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Table of Contents
Reviewer's Choice
White House Wild Child
Shelley Fraser Mickle
Imagine Publishing
c/o Charlesbridge Publishing
https://www.imaginebooks.net
9781623545499, $27.99, HC, 256pp
https://www.amazon.com/White-House-Wild-Child-Roosevelt/dp/1623545498
Synopsis: "I can do one of two things, I can be President of the United States or I can control Alice. I cannot possibly do
both." -- Theodore Roosevelt
During Theodore Roosevelt's presidency from 1901 to 1909 (when Mark Twain called him the most popular man in
America) his daughter Alice Roosevelt mesmerized the world with her antics and her beauty.
Alice was known for carrying a gun, a copy of the Constitution, and a green snake in her purse. When her father told her she
couldn't smoke under his roof, she climbed to the top of the White House and smoked on the roof. She became the most
famous woman in America (and even the world) predating Princess Diana and Jackie Kennedy as an object of public
obsession.
As her celebrity grew, she continued to buck tradition, push against social norms, and pull political sway behind the curtain
of privilege and access. She was known for her acerbic wit and outspoken tendencies which hypnotized both the social and
political world.
Critique: "White House Wild Child: How Alice Roosevelt Broke All the Rules and Won the Heart of America" by
biographer Shelley Fraser Mickle vividly places the reader in the yesteryear world of Alice Roosevelt and asks what would
it have been like to be a strong-willed powerful woman of that day when women could not vote and were denied access to
having political authority. Drawn from primary and secondary sources, and exceptionally well written, in the pages of
"White House Wild Child" Alice Roosevelt's life comes into focus in an historically accurate account and celebration of an
extraordinary woman that in many ways was ahead of her time. Unreservedly recommended for community and
college/library American Women Biography/Memoir collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "White
House Wild Child" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).
Editorial Note: Shelley Fraser Mickle is the author of "The Queen of October" which was selected by Library Journal as one
of the ten best adult books suitable for young adults. Her novel "Replacing Dad" won an America's Writers Award in
Chicago and was adapted for film. From 2000 to 2006 she was a commentator for National Public Radio's "Morning
Edition." Her husband trained under the Brigham hospital surgeons who are the focus of her nonfiction, "Borrowing Life"
(2020.
To the Last Man: A Memoir
Lloyd K. Walund
Sweet Grass Press
c/o Farcountry Press
www.farcountrypress.com
9781591523277, $24.95, HC, 226pp
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Man-Lloyd-K-Walund/dp/1591523273
Synopsis: Some years ago, Lloyd Kenneth Walund began writing a memoir of his experiences as a United States Army
combat infantryman of the 34th Infantry 'Red Bull' Division in World War II and its military campaigns in North Africa and
Italy. The original handwritten and typed pages of the "manuscript" suggest that the work had been in progress for several
decades following the end of the war.
At some point, having decided that his manuscript represented his thorough and complete recollection of his experiences, he
collaborated with some members of his family to transcribe from his existing handwritten and typed manuscript, a document
from which multiple copies were printed and distributed to each of his children and to a few other relatives.
Years after he shared his story, Lloyd passed away at the age of eighty-five. It is the wish of Lloyd's family to share his
book, To the Last Man, with a larger audience. The greatest tribute to Lloyd's service that can be offered, is to present his
story, in his words.
An easy but compelling read, the account of Lloyd Kenneth Walund's World War II service, "To the Last Man" is a deeply
authentic personal memoir, reflective of the culture of the time and the vernacular of the farm country from which members
of the 34th Infantry Division were mustered. Lloyd completed school only through the eighth grade, but his writing is an
eloquent and truthful account of the horrors of combat he experienced, and his recollections contain insights into how the
man who would later become husband, father, and devoted American citizen, developed his sense of humor, his patriotism,
and many of the values he carried with him and demonstrated throughout his life.
Critique: An authentic, eloquent, informative, and inherently fascinating account of Lloyd K. Walund's wartime
experiences, the combat horrors, and the military values that were to shape the rest of his life, "To the Last Man" intimately
and vividly chronicles Walund's experiences as a combat infantryman in World War II (transcribed from Walund's original
handwritten manuscript) and is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and
college/university library World War II History & Biography collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Lloyd K. Walund was born in Leola, South Dakota, in 1920, and grew up in farm country in Forbes, North
Dakota, during the Great Depression. He left school after completing the 8th Grade, served in the Civilian Conservation
Corps (CCC) and, like many of his generation, he enlisted in the Army to serve the United States during World War II. As a
member of the 34th Infantry Division, he spent nearly 600 days in combat in Northern Africa and Europe.
Upon his return to the United States, Lloyd opened and operated the Club Cafe with his brother in Sheridan, Montana,
where he met and married Dorothy Jane Burnett. Lloyd and Dorothy later moved to Anaconda, Montana, where Lloyd was
employed with the Anaconda Company until his retirement. Lloyd and Dorothy raised seven children. He passed away at the
age of eighty-five in 2005.
The Next Half Century
Alan Nevin
Global Economic Press
9798988614418, $24.99 Paperback/$6.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Next-Half-Century-Prepare-Prosperity/dp/B0CJKTT4ST
The Next Half Century: Prepare for an Amazing Change in World Prosperity sports a new deluxe color edition. It bases its
projections about the future on an unusual combination of statistics: trends and demography, and real estate. This reflects
Alan Nevin's position as a demographer and real estate economist, casting a different light on the subject of not just
futuristic thinking, but understanding the processes, routines, and implications of demographic-based forecasting.
From this, one might expect that Nevin's guide would be weighty and scholarly, and perhaps not for the average reader
seeking entertainment value along with thought-provoking social insights. In actuality, Nevin writes with a passionate and
colorful hand that injects life and interest in what could have proved a daunting topic. This translates to The Next Half
Century's appeal to a much wider audience.
From the impact of widespread and powerful economic growth in first-world nations, which combats the usual pessimism
about their survival and influence, to the massive economic changes that will be fostered by this trend and the United States,
Nevin creates an uplifting, positive vision of the future which serves as a much-needed panacea for modern-day angst.
Graphics, charts, and colorful portraits depict this future in different, highly accessible ways. This approach allows readers
to dip into the potentials and promises of economic forecasting without the usual dry approach of monolithic speech and the
typical lack of visuals in competing books on the subject.
History, economics, and nations of the world all receive reasoned, lively contrasts and speculations powered by a foundation
of facts and well-researched trends that lay the groundwork for insights not to be found in other books. In turn, this creates a
treatise that is as perfect for book club and classroom discussion groups as it is for individual pursuit. It raises many
questions about opportunity, choice, impact, and purpose that a diverse audience will find suitable for lively debate and
personal contemplation.
The next fifty years receives close inspection as to its possible or likely incarnations based not only on current changes in
population, lifestyle, education, and employment patterns already underway around the world, but geographic regions of the
U.S. that are already on target to become leaders of these changes.
Too many books paint a grim picture of what is to come. This is why The Next Half Century: Prepare for an Amazing
Change in World Prosperity is so very highly recommended to anyone who would view coming decades in a more positive
light than has been presented in the past.
Future generations need this book, which builds hope based on facts and research, not just ideals; and libraries need to
include it in their collections and point it out so these readers can find it.
The Writing/Publishing Shelf
Rethinking Writing Instruction in the Age of AI
Randy Laist
CAST
https://publishing.cast.org
9781943085101, $35.00, PB, 238pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rethinking-writing-instruction-in-the-age-of-ai-randy-laist/1145014336
Synopsis: Writing is an invaluable academic skill, but, as writing expert and academician Randy Laist points out, "it is also
much more than that. It is a tool for thinking, a means of personal expression, and a vehicle of self-discovery."
Composition instructors have long been challenged to fi nd effective ways of engaging and empowering student writers.
Now as we enter the age of Artificial Intelligence (AI), this challenge has become even more complicated, with too many
students-and too many people in general-feeling shut out of writing.
With the publication of "Rethinking Writing Instruction in the Age of AI: A Universal Design for Learning Approach",
Professor Laist offers composition instructors practical ways to address the emergence of AI panic as well as insight into
how to embrace it as an opportunity to strengthen writing and critical thinking skills.
Professor Laist also shows how Universal Design for Learning provides a framework that can help unpack the writing
process and support instruction. "Rethinking Writing Instruction in the Age of AI: A Universal Design for Learning
Approach" offers numerous hands-on writing activities that are not only engaging but also "AI proof".
Critique: This trade paperback edition of "Rethinking Writing Instruction in the Age of AI: A Universal Design for Learning
Approach" by Professor Randy Laist is impressively informative, exceptionally well written, deftly organized and
thoroughly 'reader friendly' in presentation, making it a timely, unreservedly recommended, and high value addition to
personal, professional, community, and college/university library Language Arts, Teacher Education, Writer Reference, and
AI collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist
general readers with an interest in the subject that "Rethinking Writing Instruction in the Age of AI: A Universal Design for
Learning Approach" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $26.49).
Editorial Note: Randy Laist, Ph.D., is a professor of English in the School of Applied Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at
Goodwin University, and he is the Chair of the English Department at the University of Bridgeport. Laist received his
doctorate in American literature from the University of Connecticut. He has taught in middle schools, high schools, and
colleges, and his writing has appeared in The New York Times, Salon, and The Chronicle of Higher Education. He is also
the co-editor of UDL University: Designing for Variability across the Postsecondary Curriculum.
The Language of the Night
Ursula K. Le Guin
www.UrsulaKLeGuin.com
Scribner
c/o Simon & Schuster
https://www.simonandschusterpublishing.com/scribner
9781668034903, $18.00, PB, 304pp
https://www.amazon.com/Language-Night-Writing-Science-Fiction/dp/1668034905
Synopsis: With the publication of "The Language of the Night: Essays on Writing, Science Fiction, and Fantasy", famed
science fiction and fantasy author Ursula K. Le Guin's sharp and witty voice is on full display in this collection of
twenty-four essays (newly revised by the author a decade after its initial publication in 1979).
This outstanding collection covers a wide range of topics and includes Le Guin's origins as a writer, her advocacy for
science fiction and fantasy as mediums for true literary exploration, the writing of her own major works such as A Wizard of
Earthsea and The Left Hand of Darkness, and her role as a public intellectual and educator.
"The Language of the Night" offers contemporary readers and aspiring authors a truly fascinating and intimate look into the
exceptional mind of Le Guin -- whose insights remain as relevant and resonant today as when they were first published
some 45 years ago.
Each thematic section comprising "The Language of the Night" is brilliantly introduced and contextualized by Professor
Susan Wood (University of British Columbia) -- a literary editor and feminist activist during the 1960s and '70s.
Critique: Brought back into print for a new generation of grateful science fiction and fantasy authors and fans, "The
Language of the Night: Essays on Writing, Science Fiction, and Fantasy" is especially and unreservedly recommended for
personal, professional, community, and college/university library Writing/Publishing collections. It should be noted for
Ursula K. Le Guin fans that "The Language of the Night" is also now available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$11.99).
Editorial Note: The late Ursula K. Le Guin (1929-2018) was the celebrated author of twenty-three novels, twelve volumes
of short stories, eleven volumes of poetry, thirteen children's books, five essay collections, and four works of translation.
Her acclaimed books received the Hugo, Nebula, Endeavor, Locus, Otherwise, Theodore Sturgeon, PEN/Malamud, and
National Book Awards; a Newbery Honor; and the Pushcart and Janet Heidinger Kafka Prizes, among others. In 2014, she
was awarded the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, and in 2016 joined
the short list of authors to be published in their lifetimes by the Library of America. Le Guin was also the recipient of the
Association for Library Service to Children's May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Award and the Margaret A. Edwards
Award. She received lifetime achievement awards from the World Fantasy Convention, Los Angeles Times, Pacific
Northwest Booksellers Association, and Willamette Writers, as well as the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America
Grand Master Award and the Library of Congress Living Legend Award.
The Amazon Author Formula
Penny C. Sansevieri
Independently Published
9798874429799, $9.79, PB, 238pp
https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Author-Formula-Insider-Strategies/dp/B0CT5FMQ9K
Synopsis: With the publication of "The Amazon Author Formula: Insider Tips, Tricks, and Strategies for Selling More
Books!", legendary book marketing expert Penny C. Sansevieri unlocks the secrets to growing your book's visibility and
sales on Amazon.com, the world's largest and dominating online marketplace.
As an author, the key to success lies in getting your title into the hands of the right readers. In this comprehensive
combination of instructional guide and DIY 'how to' manual, marketing expert, book publicist and successful author Penny
Sansevieri unveils a game-changing strategy to optimize your Amazon presence and support long-term book sales.
With a close reading of "The Amazon Author Formula" authors, publishers, and publicists will:
Discover the Hidden Language of Amazon -- Learn how to speak Amazon's language by mastering the art of keywords and
categories. The Amazon Formula takes you on a step-by-step journey to demystify the complex algorithms that drive book
discoverability. Dive into proven techniques to choose the most effective keywords and categories for your genre, ensuring
that your book stands out in the crowded digital marketplace.
Ignite Your Book's Visibility with Amazon Ads -- Crack the code to Amazon advertising and turn casual browsers into
dedicated readers. The Amazon Formula provides expert insight into creating compelling ad campaigns tailored to your
book's unique appeal. From budgeting strategies to ad design, you'll learn how to elevate your book's visibility and reach a
wider audience.
Optimize Your Author Page for Maximum Impact -- Your author page is your digital storefront - make it irresistible! The
Amazon Formula empowers you to create an enticing author profile that captivates readers and boosts your credibility.
Leverage the power of compelling author bios, engaging visuals, and strategic cross-promotion to transform your page into a
magnet for genre and topic fans.
Data-Driven Success -- Uncover the secrets of interpreting Amazon data to refine your marketing strategy. From tracking
keyword performance to analyzing ad conversion rates, you'll gain the confidence needed to make informed decisions that
drive ongoing success.
Master the Amazon Ecosystem -- "The Amazon Author Formula" goes beyond the basics, providing a comprehensive
understanding of Amazon's ever-evolving ecosystem. Stay ahead of the curve with updates on algorithm changes, platform
enhancements, and emerging trends, ensuring your book remains a top contender in the competitive Amazon
marketplace.
Achieve Authorial Greatness -- Whether you're a publishing veteran or a debut author, "The Amazon Author Formula" is
your roadmap to achieving unparalleled success on Amazon. Transform your passion for telling stories or sharing your
expertise into a lucrative career with the proven strategies outlined in The Amazon Formula.
Critique: Knowledgeable, comprehensive, detailed, practical, effective, and impressively well organized and presented, "The
Amazon Author Formula: Insider Tips, Tricks, and Strategies for Selling More Books!" is a premier DIY course of
instruction that while specific to book marketing on Amazon, is also quite relevant for successful book marketing on the
internet with other on-ling bookseller sites -- as well as the author and publisher's own website. Penny Sansevieri is a
publishing industry veteran and one of the best at bringing a book to the author's intended readership. "The Amazon Author
Formula" will especially be appreciated by authors and publishers having to work on a 'shoestring' or even 'no-string'
marketing budget. Whether you are a novice author marketing your first book, or a seasoned self-published writers, because
Amazon remains the 800 pound gorilla of online book marketing you need to give "The Amazon Author Formula" careful
(and profitable) attention. While also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99), "The Amazon Author Formula" is
unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Writing/Publishing
collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Penny C. Sansevieri (www.amarketingexpert.com) is the Founder and CEO of Author Marketing Experts,
Inc., a successful author, and an internationally recognized book marketing and media relations expert. She is also an
Adjunct Professor teaching Self-Publishing for NYU.
She was named one of the top influencers of 2019 by New York Metropolitan Magazine. Her company is one of the leaders
in the publishing industry and has developed some of the most innovative Amazon visibility campaigns as well offering
national media pitching, online book marketing, author events, and other strategies designed to build the author/book
visibility.
She is the author of 18 books, including How to Sell Your Books by the Truckload on Amazon, Revise and Re-Release
Your Book, 5-Minute Book Marketing for Authors, and From Book to Bestseller. She also hosts the top ranking podcast
Book Marketing Tips and Author Success.
Word of the Day
Marilyn Horowitz
O Books
c/o Collective Ink Books
https://www.collectiveinkbooks.com
9781803415161, $12.95, PB, 184pp
https://www.amazon.com/Word-Day-Transform-Writing-Minutes/dp/1803415169
Synopsis: Offering a unique creativity-and-time-management technique, "Word of the Day: Transform Your Writing in 15 Minutes a Day" by Marilyn Horowitz presents a practice that assists writers to create at will and write as much as they want, all while acquiring accurate self-acknowledgment in the process.
The practice immediately connects writers with their innate storytelling ability as reflected in their dreams.
The techniques synthesize the right and left sides of the brain so that writers can draw upon the entirety of their creative
tools, fusing the verbal and visual mind, unleashing structural instincts and creativity, allowing them to dance together.
Writers are asked to put a notebook by their bed so they can write first thing in the morning when they wake up and just
before bedtime.
Studies have shown that our most creative moments happen immediately upon waking and just before falling asleep.
Writing adjacent to these moments, even briefly, gives writers access to their unlimited imagination, powerful tools of
imagery, and the full scope of their memory.
Critique: A novel and effective approach to writing, "Word of the Day: Transform Your Writing in 15 Minutes a Day" by
the award-winning author Marilyn Horowitz (with the assistance of Elizabeth Wiserman) is an inherently fascinating and
thoroughly 'user friendly' DIY instructional guide to improving the scope, practice, and performance in the art and craft of
writing. It's also a welcome tool for dealing with writer's block, experimentation and inspiration. While also available in a
digital book format (Kindle, $6.99), "Word of the Day" is an ideal, highly recommended, and prized pick for novice and
experienced writers alike.
Editorial Note: Marilyn Horowitz (www.marilynhorowitz.com) is an award-winning author, New York University
professor, TV show creator, and writing coach, working with successful novelists, produced screenwriters, and
award-winning filmmakers. Horowitz received the coveted New York University Award for Teaching Excellence in 2004
and has an active online audience comprising 5,000 Facebook friends, over 10,000 connections on LinkedIn, and 2,500
readers of her weekly blog.
The Crossroads of Crime Writing
Meghan P. Nolan & Rebecca Martin, co-authors
Anthem Press
www.anthempress.com
9781839991172, $110.00, HC, 250pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-crossroads-of-crime-writing-meghan-p-nolan/1144355826
Synopsis: With the publication of "The Crossroads of Crime Writing: Unseen Structures and Uncertain Spaces", the
contributors collectively argue that we must examine the boundaries in fiction and non-fiction crime writing with an
awareness of and turn toward the unseen structures and spatial uncertainties that so often lead to and reflect collective fears
and anxieties.
Drawing upon the insights and expertise of an international array of scholars, the ten chapter articles comprising "The
Crossroads of Crime Writing" deftly explore the interplay of the literary, historical, social, and cultural in various modes of
crime writing from the 1890s to as recent as 2017. They examine unseen structures and uncertain spaces, and
simultaneously provide new insights into the works of iconic authors, such as Christie, and iconic fictional figures, like
Holmes, as well as underexplored subjects, including Ukrainian detective fiction of the Soviet period and crime writing by a
Bengali police detective at the turn of the twentieth century.
The breadth of coverage (of both time and place) is an indicator of a text in which seasoned readers, advanced students, and
academics will find new perspectives on crime writing employing theories of cultural memory and deep mapping.
Critique: A erudite, insightful, and thought-provoking compendium of ten original, seminal, and ground breaking studies,
"The Crossroads of Crime Writing: Unseen Structures and Uncertain Spaces" is essential reading for novice and
experienced crime fiction and true crime non-fiction novels and stories. With each of the ten extended articles including
Notes and Bibliographies, as well as expertly co-edited by the team of professor Meghan P. Nolan and Rebecca Martin, this
hardcover edition of The Crossroads of Crime Writing" from Anthem Press is unreservedly recommended as a highly prized
addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library collections and supplemental curriculum
studies lists. It should be noted for aspiring authors with an interest in writing crime novels and true crime stories that "The
Crossroads of Crime Writing" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $26.49).
Editorial Note #1: Meghan P. Nolan, MFA, MA, PhD, is an Associate Professor of English and Chair of the Honors
program at SUNY Rockland Community College. She is a multigenre writer, who focuses on (Neo-)Victorian and Modern
literature/crime writing and fragmented perceptions of self-hood through many published academic works, fiction,
non-fiction, and poetry.
Editorial Note #2: Rebecca Martin, PhD, is Professor Emerita of English at Pace University in New York. In addition to her
PhD, which focused on the eighteenth-century Gothic novel in England, she holds a graduate certificate in film studies from
CUNY Graduate Center, and her interest in crime writing focuses on the hardboiled tradition.
How to Self-Publish Like A Pro
Tina Koenig
Independently Published
9781736470527, $24.95 Paperback/$14.95 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/How-Self-Publish-Like-Pro-Comprehensive/dp/1736470523
With the publication of "How to Self-Publish Like A Pro: A Comprehensive Guide for Writing, Publishing, and Promoting
Your Book", Tina Koenig covers all the basics for would-be self-published authors, from the initial structuring of an
author's business to building and promoting an author presence and registering a book with the Library of Congress.
Koenig's extensive information goes beyond the basics of how to publish a book. It also covers the aftermath of promotion,
which is as important to the publishing process as gaining an ISBN and understanding how to work with different kinds of
publishers.
Koenig outlines how to provide review copies months before publication so there is adequate time to schedule reviews that
dovetail with a book's publication date. She also encourages understanding the pros and cons of different platforms for
gaining book reviews (including ones that many novices won't think about, like Instagram).
Ultimately, Koenig pins down the nuts and bolts of the publishing process in a manner that requires no advanced (or even
much basic) prior knowledge.
Another subject Koenig covers, that many books about the process do not, is how authors can lay the groundwork to become
an 'expert' whose advice will be solicited by podcasters and other media entities. There is no better publicity than that which
comes from added value, delivered by an author who backs, say, an interview with repeated emphasis that their book holds
further information, and thus will prove of additional interest to listeners or readers.
These kinds of strategies make the most of the latest technology, social media, and literary connections in the industry,
affording Koenig's book a contemporary and wide-ranging series of applications. These are broad in scope and specific, with
easy step-by-step insights that any novice publisher can easily absorb.
Koenig's strategies make the most of the latest technology, social media and literary connections. Each chapter is broad
enough in scope to be easily absorbed, with step-by-step insights that any novice publisher can implement. These qualities
place How to Self-Publish Like A Pro head and shoulders above similar-sounding books, affording it a diversity and ease of
understanding that will make it a major library and reader attraction.
The Education Shelf
New Era - New Urgency
F. Joseph Merlino & Deborah Pomeroy, co-authors
Lexington Books
c/o Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
www.rlpgbooks.com
9781666949766, $135.00, HC, 402pp
https://www.amazon.com/New-Era-Urgency-Repurposing-Education/dp/1666949760
Synopsis: Co-authored by the team of F. Joseph Merlino and Deborah Pomeroy, "New Era - New Urgency: The Case for
Repurposing Education" explores the unprecedented realities and challenges associated with entering a new era, such as
catastrophic climate changes, advanced artificial intelligence, massive demographic shifts, and worldwide digital
disinformation campaigns. This new era in human history calls for a new urgency in thinking about how we will educate
present and future generations of young people.
"New Era - New Urgency" is divided into four parts:
Part I describes the profound social, technological, and demographic changes that have occurred over four hundred years
since the first English settlements in Massachusetts and Virginia.
Part II describes four shadows that have served to corrupt these purposes of education: extreme wealth inequality, nativism,
white supremacy, and anti-intellectualism.
Part III explores the illusions of educational reform that have over-promised college and career success, created an idolatry
of math test scores, conflated memorization of facts with conceptual understanding, and confused multiple layers of policy
agendas with progress.
Part IV depicts F. Joseph Merlino and Deborah Pomeroy's twelve years of experience in Egypt, Bosnia-Herzegovina,
Turkey, and the U.S. in helping to craft new purposes of education for model schools in their countries that reflect their
aspirations for a new generation.
Critique: F. Joseph Merlino is president of the 21st Century Partnership for STEM Education, (21PSTEM), a non-profit
research and action organization. Deborah Pomeroy is Professor Emeritus of Science Education at Arcadia University. This
hardcover edition of "New Era - New Urgency: The Case for Repurposing Education" from Lexington Books will prove of
special interest to readers concerned with the issues relevant to how education and educational institutions can best prepare
us for the on-coming and inevitable impacts of the physical, political, technological, economic, and cultural global changes
-- especially those that will be generated by dramatic climate change and the advances of artificial intelligence.
Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "New Era - New Urgency: The Case for Repurposing Education" is
especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, governmental, and college/university
library Contemporary Educational Theory & Practice collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Breathe - Move - Learn With Young Children
Marcia Lee Unnever, author
Damon Pellican, illustrator
Brookes Publishing Company
www.brookespublishing.com
9781681257594, $32.95, PB, 169pp
https://www.amazon.com/Breathe-Move-Learn-Young-Children-Brain-Friendly-Social-Emotional/dp/1681257599
Synopsis: With the publication of "Breathe - Move - Learn With Young Children: 70 Activities in Mindfulness,
Brain-Friendly Movement, and Social-Emotional Learning" by Marcia Lee Unnever, classroom teaches will be able to get
every young child in their class ready to learn (and support their social-emotional development) with 70 fun, quick, and
effective activities!
In particular, teachers of early childhood through Grade 3 will love this unique combination of SEL, mindfulness, and
brain-friendly physical activity that promotes growth, development, and behavior management.
Designed to increase focus and nurture the essential skills every kid needs for social and academic success, the activities in
this teacher-friendly book are a perfect complement to all of today's popular curricula. They're field-tested, easy to
implement in as little as 15 minutes a day, and great for use in person or in the virtual classroom.
When used throughout the school day, the Breathe - Move - Learn activities work fast - helping kids wake up, calm down,
focus, or soothe anxious feelings. Easy-to-follow scripts, illustrations, and photos allow teachers to lead the activities
without extensive prep work.
A must-have for all teachers from early childhood to elementary school, Breathe - Move - Learn activities will help kids
develop the mental, physical, emotional and social skills to support a lifetime of learning.
Critique: Practical, easy to implement, and fun, "Breathe - Move - Learn With Young Children: 70 Activities in
Mindfulness, Brain-Friendly Movement, and Social-Emotional Learning" is thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and
presentation. Making it an ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, school district, and
college/university library
Early Childhood Education collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Marcia Lee Unnever is an Educational Trainer certified by the state of New Mexico. Since 1970, Marcia has
taught thousands of preschool and elementary school children and teachers in New Mexico and California. In 2010 she
founded Kids Focus, a program dedicated to helping every child and teacher feel strong, positive, healthy, and smart.
The Psychology Shelf
Everything Slows Down
Garry Cosnett
Secant Publishing
www.secantpublishing.com
9798988641056, $24.00 Hardcover/$7.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Everything-Slows-Down-Garry-Cosnett/dp/B0CCWCDQDS
Everything Slows Down: My Hidden Life with Depression: How I Survived, What I Learned documents a lifelong battle
against clinical depression and a search for its cure. This took Garry Cosnett through a series of drugs, psychiatrists,
hospitals, and challenges... all this while simultaneously navigating jobs and daily life challenges.
From its opening lines, Cosnett's words will resonate with readers struggling with their own long-term depression: "One's
sixty-fifth birthday is commonly a point of reflection. It certainly was for me. I was taken aback by how much of my lived
experience - at least the past fifty years - had been shaped by depression. At times, it could be described as mild. And at
other times, it was diagnosed as major -- so severe as to be immobilizing. It was a stunning realization. How is it that
depression's role in all my life's stages was not apparent to me? I guess it's like the analogy of a fish's relationship to water.
It was the medium that I lived in and moved through."
From drugs that produced terrible side effects to treatments that helped only mildly or not at all, the tidal back-and-forth
movement of Cosnett's efforts create a marked expose of not just drugs and treatments, but the politics and personalities that
dictate their assignment: "I've learned that a reasonable target for depression patients is 80 percent better, 80 percent of the
time. Dr. V. seemed to be more of a 60/60 practitioner. I felt pretty good, much of the time. Yet it didn't come close to the
stunning success of phenelzine. I had the inner sense that I could do better. I grew frustrated."
Readers on their own long-term journeys through depression receive keys to survival, understanding, and empowerment
within Cosnett's revelations in Everything Slows Down. Its candid accounts of successes (whether limited or more
long-term), failures, ongoing challenges, and the shifting nature of drugs and their applications makes for a story that will
educate a wide range of followers, from medical students and psychiatrists interested in the experiences and course of
depression to fellow survivors who will not just walk in Cosnett's footsteps, but learn from his choices.
This is why libraries will want to include Everything Slows Down in their collections as a standout guide to depression's
survival, and will want to recommend it to psychology reading groups interested in the nuts and bolts of better
understanding.
The Health/Medicine Shelf
Integrated Clinical Orthodontics
Vinod Krishnan (Editor)
Anne Marie Kuijpers-Jagtman (Editor)
Wiley-Blackwell
www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell
9781119870050, $255.00, HC, 608pp
https://www.amazon.com/Integrated-Clinical-Orthodontics-Vinod-Krishnan/dp/1119870054
Synopsis: Co-edited by the team of Vinod Krishnan and Anne Marie Kuijpers-Jagtman, this newly updated and expanded
second edition of "Integrated Clinical Orthodontics" offers an overview of clinical orthodontic theory and practice to equip
clinicians to take an integrated approach to orthodontic practice.
It also presents the problems of orthodontics in an interdisciplinary context to describe how the potential complexity of
dentofacial problems, the medical histories of patients, and a host of other factors contribute to orthodontic outcomes.
This second edition has been expanded and thoroughly updated with new chapters and following an organized approach to
the role of the orthodontist as part of a team. The cases presented include orofacial deformities, sleep disorders, esthetic
smile creation and temporomandibular joint problems.
Orthodontic diagnosis and treatment are integrated into the wider health of the patient, including orthopedics, neurology,
pediatrics, genetics and psychology, and the result is a modern, adaptable approach that places the patient and their needs at
its center to achieve the highest possible standard of patient care.
Of special note are: New chapters on neuromuscular disorders, customized orthodontics, artificial intelligence, ethics and
patient data; Expanded content on special care in dentistry; Guidance for the clinical interactions between orthodontics and
other areas of dentistry and medicine; Clinical implications and applications of the integrated approach in every
chapter.
Critique: An essential, comprehensive, indispensible resource for clinical orthodontists and specialists in related medical
and dental fields who wish to take the holistic view of orthodontic practice, this large format ( 8.7 x 1.2 x 10.9 inches, 4.15
pounds) hardcover second edition of "Integrated Clinical Orthodontics" is an unreservedly recommended and core pick for
professional, dental school, and college/university library Modern Dentistry collections and supplemental curriculum
textbook studies lists. It should be noted that "Integrated Clinical Orthodontics: 2nd Edition) is also available in a digital
book format (Kindle, $204.00).
Editorial Note #1: Vinod Krishnan is Professor and Head of the Department of Orthodontics at Sri Sankara Dental College,
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India.
Editorial Note #2: Anne Marie Kuijpers-Jagtman is Researcher & Educator in the Department of Orthodontics at the
University of Groningen, the Netherlands; and Adjunct Professor at the University of Bern, Switzerland; and University of
Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia.
Clinical Insertion Techniques of Orthodontic Temporary Anchorage Devices
Hu Long (Editor)
Xianglong Han (Editor)
Wenli Lai (Editor)
Wiley-Blackwell
www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell
9781119892236, $210.00, HC, 592pp
https://www.amazon.com/Insertion-Techniques-Orthodontic-Temporary-Anchorage/dp/1119892236
Synopsis: Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by Hu Long, Xianglong Han, and Wenli Lai, "Clinical Insertion
Techniques of Orthodontic Temporary Anchorage Devices" is the first comprehensive guide to the clinical insertion
techniques for temporary anchorage devices (TADs) and the clinical applications of TADs according to different anatomic
regions.
Divided into five principle sections it provides detailed clinical insertion instructions and applications, as well as guidance
on choosing an optimal insertion site, detailed insertion techniques, and potential complications and their solutions.
The first section covers general considerations, the second section explores the techniques at different insertion sites, the
third section delves into the clinical applications of miniplates, the fourth section delivers the guided insertion of
mini-implants, and the fifth section outlines the adverse effects of insertions. The result is a comprehensive textbook which
brings TADs into orthodontic practice in a rigorous and accessible way.
"Clinical Insertion Techniques of Orthodontic Temporary Anchorage Devices" includes: Some 800 photographs and
illustrations demonstrating different insertion techniques and clinical applications; Detailed coverage of all maxillary and
mandibular regions as potential insertion sites; Design and application guidelines for insertion guides.
Critique: This large format (8.7 x 1.2 x 10.9 inches, 4.1 pounds) hardcover edition of "Clinical Insertion Techniques of
Orthodontic Temporary Anchorage Devices" from Wiley-Blackwell is ideal and indispensable source for orthodontic
clinicians looking for a reference on this area of orthodontics and would well serve as a curriculum textbook for dentistry
students. A seminal and ground-breaking instructional guide that is expertly written, organized and presented, it is
unreservedly recommended for professional, dental school, and college/university library Oral Health & Medicine
collections. It should be noted that "Clinical Insertion Techniques of Orthodontic Temporary Anchorage Devices" is also
readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $168.00).
Editorial Note #1: Hu Long PhD is Associate Professor at West China Hospital of Stomatology in Chengdu, China.
Editorial Note #2: Xianglong Han PhD is Professor at West China Hospital of Stomatology in Chengdu, China.
Editorial Note #3: Wenli Lai PhD is Professor at West China Hospital of Stomatology in Chengdu, China.
The Photography Shelf
Trespass
Kim Watson
Broadleaf Books
www.broadleafbooks.com
9781506491134, $29.99, HC, 218pp
https://www.amazon.com/Trespass-Portraits-Unhoused-Life-Understanding/dp/1506491138
Synopsis: According to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), nearly 70,000 people were unhoused in
the city as of September 2022.
Writer, director, and photographer Kim Watson began connecting with these unhoused people near his LA neighborhood by
delivering food out of the back of his car. As his relationships grew to become trusted friendships, he began to interview and
photograph those he encountered, documenting their experiences.
Through profiles, essays, and stunning black-and-white photography, "Trespass: Portraits of Unhoused Life, Love, and
Understanding" sheds light on the complex situations that lead to homelessness, the individuals who struggle to rise out of
it, and those who have resigned themselves to it.
Fueled by a deep sense of care, Watson's portraits capture the hopes and demands of people in need of support and
consideration. In this book of extraordinary photo essays, Watson also dares us to look inside ourselves and confront our
own biases as we consider the conditions of others so, together, we can process our collective trauma and develop
sustainable solutions.
Critique: A unique yet seminal contribution to our on-going national dialogue regarding the cultural, political, economic,
ethical impact of homelessness on American society, "Trespass: Portraits of Unhoused Life, Love, and Understanding" is
unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Contemporary
Photography and American Social Issues collections. It should also be noted that "Trespass: Portraits of Unhoused Life,
Love, and Understanding" is available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99) as well.
Editorial Note: Kim Watson (https://kimwatson.com) has photographed, directed, and written for Grammy winners,
Hollywood studios, and various entertainment platforms, including Disney, Nickelodeon, PBS, A&E, Warner Brothers, and
many more. His work with groundbreaking hip-hop pioneers garnered both MTV and Soul Train Awards "Best Music
Video" nominations, as well as NAACP recognition for his positive portrayals of African Americans. Untethered by labels,
Watson has always aspired to tell a story that moves us to see the world a little bit differently, and with a lot more
empathy.
Big River: Resilience and Renewal in the Columbia Basin
David Moskowitz, author/photographer
Eileen Delehanty Pearkes, narrator
Braided River
c/o Mountaineers Books
www.mountaineersbooks.org
9781680516609, $39.95, HC, 224pp
https://www.amazon.com/Big-River-Resilience-Renewal-Columbia/dp/1680516604
Synopsis: With the publication of "Big River: Resilience and Renewal in the Columbia Basin", award-winning
photographer David Moskowitz and writer Eileen Delehanty Pearkes collaboratively illuminate the hydrogeology, beauty,
and activity of the Columbia River, while also highlighting current challenges facing the region and the people working on
sustainable solutions.
The watershed encompasses immense ecological, cultural, and economic value, the benefits of which have been wrangled
over for centuries. As the region comes to terms with the unsustainable nature of our relationship with the watershed, and
local Indigenous nations renew their efforts to steward their territories, we are reaching a new inflection point.
"Big River" explores possible new management strategies, including the removal of key dams that have decimated the
salmon runs that are vital to tribal cultures and a healthy ecosystem.
The culmination of Moskowitz's many years of photographing the river and exploring its watershed, "Big River" seeks a
path forward for the Columbia watershed, balancing the demands around water, salmon, agriculture, energy, and climate
with the need for a sustainable living river.
Critique: Of special and particular interest to readers concerned with environmental issues, conservation, and spectacular
photography, "Big River: Resilience and Renewal in the Columbia Basin" is an impressive and large format compendium of
full color, captioned photographs showcasing the beauty and importance of the Columbia Basin country. Ideal for browsing
through by the armchair traveler, important for its emphasis on the need for environmental protections and restorations, "Big
River: Resilience and Renewal in the Columbia Basin" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal,
professional, community, and college/university library Contemporary Photography collections and supplemental
Environmental Issues curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note #1: David Moskowitz (https://davidmoskowitz.net) is a photographer, wildlife biologist, tracker, and the
author of Caribou Rainforest, Wildlife of the Pacific Northwest, and Wolves in the Land of Salmon, and co-author of
Peterson's Field Guide to North American Bird Nests. His work has been featured in the New York Times, Sierra, High
Country News, and Audubon Magazine, as well as by organizations such as the National Wildlife Federation, Endangered
Species Coalition, and Nature Conservancy of Canada.
Editorial Note 32: Eileen Delehanty Pearkes (www.edpearkes.com) explores landscape, history, and the human imagination
through writing, maps, and visual notebooks, focusing on Indigenous culture and the power of water. She has researched the
international Columbia River basin for more than two decades. Pearkes is the author of The Geography of Memory, A River
Captured: The Columbia River and Catastrophic Change, and The Heart of a River.
Look at the U.S.A.: A Diary of War and Home
Peter van Agtmael
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500027028, $60.00, HC, 352pp
https://www.amazon.com/Look-U-S-Diary-Home/dp/0500027021
Synopsis: A personal chronicle of post-9/11 America, at war and at home. Through reportage and memoir, in photographs
and words, with the publication of "Look at the U.S.A.: A Diary of War and Home", photographer Peter van Agtmael
documents the major fault lines that have defined this era, beginning with the war in Iraq and ending with the Taliban
takeover of Afghanistan.
Fueled by ideology, insecurity, ambition, and a deep fascination with war, Peter van Agtmael began documenting America's
war in Iraq in 2005. So began a photographic odyssey that would span more than two decades generating work that grew
from a deep need to understand and peel back the layers of his troubled society.
Confronting the mythologizing of war and seductive nature of conflict on the American psyche, "Look at the U.S.A.: A
Diary of War and Home" visually explores the disconnect between the intergenerational wars and the home front,
juxtaposing American troops in combat with their grieving families at home and the recovery of the wounded. As the
accompanying narrative commentary progresses, the gaze begins to widen, to the imprints of nationalism, the election of
Donald Trump, militarism, and race and class on American society.
Layered with van Agtmael's personal accounts, observations, and interviews with those he has encountered on his journey,
"Look at the U.S.A.: A Diary of War and Home" is a damning, sometimes ironic critique that will make it one of the
seminal photobooks on war.
Critique: Of special note for readers with an interest in photojournalism, equipment and techniques, this large format (7.6 x
1.3 x 9.6 inches, 1.74 pounds) hardcover edition of "Look at the U.S.A.: A Diary of War and Home" from Thames &
Hudson is comprised of some 200 full color and impressively memorable photographs (a great many of them double page
spreads). A unique approach to the use of photographs as commentary, "Look at the U.S.A.: A Diary of War and Home" is a
striking and unreservedly recommended pick for personal, professional, community, and college/university library
Contemporary Photography and American History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Peter van Agtmael is a Magnum photographer. His books include Look at the U.S.A., Sorry for the War, and
Disco Night Sept 11. His work is showcased online at
https://www.magnumphotos.com/photographer/peter-van-agtmael
Appalachian Ghost
Raymond Thompson Jr.
The University Press of Kentucky
www.kentuckypress.com
9780813198996, $45.00, HC, 136pp
https://www.amazon.com/Appalachian-Ghost-Photographic-Reimagining-Disaster/dp/0813198992
Synopsis: In the early days of the Great Depression, the search for steady work drove thousands of migrant laborers (many
of whom were African American) from all over Appalachia to a rural area near Fayetteville, West Virginia. Union Carbide
Corporation had begun construction on a three-mile tunnel to divert the New River, and many hands were needed.
Toiling for five years in confined spaces with poor ventilation, no means of dust control, and limited use of personal
breathing protection, the workers were repeatedly exposed to pure silica dust. Many developed silicosis, an incurable and
debilitating lung disease that is estimated to have caused the deaths of nearly eight hundred workers, two-thirds of whom
were Black. Soon after, the US House of Representatives Committee on Labor classified silicosis as an occupational
hazard.
Despite the disaster's impact, information about its severity was largely suppressed -- a decision that ensured the event faded
quickly from public memory. Aside from a small plaque at Hawk's Nest State Park, which inaccurately admits to only 109
victims, there is little to mark the site of the worst industrial accident to date in the United States.
With the publication of "Appalachian Ghost: A Photographic Reimagining of the Hawk's Nest Tunnel Disaster",
academician, and photojournalist Raymond Thompson Jr. explores the possibilities of that tragedy by reviving the faces and
spaces of Hawk's Nest. Using primary source materials to re-create the workers' experiences in photographs, Thompson
recontextualizes archival images to present a counter-archive that positions the Black experience at Hawk's Nest within the
larger story of the American labor landscape.
Thompson's photographs and poetry give voice to the silenced, resisting revisionist narratives that often ignore the sacrifices
of African Americans and erase their instrumental role in the development of America's infrastructure.
Critique: This large format (9.9 x 0.7 x 8.3 inches, 1.55 pounds) hardcover edition of "Appalachian Ghost: A Photographic
Reimagining of the Hawk's Nest Tunnel Disaster" from the University of Kentucky Press is classic photojournalism at its
best. The visual impact is truly memorable and moving. Of particular value to readers with an interest in African-American
history, eco-tourism, and photography, "Appalachian Ghost" is especially recommended for personal, professional,
community, and college/university library collections. It should be noted that "Appalachian Ghost" by Raymond Thompson
Jr. is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $45.00) as well.
Editorial Note: Raymond Thompson Jr. (www.raymondthompsonjr.com) is an Assistant Professor of Photojournalism at
University of Texas at Austin. He is an artist, educator, and visual journalist who holds an MFA in photography from West
Virginia University and an MA in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin. He has worked as a freelance
photographer for The New York Times, The Intercept, NBC News, NPR, Politico, ProPublica, the Nature Conservancy, the
ACLU, WBEZ, Google, Merrell, and the Associated Press.
Utah Splendor
Dennis William Linnehan
Sweetgrass Books
c/o Farcountry Press
www.farcountrypress.com
9781591523284, $29.95, HC, 144pp
https://www.amazon.com/Utah-Splendor-Dennis-William-Linnehan/dp/1591523281
Synopsis: "Utah Splendor" features 200 stunning photos of the Beehive State. It is Dennis Linnehan's 8th photography book
and displays inspiring images of Utah national parks, Utah state parks, views of majestic mountains and dramatic waterfall
scenery near Provo and Salt Lake City and extraordinary wilderness in mesmerizing light.
Linnehan has photographed Utah for over 20 years usually near sunrise or sunset. His photos also include scenes of Mount
Nebo and Mirror Lake Scenic Byway in early fall with a touch of snow. Near Salt Lake City Dennis has photographed the
Red Butte Garden formal gardens in their breathtaking beauty.
From iconic rock formations, fins, pinnacles, crimson-colored hoodoos, canyons, domes, natural sandstone arches, and
rivers flowing through steep red cliffs. "Utah Splendor" will transport the armchair traveler to this enchanting landscape
through Dennis Linnehan's unique perspective.
Critique: This large format (9781591523284, 2.5 pounds) hardcover edition of Dennis Linnehan's "Utah Splendor" from
Sweetgrass Books is visually spectacular and of particular interest to amateurs and professional on the subject of Landscape
Photography. Packed from cover to cover with beautifully rendered and captioned full color photographs, "Utah Splendor"
is an ideal and solidly recommended pick for personal, professional, community, and college/university library
Contemporary American Photography collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Dennis William Linnehan, a graduate of the New York Institute of Photography, is an accomplished
photographer and dedicated hiker. With 32 years of invaluable experience at Eastman Kodak Company, Dennis honed his
photographic artistry, eventually becoming a prominent member of the Kodak Travel Club, where he presented four
captivating travelogue shows. His passion for photography and the great outdoors converge in his 8th photography book,
Utah Splendor, inviting readers to experience the stunning landscapes and remarkable vistas that have fueled his lifelong
love for the art of photography.
The Camera Bag Companion
Benedict Brain
Ilex Press
www.ilex.press
c/o Octopus Books
https://www.octopusbooks.co.uk
9781781579299, $26.99
https://www.amazon.com/Camera-Bag-Companion-Personal-Photography/dp/1781579296
The Camera Bag Companion: Your Personal Photography Tutor joins a host of camera how-to guides on the market - but
with a major difference. Yes, it comes from an award-winning photographer; but that doesn't mean it's filled with technical
confusion. Benedict Brain's purpose is to provide easy access to tips, tricks, and keys to success that the professionals use.
His tips cover the latest camera technology, from smartphones to HDR photography, smoothing the gap between
professional and novice picture-takers. No collection or aspiring photographer should be without The Camera Bag
Companion. Above and beyond other introductions, it should be pulled from or added to one's camera bag first.
The Cookbook Shelf
Vegan Soups and Stews for All Seasons
Nava Atlas, author
Hannah Kaminsky, photographer
BPC
c/o The Book Publishing Company
www.BookPubCo.com
9781737133414, $24.95, PB, 208pp
https://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Soups-Stews-All-Seasons/dp/1737133415
Synopsis: With the publication of Nava Atlas' "Vegan Soups and Stews for All Seasons" from BPC, the classic vegan soup
cookbook is back in a new and expanded 5th edition -- and features 20 new recipes and dozens of gorgeous full-color
photos by Hannah Kaminsky. The staying power of "Vegan Soups and Stews for All Seasons" is a testament to the universal
love for soups.
From hearty, warming stews to fruity dessert soups, food author and recipe developer Nava Atlas ladles out more than 120
delectable recipes. Each chapter highlights the best produce available in its season: Fall celebrates the harvest, winter
focuses on comfort, spring lifts the palate, and summer is all about freshness. That said, with seasonality having stretched
far beyond what it was not long ago, cooks can ignore the calendar and choose whichever soup or stew will satisfy the
craving of the moment.
Whether you're looking for a colorful global stew or a refreshing cold elixir, there's something for every vegan (and
non-vegan!) soup lover in these pages.
Critique: Featuring full color, full page photos of the various soups and stews showcased in "Vegan Soups and Stews for All
Seasons" this very special, "kitchen cook friendly', and unreservedly recommended culinary resource is fully recommended
for personal, family, professional, and community library Vegan/Vegetarian cookbook collections.
Editorial Note #1: Nava Atlas's first book was Vegetariana, originally published in 1984 and most recently updated in 2021.
She has written many vegetarian and vegan cookbooks, including American Harvest, Plant-Powered Protein, 5-Ingredient
Vegan, Wild About Greens, and Vegan Holiday Kitchen. Nava also creates trade and limited-edition visual books on
women's issues, notably, Literary Ladies' Guide to the Writing Life and Secret Recipes for the Modern Wife. Visit her
websites, The Vegan Atlas (www.theveganatlas.com) and Literary Ladies Guide (www.literaryladiesguide.com).
Editorial Note #2: Hannah Kaminsky's love of desserts compelled her to start experimenting in the kitchen at a young age to
create incredible, cruelty-free treats. Her online blog, www.BitterSweetBlog.com, features creative crafts, delicious treats,
and mouth-watering photography. In addition to her own cookbooks, Hannah is a professional photographer whose work
appears in a number of vegan cookbooks.
Asian Vegetables: A Cook's Bible
Wendy Hutton, author
Chen Choi, illustrator
Masano Kawana, photographer
Tuttle Publishing
www.tuttlepublishing.com
9780804857437, $19.99, PB, 240pp
https://www.amazon.com/Asian-Vegetables-Descriptions-Illustrations-Including/dp/0804857431
Synopsis: A complete guide to purchasing and preparing Asian vegetables and plant-based food products, "Asian
Vegetables: A Cook's Bible" showcases descriptions and illustrations of 139 vegetables, including dried and preserved
varieties with 145 authentic Asian recipes.
Featuring everything you need to know about the rapidly-expanding list of Asian vegetables found in supermarkets, farmers'
markets, Asian grocers and specialty gourmet stores around the globe, "Asian Vegetables: A Cook's Bible" features
attractive watercolor illustrations and photos, that will helps you to easily identify 139 different Asian vegetables and plant
products.
The 145 recipes and 139 different vegetables range from small to large dishes, sauces, soups and so much more, ranging
from Indian Chickpeas in Spicy Tomato Sauce; Malaysian-style Cabbage Stewed in Coconut Milk; Blanched Water Spinach
and Tofu with Spicy Peanut Sauce; and Sri Lankan Breadfruit Curry; to Stir-fried Loofah with Oyster Sauce; Thai Wild
Pepper Leaf Parcels; Chinese Garlic Chive Pancakes; Fresh Tuna Baked in Konbu Seaweed; and Spice Indian
Cauliflower.
Critique: A delight to browse through and a pleasure to plan truly memorable menus with, "Asian Vegetables: A Cook's
Bible" will have a special appeal to family cooks with an interest in vegan, vegetarian, and Asian cuisine. Inspiring,
informative, and a prized pick for personal, professional, and community library cookbook collections, it should be noted
that "Asian Vegetables: A Cook's Bible" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).
Editorial Note #1: Wendy Hutton is a writer specializing in food and travel, who lived in Southeast Asia for more than five
decades. She has written widely on the cuisines of Southeast Asia, including cookbooks such as Green Mangoes and Lemon
Grass, Tropical Asian Cooking and the highly acclaimed Singapore Food.
Editorial Note #2: Sui Chen Choi is a Malaysian artist who specializes in botanical subjects, drawing them from real life.
His illustrations appear in the "Plants" and "Animals" volumes of Encyclopedia of Malaysia
Editorial Note #3: Masano Kawana is one of the most exciting food, interior and landscape photographers in Asia today.
Born in Japan and based in Singapore, Kawana has traveled, lived and surfed throughout the region, photographing a wide
variety of subjects for books and lifestyle magazines. His books include Shunju, which won the prestigious James Beard
Award in 2004.
Japanese Style Plant-Based Cooking
Yumiko Kano
Tuttle Publishing
www.tuttlepublishing.com
9784805317457, $18.99, HC, 112pp
https://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Style-Plant-Based-Cooking-Macrobiotic/dp/4805317450
Synopsis: Yumiko Kano is one of Japan's best-known macrobiotic chefs and food writers. She has devoted her life to
celebrating the flavor, versatility and nutritional benefits of a plant-based diet. "Japanese Style Plant-Based Cooking:
Amazing Vegan Recipes from Japan's Leading Macrobiotic Chef and Food Writer" is the latest in a series of over 30
cookbooks featuring her "no meat, no eggs, no dairy, no sugar" recipes -- and the first to appear in English!
With the publication of "Japanese Style Plant-Based Cooking", Yumiko Kano shares 80 delicious, easy-to-make plant-based
recipes, illustrated with mouthwatering photographs, including:
Sweet Potatoes in Spicy Sichuan Sauce
Miso-Stuffed Baked Tomatoes
Herb-Roasted Daikon Radish
Mini Broccoli Burgers with Spicy Tomato Sauce
Traditional Kyoto-style Eggplant Pickles
Creamy Yoghurt Soup with Fermented Cucumber Pickles
Yumiko Kano's recipes turn everyday vegetables like tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkin, cabbage, zucchini and potatoes into
culinary delights through the use of traditional fermented Japanese ingredients like soy sauce, miso, sake and mirin.
Of special note is the inclusion of a chapter devoted entirely to pickling and fermenting vegetables, with explanations of the
equipment and processes used, along with 20 easy-to-make pickling recipes. In addition, Yumiko Kano provides many
valuable tips on traditional Japanese cooking methods including boiling, sauteing and grilling.
Critique: Featuring a full color photo for each finished dish showcased in "Japanese Style Plant-Based Cooking", this
landmark reference to Japanese cuisine is one that every vegan and vegetarian cook will want to have on their shelf! A
pleasure to browse through and a delight to plan menus with, "Japanese Style Plant-Based Cooking" will prove a highly
prized pick for personal, professional, and community library Ethnic & Vegan/Vegetarian cookbook collections. It should
be noted that "Japanese Style Plant-Based Cooking" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.49).
Editorial Note: Yumiko Kano has published over 30 books on plant-based cooking in her native Japan. She is well-known
in the West and has been featured in food and restaurant review columns in the New York Times. Born into a farming
family, she always loved natural foods which has led her to a lifelong study of vegan and vegetarian cuisine. From 2000 to
2012, she cooked vegetarian Kaiseki cuisine at her award-winning restaurant Sen in Tokyo. Now, in addition to her writing,
she teaches cooking classes all over Japan.
A Day in Tokyo: A Japanese Cookbook
Brendan Liew & Caryn Ng, co-authors
Smith Street Books
c/o Rizzoli
www.rizzoliusa.com
9781923049048, $29.95, HC, 240pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-day-in-tokyo-brendan-liew/1144720703
Synopsis: Co-authored by the culinary team of Brendan Liew and Caryn Ng, "A Day in Tokyo: A Japanese Cookbook" is a
culinary journey through one of Japan's most vibrant cities.
From the bustling streets of Shinjuku to the hidden corners of Ueno, "A Day in Tokyo: A Japanese Cookbook" is a delicious
culinary adventure from breakfast through to dinner, showcasing the diverse tastes and ingredients of Japanese cuisine. Start
the day with unbelievably fluffy Funwari Hottokeki, dive into some Tokyo-born Yakisoba Pan for a much-earned midday
break and end the night with crunchy and tender Tonkatsu.
Capture the delicious flavors of Tokyo at home with 96 recipes and insider tips on where to find the best local eats. "A Day
in Tokyo" is the ultimate book for food and travel enthusiasts.
Critique: Beautifully and profusely illustrated throughout with full color photography, "A Day in Tokyo: A Japanese
Cookbook" is a combination travel guide and cookbook that makes authentic Japanese cuisine fully and easily accessible to
an American family cook. A pleasure to browse through and a delight to plan memorable menus with, "A Day in Tokyo: A
Japanese Cookbook" is an especially recommended acquisition choice for personal, family, professional, and community
library Ethnic & Asian Cookbook collections.
Editorial Note: Brendan Liew and Caryn Ng have spent more than a decade travelling to Japan, traversing its cities and rural
countryside to explore, learn, and live the local culture and cuisine.
In 2016, they established a pop-up Japanese restaurant, Chotto, in Melbourne, bringing traditional ryokan-style breakfasts to
the city. The cafe transported diners to Japan on a cultural and culinary journey spanning old and new, inspired by
everything from countryside dinners on the Nakasendo trail, to the food of Japan's far north and deep south, and the
animated feasts of Studio Ghibli.
A chef by training, Brendan has worked at restaurants including Kadeau in Copenhagen and Benu in San Francisco, and the
three-Michelin-starred Nihonryori Ryugin in Tokyo and Hong Kong. He studied the craft of ramen making in Osaka before
settling on specialising in kappo and modern kaiseki cuisine.
Sushi: More Than 60 Simple-to-Follow Recipes
Ryland, Peters & Small
www.rylandpeters.com
9781788795821, $16.95, HC, 160pp
https://www.amazon.com/Sushi-More-simple-follow-recipes/dp/1788795822
Synopsis: The Japanese term 'sushi' is used for dishes based on 'sumeshi', which is meaning vinegared rice, the most vital
part of sushi-making.
"Sushi" from the staff of Ryland, Peters & Small begins by explaining how to cook the rice perfectly and then introduces
simple rolled sushi using classic ingredients such as cucumber, tuna or salmon. Once you've mastered these easy ones you
can explore more adventurous variations.
The recipes use easy-to-source ingredients, including everything from spinach, asparagus and carrots to prawns, crab and
smoked salmon. There are also recipes for related raw bar dishes such as sashimi and poke, as well as others for making
great accompaniments, like fabulous pickles and three ways with wasabi.
With "Sushi" as your menu planning resource, you can have parties where you provide the ingredients and guests make up
their own hand rolls from their favourite ingredients, or you can do it for them - it takes no time at all! This is really easy
party food, healthy snack food -- and great fun for kids too, to make and to eat.
Critique: Beautifully illustrated with color photographs of finished sushi dishes, and featuring more than 60
simple-to-follow recipes, "Sushi" will enable even the most novice kitchen cooks to turn out professional quality sushi
dishes suitable for all manner of dining opportunities. An inspiring pleasure to browse through one memorable recipe at a
time, "Sushi" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, and community library cookbook
collections.
Editorial Note: "Sushi" is a new collection of beautifully photographed recipes, collaboratively compiled by the expert food
and drink editors at Ryland Peters & Small, and originally created by their highly-regarded cookery authors.
Taste of Home Ultimate 5 Ingredient Cookbook
Taste of Home
https://www.tasteofhome.com
c/o Trusted Media Brands
https://www.trustedmediabrands.com
9798889770183, $19.99, PB, 256pp
https://www.amazon.com/Taste-Home-Ultimate-Ingredient-Cookbook/dp/B0C99K1C5W
Synopsis: With the promise of saving time, money, and avoiding stress, "Your Best Home-Cooked Meal is Only 5
Ingredients Away" by Taste of Home is thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly culinary collection that brings you family-favorite
recipes that are easy to make and guaranteed to please.
The dishes all come together with a handful of ingredients so you can spend less time at the market, less money on your
grocery bill and less time in the kitchen. Satisfying main dishes, soups and sandwiches, snacks and appetizers, side dishes,
salads, soups, desserts... they're all here, and all made with a few items. Plus, there is a bonus chapter on grilling guarantees
that you'll always have the perfect menu on hand for backyard cookouts, block parties, family reunions and other
warm-weather get-togethers.
Critique: Finished dishes beautifully presented with full color photography, "Taste of Home Ultimate 5 Ingredient
Cookbook" is an ideal reference resource for crating memorable menus for any and all dining occasions from breakfast to
banquet. An inspiring delight to page through and thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' in organization and presentation, "Taste
of Home Ultimate 5 Ingredient Cookbook" will prove a welcome and popular pick for personal, professional, and
community library cookbook collections. It should be noted that "Taste of Home Ultimate 5 Ingredient Cookbook" is also
readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).
Editorial Note: Taste of Home is America's #1 food/lifestyle brand, inspiring togetherness through cooking, baking and
entertaining. Featuring recipes shared by today's home cooks, Taste of Home magazine has hundreds of thousands of
subscribers throughout North America and publishes best-selling cookbooks and newsstand specials. The brand's web site is
a top destination, featuring kitchen-tested recipes, how-to techniques, cooking videos and more. Taste of Home has more
than 6.3 million fans on Facebook, 2 million followers on Instagram, 2.6 million Pinterest followers and receives more than
28 million unique monthly visitors.
Deliciously Chocolatey Cakes & Bakes
Victoria Glass
Ryland, Peters & Small
www.rylandpeters.com
9781788795838, $24.99, HC, 160pp
https://www.amazon.com/Deliciously-Chocolatey-Cakes-Bakes-indulgent/dp/1788795830
Synopsis: Showcasing 100 indulgent recipes for a treat is needed for celebration or consolation, with the publication of
"Deliciously Chocolatey Cakes & Bakes", food writer and recipe developer Victoria Glass features original ideas that will
be appreciated by all chocolate cake lovers, with child-friendly recipes that use exciting ingredients like popping candy and
homemade marshmallows, afternoon offerings for ladies who lunch, cakes to impress a new love interest, and recipes for the
ultimate birthday cake.
Clear step-by-step instructions make even the most complicated recipes feel achievable at home and there are guides on how
to present your chocolate cakes and bakes as the ultimate eye candy.
From cookies and small bakes to larger cakes, pastries and desserts, Victoria Glass charts the delicious range of some of our
much-loved classics with a chocolatey twist. Smaller bakes such as Orange and Choc Chip Madeleines and Chocolate and
Mint Teacakes feature alongside indisputable classics such as Chocolate Mud Cake, Torta Caprese, and Caramelized White
Chocolate Cheesecake. Also included are recipes for delicate and decadent petit fours, such as Chocolate and Whiskey
Truffles, Chocolate Marshmallows, and White Chocolate and Champagne Nougat.
Whatever the occasion, chocolate cakes never go out of fashion!
Critique: Beautifully and profusely illustrated with full page, full color images of finished chocolate cakes and baked treats,
"Deliciously Chocolatey Cakes & Bakes" is a culinary delight to browse through from cover to cover -- and will prove a
prized and appreciated pick for personal, professional, and community library cookbook collections in general -- and
chocolate cake lovers every where in particular!
Editorial Note: Victoria Glass (https://app.ckbk.com/people/victoria-glass) is a London-based food writer and recipe
developer. She has made cakes for, among others, The Prince's Trust and The Royal British Legion, and was the Roald Dahl
Museum's first ever Gastronomic Writer in Residence. She has written six cookbooks, including Deliciously Vintage
Baking & Desserts, Baking Mash-up, and Boozy Shakes for Ryland Peters & Small.
At Nonna's Table
Paola Bacchia
Smith Street Books
c/o Rizzoli
www.rizzoliusa.com
9781922754745, $35.00, HC, 216pp
https://www.amazon.com/At-Nonnas-Table-Italian-Familys/dp/1922754749
Synopsis: "At Nonna's Table: One Italian Family's Recipes, Shared with Love" by Paola Bacchia is an impressive and
illustrated compendium of authentic Italian cuisine.
Inspired by her Mamma Livia's cherished recipes, Paola presents 60 delicious dishes that celebrate the best of Italian home
cooking. From soups and appetizers through to main courses, sides, desserts, and pickles and preserves, this book is a
treasure trove of traditional and contemporary Italian dishes made with love and care.
Complete with beautiful photography to accompany each delicious recipe, "At Nonna's Table" showcases the fresh
ingredients, bold flavors, and simple techniques that make Italian food so beloved. From the hearty Peperonata con
melanzane e pomodori (Eggplant and Tomato Stew) to the crowd-pleasing Pollo Ripieno (Celebration Chicken) and the
indulgent Torta arancia e cocco con albicocche (Orange Cake with Apricots), alongside heartfelt stories from Paola's
childhood and her mum's life, this book will delight lovers of food and family.
Critique: A prized addition to personal, professional, and community library Ethnic/Italian cook book collections, "At
Nonna's Table: One Italian Family's Recipes, Shared with Love" is an ideal choice for novice family cooks and has much to
offer even experienced chefs. "At Nonna's Table" is the ideal, step-by-step, DIY guide to creating authentic Italian dishes for
all dining occasions. Thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' in organization and presentation, "At Nonna's Table) is
unreservedly recommended!
Editorial Note: Paola Bacchia (www.italyonmymind.com.au) was born to Italian migrant parents and into their food culture.
Her award-winning blog, Italy On My Mind, explores the connection between family memories and food through stories,
photos, and recipes. She returns to Italy every year to expand her knowledge of Italian food and traditions. Previously, Paola
has published Adriatico (2018), Istria (2021) and Italian Street Food (2021) -- all with Smith Street Books.
End of the Trail Eats
Natalie Bright
TwoDot Books / Globe Pequot
c/o Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
www.rowman.com
9781493076994, $24.95, PB, 172pp
https://www.amazon.com/End-Trail-Eats-Cowboy-Approved-Favorites/dp/149307699X
Synopsis: In the yesteryear of the American West, life in the saddle tested the toughest men on the cattle drive trail and the
food they consumed during the greatest controlled movement of Texas Longhorns was equally as hearty. Tired of beans and
sourdough biscuits, dining establishments located at the railhead shipping points swarmed with trail-weary wranglers eager
for a fine meal. "End of the Trail Eats: Cowboy-Approved Recipes from the Cowtown Cafe to the Saloon" by Natalie Bright
offers authentic and original trail driving cooking at its finest.
No matter where you are, whether a campsite pit, grill, or home stove using your grandmother's best cast iron, the recipes
comprising "End of the Trail Eats" are imminently suitable for the modern kitchen.
Discover the iconic taste of the American West with these 80 wrangler-tested and approved recipes from mule-powered
chuck wagons to cowtown cafes. In End of the Trail Eats, Natalie Bright has compiled a collection of dishes from ranch
kitchens, saloons, supply stations, cowtown cafes, and cook shacks. Sprinkled with archival photographs, Old West history,
first-hand accounts, and profiles of the cooks who keep the traditions alive, this cookbook has something for everyone.
Critique: Unique, illustrated throughout with B/W historical photos, "End of the Trail Eats: Cowboy-Approved Recipes
from the Cowtown Cafe to the Saloon", with recipes that range from South Dakota Farm Pancakes, Homemade Hot Sauce,
Chocolate Pound Cake, and Sweet Onion Corn Bread, to Simple Hash, Turnips and Pork, Arizona Pot Stew, and Traditional
Whisky Toddy, is a very special and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, family, and community
library cookbook collections. It should be noted for family kitchen cooks that "End of the Trail Eats" is also available in a
digital book format (Kindle, $23.50).
Editorial Note: Natalie Bright (https://nataliebright.com) is a freelance writer, blogger, and author of twenty books for kids
and adults. Her first cookbook for TwoDot, Keep 'Em Full and Keep 'Em Rollin', won a first place Will Rogers Medallion
Award. She serves on the Board of Directors of Western Writers of America and is a member of Women Writing the West
and the American Chuck Wagon Association. Texas High Plains Writers honored her with its 2022 lifetime achievement
award.
BBQ Pit Boys Book of Real Guuud Barbecue
BBQ Pit Boys
Firefly Books Ltd.
www.fireflybooks.com
9780228105114, $24.95, PB, 256pp
https://www.amazon.com/Boys-Book-Real-Guuud-Barbecue/dp/0228105110
Synopsis: With over 2.2 million subscribers, and more than 1 billion views, the BBQ Pit Boys are by far the most-watched
barbecue cooks on YouTube. And they are Facebook's number 1 BBQ show. They have millions of people in their online
BBQ "community" (the largest in the world) and there are good reasons for that.
Dressed casually in black T-shirts, jeans and sunglasses, the BBQ Pit Boys are the antithesis of your typical cooking-show
host with their usual fast patter and gleaming kitchen countertops. Instead they show backyard grillers how to make great
BBQ with a few simple elements: charcoal, a grill, a sharp knife and marinades or rubs. And they do it in a low-key,
Southern-inflected and confident way, with blues music in the background and an average-joe script.
Their videos have taught millions of people how to grill and slow-barbecue steaks, fish, pork shoulder, lamb and sides like
onion wedges and ears of corn -- and make it fun. Those viewers go back to the BBQ Pit Boys content over and over. They
are a loyal audience who will strongly identify with a book.
"BBQ Pit Boys Book of Real Guuud Barbecue" is their first book and it is derived from the thousands of recipes and
live-action infotainments featured on their YouTube channel. It contains recipes and methods for almost every backyard
griller's experience and desires, with full-color photos throughout and a design that will resonate with the BBQ Pit Boys'
identity and appeal.
Ready for the prime barbecue season, Mother's and Father's Day, and any time you'd like to learn how to make "guuud
eatin,"BBQ Pit Boys Book of Real Guuud Barbecue" will be a solid choice for summer fun.
Critique: From Grilling, Slow Roasting and Smoking, to Beer-can Burgers and Fireball Whiskey Meatballs, to Popcorn
Chicken, Venison Stew, Stuffed Alligator, Rubs, Marinades and more, this large print (8 x 0.75 x 10 inches, 2.3 pounds)
paperback edition of "BBQ Pit Boys Book of Real Guuud Barbecue" from Firefly Books is a 'must have' for the legions of
dedicated BBQ practitioners and aspiring BBQ masters. Beautifully and profusely illustrated throughout with full color
photography, "BBQ Pit Boys Book of Real Guuud Barbecue" is fun to browse through and a delight to plan BBQ based
menus with -- making it an ideal and unreservedly recommended pick for personal, professional, and community library
cookbook collections.
Saladology
Theo Kirwan
Mitchell Beazley
c/o Octopus Books
https://www.octopusbooks.co.uk
9781784729158, $26.99
https://www.amazon.com/Sprout-Co-Saladology-Delicious-Salads/dp/1784729159
Saladology: Fresh Ideas for Delicious Salads pairs lovely color photos by Matt Russell with recipes that come from Sprout
& Co., a Dublin restaurant co-founded by author Theo Kirwan and his brother Jack.
Over a hundred recipes feature salads which move from side dishes to main dish affairs, offering ingredients that move far
beyond the usual lettuce-centric creation with such creative ideas as Crispy Bombay Cauliflower; Thai Crispy Salad with
onions, ginger, and bulgur wheat; or Peppers & Tofu with Lime-Butter Pine Nuts.
The heady blend of international influences and redefined notions of what defines a 'salad' make Saladology both a standout
and a main dish heartily recommended for vegetable cooks seeking to expand their repertoire of original, creative fare.
The Wildlife Shelf
Turtles of North America
Kyle Horner
Firefly Books Ltd.
www.fireflybooks.com
9780228104667, $29.95, PB, 208pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/turtles-of-north-america-kyle-horner/1144278230
Synopsis: Turtles are among the most fascinating, attractive, easily recognized and loved vertebrates on the planet. Yet, of
the hundreds of species worldwide, well over half are in danger of becoming extinct due to habitat loss, road mortality,
disease, commercial fishing, harvesting for food or sale as pets. Turtles need our help to survive; this book describes some
of these common threats to turtles, and how we can take positive action to help them survive and thrive.
Turtles have been around since the time of the dinosaurs - over 230 million years. They have an amazing ability to heal from
injuries that would kill many other species as well as incredible physiological capabilities. From tunneling deep into the
earth and making kilometer-deep oceanic dives, to full-body freezing in winter and tolerating hot sandy beaches, turtles have
remarkable abilities that are belied by their slow-and-steady public image.
Turtles of North America begins with an introduction to turtle biology, how they diversified over time and how we classify
the groups of turtles that exist today. A section about anatomy details their basic body plan, and how it varies to take
advantage of different environments. A section about behavior covers how they live, from what they eat to what eats them,
and their importance in the environment.
Fully illustrated species accounts describe the 64 species of turtles that inhabit the continental United States and Canada and
the oceans that surround them. For each turtle there are photographs and text that show how to identify the species and give
information about its life history. A range map shows where each turtle may be found. To complete this comprehensive
guidebook, numerous additional pages highlight interesting or unusual aspects of North American turtle species, and a
section about turtle conservation tells you how to protect and support turtles.
Critique: This large format (7.5 x 0.63 x 9.5 inches, 1.75 pounds) soft cover edition of Kyle Horner's "Turtles of North
America: An Illustrated Field Guide to the Turtles of the Continental United States and Canada" from Firefly Books is
informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of full color photographs, a one page Glossary, a three
page Index, and an Introduction by Sue Carstairs. Exceptionally well organized and presented, "Turtles of North America" is
very special and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library
North American Wildlife collections in general, and supplemental Turtle Identification curriculum studies lists in
particular.
Editorial Note #1: Kyle Horner (http://kylehorner.com) is a naturalist and environmental educator who has taught at parks,
zoos, botanical gardens, non-profits and the University of Guelph. He was introduced to birds at an early age by his father
but has a particular interest in fostering appreciation for some of nature's less-beloved creatures.
Editorial Note #2: Sue Carstairs (BSc, DVM) is the executive and medical director at the Ontario Turtle Conservation
Centre in Peterborough, Ontario. She also teaches a wildlife course to veterinary technicians at Seneca College.
The American History Shelf
The New Suburbia
Becky M. Nicolaides
Oxford University Press
www.oup.com/us
9780197578308, $35.00, HC, 576pp
https://www.amazon.com/New-Suburbia-Diversity-Suburban-Angeles/dp/0197578306
Synopsis: America's suburbs have been transforming. The conventional story of suburbs as bastions of white, middle-class
homeowners no longer describes the suburbs of America's cities. Today they house a more typical cross-section of the
nation -- rich, poor, Black American, Latino, Asian, immigrant, the unhoused, the lavishly housed, and everyone in between.
Stories of everyday suburban life, in the process, have taken on new inflections.
Nowhere are these changes more vivid than in Los Angeles. In this suburban metropolis and global powerhouse, lily white
suburbs have virtually disappeared, and over two-thirds of the County's suburbs have become majority minority. Examining
this vanguard of change from the postwar to the present, "The New Suburbia: How Diversity Remade Suburban Life in Los
Angeles after 1945" follows the Asian Americans, Black Americans, and Latinos who moved into white neighborhoods that
once barred them. They bought homes, enrolled their children in schools, and began navigating suburban life. They faced a
choice: would they remake the suburbs, or would the suburbs remake them?
In places like Pasadena, San Marino, South Gate, and Lakewood, suburbanites faced the challenges of living together in
difference. With the publication of "The New Suburbia", historian Becky Nicolaides explores a range of community
experiences, from internal resegregation to suburban poverty, an embrace of law-and-order culture to police brutality,
friendly neighbors to social withdrawal. In some communities, diverse residents continued longstanding habits of exclusion
and perpetuated metropolitan inequality. In others, they embraced more inclusive, multicultural suburban ideals. Through it
all, the common denominators of suburbia remained -- low-slung landscapes of single-family homes and families seeking
the good life.
An authoritative work based on a half-century of quantitative data and unpublished oral histories and interviews, "The New
Suburbia" explores vital landscapes where the American dream has endured, even as the dreamers have changed.
Critique: A seminal and ground-breaking study, "The New Suburbia: How Diversity Remade Suburban Life in Los Angeles
after 1945" is informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with 114 pages of Notes and a 33 page Index. Of special and
particular interest to readers concerned with non-white demographic urban/suburban studies, "The New Suburbia" is
especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library collections.
It should be noted for students, academia, political activists, governmental policy makers, and non-specialist general readers
with an interest in the subject that "The New Suburbia" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$17.99).
Editorial Note: Becky M. Nicolaides (www.beckynicolaides.com) is a research affiliate at the Huntington-USC Institute on
California and the West. She is also the author of "My Blue Heaven: Life and Politics in the Working-Class Suburbs of Los
Angeles, 1920-1965" and the co-editor of "The Suburb Reader". She has served on the LA Mayor's Office Civic Memory
Working Group and is a lifelong Angeleno.
Street Fight: The Chicago Taxi Wars of the 1920s
Anne Morrissy
The Lyons Press
www.lyonspress.com
c/o The Globe Pequot Press
www.globepequot.com
9781493068678, $29.95, HC, 272pp
https://www.amazon.com/Street-Fight-Chicago-Taxi-1920s/dp/1493068679
Synopsis: Bricks and bottles of acid through the windshield. Bullets shot from the running boards of racing cabs, passengers
screaming in the backseat. Bombs exploding in garages, beneath parked cars, on the front porches of jurors' homes.
Accusations of favoritism and collusion with city leaders and law enforcement; bribery and extortion and grand jury
investigations. Mysterious accidents and brutal attacks and devastating fires, leaving a trail of widows in their wake. These
were Chicago's Taxi Wars, a violent and deadly battle for supremacy of the city's new and lucrative taxi industry during the
Jazz Age.
In 1915, at the dawn of the automobile era, visionary car salesman John D. Hertz (better remembered today for his
successful foray into rental cars) and his partner, Walden W. Shaw, founded Chicago's Yellow Cab Company. This wildly
successful venture would go on to inform and inspire the modern taxi industry as we know it today in Chicago and
throughout the United States.
But as the Roaring Twenties glamorized lawlessness on the city's streets, Yellow Cab's meteoric rise invited increasingly
aggressive competitors. Cab drivers battled each other in the streets over fares, allegiances and turf claims, their skirmishes
escalating from sophomoric pranks to cold-blooded murder, mass shootings, and acts of domestic terrorism.
In the 1920s, one rival in particular ascended to pose a threat to Yellow Cab's dominance: the Checker Taxi Company.
Behind the scenes, pulling the strings at Checker, was Morris Markin, who was desperate to expand his influence even as
Chicago's gangsters attempted to wrest his control away.
Working from extensive research and interviews with descendants and experts, author Anne Morrissy vividly recreates
Chicago's Taxi Wars, bringing to print for the first time this deeply compelling but nearly forgotten story.
Buffeted by a supporting cast of colorful combatants and larger-than-life Jazz Age characters that included Johnny Torrio,
Al Capone, Joe Kennedy, Gene Tunney, Jack Dempsey, and Chicago mayor William Hale "Big Bill" Thompson, "Street
Fight: The Chicago Taxi Wars of the 1920s" reveals the history these deadly wars that played out on the city's streets a
century ago, endangering the lives of passengers and passersby, while at the same time forming the regulatory foundation
that still governs cab, limo and rideshare transportation in the 21st century.
Critique: A seminal and ground-breaking study, "Street Fight: The Chicago Taxi Wars of the 1920s" by Anne Morrisy is
informatively enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of a sixteen page section of B/W historical photos, eighteen pages
of Notes, and a ten page Index. Extraordinary, fascinating, and offering immense appeal to readers with an interest in the
history of organized crime, the history of Chicago, and automotive/transportation history, "Street Fight" is recommended a
prized and singularly unique addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library collections. It
should be noted for non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Street Fight" is also readily available
in a digital book format (Kindle, $21.49).
Editorial Note: Anne Morrissy (https://annemorrissy.com) is a writer and magazine editor with a passion for narrative
history. Her first book, Running the Reds: The First 100 Years of the Water Safety Patrol, 1920-2020, was published in
2019. A graduate of Kenyon College, she splits her time between Chicago and Williams Bay, Wisconsin.
Making the Frontier Man
Matthew C. Ward
University of Pittsburgh Press
https://upittpress.org
9780822947875, $60.00, HC, 384pp
https://www.amazon.com/Making-Frontier-Man-Authority-Backcountry/dp/0822947870
Synopsis: For western colonists in the early American backcountry, disputes often ended in bloodshed and death. With the
publication of "Making the Frontier Man: Violence, White Manhood, and Authority in the Early Western Backcountry",
Matthew C. Ward (Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Dundee in Scotland.) examines early life and the origins
of lawless behavior in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio from 1750 to 1815. It provides a key to understanding
why the trans-Appalachian West was prone to violent struggles, especially between white men.
Traumatic experiences of the Revolution and the Forty Years War legitimized killing as a means of self-defense (of
property, reputation, and rights) transferring power from the county courts to the ordinary citizen. Backcountry men waged
war against American Indians in state-sponsored militias as they worked to establish farms and seize property in the West.
And white neighbors declared war on each other, often taking extreme measures to resolve petty disputes that ended with
infamous family feuds.
"Making the Frontier Man" focuses on these experiences of western expansion and how they influenced American culture
and society, specifically the nature of western manhood, which radically transformed in the North American environment. In
search of independence and improvement, the new American man was also destitute, frustrated by the economic and
political power of his elite counterparts, and undermined by failure. He was aggressive, misogynistic, racist, and violent, and
looked to reclaim his dominance and masculinity by any means necessary.
Critique: An original, seminal and groundbreaking study, "Making the Frontier Man: Violence, White Manhood, and
Authority in the Early Western Backcountry" is informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of a thirty
page Bibliography, twenty-eight pages of Notes, and a five page Index. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented,
"Making the Frontier Man" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and college/university
library American History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia,
and non-specialist general readers with an interest in American frontier history that "Making the Frontier Man" from the
University of Pittsburgh Press is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $57.00) as well.
Tombstone, Arizona Mystique
David D. de Haas, author
Donald Chaput, author
Caxton Press
https://www.caxtonpress.com
9780870046483, $26.95, HC, 440pp
https://www.amazon.com/Tombstone-Arizona-Mystique-David-Haas/dp/0870046489
Synopsis: Ed Schieffelin's 1877 discovery of silver in the dangerous southeastern Arizona desert set in motion a whirlwind
series of events which ended up creating what would emerge as history's most influential mining camp, that of Tombstone,
Arizona.
The subsequent happenings which were to follow in the ensuing 146 years of the town's history would make Tombstone
iconic, legendary, and forever in the world's psyche -- as well as one of the few old west mining camps which has evolved
and thriving to this day.
Through the years, multiple boom-bust cycles, and five different distinct eras, Tombstone would continue reimagining itself
to stay alive and relevant. "Tombstone, Arizona Mystique" tells the history of how Tombstone, and its mystique, all came
about, and the extraordinary influence it has had on the world since its founding in 1877.
Critique: History that reads with all the inherent drama of a finely crafted novel, "Tombstone, Arizona Mystique",
co-authored by David D. de Haas and Donald Chaput is an impressively informative, exceptionally comprehensive, deftly
written, organized and presented history that is informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of two
Appendices (Tombstone's Boom-Bust-Boom Timelines & For Some, A final Common Meeting Ground), thirty-eight pages
of Notes, a ten page Bibliography, a two page listing of Illustrations, and a seventeen page Index. Of special and particular
value to readers with an interest in the Old West in general, and the vivid and entertaining history of Tombstone, Arizona in
particular, "Tombstone, Arizona Mystique" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional,
community, and college/university library American History and Arizon History collections and supplemental curriculum
studies lists.
Editorial Note #1: Don Chaput is a curator emeritus of the Natural History Museum, Los Angeles. He is a consultant to the
Dictionary of Canadian Biography and has been a contributor to the Smithsonian's Handbook of North American Indians.
He has written on mining and law and order in the American West as well as in the Philippines, Australia, Canada, and
Mexico. His books on the Southwest include biographies of the Earp brothers, lawman-train robber Burt Alvord, and
frontier surgeon Dr. George Goodfellow and also co-authored Cochise County Stalwarts and most recently (2020) The
Earps Invade Southern California.
Editorial Note #2: David D. de Haas, MD received his BS degree in Biochemistry from UCLA in 1979, his MD at the
Chicago Medical School in 1983, and became board certified in both emergency medicine and internal medicine after
completing a dual residency at the Kern Medical Center (UCLA affiliate) in 1987. After practicing emergency (and some
internal) medicine for nearly 40 years he retired in 2021. He has published numerous medical and Wild West articles and is
the moderator of the highly popular "Wild West Collectors" Facebook page. In 2020 he coauthored his first book, The Earps
Invade Southern California, with Donald Chaput.
Unburied Lives
Laurie A. Wilkie
University of New Mexico Press
www.unmpress.com
9780826362995, $65.00, HC, 304pp
https://www.amazon.com/Unburied-Lives-Historical-Archaeology-1869-1875/dp/0826362990
Synopsis: According to the accounts of two white officers, on the evening of November 20, 1872, Corporal Daniel
Talliafero, of the segregated Black 9th cavalry, was shot to death by an officer's wife while attempting to break into her
sleeping apartment at the military post of Fort Davis, Texas. Historians writing about Black soldiers serving in the West
have long accepted the account without question, retelling the story of Daniel Talliafero, the thwarted "rapist".
With the publication of "Unburied Lives: The Historical Archaeology of Buffalo Soldiers at Fort Davis, Texas, 1869-1875",
Professor Laurie A. Wilke takes a different approach, demonstrating how we can "listen" to stories found in things
neglected, ignored, or disparaged in the form of documents not consulted, architecture not studied, material traces preserved
in the dirt.
With a focus on Fort Davis, Professor Wilkie brings attention to the Black enlisted men and non-commissioned officers. In
her archaeological accounting, Wilkie explores the complexities of post life, racialized relationships, Black masculinity, and
citizenship while also exposing the structures and practices of military life that successfully obscured these men's stories for
so long.
Critique: A seminal and ground-breaking study, "Unburied Lives: The Historical Archaeology of Buffalo Soldiers at Fort
Davis, Texas, 1869-1875" is informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit by Professor of Anthropology & Social Science
Laurie A. Wilkie with the inclusion of Illustrations, Tables, a Prologue & Epilogue, twenty pages of Notes, a twenty page
Bibliography, and an eight page Index. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Unburied Lives: The
Historical Archaeology of Buffalo Soldiers at Fort Davis, Texas, 1869-1875" is especially and unreservedly recommended
for personal reading lists and college/university library 19th Century American History, Black Studies, and Cultural
Anthropology collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and
non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Unburied Lives: The Historical Archaeology of Buffalo
Soldiers at Fort Davis, Texas, 1869-1875" is also available in a paperback edition (9780826365675, $34.95) and in a digital
book format (Kindle, $34.95).
Editorial Note: Laurie A. Wilkie (https://anthropology.berkeley.edu/laurie-wilkie) is the Richard and Rhoda Goldman
Distinguished Professor of Social Sciences at the University of California, Berkeley. Her books include Strung Out on
Archaeology: An Introduction to Archaeological Research, The Lost Boys of Zeta Psi: A Historical Archaeology of
Masculinity at a University Fraternity, and The Archaeology of Mothering: An African-American Midwife's Tale.
The World History Shelf
The Roman Imperial Succession
John D. Grainger
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.penandswordbooks.com
9781526766045, $34.99, HC, 256pp
https://www.amazon.com/Roman-Imperial-Succession-John-Grainger/dp/1526766043
Synopsis: With the publication of "The Roman Imperial Succession", historian John D Grainger analyses the Roman
imperial succession, demonstrating that the empire organized by Augustus was fundamentally flawed in the method it used
to find emperors. Augustus' system was a mixture of heredity, senatorial and military influences, and these were generally
antagonistic.
Consequently the Empire went through a series of crises, in which the succession to a previous (and usually dead) emperor
was the main issue.
The infamous 'Year of the Four Emperors', AD 69, is only the most famous of these crises, which often involved bouts of
bloody and destructive civil war, assassinations and purges. These were followed by a period, usually relatively short, in
which the victor in the 'crisis' established a new system, juggling the three basic elements identified by Augustus, but which
was as fragile and short lived as its predecessor; these 'consequences' of each crisis are discussed.
The lucid and erudite text found in "The Roman Imperial Succession" is effectively supported by numerous genealogical
tables and dozens of depictions of emperors.
Critique: "The Roman Imperial Succession" is informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of B/W
illustrations, a five page List of Emperors, ten pages of Notes, and a four page Index. A seminal and comprehensive work of
history that reads with the inherent interest level of a well crafted novel, "The Roman Imperial Succession" is a welcome
and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library Ancient
Roman History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted that this edition of "The Roman
Imperial Succession" from Pen & Sword Books is also readily available in a paperback edition (9781399021432, $24.95)
and in a digital book format (Kindle, $2.99).
Editorial Note: John D. Grainger is a former teacher and historian of great experience with a particular interest in Classical
and Hellenistic Greek history.
Ancient Rome in Fifty Monuments
Paul Roberts
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500025680, $39.95, HC, 256pp
https://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Rome-Fifty-Monuments-Roberts/dp/0500025681
Synopsis: As the old saying goes -- Rome wasn't built in a day. It was constructed, developed, and expanded over several
centuries and under many different emperors. This story of continual creation and renewal lies at the heart of "Ancient
Rome in Fifty Monuments" by museum curator Paul Roberts.
Rome's history has been explored by countless classicists, historians, poets, and authors, but until now, it was a rare
occasion to its history being recounted through the building programs of its emperors -- building programs which
transformed a small village in Italy into the apogee of empire.
With the publication of "Ancient Rome in Fifty Monuments', Roberts draws upon his experience as a curator for the
Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, England as he takes the reader on an historical tour of ancient Rome that ranges from the
luxurious bathhouses of Caracalla and Diocletian, the rowdy Circus Maximus, and the Colosseum, to monuments such as
the Column of Trajan that celebrated Rome's imperial project. Roberts expertly weaves together the latest archaeological
research with social and cultural history, vividly evoking the story of a city always in some way rising, falling, and being
rebuilt.
Roberts tells this story emperor by emperor, seeking out the personalities behind the great building projects and the very
human motivations that gave rise to their construction -- and destruction. When and why were they built? What did they add
to the lives of the people who used them? What impact did they have on the shape of the city? Often the importance of a
monument lies not intrinsically in the structure itself, but instead in the political, social, or cultural developments at its
foundations.
Through these monuments and the emperors who built them, Rome's mythical and real past are intertwined, reflecting the
empire's triumphant yet often turbulent history.
Critique: Beautifully and informatively enriched for the reader's benefit with 150 color illustration, as well as the inclusion
of a two page Plan of Rome, a two page bibliography of Further Readings, and a four page Index, this large format (7.7 x
1.2 x 10.1 inches, 2.38 pounds) hardcover edition of "Ancient Rome in Fifty Monuments" from Thames & Hudson is a
unique and very welcome contribution to the ever growing library of Imperial Roman History. Exceptionally well organized
and presented, "Ancient Rome in Fifty Monuments" is an extraordinary and unreservedly commended addition to personal,
professional, community, and college/university library History of Rome collections and supplemental Roman History
curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Paul Roberts (www.ashmolean.org/people/paul-roberts) is research keeper of the department of antiquities at
the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. He has curated numerous popular exhibitions, including "Life and Death in Pompeii and
Herculaneum" at the British Museum in 2013 and "Last Supper in Pompeii" at the Ashmolean in 2019 - 2020.
The Civil War Shelf
We Shall Conquer or Die
Derrick Lindow
Savas Beatie LLC
www.savasbeatie.com
9781611216684, $32.95, HC, 240pp
https://www.amazon.com/We-Shall-Conquer-Die-Partisan/dp/1611216680
Synopsis: Western Kentucky during the American Civil War was the scene of a deadly and expensive 'war within a war'
which raged there behind the front and often out of the major headlines. In 1862, the region was infested with guerrilla
activity that pitted brother against brother and neighbor against neighbor in a personal war that recognized few boundaries.
The raiding and fighting took hundreds of lives, destroyed or captured millions of dollars of supplies, and siphoned away
thousands of men from the Union war effort.
With the publication of "We Shall Conquer or Die: Partisan Warfare in 1862 Western Kentucky", Derrick Lindow tells this
little-known story for the first time.
Confederate Col. Adam Rankin Johnson and his 10th Kentucky Partisan Rangers wreaked havoc on Union supply lines and
garrisons from the shores of southern Indiana, in the communities of western Kentucky, and even south into Tennessee. His
rangers seemed unbeatable and uncatchable that second year of the war because Johnson's partisans often disbanded and
melted into the countryside (a tactic relatively easy to execute in a region populated with Southern sympathizers). Once it
was safe to do so, they reformed and struck again.
In the span of just a few months Johnson captured six Union-controlled towns, hundreds of prisoners, and tons of Union
army equipment. Union civil and military authorities, meanwhile, were not idle bystanders. Strategies changed, troops
rushed to guerrilla flashpoints, daring leaders refused the Confederate demands of surrender, and every available type of
fighting man was utilized, from Regulars to the militia of the Indiana Legion, temporary service day regiments, and even
brown water naval vessels. Clearing the area of partisans and installing a modicum of Union control became one of the
Northern high command's major objectives.
This deadly and expensive war behind the lines was fought by men who often found themselves thrust into unpredictable
situations. Participants included future presidential cabinet members, Mexican War veterans, Jewish immigrants, some of
the U.S. Army's rising young officers, and the civilians unfortunate enough to live in the borderlands of Kentucky.
Lindow spent years researching through archival source material to pen this important, groundbreaking study. His account
of partisan guerrilla fighting and the efforts to bring it under control helps put the Civil War in the northern reaches of the
Western Theater into proper context. It is a story long overdue.
Critique: A seminal and ground breaking contribution to the ever expanding library of American Civil War histories, "We
Shall Conquer or Die: Partisan Warfare in 1862 Western Kentucky" is informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with
the inclusion of a number of B/W historical photos, a seven page Bibliography, a seven page Index, a high value and prized
pick for personal, professional, community, and college/university library collections and supplemental American Civil War
curriculum studies lists. Also readily available for students, academia, Civil War buffs, and non-specialist general readers
with an interest in the subject, "We Shall Conquer or Die: Partisan Warfare in 1862 Western Kentucky" is also readily
available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).
Editorial Note: Derrick Lindow (www.kentuckycivilwarauthor.com/home) teaches 8th grade United States history in
Owensboro, Kentucky. He graduated from Kentucky Wesleyan College (2010) with a BA in history and holds an MA in
Education from the University of the Cumberlands. In 2023, he earned his MA in history from Western Kentucky
University. He is the 2015 Dr. Tom and Betty Lawrence National History Teacher Award recipient from the National
Society of the Sons of the American Revolution and the 2019 James Madison Fellow for the state of Kentucky. Derrick is
the creator and co-administrator of the Western Theater in the Civil War website, which brings together authors and
historians to write about that crucial area of the war.
The Confederate Navy Medical Corps
Guy R. Hasegawa
McFarland & Company
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476694511, $39.95, PB, 245pp
https://www.amazon.com/Confederate-Navy-Medical-Corps-Organization/dp/1476694516
Synopsis: The Confederate Navy's medical service is usually overlooked in histories of the American Civil War, yet it was
vital in maintaining the fighting strength of the South's navy and marine corps.
Confederate medical officers not only manned war vessels, they staffed navy yards and land-based hospitals, gathered
supplies, participated in raids, examined recruits, and even served at defensive shore batteries.
Many such officers had served in the United States Navy, while others were recruited from civil life. Enlisted personnel and
civilian physicians also helped the navy provide medical care -- used in managing battle wounds and other injuries but more
often devoted to preventing and treating disease. Malaria was particularly common among sailors and marines stationed in
the swampy regions of the South.
"The Confederate Navy Medical Corps: Organization, Personnel and Actions" by Guy R. Hasegawa is the first published
study devoted entirely to the medical corps of the Confederate navy. It provides a carefully researched look at the men,
structure, facilities, and activities of the organization. Of special note is the inclusion of a complete list of men known to
have been commissioned as naval medical officers is included.
Critique: Informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of two Appendices (Commissioned Medical
Offices in the C&N; Duties of Medical Officers), twenty-two pages of Chapter Notes; a ten page Bibliography, and an eight
page Index, "The Confederate Navy Medical Corps: Organization, Personnel and Actions" is a seminal historical study and
a uniquely recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library American Civil War
History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and dedicated Civil
War history buffs that "The Confederate Navy Medical Corps: Organization, Personnel and Actions" is also available in a
digital book format (Kindle, $25.99).
Editorial Note: Guy R. Hasegawa is a retired editor and pharmacist living in suburban Maryland. He has published
numerous scholarly articles and books on Civil War medicine and is a frequent contributor to Civil War Navy--The
Magazine. (www.civilwarmed.org/people/hasegawa)
The Military History Shelf
Standing Up Space Force
Forrest L. Marion
Naval Institute Press
www.nip.org
9781682472392, $39.95, HC, 312pp
https://www.amazon.com/Standing-Up-Space-Force-Transforming/dp/1682472396
Synopsis: Although the United States won the race to the moon, the Soviets were far more active in space than Americans
during the decade that followed. By the 1980s, some space experts feared the United States was in danger of being
surpassed in space, including dual-use systems that might be employed offensively in a military confrontation. A few
experts, looking ahead, recommended a space force within roughly two decades.
With the publication of "Standing Up Space Force: The Road to the Nation's Sixth Armed Service", Forrest L. Marion has
organized the creation of such an American space force chronologically by presidential administration, beginning in the
middle of the Clinton years and progressing through the Trump administration. During the Clinton and George W. Bush
years, the move to national security space was incremental. The Obama presidency witnessed the rise of NewSpace
entrepreneurs whose impressive space activities facilitated their initial partnering with U.S. government National Security
Space (NSS) missions helping the United States keep pace with China and Russia.
During the Trump administration, all necessary elements finally came together. Most significantly,
presidential-congressional leadership and bipartisan support that eventually produced the fiscal 2020 national defense
authorization act (NDAA). Because the NDAA authorized and provided for the Space Force, when the President signed the
defense bill on 20 December 2019, at the same moment he officially established the nation's sixth armed service.
Critique: The birth of the Space Force as arguably the sixth branch of the American military is an inherently fascinating one
that is exceptionally well laid out and presented in the pages of "Standing Up Space Force: The Road to the Nation's Sixth
Armed Service" from the Naval Institute Press. Informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of a six
page Appendix (Space Policy Directive 4, 19 February 2019), fifty-eight pages of Notes, a twenty page Selected
Bibliography, and a thirteen page Index, "Standing Up Space Force: The Road to the Nation's Sixth Armed Service" is
unreservedly recommended as a unique and timely pick for personal, professional, community, and college/university
library American Military Aviation History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for
students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Standing Up Space Force: The
Road to the Nation's Sixth Armed Service" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $29.99) as well.
Editorial Note: Forrest L. Marion (www.usni.org/people/forrest-marion) graduated from the Virginia Military Institute in
civil engineering and earned a master's degree in military history from the University of Alabama and a doctorate in U.S.
history from the University of Tennessee. He is a retired U.S. Air Force Reserve officer and served as staff/oral historian
(federal civil service) at the Air Force Historical Research Agency from 1998 to 2023, including three overseas deployments
(two in military status) and two stateside deployments. Marion is the author of three military history works. From 2011 to
2015, he worked primarily for the Office of the Secretary of Defense Historical Office on a coauthored history of the reserve
components.
Great Battles of the Early Roman Empire
Simon Elliott
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.penandswordbooks.com
9781399069830, $36.95, HC, 192pp
https://www.amazon.com/Great-Battles-Early-Roman-Empire/dp/1399069837
Synopsis: With the publication of "Great Battles of the Early Roman Empire", archaeologist and historian Simon Elliott
describes eight of the greatest, most decisive battles of the Roman Empire of the first to third centuries.
The list includes battles fought from the highlands of Scotland and the forests of Germany to the deserts of the Middle East.
They show how the vaunted Roman legions adapted to extremes of terrain and climate as well as a wide array of very
different foes, from the wild Caledonian tribes to the sophisticated, combined-arms armies of Sassanid Persia with their war
elephants and superb cavalry. Some of the battles even pit the Roman legions against their own kind in brutal civil
wars.
After an introductory chapter on the Imperial Roman army, detailing its organization, equipment, tactics and doctrine, the
author moves on to describing each battle in detail. Dr. Elliot sets the strategic context and background of the chosen
engagement before analyzing the size and composition of the opposing forces, also detailing the nature of the enemy faced.
The maneuvers leading up to the battle are described, followed by deployment and the course of the fighting itself. Finally,
the aftermath and implications of the battles outcome are assessed. The well-researched and engaging text is supported by
clear maps.
Critique: Informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of an Introduction and a Conclusion, "Great
Battles of the Early Roman Empire" also features a twenty-two page Appendix (The Principate Roman Military), a six page
Bibliography, and a three page Index. Fascinating, detailed, and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in style, organization and
presentation, "Great Battles of the Early Roman Empire" is an extraordinary and highly prized pick for personal,
professional, community, and college/university library Ancient Rome History/Military collections and supplemental
curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in
Ancient Rome that this outstanding study is also readily available from Pen & Sword Books in a digital book format
(Kindle, $12.99).
Editorial Note: Dr Simon Elliott (www.simonelliott20.com) is an archaeologist, historian and broadcaster. He has written
numerous books on themes related to the classical world and military history, and frequently appears on broadcast media as
a presenter and expert. Amongst others, his books published by Casemate Publishers include Ancient Greeks at War (2021),
Old Testament Warriors (2021) and Romans at War (2020). He is an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Kent,
Trustee of the Council for British Archaeology, Ambassador for Museum of London Archaeology, President of the Society
of Ancients, and Guide Lecturer for Andante Travels and Hidden History Travel.
Fort Monmouth
Melissa Ziobro
Brookline Books
c/o Casemate Publishers
www.casematepublishers.com
9781955041225, $24.95, PB, 240pp
https://www.amazon.com/Fort-Monmouth-Armys-House-Magic/dp/1955041229
Synopsis: The history of Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, begins in May 1917 when, as part of its wartime mobilization, the
Army authorized four training camps for signal troops. One camp, located in central NJ, would eventually be known as
"Fort Monmouth," in honor of the soldiers of the American Revolution who fought and died at the nearby battle of
Monmouth.
This camp was located on the site of an old racetrack and luxury hotel, remnants of the famed Gilded Age at the Jersey
Shore. Though much of the site was overgrown and infested with poison ivy, it afforded the Army significant advantages:
proximity to the port of Hoboken and a train station, good stone roads, and access to water.
Corporal Carl L. Whitehurst was among the first men to arrive at Camp Little Silver. He later recalled that the site appeared
to be a "jungle of weeds, poison ivy, briars, and underbrush." The Army Signal Corps carved a camp out of that wilderness,
and trained thousands of men for war there. The Signal Corps also built laboratories that worked on pioneering
technologies, like air to ground radio, from their very inception. Though the base was supposed to be temporary, it wound
up outliving the war. It was for decades known as the "Home of the Signal Corps," and, until its closure in 2011, was still
innovating some of the most significant communications and electronics advances in military history.
The US Army Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM), which left Fort Monmouth in 2011, for Aberdeen
Proving Ground, Maryland, can trace its roots to the establishment of the Signal Corps training camp and research and
development laboratory at Fort Monmouth in 1917, and Netflix, the site's next owner, has a powerful legacy to live up
to.
From celebrity homing pigeons to the radars that detected the incoming Japanese planes at Pearl Harbor to early space
communications and night vision technologies, Fort Monmouth, once called the "Army's House of Magic," was the
birthplace of innovation and technological revolution and the home of a uniquely diverse group of military and civilian
heroes and scientists.
Critique: Informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of an Introduction and a Conclusion, thirty-one
pages of Notes, and a three page Select Bibliography, "Fort Monmouth: The US Army's House of Magic" is a seminal,
precise and exceptionally well presented American military history. While available for personal reading lists in a digital
book format (Kindle, $14.95), "Fort Monmouth: The US Army's House of Magic" is an unreservedly recommended addition
to personal, professional, community, and college/university library collections and supplemental American Military History
& Strategy curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Melissa Ziobro is the Director of Public History at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, NJ. She also
serves as the Curator of the campus's Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music. She was the last
Command Historian at Fort Monmouth prior to the base's closure in 2011.
(www.monmouth.edu/directory/profiles/melissa-ziobro)
Pathfinder Pioneer
Colonel Raymond E. Brim, USAF (Ret.)
Casemate Publishers
www.casematepublishers.com
9781636244631, $24.95, PB, 312pp
https://www.amazon.com/Pathfinder-Pioneer-Memoir-Bomber-Pilot/dp/1636244637
Synopsis: "Pathfinder Pioneer: The Memoir of a Lead Bomber Pilot in World War II" is an engaging personal story of how
an 18-year-old miner shoveling ore from deep in the ground in Utah suddenly found himself, only two years later, 30,000
feet in the air over Nazi Germany, piloting a Flying Fortress in the first wave of America's air counteroffensive in
Europe.
Like thousands of other young Americans, Ray Brim was plucked by the U.S. Army to be a combat flyer, and was quickly
pitted against the hardened veterans of the Luftwaffe. Brim turned out to have a natural knack for flying, however, and was
assigned to the select squadron developing lead Pathfinder techniques, while experimenting with radar. He was among the
first to test the teeth of the Luftwaffe's defenses, and once those techniques had been honed, thousands of other bomber
crews would follow into the maelstrom, from which 80,000 never returned.
"Pathfinder Pioneer: The Memoir of a Lead Bomber Pilot in World War II" gives the reader vivid insights into the genesis
of the American air campaign, told with the humor, attention to detail and humility that captures the heart and soul of our
"Greatest Generation."
Brim was one of the first Pathfinder pilots to fly both day and night missions leading bomb groups of 600-plus bombers to
their targets. At the onset of his missions in the spring of 1943, B-17 crews were given a 50-50 chance of returning. Each of
his raids were nerve-wracking forays into the unknown; with struggles to survive the damage to his plane due to flak and
German fighter attacks, in order to bring his 10-man crew home, often wounded but still alive.
Critique: Enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of fourteen pages of historic B/W photographs, and an
informative Introduction by Rebecca Saywell, "Pathfinder Pioneer: The Memoir of a Lead Bomber Pilot in World War II" is
an extraordinary story and a highly prized addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library
World War II Military Aviation History/Memoir collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. Originally published
by Casemate in a hardcover edition (2016), it should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers
with an interest in the subject that "Pathfinder Pioneer: The Memoir of a Lead Bomber Pilot in World War II" is also now
available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99) as well.
Editorial Note: Raymond E. Brim was born in 1922 in the mining town of Dividend, Utah where he grew up the son of the
bookkeeper and the town's only nurse. He studied political science at the University of Utah but dropped out to enlist in the
Army Air Corps. He trained as a fighter pilot; however was assigned to a B-17 bomber, 482nd Squadron, where he flew
missions over Germany during 1943 and 1944. As a Pathfinder pilot Ray pioneered radar technology leading both day and
night raids as far as Berlin. Colonel Ray Brim died in 2019 at the age of 96 in the company of family and friends.
Invasion On
Stephen M. Rusiecki
Naval Institute Press
www.nip.org
9781682479209, $39.95, HC, 368pp
https://www.amazon.com/Invasion-D-Day-Making-American-Narrative/dp/168247920X
Synopsis: With the publication of "Invasion On: D-Day, the Press, and the Making of an American Narrative", Stephen M.
Rusiecki describes the process of how and why Americans developed a standing narrative of the World War II operation
known as D-Day based upon a common, press-enabled, thematically framed narrative.
This story of June 6, 1944 is the one which has endured for more than seven decades. How did this early, single narrative of
the D-Day landings, hastily though deliberately constructed in real time by America's radio networks and newspapers, come
together on 6 June 1944 to become the story of that event in the years and decades after World War II? This version is what
has dominated the imaginations and consciousness of Americans ever since.
Ultimately, "Invasion On" explains how America's collective understanding of D-Day (essentially the American D-Day
story) was born. Rusiecki explores in detail the mechanics of precisely how radio broadcasts and newspapers in the 24-hour
period surrounding 6 June 1944 gathered and then communicated facts, images, impressions, attitudes, and meaning that
formed for all Americans nearly simultaneously a common narrative organized around four thematic themes.
These four themes (the significance and grand scale of the operation, the sacralization of the event, the gifted and talented
nature of the Allied senior leaders, and the purity and valor of the average American soldier) would remain fixed in the
American consciousness for decades to come in any discussion of June 6, 1944.
By addressing the news-making process during D-Day, "Invasion On" further explores what information was available to
the press; how the press assigned meaning to, or perceived, that information; and what information remained unavailable to
the press on 6 June 1944 due to censorship or procedural breakdowns caused by the friction of war.
In the end, "Invasion On" is about the process by which the print and broadcast media constructed a very specific storyline
of D-Day in the moment, a narrative that granted D-Day a unique and war-defining status in the minds of the American
public or the sort enjoyed by few events in American military history.
Critique: A seminal and ground-breaking study, "Invasion On: D-Day, the Press, and the Making of an American Narrative"
is informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of an eighteen page Introduction (The Birth of an
American Narrative), a twelve page section of B/W historical photos, thirty-six pages of Notes, a sixteen page Bibliography,
and a thirteen page Index. A welcome and unique contribution to the growing body of World War II histories, "Invasion On:
D-Day, the Press, and the Making of an American Narrative" is a highly prized and definitively recommended addition to
personal, professional, community, and college/university library WWII collections and supplemental
Communications/Media Studies curriculum lists. It should be noted for students, academia, military history buffs, and
non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Invasion On: D-Day, the Press, and the Making of an
American Narrative" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $25.75).
Editorial Note: Lt. Col. Stephen M. Rusiecki is the Dean of Academics of the U.S. Army Inspector General School at Fort
Belvoir, Virginia, and the author of two other books on the European Theater in World War II.
Men of God - Men of War
Robert C. Doyle
Naval Institute Press
www.nip.org
9781682474181, $34.95, HC, 224pp
https://www.amazon.com/Men-God-War-Chaplains-Ministers/dp/1682474186
Synopsis: With the publication of "Men of God, Men of War: Military Chaplains as Ministers, Warriors, and Prisoners",
Robert C. Doyle tells the stories of chaplains who have served in America's wars. In his exploration of military chaplaincy,
Doyle poses questions about their brand of service to the United States. He examines the complexities of the chaplains'
vocation -- the types of services they performed, the roles they assumed in combat and as prisoners of war, and how they
interacted with the military personnel they served and supported. Doyle also explores the high price many paid for their
commitment to their unique type of service.
"Men of God, Men of War" illuminates the histories of chaplains who did their duty selflessly to God, to their country, to
the soldiers, sailors, Marines, and airmen with whom they found themselves in very dire circumstances over the past three
hundred years. Chaplains throughout American history have served bravely and selflessly at home and in the field, both
under fire and "behind the wire". Chaplains also served as sources of motivation, inspiration, and peace for military
personnel in times of hardship, especially in captivity. Doyle vividly illustrates that while they are now treated as
non-combatants, chaplains' vital role as leaders cannot be underestimated or understated.
Additionally, "Men of God, Men of War" examines how chaplains performed under fire in hostile environments, beginning
with the Revolutionary War through the war on terror in Iraq and Afghanistan. The chaplains of the Revolution were
patriots first, soldiers second, and men of God third. From the Civil War to modern times, these men gave hope to the
hopeless, absolution to those soldiers who stood before their Maker before battles, and faith in themselves and their
comrades so necessary for men in combat. Doyle's research shows that military chaplains have always remained necessary to
men at war, even in a modern secular military.
Critique: A unique, seminal, and ground-breaking study, "Men of God, Men of War: Military Chaplains as Ministers,
Warriors, and Prisoners" features an informative Preface, a ten page Bibliography, twenty pages of Notes, and a sixteen page
Index. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Men of God, Men of War: Military Chaplains as Ministers,
Warriors, and Prisoners" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended contribution to community and
college/university library American Military History/Biography collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists
of students, academia, military buffs, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Men of God,
Men of War: Military Chaplains as Ministers, Warriors, and Prisoners" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$27.19)
Editorial Note: Robert C. Doyle became a Fulbright professor at the Westfalische Wilhelms-Universitat in Germany in 1994
and later taught at the Universite Strasbourg II in France for three years. He taught American History at Franciscan
University of Steubenville from 2000 and retired as Professor Emeritus of History in 2022. He worked on several
documentary projects and also provided research consultancy for the Joint Personnel Recovery Agency (USAF). He is also
the author of several books on prisoners of war, including, A Prisoner's Duty: Great Escapes in Military History (1997).
The Biography Shelf
The Anne Boleyn Bible
Mickey Mayhew
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
9781399083720, $36.95, HC, 216pp
https://www.amazon.com/Anne-Boleyn-Bible-Mickey-Mayhew/dp/1399083724
Synopsis: Anne Boleyn (c. 1501 or 1507 - 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the second wife of
King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and execution by beheading for treason, made her a key figure in the
political and religious upheaval that marked the start of the English Reformation.
Today, almost 500 years later Anne Boleyn still sells, but she sells in segments; a biography here,
a study over there on her guilt and something else yonder concerned with where she lived or what she liked to wear. With
the publication of "The Anne Boleyn Bible", historian and biographer Mickey Mayhew covers not just her life in Tudor
England, but her life onscreen, in theater, on TV and also the impact of the first black actress to play her, is the definitive,
all-encompassing story of Anne Boleyn from 1501 (or thereabouts) to 2023.
Having examined the ardent fandom of Anne Boleyn for his doctorate, Dr Mickey Mayhew is in a unique position to offer
something new to say on this much-discussed 'tragic' Tudor queen and is not afraid to tackle some of the less palatable
aspects of her life.
Also, "The Anne Boleyn Bible" is the first to examine with authenticity the reality of Anne's relationship with the most
important man in her life, the man whose name she repeated in comfort while facing the Swordsman of Calais on the
scaffold, having spent her life promulgating his doctrine; Jesus Christ himself. As for the aforementioned executioner, Dr
Mayhew's research in Calais and Saint-Omer can now lift a lid on a few of the particulars of this elusive and yet essential
figure of Anne Boleyn mythos; and yes, now he even has a name as well.
Critique: A simply fascinating and impressively informative work of seminal and ground breaking scholarship of a subject
that has been extensively (even exhaustively) studied in the past, "The Anne Boleyn Bible" also features a sixteen page
section of B/W photos, a seven page Bibliography, a two page Filmography, and a four page Index. While a very special and
unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library 16th Century
English Royal History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be noted for students, academia, and
non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Anne Boleyn Bible" is also readily available in a
digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).
Editorial Note: Lifelong Londoner Mickey Mayhew recently completed his PhD on the cult surrounding 'tragic queens'
Anne Boleyn and Mary Queen of Scots. In that time, he was also co-author on three books relating to Jack the Ripper,
published by The History Press. His first non-fiction work, The Little Book of Mary Queen of Scots, was also published by
The History Press in January 2015; I Love the Tudors, by Pitkin Publishing, arrived in 2016. He has a column in the journal
of The Whitechapel Society, having previously been a film and theatre reviewer for various London lifestyle magazines.
Through 2018/2019, he was an assistant researcher on several projects for London South Bank University.
The Real Coco Chanel
Rose Sguelglia
White Owl
c/o Casemate Publishers
www.casematepublishers.com
9781526761019, $34.95, HC, 184pp
https://www.amazon.com/Real-Coco-Chanel-Rose-Sgueglia/dp/1526761017
Synopsis: Coco Chanel lived her own life as a romantic heroine. Fueled by 19th century literature, she built a life which was
partly myth and partly factual. She was the fashion designer everyone admired. The business woman whose fortune was
impossible to track. She was also a performer, lover of many high profile intellectuals and, as believed by many, a Nazi
spy.
Her life was, extraordinarily, affected by history (the Nazi movement and World War II), symbolism and literature. "The
Real Coco Chanel" by Rose Sgueglia is a compelling biography that explores her life from her troubled and poor past to the
opening of her first hat shop, passions and secrets. "The Real Coco Chanel" draws parallelisms between myths and facts and
how, and if ever, they match at all.
"The Real Coco Chanel" also features chapters on the Chanel Maison and the creation of her iconic trademark as well as her
'little black dress' and 'Chanel No 5'.
Finally, "The Real Coco Chanel" ends with a reflection on how the myth of Coco Chanel is represented today in pop
culture.
Critique: An inherently fascinating and memorable read from start to finish, "The Real Coco Chanel" is exhaustively
researched, exceptionally well written, and unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and college/university
library 20th Century Women's Biography collections. It should be noted that "The Real Coco Chanel" is also readily
available in a paperback edition (9781526799739, $24.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).
Editorial Note: Rose Sgueglia (https://wikitia.com/wiki/Rose_Sgueglia_(author)) is a writer and marketing consultant based
in Cardiff, Englnd. She is founder and director of Miss Squiggles, a magazine, marketing agency and online shop. As part of
her role at Miss Squiggles, she works with clients on their social media, digital marketing and PR strategies. Rose is also a
freelance journalist. Her work has been published in different publications including GQ, La Repubblica, and Yahoo. She
holds a BA in Journalism, Film and Media and a Post Graduate Diploma in Magazine Journalism from Cardiff
University.
Nora Ephron: A Biography
Kristin Marguerite Doidge
Chicago Review Press
www.chicagoreviewpress.com
9781641603751, $30.00, HC, 288pp
https://www.amazon.com/Nora-Ephron-Kristin-Marguerite-Doidge/dp/1641603755
Synopsis: With the publication of "Nora Ephron: A Biography", Kristin Marguerite Doidge provides the first comprehensive
portrait of the Manhattan-born girl who forged a path of her own, earning accolades and adoration from critics and fans
alike.
Journalist, cultural critique, academician and biographer Kristin Marguerite Doidge explores the tremendous successes and
disappointing failures Ephron sustained in her career as a popular essayist turned screenwriter turned film director. She
redefined the modern rom-com genre with bestselling books such as Heartburn and hit movies including When Harry Met
Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, and Julie & Julia. Doidge also examines the private life Ephron tried to keep in balance with her
insatiable ambition.
Based on rare archival research and numerous interviews with some of Ephron's closest friends, collaborators, and
award-winning colleagues including actors Tom Hanks and Caroline Aaron, comedian Martin Short, composer George
Fenton, and lifelong friends from Wellesley to New York to Hollywood (as well as interviews Ephron herself gave
throughout her career) Doidge has written a captivating story of the life of a creative writer whose passion for the perfect
one-liner and ferocious drive to succeed revolutionized journalism, comedy, and film.
Critique: Nora Ephron (May 19, 1941 - June 26, 2012) was one of the most popular, accomplished, and beloved writers in
American journalism and film. "Nora Ephron: A Biography" by Kristin Marguerite Doidge is the first in-depth biography to
explore the complex themes that ran through Ephron's literary work and to examine why so many of them still grab the
attention of readers today. Enhanced for the reader's beneft with copious Notes, a Selected Bibliography, Book Club
Questions, and an Index, "Nora Ephron: A Biography" is unreservedly recommended for community and college/university
library 20th Century American Women's Biography collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted
for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers that "Nora Ephron: A Biography"
from the Chicago Review Press is also available in a paperback edition (9781641609531, $19.99) and in a digital book
format (Kindle, $11.49).
Editorial Note; Kristin Marguerite Doidge (https://www.kristinmarguerite.com) is an award-winning journalist, professor,
and speaker based in Los Angeles. Her writing has been featured in The Atlantic, Marie Claire, FORTUNE, xoJane, Bustle,
KCRW/NPR, Time Out Los Angeles, GOOD magazine, ETOnline.com, GIRLBOSS, and the Los Angeles Business
Journal. She earned multiple NAEJ Awards and Los Angeles/Southern California Press Club Award nominations. She has a
master's degree in specialized journalism from the University of Southern California's Annenberg School of Journalism and
teaches journalism and strategic public relations at Loyola Marymount University.
The Political Activism of Anthropologist Franz Boas, Citizen Scientist
Alan H. McGowan
Cambridge Scholars Publishing
https://www.cambridgescholars.com
9781527566859, $82.00, Hardcover
https://www.cambridgescholars.com/product/978-1-5275-6685-9
(Use PROMO25 when ordering, for a 25% discount)
The Political Activism of Anthropologist Franz Boas, Citizen Scientist comes from a professor who devoted over a decade
of research to his subject. From this, and the publication of this book by Cambridge Scholars, readers might anticipate a dry
and droll examination; but the delight of this treatise lies as much in its lively delivery as in the wealth of facts that reflect
the life and times of Franz Boas.
From the start, the account lures readers with the dramatic embellishments of a novel, capturing a realistic atmosphere that
surrounds the anthropologist's life: "On June 20th, 1883, a young German scholar with a freshly minted Ph.D. in physics
boarded a small two-masted schooner named the Germania on its way to Baffin Island, a part of the Arctic archipelago
whose permanent residents were Indigenous people then called Eskimos, plus traders, whalers and people in a few scientific
outposts from Europe, Canada and the United States. That scholar, not quite 25 years old, was Franz Uri Boas. It was a
voyage that was not only going to change the young man, but also the world of anthropology."
Readers who anticipate a singular life focus will also be challenged and delighted by the close examination afforded to the
prejudices, preconceptions, and anthropological methodology of the times: "The very notion of putting actual Indigenous
people on display, which both Boas and Putnam supported and organized, would raise serious issues now, and did even
then. Of course, the Chicago event was not the first, nor would it be the last, to put people on display."
The opportunities for not just enlightenment, but debate about anthropological processes, depictions, prejudice, and racism
afford much material for classroom discussion and debate not only in anthropology courses and settings, but in reading
groups devoted to examining historical trends, precedents, and attitudes.
Alan H. McGowan achieves more than capture the influential and revealing life of Franz Boas. He highlights the authority
and pressures of the times in not just scientific study and research, but the fostering and presentation of facts about
indigenous peoples and others. The account moves from anthropological and scientific waters to delve into the political
circumstances of his times, his ideals and struggles with the U.S., and the war which reached out to affect his efforts and
attitude: "I cannot visualize how reasonable people and nations which are 'leaders of civilization' can conjure up such a
terrible war. If Germany loses, such hatred will be created that it will stir up her nationalism for years to come; if she is
victorious, such arrogance, that it will lead to the same consequence. If people would only realize what a source of hatred
and misfortune the highly praised patriotism represents!"
By drawing close connections between scientific processes, social attitudes, and political activism through the lens of one
anthropologist's life, McGowan crafts a powerful synthesis of purpose and political involvement. This book should be on
the reading lists of any group or individual interested in how Boas's work linked scientists to political issues.
Libraries that choose The Political Activism of Anthropologist Franz Boas, Citizen Scientist for their collections will want
to highly recommend it above and beyond an audience of scientific thinkers alone, reaching out to activists, historians, and
anyone involved in social and political transformation efforts.
The General Fiction Shelf
Widows on the Wine Path
Julia Jarman
Boldwood Books
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781785130397, $17.99, PB, Large Print, 344pp
https://www.amazon.com/Widows-Wine-Path-Julia-Jarman/dp/1785130390
Synopsis: Viv, Janet and Zelda know all about facing the wobbly first year of becoming a widow due to their friendship
being forged when they ran away from the same dreary support group. Forming instead The Muscateers -- a much more
lively widows' wine club, and welcoming Libby with open arms as a new member.
Libby feels lost without Jim, her husband of more than thirty years, but the warmth, friendship and fun the women wrap her
up in inspires her to begin to look to the future. When a solo trip to the theatre brings a blast from the past back into her life,
things are looking up.
But as cravat-wearing, smooth-talking Monty Charles sweeps Libby off her feet, the women of the Muscateers smell a rat.
They know only too well that the first year of widowhood is prime for making mistakes, and they're determined to protect
their friend. And as Monty soon finds out to his cost, never underestimate a Widow on the Wine Path...
Critique: A brilliant, entertaining, deftly crafted, and simply fun read from start to finish, author Julia Jarman's Widows on
the Wine Path"is an original story of love and laughter, friendship and finding your feet. Of special interest to fans of
women's friendship themed novels, this large print edition of "Widows on the Wine Path" from Boldwood Books is certain
to be a welcome and prized addition to personal reading lists and community library Contemporary Fiction collections.
Editorial Note: Julia Jarman (https://juliajarman.com) describes herself as an author of books for all ages. Her books are
listed on Wikipedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Jarman.
Nothing Can Erase You
Michel Bussi, author
Sam Taylor, translator
Amazon Crossing
c/o Amazon Publishing
9781662509049, $16.99, PB, 463pp
https://www.amazon.com/Nothing-Can-Erase-You-Thriller/dp/1662509049
Synopsis: Maddi Liberi is a successful doctor living an idyllic life in the South of France. On the morning of her son's tenth
birthday, they walk to the beach together. The boy presses for a quick swim, but when the surf is too rough, she sends him
off to buy a baguette instead.
He never returns.
Ten years later, Maddi stands at the spot where she last saw her son. A pilgrimage of sorts. And she can't believe her eyes.
There, standing at the water's edge, is a young boy -- and he looks exactly like her son. Same face, same suit -- and even the
same birthmark!
Rattled, Maddi becomes obsessed with the boy. She upends her life to get closer to him. And the more she learns about her
son's doppelganger, the more unhinged she becomes. Dangerous secrets brought to light put people's lives at risk, and plot
twists reveal truths you'll never see coming.
Critique: A riveting thriller of a read from start to finish, the reader should be aware that "Nothing Can Erase You" is a
finely crafted novel by French novelist Michel Bussi and contains a few occurrences of upside-down text. Ably translated
into English for an American readership by Sam Taylor, "Nothing Can Erase You" is especially and unreservedly
recommended for both community and college/university library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections. It should be
noted for personal reading lists that "Nothing Can Erase You" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99).
Editorial Note #1: With over thirteen million copies of his books sold in France, Michel Bussi is one of the most successful
French authors of all time. Known as "the master of the plot twist," he has published seventeen suspense novels with Presses
de la Cite. Three of his books have already been adapted for French TV. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_Bussi)
Editorial Note #2: Sam Taylor is a British novelist and literary translator. He is the 2017 Fiction Winner of the
French-American and Foundation Florence Gould Translation Prize for his translation of The Heart by Maylis de
Kerangal.
The Education of Aubrey McKee
Alex Pugsley
Biblioasis
www.biblioasis.com
9781771965835, $18.95, PB, 320pp
https://www.amazon.com/Education-Aubrey-McKee-Alex-Pugsley/dp/1771965835
Synopsis: The scene is Toronto, early 1990s, and at a house party the young writer Aubrey McKee falls in love with a
bewitching stranger who talks him into stealing a piece of cake. This woman (a poet named Gudrun Peel) rapidly becomes
the person for whom he would do anything at all.
Together, Aubrey and Gudrun make a life of delirious idiosyncrasy. Surrounded by friends, frenemies, lovers, and rivals in
the underground arts scene, the possibilities of their destiny remain radically open. But as their relationship deepens, and
their creative and professional lives stumble, stall, and then suddenly blow up, Aubrey and Gudrun struggle against their
own inexperience -- as well as each other.
The much-anticipated sequel to Canadian author's Alex Pugsley's first novel, "Aubrey McKee", this edition of "The
Education of Aubrey McKee" from Biblioasis is a campus novel in which the city of Toronto is the institute of higher
education and the setting for a glittering story about the incandescence of first love.
Critique: A fun and fascinating read from start to finish, "The Education of Aubrey McKee" continues to showcase author
Alex Pugsley's genuine flair for original, distinctive, and narrative driven storytelling style. While of particular interest to
fans of 'city life' fiction laced through and through with humor and acute observation, "The Education of Aubrey McKee" is
unreservedly recommended for community and college/university Contemporary Literary Fiction collections. It should be
noted for personal reading lists that "The Education of Aubrey McKee" is also readily available in a digital book format
(Kindle, $11.49).
Editorial Note: Alex Pugsley (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Pugsley" is the author of the novels "Aubrey McKee" and
"The Education of Aubrey McKee", as well as the short story collection "Shimmer". Following the publication of "Aubrey
McKee", he was named one of CBC's Writers to Watch. He has been nominated for Canadian Comedy Awards, Gemini
Awards, Hot Doc Awards, National Magazine Awards, and is a winner of the Writers' Trust Journey Prize. His feature film
Dirty Singles is available on Apple TV and Prime Video. His next novel, "Silver Lake", is the third book in a series about
Aubrey McKee, and is forthcoming from Biblioasis.
The Lies Among Us
Sarah Beth Durst
Lake Union Publishing
9781662514722, $16.99, PB, 333pp
https://www.amazon.com/Lies-Among-Us-Novel/dp/1662514727
Synopsis: After her mother dies, Hannah doesn't know how to exist without her. Literally. In fact, Hannah's not even certain
that she does exist. No one seems to see or hear her, and she finds herself utterly alone. Grief-stricken and confused, her
sense of self slowly slipping away, Hannah sets out to find new purpose in life -- as well as answers about who (and what)
she really is.
Hannah's only remaining family is her older sister, Leah. Yet even Leah doesn't seem to notice her. And while Hannah can
see and hear her sister, she also sees beautiful and terrible things that don't (or shouldn't) exist. She learns there's much more
to this world than meets the eye and struggles to make sense of it all.
When Hannah sees Leah taking the same dangerous path that consumed their own mother (where lies supplant reality) she's
desperate to get through to her. But facing difficult truths is harder than it looks.
Critique: An extraordinary and deftly scripted novel by an obviously talented author, "The Lies Among Us" by Sarah Beth
Durst is impressively original and will hold a very special appeal to readers with an interest in stories about family,
friendship, and the psychological impact of domestic trauma. While very highly recommended for community library
Women's Domestic/Family Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Lies Among Us" is
also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99).
Editorial Note: Sarah Beth Durst (www.sarahbethdurst.com) is the author of over twenty books for adults, teens, and kids,
including "The Bone Maker", "Drink Slay Love", and "Spark". She won an American Library Association Alex Award and
a Mythopoeic Fantasy Award and has been a finalist for SFWA's Andre Norton Nebula Award three times.
The North Line
Matt Riordan
Hyperion Avenue
c/o Buena Vista Books
9781368100076, $27.99, HC, 320pp
https://www.amazon.com/North-Line-Matt-Riordan/dp/1368100074
Synopsis: Everyone believes Adam to be something he's not. Sometimes that's because he's told them a story. Sometimes
he's told himself one. But when Adam joins an Alaskan fishing crew that's promising quick money, the dangerous work and
harsh lifestyle strip away all fabrications and force a dark-hearted exploration of who he really is.
On the unforgiving Bering Sea, Adam finds the adventure and authenticity of a fisherman's life revelatory. The labor
required to seize bounty from the ocean invigorates him, and the often crude comradery accompanies a welcome,
hard-earned wisdom. But when a strike threatens the entire season and violence stalks the waves, Adam is thrust into a
struggle for survival at the edge of the world, where evolutionary and social forces collide for outcomes beyond anyone's
control.
Critique: All the more impressive when considering that "The North Line" is author Matt Riordan's debut as a novelist, his
genuine flair for the kind of distinctive and narrative driven storytelling style makes for a fun and thoughtfully reflective
read from start to finish. Original, exceptional, and a truly compulsive page turner of a novel, "The North Line" is especially
and unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists and community library contemporary psychological suspense
thrillers. It should be noted that "The North Line" is also readily available from Hyperion Adventure in a digital book format
(Kindle, $13.99) as well.
Editorial Note: Matt Riordan (www.mattriordanbooks.com) grew up in Michigan but spent his early twenties working on
commercial fishing boats in Alaska. After college, Matt drifted from commercial fishing through a variety of jobs before
landing in law school. He then became a litigator in New York City, where he practiced for twenty years. He now lives with
his family in Australia.
Christa Comes Out of Her Shell
Abbi Waxman
Berkley Books
c/o Penguin/Random House
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com
9780593198780, $18.00, PB, 400pp
https://www.amazon.com/Christa-Comes-Out-Her-Shell/dp/0593198786
Synopsis: After a tumultuous childhood, Christa Barnet has hidden away, both figuratively and literally. Happily studying
sea snails in the middle of the Indian Ocean, Christa finds her tranquil existence thrown into chaos when her once-famous
father (long thought dead after a plane crash) turns out to be alive, well, and ready to make amends.
The world goes wild, fascinated by this real-life saga, pinning Christa and her family under the spotlight. As if that weren't
enough, her reunion with an old childhood friend reveals an intense physical attraction neither was expecting and both want
to act on... if they can just keep a lid on it.
When her father's story starts to develop cracks, Christa fears she will lose herself, her potential relationship, and (most
importantly) any chance of making it back to her snails before they forget her completely.
Critique: "Christa Comes Out of Her Shell" continues to demonstrate author Abbi Waxman as a master storyteller with a
genuine flair for originality, complex characters, unexpected plot twists, and providing her readers with the kind of fun read
that would especially appeal to readers with an interest in contemporary women's fiction. A prime and recommended pick
for community library collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of Abbi Waxman fans that "Christa
Comes Out of Her Shell" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.99).
Editorial Note: Abbi Waxman (www.abbiwaxman.com) was born in England in 1970, the oldest child of two copywriters
who never should have been together in the first place. Once her father ran off to buy cigarettes and never came back, her
mother began a successful career writing crime fiction. Naturally lazy and disinclined to dress up, Abbi went into
advertising, working as a copywriter and then a creative director at various advertising agencies in London and New York.
Eventually she quit advertising, had three kids and started writing books, mostly in order to get a moment's peace.
A Better World
Sarah Langan
Atria Books
c/o Simon & Schuster
www.simonandschuster.com
Blackstone Audiobooks
https://www.blackstonelibrary.com
9781982191061, $28.99, HC, 368pp
https://www.amazon.com/Better-World-Novel-Sarah-Langan/dp/1982191066
Synopsis: You'll be safe here. That's what the tour guide tells the Farmer-Bowens when they visit Plymouth Valley, a
walled-off company town with clean air, pantries that never go empty, and blue-ribbon schools. On a very trial basis, the
company offers to hire Linda Farmer's husband, Russell (a numbers genius) and relocate her whole family to this bucolic
paradise for the .0001 percent.
Though Linda will have to sacrifice her medical career back home, the family jumps at the opportunity. They'd be crazy not
to take it. With the outside world falling apart, this might be the Farmer-Bowens' last chance.
But fitting in takes work. The pampered locals distrust outsiders, snubbing Linda, Russell, and their teen twins. And the
residents fervently adhere to a group of customs and beliefs called Hollow...but what exactly is Hollow?
It's Linda who brokers acceptance, by volunteering her medical skills to the most influential people in town through their pet
charity, ActHollow. In the months afterward, everything seems fine. Sure, Russell starts hyperventilating through a paper
bag in the middle of the night, and the kids have become secretive, but living in Plymouth Valley is worth sacrificing their
family's closeness, isn't it? At least they'll survive.
The trouble is, the locals never say what they think. They seem scared. And Hollow's ominous culminating event, the
Plymouth Valley Winter Festival, is coming.
Linda is warned by her husband and her powerful new friends to stop asking questions. But the more she learns, the more
frightened she becomes. Should the Farmer-Bowens be fighting to stay, or fighting to get out?
Critique: Original, timely, and a clarion call for what the very near future could bring giving the expanding divide between
the ultra wealthy and the other 99% -- "A Better World" by novelist Sarah Langan is a piercing indictment and keenly felt
analysis of the looming dangers representing by wealth inequality, power inequality, and inequality privilege timely in its
depiction of a self-destructing world -- and a clarion call prescient warning to us all. A prophetic novel in the ranks of
prophetic literary works as George Orwell's "1984"). A riveting and thought-provoking read from start to finish, "A Better
World" is highly recommended for community and college/university Contemporary Literary Fiction collection. It should be
noted for personal reading lists that "A Better World" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99) and as a
complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9781797176512, $44.99, CD).
Editorial Note: Sarah Langan (https://sarahlangan.com) grew up on Long Island and now lives in Los Angeles with her
family. She got her MFA from Columbia University, and her MS in Environmental Toxicology from NYU. She writes
genre, literary, and everything in between.
The LGBTQ Fiction Shelf
Here We Go Again
Alison Cochrun
Atria Books
c/o Simon & Schuster
www.simonandschuster.com
Blackstone Audiobooks
https://www.blackstonelibrary.com
9781668021194, $17.99, PB, 368pp
https://www.amazon.com/Here-We-Go-Again-Novel/dp/1668021196
Synopsis: A long time ago, Logan Maletis and Rosemary Hale used to be friends. They spent their childhood summers
running through the woods, rebelling against their conservative small town, and dreaming of escaping. But then an incident
the summer before high school turned them into bitter rivals. After graduation, they went ten years without speaking.
Now in their thirties, Logan and Rosemary find they aren't quite living the lives of adventure they imagined for themselves.
Still in their small town and working as teachers at their alma mater, they're both stuck in old patterns. Uptight Rosemary
chooses security and stability over all else, working constantly, and her most stable relationship is with her label maker.
Chaotic and impulsive Logan has a long list of misguided ex-lovers and an apathetic shrug she uses to protect herself from
anything real. And as hard as they try to avoid each other (and their complicated past) they keep crashing into each other.
Including with their cars.
But when their beloved former English teacher and lifelong mentor tells them he has only a few months to live, they're
forced together once and for all to fulfill his last wish: a cross-country road trip. Stuffed into the gayest van west of the
Mississippi, the three embark on a life-changing summer trip from Washington state to the Grand Canyon, from the Gulf
Coast to coastal Maine. A trip that will chart a new future and perhaps lead them back to one another.
Critique: An LGBTQ+ contemporary romance novel that is laced through and through with smile inducing humor, "Here
We Go Again" by author Alison Cochrun is a fun read from start to finish. Original, deftly crafted, and memorable, "Here
We Go Again" is an especially recommended pick for personal reading lists and community library collections. It should be
noted that "Here We Go Again" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99) and as a complete and
unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9781797170763, $39.99, CD).
Editorial Note: Alison Cochrun (www.AlisonCochrun.com) is a former high school English teacher and a current writer of
queer love stories, including The Charm Offensive and Kiss Her Once for Me. She lives outside of Portland, Oregon, with
two giant dogs, her small wife, and too many books. You can find her online on Instagram as @AlisonCochrun
The Literary Fiction Shelf
Buffalo Dreamers
John Newman
Sweet Grass Press
c/o Farcountry Press
www.farcountrypress.com
9781591523123, 248pp
https://www.amazon.com/Buffalo-Dreamers-Novel-John-Newman/dp/1591523125
Synopsis: For Sam Comstock, a young Iraq war vet with PTSD, the need to find a way to heal his wounded soul is a matter
of life or death. His Marine sniper skills lead him to Montana on a mission to help manage an infamous wildlife challenge:
killing migratory buffalo outside Yellowstone Park that are presumed to carry an infectious disease for cattle.
This places Sam seriously at odds with a renegade band of Indian warrior-dreamers who are determined to save the buffalo
from slaughter. Thrown together and isolated in the Montana wilderness, meanwhile relentlessly pursued by the combined
forces of military, law enforcement, and the cattle industry, Sam and his native compatriots must depend upon one another
for survival.
Along the way, Sam becomes enmeshed in the way of the buffalo, confronting his suicidal pain and emerging from a long
trail of suffering.
Through Sam, we come to understand that we have much to learn from our native neighbors. We may even discover our
own inner buffalo spirit.
Critique: Impressively original, eloquently crafted, fully entertaining, thoughtful and thought-provoking, "Buffalo
Dreamers" by novelist John Newman is a fascinating and unreservedly recommended addition for community and
college/university library Literary Fiction collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of contemporary
Native American themed fiction fans that "Buffalo Dreamers" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$9.99).
Editorial Note: John Newman studied creative writing at Stanford University. His interest in native affairs and culture began
at an early age when he helped construct the Ishi trail to honor the last surviving member of the Yahi tribe. He also studied
the Washoe language with the tribe near Lake Tahoe, their ancestral home, and for many years served as Chairman of the
Museum of the American Indian in Marin County, California. While ranching in Montana he became acquainted with the
neighboring Cheyenne tribe, sweated with families, and was invited to participate in the 400-mile Ft Robinson break-out run
from Nebraska through Pine Ridge and back to reservation in Lame Deer. His goal as a writer is to create character-based
stories set principally in Montana and the west, where natives and anglos confront a spiritually infused world in which
predators and prey uneasily coexist, and humans are on equal terms with other creatures; a present day that is primordial on
every level. In the process, his characters learn from one another and overcome personal demons and historical trauma.
The Romantic Fiction Shelf
Wedding Bells By The Sunflower Cliffs
Georgina Troy
Boldwood Books
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781804261279, $42.00, PB, Large Print, 387pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wedding-bells-by-the-sunflower-cliffs-georgina-troy/1144585631
Synopsis: Event planners Izzy and Jess are badly let down when a Jersey socialite hires them for the busiest weeks of the
season and then cancels at the last minute. The girls are left with no bookings and no money. Feeling despondent, they agree
to a night out to cheer themselves up and meet the captivating and aristocratic Ed. He invites them on a luxury yacht cruise
to Nice, together with his two brothers and some friends. Romance builds through heady days of blue skies and warm seas,
but when a last-minute wedding booking is offered, the girls must return to Jersey, and real life has to begin again... or has
it?
Critique: The stuff of which Hallmark Channel movies are made, "Wedding Bells By The Sunflower Cliffs" by Georgina
Troy is now available in a large print trade paperback edition from Boldwood Books. With her distinctive and narrative
driven storyteller style, Troy has created a fun and original read that will fully entertain readers with an interest in romance
novels with memorable characters, a wealth of unexpected plot twists and turns, and an truly satisfying and cleverly
presented 'happy ending'. "Wedding Bells By The Sunflower Cliffs" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended
addition to both personal reading lists and community library Contemporary Romance Fiction collections.
Editorial Note: There is an extensive listing of novels by Georgina Troy on line at
https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/7224225.Georgina_Troy
A Man and a Maid
Anne Stenhouse
Linford Romance Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444852684, $25.00, PB, Large Print, 318pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-maid-and-a-man-anne-stenhouse/1144840121
Synopsis: Edinburgh, 1819. Tabby Royce, an apothecary's daughter, is turned out to domestic service when her father dies.
As a lady's maid in the Edinburgh home of a surgeon, she meets the doctor's man, Cal Morrison. There, she is drawn into
the intrigue and underworld of surgical anatomy dissections! Will Tabby turn them in? Or will she fulfil her dreams and join
them?
Critique: A deftly crafted and memorably entertaining historical romance from start to finish by novelist Anne Stenhouse,
"A Man and a Maid", this large print paperback edition from the Linford Romance Library series is an ideal and
unreservedly recommended pick for community library Historical Romance collections and the personal reading lists of all
dedicated romance fiction fans.
Editorial Note: As a novelist and storyteller, Anne Stenhouse enjoys writing dialogue-rich historical romance with lashings
of humor and a swirl of thematic mystery. Her heroines defy and manipulate the conventions of their time with sparkling
wit. Heroes with a touch of arrogance must be ripe for comeuppance and that's what her ladies are about.
One Last Word
Suzanne Park
Avon Books
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
9780063216099, $18.99, PB, 288pp
https://www.amazon.com/One-Last-Word-Suzanne-Park/dp/0063216094
Synopsis: Sara Chae is the founder of One Last Word, an app that allows you to send a message to anyone you want after
you die. Safeguards are in place so the app will only send when you're definitely, absolutely, 100% dead, but when another
woman with the name Sara Chae dies and her obituary is posted online, Sara discovers that drafted messages she had
drunkenly uploaded on one night have been released -- one each to her emotionally charged mother, to her former best
friend who ghosted her, and to her unrequited high school crush, Harry Shim.
Still reeling from this disaster, Sara finds out she's been accepted into a venture capital mentorship program -- and that the
mentor she's been assigned to is none other than Harry, who's now a major VC superstar. With her life going from uncertain
to chaotic overnight, Sara has to deal with the havoc that ensues and reopen wounds from the past to find a true path
forward.
Critique: An original and a fun read from start to finish, "One Last Word" is romantic comedy at its best and reveals author
Suzan Park as having a genuine flair for the genre with her distinctive storytelling style, wit and humor. While an especially
appreciated pick for community library Contemporary Romantic Comedy collections, it should be noted for personal
reading lists that "One Last Word" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99) and as a complete and
unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9798212902021, $45.95, CD).
Editorial Note: Suzanne Park is a Korean American writer who was born and raised in Tennessee. In her former life as a
stand-up comedian, she appeared on BET, was the winner of the Seattle Sierra Mist Comedy Competition, and placed as a
semi-finalist in NBC's "Stand Up For Diversity" showcase in San Francisco. She currently resides in Los Angeles.
If the Boot Fits
Karen Witemeyer
Bethany House Publishers
c/o Baker Publishing Group
www.bethanyhouse.com
9780764242892, $29.99, HC, 368pp
https://www.amazon.com/Boot-Fits-Texas-Ever-After/dp/076424289X
Synopsis: Convinced that his stepmother and half brothers have been wrongfully evicted by cattle king Eli Dearing, Asher
Ellis uses the cover of an extravagant ball to break into the Three Cedars' ranch house to search for proof. On the verge of
discovery, he flees, but a boy's cry compels him to make a daring rescue.
Spunky and independent Samantha Dearing balks when she learns the ball her father is hosting is nothing more than a
matrimonial ambush. Taking a break from unwanted suitors, Samantha spots a thief fleeing her home. When the stranger
ends up saving her brother's life, she hides the only clue to his identity left behind (his boot) and resolves to find him
herself.
When Samantha encounters the older brother of a student she tutors, all thoughts of the bootless mystery man vanish. Asher
values family above wealth, a rare trait that opens her heart. Afraid she will discover his past misconduct, Asher tries to
keep his distance, but when a series of suspicious accidents befall her, he vows to protect her, even though saving her life
could mean losing her love.
Critique: An utterly charming and fun read from start to finish, "If The Boot Fits" continues to showcase author Karen
Witemeyer's genuine flair for deftly crafted and original historical romance novels. Memorable characters, an engaging
storyline, and a distinctive, narrative driven storytelling style, "If The Boot Fits" is a welcome and recommended pick for
community library Historical Romance collections. It should be noted for the growing legions of Karen Witemeyer fans that
"If The Boot Fits" is also available in a paperback edition (9780764240423, $17.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle,
$9.99).
Editorial Note: Karen Witemeyer (www.karenwitemeyer.com) writes warmhearted historical romance novels with a flair for
humor, feisty heroines, and swoon-worthy Texas heroes. Voted #1 Readers' Favorite Christian Historical Author in 2023 by
Family Fiction Magazine, Karen is a multiple award-winning author and a firm believer in the power of happy endings.
The Western Fiction Shelf
Double-Barrelled
Dirk Hawkman
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444852950, $25.00, PB, Large Print, 252pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/double-barrelled-dirk-hawkman/1130920558
Synopsis: The money, the looks, the brains - rich banker Abdon Timpson has it all...and he knows it. But his arrogance
doesn't help him when the sheriff cuffs him and locks him up for the night. But now there's a gunman on the loose, and this
outlaw is a dead ringer for Abdon. The shootings don't stop when Abdon's in jail, though. And it looks like his folks have
been hiding something from him. Abdon will learn a thing or two about himself - and it isn't going to be pretty.
Critique: A riveting read from first page to last, "Double-Barrelled" by Dirk Hawkman was first published as a Black Horse
Western in 2020. It is now newly available as part of the Linford Western Library series in a large print paperback edition. A
prized selection, "Double-Barrelled" is highly recommended personal pick for the legions of action/adventure western novel
fans and will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition for community library Western Fiction
collections.
Editorial Note: Dirk Hawkman is also the author of "Texan Secrets" and "Vulture Wings".
Time of Reckoning
Colin Bainbridge
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444852929, $25.00, PB, Large Print, 228pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/time-of-reckoning-colin-bainbridge/1130920548
Synopsis: Ry Tyler is in no doubt; he has recently seen his old friend Slim Freeman alive and kicking. So how come
Freeman's grave is on Boot Hill?
Tyler's search for the truth leads him into a world of intrigue and danger, where nothing is as it seems. What about the
marshal and his deputy? What about Sadie Roundtree and the oldster, Diamondback Casey? Can he count on anybody? And
that's before the notorious Lassiter gang arrives in town. Are they involved somehow? Does the island in the middle of
Green Fork River with its decaying riverboat wreck hold a clue to the answers?
Tyler must follow a long and dangerous trail till he arrives at the final time of reckoning.
Critique: First published as a Black Horne Westerns in 2019, "Time of Reckoning" by Colin Bainbridge is now available to
a new generation of action/adventure western fans from the Linford Western Library series. Colin Bainbridge (who also
writes under the pseudonyms of Emmett Stone, Jack Dakota, and Vance Tillman) is a master of the western genre and his
"Time of Reckoning" novel, which is unreservedly recommended for personal and community library Western Fiction
collections, is a 'must' for all dedicate western fans.
Editorial Note: There is an extended listing of novels by Colin Bainbridge online at
https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/1570982.Colin_Bainbridge
The Bolas
Caleb Rand
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444852936, $25.00, PB, Large Print, 270pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-bolas-caleb-rand/1130920596
Synopsis: Will Chalk and his partner set out to deliver horses to a US Army post near the New Mexico border. But when
they meet a fellow Texan being troubled by a ruthless land-grabber, their thoughts of returning home are put aside.
From the timberline of Condor Pass, Bruno Ogden is defiling the ranchland of Hog Flats to such an extent that grazing
livestock becomes impossible. Furthermore, in nearby White Mesa, a few influential townsfolk are also involved in a
dramatic scheme to drive ranchers off their land, and that includes Mollie Broad and her waterless ranch.
When unnecessary and cowardly killings take place, Will suddenly finds himself involved. With his tough old partner and a
couple of loyal Bluestem workers, he attempts to turn the tables on Ogden and the spread of his Bolas company. But Will
knows that mercenary gunfighters are more dangerous opponents than cowboys and hoe-men.
Critique: Originally published in 2019 as a 'Black Horse Western, and now available in a new large print paperback edition
from the Linford Western Library series, "The Bolas" by veteran western novelist Caleb Rand will prove a popular and
appreciated addition to both personal reading lists of action/adventure western fans and community library Western Fiction
collections.
Editorial Note: Carl Bernard worked for 25 years in High Education before retiring to write full time. He has written more
45 Black Horse Westerns under the pseudonyms of Abe Dancer and Caleb Rand.
Jack Parker Comes of Age
Ed Roberts
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444852943, $25.00, PB, Large Print, 228pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/jack-parker-comes-of-age-ed-roberts/1130920588
Synopsis: Jack Parker, the fifteen-year-old son of the sheriff of Benton County, does not enjoy a close and loving
relationship with his father. But when a vicious range war erupts in the area, the two are drawn closer when they find
themselves fighting against an incursion by a band of Texan freebooters. And it looks as though the youngster is destined to
follow in his father's footsteps...
Critique: A fun read from first page to last, this large print paperback edition from the Linford Western Library series of
"Jack Parker Comes of Age" by western novelist Ed Roberts will prove a prized pick for the personal reading lists of all
action/adventure western fans and an ideal addition to community library Western Fiction collections.
Editorial Note: Simon Webb (www.simon-webb.com) is the author of more than 30 westerns that are published under both
his own name and also a number of pseudonyms, including Ed Roberts, Ethan Harker, Brent Larssen, Harriet Cade, and
Fenton Sadler. In addition to westerns, he has written many nonfiction books, chiefly on the subjects of social history and
education.
The Pinfire Lady
P. J. Gallagher
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444852981, $25.00, PB, Large Print, 252pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-pinfire-lady-pj-gallagher/1130920561
Synopsis: Abigail, Lady Penraven is an Englishwoman who became set adrift in the wilderness of the Great American
Desert. But she is made of stern stuff, has skill with firearms, and establishes herself as a gunfighter and wagon master.
During a trek westwards, seeking the inheritance left by her deceased father, she encounters numerous perils that will test
her mettle to the full.
Critique: The first of three original and simply outstanding western novels starring Lady Abigail Penraven, this large print
paperback edition of P. J. Gallagher's "The Pinfire Lady" from the Linford Western Library collection is action packed and a
thrill of a read from beginning to end. Highly recommended for both personal reading lists and community library Western
Fiction collections, the other two titles in this outstanding trilogy include "The Pinfire Lady Strikes Back" and "The Return
of the Pinfire Lady".
Editorial Note: P.J. Gallagher served in the British Army. He has written and had published close on 20 articles for The
Journal of the Royal Artillery. He has competed for the past 20 years in Cowboy Action Shooting and is a collector of
antique firearms. He lives in Woodville, Ontario.
Gunsmoke Express
Gillian F. Taylor
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444852974, $25.00, PB, Large Print, 198pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gunsmoke-express-gillian-f-taylor/1130920547
Synopsis: Thanks to a tip-off, Sheriff Alec Lawson and his deputies fight and capture the notorious outlaw Saul York. But
the trouble doesn't end there.
Alec falls desperately ill and when he recovers, he finds that York's lawyer has got him out on bail. Although still weakened
by his illness, Alec is determined to get back to work.
He soon finds himself in the action again, but fatigue leads to a terrible mistake and he begins to doubt his abilities. Will his
frailty endanger his friends? York is still out there somewhere, protected by his ambitious lawyer.
When York becomes his prime suspect in a murderous robbery, Alec Lawson must push himself to close the net on the
elusive outlaw. He'll have to face down a lynch mob, the killer outlaw and his own doubts to get the job done, whatever the
cost to himself.
Critique: The stuff of which classic westerns are made, "Gunsmoke Express" by Gillian F. Taylor is a simply riveting read
from start to finish. A 'must' for the personal reading lists of all dedicated western fiction fans, this large print edition of
"Gunsmoke Express" from the Linford Western Library collection is a highly prized pick for community library Western
Fiction collections.
Editorial Note: There is a lengthy listing of books by Gillian F. Taylor readily available online at
https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/3092231.Gillian_F_Taylor
Deadly Carnage
Edwin Derek
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444852967, $25.00, PB, Large Print, 252pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/deadly-carnage-edwin-derek/1130920569
Synopsis: When the train carrying him is derailed, Confederate prisoner-of-war Jeff Kyle is surprised when a Yankee
sergeant helps him escape. However, the sergeant is actually Confederate scout Mike Avison in disguise. Together, the two
hatch a plan to escape to freedom; but fate intervenes in the shape of Clara Marston, who has in her possession a key to a
mysterious strongbox at a bank in Independence, which she believes will make her fortune. Soon the three are joined on
their journey by widowed homesteader Pollyanna Cooper, and so begins a journey full of peril and intrigue.
Critique: A fun read from start to finish, "Deadly Carnage" showcases author Edwin Derek's flair for narrative driven
storytelling and fully engages the reader from first page to last. This large print paperback edition of "Deadly Carnage" from
the Linford Western Library series is highly recommended for personal reading lists and community library Western Fiction
collections.
Editorial Note: There is a lengthy listing of books by Edwin Derek readily available online at
https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/75241.Edwin_Derek
Gunman's Pledge
Ethan Flagg
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444852998, $25.00, PB, Large Print, 234pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gunmans-pledge-ethan-flagg/1130920578
Synopsis: Infamous gunslinger Wes Longbaugh is heading for his next job in Utah when he comes across a traveler cast
afoot in Nevada's arid Humboldt Sink. Never one to turn the other cheek when help is needed, Wes intercepts the staggering
loner.
It turns out that Mace Farlow was the sole outlaw to survive a stagecoach robbery that had gone badly awry. All the other
robbers had been gunned down due to the treachery of a turncoat. Mace tags along with his savior but is determined to track
the double-crosser down.
Fate, however, takes a hand when trouble in the next town leads to flight and a stand off in a lonely canyon where Mace is
killed. Before he dies, the aging outlaw makes his young sidekick promise to abandon the precarious life of a gunslinger.
But this is far harder to achieve than Wes could ever have imagined.
Critique: Dedicated western fiction fans be warned, once started reading Ethan Flagg's "Gunman's Pledge" it will be very
difficult to stop until the last page of this superbly crafted action/adventure novel is finished. Now available from the
Linford Western Library collection in a large print paperback edition, "Gunman's Pledge" is a riveting and recommended
pick for both personal reading lists and community library Western Fiction collections.
Editorial Note: Ethan Flagg is the pen-name of Graham Dugdale. He acquired his interest in American Western history
following a period working as a teacher in New Mexico. He also compiles crossword puzzles for a weekly country sports
newspaper and has produced 11 walking guides all based in the north of England. There is an online listing of his books at
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/673765.Graham_K_Dugdale
The Mystery/Suspense Shelf
Mystery At The Chateau
Kate Finnemore
Linford Romance Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444852707, $25.00, PB, Large Print, 210pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mystery-at-the-chateau-kate-finnemore/1144840124
Synopsis: The Chateau de la Fee Morgane is a once magical castle abandoned that is now left to rot after a devastating fire.
But eccentric Aristide de Montfaucon is determined to restore it to its former glory.
The school year gets off to a good start for university student Lexi, working as an assistant when she finds herself falling
happily in love with English teacher Romain. Then her grandmother Darriel Dayton, the world-renowned star of stage and
screen on holiday nearby, receives a chilling poison-pen letter.
Critique: A deftly blended novel of romance and cozy mystery, "Mystery At The Chateau" by Kate Finnemore is a fun read
from start to finish. This large print edition of "Mystery At The Chateau" rises to the level of literary elegance and is
unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists and community library fiction collections.
Editorial Note: Kate Finnemore is also the author of "An Impossible Love" (2019) and "Never To Be Told" (2020) both
published in the Linford Romance Library large print series.
Murder on the Dance Floor
Katie Marsh
Boldwood Books
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781785139208, $42.00, PB, Large Print, 432pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/murder-on-the-dancefloor-katie-marsh/1144371753
Synopsis: They DID promise her a killer hen weekend... Jeanie's getting married, and (despite her completely impossible
four sisters) her best friends Clio and Amber are determined to give her a bachelorette weekend to remember.
They're in matching pink T-shirts and the drinks are flowing... But the night turns out to be unforgettable for all the wrong
reasons when a girl turns up dead on the dancefloor. And - even though she's a stranger - she is wearing one of Jeanie's hen
T-shirts.
Who is she? And why are the police convinced that the hens are involved? Can the newly formed Bad Girls Detective
Agency solve the murder? And in time to get Jeanie up the aisle?
Critique: A fun read for 'whodunnit' mystery fans from start to finish, this large print trade paperback edition of Katie
Marsh's new novel, "Murder on the Dancefloor" from Boldwood Books is original, riveting, and a mystery lover's delight.
Memorable characters, a wealth of unexpected plot twists, and a dramatic finale, "Murder on the Dancefloor" will prove a
prized pick for community library Mystery/Suspense collections and personal reading lists.
Editorial Note: Katie Marsh (https://katie-marsh.com) wrote romantic fiction before turning to crime. Her debut novel was a
World Book Night pick and her books are published in ten languages. Katie loves to talk to her readers on Instagram
@katiemarshauthor
Death By The Thames
Anita Davison
Boldwood Books
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781835188705, $42.00, PB, Large Print, 525pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/death-by-the-thames-anita-davison/1144389945
Synopsis: Flora Maguire's life is perfect - a beautiful home in Belgravia teeming with servants, a loving husband, and new
baby Arthur to enjoy. But when she is invited to tour St. Philomena's Children's Hospital in a deprived area near London's
newly-built Tower Bridge, she is shocked. Because there she uncovers a scandal with a dark heart -- poor children are going
missing from the hospital.
The police seem either unable or unwilling to investigate, so Flora teams up with the indomitable matron of the hospital,
Alice Finch, to try to get to the bottom of it. Soon Flora is immersed in the seedy, dangerous underbelly of criminal London,
and time is running out to save the children. Will they get to them in time, or was their fate decided the day they were
born...
Critique: A Flora Maguire mystery from cozy mystery novelist Anita Davison, this large print trade paperback edition of
"Death by the Thames" from Boldwood Books is an impressively crafted and riveting read from start to finish. Fascinating,
original, memorable, "Death by the Thames" is a highly recommended pick for personal reading lists and will prove a
welcome and popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections.
Editorial Note: Anita Davison is also the author of Miss Merrill and Aunt Violet Mysteries set in WWI from Boldwood
Books. Murder in the Bookshop was released in August 2023, and the second in the series, Murder in the Library, is
scheduled for early 2024. A listing of her books in available at
https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/13735328.Anita_Davison
Murder in Moscow
Kelly Oliver
Boldwood Books
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781804832011, $42.00, PB, Large Print, 321pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/murder-in-moscow-kelly-oliver/1144395477
Synopsis: 1918 Moscow -- Will following her heart mean losing her head? At the very least it could mean losing her
job.
Fiona Figg trails her nemesis Fredrick Fredricks to Moscow. But when she arrives at the grand Metropol Hotel, the bounder
has vanished. After Fiona doesn't show up for work at the War Office, Kitty Lane raises a red flag and tracks her to Russia.
Seeking haven at the British Embassy, Kitty and Fiona become embroiled in a plot to overthrow the Bolshevik
government.
But the plot turns deadly when Fiona goes undercover as a governess in the household of Iron Viktor, the Bolsheviks' Head
of Secret Police. And when Viktor turns up dead in his study, Fiona finds herself wanted for murder and on the lam. Can
Fiona and Kitty find the real killer and escape the Kremlin before it's too late? Or will this dangerous game of Russian
roulette be their last?
Critique: A brilliant blend of mystery and foreign intrigue, "Murder in Moscow" by Kelly Oliver is an historical cozy
mystery set in the early and turbulent times of the Bolshevik/Communist takeover of Russia at the end of World War I. This
large print trade paperback edition of "Murder in Moscow" from Boldwood Books is especially and enthusiastically
recommended for the personal reading lists of cozy mystery fans and community library Mystery/Suspense collections.
Editorial Note: Kelly Oliver (https://kellyoliverbooks.com) is the author of three award-winning bestselling mystery series
and dozens of nonfiction books.
Death on a Train
Anita Davison
Boldwood Books
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781835188804, $17.99, PB, Large Print, 368pp
https://www.amazon.com/Death-Train-Anita-Davison/dp/183518880X
Synopsis: 1905 London is a heady mix of unimaginable wealth and simmering political tensions, and with war looming, all
Flora Maguire wants is to keep her family safe.
But when a body is found on a train bound for Paddington and her beloved charge Viscount Edward Trent is accused of
murder, she's determined not to leave the investigation to the police. Flora has trodden the path of amateur sleuth before, but
with so much at stake, this time it's personal.
Slowly the body of the victim starts giving up its secrets, and Flora and her husband Bunny become mired in a murky world
of spies, communists and fraudsters. And with the police more sure than ever that Edward is their murderer, Flora must
work fast, if she's going to save him, and ensure a murderer doesn't remain on the loose!
Critique: Originally published as "The Bloomsbury Affair", this new large print edition of novelist Anita Davison's cozy
mystery from Boldwood Books has been re-titled "Death on a Train" and is a fascinating and fun read from start to finish for
all 'whodunnit' cozy murder mystery fans. Simply stated, "Death on a Train" will prove an immediate and welcome addition
to personal reading lists and community library Historical Mystery/Suspense collections.
Editorial Note: Anita Davison (www.fantasticfiction.com/d/anita-davison) is also the author of Miss Merrill and Aunt
Violet Mysteries set in WWI from Boldwood Books in a large print format. Murder in the Bookshop was released in August
2023, and the second in the series, Murder in the Library, is scheduled for early 2024. The Flora Maguire series of five
Edwardian mysteries from Boldwood Books was released from between October 2023.
Lost Birds
Anne Hillerman
Harper
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
9780063344785, $30.00, HC, 304pp
https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Birds-Leaphorn-Manuelito-Novel/dp/0063344785
Synopsis: Joe Leaphorn may be long retired from the Navajo Tribal Police, but his detective skills are still sharp, honed by
his work as a private detective. His experience will be essential to solve a compelling new case: finding the birth parents of
a woman who was raised by a bilagaana family but believes she is Dine based on one solid clue, an old photograph with a
classic Navajo child's blanket. Leaphorn discovers that his client's adoption was questionable, and her adoptive family not
what they seem. His quest for answers takes him to an old trading post and leads him to a deadly cache of long-buried
family secrets.
As that case grows more complicated, Leaphorn receives an unexpected call from a person he met decades earlier. Cecil
Bowleg's desperation is clear in his voice, but just as he begins to explain, the call is cut off by an explosion and Cecil
disappears. True to his nature, Leaphorn is determined to find the truth even as the situation grows dangerous. Investigation
of the explosion falls in part to Officer Bernadette Manuelito, who discovers an unexpected link to Cecil's missing
wife.
Bernie also is involved in a troubling investigation of her own: an elderly weaver whose prize-winning sheep have been
ruthlessly killed by feral dogs.
Exploring the emotionally complex issues of adoption of Indigenous children by non-native parents, Anne Hillerman
delivers another thought-provoking, gripping mystery that brings to life the vivid terrain of the American Southwest, its
people, and the lore and traditions that make it distinct.
Critique: An absolutely recommended read for the growing legions of Anne Hillerman fans, "Lost Birds" is the latest Joe
Leaphorn mystery novel and certain to be an immediate and enduringly popular pick for community library
Mystery/Suspense collections. A fun read for dedicated 'whodunnit' murder mysteries from start to finish, it should be noted
for personal reading lists that "Lost Birds" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99). Of particular
interest to fans of police procedurals with a Native American twist, librarians should also note that there is a large print
paperback edition of "Lost Birds" (9780063360433, $34.00) as well.
Editorial Note: Ann Hillerman (www.annehillerman.com) is the author of the Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito series. "Lost
Birds" is her ninth novel in the series, which was created by her father, Tony Hillerman.
Death in the Details
Katie Tietjen
Crooked Lane Books
www.crookedlanebooks.com
Blackstone Audiobooks
https://www.blackstonelibrary.com
9781639107186, $29.99, HC, 288pp
https://www.amazon.com/Death-Details-Novel-Katie-Tietjen/dp/1639107185
Synopsis: Maple Bishop is ready to put WWII and the grief of losing her husband, Bill, behind her. But when she discovers
that Bill left her penniless, Maple realizes she could lose her Vermont home next and sets out to make money the only way
she knows how: by selling her intricately crafted dollhouses. Business is off to a good start -- until Maple discovers her first
customer dead, his body hanging precariously in his own barn.
Something about the supposed suicide rubs Maple the wrong way, but local authorities brush off her concerns. Determined
to help them see "what's big in what's small," Maple turns to what she knows best, painstakingly recreating the gruesome
scene in miniature: death in a nutshell.
With the help of a rookie officer named Kenny, Maple uses her macabre miniature to dig into the dark undercurrents of her
sleepy town, where everyone seems to have a secret -- and a grudge. But when her nosy neighbor goes missing and she
herself becomes a suspect, it'll be up to Maple to find the devil in the details -- and put him behind bars.
Critique: Drawing inspiration from true crime and offering her readers a smartly plotted puzzle of a mystery to be solved by
an amateur female sleuth cozy mystery style, -- and all the more impressive when considering that "Death in the Details" is
author Katie Tietjen's debut novel (which was inspired by the real-life mother of forensic science, Frances Glessner Lee),
"Death in the Details" is a deftly crafted and thoroughly entertaining read for the dedicated mystery buff from start to finish.
While also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $17.99) and as a complete and unabridged
audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9798874769277, $45.95, CD), "Death n the Details" is a prized pick for community library
Mystery/Suspense collections.
Editorial Note: Katie Tietjen (www.katietietjen.com) is an award-winning writer, teacher, and school librarian. A dedicated
Frances Glessner Lee enthusiast, she has traveled thousands of miles to visit her homes, see her nutshells, and even attend
her birthday party. Katie lives in New England with her husband and two sons.
The Mayfair Dagger
Ava January
Crooked Lane Books
www.crookedlanebooks.com
9781639107513, $29.99, HC, 304pp
https://www.amazon.com/Mayfair-Dagger-Novel-Ava-January/dp/1639107517
Synopsis: London, 1894. Albertine Honeycombe never wanted a husband and certainly not the one with fifteen children that
her cousin, Aubrey, is trying to marry her off to. She reinvents herself as Countess Von Dagga, a private detective aiding the
upper echelons of women in society. As the Countess, she is a married woman, with a conveniently absent husband who
doesn't exist, which allows her far more freedom than being single.
When Lord Grendel, from whom she has recovered blackmail letters, is murdered, Albertine is suspect number one --
having been the last person to see him. And when the Duke of Erleigh comes looking for her utterly fictitious husband, she
realizes she has landed herself in hot water, without a tea bag. When Albertine also becomes the prime suspect in her
fictional husband's death, things are looking grim.
Critique: A fun and compelling read from start to finish, novelist Ava January's "The Mayfair Dagger" clearly confirms the
author's full mastery of the cozy mystery genre. An historical mystery set in a yesteryear England and featuring a memorably
crafted amateur female sleuth suddenly thrust into having to defend herself from a murder charge by finding out 'whodunnit'
amid a wealth of unexpected plot twists and turns, "The Mayfair Dagger" is especially and unreservedly recommended for
community library collections. It should be noted for dedicated cozy mystery fans that "The Mayfair Dagger" is also readily
available in a digital book format (Kindle, $17.99).
Editorial Note: Ava January (www.avajanuary.net) is an historical writer with a passion for mystery, and when she's not
found soaking up the Queensland sun with her two young sons, she can be found eavesdropping on conversations in cafes
and making up entire backstories (and murderous intents) for unsuspecting bystanders. When she grows up, she'd like to be
Miss Marple.
The Last Word
Taylor Adams
William Morrow & Company
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
9780063222892, $30.00, HC, 252pp
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Word-Novel-Taylor-Adams/dp/0063222892
Synopsis: Emma Carpenter lives in isolation with her golden retriever Laika, house-sitting an old beachfront home on the
rainy Washington coast. Her only human contact is her enigmatic old neighbor, Deek, and (via text) the house's owner,
Jules.
One day, she reads a poorly written (but gruesome) horror novel by the author H. G. Kane, and posts a one-star review that
drags her into an online argument with none other than the author himself. Soon after, disturbing incidents start to occur at
night. To Emma, this can't just be a coincidence. It was strange enough for this author to bicker with her online about a
lousy review; could he be stalking her, too?
As Emma digs into Kane's life and work, she learns he has published sixteen other novels, all similarly sadistic tales of
stalking and murder. But who is he? How did he find her? And what else is he capable of?
Critique: A master of the psychological suspense/thriller genre, and with the publication of "The Last Word" novelist Taylor
Adams continues to showcase his genuine flair for the kind of narrative driven, starkly atmospheric, and truly memorable
plot twists and turns. Also available in a paperback (9781399717977, $17.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99),
"The Last Word" will prove to be of particular interest to fans of deftly crafted mysteries and a popular pick for community
library Mystery/Suspense collections.
Editorial Note: Taylor Adams (https://tayloradamsauthor.com/books) is the author of several acclaimed thrillers including
Hairpin Bridge and No Exit. No Exit has been published in 32 languages and was recently released as a Hulu Original
film.
Hot Stage
Anita Nair
https://anitanair.net
Bitter Lemon Press
www.bitterlemonpress.com
9781913394967, $17.95, PB, 416pp
https://www.amazon.com/Hot-Stage-Inspector-Gowda-3/dp/1913394964
Synopsis: When elderly Professor Mudgood, a well-known rationalist and fervent critic of right-wing forces in India, is
found dead in his home in Bangalore by his daughter, Assistant Commissioner of Police Borei Gowda is quite certain that
this is a homicide.
Although all evidence points to the murder being politically motivated, the more Gowda delves into the case, the more
convinced he is that it isn't an assassination. As he and his team launch a parallel investigation, they stumble upon a secret
and murky world where there are no rules or mercy.
When Gowda's hand is forced, he takes a calculated risk and infiltrates the sinister domain to bring the truth out into the
open... Will he succeed? And at what price?
Critique: "Hot Stage" is the third book in novelist Anita Nair's 'The Inspector Gowda Mystery Series and is 'vivid with detail
and taut with suspense'. With the author's distinctive use of a narrative driven style of storytelling, "Hot Stage" will have a
particular interest to fans of police procedural crime novels, international mystery novels, and contemporary novels set in
the culture and milieu of India. While unreservedly recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it
should be noted for personal reading lists that "Hot Stage" is also available from Bitter Lemon Press in a digital book format
(Kindle, $10.99).
Editorial Note: Anita Nair is one of India's most acclaimed authors. Her oeuvre ranges from literary fiction to noir to
children's literature. Her books have been translated into thirty-two languages around the world. Anita is the recipient of
several prizes and honours, including the Indian National Film Award in 2013 and the Central Sahitya Akademi award. Her
novel Ladies Coupe, first published in the US ten years ago, is a feminist classic. The other two novels in the Inspector
Gowda series are Cut-Like Wound and Chain of Custody.
Bone Whispers
Rosalind Brackenbury
Coffeetown Press
c/o Camel Press
www.camelpress.com
9781684921454, $16.95, PB, 228pp
https://www.amazon.com/Bone-Whispers-Rosalind-Brackenbury/dp/1684921457
Synopsis: Nessa, a woman who is now in her seventies, is back in England from the US to take care of her inherited house
on the coast of Dorset. She arrives to hear news of human bones (a woman's bones) has been dug up on the beach after
exposure from a cliff fall.
As she walks the paths of her childhood again, memories begin to return. Whose bones are these? Why does she have the
growing feeling that they are connected with her? How does the present echo the past? What place do guilt and
recrimination take in her present life-and who, apart from her childhood love, Ted, can help her find the truth of what really
happened?
Critique: A carefully crafted mystery that will hold a very special appeal to readers with an interest in stories that feature an
amateur female sleuth working their way through a wealth of unexpected plot twists and turns, "Bone Whispers" by
Rosalind Brackenbury is a an original and read from start to finish. While an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended
pick for community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of all cozy
mystery fans that "Bone Whispers" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $6.49) as well.
Editorial Note: Rosalind Brackenbury (https://rosalindbrackenbury.com) has been writing all her life and has published
novels and collections of poetry, as well as award-winning short stories. She was Creative Writing Fellow at the College of
William and Mary, Williamsburg VA, in 2006 and 2012. In Key West she has run yearly poetry and prose workshops at The
Studios of Key West and she has been featured both as panelist and moderator at the Key West Literary Seminar. She was
Key West's second Poet Laureate in 2014-15.
The Father She Went to Find
Carter Wilson
Poisoned Pen Press
c/o Sourcebooks Inc.
www.sourcebooks.com
Blackstone Audiobooks
https://www.blackstonelibrary.com
9781728293479, $16.99, PB, 448pp
https://www.amazon.com/Father-She-Went-Find-Novel/dp/1728293472
Synopsis: Penny has never met anyone smarter than her. That's par for the course when you're a savant -- one of less than
one hundred in the world. But despite her photographic memory and super-powered intellect, there's one mystery Penny's
never been able to solve: why did her father leave when she was in a coma at age seven, and where is he now?
On Penny's twenty-first birthday, she receives a card in the mail from him, just as she has every year since he left. But this
birthday card is different. For the first time ever, there's a return address. And a goodbye.
Penny doesn't know the world beyond her mother's house and the special school she's attended since her unusual abilities
revealed themselves, but the mystery of her father's disappearance becomes her new obsession. For the first time ever she
decides to leave home, to break free of everything that has kept her safe, and use her gifts to answer the questions that have
always eluded her.
What Penny doesn't realize is she might not be able to outsmart a world far more complicated and dangerous than she'd ever
imagined!
Critique: A proven master of the psychological suspense/thriller genre, Carter Wilson's latest novel, "The Father She Went
To Find" is another compulsively riveting, impressively original, and deftly crafted story from start to finish. While
unreservedly recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense collections, "The Father She Went To Find" is also
readily available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio
book (Blackstone Audio, 9798874747336, $45.95, CD).
Editorial Note: Carter Wilson (https://carterwilson.com) has written nine critically acclaimed, standalone psychological
thrillers, as well as numerous short stories. He is an ITW Thriller Award finalist, a five-time winner of the Colorado Book
Award, and his works have been optioned for television and film. Additionally, he is the host of the Making It Up podcast
and founder of the Unbound Writer company, which provides coaching services, writing retreats, and online classes.
Moscow Exile
John Lawton
Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
www.groveatlantic.com
9780802158031, $18.00, PB, 448pp
https://www.amazon.com/Moscow-Exile-Wilderness-Novel-Novels/dp/080215803X
Synopsis: In his latest novel, "Moscow Exile", author John Lawton departs from his usual stomping grounds of England and
Germany to jump across the Atlantic to Washington, D.C., in the fragile postwar period where the Red Scare is growing
noisier every day.
Charlotte is a British expatriate who has recently settled in the nation's capital with her second husband, a man who looks
intriguingly like Clark Gable, but her enviable dinner parties and soirees aren't the only things she is planning. Meanwhile,
Charlie Leigh-Hunt has been posted to Washington as a replacement for Guy Burgess, last seen disappearing around the
corner and into the Soviet Union. Charlie is soon shocked to cross paths with Charlotte, an old flame of his, who, thanks to
all her gossipy parties, has a packed pocketbook full of secrets she is eager to share.
Two decades or so later, in 1969, Joe Wilderness is stuck on the wrong side of the Iron Curtain, held captive by the KGB, a
chip in a game way above his pay grade -- but his old friends Frank and Eddie are going to try to spring him out of the
toughest prison in the world. All roads lead back to Berlin, and to the famous Bridge of Spies.
Critique: A master of the suspense/thriller/espionage genre, and featuring crackling dialogue, brilliantly plotted Cold War
intrigue, and the return of beloved characters, including Inspector Troy, "Moscow Exile" by John Lawton is a is a fun read
from start to finish. Populated by larger-than-life personalities in a Cold War plot that feels strangely in tune with our
present day tensions between Russia and American, "Moscow Exile" will prove an enduringly popular pick for community
library fiction collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of the growing legions of John Lawton fans that
"Moscow Exile" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).
Editorial Note: John Lawton (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lawton_(author)) has written previous novels starring Joe
Wilderness (Then We Take Berlin, The Unfortunate Englishman, and Hammer to Fall), as well as eight Inspector Troy
thrillers, one standalone novel, and a volume of history. His novels have been named Best Books of the Year by the New
York Times, Los Angeles Times, and New York Times Book Review. He lives in England and Italy.
King of New York
Kathy Iandoli
Kingston Imperial
https://kingstonimperial.com
9781954220539, $29.99, HC, 336pp
https://www.amazon.com/King-New-York-Kathy-Iandoli/dp/1954220537
Synopsis: With the publication of "King of New York: A New Mafia Tale" by novelist Kathy Iandoli, the reader will step
into the shadowy corners of New York City, where the mafia's influence has long been a fixture in its storied
underworld.
An electrifying mafia thriller that follows the story of Jimmy Martello, a man who is thrust into the highest ranks of
organized crime after a series of family tragedies. As the new Don, Jimmy must master the complex art of mob leadership,
from strategic killings to the murky alliances that hold his empire together.
Set in the ever-volatile landscape of New York City's crime network, Jimmy's journey weaves through the dark alliances and
brutal betrayals that define the mafia world. Engage with notorious factions such as the Russian Mob, the Yakuza, the
Cartel, and the Black Mafia Family. Each page crackles with action and strategic maneuvering as Jimmy seeks to claim his
title and solidify his power.
"The King of New York" is the ultimate mafia narrative, blending high-stakes drama with a deep dive into the criminal
underworld. It's a must-read for fans of mob lore, true crime enthusiasts, and lovers of action-packed narratives.
In the pages of "King of New York", you will discover a world where the title of Don is synonymous with power and fear,
and where becoming the King of New York is the most coveted, and dangerous, achievement.
Critique: Fully on par with Mario Puzo's "The Godfather Perfect" and Mark Seal's "Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli",
readers who enjoy mafia thrillers, organized crime dramas, crime boss biographies, underworld non-fiction, mob warfare,
crime syndicate histories, tales of organized crime power struggles in general, and New York City crime sagas in particular,
"King of New York: A New Mafia Tale" is a simply terrific read from start to finish and the stuff of which block buster
movies are made. While unreservedly and enthusiastically recommended for community library Organized Crime/Mafia
Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "King of New York: A New Mafia Tale" is also readily
available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Kathy Iandoli (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathy_Iandoli) is a critically acclaimed journalist and author.
Her first book, God Save The Queens: The Essential History of Women In Hip-Hop (2019, Dey Street Books /
HarperCollins) was named an NPR Best Book Of the Year. She is also the author of the biography Baby Girl: Better Known
As Aaliyah (2021, Atria Books / Simon & Schuster), as well as the co-author of rapper Lil' Kim's upcoming memoir The
Queen Bee (2023, Hachette Books). Kathy has written about music and gender for two decades, with bylines in VIBE, The
Source, XXL, Village Voice, Rolling Stone, Billboard, Pitchfork, BUST, Teen Vogue, PAPER, Playboy, i-D,
Cosmopolitan, Maxim, The Guardian, VICE, and many others. Kathy is Professor of Music Business at New York
University, and has served as a pundit (television, radio, and panels) for discussions on hip-hop and gender.
Speculations in Sin
Jennifer Ashley
Berkley Books
c/o Penguin/Random House
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com
9780593549919, $18.00, PB, 320pp
https://www.amazon.com/Speculations-Sin-Below-Stairs-Mystery/dp/0593549910
Synopsis: Kat Holloway is distressed to learn that Samuel Millburn, husband of the woman who looks after her daughter,
has been accused of embezzling funds from the bank where he works as a clerk. The accusation is absurd, and Samuel's wife
fears that her husband will not only lose his post but be imprisoned. Kat vows to uncover the truth.
When she discovers the bank is involved in shockingly murky business dealings, Kat realizes she's treading in dangerous
waters. She turns to her confidante and handsome suitor, Daniel McAdam, for help. To exonerate Samuel, Kat and Daniel
may have to expose the unseemly financial dealings of prominent aristocrats and government officials, and even those
working to bring down the royal family. Kat will risk everything to protect the man who has sacrificed so much for her
daughter, even if it means endangering herself and the friends she has come to love.
Critique: Historical cozy mystery at its very best, with the publication of her new novel, "Speculations in Sin" confirms
Jennifer Ashley to be a master of the genre. A fun read from start to finish for the legions of cozy mystery
fans,"Speculations in Sin" will prove to be a prized pick for personal reading lists and community library Mystery/Suspense
collections, it should be noted that "Speculations in Sin" is also available in a Library Binding edition ($38.95) and in a
digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).
Editorial Note: Jennifer Ashley (http://allysonjames.com) is also the author of the Below Stairs Mysteries, the Shifters
Unbound paranormal romances, and the Mackenzies historical romances. She also writes under the pen name of Ashley
Gardner (https://gardnermysteries.com).
Off the Air
Christina Estes
Minotaur Books
c/o St. Martin's Publishing Group
www.minotaurbooks.com
Dreamscape Media
https://www.dreamscapepublishing.com
9781250863850, $28.00, HC, 320pp
https://www.amazon.com/Off-Air-Novel-Christina-Estes/dp/1250863856
Synopsis: Jolene Garcia is a local TV reporter in Phoenix, Arizona, splitting her time between covering general assignments
(anything from a monsoon storm to a newborn giraffe at the zoo) and special projects. Stories that take more time to
research and produce. Stories that Jolene wants to tell.
When word gets out about a death at a radio station, Jolene and other journalists swarm the scene, intent on reporting the
facts first. The body is soon identified as Larry Lemmon, a controversial talk show host, who died under suspicious
circumstances. Jolene conducted his final interview, giving her and her station an advantage. But not for long.
As the story heats up, so does the competition. Jolene is determined to solve this murder. It's an investigation that could
make or break her career -- if it doesn't break her first.
Critique: Deftly combining a traditional detective murder mystery with the elements of cozy mystery in the form of an
amateur female sleuth, "Off The Air" is a fun read from beginning to end. It is impressively clear how well author Christina
Estes (a journalist/reporter) has drawn upon her life experiences to create and craft a fully entertaining and plausible work of
fiction that quite realistic and plausible. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community library
Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Off The Air" is also available in a digital
book format (Kindle, $14.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Dreamscape Media, 9798874743116, $45.95,
CD).
Editorial Note: Christina Estes (www.christinaestes.com) is a journalist who has spent more than 20 years covering crime,
public policy, and business in Phoenix, Arizona. Her reporting has been heard on National Public Radio (NPR) and
appeared in the Arizona Republic, Arizona Business Gazette, and Phoenix Business Journal. Christina's career inspired Off
the Air, which won the Tony Hillerman Prize for Best First Mystery Set in the Southwest.
What Cannot Be Said
C. S. Harris
Berkley Books
c/o Penguin/Random House
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com
9780593639184, $28.00, HC, 368pp
https://www.amazon.com/What-Cannot-Said-Sebastian-Mystery/dp/0593639189
Synopsis: July 1815: The Prince Regent's grandiose plans to celebrate Napoleon's recent defeat at Waterloo are thrown into
turmoil when Lady McInnis and her daughter Emma are found brutally murdered in Richmond Park, their bodies posed in a
chilling imitation of the stone effigies once found atop medieval tombs. Bow Street magistrate Sir Henry Lovejoy
immediately turns to his friend Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, for help with the investigation. For as Devlin discovers,
Lovejoy's own wife and daughter were also murdered in Richmond Park, their bodies posed in the same bizarre postures. A
traumatized ex-soldier was hanged for their killings. So is London now confronting a malicious copyist? Or did Lovejoy
help send an innocent man to the gallows?
Aided by his wife, Hero, who knew Lady McInnis from her work with poor orphans, Devlin finds himself exploring a host
of unsavory characters from a vicious chimney sweep to a smiling but decidedly lethal baby farmer. Also coming under
increasing scrutiny is Sir Ivo McInnis himself, along with a wounded Waterloo veteran (who may or may not have been
Laura McInnis's lover) and a charismatic young violinist who moonlights as a fencing master and may have formed a
dangerous relationship with Emma. But when Sebastian's investigation turns toward man about townBasil Rhodes, he
quickly draws the fury of the Palace, for Rhodes is well known as the Regent's favorite illegitimate son.
Then Lady McInnis's young niece and nephew are targeted by the killer, and two more women are discovered murdered and
arranged in similar postures. With his own life increasingly in danger, Sebastian finds himself drawn inexorably toward a
conclusion far darker and more horrific than anything he could have imagined.
Critique: An historical murder mystery by novelist C. S. Harris that rises to an impressive level of literary excellence, "What
Cannot Be Said" is another in her Sebastian St. Cyr series. Original, deftly crafted, and a fun read for dedicated mystery
buffs from start to finish, "What Cannot Be Said" will prove an immediately welcome and enduringly popular addition to
community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated historical
mystery fans that "What Cannot Be Said" is also very readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).
Editorial Note: C. S. Harris (https://csharris.net) is the author of more than twenty-five novels, including the Sebastian St.
Cyr Mysteries; as C. S. Graham, a thriller series coauthored by former intelligence officer Steven Harris; and seven
award-winning historical romances written under the name Candice Proctor.
The Blood of Patriots and Traitors
James A. Scott
Oceanview Publishing
www.oceanviewpub.com
9781608095261, $27.95, HC, 320pp
https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Patriots-Traitors-Geller-Thriller/dp/1608095266
Synopsis: Former CIA Russia expert Max Geller is recovering from an intense mission while lying low in Australia,
enjoying his sudden wealth in the company of his new girlfriend. But his beachy bliss is short-lived when Max, while
relaxing by the ocean, is ambushed by the CIA.
He soon learns that his girlfriend, Vanessa, is being used as blackmail by his former CIA boss, Rodney, to convince Max to
go to Moscow. His mission? Smuggle out a defector with knowledge of a secret Kremlin war plan. Max is wanted by the
Russians, so the defector could be bait to lure him into the hands of his old enemy, FSB Colonel Zabluda. But it's either
Max or Vanessa who must go, so Max takes the bait and heads off.
When Max is spotted in Moscow, Zabluda launches a manhunt, pursuing him and the defector across country lines. Max
and the defector race to evade countless attacks and attempts at capture as they escape to the United States.
Will they make it in time? And what happens when the defector reveals crucial information that indicates U.S. democracy
could be in peril? Max must figure out a way to avoid capture and halt imminent attacks -- before it's too late.
Critique: A deftly crafted international action/adventure spy thriller of a read from start to cliff-hanger finish, "The Blood of
Patriots and Traitors" is the second novel in author James A. Scott's 'Max Geller Spy Thriller Series' and follows "The
President's Dossier" -- which was named the 2020 Best Thriller/Adventure Novel by American Book Fest. While especially
and unreservedly recommended for community library Espionage/Political suspense thriller collections, it should be noted
for personal reading lists that "The Blood of Patriots and Traitors" is also readily available in a paperback edition
(9781608096053, $18.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.49).
Editorial Note: James A. Scott (https://jamesscottnovels.com) is a former Army officer, a paratrooper, and combat veteran
with Pentagon experience in oversight of Army intelligence operations. For twenty years, he lived in Europe and travelled to
Russia, North Africa, and the Far East. His first novel, The Iran Contradictions, is an international historical thriller and was
a finalist for the Foreword Book of the Year Award and USA Best Book Award.
The Sleuth of Blackfriars Lane
Michelle Griep
Barbour Publishing
www.barbourbooks.com
Oasis Audio
www.oasisaudio.com
9781636097947, $15.99, PB, 320pp
https://www.amazon.com/Sleuth-Blackfriars-Lane/dp/1636097944
Synopsis: Wife. Mother. Homemaker. Detective. Kit Forge wears many hats, and if that's not enough, she's partnered with
her father to open a new detective agency. It's hard to be all things to all people, but Kit never shies away from the
impossible. Despite her hard work and good intentions, some things fall through the cracks. -- Namely, her husband.
But Jackson barely notices. He's too busy putting out his own fires. As the new chief inspector of a busy London station, he
must salvage the disaster left behind by the former police chief -- an obstacle made all the harder when the superintendent
breathes an ultimatum down his neck.
Against her father's advice, Kit takes on a case involving a missing child, one in which she and Jackson become a little too
emotionally involved. . .and end up endangering their own little girl in the process.
Can Kit and Jackson learn that just because they can say yes doesn't mean they should?
Critique: A fun read from start to finish, "The Sleuth of Blackfriars Lane" by novelist Michelle Griep will be of special
interest to fans of the cosy mystery genre. Original, deftly crafted, wonderfully entertaining, "The Sleuth of Blackfriars
Lane" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Christian Historical Mystery/Romance
collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Sleuth of Blackfriars Lane" is also readily available in a
digital book format (Kindle, $9.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book ( Oasis Audio, 9781685924881, $37.99,
CD).
Editorial Note: Michelle Griep (www.michellegriep.com) is the Christy Award-winning author of historical romances: A
Tale of Two Hearts, The Captured Bride, The Innkeeper's Daughter, 12 Days at Bleakly Manor, The Captive Heart,
Brentwood's Ward, A Heart Deceived, and Gallimore, but also leaped the historical fence into the realm of contemporary
with the zany romantic mystery Out of the Frying Pan.
The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf
Secrets & Sacrifices
Cath Lauria
Aconyte Books
https://aconytebooks.com
9781839082917, $16.95, PB, 336pp
https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Sacrifices-Regency-Cthulhu-Novel/dp/1839082917
Synopsis: When Cassandra Wright's father was accused of murder her whole life fell apart, leaving her with no prospects,
no money, and a broken engagement. But Cassandra always suspected foul play. Five years later, she's determined to
discover the truth.
With her childhood friend Thomas reluctantly acting as her new husband-to-be, Cassie must talk her way into the home of
her former fiance, who she's convinced knows more than he ever let on. Once inside she'll have to navigate the pitfalls of
polite society while attempting to dig deep into her father's life.
There are dark, twisted secrets lurking in the shadows, and Cassie must unravel them before they can consume her.
Critique: Of special interest to fans of historical fantasy, dark fantasy, regency romance, and the arcane world of H. P.
Lovecraft, "Secrets & Sacrifices" by Cath Lauria is a deftly crafted, inherently fascinating, and solidly entertaining read from
start to finish. Inspired by the game, 'Call of Cthulhu', and readily available for personal reading lists in a digital book format
(Kindle, $9.95), "Secrets & Sacrifices" is a solid pick for community and college/university library Fantasy Fiction
collections.
Editorial Note: Cath Lauria (https://cathlauria.com) is a Colorado girl who loves snow and sunshine. She prefers books to
TV shows, has a vast collection of beautiful, edged weapons, and could totally survive in the wild without electricity or
running water, but would really prefer not to. She loves writing speculative fiction of all genres, and has a long list of
publications under her belt as romance author Cari Z.
Interstellar Medic: The Long Run
Patrick Chiles
Baen Books
www.baen.com
9781982193287, $18.00
Interstellar Medic: The Long Run tells of medic Melanie Mooney, who happens upon an unusual accident in the woods that
leads her into a galaxy-hopping journey of unprecedented opportunity and danger. The premise takes a seasoned medic into
alien territory as the first human in the Galactic Union Medical Corps, assigned with tending to aliens who need a medic...
any medic. As she extends the concept of emergency medicine far beyond terrestrial boundaries, the adventure and alien
culture encounters power a vivid tale that blends wry humor with action that sci-fi readers will find refreshingly different
from traditional genre reads, and hard to put down.
The Icarus Job
Timothy Zahn
Baen Books
www.baen.com
9781982193256, $28.00
https://www.amazon.com/Audible-The-Icarus-Job/dp/B0CNKX4TXQ
Gregory Roarke and alien partner Selene are tasked with transporting an assassin in the course of their work for the Icarus
Group, a secret government organizations searching for space portals. What does this have to do with a criminal's transport?
Plenty, because the offer involves giving one of these rare portals to the Icarus Group if the duo will transport passenger
Nikki, who holds her own ambitions and agenda in contrast to her prisoner status. Fast-paced action marks a multilayered
story of hunter and hunted which places not one but multiple encounters in the realm of a vivid space mystery and dilemma
which test Roarke and Selene in new and unusual ways. Libraries and readers seeking action-packed encounters from their
sci-fi reading will find The Icarus Job a vivid seat-of-your-pants read.
The Poetry Shelf
Black Bell
Alison C. Rollins
Copper Canyon Press
https://www.coppercanyonpress.org
9781556597008, $22.00, PB, 136pp
https://www.amazon.com/Black-Bell-Alison-C-Rollins/dp/1556597002
Synopsis: Inspired by the nineteenth century image of an enslaved woman wearing iron horns and bells, the poetry
comprising Alison C. Rollins's "Black Bell" from Copper Canyon Press continues an exploration of cataloging individual
experience and collective memory.
As Rollins sets out to resuscitate and embody the archive, we see a chorus of historical figures like Eliza Harris, Henry
"Box" Brown, and Lear Green; readers can listen in as Phillis Wheatley takes a Turing test or venture through Dante's
Inferno remixed with Wu-Tang Clan's 36 Chambers.
The poems of Alison Rollins travel across time and space, between the eighteenth century and futuristic fabulations,
vibrating with fugitive frequencies, sounds of survival, and nerve-wracking notes tuned toward love and liberation.
Black Bell navigates what it means to be both invisible and spectacle, hidden and on display, allowing lyric language to
become the material for fashioning wearable sculptures akin to Nick Cave's "soundsuits." Integrating performance art
practices, metalwork, and sonic, Black Bell becomes multimedia meditation on freedom seeking, furthering the possibilities
of both the page and the canvas of the poet's body.
Critique: Sweeping from the eighteenth century to futurist fabulations, "Black Bell" showcases the elegant, eloquent, deftly
crafted, memorable poetry and clearly marks her as an accomplished and gifted wordsmith of the first order. Unreservedly
recommended for community and college/university library Contemporary American Poetry collections, it should be noted
for personal reading lists that "Black Bell" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.20).
Editorial Note: Alison C. Rollins (www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/alison-c-rollinsr) is the author of "Library of Small
Catastrophes", a 2020 Hurston/Wright Foundation Legacy Award nominee. She is a recipient of fellowships with Cave
Canem, Callaloo, the National Endowment for the Arts, and The Poetry Foundation, Rollins was awarded support from the
Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University, the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, and Brown University's
Artist Grant. Her work has been published in American Poetry Review, Iowa Review, The New York Times Magazine, and
elsewhere. She has held faculty and librarian appointments at institutions including the School of the Art Institute of
Chicago, Colorado College, and Pacific Northwest College of Art.
A Muckleshoot Poetry Anthology
Susan Landgraf
Washington State University Press
www.wsupress.wsu.edu
9780874224283, $10.00, PB, 91pp
https://www.amazon.com/Muckleshoot-Poetry-Anthology-Confluence-Rivers/dp/0874224284
Synopsis: When Susan Landgraf received an Academy of American Poets' Laureate in 2020, her project proposal included
teaching more than a dozen workshops on the Muckleshoot Indian Reservation that would culminate in a Muckleshoot
poetry book.
A journalist and poet, Landgraf sees writing as both opening oneself to vulnerability and to a feeling of empowerment. She
believes that poetry can save lives, and worked to facilitate a teaching environment that welcomed each voice. Her
exercises, prompts, and discussions sparked creativity and critical thinking, and invited young people and elders to reflect on
their history, culture, and current lives in a meaningful way.
Ultimately, fifty-four poets (most from the Muckleshoot Tribal School) participated in the collection. Expressive and
moving, their pieces are about searching and belonging. Loss and finding. The writers range from elementary school age to
adult, but all share a common theme--a reaching back and a reaching forward--sometimes in the same poem. Their work
highlights Muckleshoot history and culture, but also spotlights individual histories, lessons, and beliefs.
Muckleshoot is the Native name for the prairie on which the 6.128 square-mile reservation was established in 1857.
Federally recognized as descendants of the Duwamish and Upper Puyallup people who inhabited Central Puget Sound
thousands of years before non-Indian settlement, approximately 3,600 people live on the reservation, making the
Muckleshoot Indian Tribe one of the largest Native American tribes in Washington State.
Critique: Eloquent, memorable, unique, "A Muckleshoot Poetry Anthology: At the Confluence of the Green and White
Rivers" will be of immense interest to readers with an affinity for poetry in general, and Contemporary Native American
poetry in particular. This unique compendium of free verse from Native American perspectives, experiences, and
observations, is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university
library Contemporary American Poetry collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Poet and journalist Susan Landgraf is the author of What We Bury Changes the Ground and The Inspired
Poet, a book of writing exercises. Her newest title is Crossings. She has taught at Highline College and Jiao Tong University
in Shanghai, as well as the Port Townsend Writers' Conference. She served as Poet Laureate of Auburn, Washington, from
2018 to 2020. (https://poets.org/poet/susan-landgraf)
The Graphic Novel Shelf
The Case of the Bleeding Wall
Kasey Lansdale, author
Joe R. Lansdale, author
Tom Serra, illustrator
Dead Sky Publishing
https://deadskypublishing.com
9781639511648, $14.99, PB, 112pp
https://www.amazon.com/Case-Bleeding-Wall-Kasey-Lansdale/dp/1639511644
Synopsis: Author/storyteller Joe R. Lansdale (Hap & Leonard, Bubba Ho Tep) and his daughter, author/country singer
Kasey Lansdale (Creepshow, Impossible Monsters), join forces with award-winning artist Daniele Serra (Hellraiser, The
Crow) and colorist Tom Napolitano (Batman/Spawn, We Have Demons) to bring you Dana and Jana -- the new dynamic
duo of supernatural -- er, supernormal sleuthing with the publication of "The Case of the Bleeding Wall" from Dead Sky
Publishing.
Dana Roberts, seasoned investigator of the supernormal, is called to Italy by an ex-lover to investigate a strange
phenomenon -- the mystery of a bleeding wall. Due to an odd experience of her own, Jana Davis attends a book signing
event focused on strange occurrences. The twosome meet, team up and together head to Italy in search of answers.
Are they dealing with a haunted house? A demon perhaps? Or a vengeful specter from the other side? Dana has battled
angry jinns, malevolent shadows, ancient travelers, and soul-sucking shapeshifters, but in "The Case of the Bleeding Wall",
she and her new sidekick, Jana, will face their most dangerous challenge yet.
Critique: This graphic novel edition of "The Case of the Bleeding Wall" is a compilation of the comic book issues 1-4 from
Dead Sky Publishing. A compellingly scripted, aptly illustrated, and original story, "The Case of the Bleeding Wall" will
have a special attraction for readers with an interest in mystery and horror themed graphic novels. Highly recommended for
community and college/university library Graphic Novel collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The
Case of the Bleeding Wall" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $2.99).
Editorial Note #1: Kasey Lansdale is the author of several short stories & novellas from Harper Collins, Titan Books, &
others. Lansdale is also the editor of assorted anthology collections and her collaboration, THE COMPANION was adapted
for the 2019 TV remake of Shudder TV' s, CREEPSHOW.
Editorial Note #2: Joe R. Lansdale is the author of more than fifty novels, including the popular, long-running Hap and
Leonard series. Many of his cult classics have been adapted for television and film, most famously the films Bubba Ho-Tep
and Cold in July and the Hap and Leonard series on Sundance TV and Netflix.
Editorial Note #3: Daniele Serra is an Italian illustrator. Three-time winner of the British Fantasy Award as Best Artist
(2012, 2017 & 2021) and finalist at the World Fantasy Award 2021, his work includes covers, internal illustrations and
comic adaptations for such highly esteemed authors as Stephen King, Clive Barker, Ramsey Campbell, Joe R. Lansdale and
Joyce Carol Oates. His main influences and inspiration come from the world of weird and horror literature from H.P.
Lovecraft and William H. Hodgson, Ridley Scott's films, Japanese horror and the works of Clive Barker.
The Library CD Shelf
Available Light
Daniel Janke Winter Trio
danieljanke.com
Chronograph Records
chronographrecords.com
$12.99 CD / $11.49 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/Available-Light-Daniel-Janke-Winter/dp/B0CXG35H7D
Available Light is an international collaboration between three talented music artists - pianist Daniel Janke (Canada),
drummer Ariel Tessier (France), and bassist Basile Rahola (Spain). Daniel Janke personally composed the original
contemporary jazz tracks (there are also three tracks of traditional music), which flow with vibrant beauty to craft an
immersive soundscape. Available Light is an excellent choice for personal and public library music collections, and also
makes a wonderful gift. The tracks are Song for Margaret, Available Light, Giant, Blessed Assurance (Traditional), Man of
Constant Sorrow (Traditional), Eleanor's Waltz, River Ice (Traditional), Cafe Bonton, and Gospel for Betty.
Valley of Silence
The Brenan Brothers
craigbrenan.com
Privately Published
$TBA CD / $TBA digital
https://open.spotify.com/album/6WbJYItVQY1d96SmGDEzmg
Valley of Silence is a contemporary jazz album of arrangements and original compositions by The Brenan Brothers (Craig
Brenan on trombone and Jim Brenan on tenor and soprano saxophones), with contributions from David Lavoie on trumpet,
Sean Craig on alto and baritone saxophones, Earl MacDonald on piano, Rubim De Toledo on bass, and Dave Laing on
drums. In keeping with the album's title, the pieces promote reflection and meditative thought. Valley of Silence is a choice
pick for connoisseurs of soulful jazz and public library music collections, highly recommended. The tracks are Blackbird,
Rosewood, Tri Seamair, Serenity, Theme for Maxine, Valley of Silence, Fly With the Wind, and 49th Parallel.
Magpie
Sarah Jerrom
sarahjerrom.com
TPR Records
tprrecords.ca
$TBA CD / $10.32 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CV32RC6R
Sarah Jerrom presents Magpie, a chamber jazz suite that balances storytelling and music, created with contributions from a
diversity of vocalists and performers on woodwinds, horns, piano, bass, drums, and more. Inspired by the folkloric nursery
rhyme "One for Sorrow", Magpie explores themes of feminism, infertility, grief, hope, and love. Profound and powerful,
Magpie is an emotional treasure highly recommended for both personal and public library collections. The tracks are Part I:
The Road, Part II: For Joy, Part III: Circling Feathers, Part IV: The White Elk, Part V: Nest Predator, Part VI: Carrion, Part
VII: The Mountain Cries, and Part VIII: Crystallization.
Horns of Hope
Aimee-Jo Benoit with The New Assembly
Chronograph Records
chronographrecords.com
$9.99 CAD digital
https://aimee-jobenoit.bandcamp.com/album/horns-of-hope
Horns of Hope is a vocal jazz album featuring Aimee-Jo Benoit performing vocals, Carsten Rubeling on trombone, Mark
DeJong on tenor saxophone and bass clarinet, Andre Wickenheiser on trumpet, Daniel Gaucher on drums, Mark Limacher
on piano and Rhodes synthesizer, and Jon Wielebknowski on upright bass and electric bass. Inspired by the concept of "the
horns of the dilemma", Horns of Hope is about perseverance in spite of pain and loss. Intense, powerful, and ultimately
uplifting, Horns of Hope is highly recommended for both personal and public library music collections. The tracks are
Barefoot, Bird on a Wire, A Soft Place to Land, Little Green, Moon at the Window, Where Will I Be?, You Were Here, and
Free.
Unfoldings
Ian Wardenski Quintet featuring Tamara Tucker
ianwardenski.com
Privately Published
$TBA CD / $4.95 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CX6PRSW2
Unfoldings is a five-movement musical suite composed by guitarist Ian Wardenski and performed by the Ian Wardenski
Quintet, featuring Tamara Tucker's beautiful voice (as a wordless instrument in select compositions), Mercedes Beckman on
alto sax, Savino Palumbo on piano, Amy Shook on bass, and Frank Russo on drums. An extraordinary, emotionally moving
jazz combo that will entice and delight connoisseurs of the genre, Unfoldings is highly recommended for both personal and
public library music collections.
I Can Be Two People at Once
Touching
wearetouching.com
Privately Published
$10.00 CD / $10.00 digital
https://wearetouching.com/shop
Touching (a.k.a. Michael Falk) presents I Can Be Two People at Once, an original electronic jazz album, showcasing his
gift for vocals, keyboards, guitars, and sound design. Created with contributions from an eclectic array of talented musicians
providing vocals and performances on drums, saxophones, flute, guitar, drums, and more, I Can Be Two People at Once is
an inspirational work that entices the listener to experience a creative journey. Highly recommended! (It should be noted
that the songs "Feeling Swell", "Jitterbug", and "Harvest in the Time of Children" contain explicit language.) The tracks are
It's So Hard to Change, Ocean of Smiles, Geoff's Twitter Account, Blue Shoes aka David Duchovny's Dirty Laundry,
Feeling Swell, Cauldron, Rickshaw... and Gone, Jitterbug, Scattershot, Stand Inside, Oil + Water, and Harvest in the Time
of Children.
Window
Kari van der Kloot
karivanderkloot.com
TPR Records
tprrecords.ca
$15.00 US CD / $10.00 CAD digital
https://karivanderkloot.bandcamp.com/album/window
Kari van der Kloot personally composed and sings the vocals for her third album Window, supported by Elsa Nilsson on
flutes, Jamie Reynolds on piano and synthesizers, Gary Wang on bass, and Nathan Ellman-Bell on drums. A dulcet beautiful
medley of contemporary jazz, embellished with elements from various other musical genres, Window is a multifaceted work
of emotion, highly recommended for jazz connoisseurs. The tracks are Outside, Trust Exercise, Tiny Threads, Sprout,
Tattoo, Cost, Snow Angels, In Between, Totem, and Keeping Quiet (words by Pablo Neruda).
Revolutions
Dan Loomis
danloomismusic.com
Privately Published
$TBA CD / $15.00 digital
https://danloomis.bandcamp.com/album/revolutions
Revolutions is an original musical suite composed by Dan Loomis, featuring rousing lyrics celebrating the ideals of the
Haitian Revolution and the South American liberation from Spain. Dan Loomis performs bass and vocals, with
contributions from Taina Ligonde performing additional vocals, Owen Broder on clarinet, Sebastian Noelle and Jeff Miles
on guitar, Rodrigo Reccabarren on drums, and Ches Smith on tanbou (a type of barrel drum from Haiti). Bold, powerful,
and passionate, Revolutions is a memorable tribute to the people who put their lives on the line to free their nations, and
highly recommended. The tracks are "...every revolution makes a new world...", "Americas Overture", "...a conversion of
heat into light...", "Skies", "...the spark of liberty...", "Toussaint", "...simon's choice...", "Over the Andes", "...a ride through
the night...", "The Road", "...a new mix of peoples ready to become itself...", "Centaur of the Plains", "...spring back from
the roots...", "The Trunk of Liberty", "...where the light comes in...", "Ember", "...from slavery to the formation of a
nation...", "Dessalines", "...the cost...", and "Hay Una Mujer".
Hodges: Front and Center, Vol. 2
Owen Broder
owenbroder.com
Outside In Music
$8.00 digital / $30.00 vinyl
https://owenbrodermusic.bandcamp.com/album/hodges-front-and-center-vol-2
Saxophonist Owen Broder presents Hodges: Front and Center, Vol. 2, a second tribute album to the great alto saxophonist
Johnny Hodges. Additional selections from Hodges' songbook are brought to vibrant life through the performances of Owen
Broder on saxophone, Riley Mulherkar on trumpet, Carmen Staal on piano, Barry Stephenson on bass, and Bryan Carter on
drums. Jazz connoisseurs will thoroughly enjoy both Hodges: Front and Center, Vol. 2 and the first album Hodges: Front
and Center as worthy celebrations of a legend. Highly recommended! The tracks are Used To Be Duke, Wabash Blues, Back
Beat, Big Smack, St. Louis Blues, Shady Side, Stompy Jones, and The Star-Crossed Lovers.
Standards II
Noah Haidu, Buster Williams, and Billy Hart
noahhaidu.com
$12.98 CD / $9.00 digital
https://noahhaidu.bandcamp.com/album/standards-ii
Jazz pianist Noah Haidu, bassist Buster Williams, and drummer Billy Hart combine their talents in Standards II, a jazz
performed with passion, expertise, and the joy of improvisational freedom. Standards II is a worthy follow-up to Haidu's
2023 album Standards, a treasure for jazz connoisseurs, and highly recommended. The tracks are Over The Rainbow,
Someone to Watch Over Me, Up Jumped Spring, Obsesion, Days of Wine and Roses, After You've Gone, and I Got It Bad
(And That Ain't Good).
Being
Chris Rottmayer
chrisrottmayer.com
Shifting Paradigm Records
shiftingparadigmrecords.com
$13.98 CD / $9.49 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/Being-Chris-Rottmayer/dp/B0CQPH9LBP
Jazz pianist Chriss Rottmayer presents his fourth album Being, a set of his original compositions superbly performed along
with Russ Johnson on trumpet and flugelhorn, Matt Endres on drum set, and Rufus Reid on acoustic bass. Rottmayer
created five of the songs in the process of studying jazz pianist Mulgrew Miller; the other five songs are previously
unrecorded originals written about the city of Paris. Being is vivacious, emotional, outgoing, and highly recommended
especially for jazz piano connoisseurs! The tracks are On The Street Where Woody Lives, Re-United, Pigalle, Chatelet,
Autumn Evening, Song of Modes, Ballerina Dance, La Seizieme, Pont Neuf, and Rue des Lombards.
The Library DVD Shelf
The Taste of Things
IFC Films
www.ifcfilms.com
2 h 15 min., 2024 (PG-13)
Rent HD $4.99, Buy HD $14.99
https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/0K4LRESATXWU8BAJC952DFGJW1
Synopsis: "The Taste of Things" is set in France, 1889. The story of Eugenie, an esteemed cook, and Dodin, the fine
gourmet who she has been working for over the last 20 years, their simmering passions inevitable erupt in a luxurious and
lavishly filmed historical period love story.
Critique: An inherently fascinating and entertaining film that has been raised to the level of cinematic excellence by the
collaborative work of director Anh Hung Tran, co-writers Marcel Rouff & Anh Hung Trans, and starring Juliette Binoche,
Benoit Magimel, and Emmanuel Salinger. "The Taste of Things" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal,
community, and college/university library Film/Cinema DVD collections.
Destroy All Neighbors
Shudder
www.shudder.com
1 h 25 min., 2024 (18+)
Rent HD $4.99, Buy HD 14.99
https://www.amazon.com/Destroy-All-Neighbors-Alex-Winter/dp/B0CP8L7TR7
Synopsis: "Destroy All Neighbors is the bizarre story of struggling prog-rock musician William Brown who finds himself in
a living nightmare when he accidentally kills Vlad, his neighbor from hell.
Critique: Shudder has an unbeatable collection of edge-of-your-seat programming, from Hollywood favorites and cult
classics to critically-acclaimed new releases you won't find anywhere else. "Destroy All Neighbors" is just one of their new
titles added weekly to their website and highly recommended fun viewing for mature audiences ages 18 and older. In
addition to the movie itself, this DVD edition from Shudder also features exclusive behind the scenes clips, interviews with
Alex Winter and Jonah Ray, as well as Cast Commentaries.
The Art Shelf
Painting Skies in Pastel
Sandra Orme
Search Press Ltd.
https://www.searchpress.com
9781782219897, $23.95, PB, 128pp
https://www.amazon.com/Painting-Skies-Pastel-atmospheric-skyscapes/dp/1782219897
Synopsis: A sky can make or break a landscape painting. With the publication of "Painting Skies in Pastel: Creating
Dramatic Clouds and Atmospheric Skyscapes", award-winning artist Sandra Orme teaches aspiring artist working with
pastels just how to create a broad range of skies in pastel, from sunsets and sunbeams, rain and storms, through to delicate
dusks and dawns. Containing:
An invaluable guide, all the essential materials and techniques are clearly explained and "Painting Skies in Pastel also
includes a section on color theory focuses on those aspects key to painting skies: how to retain vibrancy; how to avoid
muddy colors through the use of 'bridging' colors; and how many pastels to use for best effect.
With "Painting Skies in Pastel" the art student will learning to build skills gradually through 6 step-by-step demonstrations
of particular skies worked from photographs, each looking at a particular sky effect, from the bright clouds on a fresh,
blustery day to rich sunsets. Each main stage is shown both before and after blending for clarity.
Sandra's 'sky clinic' offers more specialist and technical help on some of the common problems readers might encounter
when painting skies in pastel. Also featured is a kind of "first-aid course" in how to identify and correct common
problems.
Replete with numerous handy tips and many examples of Sandra's stunning landscapes throughout, and assuming no prior
knowledge, she both instructs and inspirse you to create beautiful, realistic skies with confidence.
Critique: Exceptionally well organized and presented, and enhanced with a wealth of instructive visual examples, this large
format (8.63 x 0.38 x 11.06 inches, 1.21 pounds) paperback edition of Sandra Orme's "Painting Skies in Pastel: Creating
Dramatic Clouds and Atmospheric Skyscapes" from Search Press is an ideal and recommended addition to personal,
professional, community, art school, and college/university library Pastel Drawing & Landscape/Seascape Painting
instructional reference collections. It should be noted that "Painting Skies in Pastel" is also available in a digital book format
(Kindle, $16.69).
Editorial Note: Sandra Orme is an associate artist with Unison Colour and has her own sets of sky pastels that she sells at
workshops and online. She is also a member of the art collective, Peak District Artisans (www.peakdistrictartisans.co.uk).
She regularly exhibits at local and national shows as well as galleries, and has exhibited with The Pastel Society at The Mall
Galleries in London. (www.galleryinthegardens.co.uk/sandra-orme)
She has published 'how to' articles with both the SAA and The Artist magazines, and runs online video tutorials. Sandra has
a website, www.sandraorme.com, with an online shop. She is active on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Painting into the Light
Jenny Aitken
Search Press Ltd.
https://www.searchpress.com
9781800921276, $25.95, PB, 160pp
https://www.amazon.com/Painting-into-Light-atmospheric-paints/dp/1800921276
Synopsis: With the publication of "Painting into the Light: How to Work Atmospheric Magic with Your Oil Paints" by
Jenny Aitken, aspiring artists will learn how to successfully paint scenes that vividly capture magical effects of light from
behind the subject. Good contre-jour (painting into the light) artworks cause the viewer to squint, with light seeming to glow
from the canvas. They can look like a kind of magic, with their hazy light and colour singing out. "Painting into the Light"
demystifies lighting in oils, and provides a practical guide to the process, showing exactly how to create the illusion.
Inside "Painting into the Light" is to be found a wealth of information on simplification, tonal control, capturing accurate
color, working both indoors and outdoors, painting landscapes and still life, creating atmospheric depth, and even mastering
the illusion of space. Through detailed step-by-step demonstrations and beautifully illustrated techniques, professional artist
and art teaching Jenny Aitken reveals how to infuse every painting with vibrant, lifelike light. Of special note is a section on
troubleshooting tricky paintings will show the aspiring artist that every painting is salvageable, but with an understanding of
light and color, that it is much more likely that they will find success the first time round.
Critique: This large format (8.5 x 0.44 x 11 inches, 1.51 pounds) paperback edition of Jenny Aitkins' "Painting into the
Light: How to Work Atmospheric Magic with Your Oil Paints" is an ideal pick for DIY oil painting studies and art class oil
painting curriculums. Highly recommended for community, art school, and college/university library Oil Painting
Instruction Reference collections, it should be noted that "Painting into the Light" is also readily available in a digital book
format (Kindle, $17.05).
Editorial Note: For Jenny Aitken, teaching painting is an absolute passion - her main aim is for students to be encouraged,
informed and creatively enthused. She began tutoring and demonstrating ten years ago, and now runs online courses and art
holidays in the UK, Italy and France. Since graduation in Art & Art History from Aberstwyth University, she has exhibited
widely and won many awards. She was elected an associate member of the Royal Society of Marine Artists in 2021, and
won the Topbond Marine Award in 2022. Jenny is a regular contributor to The Artist Magazine, course tutor, and an online
tutor, with a series of 25+ modules on painting in oils and acrylics. She also produces shorter painting videos on YouTube
(@jennyaitkenart) and has a website at https://jennyaitken.co.uk
Easy Acrylic Painting
Jennifer Funnell
Search Press Ltd.
https://www.searchpress.com
9781800922211, $19.95, PB, 144pp
https://www.amazon.com/Easy-Acrylic-Painting-Beginner-Tutorials/dp/1800922213
Synopsis: With the publication of Easy Acrylic Painting: Beginner Tutorials for Small Still Lifes" from Search Press, expert
art instructor Jennifer Funnell has created an ideal instructional guide for anyone who had always wanted to try acrylic
painting but felt intimidated,.
Featured are 15 small still life paintings to achieve and unleash the inner artist. With step-by-step instructions and clear
explanations, this all-inclusive 'how to' manual and guide will build your skills and knowledge from the ground up.
Jennifer Funnell is an experienced and acclaimed visual arts teacher who has specifically crafted "Easy Acrylic Painting"
specifically for beginners and holds a great deal of value for even the more experienced. Her decade's worth of drawing and
painting experience shines through as she breaks down the process into simple, easy-to-understand steps with traceable
outlines. No prior experience or drawing skills required!
Acrylic paint is the perfect medium for beginners. Its expressive and opaque nature allows for easy corrections if mistakes
happen along the way. You will feel empowered to explore your creativity, knowing that you have the flexibility to fix any
errors and bring your vision to life. Whether you're a complete beginner or have dabbled in other mediums, "Easy Acrylic
Painting" will guide you towards creating fifteen captivating little works of art. Unleash your creativity today!
Critique: Clearly living up to the promise of its title, "Easy Acrylic Painting: Beginner Tutorials for Small Still Lifes" is
thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation -- making it a high value selection for personal, professional,
community, art school, and college/university library DIY and art class curriculum studies lists. Simply stated, "Easy
Acrylic Painting" is of particular value and relevance for aspiring artists with a particular interest in Acrylic Painting, Still
Life Art, and Watercolor Painting.
Editorial Note: Jennifer Funnell (www.jenniferfunnell.com) is a visual arts teacher in Denver, Colorado. She has a BFA in
Art Education from Kendall College of Art and Design and an MA in Art and Design from the University of Northern
Colorado. In addition to teaching high schoolers, Jennifer teaches adults via Zoom. She is passionate about teaching the
process of creating art and experimenting with a variety of techniques. She can be followed on Instagram
@jenniferfunnellvisualarts and on YouTube where her painting videos have a loyal following.
Modern Still Life: From Fruit Bowls to Disco Balls
Sari Shryack
Walter Foster Publishing
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
www.quartoknows.com
9780760388730, $22.99, PB, 144pp
https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Still-Life-beginners-painting/dp/0760388733
Synopsis: Anyone can learn to paint! Now with the publication of "Modern Still Life: From Fruit Bowls to Disco Balls" the
aspiring artist can join with popular artist and instructor Sari Shryack and enjoy approachable DIY lessons that make
painting still lifes with acrylic fun, fresh, and feasible.
Sari Shryack runs the popular social media channels @not_sorry_art. She teaches painting classes online and in person,
offers painting retreats domestically and internationally, hosts a podcast, and writes a blog. "Modern Still Life: From Fruit
Bowls to Disco Balls" is her first book and the ideal opportunity for Sari to do what she does best: make painting accessible
to all, something that Sari is especially passionate about.
In its pages, aspiring artists will learn: Why paint still lifes; How to use acrylic paints, as well as tools like brushes and
canvases; To be open, curious, and forgiving of your own mistakes as an artist; About drawing for painting; How to
compose objects for a still life; Color mixing and how to use color palettes to create different moods and styles; How to use
other painting media besides acrylic, including oil paints -- and so much more!
In addition to the foundational information listed above, "Modern Still Life: From Fruit Bowls to Disco Balls" features
complete step-by-step painting projects for creating disco balls, unexpected everyday objects, and more in Sari's signature
dynamic style. You can also personalize the pieces using your own items and colors.
The principle message of this ideal DIY instruction guide is that there's no need to go out and buy expensive art tools and
props for painting. With "Modern Still Life: From Fruit Bowls to Disco Balls" as your comprehensive 'how to' guide you
will find how easy and fun it is to paint what you have on hand.
Critique: This large format (8.5 x 0.36 x 11 inches, 1.75 pounds) paperback edition of "Modern Still Life: From Fruit Bowls
to Disco Balls" from Walter Foster Publishing is an ideal beginner's guide to painting fun, fresh still lifes in oil and acrylic.
A welcome and highly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, art school, and college/university
library Still Life Art and Acrylic Painting collections and supplemental curriculum lists, it should be noted that "Modern
Still Life: From Fruit Bowls to Disco Balls" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $21.84) as well.
Editorial Note: Sari Shryack (www.sari.studio) is an oil and acrylic painter in Austin, Texas, where she lives with her
husband and their two young children. Her colorful works cover many subjects and techniques, including landscapes, still
lifes, portraits, disco balls, and memes. Through her consistent daily practice and dedication to finding beauty in the
mundane, Sari has built a large online following and successful small business that she runs with her husband called Not
Sorry Art. The name is a play on Sari's own name, which is pronounced "ser-e," not "sorry."
Through her business, Sari sells prints and original pieces online, runs painting retreats, teaches online painting classes,
writes a blog, and hosts a podcast. Making art accessible to all is Sari's goal and motivation.
A Beginner's Guide to Modern Calligraphy & Brush Pen Lettering
Maki Shimano
Tuttle Publishing
www.tuttlepublishing.com
9780804857710, $18.99, PB, 144pp
https://www.amazon.com/Beginners-Guide-Modern-Calligraphy-Lettering/dp/0804857717
Synopsis: With the publication of "A Beginner's Guide to Modern Calligraphy & Brush Pen Lettering: Learn to Create
Beautiful Hand Lettering for Invitations, Cards, Journals and More!", master calligrapher Maki Shimano shows you all the
techniques and provides hundreds of colorful examples to inspire you.
Creating your own calligraphy is very easy using Shimano's time-tested method of breaking down each letter into a small
number of strokes. And she provides dozens of ideas for decorative motifs such as wreaths, balloons, birthday cakes -- and
so much more!
"A Beginner's Guide to Modern Calligraphy & Brush Pen Lettering" is an easy step-by-step guide by an experienced
calligraphy teacher allows even the most novice aspirant to develop their skills quickly as it covers: Starting with the basic
tools and techniques of hand lettering; Learning to draw 8 elegant typefaces with just 2 or 3 simple strokes; Creating
compositions with fancy flourishes, "bounce" and rhythm: Designing a planner, journal, place cards, greeting cards, gift
tags, invitations, etc.
Critique: This large format paperback edition form Tuttle Publishing is an ideal DIY introduction into the art and craft of
calligraphy and the use of brush pen lettering. Thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "A Beginner's
Guide to Modern Calligraphy & Brush Pen Lettering" is specifically recommended for personal, professional, community,
and college/university library collections and art school curriculum studies lists. It should also be noted for calligraphy
students that "A Beginner's Guide to Modern Calligraphy & Brush Pen Lettering" is also available in a digital book format
(Kindle, $14.49).
Editorial Note: Maki Shimano began learning calligraphy at an early age and has become the preeminent teacher and
practitioner of modern calligraphy in Japan. She is an author, typographer and freelance artist who works in the bridal
industry as a wedding planner. She creates traditional Japanese calligraphy as well as modern English calligraphy for a wide
variety of clients and applications.
Draw Like a Mangaka
Marcel Kuhn
Walter Foster Publishing
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
www.quartoknows.com
9780760389126, $19.99, PB, 144pp
https://www.amazon.com/Draw-Like-Mangaka-Complete-Beginners/dp/0760389128
Synopsis: In "Draw Like a Mangaka", the creative force behind the wildly popular Draw like a Sir YouTube channel,
Marcel Kuhn, compiles and presents the secrets he has honed over a decade of manga drawing, demystifying manga
illustration for artists of all skill levels. Learn about the essential tools and materials, foundational drawing techniques, and
the secrets of crafting expressive faces, well-proportioned bodies, and intricate hairstyles.
With every page, "Sir" (the author's manga avatar) injects humor and warmth into the learning process, offering insightful
tips and encouragement that resonate with both beginners and seasoned artists. Whether you are sketching with pencil and
paper or exploring digital drawing platforms, the guide provides step-by-step instructions that cater to various preferences.
The book's approachable and engaging narrative transforms these complex concepts into achievable milestones.
In this fun, easy-to-follow guide, you'll find: Guidance for both traditional and digital drawing, catering to your artistic
preferences; In-depth tutorials on crafting captivating faces, features, and expressions that convey emotion and depth;
Detailed insights into understanding bodies, proportions, and anatomy, enhancing the realism of your characters;
Step-by-step instructions for rendering hair and clothing, adding texture and personality to your creations; Guidance on
dynamic poses and perspective, infusing your manga illustrations with movement and energy.
Critique: An ideal and effective introduction to drawing in the manga style, this large format (8.5 x 0.36 x 11 inches, 1.4
pounds) paperback edition of 'Draw Like a Mangaka: The Complete Beginner's Guide to Learning to Draw Manga" ranges
from essential tools to dynamic poses, all while equipping the aspiring manga illustrator/artist with the skills needed to bring
manga characters to life. While also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99), "Draw Like
a Mangaka" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, art school, and
college/university library Art & Drawing Instruction collections and curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Constantly overtired, dependent on sweets, and permanently at his drawing table, that's Marcel "Draw like a
Sir" Kuhn. Marcel shares his manga drawing expertise in entertaining and informative videos on YouTube @DrawlikeaSir.
In addition to Draw Like a Mangaka, Marcel has illustrated and published eight books including the six-part manga series
MYTH.
The New Silversmith
Nicole Ringgold
Quarry Books
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
www.quartous.com
9780760385692, $35.00, HC, 160pp
https://www.amazon.com/New-Silversmith-Innovative-Sustainable-Nature-Inspired/dp/0760385696
Synopsis: Taking an innovative approach that challenges metalworking's conventional wisdom, with the publication of "The
New Silversmith: Innovative, Sustainable Techniques for Creating Nature-Inspired Jewelry", jewelry making expert Nicole
Ringgold reveals how to create intricate designs by fusing and carving metal scraps, and minimize the need for chemicals by
using tools in visionary ways.
"The New Silversmith" covers; Essentials (An overview of safety rules, as well as metal, tools, and torch and how to use
them); Projects (A variety of techniques, illustrated by stunning projects ranging from simple chain designs to a textured
branch to a delicate dragonfly, provide inspiration as well as instruction); Access to online tutorials (QR codes throughout
the book link to concise how-to videos).
With "The New Silversmith" aspiring jewelry makers will learn to create sumptuous earrings, pendants, bracelets, and rings
in sterling silver that celebrate natural forms with an effective, revolutionary, zero-waste approach to jewelry making.
Critique: Beautifully and profusely illustrated throughout, this large format (8.75 x 0.65 x 10.75 inches) hardcover edition of
"The New Silversmith: Innovative, Sustainable Techniques for Creating Nature-Inspired Jewelry" from Quarry Books is the
ideal DIY instructional guide and DIY 'how to' manual that is thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation. A
'must' for the novice and with a great deal of value for even the more experienced jewelry maker, "The New Silversmith" is
also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $16.99) and is an extraordinary and recommended pick for personal,
professional, community, and college/university library Jewlry Crafting & Metal Working collections and supplemental
curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Nicole Ringgold (www.nicoleringgold.com) is a silversmith living in Winthrop, Washington, located in the
North Cascade mountains. Her art is inspired by her natural surroundings: plants she encounters while hiking through the
mountains, the shapes of rocks she plucks from a river, a sound, glimpse, or smell. Her botanical jewelry is hand fabricated,
starting with silver sheets and wire, with every piece sawed, soldered, filed, textured, formed, oxidized, and polished. Her
intention is to recreate natural forms in silver with as much detail as possible, with the goal of making the metal appear
alive. She teaches silversmithing workshops in her home studio and around the world. For more about Nicole's work,
workshops, and tutorials, she can be followed on Instagram @ringgoldnicole
Kawaii Birdies
Jen Budrock
Rock Point
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
www.quartous.com
9781577154310, $21.99, PB, 144pp
https://www.amazon.com/Kawaii-Birdies-Adorable-Feathered-Friends/dp/1577154312
Synopsis: With the publication of "Kawaii Birdies: Learn to Draw 80 Adorable Feathered Friends" you are welcomed to the
world of kawaii in the format of a new drawing class instructional for Kawaii Birdies!
These birdies are so cute they can fit right in your palm. From their chubby bodies to the anatomy of their wings to the
beautiful colors of their plumage, there is so much to learn and love about our fair-feathered friends. Thanks to artist and
graphic designer Jen Budrock (an advocate and all-out bird nerd), "Kawaii Birdies" is a thoroughly 'art student'' guide will
teaching you how to create little birds with big personalities on the page, and even give you some tips on how to go about
bringing a real companion bird home.
In a two-spread Bird Order Directory, you will learn the order in which each specie included in this volume belongs in. With
a wide variety of birds spanning the old world and the new world, as well as domestic and wild species, this is just the
surface of the expansive world of birds. In true Birdhism style, this drawing class comes with a no holds barred on fun, as
you will discover in the chapters Birdie Activities, Birdie Shenanigans, and Birdie Dress-Up. Learn to draw the cutest birds
doing all types of silly activities, including: Cuddling, Stealing, Peekabooing, Pouting, Camping, Baking, Surfing, Battling
-- and so much more!
There are fun and helpful tips for creating your own birds with this easy-to-follow drawing class that beginners will love and
experts can expand their resumes with. Even after you have done all the tutorials, the back of "Kawaii Birdies" is loaded
with unique Inspiration and Coloring pages so that you can continue creating kawaii birdies wherever you are.
More than your standard how-to drawing guide, Kawaii Birdies is guaranteed to turn you into a certified bird lover. Grab
your favorite art utensil, and explore the world of birds in this art class today!
Critique: Thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Kawaii Birdies: Learn to Draw 80 Adorable
Feathered Friends" will prove to be a highly prized and recommended pick for for personal DIY art instruction/how-to
manual for novice and experienced artists alike with an interest in learning how to produce manga style images of bird
themed art.
Editorial Note: Jen Budrock (https://birdhism.wordpress.com/aboutjen) is a graphic designer, advocate, all-out bird nerd,
and the creator of Birdhism. One day she hopes to open a bird sanctuary and rescue. She lives in Austin, Texas. She can be
found on social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @Birdhism
Inky Meditations
Inky Inky (author)
Walter Foster Publishing
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
www.quartous.com
9780760388754, $22.99, PB, 128pp
https://www.amazon.com/Inky-Meditations-Mindful-Mesmerizing-Paintings/dp/076038875X
Synopsis: With "Inky Meditations: Learn to Create Mindful Mesmerizing Paintings with Water and Ink" art students and
seasoned artists alike will learn the unique ink-on-water technique that allows them to make beautiful paintings with just
sumi ink, a paintbrush, watercolor paper, and water. From plants and flowers to birds and beasts, with "Inky Meditations"
they can be successfully painting frame-worthy art in no time.
In 26 paintings, the reader will explore the art of brushstrokes as they watch the ink gracefully dance across the water's
surface. With every movement, intricate patterns emerge, each stroke capturing a moment of artistic expression. "Inky
Meditations" encourages the reader to go beyond technique and delve into a state of mindfulness with grounding exercises
and breathwork that allow you to focus on their surroundings, be in the moment, and reduce stress.
Witness the ink spread, blossom, and transform and embrace the notion that there's no right or wrong in this art; there's only
the journey of playful practice and mindful exploration. The captivating forms that emerge are a testament to the beauty of
embracing artistic intuition and going with the flow. This technique is perfect for all levels, from beginner to advanced and
requires no previous painting experience.
"Inky Meditations" includes: 26 step-by-step paintings, from leaves, flowers, and insects to birds, sea creatures, and more,
including drawing templates; A grounding exercise and note on breathwork while painting to start each project; Detailed
insights into brushstrokes, tips, and techniques, guiding you through the art of ink painting; QR codes to videos explaining
the painting techniques and walking you through a number of paintings; Encouragement to embrace the practice of mindful
intention and creative flow, creating organic and captivating compositions; Ideas for how to package and gift your finished
paintings.
Critique: "Inky Meditations: Learn to Create Mindful Mesmerizing Paintings with Water and Ink" is an ideal means of
unleashing your artistic creativity with this elegant and surprisingly easy technique. Now even he most novice of art students
can learn to reduce stress and create enchanting, mindful paintings with this comprehensive and thoroughly 'user friendly'
instructional guide and 'how-to' manual with respect to creating works of art with water and ink. While also available in a
digital book format (Kindle, $11.99), "Inky Meditations: Learn to Create Mindful Mesmerizing Paintings with Water and
Ink" is a highly recommended and prized addition to personal, professional, community, art school, and college/university
library Pen & Ink Art Instruction collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Inky (https://inkymeditations.com) shares hugely popular meditative painting videos with sumi ink and
water. Begun in 2021 by an Australian experimental artist with a bachelor of fine arts degree in printmaking, Inky's work
explores the spontaneous, organic, and imaginative movement of ink over water and the importance of uninhibited
creativity. Inky Meditations offers a new video each week and now boasts hundreds of ink painting videos.
The Needlecraft Shelf
Embroidery Stitch Bible
Betty Barnden
Search Press Ltd.
https://www.searchpress.com
9781782216025, $19.95, Flexibound, 256pp
https://www.amazon.com/Embroidery-Stitch-Bible-Betty-Barnden/dp/1782216022
Synopsis: Trends in embroidery styles come and go, but the basic stitches and techniques remain the same. "Embroidery
Stitch Bible" from Search Press is a new and up-to-date edition of the immensely successful stitch bible by needlework
designer and author Betty Barnden.
In this essential directory, hand sewers will have a collection of over 200 stitches at their fingertips - from basic chain
worked into fabric through to Florentine work on a canvas. Each one is explained with written step-by-step instructions and
how-to techniques to get you started, and are accompanied by clear artwork and a photo of the finished stitch.
Follow the diagrams and instructions in this beautifully illustrated and jam-packed instructional reference and guide to
discover the wonderful variety of effects that can be created with just a needle and thread, and discover (or rediscover) the
sensuous, tactile, wearable art of embroidery.
Critique: Beautifully illustrated throughout, this flexibound edition of Betty Barmdem's "Embroidery Stitch Bible" is an
essential and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library
Needlecraft instructional reference collections. Impressively 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, it should be
noted that the Search Press edition of "Embroidery Stitch Bible" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$18.33)
Editorial Note: Betty Barnden is a freelance needlecraft designer who studied furniture design at the Royal College of Art
(where she made her first tubular knitted chairs). Betty has designed knitting patterns for companies such as Sirdar, Patons,
Jaeger and King Cole. Her knitwear, embroidery and crochet designs have appeared in many magazines over the years, and
she has also designed embroidery projects and kits. Betty also regularly contributes to Sewing World magazine.
Amigurumi Friends
Jade Gauthier-Boutin
Quarry Books
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
www.quartous.com
9780760385869, $24.99, PB, 144pp
https://www.amazon.com/Amigurumi-Friends-Patterns-Adorable-Possibilities/dp/0760385866
Synopsis: Amigurumi is the Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small, stuffed yarn creatures. While the art of amigurumi
has been known in Japan for several decades, the craft first started appealing to the masses in other countries, especially in
the West, in 2003. By 2006, amigurumi were reported to be some of the most popular items on Etsy, an online craft
marketplace, where they typically sold for $10 to $100. (Wikipedia)
There is nothing more satisfying for a needlecrater than creating something with your hands -- especially when it's your own
design and it's cuddly and adorable. In "Amigurumi Friends: 20 Easy Patterns to Create 100+ Adorable Custom Crochet
Critters", popular crochet designer Jade Gauthier-Boutin shares a variety of approaches to stitching, customizing, and
designing your own crochet critters.
Jade first provides detailed patterns for five basic animal poses -- two standing, two sitting, and one lying down. You then
choose your own crochet adventure by changing the muzzles, ears, tails, colors, and other details to create more than 100
adorable animals. With an overview of crochet techniques and amigurumi basics, even beginning crocheters will be able to
stitch their chosen crochet animals.
This comprehensive DIY guide includes:
Clear instructions for the basic head and for five body shapes and poses
Twenty animal types with instructions for crocheting all five variations
Ideas for customizing the projects with different expressions, yarns, colors, and more
Inspiration and guidance to design your own amigurumi from scratch
QR codes linked to video tutorials to make creating amigurumi even easier
Whether you're new to crochet or amigurumi or looking for fresh ideas to make, gift, and even sell, "Amigurumi Friends"
provides everything you need to know to stitch up your own marvelous menagerie of cuddly critters.
Critique: Fun and informative, thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, this large format (8.5 x 0.36 x 11
inches, 1.5 pounds) paperback edition of "Amigurumi Friends: 20 Easy Patterns to Create 100+ Adorable Custom Crochet
Critters - Explore Infinite Possibilities with Shapes, Colors, Details, and Yarns" from Quarry Books is specifically and
enthusiastically recommended for personal, professional, and community library DIY crocheting instructional reference
collections. It should be noted for novice and experienced needlecrafters alike that "Amigurumi Friends" is also readily
available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).
Editorial Note: Jade Gauthier-Boutin (www.ravelry.com/designers/jade-gauthier-boutin) is a crochet designer from Quebec,
Canada. A self-taught crocheter, Jade loves to create easy-to-follow patterns for stitchers of all skill levels, which she sells
through her hugely successful Etsy shop. She can be followed on: Instagram: @allfromjade; YouTube: @allfromjade;
TikTok: @allfromjade; Facebook: All from Jade; and Etsy shop: AllFromJade
DIY Thrift Flip
April Yang
Quarry Books
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
www.quartous.com
9780760383216, $24.99, PB, 152pp
https://www.amazon.com/DIY-Thrift-Flip-Techniques-Transforming/dp/0760383219
Synopsis: With the publication of "DIY Thrift Flip: Sewing Techniques for Transforming Old Clothes into Fun, Wearable
Fashions", expert thrift-flipper April Yang (aka Coolirpa), takes you through every phase of the process, including how to
find the best clothes and fabrics and easy ways to alter and tailor shirts, dresses, pants, coats, and more.
"DIY Thrift Flip" covers: Getting Started (Essential materials and tools, setting up a workspace, organizing supplies, sewing
machine basics, and a concise fabric primer); How to Shop for Alterable Clothes (Where to shop, what types of clothes to
look for, what can and can't be fixed, and how to gauge size when you can't try something on); Altering Basics (How to use
patterns to alter clothes or parts of garments, techniques for altering without using patterns, the basics of garment altering,
adding sleeves, hems, and pockets, and how to custom-tailor an altered piece for a great fit); Projects (Beginner to
intermediate-level projects inspire and guide you along your own thrift flips); and QR codes give you access to techniques,
tutorials, and project details.
Also included in "DIY Thrift Flip" are basic sewing techniques, sewing and clothing terminology, clothing silhouettes, how
to measure the body, and more. With "DIY Thrift Flip", you will learn how to build a wardrobe of original pieces that shows
off your unique style and boosts your creativity in the process.
Critique: Of special and particular appeal to needlecrafters with an interest re-purposing, re-inventing, recycling all manner
of old (and even worn out) clothing into new and attractive garments, "DIY Thrift Flip: Sewing Techniques for
Transforming Old Clothes into Fun, Wearable Fashions" will prove to be an invaluable and budget conscious source of
information, instruction, and inspiration. While highly recommended as an addition to personal, professional, community,
and college/university library Sewing/Needlecrafting collections and supplemental Fashion Design curriculum lists, it
should be noted for both novice and experienced seamstresses that this large format (9780760383216, 1.5 pounds)
paperback edition of "DIY Thrift Flip" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).
Editorial Note: April Yang (www.coolirpa.com) is a Southern California - based thrift flipper who has an associate's degree
in fashion design from Palomar Community College and has built a substantial following on Instagram and YouTube, where
she posts sewing tutorials and thrift flip process videos. Her flips include turning a thrift-store find into a chic maternity
dress, a worn-out black dress into a chic evening dress with lace appliques, a blah gingham dress into a cute jumpsuit, and a
graduation gown into a glamorous black cocktail dress. She started sewing in high school out of necessity, when she wanted
to wear new clothes but couldn't afford them. As she began to post her clothing flips on YouTube under the name Coolirpa,
she found a like-minded community who was inspired by her creativity, and her popularity on social media soon
skyrocketed. She lives in San Diego, California. To see more of her work go to @coolirpaa on TikTok, and @coolirpa on
YouTube and Instagram.
The Gardening Shelf
The Gardener's Guide to Native Plants of the Southern Great Lakes Region
Rich Gray & Shaun Booth, co-authors
Firefly Books Ltd.
www.fireflybooks.com
9780228104605, $35.00, PB, 352pp
https://www.amazon.com/Gardeners-Native-Plants-Southern-Region/dp/0228104602
Synopsis: Gardening with native plants is perhaps the fastest-growing sector in the gardening world. More and more
gardeners are discovering the pleasure and benefits of growing native plants, particularly for our dwindling pollinator and
bird populations. Co-authored by gardening experts Rich Gray and Shaun Booth, "The Gardener's Guide to Native Plants of
the Southern Great Lakes Region" is unique in that it distills all the information essential for growing 150 species of
garden-worthy native plants into a single, at-a-glance guide.
For each profiled plant, this informative guide tells you:
What conditions the plant needs for soil type, moisture and light
How big the plant will get, when the plant will be in bloom and what color the flowers will be
How to propagate the plant
Which pests a plant may be susceptible to
Which USDA Plant Hardiness Zones it grows in
What the wildlife value of the plant is including if its a host for butterfly & moth caterpillars.
Of special note is The Species At Risk status of the plant in Ontario, Indiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio and
Pennsylvania
A detailed description of the plant along with photos of the flower, leaf and seed head or berry help you to easily identify
each plant. Unique to gardening guide book is a detailed map of the native range of the plant within the southern Great
Lakes region (including Ontario, Indiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania) which will help to ensure success
in the garden.
A thorough introductory section covering subjects like shade requirement, naming conventions, plant hardiness zones and
more, as well as a common name index and handy tables for quick reference, round out this comprehensive volume.
Critique: An ideal introduction and DIY guide for novice and experienced gardners alike, this large format (7.5 x 1 x 10
inches, 2.79 pounds) profusely illustrated paperback edition of "The Gardener's Guide to Native Plants of the Southern
Great Lakes Region" from Firefly Books is a core addition and recommended pick for personal, community, and
college/university library Native Plant Gardening collections and will be the preferred reference on native plants for
amateurs and professionals alike.
Editorial Note #1: Rick Gray is an avid gardener who over the years has created a fully native garden with over 300 species
of native plants. His website features blogs, book reviews on native plant gardening books, and Plant of the Month articles.
(www.NativePlantGardener.ca)
Editorial Note #2: Shaun Booth (www.InOurNature.ca) has a background in ecosystem management, runs an ecological
garden design company and native plant nursery called In Our Nature. He uses his knowledge and experience to promote the
benefits of native gardening through webinars, volunteering and his Ontario Native Plant Gardening Facebook group, which
has over 22,000 followers.
The Antiques/Collectibles Shelf
Miller's Antiques Handbook & Price Guide 2024-2025
Judith Miller
Mitchell Beazley
c/o Octopus Books
https://www.octopusbooks.co.uk
9781784729431, $49.99, HC, 600pp
https://www.amazon.com/Millers-Antiques-Handbook-Price-2024-2025/dp/1784729434
Synopsis: "Miller's Antiques Handbook & Price Guide" remains the essential and trusted guide to the antiques market. It has
earned the reputation of being the book no dealer, collector or auctioneer should be without. Compiled by the late Judith
Miller, world-renowned antiques expert and co-founder of the book, this new 2024-2025 edition guide features more than
8,000 antiques.
Comprehensive sections cover Ceramics, Asian Antiques, Furniture, Glass, Silver and Metalwares, Jewellery and objets de
vertu, Clocks and Watches, Books, Textiles, Toys, Decorative Arts and Modern Classics. Special features explain why one
piece is worth more than another, show how to value an item and teach you to be your own valuer. Biographies of designers
and factories give the background information you need to help date and value objects, while special 'Judith Picks' sections
give fascinating background and valuation details for particularly interesting or unusual objects.
Critique: Simply but accurately stated, "Miller's Antiques Handbook & Price Guide 2024-2025" is the 'bible' of the
antiquarian/collectibles market for dealers, appraisers, collectors, and investors. Profusely and effectively illustrated on
every page, market price reliable, and thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, this large format (7.9 x
1.75 x 9.6 inches, 4.39 pounds) hardcover edition of "Miller's Antiques Handbook & Price Guide 2024-2025" from Mitchell
Beazley is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library
Antiques/Collectibles reference collections. It should be noted that "'s Antiques Handbook & Price Guide 2024-2025" is
also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $27.99).
Editorial Note: Judith Miller (16 September 1951 - 8 April 2023) was one of the world's leading antiques experts. She first
began collecting in the 1960s while a student at Edinburgh University, and continued to extend and reinforce her knowledge
of antiques through international research. In 1979 she co-founded the international best-seller Miller's Antiques Price
Guide and went on to write more than 100 books which are held in high regard by collectors and dealers.
The Sports Shelf
The Story of Golf in Fifty Holes
Tony Dear
Firefly Books Ltd.
www.fireflybooks.com
9780228103486, $19.95, PB, 224pp
https://www.amazon.com/Story-Golf-Fifty-Holes/dp/0228103487
Synopsis: With the publication of "The Story of Golf in Fifty Holes" author and golf enthusiast Tony Dear explores the
600-year history of the "game of honor" This profusely illustrated history of golf reveals the excitement and despair, the
challenges overcome and the sweet victories, the sportsmanship and the stars bursting onto the scene. Also described are the
developments in course design, like the first manmade water hazard, and the first central fairways bunkers.
A definitive history in 50 chapters, "The Story of Golf in Fifty Holes" informatively describes the holes, their contribution to
golf course architecture, their importance to the careers of specific players, and their place in the overall story of golf.
Critique: Informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with: "Design and Layout" illustrations of the 50 holes; The year,
course, location and map, distance and par for each hole; Color and archival photographs of the players and tournament
events; and sidebars with additional stories of interest.
Also included: 5th North Berwick (the original Redan hole); 18th Glen Abbey (where Tiger Woods had what many call the
greatest shot ever hit); 12th Atlantic Country Club (where the term "birdie" was first used); and the18th Royal Birkdale
(home to "the concession")."
Critique: For players and fans alike, "The Story of Golf in Fifty Holes" is a phenomenal history and a 'must read' selection
for anyone who has enjoyed the game of golf as recreation or as a profession. Simply stated, this paperback edition of Tony
Dear's "The Story of Golf in Fifty Holes" from Firefly Books is a high prized pick for personal, professional, community,
and college/university library Sports & Golf collections.
Editorial Note: Tony Dear, a former British PGA apprentice professional and member of the University of Liverpool golf
team, is now an award-winning freelance golf writer. He contributes to numerous golf publications on both sides of the
Atlantic, including Golf World, The Open Championship magazine and Links. He has also written for the Guardian, Dallas
Morning News, San Diego Union-Tribune and National Post, and is a former golf correspondent of the New York Sun.
(https://www.firstcallgolf.com/tony-dear)
The Native American Studies Shelf
All That Glitters Is Ours
Roberta Carol Harvey
Sunstone Press
www.sunstonepress.com
9781632936295, $52.95, HC, 776pp
https://www.amazon.com/Glitters-Theft-Indian-Mineral-Resources/dp/1632936291
Synopsis: The U.S. Army General Pope stated in 1878 that it was absolutely imperative that Indian Nations realize the
United States' premeditated and calculated determination to dispossess the "savage" and occupy his lands and that "it is
certain that the larger part of the country claimed by him will, in some manner, pass into the possession of the white
race."
The insatiable drive for a continental empire resulted in the iron triangle of the federal government, the military and big
business working in concert to steal Indian mineral lands. They knowingly and willfully unleashed the pioneer vigilantes to
commandeer Indian resources.
The Commissioner of Indian Affairs J.Q. Smith wrote in 1876: "Wherever an Indian reservation has on it good land, or
timber, or minerals, the cupidity of the white man is excited, and a constant struggle is inaugurated to dispossess the Indian,
in which the avarice and determination of the white man usually prevails."
"Every art, trick, and device of the unscrupulous land pirate is resorted to," admonished Colonel Preston.
Yet it was brutal warfare, massacres, disease, and starvation that decimated Indian populations, leaving them destitute, to be
replaced by industrial tycoons, timber barons, mineral magnates, and capital investors profiting from the "savage's" minerals
in the bowels of the Earth.
Documented and detailed, "All That Glitters Is Ours: The Theft of Indian Mineral Resources" is that story.
Critique: Organized by state and chronology, "All That Glitters Is Ours: The Theft of Indian Mineral Resources" by
historian Roberta Carol Harvey (who is a member of the Navajo Nation) is a truly massive history of how the acquisition of
natural resources were taken over by the U.S. Government and its white citizens (most often by force of arms and broken
treaties) from Native Americans. A work of immense and dedicated research, impressively organized and presented, "All
That Glitters Is Ours" must be considered an essential and core addition to personal, professional, community, and
college/university library Native American History collections and supplemental Native American Demographic Studies
curriculums. It should be noted for students, academia, Native American Rights activists, governmental policy makers, and
non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject tht "All That Glitters Is Ours" is also readily available in a
paperback edition (9781632936332, $44.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.99).
Editorial Note: Robert Carol Harvey is a citizen of the Navajo Nation, an attorney and an historian. She holds BA, MBA
and JD degrees from the University of Denver and is a lecturer on Indian law related to policy, land, water and natural
resources. She is committed to Indian sovereignty, ending assimilation policies and promoting accurate education. She is
also the author of The Earth is Red: The Imperialism of the Doctrine of Discovery; The Eclipse of the Sun: The Need for
American Indian Curriculum in High Schools; The Iron Triangle: Business, Government, and Colonial Settlers'
Dispossession of Indian Timberlands and Timber; Warrior Societies: A Manifesto; and Social Contributions of Colorado's
American Indian Leaders For the Seven Generations to Come -- all published by Sunstone Press.
The Computer Shelf
The Art of Machine Learning
Norman Matloff
No Starch Press
www.nostarch.com
9781718502109, $49.99, PB, 272pp
https://www.amazon.com/Art-Machine-Learning-Algorithms-Data/dp/1718502109
Synopsis: Packed with real datasets and practical examples, "The Art of Machine Learning: A Hands-On Guide to Machine
Learning with R" by Norman Matloff will help you develop an intuitive understanding of how and why ML methods work,
without the need for advanced math.
As you work through "The Art of Machine Learning", you will learn how to implement a range of powerful ML techniques,
starting with the k-Nearest Neighbors (k-NN) method and random forests, and moving on to gradient boosting, support
vector machines (SVMs), neural networks, and more.
With the aid of real datasets, you will delve into regression models through the use of a bike-sharing dataset, explore
decision trees by leveraging New York City taxi data, and dissect parametric methods with baseball player stats. You will
also find expert tips for avoiding common problems, like handling "dirty" or unbalanced data, and how to troubleshoot
pitfalls.
"The Art of Machine Learning covers: How to deal with large datasets and techniques for dimension reduction; Offers
details on how the Bias-Variance Trade-off plays out in specific ML methods; Presents models based on linear
relationships, including ridge and LASSO regression; and a Real-World image and text classification and how to handle
time series data
Machine learning is an art that requires careful tuning and tweaking. With "The Art of Machine Learning" as your guide,
you will be ale to master the underlying principles of ML that will empower you to effectively use these models, rather than
simply provide a few stock actions with limited practical use.
Critique: It should be noted that a basic requirement of "The Art of Machine Learning" is a basic understanding on the part
of the reader with respect to graphs, charts and familiarity with the R programming language. Exceptionally well organized
and presented, "The Art of Machine Learning" is an ideal and unreservedly recommended pick for personal, professional,
and college/university library Computer Programing Languages and Mathematical/Statistical Software collections and
supplemental studies lists.
Editorial Note: Norman Matloff (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Matloff) is an award-winning professor at the
University of California, Davis. Matloff has a PhD in mathematics from UCLA and is the author of The Art of Debugging
with GDB, DDD, and Eclipse and The Art of R Programming (both from No Starch Press).
The Theatre/Cinema/TV Shelf
Still Rolling: Inside the Hollywood Dream Factory
Dwight Little
McFarland & Company
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476691299, $29.95, PB, 234pp
https://www.amazon.com/Still-Rolling-Inside-Hollywood-Factory/dp/1476691290
Synopsis: The Hollywood career of Dwight Little includes directing and producing major motion pictures for multiple
studios, acclaimed television series and even video games. With the publication of his memoir, "Still Rolling: Inside the
Hollywood Dream Factory", he takes his readers along on a movie-making adventure that is by turns funny and brutally
honest.
There are many on-set interactions with well-known producers and stars along with detailed descriptions of film shoots from
the wilds of India to the banks of the River Kwai. Also included are tales from the jails of Madrid to the jungles of Fiji and
the cold war streets of Budapest. The work seamlessly connects the Golden Age of Hollywood to the highly successful
premium television of today.
Make or break creative battles, Hollywood intrigues, unpredictable studio executives, and temperamental actors are all
documented in colorful detail. Whether the reader is an aspiring filmmaker or just a movie lover, "Still Rolling: Inside the
Hollywood Dream Factory" has it all, including a unique insight into television directing in the new streaming age and 41
photos -- many of them on-set.
Critique: Organized into two major sections (Movies, Television), "Still Rolling: Inside the Hollywood Dream Factory" is a
fascinating and informative memoir that will be of particular value to readers with an interest in Movie/Video production
and direction, as well as personal, professional, community, and college/university library American Cinematic
History/Memoir collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for film students and aspiring film
makers that "Still Rolling: Inside the Hollywood Dream Factory" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$19.99).
Editorial Note: DGA member Dwight Little has directed studio movies for Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox, Columbia
Pictures, and multiple independent movies with wide theatrical release. He has also directed three television movies and
ninety hours of Network Television. (https://www.dwightlittledirector.com)
The Architecture Shelf
Laboratorio de Vivienda
Michael Meredith, author
Hilary Sample, author
Actar D
c/o Actar Publishers
https://actar.com
9781638401124, $49.95, HC, 200pp
https://www.amazon.com/Laboratorio-Vivienda-Michael-Meredith/dp/1638401128
Synopsis: In 2017, Mexico's Institute for the National Fund for Workers' (INFONAVIT) Center for Research for Sustainable
Development launched a program to solicit new approaches to affordable housing. To better understand the possibilities,
and to better educate developers, workers, and students about the research, INFONAVIT engaged with MOS to develop a
master plan for a campus of 32 built prototypes and design an education center to promote awareness and study of workers'
housing typologies.
The selection process revealed various categories and themes for which the projects could be classified. Some projects
rethink the fundamentals of low-income housing's spatial organization (corridors, courtyards, roofs), some rework labor and
construction, and some recast structure or material. The forms of these works are generally economical but, unlike
early-modernist projects at the Weissenhof Estate, their attitude is not one of a radical break. If anything, these works relate
to the vast, varied world of contemporary vernacular construction - the majority of the built world that Architecture glosses
over. Each house responds to different climates, each house maintains their designed solar orientation, each house exhibits
potential for growth by aggregation, repetition, or various strategies of extension, infill, and addition. All of the houses
retain their individual identities within the larger campus.
Presenting the 32 projects selected and built, including research, drawings, and descriptions by the architects, and an essay
by Canadian Centre for Architecture Director Giovanna Borasi titled "A Large Urban Garden Where You Can Learn About
Architecture," this edition of "Laboratorio de Vivienda" from Actar D considers the problem of low-income housing by
bringing thoughtful attention and expertise of architects, considering how these proposals, assembled into a collective,
would work together toward creating not an estate but a community for Apan. For, given the limited resources of such
works, each decision gains greater significance and has greater impact on the design and on the life of its inhabitants.
Critique: This large format (9.5 x 0.9 x 13 inches, 3 pounds) hardcover edition of "Laboratorio de Vivienda" co-authored by
Professors Michael Meredith and Hilary Sample, will prove to be of immense value to architectural students and
practitioners with an interest in residential architecture, regional architecture, and urban/land use planning. With its bilingual
text (English/Spanish) and profusely illustrated throughout, "Laboratorio de Vivienda" is especially recommended as a
unique and invaluable addition to personal, professional, and college/university library Architectural Studies collections and
supplemental curriculum lists.
Editorial Note #1: Michael Meredith is a Professor at Princeton University's School of Architecture and co-founder of MOS.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Meredith_(architect)
Editorial Note #2: Hilary Sample (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hilary_Sample) is the IDC Professor of Housing Design at
Columbia University GSAPP and co-founder of the New York-based architecture and design studio MOS.
The Business Shelf
Cultural Intelligence for Marketers
Anastasia Karklina Gabriel
Kogan Page Inc.
www.koganpage.com
9781398614055, $134.00, HC, 280pp
https://www.amazon.com/Cultural-Intelligence-Marketers-Inclusive-Marketing/dp/139861405X
Synopsis: A brand today can build a marketing strategy that not only effectively resonates with audiences but also
meaningfully impacts society at large. To be successful it is critically important to learn how to produce inclusive marketing
using an approach grounded in critical perspectives on society and the impact brands wield in shaping it.
With the publication of "Cultural Intelligence for Marketers: Building an Inclusive Marketing Strategy", cultural theorist and
strategist Anastasia Karklina Gabriel draws upon social analysis, media theory, and semiotics to help marketers improve
cultural fluency and future-proof brand strategy by embedding equity and inclusion into every aspect of marketing.
"Cultural Intelligence for Marketers" also explains how to create an inclusive marketing strategy using an actionable
approach that draws on advanced insights into culture, identity, representation, and the power of media in driving social
change.
Furthermore, "Cultural Intelligence for Marketers" offers an in-depth dive into the urgent need for cultural competence in
marketing using a framework rooted in 4Cs: Culture, communication, critical consciousness, and community. It delves into
practical aspects of conscious marketing, inclusive innovation, cultural insights, brand activism, social impact, and
responsibility in business. It features insights from current and former marketing leaders at Wieden+Kennedy, Mindshare,
Dentsu, and Saatchi & Saatchi, among others.
Drawing on case studies from brands that are actively pursuing inclusive marketing strategies, including Microsoft,
Pinterest, Billie, and REI, "Cultural Intelligence for Marketers" outlines the process of deploying cultural intelligence to
attain commercial advantage while transforming society for the better.
Critique: Exceptional, comprehensive, and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "Cultural
Intelligence for Marketers: Building an Inclusive Marketing Strategy" is essential reading for anyone charged with
marketing research, web marketing/e-commerce responsibilities. A recommended and core addition to personal,
professional, corporate, and college/university library Business Marketing collections and supplemental MBA curriculum
studies lists, it should be noted that "Cultural Intelligence for Marketers" is also readily available in a paperback edition
(9781398614031, $37.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $36.09).
Editorial Note: Dr. Anastasia Karklina Gabriel is a cultural theorist and strategist who specializes in inclusive marketing.
Currently a cultural intelligence lead at Reddit, Dr. Gabriel earned her doctorate in cultural studies from Duke University
and consulted for the world's top brands at agencies like Wieden+Kennedy, McCann, Kantar and Dentsu Creative. A
lifelong activist, she helps brands increase cultural fluency and leverage a socially conscious approach to cultural strategy
and innovation. Her activism has been covered in The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today and WSJ. Dr.
Gabriel is based in New York City, New York.
The Logistics and Supply Chain Toolkit
Gwynne Richards, author
Susan Grinsted, author
Kogan Page Inc.
www.koganpage.com
9781789660876, $196.00, HC, 424pp
https://www.amazon.com/Logistics-Supply-Chain-Toolkit-Warehousing/dp/1789660874
Synopsis: Co-authored byGwynne Richards and Susan Grinsted, this newly updated and expanded third edition of "The
Logistics and Supply Chain Toolkit: Over 100 Tools for Transport, Warehousing and Inventory Management" provides
practical tools for warehouse, inventory and transport managers and students to help them tackle the challenges of logistics
and supply chain management.
This new edition of "The Logistics and Supply Chain Toolkit" is packed from cover to cover with practical ideas and
information on optimizing the management of logistics and supply chain processes.
"The Logistics and Supply Chain Toolkit" also offers solutions and plans spanning across a variety of sub-disciplines such
as warehousing, logistics, supply chain management, inventory and outsourcing. Each toolkit addresses key principles
within its area of discipline, providing the reader with a precision approach to be used in complex and sensitive
circumstances.
The toolkit presents a number of major management tools such as Fortna's Product Flow Smart Design, SMART, DMAIC
and Gantt charts. General management, performance management and problem-solving tools have also been included to
provide a broader, transferable scope of tools for the reader.
Critique: The importance of logistics and supply chains for American businesses and the American economy was
dramatically brought into focus with the impact of the world wide Covid plague. Impressively comprehensive, exceptionally
'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "The Logistics and Supply Chain Toolkit: Over 100 Tools for Transport,
Warehousing and Inventory Management" must be considered essential reading for anyone charged with responsibilties
concerning company/corporate distribution and warehouse management, production and operations. A critically important
and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, corporate, and college/university library Business
Management collections and supplemental MBA curriculum studies lists, it should be noted that "The Logistics and Supply
Chain Toolkit: 3rd Edition" from Kogan Page is also readily available in a paperback edition (9781789660869,
$62.99).
Editorial Note #1: Gwynne Richards has over thirty years' experience in warehouse management and logistics. As well as
running his own successful logistics consultancy, he provides a number of courses on warehouse and transport management
for practitioners. He is also a visiting lecturer at the University of Warwick and the University of Aston. He is the author of
Warehouse Management andThe Logistics and Supply Chain Toolkit, published by Kogan Page.
Editorial Note #2: Susan Grinsted is an independent educator, trainer and consultant, who works with a number of
educational institutions in Britain, France and Finland, as well as with multinational companies all over the world. Her work
focuses on transferring knowledge and skills to enable companies to improve their performance.
Campfire Lessons for Leaders
Tony Martignetti
Routledge
www.routledge.com
9781032428994, $42.95, PB, 160pp
https://www.amazon.com/Campfire-Lessons-Leaders-Uncovering-Forward/dp/1032428996
Synopsis: "Campfire Lessons for Leaders: How Uncovering Our Past Can Propel Us Forward" by Tony Martignetti is
invaluable reading for business leaders heading into a milestone moment and in need of practical, 'real world' advice to help
them take something that can seem amorphous and abstract -- Living an intentional, purposeful life and turn it into
reality.
Though it might seem counterintuitive, "Campfire Lessons for Leaders" demonstrates that to move forward in the right
direction, you must understand and integrate your past into your present. Readers will see how they too can step back and
consider the "flashpoints" of their past in a way that will serve them as they take the next step of their life, from navigating a
significant life change to simply living each day feeling less stuck and more purposeful.
Leading coach Tony Martignetti shares the most powerful lessons from over 200 "Virtual Campfire" podcast interviews he's
conducted with driven individuals who decided to live intentionally rather than by default. As no two interviewees have
faced the same challenges or pursued the same goals, readers will be inspired by these diverse insights to embark on (and
sustain) their own unique transformations.
Packed from cover to cover with questions, journaling prompts, and real-world exercises to help readers understand their
past at a deeper level and integrate it into their present, "Campfire Lessons for Leaders" provides a valuable toolkit for
business leaders and professionals in any industry who feel unfulfilled and uncertain about what's next for them.
Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized, and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in presentation, "Campfire Lessons for
Leaders: How Uncovering Our Past Can Propel Us Forward" is particularly and especially recommended reading for
business managers and corporate executives charged with mentoring, coaching, organizing, and inspiring their peers and
subordinates. While highly recommended for personal, professional, community, corporate, and college/university library
Business Management & Occupational Psychology collections and supplemental MBA curriculum studies lists, it should be
noted for MBA students, academia, management executives, entrepreneurs, and non-specialist general readers with an
interest in the subject that "Campfire Lessons for Leaders" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $32.64).
Editorial Note: Tony Martignetti (www.ipurposepartners.com) is the Chief Inspiration Officer at Inspired Purpose Partners.
He is a trusted advisor, leadership coach and facilitator, best-selling author, podcast host, and speaker who brings together
over 25 years of business and leadership experience and extreme curiosity to elevate leaders and equip them with the tools
to navigate through change and unlock their true potential.
Employee-Generated Learning
Kasper Spiro, author
Videhi Bhamidi, author
Kogan Page Inc.
www.koganpage.com
9781398613195, $131.00, HC, 224pp
https://www.amazon.com/Employee-Generated-Learning-develop-training-performance/dp/1398613193
Synopsis: Most companies adopt a learning strategy where content is created by a centralized learning and development
(L&D) department, with no input from existing employees. This process is slow, expensive and makes it impossible to keep
content updated.
The solution to this state of affairs is shifting content creation from a top-down approach to a bottom-up one, allowing
employees to share their knowledge across the business. This approach is called Employee-generated Learning. Through it,
L&D professionals have more time to focus on learning strategy and culture, analytics, ROI and addressing any knowledge
gaps.
Co-authored by Kasper Spiro and Videhi Bhamidi, "Employee-Generated Learning: How to develop training that drives
performance" is a practical guide that explains what Employee-generated Learning is, the benefits of this approach and how
to implement it. It provides a framework for organizations of any size, enriched by detailed how-to's, industry insights and
case studies from companies that have successfully implemented this bottom-up approach.
"Employee-Generated Learning" covers the shift in learning trends from formal to informal learning and from theoretical
learning to performance support. It outlines the performance, financial and productivity gains from kickstarting a
knowledge-sharing culture. Most importantly, it is a practical manual on implementing Employee-generated Learning step
by step.
"Employee-Generated Learning: How to develop training that drives performance" is ideal for all learning professionals
looking to upskill their workforce at pace, capture the knowledge and experience of their staff and improve both individual
and business performance.
Critique: An essential and core addition to personal, professional, community, corporate, and college/university library
Business Leadership Training and Human Resources/Personnel Management collections and supplemental MBA curriculum
studies lists, it should be noted that "Employee-Generated Learning: How to develop training that drives performance" is
also readily available from Kogan Page in a paperback edition (9781398613171, $34.47) and in a digital book format
(Kindle, $32.75).
Editorial Note #1: Kasper Spiro is the Co-founder and Chief Learning Strategist at Easygenerator. He has been involved in
e-learning and content development for over two decades. Aiming to improve the e-learning creation process, he developed
the Employee-generated Learning (EGL) approach in 2013. Since then, he and Easygenerator have guided thousands of
companies to adopt EGL, including Danone, Astra Zeneca, and DHL Group. Kasper is also an international speaker, podcast
host, blogger, and L&D author.
Editorial Note #2: Videhi Bhamidi is the Director of Research at Easygenerator. An Oxford University alumna, she has Dual
Master's degrees in Education and HR Management, specializing in social, mobile, and blended learning methods. She has
worked with diverse L&D teams worldwide, and now leads the e-learning product research studies that help shape
Easygenerator. Since 2016, Videhi's extensive theoretical knowledge and research have been instrumental in developing and
improving the Employee-generated Learning model.
The Christian Studies Shelf
Parenting with Hope
Melissa B. Kruger
Harvest House Publishers
www.harvesthousepublishers.com
9780736986267, $22.99, HC, 240pp
https://www.amazon.com/Parenting-Hope-Raising-Christ-Secular/dp/073698626X
Synopsis: As children mature, it's important for Christian parents to prepare for the unique changes and challenges of
adolescence. With so many cultural pressures and influences vying for teens' attention, parents need a secure foundation for
creating an environment where faith can flourish.
With the publication of "Parenting with Hope: Raising Teens for Christ in a Secular Age", Melissa B. Kruger invites you to
anchor your hopes and expectations in Jesus Christ -- the true source of wisdom, strength, contentment, and fruitful
parenting. Integrating sound biblical teaching, insights from developmental experts, and her own experiences as a teacher
and mother, Melissa Kruger will wisely guide you through today's most common concerns. Emphasizing principles over
prescriptions, Melissa will also help you to understand how you can build up and bless your teens in God-honoring
ways.
When you recognize God as the ultimate parent, you will begin to truly understand that he is presently at work in the hearts
of both parents and teens. "Parenting with Hope" is an encouraging and practical guide that will equip you with the wisdom
to cultivate a Christ-centered household, passing on a legacy of faithfulness to your teenage children.
Critique: Inspired and inspiring, "Parenting with Hope: Raising Teens for Christ in a Secular Age" should be considered
essential reading for all members of the Christian community wanting to help teens and young adults maintain and practice
their faith in an increasingly secular society. Highly recommended for family, church, seminary, community, and
college/university library Parenting collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Parenting with Hope" is
also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $17.49).
Editorial Note: Melissa B. Kruger (https://melissabkruger.com) is vice president of discipleship programming at The Gospel
Coalition and author of multiple books, including Growing Together, Walking with God in the Season of Motherhood, and
the popular children's book Wherever You Go, I Want You to Know. Her husband, Mike, is the president of Reformed
Theological Seminary, and they reside with their three children in North Carolina.
This Is Our Faith: An Introduction to Catholicism
Thomas P. Rausch, SJ
Paulist Press
www.paulistpress.com
9780809157044, $24.95, PB, 224pp
https://www.amazon.com/This-Our-Faith-Introduction-Catholicism/dp/0809157047
Synopsis: With the publication of "This Is Our Faith: An Introduction to Catholicism", Thomas P. Rausch, SJ offers a
concise outline of the Catholic faith based on the Apostles' Creed. This new edition from Paulist Press provides more recent
developments of the church as it has developed through the Second Vatican Council and the vision of subsequent popes.
"This Is Our Faith" concludes with an important chapter on the challenges of living in a global society with multiple
religions and cultures that the church must embrace to be significant throughout the twenty-first century.
Critique: Exceptionally well organized and presented, "This Is Our Faith: An Introduction to Catholicism" is an ideal
resource to introduced and explain the Catholic faith to non-Catholics and Catholic parishioners alike. While also available
for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.36), "This Is Our Faith" is especially and unreservedly
recommended for clergy, seminary students, members of the Catholic community, and anyone with a curiosity about what it
means to be Catholic.
Editorial Note: Rev. Thomas P. Rausch, SJ, has a PhD in religion from Duke University and is the Emeritus T. Marie
Chilton Professor of Catholic Theology at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. A specialist in the areas of
Christology, ecclesiology, and ecumenism, he has published many books and over three hundred articles and reviews. He
has lectured internationally, and his works have been translated into nine different languages.
The Judaic Studies Shelf
Empowering Seder Conversations Passover Haggadah
Eitan Ashman
Urim Publications
c/o KTAV Publishing House
www.UrimPublications.com
9789655243703, $25.00, HC, 128pp
https://www.amazon.com/Empowering-Seder-Conversations-Passover-Haggadah/dp/9655243702
Synopsis: This bilingual (English/Hebrew) edition of "The Empowering Seder Conversations Passover Haggadah" presents
clear and inspiring insights to foster broad inclusion and engagement at the Seder. This Haggadah features the voices of
Eitan Ashman and other individuals who offer unique perspectives gained through their perseverance and encounters with
language, communication, and other challenges. It also includes meaningful thoughts shared by contemporary Jewish
leaders and educators.
The Seder text and succinct conversational ideas appear in large fonts with an accessible layout. Practical inclusion tools
and instruction icons help navigate the Seder and make the Koach Eitan Haggadah a valuable resource for facilitating a
welcoming Passover experience.
Critique: With the full traditional Passover Haggadah text being included in Hebrew, and with the commentary and
instructions in provided in English, this Urim Publications hard cover edition of "Empowering Seder Conversations
Passover Haggadah" is fully and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university
library Judaic Studies collections and supplemental curriculum reading lists.
Editorial Note: Eitan Ashman is a volunteer paramedic in Israel's Magen David Adom Emergency Medicine Organization,
CrossFit coach, business owner, and Torah scholar. He suffered a massive stroke in the summer of 2017, that he barely
survived. After years of rehabilitation, therapies, and relearning, Eitan has made a surreal comeback in his journey of
recovery. He and his wife, Leora, an educator, launched the Koach Eitan Initiative, an organization that strives to educate,
advocate, support, and raise awareness about stroke, aphasia (a little-known language impairment), and disability.
Leviticus: A Parsha Companion
Rabbi David Fohrman
Maggid Books
c/o Koren Publishers Jerusalem Ltd.
www.korenpub.com
9781592646777, $29.95, HC, 248pp
https://www.amazon.com/Leviticus-Parsha-Companion-David-Fohrman/dp/1592646778
Synopsis: Leviticus is not an easy book to read. It presents topics that seem arcane to the ear, including the laws of animal
offerings, the baffling purification ritual for tzara'at, and an origin story for the holiday of Yom Kippur that treats
forgiveness almost as an afterthought.
With the publication of "Leviticus: A Parsha Companion", Rabbi Fohrman shows that an important key to understanding
Leviticus lies in the previous books of Genesis and Exodus. In the process, he makes this book accessible and its study
deeply meaningful.
In this third of five Parsha Companions, Rabbi David Fohrman asks questions that, in hindsight, seem like they were staring
you in the face the whole time. He discerns nuance. He detects patterns in the original Hebrew that (once you see them)
seem to leap off the page. And he shows how many of these discoveries, astoundingly, aren't really "new" at all, but were
suggested thousands of years ago by the ancient sages of the Talmud and Midrash themselves.
Critique: Essential reading for students and scholars, this large format (10 x 8 x 1 inches, 1.97 pounds) hardcover edition of
Rabbi David Fohrman's "Leviticus: A Parsha Companion" from Maggid is an exceptionally well organized and presented
study. Informative, thoughtful and thought-provoking, "Leviticus: A Parsha Companion" is unreservedly recommended for
personal, professional, community, and college/university library Judaic Studies and Old Testament Studies collections and
supplemental curriculum lists.
Editorial Note: Rabbi David Fohrman (www.alephbeta.org) is an internationally renowned lecturer on biblical themes, and
the founder and principal educator at Aleph Beta. He has served as an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University, and as
a lead writer and editor for ArtScroll's Talmud translation project. Rabbi Fohrman has also served as scholar for the
Hoffberger Foundation for Torah Study. He is the author of The Beast That Crouches at the Door, a finalist for the 2007
National Jewish Book Award, The Queen You Thought You Knew, and The Exodus You Almost Passed Over. His most
recent publication is Genesis: A Parsha Companion, the first of a five volume set on the weekly Torah portion.
The Promise of Liberty: A Passover Haggada
Stuart Halpern, author
Jacob Kupietzky, author
Maggid Books
c/o Koren Publishers Jerusalem Ltd.
www.korenpub.com
9781592646258, $29.95, HC, 264pp
https://www.amazon.com/Promise-Liberty-Passover-Haggada-English/dp/1592646255
Synopsis: Co-authored by Stuart Halpern and Jacob Kupietzky in a bilingual (Hebrew/English) edition, "The Promise of
Liberty: A Passover Haggada" (a traditional Haggada text) how American abolitionists and artists, pilgrims and presidents,
rabbis and revolutionaries, jazz critics and generals found inspiration in the Exodus story.
From Sojourner Truth to the struggle to free Soviet Jewry, from Harriet Tubman to Harry Truman, from Mark Twain to
Martin Luther King Jr., the Jewish story of redemption has inspired Americans of all backgrounds, from the country's
inception to today.
"The Promise of Liberty: A Passover Haggada" is unique Haggada that shows on each page how the prism of Passover has
framed our understanding of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and how the Jewish people have been at the center of
the march toward freedom from the time of Moses to today.
Critique: Profusely illustrated throughout in full color, and reading from right to left, "The Promise of Liberty: A Passover
Haggada" is unique, informative, exceptional, inspiring, well organized, and unreservedly recommended for personal,
professional, community, and college/university library Jewish Holiday collections and supplemental Judaic Studies
curriculum lists.
Editorial Note #1: Rabbi Dr. Stuart Halpern is Senior Adviser to the Provost of Yeshiva University and Deputy Director of
Y.U.'s Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought. His books include "Esther in America", "Gleanings: Reflections on
Ruth" and "Proclaim Liberty Throughout the Land: The Hebrew Bible in the United States".
Editorial Note #2: Jacob Kupietzky is a health care entrepreneur and is the President of HCT Executive Interim
Management & Consulting.
Why On This Night?: A Passover Haggadah for Family Celebration
Rahel Musleah, author
Louise August, illustrator
Kalaniot Books
https://kalaniotbooks.com
9798986396552, $19.99, PB, 112pp
https://www.amazon.com/Why-This-Night-Passover-Celebration/dp/B0C77L4CYL
Synopsis: The rich traditions of Passover come alive in the pages of "Why On This Night?: A Passover Haggadah for
Family Celebration", a contemporary haggadah by author Rahel Musleah and illustrator Louise August for Jewish families
with young children.
Newly updated and from the original 2000 edition, "Why On This Night?: A Passover Haggadah for Family Celebration" is
holiday favorite is available again for families to treasure. As children and adults gather at the seder dinner to remember the
Israelites' journey from slavery to freedom, this creative, yet authentic haggadah will guide and engage them.
Lushly illustrated throughout with blessings and text of every major section of the haggadah in Hebrew, in English
translation, and in transliteration, the welcoming and accessible style of "Why On This Night?: A Passover Haggadah for
Family Celebration" will make it a treasured seder companion year after year.
Critique: This large format (9.25 x 0.45 x 9.95 inches, $1.05 pounds) paperback edition of "Why On This Night?: A
Passover Haggadah for Family Celebration" from Kalaniot Books is exceptionally 'reader friendly' in organization and
presentation -- making it an ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to family and community library collections for
use with children ages 7-11.
Editorial Note #1: Rahel Musleah (www.explorejewishindia.com) is an award-winning journalist, author, singer, storyteller
and educator. Her articles have appeared in The New York Times, Hadassah magazine, and numerous other publications.
She was born in Calcutta and leads Jewish heritage tours of India. She is the author of several books including Apples and
Pomegranates: A Family Seder for Rosh Hashanah, and has recorded a CD of Shabbat and holiday melodies, Hodu: Jewish
Rhythms from Baghdad to India.
Editorial Note #a: Louise August, was a painter, printmaker, and muralist whose works have been acquired by the
Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Yale University Art Gallery, and the Butler Institute of American Art. She illustrated
several children's books, including The Way Meat Loves Salt. (https://seasideart.com/collections/louise-august)
Reading Reform Responsa
Rabbi Mark Washofsky
CCAR Press
www.ccarpress.org
9780881236439, $23.75, PB, 288pp
https://www.amazon.com/Reading-Reform-Responsa-Jewish-Tradition/dp/0881236438
Synopsis: The responsa literature, in which rabbis answer questions about halachah (Jewish law), is a vast treasury reaching
back nearly fifteen centuries. Reform rabbis have been writing responsa since the 1800s.
With the publication of "Reading Reform Responsa: Jewish Tradition, Reform Rabbis, and Today's Issues", Rabbi Mark
Washofsky, PhD, presents a deep dive into this literature, as he boldly argues that Reform Judaism is indeed a movement
fundamentally based on halachah.
By inviting and guiding readers to understand Reform responsa with a critical eye, Rabbi Washofsky shows that the Reform
movement has always been informed by Jewish law, as well as Reform history. A teacher and mentor of generations of
students at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Rabbi Washofsky in the pages of "Reading Reform
Responsa" gives us a peek inside his classroom, making Reform responsa (and their history, framing, and context) engaging
and accessible for all.
Critique: Eloquent, thoughtful, insightful, inspiring, "Reading Reform Responsa: Jewish Tradition, Reform Rabbis, and
Today's Issues" is a welcome, erudite, and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community,
synagogue, and college/university library Contemporary Judaic Studies collections and supplemental curriculum studies
lists.
Editorial Note: Rabbi Mark Washofsky, PhD, is an Emeritus Professor of Jewish Law and Practice at Hebrew Union
College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, where he received his rabbinical ordination (1980) and his Ph.D. (1987),
and where he taught Talmud and Jewish legal literature from 1985 to 2021. He served as chair of the Responsa Committee
of the Central Conference of American Rabbis from 1996 to 2017. He is currently the chair of the Solomon B. Freehof
Institute of Progressive Halakhah. His publications include Jewish Living: A Guide to Contemporary Reform Practice,
Reform Responsa for the Twenty-First Century, Reading Reform Responsa: Jewish Tradition, Reform Rabbis, and Today's
Issues, and numerous articles on the development of halachah, the application of legal and literary theory to Jewish legal
writing, and Jewish bioethics.
The Wine/Beer/Liquor Shelf
The Great Atlas of Italian Wines
Alessandro Avataneo, author
Vittorio Manganelli, author
Rizzoli
www.rizzoliusa.com
9788891838551, $85.00, HC, 384pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-great-atlas-of-italian-wines-alessandro-avataneo/1143281271
Synopsis: Co-authored by Alessandro Avataneo and Vittorio Manganelli, "The Great Atlas of Italian Wines" takes the reader
on a lovely and informative wine country journey through Italy. It tells of and illustrates the main denominations, region by
region, with a description of the most widespread international grape varieties and the most important native Italian grape
varieties. Maps combined with infographics describe the organoleptic characteristics of the wines of each area in a clear and
immediate way.
Unique in terms of its narrative and scientific content and suitable for wine professionals, experts, and curious people alike,
"The Great Atlas of Italian Wines" is an indispensable tool for novice and experienced wine lovers alike. It provides a
wealth of well-organized information to keep on hand at all times. It is also a useful reference for traveling, studying,
choosing a wine at a restaurant or wine bar, or creating your own wine cellar.
The 1500 best Italian wine producers are geolocated in the detailed maps, with a list of the 3000 wines most representative
of Italian excellence, regardless of the vintage, resulting from years of cross-checks on the data from the main national and
international guides and magazines from the sector.
"The Great Atlas of Italian Wines" also features the stories of 300 wines that mark the past, present, and future of Italian
wine, with wonderful full color reproductions of their labels.
Critique: This large format (9.16 x 1.31 x 11.29 inches, 5.09 pounds) coffee-table style hardcover edition of "The Great
Atlas of Italian Wines" from Rizolli is beautifully and profusely illustrated throughout and includes regional maps, a
glossary, a 'Description of the Parameters', a bibliography, and an index. The exhaustively comprehensive and informatively
definitive resource fo choosing and discussing Italian wines, "The Great Atlas of Italian Wines" is a pleasure to browse
through and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library
collections.
Editorial Note #1: Alessandro Avataneo is a director, teacher, and publisher. He has worked in more than thirty countries
across Europe and in the United States and Japan.
Editorial Note #2: Vittorio Manganelli is a long-time collaborator of Vini d'Italia and has edited the volumes Atlante delle
vigne di Langa and The Art of Italian Wine for Slow Food Editore.
Delish Ultimate Cocktails, revised edition
Joanna Saltz
Hearst Home Books
www.hearst.com/magazines/hearst-books
9781950785957, $25.00, HC, 240pp
https://www.amazon.com/Delish-Ultimate-Cocktails-Limit-REVISED/dp/1950785955
Synopsis: Now in a newly updated, expanded and revised edition, "Delish Ultimate Cocktails: Why Limit Happy to an
Hour?" by Joanna Saltz provides everything you need to make amazing drinks at home -- and then some.
Each one of the 100+ easy and fun recipes was dreamed up by the editors of Delish as an excuse to throw a party -- even if
it's just a party of two. These imaginative cocktail recipes will shake things up and elevate your mixology game with
best-ever versions of the classics (like Flamin' Hot Bloody Marys and Blueberry Lemonade Margaritas) plus inventive new
ideas for Jell-O shots and boozy bites like Banana Pudding Shots and Pickle Bloody Mary Shooters.
For designated drivers there are recipes for delicious mocktails so everyone can join the fun, including Apple Cider Slushies
and Cranberry Basil Sansgria.
As for the cocktails, they range from: Moscow Mule Punch; Dole Whip Margaritas; Brown Sugar; Old-Fashioned; Spicy
Grapefruit Side Car, and Rosemary Gin Fizz; to Strawberry Jalapeno Mint Juleps; Caramel Hot Toddys; Negroni Jell-O
Shots; Gin and Tonic Pops and more!
This revised edition from Hearts Home Books offers even more clever and Instagram- or Tik Tok-ready recipes. Of special
note is the inclusion of a color photograph for every recipe, along with easy-to-follow recipes for every event imaginable
from brunch to girls' night to summer parties and holiday gatherings, recipe servings range from individual drinks to big
batch punches, perfect for any sized celebration, and invaluable tips on how to stock a bar cart and which glass to use for
each drink.
Critique: Beautifully illustrated with full page, full color photos of finished drinks, "Delish Ultimate Cocktails: Why Limit
Happy to an Hour?" is a delight to browse through and impressively 'user friendly' in organization and presentation. While
also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99), "Delish Ultimate Cocktails: Why Limit Happy to an Hour?" is very
highly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Wine/Beer/Liquor reference
collections and DIY 'how to' cocktail guides.
Editorial Note: Joanna Saltz (www.delish.com/author/9921/joanna-saltz) is the Editorial Director of Delish, which she
relaunched with her team in 2015. She is also the author of Delish Eat Like Every Day's the Weekend, Delish Insane
Sweets, and Delish Ultimate Cocktails. Delish is the fastest growing food website, with more than 48M monthly views.
Every week Delish publishes hundreds of stories, videos and recipes that are some of the most engaged with content on the
Internet. The Delish motto is, "Come for the food, stay for the fun."
The Self-Help Shelf
Untapped Magic
Chloe Panta
New World Library
www.newworldlibrary.com
9781608688906, $18.95, PB, 232pp
https://www.amazon.com/Untapped-Magic-Manifestation-Methods-Limitless/dp/1608688909
Synopsis: According to successful mindset coach Chloe Panta, we all have the power to change our lives, but all too often
we leave that seemingly magical power untapped. After years of honing techniques for achieving her biggest goals, Chloe
established her coaching practice to pursue her passion for helping others. Now, with the publication of "Untapped Magic:
Manifestation Methods for Living a Limitless Life" she offers her evidence-based, proven system for overcoming obstacles,
getting unstuck, manifesting desired results, and giving back.
In the pages of "Untapped Magic", Chloe shares her inspiring personal journey from growing up in Detroit to creating the
life of her dreams. Drawing deeply from ancient wisdom and foundational spiritual principles, she presents powerful
exercises, affirmations, and mantras that will help you overcome limiting beliefs, demolish anxiety, and replace a scarcity
mindset with an outlook of abundance. "Untapped Magic" is an empowering read for anyone who wants to create a more
positive, fulfilling, and joyous life while contributing to the greater good.
Critique: Life enhancing, life changing, life affirming, "Untapped Magic: Manifestation Methods for Living a Limitless
Life" is an especially informative instructional guide to achieving happiness and success through personal transformation.
Thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "Untapped Magic" is a solid recommendation for community
and college/university library Self-Help/Self-Improvement collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that
"Untapped Magic" is also readily available from the New World Library in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99) as
well.
Editorial Note: Chloe Panta (www.ChloePanta.co) is a highly sought-after transformational life coach dedicated to helping
individuals achieve their ultimate goals. She has been featured by numerous media outlets, including the Los Angeles
Times, Newsweek, CBS, ABC, and Fox.
The Metaphysical Studies Shelf
The Cosmo Tarot: The Ultimate Deck and Guidebook
Sarah Potter
Hearst Home Books
www.hearst.com/magazines/hearst-books
9781950785513, $22.00, Card Deck, 78pp
https://www.amazon.com/Cosmo-Tarot-Ultimate-Deck-Guidebook/dp/1950785513
Synopsis: The ultimate self-empowerment tool, with "The Cosmo Tarot: The Ultimate Deck and Guidebook", tarot expert
and practitioner enables even the most novice of tarot readers to put the power of of the tarot to work. They will discover
that "The Cosmo Tarot" card deck and guidebook will strengthen intuition and deliver a fresh perspective on everything in
life. That they can use these cards and their special powers of divination to discover the deeper meaning in life, be it past,
present, and future, all in service to making dreams become a reality.
"The Cosmo Tarot" will provide answers to all of the pratitioner's most burning questions no matter how small or large
including : Where's this relationship heading? What are their true feelings about me? Is it a good idea to ask for a raise right
now? What's my best career step to take today?
"The Cosmo Tarot: includes: A 78-card tarot deck, featuring major and minor arcana suits, illustrated with full-color,
original, modern, photo collages; A full-color 48-page guidebook, by Sarah Potter, a professional witch and tarot reader,
with step-by-step instructions for how to read cards and FAQs for beginners and practiced tarot readers alike; Detailed
descriptions of tarot card spreads and advice on how and when to use them; Easy-to-remember meanings behind each card,
as well as reversed card meanings.
Critique: Of special and particular interest for novice tarot readers, and of immense value for even the more experienced
readers, this edition of "The Cosmo Tarot: The Ultimate Deck and Guidebook" from Hearst Home Books is especially and
unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Metaphysical/Tarot
collections.
Editorial Note: Sarah Potter (www.iamsarahpotter.com) is a much sought-after professional witch, psychic medium, and
tarot reader who is based in New York City.
Runes for the Green Witch: An Herbal Grimoire
Nicolette Miele
Destiny Books
c/o Inner Traditions International, Ltd.
www.innertraditions.com
9781644118665, $22.99, PB, 288pp
https://www.amazon.com/Runes-Green-Witch-Herbal-Grimoire/dp/1644118661
Synopsis: "Runes for the Green Witch: An Herbal Grimoire" is magickal grimoire, in which author and herbalist witch
Nicolette Miele immerses her readers in the wisdom and folklore of the 24 Elder Futhark runes as well as their
correspondences with deities, astrology, tarot, crystals, and plants.
Each individual chapter begins by discussing the etymology, meanings, mythology, divination, correspondences, and magick
of a particular rune and culminates with profiles of several herbs and plants that possess similar magickal energies. Each
plant profile delves into the magickal, metaphysical, traditional, and medicinal applications as well as how to work with
these incredible plant allies.
For example, "Runes for the Green Witch" connects Fehu, the rune of wealth and value, with the practice of altar-building,
making offerings, and with alfalfa, cedar, dandelion, and other plants traditionally used in abundance and prosperity magick.
In the chapter on Kenaz, the rune of heat and illumination, the nature connection is nurtured through the element of fire and
a step-by-step bindrune candle ritual. The plants connected with Kenaz are those that embody the characteristics of fire
(such as passion, ferocity, and sexuality) and include clove, damiana, and kava kava.
Guiding the green witch through the benefits and strengths of synergistic magick, this book helps eclectic magickal
practitioners advance their craft through folk magick and medicine, rituals, meditations, spells, and the soulful process of
rewilding and connecting with Mother Nature.
Critique: A grimoire is a book of magic, typically including instructions on how to create magical objects like talismans and
amulets, how to perform magical spells, charms, and divination, and how to summon or invoke supernatural entities such as
angels, spirits, deities, and demons. "Runes for the Green Witch: An Herbal Grimoire" is a magickal guide to working with
runes and plant allies for manifestation, healing, and spellwork. Thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation,
"Runes for the Green Witch" is a fascinating, elegant, erudite, and unreservedly recommended addition to personal,
professional, community, and college/university library Metaphysical Studies collections and supplemental curriculum
studies lists. It should be noted for Wiccans and metaphysical studies students and practitioners that "Runes for the Green
Witch" is also readily available from Destiny Books in a digital book format (Kindle, $15.99).
Editorial Note: Nicolette Miele (https://handfulsofdust.com) is a pagan, writer, rune worker, and herbalist. She has practiced
witchcraft for more than 20 years with focuses on runes, folk herbalism, alchemy, and trance meditation. She is the owner
and operator of Handfuls of Dust Apothecary LLC, offering rune readings and handmade ritual products.
Developing Your Supernatural Awareness
Fredrick Woodard
6th Books
c/o Collective Ink Books
https://www.collectiveinkbooks.com
9781803414782, $14.95, PB, 216pp
https://www.amazon.com/Developing-Your-Supernatural-Awareness-Interactive/dp/1803414782
Synopsis: The challenges of examining the subjective experience of supernatural events prompted clinical psychologist and
certified hypnotherapist Fredrick Woodward to write "Developing Your Supernatural Awareness: Connecting with an
Interactive Universe".
A blending of memoir relating his personal history with supernatural experiences and mention key people who influenced
him, Woodward reveals his earliest experiences with hypnosis, the study of consciousness, how he evolved as a
professional, and how he came to develop deeper connections to his heritage.
In "Developing Your Supernatural Awareness, Woodard also discusses how he improved his own understanding of
supernatural awareness and was able to forge even stronger connections with the universe -- a universe alive with invisible
beings, energies, and information that can interact with us.
Critique: An inherently fascinating read from start to finish, "Developing Your Supernatural Awareness: Connecting with an
Interactive Universe" is a valued contribution to the growing body of spiritual/supernatural themed biographies and
memoirs. Thoughtful and thought provoking, inspired and inspiring, "Developing Your Supernatural Awareness" is
especially recommended reading for anyone with an interest in the supernatural as a means of self-help/self-improvement. A
prized addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library Metaphysical Studies collections, it
should be noted that "Develping Your Supernatural Awareness" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$7.49).
Editorial Note: Dr. Fredrick Woodard is a clinical psychologist and certified hypnotherapist who conducts original research
on the supernatural/paranormal, hypnosis, and psychotherapy. He holds a PhD in clinical psychology and Doctor of Clinical
Hypnotherapy (DCH) degree, as well as three psychology-related masters degrees. In 2021 he was voted Hypnotist of the
Year for 2021 in the Merrimack - Souhegan Valley Region of New Hampshire.
Seidr Magic
Dean Kirkland
Destiny Books
c/o Inner Traditions International, Ltd.
www.innertraditions.com
9781644119440, $17.99, PB, 256pp
https://www.amazon.com/Sei%C3%B0r-Magic-Tradition-Divination-Trance/dp/1644119447
Synopsis: While Norse rune work is well known, there is another major ancient Norse magical practice: seidr (pronounced
"sayther"), a form of trance spirit work and divination. Although seidr is often considered an ancient form of witchcraft,
recent archaeological evidence suggests it is more closely related to shamanism.
"Seidr Magic: The Norse Tradition of Divination and Trance" is a practical guide in which Dean Kirkland, reconstructs the
magical and shamanic techniques of the seidr priest or priestess using the sagas and other literature from the Viking age,
tools found in the archaeological record, and surviving indigenous shamanic traditions.
Also addressed is the misconception that seidr was a practice reserved only for women and shows how anyone called to this
work would have been accepted in ancient Norse society. Further more, "Seidr Magic" discusses the tools of seidr and how
to create them, empower them, and care for them. He explores the use of protective songs (vardlokkur) that involve forming
bonds with spirits, a practice he likens to the medicine songs of Amazonian shamans. Additionally, "Seidr Magic" explains
the techniques used to achieve trance in seidr and how they are based on finding balance between the light and the
darkness.
Looking at trance journeying in the Nine Realms of the Norse cosmos, Dean Kirkland discusses the different gods and
spirits the seidr practitioner may encounter in the Upper Realms, the Middle Worlds, and the Lower Realms. He shares
exercises on the Wyrd, divination methods in seidr, as well as ways to alter Orlog, or fate, through spiritual work.
Discussing soul-healing techniques in seidr, the author looks in depth at the Norse shamanic practices of soul retrieval and
reintegration of the soul parts. He then explores seidr's role in death, dying, and dealing with the dead, including work with
the Valkries and the ancestors.
Presenting a historically based handbook for contemporary heathens, "Seidr Magic" offers a practical path for anyone
seeking to explore Norse trance magic and mysticism.
Critique: A seminal work on the subject, "Seidr Magic: The Norse Tradition of Divination and Trance" is of particular
informative value for readers with an interest in divination using Nordic Runes, Viking Era Shamanism, and Scandinavian
History. While also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99), "Seidr Magic" must be considered as a core and
basic addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library Metaphysical & Nordic Magic
collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Dean Kirkland, Ph.D., has been a practicing reconstructionist heathen for more than 35 years. A godi, or
spiritual/ritual specialist, to Three Castles Heathen Kindred located in the English Danelaw, he is also an associate of the
Rune Gild and part of the ritual specialist team for Asatru UK. He completed his shamanic apprenticeship with the Sacred
Trust in Dorset UK and studied traditional Andean shamanism for several years with an indigenous paco. He lives in
Lincolnshire, UK. (www.innertraditions.com/author/dean-kirkland)
The Criminology Shelf
Understand the Cyber Attacker Mindset
Sarah Armstrong-Smith
Kogan Page Inc.
www.koganpage.com
9781398614307, $131.00, HC, 304pp
https://www.amazon.com/Understand-Cyber-Attacker-Mindset-Counteract/dp/1398614300
Synopsis: With the publication of "Understand the Cyber Attacker Mindset: Build a Strategic Security Programme to
Counteract Threats", cyber security expert Sarah Armstrong-Smith provides a comprehensive look at the inner workings of
cyber attackers in the digital age and presents a set of strategies that organizations can deploy to counteract them. With
technological advancements in cybersecurity, attackers are increasingly falling back to social engineering and preying on
people's vulnerabilities.
"Understand the Cyber Attacker Mindset" examines different types of cyber attackers, explores their motivations, and
examines the methods used. It also reviews key industry developments such as cybercrime as a service, brokers and
syndicates, nation-sponsored actors, insider sabotage and the challenges faced by law enforcement in tracking and
apprehending attackers.
"Understand the Cyber Attacker Mindset" offers expert, strategic guidance on how organizations can improve their
cybersecurity operations in response, including enhancing security awareness training, educating employees to identify and
resist manipulation, understanding the importance of cultural variances and how board-level decision-making can directly
influence attacks.
Written by renowned cybersecurity leader Sarah Armstrong-Smith, "Understand the Cyber Attacker Mindset" draws on
interviews with ex-criminals and top experts in the field to share rich insights and a wide range of case studies profiling
notable groups, such as Anonymous, Lapsus$, FIN7, Nigeria's Yahoo Boys, Sandworm, and the Lazarus Group.
The human side of cybersecurity has never been so important.
Critique: Absolutely essential reading for anyone charged with a responsibility of defending against cyber attackers, whether
domestic criminals or hostile government operators, "Understand the Cyber Attacker Mindset: Build a Strategic Security
Programme to Counteract Threats" is especially recommended for personal, professional, community, corporate,
governmental, and college/university library cyber crime/computer hacking, and law enforcement collections, as well as
supplemental Criminology curriculum studies lists. It should be noted that "Understand the Cyber Attacker Mindset" is also
readily available from Kogan Page in a paperback edition (9781398614284, $35.97) and in a digital book format (Kindle,
$34.17).
Editorial Note: Sarah Armstrong-Smith has been recognized as one of the most influential leaders in cybersecurity and UK
tech and has over 20 years' experience delivering and advising C-suite executives on large-scale business & ICT continuity,
cybersecurity, data protection and resilience programmes. She is the Chief Security Advisor at Microsoft and works with
strategic and major customers across Europe to help them enhance their security strategies and capabilities. Prior to
Microsoft, she was the Group Head of Business Resilience & Crisis Management at The London Stock Exchange Group,
the Head of Continuity & Resilience, Enterprise & Cyber Security at Fujitsu and also held roles at EY and AXA. She has
been on the front-line of many major incidents, including IT failures, data breaches, and fraud. She is a Fellow of the British
Computer Society.
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Diane C. Donovan, Editor
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