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The Bookwatch

Volume 1, Number 1 October 2006 Home | BW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Biography Shelf Business Shelf
Martial Arts Shelf Metaphysical Studies Shelf Parenting Shelf
Needlecraft Shelf Gardening Shelf Christian Studies Shelf
Writing/Publishing Shelf    


Reviewer's Choice

Bridges Of Pittsburgh
Bob Regan
The Local History Company
112 N Woodland Rd, Pittsburgh PA 15232
0977042928 $22.95 www.thelocalhistorycompany.com www.amazon.com

Pittsburgh possesses more bridges than even the legendary city of Venice, Italy - 446 bridges total. The Bridges Of Pittsburgh by Bob Regan (A University of Pittsburgh visiting professor and geographic systems expert) is a categorical listing of each of these bridges, written in accessible terms for the intrigued lay reader and the research professional alike. Black-and-white contemporary and historical photographs on nearly every page, along with extensive tables and vignettes of each bridge's history. From railroad, driving, and pedestrian bridges to recommended driving and walking tours, to a quick-reference "Big List" all bridges within the city, Bridges of Pittsburgh is the definitive survey of its chosen topic.

Riding, Roping, And Roses
Judy Buffington Sammons
Western Reflections Publishing
219 Main Street, Montrose, CO 81401
1932738290 $12.95 www.westernreflecetions.com 1-800-993-4490

Judy Buffington Sammons grew up on a ranch in the Ohio Creek Valley country of Gunnison, Colorado where her father and grandfather raised registered Hereford cattle. So Judy writes with a particular expertise in "Riding, Roping, And Roses: Colorado's Women Ranchers" of what Colorado women ranchers have been able to accomplish in a country and a business that was and continues to be dominated by men. Spanning the late 1870s down to the present day, "Riding, Roping, And Roses" features the examples of women drawn from many parts of Colorado. Some of the are obscure while others are well known. What all these women have in common is the success they made of ranching against all odds and expectations -- including their own. "Riding, Roping, And Roses" is strongly recommended to the attention of non-specialist general readers, as well as a unique and welcome addition to academic and community library Women's Studies, Western American History, and Colorado History reference collections and supplemental reading lists.


The Biography Shelf

One Untimely Born
Robert L. Cate
Mercer University Press
1400 Coleman Avenue, Macon, GA 31207
0865549958 $25.00 www.mupress.com 1-478-301-2880

One Untimely Born: The Life And Ministry Of The Apostle Paul by Christian scholar and pastor Robert L. Cate is the biography of the life and ministry of the apostle Paul, reconstructed from the earliest Biblical texts, archaeological discoveries, and histories of the period. Narrating the story of Paul's life in straightforward prose, One Untimely Born is an excellent introduction to Paul's role in carrying Jesus Christ's teachings and transforming the known world for lay readers and religious scholars alike. Highly recommended.

Country Editor
Phyllis Meras
Images From The Past
PO Box 137, Bennington, VT 05201
www.imagesfromthepast.com
1884592422 (pb) 1884592457 (hc) $21.95 (pb) $35.00 (hc) 802-442-3204

Country Editor: Henry Beetle Hough And The Vineyard Gazette by Phyllis Meras, contributing editor and former managing editor of the Vineyard Gazette, is the amazing celebration of Henry Beetle Hough, whose dynamic life is interthreaded with the chronicle of the weekly newspaper that he and his wife first received as a wedding present. Chapters chronicle how Hough served as the Vineyard Gazette's owner and editor for nearly six decades, his own passion for writing reflected in his twenty-four fiction and nonfiction books, his conservation work, and his best-selling "Country Editor" which has remained an inspiration to aspiring and fledgling journalists. Black-and-white photographs intersperse the down-to-earth storytelling style of this top-notch tribute to a life well lived.

The Bookmaker's Daughter
Shirley Abbott
The University Of Arkansas Press
201 Ozark, Fayetteville, AR 72701
1557288216 $15.95 1-800-626-0090

Originally published in 1991, and now featuring a new introduction by award-winning author Shirley Abbott, The Bookmaker's Daughter: A Memory Unbound is the poignant memoir of a daughter remembering her father, growing up in Arkansas in the 30's and 40's. Her father survived the tough times of the depression not through the trade of physically making books, but rather through the business of gambling and horse racing. Yet The Bookmaker's Daughter is about books in another way; the father who once read to his young daughter and stimulated her imagination saw her outgrow her small home town and head for New York City after graduation, against his wishes. A heartfelt tale of family bonds thicker than water, stronger than time.

Ty Cobb
Charles C. Alexander
Southern Methodist University Press
PO Box 750415, Dallas, TX 75275-0415
0870745093 $17.95 1-800-826-8911

Now featuring a new afterword by author Charles C. Alexander (Professor Emeritus Of History at Ohio University), Ty Cobb is the classic biography of one of baseball's most brilliant, volatile, and intimidating presences. An inset section of black-and-white photographic plates illustrate this chronicle of not only Ty Cobb's robust life, but also the startling transformations taking place during twentieth-century baseball. A fascinating, deftly researched and highly readable "must-have" for fans of baseball legends.

The Remarkable Life Of John Murray Spear
John Benedict Buescher
University of Notre Dame Press
310 Flanner Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46556
0268022003 $30.00 www.undpress.nd.edu 1-800-621-2736

"The Remarkable Life Of John Murray Spear: Agitator For The Spirit Land" by John Buescher (Chief of the Tibetan Broadcast Service of the Voice of America) is the biography of one of 19th century America's most idiosyncratic and radical religious figures whose flamboyant spiritualist proclivities led him to protest slavery and capital punishment, invent 'spirit machines', and perhaps most surprisingly -- advocate 'free love'. While Spear help organize public support for anarchist, socialist, peace, and labor causes, his personal life was an eccentric mixture of the comic and the profane and provides contemporary readers with a remarkable perspective on 19th century American religious and social life. An impressive body of well research and superbly written detail, "The Remarkable Life Of John Murray Spear" is informative, entertaining, and very highly recommended reading on the life and times of a remarkable distinctive man who helped to shape American history.

Harry Haft
Alan Scott Haft
Syracuse University Press
1600 Jamesville Avenue, Syracuse, NY 13210
0815608233 $24.95 www.SyracuseUniversityPress.syr.edu 1-800-365-8929

Harry Haft: Survivor Of Auschwitz, Challenger Of Rocky Marciano is the unique biography of a Jewish man who survived the Nazi concentration camps while being forced by brutal German officers to fight his fellow prisoners -- to lose was to die. Haft was only sixteen when he was sent to the concentration camps; four years later, he barely escaped with his life, and killed German civilians while struggling to survive. Prone to fits of violent temper, made worse by the permanent scars of the unspeakably inhuman treatment he endured, Harry Haft decided to take his talent for fisticuffs into the professional boxing ring. But in an era when boxing was heavily infiltrated by organized crime, gangsters threatened Haft with execution unless he lost his fight with heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano. Written by Harry Haft's son, Harry Haft: Survivor of Auschwitz, Challenger of Rocky Marciano gives a complete picture of a flawed yet courageous human being, a survivor beyond measure, and is highly recommended for biography and holocaust studies shelves.


The Business Shelf

How To Use The Internet To Advertise, Promote, And Market Your
Business Or Web Site
Bruce C. Brown
Atlantic Publishing Group Inc.
1210 SW 23rd Place Ocala FL. 34474
0910627576 $24.95 www.atlantic-pub.com 1-800-814-1132

Author Bruce C. Brown, How To Use The Internet To Advertise, Promote, And Market Your Business Or Web Site - With Little Or No Money is a straightforward, how-to guide to maximize the advantages of an online site and promote one's business. Written for computer users of all experience levels from novice to expert, How To Use The Internet To Advertise, Promote, And Market Your Business Or Web Site covers how to generate more traffic to one's site without resorting to illegal schemes like spam mail, positive branding, methods for automating one's website, creating e-zines and newsletters to generate interest, using an auto-responder, search engine optimization, how banner advertising works, and more. An absolute "must-have" especially for small business owners seeking to maximize their online publicity for minimum expenditure.

Amacom
1601 Broadway, New York NY 10019
www.amacombooks.org

Scott Fox's INTERNET RICHES: THE SIMPLE MONEY-MAKING SECRETS OF ONLINE MILLIONAIRES (0814473563 $22.00) provides all the basics needed to understand options in starting an Internet business. Here are tried, tested strategies he and other entrepreneurs have used to build their tiny ventures into million-dollar enterprises. Unlike most guides, the focus isn't on Ebay or a personal website alone, but a blend of business plan and a range of internet strategies which not only sell products, but services. With its emphasis on low-cost, low-budget efforts and small-budget marketing, INTERNET RICHES is a top pick indeed, surpassing the competition in scope and coverage. Speaking of Ebay, SELLING BEYOND EBAY: FOOLPROOF WAYS TO REACH MORE CUSTOMERS AND MAKE BIG MONEY ON RIVAL ONLINE MARKETPLACES by Greg Holden (0814473490, $19.95) is another fine internet small business book which will reach small sellers and pros alike. Understand how competing auction and non-auction sites like Overstock, Bidville, Yahoo and eBid work, learn how to partner a small store with a big name, and locate new product deals using SELLING BEYOND EBAY, which include includes profiles of successful seller techniques both inside and apart from Ebay. Paul S. Goldner's RED-HOT COLD CALL SELLING, 2ND EDITION (0814473482, $17.95) offers sales personnel a tutorial which blends experience and examples with a different approach to cold calling. Novices to quota club attendees, pros and beginners alike will find chapters analyzing prospecting techniques for high-payoff approaches. From break-even hours and outside hours which assure success to smart definitions of target markets, RED-HOT COLD CALL SELLING provides many insights into what works, what doesn't, and why.


The Martial Arts Shelf

The Spiritual Practices Of The Ninja
Ross Heaven
Destiny Books/Inner Traditions
One Park Street, Rochester, Vermont 05767
1594771073 14.95 www.destinybooks.com

The Spiritual Practices Of The Ninja: Mastering The Four Gates Of Freedom by therapist and workshop leader Ross Heaven leads the reader on a journey to the spiritual philosophy of the Ninja, and its core tenet that there is no higher power than the actualized human being. Four initiatory ordeals lead the seeker through the confusion and fatigue of the soul that block the individual from realizing his or her full potential. Primarily a metaphysical self-help guide rather than a martial arts instruction book, The Spiritual Practices Of The Ninja nonetheless offers a tight focus on mental and emotional self-improvement that can reap benefits in all walks of life.

Flashlight Fighting
Phil Elmore
Paladin Press
7007 Winchester Circle, Boulder, CO 80301
1581605021 $10.00 www.paladin-press.com

A simple, common, ordinary flashlight can be readily employed as an effective and lawful weapons of self-defense -- if you know how to use it properly. That's where experienced martial artist Phil Elmore's Flashlight Fighting: How To Make Your Pocket Flashlight A Take-Anywhere Self-Defense Weapon comes in. Offering complete, comprehensive, "user friendly", step-by-step, illustrations instructions, anyone can learn how to defend themselves with using a six-inch flashlight to ward off and punish an attacker. This is particular useful information where other forms of self-defense such as pepper sprays, collapsible batons, mace, billy clubs, knives, and guns are prohibited by law. This an effective and very strongly recommended 77 page training manual that could very well save your life when out on the streets, traversing parking lots or garages, recreating in a park, or anywhere else that assailants could lurk.


The Metaphysical Studies Shelf

New Page Books
PO Box 687, Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417
www.newpagebooks.com

The revised, expanded edition of Ashleen O'Gaea's FAMILY WICCA: PRACTICAL PAGANISM FOR PARENTS AND CHILDREN (1564148866 $14.99) updates a decade-old classic, pairing a specifically Wiccan outlook with tips on family and kids which can be useful for Druids and other new age spirituality followers too. Ashleen O'Gaea is both priestess and mother: FAMILY WICCA comes from her own family experiences and provides answers to questions on faith and values. Brendan Cathbad Myers, Ph.D.'s THE MYSTERIES OF DRUIDRY (1564148785, $15.99) adds to literature in the new age Celtic area, and is one of the few to blend spirituality with intellectual and psychological analysis. Celtic history, myth and folklore enter into his discussions of the early Druids, and their role in the ancient world. Of special focus is their mystical romanticism and how it translates into modern-day Druidary: descriptions of meditations, ceremonies, and Celtic spiritual paths are detailed and allow for modern followers.


The Parenting Shelf

Child Obesity
Goutham Rao, MD
Prometheus Books
59 John Glenn Drive, Amherst, NY 14228
1591023777 $18.00 www.prometheusbooks.com www.amazon.com

CHILD OBESITY: A PARENT'S GUIDE TO A FIT, TRIM AND HAPPY CHILD provides parents with tips for overweight kids and controlling weight. Dr. Rao is an expert on child obesity: he identifies here five principal culprits for obesity among children, explaining a rational approach to helping kids achieve and maintain a healthy weight.


The Needlecraft Shelf

Knit Style
Barbara W. Larson
Creative Homeowner
PO Box 38, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458-0038
1580113052 $19.95 www.creativehomeowner.com 1-800-631-7795

KNIT STYLE: CHIC AND SEXY ACCESSORIES is all about wardrobe accents which are simple, quick, and easy to produce in fact, most can be made in a few hours or in an afternoon. Knitters will find this a wonderful collection of over twenty stylish projects for all stages of knitting expertise, pairing color photos and instructional diagrams showing each knitted stitch along the way. Among the trendy displays: a collar with pin accent, chunky purse, cabled armlets and more. Lay-flat binding in a book that holds spine lettering plus discussions of yarn manufacturers enhances all.

Quilting With Jodie In Cotton Country
Jodie Davis with Jayne Davis
Breckling Press
283 Michigan, Elmhurst, IL 60126
1933308052 $24.95 www.brecklingpress.com

Compiled and organized by needlecraft expert Jodie Davis (with the assistance of her step-mother Jayne Davis, who is a life-time practitioner of the needle arts), "Quilting With Jodie In Cotton Country" offers sixteen quilting and home-decorating projects that even the most novice needlecrafter can accomplish in their own sewing room. This primer on quilting skills includes quick-sew techniques such as rotary cutting, strip piecing, fusing, raw-edge applique, curve-and-pleat piecing, cut-and-fuse applique, the sew-turn-stuff applique dimension technique, and more. Enhanced with the inclusion of period photographs, simple recipes, history notes, anecdotes, mottos, and a song, "Quilting With Jodie In Cotton Country" is a fun and informative "how to" resource for developing quilting skills and techniques, making it strongly recommended for personal and community library Quilting & Needlecraft instructional reference collections.

Arctic Lace
Donna Druchunas
Nomad Press
418 Goldeneye Drive, Fort Collins, CO 80522-0484
0966828976 $26.95 www.nomad-press.com

Donna Druchunas is an expert knitwear designer whose work has been showcased in Family Circle, Easy Knitting, Interweave Knits, PieceWork, Knitter's, INKnitter's, and Fiber Focus magazines. In "Arctic Lace: Knitted Projects And Stories Inspired By Alaska's Native Knitters", Donna has created a 192-page, single-volume workshop on knitting and designing lace with an Inuit flair. In addition to the fifteen individual "user friendly" projects provided with careful step-by-step instructions, "Arctic Lace" is enhanced with 171 b/w photographs, 91 b/w illustrations, 28 tables, 11 sidebars, an extensive bibliography, and a comprehensive index. These projects are adaptable to any yarn and demonstrate to even the most novice needlecrafter just how to make the most of luxury fibers. There is even extensive background information on the natural history of musk oxen, conservation efforts, and the fiber quality and use of their fur which is the source of Qiviut (or musk ox down), felt by many to be the world's warmest, lightest-weight fiber and a mainstay of Alaska's native knitters. "Arctic Lace" is a unique and enthusiastically recommended addition to any dedicated needlecrafter's reference collection.


The Gardening Shelf

Plant Roots
Peter Gregory
Blackwell Publishing
PO Box 570, Ames, IA 50020-0570
1405119063 $199.99 www.blackwellprofessional.com 1-800-862-6657

Written for agricultural and environmental scientists as well as ecologists and hydrologists, Plant Roots: Growth, Activity, And Interaction With Soils by Peter Gregory (Director Of The Scottish Research Institute Dundee, UK) is a comprehensive and scientific instructional text about the relationship between plants and soil. Chapters scrutinize the architecture of root systems, roots and their physio-chemical as well as biological environment, the rhizosphere (volume of soil affected by the presence of roots of growing plants), genetic control of root system properties, and much more. An excellent, in-depth reference for college courses or extended individual study, Plant Roots reflects the expertise of its author in its impeccable scholarship. Recommended for agriculture, botany, and bioscience college libraries.

Deer In My Garden
Carolyn Singer
Garden Wisdom Press
PO Box 992, Grass Valley, CA 95945
097742510X $19.95 www.gardenwisdompress.com 1-530-272-4362

"Deer In My Garden: Perennials & Subshrubs" is a superbly presented and profusely illustrated introduction for the novice gardener and a welcome reference for the experienced horticulturalist covering more than 100 species of garden plants. "Deer In My Garden" covers cultural requirements (zones, sun exposure, soil, irrigation), bloom description and use (cut flower or everlasting), seasonal interest (including the best plants for winter), landscape use and companion plants (perennials, bulbs, shrubs), maintenance (both the growing and dormant seasons), and propagation (see, vegetative cuttings, layering). Authoritative, superbly organized, and thoroughly "user friendly', "Dear In My Garden" is a seminal and core addition to personal, professional, academic, and community library Gardening Resources reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Edens Lost & Found
Harry Wiland, Dale Bell, Joseph D'Agnese
Chelsea Green Publishing Company
PO Box 428, White River Junction, VT 05001-0428
1933392266 $25.00 1-800-639-4099 www.chelseagreen.com

Using community examples drawn from Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Seattle (each of whom are American cities having to deal with a range of serious demographic, economic, and environmental challenges), "Edens Lost & Found: How Ordinary Citizens Are Restoring Our Great American Cities" showcases the activism, leadership, and citizen participation that has enabled neighborhoods to create beauty out of blight through sustainable urban ecosystems. One of the amazing consequences has been the transformation of the relationships and attitudes of the neighborhood residents in the process. Nicely illustrated throughout, "Edens Lost & Found" is a strongly recommended addition to school and community library collections as an inspired and inspiring guide to what can be done to enhance any town or city neighborhood's quality of life through the development of urban ecosystems.


The Christian Studies Shelf

I Told The Mountain To Move
Patricia Raybon
Tyndale House Publishers
351 Executive Drive, Carol Stream, IL 60188
0842387978 $19.99 www.tyndale.com 1-800-323-9400

I Told The Mountain To Move by Patricia Raybon (journalism faculty of the University Of Colorado) is the true story of an African-American wife, mother, daughter, and teacher who confronted struggles in her life to learn how to pray. Written especially for fellow readers who have wrestled all their lives with disappointment in God despite their efforts to be "good" Christians, I Told The Mountain To Move acknowledges that the quest to emulate the mercy of Christ, experience heartfelt prayer, and keep good cheer in trying times is a difficult one. Yet the search to connect with God's love is also rewarding in every dimension of human experience. Highly recommended.

The Untold Story Of The New Testament Church
Frank Viola
Destiny Image Publishers
P.O. Box 310 Shippensburg, PA 17257-0310
0768422361 $13.99 www.destinyimage.com 1-800-722-6774

The Untold Story Of The New Testament Church: An Extraordinary Guide To Understanding The New Testament summarizes and explains the contents of the New Testament in chronological order - very helpful feature to novice Biblical scholars and lay readers, as Paul's letters, for example, are arranged by size rather than chronologically. The main text narrates New Testament events in plain terms, with extensive historical annotations as well as references to the New Testament passages being summarized. An invaluable introduction to the New Testament, fully accessible to readers of all backgrounds.

Holy Silence
J. Brent Bill
Paraclete Press Inc.
P.O. Box 1568, Orleans, MA 02653
1557254206 $14.95 www.paracletepress.com 1-508-255-4685

Holy Silence: The Gift Of Quaker Spirituality by J. Brent Bill ( Executive Vice President of the Indianapolis Center For Congregations Inc.) is an invitation for readers of all faiths to discover spirituality through the Quaker way of listening for the voice of God in silence. Chapters discuss how to find silence amid the noise of daily life, ways to practice silence both individually and communally, and how to listen to God with one's whole heart and mind. "Quietude Queries" such as "Have I ever been a part of a 'non-church' experience where I felt God's presence? What made me feel that God was there?" are suggested for contemplation while experiencing the spiritual transcendence of silence. A compassionate and devout guide recommended to Christian readers of all denominational affiliations.

Confronted By God
Cynthia L. Shattuck & Fredrica Harris Thompsett
Seabury Books
445 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016
1596270233 $16.00 www.seaburybooks.org

Confronted By God: The Essential Verna Dozier by co-editors Cynthia L. Shattuck & Fredrica Harris Thompsett is a carefully selected assembly of the writings of Verna Dozier, a Christian African-American woman dedicated to speaking out for the sake of the poor, dedicating herself to spreading the idea of equality as God's great dream. Confronted By God captures the essence of this proud, passionate, and pious woman, and invokes both compassion and contemplation at length in the reader. "Has anyone called you a fanatic lately? And if they did, was it because you were so set on establishing a morality for someone else, or because you were intent on a private piety, or because you were willing to risk every known security that someone else might have a richer life?"

Learning To Count To One
Alfred E. Mulder, editor
Faith Alive Christian Resources
2850 Kalamazoo Avenue, SE Grand Rapids, MI 49560
159255296X $11.95 www.faithaliveresources.org 1-800-333-8300

Learning To Count To One: The Joy And Pain Of Becoming A Multiracial Church is a collection of testimonies from various authors belonging to the denomination of the Christian Reformed Church in North America. The CRC is working to become a family of churches that is inclusive of all races, and worshipers of all nations; their struggles for diversity is reflected in the voices in Learning To Count To One. Black-and-white photographs, and a handful of timetables and charts embellish the down-to-earth true stories of people who live and work to promote intercultural harmony through shared faith.

Songs Of Freedom
Eileen Mitson, editor; Steve Goss, commentator
Kregel Publications
PO Box 2607 Grand Rapids, MI 49501-2607
1854247190 $12.99 www.kregel.com 1-616-451-4775

Edited by Eileen Mitson with added commentary by Steve Goss, "Songs of Freedom: Stories Of Lives Transformed By The Deep Power Of Christ is an inspired and inspiring collection of stories taken from the lives of men and women who knew that the simple step of becoming a Christian would not automatically or simply resolve their problems. But through the 'Steps to Freedom in Christ', a Bible-based program of spiritual recovery developed by Neil Anderson and Steve Gross, these men and women were abilt to find a better alterative to a life of self-hatred, impaired self-image, eating disorders, emotional pain, social and familial rejection. "Songs Of Freedom" is strongly recommended reading, especial for anyone having to recover from the spiritual and emotional damage of promiscuity, involvement with cults or the occult, flawed parenting, and the myriad forms of self-abuse that are to be encountered in an anti-Christian secular society.

Caedmon's Song
Ruth Ashby & Bill Slavin
Eerdmans Books For Young Readers
255 Jefferson S.E., Grand Rapids, MI 49503
0802852416 $16.00 www.eerdmans.com 1-800-253-7521

Written by Ruth Ashby and illustrated by Bill Slavin, Caedmon's Song is a picturebook rendition of the true story of Caedmon, the seventh-century cowheard who became known as the first English poet. For years, during festivals, Caedmon was unable to take the harp passed around and sing of bloody or savage battles - but one night inspiration struck, and he thought to sing of what he knew. He sang of his faith in the Lord, and praise for God's creations. He found his true calling as a monk, and his place in history. A profound spiritual tale, brought beautifully to life with full-color artwork.

This Is The Lunch That Jesus Served
Dandi Daley Mackall & Benrei Huang
Augsburg Books
PO Box 1209, Minneapolis, MN 55440-1209
0806651180 $9.99 www.augsburgbooks.com 1-800-328-4648

Written in a lyrically repetitive prose by Dandi Daley Mackall and beautifully illustrated by Benrei Huang, "This Is The Lunch That Jesus Served" is a retelling of the New Testament story of Jesus' miraculous feeding of the multitudes with bread and fish. The underlying message for young readers is that they can also do a great deal with the gifts they have. Enhanced with the addition of 'Fun Fish Facts', 'Bible Bread Facts', and 'Servant Ideas' (four suggestions for activities children can participate in arising from the story that they've just read -- or had read to them), "This Is The Lunch That Jesus Served" is a wonderful addition to family, Sunday School, and Parochial School picturebook collections.

The Make And Do Bible: Reproducible Craft Ideas For Ages 6-12
Gillian Chapman
Concordia Publishing House
3558 S. Jefferson Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63118-3968
0758611056 $19.99 www.cph.org 1-800-325-3040

The Make And Do Bible: Reproducible Craft Ideas For Ages 6-12 retells 48 of the best known and most beloved biblical stories; accompanying each story is a simple craft project that encourages young people to express and develop their faith as they think about the Good News. For example, one story is a brief biblical parable about sowing God's Word as one would sow seed, and the activity involves making a mosaic with seeds. Simple, cartoony illustrations and photographs add a visual touch to the biblical stories and craft steps. An enjoyable "hands-on" resource for Sunday School or devotional activities at home.

Following Francis
Susan Pitchford
Morehouse Publishing
PO Box 1321, Harrisburg, PA 17105
0819222356 $15.95 212-592-6397

Very highly recommended reading for students of St. Francis of Assisi, "Following Francis: The Franciscan Way for Everyone" by Susan Pitchford (a Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Washington in Seattle) provides a superbly organized and presented introduction to Franciscan spirituality as experienced by lay people who are part of the Franciscan 'Third Order'. Nine spiritual disciplines comprise the Third Order rule. "Following Francis" devotes chapters on all nine disciplines, plus additional chapters dedicated to central Franciscan themes such as humility, love, and joy. Providing readers with practical guidelines drawn from the life of St. Francis and from third-order Franciscans, "Following Francis" invites Christian readers to participate in the passion and joy that so characterized the manner and example in which Francis of Assisi followed the teachings and example of Jesus.

Reinventing Worship
Brad Berglund
Judson Press
PO Box 851, Valley Forge, PA 19482
0817014934 $14.00 www.judsonpress.com 1-800-458-3766

"Reinventing Worship: Prayers, Readings, Special Services And More" by Brad Berglund (spiritual director of Illuminated Journeys, an ecumenical ministry devoted to enriching the spiritual life of individuals and churches) offers a compilation of prayers, litanies, blessings, and benedictions for transforming worship. There are guides of 'reinvented' weddings and funerals, plus resources of those charged with ministering and worshiping in the varied conditions of the contemporary world. Enhanced with the addition of a CD-ROM of resources for worship (including all of the worship resources recorded in the book, plus contemplative images and more than 100 additional pages worth of Sacred Scriptures taken from contemporary Bible Translations on praise, thanksgiving, confession, forgiveness, marriage, benediction, salvation, discipleship, and more), "Reinventing Worship" is most especially recommended to the attention of those Christian communities and their ministers seeking to reinvigorate and renew the spiritual commitment of their congregations.

Paulist Press
997 Macarthur Boulevard, Mahwah, NJ 07430
www.paulistpress.com

Two simple picturebooks written by Sally Ann Wright and illustrated by Paola Bertolini Grudina are ideal for Christian parents to read aloud to very young children, as their first introduction to Biblical stories. Each two-page spread introduces a parable with a question-and-answer, and then summarizes a story in a handful of lines. Who Built the Ark and Other Questions (0809167301, $10.95) and What Did The Fishermen Catch? And Other Questions (0809167328, $10.95) include stories from both the Old and New Testaments, from the tale of Joseph's coat of many colors to Thomas' doubt that Jesus had truly returned to life. Both are gentle and heartwarming ways to help the very young start thinking about God and the son He sent to be a friend to all people. "What did the widow give? // Everything she had! // The rich men gave lots of money / to the Temple. / But they still had plenty left over. / Jesus told his disciples that / the widow had given more / than any of them. / Her two copper coins / were all she had, / but she had given them to God.

A Concise Guide To Your Rights In The Catholic Church
Kevin E. McKenna
Ava Maria Press
PO Box 428, Notre Dame, IN 46556
1594710791 $12.95 www.avemariapress.com 1-800-282-1865

A Concise Guide To Your Rights In The Catholic Church by Kevin E. McKenna (pastor at St. Cecilia Parish in Rochester, NY) is an easy-to-follow, no-nonsense guide to the rights of Catholic laity and clergy alike under church law. A Concise Guide To Your Rights In The Catholic Church covers Catholic Church law only; it does not address governmental law, or religious law for other churches. Chapters spell out what the letter of the sacrament states about the right of Catholics to voice opinions (though not the direct, open, and stubborn rejection of the Church's teachings), have protection of their privacy, freedom of inquiry, seek vindication of their rights, and much more. The final chapter describes in depth the steps for seeking vindication according to Church due process, including hierarchical recourse and advocate assistance. The answers to common questions such as "Can the Christian faithful be denied the Church's funeral rites?", "May parishoners hold title to the assets of a parish?", and "What rights are accorded to those who make allegations of sexual misconduct against a cleric? What obligations do they have?" will prove especially useful to the reader seeking to better understand the Church's legal systems and grievance procedures. Though not lengthy enough to cover all of the Church's laws in-depth, A Concise Guide To Your Rights In The Catholic Church is enthusiastically recommended for practical reference and use.


The Writing/Publishing Shelf

Don't Murder Your Mystery
Chris Roerden
Bella Rosa Books
P.O. Box 4251 CRS, Rock Hill, SC 29732
1933523131 $17.95 www.bellarosabooks.com

Don't Murder Your Mystery: 24 Fiction-Writing Techniques To Save Your Manuscript From Turning Up D.O.A. by Chris Roerden (40 years experience as an editor in niche publishing) is a no-nonsense guide to improving one's professional writing skills, making one's manuscript more publishable and not subject to common rejection flaws, and learn from the experience of over 140 published writers. While Don't Murder Your Mystery is written especially for mystery, suspense, and crime fiction writers, the tips, tricks and techniques from bewaring cliches or avoiding clumsy and confusing body language descriptions to making one's dialogue snappy, sharpening self-editing skills and much more will prove invaluable to fiction writers of all genres. An enthusiastically recommended, energetic, easy-to-follow guide.

The Complete Idiot's Guide To Writing Erotic Romance
Alison Kent
Alpha Books
c/o New American Library
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
1592575463 $16.95 1-800-847-5515 www.penguin.com

Alison Kent (the pseudonym of an experience author in the genre of erotic romance) draws upon her considerable expertise in "The Complete Idiot's Guide To Writing Erotic Romance" to help aspiring authors master the specialized genre of the erotic romance. All too often writers veer into crude pornography while trying to avoid prudish conventions in storytelling. "The Complete Idiot's Guide To Writing Erotic Romance" will take the novice writer through a series of practical and effective techniques for creating compelling characters, interesting plots, and engaging dialogue laced with sexually provocative eroticism. Enhanced with advice and examples drawn from successful romance writers and editors, "The Complete Idiot's Guide To Writing Erotic Romance" will also prove an invaluable resource that includes lists of available publishers in this select genre. If you want your writing to be hallmarked with chemistry, spice, plot twists, complete characters, and "page turning romance", then add "The Complete Idiot's Guide To Writing Erotic Romance" to your instructional reference bookshelf.

The Erotic Writer's Market Guide
The Circlet Press Collective
Circlet Press Inc.
1770 Massachusetts Avenue, #278, Cambridge, MA 02140
1885865457 $19.95 www.circlet.com 1-617-864-0492

"The Erotic Writer's Market Guide" is compiled by The Circlet Press Collective and is a compendium of listings of literally hundreds of paying markets for erotic writing. This unique and "user friendly" writer's reference also includes practical, step-by-step advice contributing by working professionals on how to not only write good erotica, but how to sell it and make a career in the genre. There is invaluable information on pay scales and pay rates, tax deduction tips, "writer's rights", notations on the difference between men's and women's erotic fiction, what the editors of erotic magazines and presses want to see in submitted material, and a great deal more. Anyone wanting to write professional in the specialized genre of erotic short stories and novels will find "The Erotic Writer's Market Guide" to be an indispensable asset and a core reference for marketing their work.

Publish Your Own Magazine, Guidebook or Weekly Newspaper
Thomas A. Williams
Sentient Publications
1113 Spruce Street, Boulder, CO 80302
1591810035 $24.95 www.sentientpublications.com

If you're thinking of starting a home-based publishing business, you can't be without Publish Your Own Magazine, Guidebook or Weekly Newspaper: it tells how to not just publish a winning title, but how to make it profitable – with no money up front. All kinds of successful periodicals and what made them tops are reviewed in a title which covers circulation, readership, proposal writing, optional publication formats, niche markets and more.

From Gutenberg To Open Type
Robin Dodd
Hartley & Marks Publishers
3661 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6R 2B8
Publishers Group West, distributor
1700 Fourth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
0881792101 $29.95 www.pgw.com 1-800-788-3123

From Gutenberg To Open Type: An Illustrated History Of Type From The Earliest Letterforms To The Latest Digital Fonts by Robin Dodd (Associate Lecturer, London College of Communications) is a seminal and detailed historical survey of the printed letter from the era of the Gutenberg press moveable fonts down to today's desktop publishing software typefaces. Profusely illustrated throughout, From Gutenberg To Open Type is especially recommended to the attention of academicians, authors, publishers, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the history of printing as well as professionals, artists and designers who work with type design and print. Of special note are the side panels to the regular text that explains how to use individual typefaces, notes common pitfalls, and showcases specifically related benefits to a given font. Informed and informative, From Gutenberg To Open Type is a welcome addition to personal, professional, and academic library reference collections.


James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Diane C. Donovan, Editor
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Oregon, WI 53575-1129
phone: 1-608-835-7937
e-mail: mbr@execpc.com
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