gothic Fantasies: The Paintings of Anne Sudworth is a hauntingly beautiful fantasy artbook featuring the full color illustrations of Anne Sudworth, along with a very few accompanying poems or notes for certain images. Most scenes are nocturnal; many portray the timeless mystery of forests, graveyards, or stone circles, and a few are of magical beasts such as unicorns or dragons standing guard over the land. All have a sense of mystery and wonder, embodying the sensual allure of darkness. Enthusiastically recommended for fans of fantasy art.


The Women's Studies Shelf

Arab Women's Lives Retold
Nawar Al-Hassan Golley, editor
Syracuse University Press
1600 Jamesville Avenue, Syracuse, NY 13210
9780815631477, $22.95 www.SyracuseUniversityPress.syr.edu 1-800-365-8929

Edited by Associate Professor of English Nawar Al-Hassan Golley, Arab Women's Lives Retold: Exploring Identity Through Writing is an anthology of literary essays by diverse authors that examine a broad selection of late twentieth-century autobiographical writings by Arab women novelists, poets, and artists. Sample discussions include "Arab Women Write the Trauma of Imprisonment and Exile", "To Undo What the North Has Done: Fragments of a Nation and Arab Collectivism in the Fiction of Ahdaf Soueif", "Yasmina, an Autodiegetic Character: Herstory and History", and much more. An extensive list of references and an index round out this welcome contribution to twentieth-century literary criticism shelves.


The Health/Medicine Shelf

A Consumer's Guide to Mental Health Services
Jeffrey K. Edwards, Ed.D. and Anthony W. Heath, Ph.D.
The Haworth Press, Inc.
10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904-1580
9780789032676, $17.95 www.HaworthPress.com 1-800-429-6784

Therapy experts Jeffrey K. Edwards, Ed.D. and Anthony W. Heath, Ph.D. combine their wisdom in A Consumer's Guide to Mental Health Services: Unveiling the Mysteries and Secrets of Psychotherapy, a book that solidly lives up to its title. Written in plain terms for readers of all backgrounds, A Consumer's Guide to Mental Health Services discusses the different models for the causes of mental health problems, the types of services available, absolute "need to know" issues about ethics, credentials, and payments, and much more. "The research for and against medication is varied, and generally written from points of view - really opinions - rather than from any straightforward, easy-to-make-sense-of facts. Two camps, those on the biological side and those on the talk-therapy side, have research showing effectiveness of their "product" as well as reasons why their point of view is most trustworthy. They also demonstrate why the other side's point of view is not... You should always discuss your medicine with your prescribing clinician, ask for potential side effects, what the medication does and how it works, how long you will be taking it, what foods you should avoid, and how alcohol or other drugs affect the medication. Medications are powerful treatments, and they can be potentially dangerous or addictive in some cases. Be informed and treat them with respect." Highly recommended, and an absolute "must-have" for any individual who may be in need of mental health services.

Headaches: A Cleveland Clinic Handbook
Robert S. Kunkel, M.D.
Cleveland Clinic Press
9500 Euclid Avenue, NA32, Cleveland, OH 44195
9781596240193, $9.95 www.clevelandclinicpress.com 1-216-444-1158

Medical doctor Robert S. Kunkel has specialized in treading headache patients for forty years. Headaches: A Cleveland Clinic Handbook presents his decades of experience in plain terms for readers of all backgrounds. From the different types of headaches (including migraine, tension, and cluster), to truths and myths about headache remedies, promising new drugs for headache sufferers, how specialists design treatment plans that work, and more, Headaches: A Cleveland Clinic Handbook lives up to Cleveland Clinic's sterling reputation as the go-to publisher for health and medical information. Highly recommended.

The Super Antioxidant Diet And Nutrition Guide
Robin Jeep, Richard Couey, Sherie Pitman Ellington
Hampton Roads Publishing Company
1125 Stoney Ridge Road, Charlottesville, VA 22902
9781571745476, $19.95 www.hrpub.com 1-800-766-8009

The collaborative work of culinary expert Robin Jeep, nutrition expert Richard Couey, and health/nutrition writer Sherie Pitman Ellington, "The Super Antioxidant Diet And Nutrition Guide: A Health Plan For the body, Mind, And Spirit" is a single volume course of informed instruction specifically designed for the non-specialist general reader seeking to maximize their physical health, well-being, and disease prevention. Enhanced with the inclusion of 171 gourmet quality recipes rich in antioxidant factors, "The Super Antioxidant Diet And Nutrition Guide" will enable anyone to naturally attain and maintain their ideal weight, develop a natural desire for healthy foods, learn how to reduce stress and increase physical energy, enhance memory and mental clarity, strengthen their body's immune system, slow down the aging process, and maintain the highest quality of life they can. In addition to 'kitchen cook friendly' recipes ranging from an Indian Vegetable Curry, to Pomegranate Poached Pears with Berry-Berry Sauce, to a Tofu-Vegetable Chili, "The Super Antioxidant Diet And Nutrition Guide" also features meal plans, step-by-step instructions to consistently achieving improved health, a plan for moderate physical fitness, and practical advice for working for (and achieving) personal growth. Nicely organized into major sections dealing with Reclaiming Health, Vibrant Cuisine (with a section of full-color photographs), and a 'Journey to Wholeness', "The Super Antioxidant Diet And Nutrition Guide" concludes with extensive Endnotes and a Resources section, making it an ideal and strongly recommended addition to personal, family, and community library Health & Medicine reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Relieving Pelvic Pain During and After Pregnancy
Cecile Rost, PT
Hunter House Publishers
PO Box 2914, Alameda, CA 94501-2914
9780897934800, $16.95 www.hunterhouse.com 1-800-266-5592

Physiotherapist Cecile Rost presents Relieving Pelvic Pain During and After Pregnancy: How Women Can Heal Chronic Pelvic Instability, a straightforward guide written for patients and their health care providers. Black-and-white diagrams illustrate simple exercises that have successfully relieved pelvic pain and its related symptoms for the author herself as well as ninety percent of her clients. Chapters discuss recommendations for preventing pelvic pain and dysfunction, tips on what to expect during and after delivery, pelvic exercises including symmetry exercises, stabilization exercises, and pelvic-floor exercises, and advice especially for therapists discussing everything from risk factors to post pregnancy care. In addition to exercises, Relieving Pelvic Pain During and After Pregnancy also has invaluable recommendations for preventing or reducing strain, such as illustrated step-by-step instructions for physically picking up one's child from bed ("Stand diagonally in relation to the bed. Legs are turned slightly outward. Bend at the knees and hips into a semisquatting position while keeping the spine straight. Position the baby as close to you as possible. Then pick the baby up and straighten your knees and hips while still keeping your back straight.") An absolute "must-have" for current and aspiring mothers, especially recommended as a baby shower gift.


The Judaic Studies Shelf

Poyln
Yehiel Yeshaia Trunk, author
Anna Clarke, translator
Piotr Wrobel and Robert M. Shapiro, translators
University of Toronto Press
10 St. Mary Street, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M4Y 2W8
9780802093301, $40.00 www.utppublishing.com 1-800-565-9523

Despite its subtitle, Poyln: My Life Within Jewish Life in Poland, Sketches and Images is not an art book; it is the firsthand testimony of Polish Jewish author Yehiel Yeshaia Trunk. Originally published during the years spanning 1944 to 1953, Polyn is the story of the Polish Jewish community against the background of Nazi genocide - there are tales of Hassidic patricians, Talmudists, Orthodox rabbis, Hasidic tsadikim, merchants, artisans, ordinary workers, and much more. Now available in a full English translation for the first time, Poyln is the beginning of a multi-volume treasure of Yiddish culture and history, especially recommended for public library collections.

Days of Purpose, Days of Fullfillment
Cheryl Gunsher
Devora Publishing
c/o Pitspopany Press
40 East 78th Street, Suite 16D, New York, NY 10021
9781932687446, $21.95 www.devorapublishing.com 1-800-232-2931

Days of Purpose, Days of Fulfillment is a unique anthology of brief moral tales in the tradition of Aesop, yet steeped in the wisdom of the Torah to create unique parables reflecting Jewish life. The resulting personal stories of growth and development are ideal for all ages, worth of adult reflection and study yet also ideal for reading to young people at bedtime. Some of the parables read like fairy tales, and some read more like prayers or psalms: "I need to feel Your presence in my life, dear Lord. I yearn for the comfort of Your warm and glowing light. When my mind becomes still, I can focus my awareness on You, dear God. When I move away from the distractions around me, I can bring consciousness of You into my heart."


The Interior Design Shelf

Grand Master Baths
Janice Costa
Creative Homeowner Press
24 Park Way, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
9781580113885, $19.95 www.creativehomeowner.com 1-800-631-7795

Impressively illustrated with more than 300 full color photographs, "Grand Master Baths" by interior design expert Janice Costa showcases the most popular styles and finishes for tubs, showers, hardware, vanities and tile for modern American bathrooms. The examples she draws upon provide a wealth of ideas for maximizing existing space, choosing just the right fixtures, and making the most of storage. "Grand Master Baths" also informative provides tips, tricks and techniques for using light, water and sound to create the ultimate bath experience. From such simple steps as installing a new showerhead and a well-positioned potpourri, to more elaborate elements such as piped-in audio, or a customized two-person supershower, "Grand Master Baths" covers it all and covers it well. Whether browsing for ideas or as a practical resource for a complete bathroom design overhaul, "Grand Master Baths" will prove to be an invaluable and thoroughly 'user friendly' reference for interior design professionals and non-specialist general homeowners alike!


The Antiques/Collectibles Shelf

A Celebration of Limerick's Silver
John R. Bowen & Connor O'Brien
The Collins Press
c/o Dufour Editions, Inc.
PO Box 7, Chester Springs, PA 19425-0007
9781905172559, $79.95 www.dufoureditions.com 1-800-869-5677

Collaborative compiled and deftly co-edited by John R. Bown and Connor O'Brien, "A Celebration of Limerick's Silver" is a superbly illustrated history of the creations of Limerick silversmiths and goldsmiths. Utilizing new research showcasing the achievements and artistry of a now obscure group of craftsmen, "A Celebration of Limerick's Silver" provides a proper appreciation for contemporary readers and scholars of some of Ireland's greatest treasures created by such luminaries as John Bucknor, Robert Smith, Collins Brehon, Maurice Fitzgerald, and Joseph Johns. Providing an informed and informative history and a detailed directory of the goldsmiths and allied trades of Limerick down to the present day, "A Celebration of Limerick's Silver " is an indispensable addition to professional and academic library Irish Cultural History, Celtic Art Studies, and Irish Metalworking History reference collections and supplemental reading lists.


The Travel Shelf

Blarney Castle
Mark Samuel & Kate Hamly
Cork University Press
c/o Stylus Publishing, Inc.
22883 Quicksilver Drive, Sterling, VA 20166-2012
9781859184110, $39.00 www.styluspub.com 1-800-232-0223

Co-authored by archaeologist and architectural historian Mark Samuel and freelance writer and archaeology enthusiast Kate Hamlyn, "Blarney Castle: it's History, Development And Purpose" is a comprehensive, informative, and nicely illustrated guide to Ireland's famed Blarney Castle, including its history and the three families who owned it. The castle's role within Gaelic society in general and the clan organization in particular, is especially informative. The detailed history of the Mac Carhty Muskerry clan, the Jeffereys and the Colthursts, with respect to their successive relationship to the castle is fully described. A welcome addition to personal, community, and academic library Irish History reference collections and supplemental reading lists, "Blarney Castle" is especially recommended to the attention of non-specialist general readers with an interest in Irish history, the Blarney Castle, and its most famous feature -- the Blarney Stone.

Trails of the Triangle
Allen de Hart
John F. Blair, Publisher
1406 Plaza Drive, Winston-Salem, NC 27103
9780895873491, $13.95 www.blairpub.com 1-800-222-9796

Now in an updated and expanded second edition, Trails of the Triangle: Over 400 Trails in the Raleigh / Durham / Chapel Hill Area is an excellent guide to trails within a 50-mile radius of the Triangle area in North Carolina. Written by veteran hiker Allen de Hart, Trails of the Triangle includes trails meant especially for equestrians, in-line skaters, cyclists, and the physically impaired, as well as many other gorgeously beautiful or serenely remote hiking spots. Black-and-white maps and photographs, as well as practical evaluations of the difficulties and unique features of each trail enhance this excellent guide for anyone interested in experiencing the natural wonder of the Triangle area.


The Poetry Shelf

Measured By Stone
Sam Hamill
Curbstone Press
321 Jackson Street, Willimantic, CT 06226
9781931896405, $13.95 www.curbstone.org

Measured By Stone is an anthology of free-verse poetry by Sam Hamill, essayist, translator, and Director of Poets Against War. The verses range from quiet contemplation to lyrical tributes to great poetry writers to distilled reflections of classic Zen wisdom. A highly accessible and immersive philosophical tour. "Sweeping the Garden": August dust settles / on all the tiger lilies, / bonsai larch and elm, / on maple and mugo pine: / dust of this world, dust of that. // Weeding the garden, / no dust mote on the mirror- / nothing to reflect. / The days begin to shorten. / Tonight the stars will be clear.


The Comix/Graphic Novel Shelf

Rod Espinosa's New Alice in Wonderland
Rod Espinosa
Antarctic Press
7272 Wurzbach Suite 204, San Antonio, TX 78240
9780976804383, $14.95 www.antarctic-press.com

Collecting the comic issues of "New Alice in Wonderland" #1-4, Rod Espinosa's New Alice in Wonderland is a full-color graphic novel adaptation of Lewis Carroll's classic fantasy novel for all ages. Drawn in Espinosa's manga-inspired style (sometimes called "Amerimanga"), Alice's adventures are quite faithful to the source material and a true joy to experience. A delightful way to rekindle childhood memories or spark young people's interest in the classics, drawn with the natural warmth and stylistic flair to be expected from the comic author of "The Courageous Princess". Especially recommended for children's library collections.

Krazy and Ignatz
George Herriman, author
Bill Blackbeard, editor
Fantagraphics Books
7563 Lake City Way, NE, Seattle, WA 98115
9781560978879, $19.95 www.fantagraphics.com 1-800-657-1100

Krazy and Ignatz: A Ragout of Raspberries is a full-size, full-color collection of classic Krazy and Ignatz comic strips originally published in 1941-1942, including all of the Sunday strips. At its heart a love triangle (the ostensibly gender-less Krazy Kat loves Ignatz Mouse, Ignatz would throw bricks at Krazy when not tolerating Krazy's unrequited affection, and Offisa Pup loved Krazy and would throw Ignatz in jail to protect Pup's beloved). Many of the strips presented have been out of print since their original newspaper run. Brilliant, dreamlike, surreal, yet often surprisingly astute in their moments of cultural commentary, Krazy and Ignatz is enthusiastically recommended as a beautiful resurrection of America's comic strip heritage.


The Humor Shelf

All the Rage: The Boondocks Past and Present
Aaron McGruder
Three Rivers Press
c/o The Crown Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, 17th floor, New York, NY 10019
9780307352668, $16.95 www.crownpublishing.com 1-888-523-9292

All the Rage: The Boondocks Past and Present is more than just the latest collection of the politically charged, African-American culture-centric newspaper comic strip - it also gathers a massive assortment of interviews with comic creator, writer and cartoonist Aaron McGruder, and even prints some of the most controversial strips for the first time. Young, unsmiling radical leftist Huey gives his cynical take on everything from McDonald's ridiculous attempts to emulate hiphop culture to high-level political hypocrisy, while his gangsta-wannabe little brother Riley represents the aspect of modern rap culture that is blindly obsessed criminality: "Man, I'd never steal music off the internet... it's easier to just steal it from the store." No cow is too sacred in All the Rage; there are jabs galore for the more questionable aspects of black and white culture alike. The interviews reveal a passionate side to McGruder, embedded in his desire to do more than make his readers laugh; he also wants to make them think, and in that All the Rage is a resounding success. Highly recommended.


The Political Science Shelf

Encyclopedia of Women and American Politics
Lynne E. Ford
Facts On File, Inc.
c/o Infobase Publishing
132 West 31st Street, 17th Floor, New York, NY 10001
9780816054916, $85.00 www.factsonfile.infobasepublishing.com 1-800-322-8755

Part of the Facts on File Library of American History series, Encyclopedia of Women and American Politics is a solid reference packed cover to cover with alphabetical entries of female leaders, organizations and social issues of particular importance to women, and much more. A wealth of quick-reference appendices (such as a list of firsts for women in U.S. politics), a quick list of entries, a bibliography, and an index round out this solid and accessible resource. Highly recommended especially for high school, college and public library shelves.

Revolutionary Peace through Ethnic Studies
Jose Hernandez Alvarez
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company
4050 Westmark Dr., PO Box 1840, Dubuque, Iowa 52004-1840
9780757506956, $39.95 www.amazon.com

Revolutionary Peace through Ethnic Studies is a groundbreaking study by Jose Hernandez Alvarez (a professor in the Department of Africana and Puerto Rican/Latino Studies at Hunter College, City University of New York for eighteen years) that seeks to isolate the unique elements that distinguish a "culture of war" - one that tends toward violence and force to resolve disputes - from a "culture of peace" - one that tends toward negotiation and cooperation to resolve disputes. Searching through the annals of history, Revolutionary Peace through Ethnic Studies reviews the positive and negative lessons to be learned from Spanish colonialism and empire-building, Latin American syncretism, Caribbean isolation, twentieth-century American history and much more. Eschewing partisan politics, such as heavy-handed tendencies to browbeat conservative vs. liberal or assimilationist vs. multicultural points of view into the reader's brain, Revolutionary Peace through Ethnic Studies instead gradually leads the reader to the big questions: How can nation-states improve domestic harmony in the present day? How can the United States best serve as a leader for world peace? A welcome and much-needed addition to modern political science shelves, especially recommended for college library collections, that deserves to be required reading for aspiring politicians - especially in America's modern era of demographical shift toward an increasingly Latino population.


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

The First Wave
James R. Benn
Soho Press
853 Broadway, New York, NY 10003
9781569474716, $24.00 www.sohopress.com

Sequel to the Dilys Award-nominated "Billy Boyle", The First Wave: A Billy Boyle World War II Mystery is a hard-boiled historical mystery novel. Set in 1942 Algeria, when the Allies are on the brink of liberating the nation from the grip of the Vichy French regime, Irish-American ex-cop and personal investigator of General Dwight D. Eisenhower Billy Boyle arrives with the first wave of American troops to land on the Beer Green invasion beach. Amid the fog of war, Boyle must solve a series of murders among American and French forces, and rescue a woman he has come to love from the renegade Vichy collaborators who have kidnapped her! Told in gritty first person, The First Wave is an action-packed yet soulful adventure, enthusiastically recommended for fans of the genre in general and Benn's previous work in particular.


The Fiction Shelf

The Dragons of the Storm
George Robert Minkoff
McPherson & Company
PO Box 1126, Kingston, NY 12401
9780929701813, $24.95 www.mcphersonco.com 1-800-613-8219

The sequel to "The Weight of Smoke", The Dragons of the Storm continues the "In the Land of Whispers" saga of historical novels set in the earliest days of colonial America. The struggling settlement of Jamestown suffers from famine, sickness, mutiny, and the threat of war with Powhatan and his tribe. Captain John Smith, forcibly made a member of the Powhatan, has taken severe injury from a stingray and lies ill; alchemist and mariner Jonas Profit tells Smith of the amazing circumnavigational voyage of Francis Drake to ease Smith's suffering. An absorbing saga of human greed, determination, and the struggle to survive against bitter odds, The Dragons of the Storm follows John Smith's dedication to lead the colony to success, a journey that will pit him against both mortal enemies and the enigma of his own destiny.

Trail of the Red Butterfly
Karl H. Schlesier
Texas Tech University Press
PO Box 41037, Lubbock, TX 79409-1037
9780896726178, $27.95 www.ttup.ttu.edu 1-800-832-4042

Written by anthropology teacher Karl H. Schlesier, Trail of the Red Butterfly is a unique historical novel partly based on the 1804 accounts of trader Jean Valle, who lived amid Cheyenne camps near the Black Hills during the winter and told amazing stories of horse-raiding upon Spanish settlements to the renowned Lewis and Clark. Depicting events through Cheyenne eyes, Trail of the Red Butterfly weaves the incredible saga of a culture's determination to survive. Created with acute attention to nineteenth Century historical detail and Cheyenne customs, Trail of the Red Butterfly is highly recommended as an original jewel of Western Fiction.


The Metaphysical Studies Shelf

The Metaphysical Book Of Gems And Crystals
Florence Megemont
Healing Arts Press
c/o Inner Traditions International, Ltd.
One Park Street, Rochester, VT 05767
9781594772146, $24.95 www.innertraditions.com 1-800-246-8648

Florence Megemont has been a practicing lithotherapist since 1995 and given lectures and workshops throughout Europe on the beneficial utilization of gemstones through their physical, healing, and astrological properties. She draws upon her many years of experience and expertise in "The Metaphysical Book Of Gems And Crystals" to provide the reader with an informed and illustrated examination of more than seventy precious and semiprecious mineral stones, along with instructions for maintaining and recharging their powers, using their basic vibratory patterns to therapeutically treat various human disorders in general, and utilizing gems in color therapy and the harmonization of chakras in particular. "The Metaphysical Book Of Gems And Crystals" is a unique, seminal, and thoroughly 'user friendly' instructional reference, making it a very highly recommended addition to personal, academic, and community library Metaphysical Studies and Alternative Medicine reference collections and supplemental reading lists.


The Native American Shelf

History of the Cherokee Indians
Emmet Starr
Genealogical Publishing Company
3600 Clipper Mill Road, Suite 260, Baltimore, MD 21211
9780806317298, $60.00 www.genealogical.com 1-800-296-6687

Originally published in 1921, History of the Cherokee Indians reprints a reference originally created "for the purpose of perpetuating some of the facts relative to the Cherokee tribe, that might otherwise be lost," in the words of author Emmet Starr. The result is a straightforward history of the Cherokee tribe with especial attention upon the 1800's, an assortment of primary source writings, and thoroughly extensive genealogies of old Cherokee families. Genealogists and anyone tracing Cherokee ancestry are sure to find History of the Cherokee Indians especially illuminating; other readers curious about a more general history of the tribe will also find a wealth of insightful information about the Cherokee's conflicts with other tribes, adoption of its constitution, emigrations, treaties, and much more. A handful of black-and-white photographs illustrate this solid historical and genealogical accounting.

Indian Tribes Of The Northwest
Reg Ashwell & David Hancock
Hancock House Publishers
1431 Harrison Avenue, Blaine, WA 98230-5005
0888396198, $9.95 www.hancockhouse.com 1-800-938-1114

Co-authored by Native American historians and enthusiasts Reg Ashwell and David Hancock, "Indian Tribes Of The Northwest" is a beautifully illustrated, 95-page, descriptive compilation of information identifying the Native American tribes grouped regionally and ethnically into American Northwest, Plateau Tribes, and the Athapaskan. The Northwest Coast tribes include the Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, Kwakiutl, Bella Coola, Nootka, and Coast Salish. The Plateu Tribes are comprised of the Interior Salish and the Kootenay. The Athapaskan Tribes are the Chilcotin, Carrier, Sekani, Tahitan, Beaver, Kaska, and Slave. The photography is beautiful and the text provides an informed and informative overview. Also very highly recommended for personal, academic, and community library Native American Studies reference collections from Hancock House Publishers is Reg Ashwell and David Hancock's "Coast Salish: The Art And Culture" (0888396201, $9.95). Students, librarians, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in Native American tribal culture, art and history would be well advised to visit the Hancock House Publishers website at www.hancockhouse.com for a complete listing of all of their superbly produced and inexpensive Native American titles.


The Gardening Shelf

Big Book Of Garden Designs
Marianne Lipanovich & Tom Wilhite
Sunset Books
80 Willow Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025
9780376031891, $19.95 www.sunset.com 1-800-643-8030

Gardening is an exercise in creative horticulture that when done well gives as much attention to esthetics as it does all the other elements contributing to a healthy garden. Fundamental to considerations of a garden's esthetic appearance is its design which can be either formal or informal. Offering more than 110 complete landscaping plans covering a wide range of garden spaces, the "Big Book Of Garden Designs", co-authored by garden design and landscaping experts Marianne Lipanovich and Tom Wilhite, provides even the most novice gardener with practical ideas with respect to specialty gardens, flower gardens, garden beds and borders, sitting spots in a garden, and passage ways. From first impressions and curb appeal, to a horticulturally customized back yard, the "Big Book Of Garden Designs" offers a wonderful combination of practical ideas, inspirations, and examples. Beautifully illustrated throughout, and featuring a chapter on Climate Zones that includes maps and descriptions, the "Big Book Of Garden Designs" is one of the newest additions to the Sunset Books gardening series and a welcome addition to personal and community do-it-yourself gardening guide reference collections.

Roots Demystified
Robert Kourik
Metamorphic Press
c/o Chelsea Green Publishing Company
PO Box 428, White River Junction, VT 05001-0428
9780961584832, $25.00 www.chelseagreen.com 1-800-639-4099

Gardening expert Robert Kourik is the author of ten books addressing topics that have ranged from drip irrigation, environmentally-sound homes, edible landscaping, and lavender. Now he turns his attention to the necessity of health roots (and thereby healthy plants) for successful gardening and agriculture. Superbly written and thoroughly 'user friendly', "Roots Demystified" is profusely enhanced with twenty-five illustrative graphics showcasing extraordinary illustrations of excavated root systems in their entirety. A compendium of practical, comprehensive, and exceptionally well organized information, advice, tips, and observations that will benefit novice gardeners and seasoned professionals alike, "Roots Demystified" is an excellent and strongly recommended addition to personal, professional, academic, and community library Gardening/Agriculture/Horticulture reference collections and supplemental reading lists.


The Education Shelf

Vouchers And Public School Performance
Martin Carnoy, et al.
Economic Policy Institute
1333 'H' Street NW, Suite 300, East Tower, Washington, DC 20005
9781932066296, $11.95 www.epi.org

The collaborative work of Martin Carnoy (Vida Jacks Professor of Education, Stanford University), Frank Adamson (Stanford University's School of Education), Amita Chudgar Assistant Professor, Michigan State University's College of Education), Thomas Luschei (Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Florida State University) and John Witte Professor, Department of Political Science and the Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs, University of Wisconsin-Madison), "Vouchers And Public School Performance: A Case Study Of The Milwaukee Parental Choice Program" is a 75-page study of the voucher plan employed by the urban school district of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and offers data supporting an outcome of improved student performance in their public elementary schools. The study of the voucher plan targeted at low-income students since 1990 and known as the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, provides a model of what can be applied to other urban school districts elsewhere in the country. "Vouchers And Public School Performance" is a highly recommended and seminal contribution to the growing body of information and data relevant to the use of vouchers in public schools to affect and promote student academic success.

Cornerstones of Strong Schools
Jeffrey Zoul and Laura Link
Eye On Education
6 Depot Way West, Larchmont, NY 10538
9781596670686, $34.95 www.eyeoneducation.com 1-888-299-5350

Cornerstones of Strong Schools: Practices for Purposeful Leadership lives up to its title with its recommendations and experiences-tested practices for school principals, as well as specific leadership strategies ideal for fostering an optimum learning environment. Chapters discuss how to affirm success and acknowledge failure (including teacher underperformance), the value of being a visible principal, building positive relationships with teachers and handling the teacher evaluation process, the importance of requiring behavior adjustments before belief adjustments when instituting a new change, and much more. "Involving parents in their child's learning is another critical way we affirm the performance of our students. One of the most successful ways we have accomplished this is through our student-led conferences. In these conferences students, rather than teachers, take the lead in showing and telling their parents what they have learned by a given point in the school year... The number one benefit we have discovered from student-led conferences is the extent to which students become accountable for their own education." Highly recommended especially for public and private school leaders.

Ladders To Literacy
Angela Notari-Syverson, et al.
Paul H. Brookes Publishing Company
PO Box 10624, Baltimore, MD 21285-0624
9781557669131, $49.95 www.brookespublishing.com 1-800-638-3775

Now in a fully updated and significantly expanded second edition, "Ladders To Literacy" is the collaborative work of Angela Notari-Syverson (Senior Researcher, Washington Research Institute, Washington), Rollanda E. O'Conner Professor of Education, School of Education, University of California, Riverside), and Patricia F. Vadasy Senior Research, Washington Research Institute, Seattle). "Ladders To Literacy" is spiral bound, single volume, early childhood oriented language and arts literacy program that provides classroom teachers with more than sixty culturally sensitive, developmentally appropriate student activities which have been successfully tested for a decade under research and practical conditions alike. Organized into three major sections (Print/Book Awareness Skills; Metalinguistic Awareness Skills; Oral Language Skills), "Ladders To Literacy" provides the foundation for children to master key elements of the reading process successfully. Enhanced with field-tested games, crafts, role plays, etc., this newly revised edition also incorporates links between the activities and Head Start Recommended Outcomes; a scope-and-sequence chart for teachers to utilize in selecting which activities to employ each month; eleven new and creative activities; 'Tips for Teachers' reflecting advances in classroom education practices; activities strengthening the home-school link (including photocopiable handouts for parents enabling them to assist their children at home); and modifications for children with various disabilities. Of special note are the informal observation guidelines, structured performance samples, and literacy checklist. "Ladders To Literacy" is an especially recommended, 'user friendly', and core curriculum supplement for preschool, Headstart, elementary school, and homes-schooling language and arts literacy instructional programs.


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