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California Bookwatch

Volume 6, Number 1 January 2011 Home | CALBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Social Issues Shelf Needlecraft Shelf
Music Shelf Cookbook Shelf Military Shelf
Psychology Shelf Health/Medicine Shelf American History Shelf
World History Shelf Religion/Spirituality Shelf Christian Studies Shelf
Buddhist Studies Shelf Science/Technology Shelf Biography Shelf
Political Science Shelf Pets/Wildlife Shelf Business Shelf
Art Shelf Fashion Shelf Architecture Shelf
Crafts Shelf Woodworking Shelf Audiobook Shelf
Homeowner's Shelf Gardening Shelf Interior Design Shelf
Theatre/Cinema/TV Shelf Computer Shelf Travel Shelf
Metaphysical Studies Shelf Education Shelf Automotive Shelf
Fiction Shelf Mystery/Suspense Shelf Fantasy/SciFi Shelf
Antiques/Collectibles Shelf Photography Shelf Sports Shelf
Native American Shelf Judaic Studies Shelf Nautical Shelf
Comix/Graphic Novel Shelf Women's Studies Shelf California Shelf


Reviewer's Choice

The Dirty Life
Kristin Kimball
Scribner
c/o Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of Americas, New York NY 10020
9781416551607, $25.00, www.simonandschuster.com

THE DIRTY LIFE: ON FARMING, FOOD AND LOVE follows author Kristin Kimball's first year as a farmer, giving up her studio apartment in New York City for a life on five hundred acres and a new farm. Her experiences building a sustainable farm in the Adirondacks with no knowledge of growing plants or handling animals makes for a moving survey of an old-fashioned approach to sustainable farming - and a lively pick for any general library.

Top 10 of Everything 2011
Russell Ash
Hamlyn
c/o Octopus Books
publicity@octopus-publishing.co.uk
9780600621973, $24.95, www.octopusbooks.co.uk

Top 10 of Everything 2011 is a 'must have' for any collection strong in trivia. Its chapters are organized by inviting, expansive themes: 'The Universe & Earth', 'Music', 'The Human World', with sub-chapters covering facts surrounding everything from islands and space firsts to body facts, sports and geography. This is the 22nd annual edition of TOP TEN OF EVERYTHING, holding new wonders to delight any audience interested in a wide range of trivia facts.

Please Take Me Off The Guest List
Nick Zinner, Zachary Lipez, Stacy Wakefield
Akashic Books
Box 1456, New York NY 10009
9781936070626, $15.95, www.akashicbooks.com

Please Take Me Off The Guest List provides an intriguing paring of photos documenting Nick Zinner's rock-band world paired with Zachary Lipez's essays exploring his many lives and personas as a drug abuser, bartender, bookstore clerk and more. The pairing offers a fine literary and artistic survey featuring inset pages of Lipez's essays and small full-page color photos. The highlight is Lipez's essay 'My Letter of Resignation' - which is makes the entire production a hit in and of itself.

NEC 2011 Handbook
Mark W. Earley and Jeffrey S. Sargent
Cengage Learning
Box 6904, Florence, KY 41022-6904
9780877659167, $149.00, www.cengagelearning.com

The 12th updated edition of the NEC Handbook packs in technical details on the national electrical code and offers the complete 2011 NEC under one cover. Keys to understanding the code and applying it correctly offer diagrams, links to on-demand webinars and live action video, access to the complete UL White Book cross-referenced in key NEC articles, discussions of the past, present and future of the Code and how it affects projects, and more. Any serious contractor regularly working with the NEC simply MUST own this invaluable desk reference!

Welding for Dummies
Steven Robert Farnsworth
For Dummies
c/o Wiley Professional Trade Group
111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
9780470455968, $24.99, www.wiley.com

Welding for Dummies tells how to weld like a pro and provides an easy step-by-step guide to the process. From choosing among the best welding options for a project to understanding welding metals and their properties and using sample projects to test skills, this simplifies the entire process and is a top pick.

Pacific Southwest Airlines
Alan Renga and Mark E. Mentges
Arcadia Publishing
420 Wando Park Blvd., Mount Pleasant, SC 29464
9780738581125, $21.99, www.arcadiapublishing.com

Pacific Southwest Airlines adds to the 'Images of Aviation' series and provides a fine survey for any Southern California or aviation history collection. Pacific Southwest Airlines offered low fares and was one of the most successful regional airlines in American history: this celebration packs in vintage black and white photos from its history and makes for an outstanding survey.

The Book That Started It All
Alcoholics Anonymous
Hazelden
PO Box 11, Center City, MN 55012-0011
9781592859474, $65.00, www.hazelden.org

THE BOOK THAT STARTED IT ALL: THE ORIGINAL WORKING MANUSCRIPTS OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS offers the original working manuscript written by AA's cofounder Bill Wilson, from which the printer's proof was created, and documents handwritten changes reflecting the opinions, debates, and discussion that went into the finished product. Though a specialty item, this extensively-detailed survey is a 'must' for any serious, in-depth AA library.

Into the Storm
Reed Timmer with Andrew Tilin
Dutton
375 Hudson St., New York NY 10014
9780525951933, $26.95, www.penguin.com

INTO THE STORM: VIOLENT TORNADOES, KILLER HURRICANES, AND DEATH-DEFYING ADVENTURES IN EXTREME WEATHER comes from the star of the Discovery Channel's top rated show Storm Chasers, and follows Reed Timmer's investigations of some of the most violent weather of our times. Blending an autobiography of his life with the science of meteorology, this offers a fine pick for any general lending library.

Gray Lady Down
William McGowan
Encounter Books
900 Broadway Suite 601, New York NY 10003
9781594034862, $25.95, www.encounterbooks.com

GRAY LADY DOWN: WHAT THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE NEW YORK TIMES MEANS FOR AMERICA provides a sequel to COLORING THE NEWS, comes from an award-winning journalist, and considers who and what is responsible for American journalism's demise. Reporting and history blends with his critical analysis to expose the Times' obsessions with pop culture and counterculture attitudes: preoccupations that have set the Times against the actual values and ideals of the American mainstream. An intriguing account, this is a pick for any library strong in journalism and pop culture.

White Silk, Dark Chocolate, and a Little Bit of Magic
Barbara Herrick
Conari Press
65 Parker St., Suite 7, Newburyport, MA 01950
9781573244817, $14.95, www.redwheelweiser.com

White Silk, Dark Chocolate, and a Little Bit of Magic: Life is Good and We Are Good In It provides a lovely gift book designed to celebrate women's lives and work. One-sentence affirmations and inspirations make for a pleasing survey highly recommended for any seeking a positive, simple inspirational gift.

One Million Tattoos
Jian Yi
Thunder Bay Press
10350 Barnes Canyon Rd, San Diego, CA 93101
9781607101123, $14.95 www.thunderbaybooks.com

One Million Tattoos: Designs to Create and Color can create thousands of bold new tattoos to take to a tattooist or blend into an art project. The key is a CD which pairs with design specifics to teach both classic tattoo approaches - hearts, skulls - and Asian motifs and modern applications. Over 100 top, 200 center and 100 side and lower designs on the CD provides over a million possible combinations in a pick for any interested in tattoo art.

Uncle John's Heavy Duty Bathroom Reader
Bathroom Readers' Institute
Uncle John's Bathroom Reader
c/o Baker & Taylor Publishing Group
10350 Barnes Canyon Road, Suite 100, San Diego, CA 92121
1607101831, $18.95, www.bathroomreader.com

Uncle John's Heavy Duty Bathroom Reader provides a powerful, humorous reference guide in a new edition packed with insights on 'new technology'. From an analysis of the Magic 8-Ball's history and impact to How to Speak Dog, this 23rd updated edition offers new scenarios and is a winner!

Thinking About Logic: Classic Essays
Steven M. Cahn, et.al., Editors
Westview Press
2465 Central Avenue, Boulder, CO 80301
9780813344690, $24.00, www.westviewpress.com

Thinking About Logic: Classic Essays offers fifteen essays that explore the philosophy of logic, providing a survey of formal logic as a system of thought and considering how logic relates to philosophical issues. Each essay here has been selected for its brevity and clarity, making this the perfect adjunct for any college-level course on the subject.

Conditions May Vary
Gregory A. Zielinski
Down East
Box 679, Camden, ME 04843
9780892726967, $15.95, www.downeast.com

CONDITIONS MAY VARY: A GUIDE TO MAINE WEATHER comes from a professor at the University of Maine who has taught numerous courses on meteorology and climatology. His survey of Maine weather covers why it's so changeable, the science behind Maine conditions, and provides plenty of charts documenting precipitation and storms, along with black and white photos. Any weather science library will find this regional assessment intriguing.

Terrorist Cop
Mordecai Dzikansky & Robert Slater
Barricade Books
185 Bridge Plaza North #309, Fort lee, NJ 07024
9781569804452, $24.95, www.barricadebooks.com

TERRORIST COP: THE NYPD JEWISH COP WHO TRAVELED THE WORLD TO STOP TERRORISTS comes from a leading authority on suicide bombers who has been called the Jewish jack Bauer. From his New York involvement in anti-terrorist investigations to his travel to Israel to monitor suicide bombings, this offers a powerful survey of his experiences and provides a graphic story of his encounters with acts of terrorism. Any true crime collection or collection strong in terrorist subjects must have this!


The Social Issues Shelf

Peak Everything
Richard Heinberg
New Society Publishers
Box 189, Gabriola Island, BC V0R 1X0 Canada
9780865716452, $16.95, www.newsociety.com

PEAK EVERYTHING: WAKING UP TO THE CENTURY OF DECLINES documents the unprecedented growth of the world economy and why the 21st century will be the era of declines, from available natural resources and harvests to economic activity and thus world stability. The forecasts blend with commentary to consider the changing world condition and future trends in a recommendation for any social issues library.

Moral Ground: Ethical Action for a Planet in Peril
Kathleen Dean Moore & Michael P. Nelson, Editors
Trinity University Press
www.trinity.edu books@trinity.edu
9781595340665, $24.95, www.moralground.com

Scientists provide evidence that environmental degradation and global climate change are a danger to all life on Earth, and that we're approaching the point of no return in options. In all the discussions of cause and effect, often lacking is discussion of human moral responsibilities to the world. Here some eighty writers from across political and religious spectrums around the world survey moral issues and provide essays from various cultural traditions that all call upon ethical and moral codes to take an active stance. No college-level collection strong in environmental issues should be without this discussion.

Expanding the American Mind
Beth Luey
University of Massachusetts Press
PO Box 429, Amherst, MA 01004
9781558498174, $24.95, www.umass.edu/umpress

Expanding the American Mind: Books and the Popularization of Knowledge compares fiction and nonfiction and how they are popularized to become reading choices of the masses. Popular writers from Carl Sagan to Stephen Hawking have produced works that attracted hundreds of non-specialist readers: the process of this attraction is considered in a powerful pick for both social issues and literary collections.

Deadly Spin
Wendell Potter
Bloomsbury Press
175 Fifth Avenue, Suite 315, New York, NY 10010
9781608192816, $26.00, www.bloomsburypress.com

DEADLY SPIN: AN INSURANCE COMPANY INSIDER SPEAKS OUT ON HOW CORPORATE PR IS KILLING HEALTH CARE AND DECEIVING AMERICANS reveals many secrets big corporations are keeping private. It's an expose of health insurers, but doesn't stop there: it maintains corporate 'spin' is ruining the economy and challenging American trust. From third-party front groups to clandestine meetings, this is packed with eye-opening revelations.

Total Housing
Tomoko Sakamoto, Irene Hwang, Albert Ferre
Actar D
158 Lafayette St., 5th Floor, New York NY 10013
9788496540880, $49.95, www.actar-d.com

TOTAL HOUSING: ALTERNATIVES TO URBAN SPRAWL packs in new modern collective housing options and supports qualities of dense urban living. Urban planning collections at the college level will welcome this survey of housing design and the need to understand the social influences upon housing design choices. Chapters offer a new survey of multi-family housing and focuses on architects who are handling social demands with new approaches. Color photos and floor plans pack the guide.

Rising Above the Gathering Storm, Revisited
Rising Above Gathering Storm Committee
National Academies Press
500 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001
9780309160971, $19.95, www.national-academies.org

Developed by the Members of 2005 Rising Above Gathering Storm Committee, "Rising Above the Gathering Storm, Revisited: Rapidly Approaching Category 5" provides booklet re-assessing the events and progress since the last Gathering Storm book was prepared, and is a key pick for any college-level social and political issues collection. Though slim, it packs in an in-depth analysis of government and private sector work over the past five years, analyzing what facets since Gathering Storm have been worked on and what issues remain. Highly recommended, especially for college-level classroom debate and federal consideration.

Social Security
Jagadeesh Gokhale
University of Chicago Press
1427 E. 60th St., Chicago, Il 60637-2954
9780226300337, $55.00 www.press.uchicago.edu

SOCIAL SECURITY: A FRESH LOOK AT POLICY ALTERNATIVES offers a fine simulation of the forces affecting American demographics and the economy to help predict the future evolution of the social security system and its six possible reform packages. This approach offers a survey that focuses on restoring financial health to the system and incorporates conservative and liberal agendas alike, making this a 'must' for any college-level economic, political or social issues collection.

Censored 2011
Mickey Huff, et al.
Steven Stories Press
140 Watts St., New York NY 10013
9781583229200, $19.95, www.sevenstories.com

The collaborative work of Mickey Huff, Peter Phillips and Project Censored, "CENSORED 2011" is for any library strong in politics, media studies and social issues: it presents the most censored stories of 2009 and 2010, from global plans to replace the dollar as the world's reserve currency to junk food news scandals and patterns of high crime in American government. No social issues collection should be without this eye-opening survey!

The Vertical Farm
Dr. Dickson Despommier
Thomas Dunne Books
175 - 5th Avenue, New York NY 10010-7848
www.thomasdunnebooks.com
9780312611392, $25.99, www.amazon.com

The Vertical Farm: Feeding the World in the 21st Century comes from a Columbia University professor who has been applauded worldwide for championing the concept of vertical farming. Moving agriculture into high-rise city buildings would change growing conditions, habits, and eliminate environmental issues as well. Chapters discuss the theory, reality and applications of vertical farming methods to grow fruit, vegetables, poultry and fish, and show why it's the better option. College-level agricultural collections in particular must have this.

Take the Money and Run
Eric C. Anderson
Praeger Security International
88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
9780313366130, $49.95, www.praeger.com

Take the Money and Run: Sovereign Wealth Funds and the Demise of American Prosperity comes from a U.S. expert who explains why the U.S. is the world's largest debtor nation - and how its relationship to creditor states is of growing economic, social and political concern. Foreign countries are purchasing U.S. corporations outright - and use sovereign wealth funds to generate returns. Explanations of how these funds work and who holds them makes this a top pick for political, social issues and economic college-level collections alike!

Aftermath
Nir Rosen
Nation Books
387 Park Avenue South, New York NY 10016
9781568584010, $35.00, www.nationbooks.org

AFTERMATH: FOLLOWING THE BLOODSHED OF AMERICA'S WARS IN THE MUSLIM WORLD offers a more general survey of Muslim-American encounters in the Middle East than most books would present, and comes from a journalist who describes his personal journey through the region. Rosen was in Baghdad to witness how the first tensions between Shiites and Sunnis became a civil war. He analyzes tactics, scenarios, and presents a viewpoint spiced by his ability to speak Iraqi Arabic. Interviews with insurgents and counterinsurgents alike and a penchant for truth lends to an analysis key to any Middle East social issues collection.

Shock of Gray
Ted C. Fishman
Scribner
1230 Avenue of Americas, New York NY 10020
9781416551027, $27.50, www.simonandschuster.com

SHOCK OF GRAY: THE AGING OF THE WORLD'S POPULATION AND HOW IT PITS YOUNG AGAINST OLD, CHILD AGAINST PARENT, WORKER AGAINST BOSS, COMPANY AGAINST RIVAL, AND NATION AGAINST NATION describes how an aging population affects every segment of society. For the first time in history there will be more people in the world over age 50 than under 17: this disproportionate fact holds profound changes for the world's future, and SHOCK OF GRAY reveals and analyzes these trends in a fine survey that includes case histories of workplaces, homes, and communities affected by change.

The Master Switch
Tim Wu
Alfred A. Knopf
c/o Random House
1745 Broadway, 17th floor, New York, NY 10019
9780307269935, $27.95, www.aaknopf.com

THE MASTER SWITCH: THE RISE AND FALL OF INFORMATION EMPIRES offers a fine historical survey of each of the new media of the 20th century, considering how each invited unrestricted use - then changed, influenced by hostile takeovers and profits determined to gain power over information systems. A fine survey of information's changing value and presence in society makes this a pick for computer, social issues and general lending libraries alike!


The Needlecraft Shelf

Hand Applique with Embroidery
Sandra Leichner
American Quilter's Society
Box 3290, Paducah, KY 42002-3290
9781574326772, $26.95, www.americanquilter.com

Hand Applique with Embroidery offers a fine selection of basic applique techniques covering everything from fabric to embellishments. Three learning projects offer step-by-step learning opportunities that begin with the bare-bones basics and move to more advanced techniques in a guide highly recommended for any needlework collection.

The Rose of Sharon Block Book
Sharon Pederson
Martingale & Company
20205 - 144th Avenue NE, Woodinville, WA 98072-8478
9781604680119, $24.99, www.martingale-pub.com

The Rose of Sharon Block Book offers a fine collection of winning quilter's design from the EQ6 Challenge, presenting the winners chosen by several judges. These 12 blocks come with complete instructions for assembly, with over 60 additional blocks from the Rose of Sharon challenge entries included for additional quilter's reference. Quilters with any familiarity with the Rose of Sharon will find this an outstanding gathering of designs.

Material Obsession 2
Kathy Doughty and Sara Fielke
Abrams
115 West 18th St., New York NY 10011
9781584798804, $27.50, www.abramsbooks.com

Material Obsession 2: More Modern Quilts with Traditional Roots tells of a quilting team that presents 20 new quilts using their unique approach: blending modern fabrics with traditional designs. Their projects, planned in pairs, involved assigning the same concept but working independently to produce two very different results. Step-by-step directions accompany photos and extensive discussion of technique in a pick for any quilter's collection.

Hari Walner's Continuous-Line Quilting Designs
Hari Walner
C&T Publishing
1651 Challenge Drive, Concord, CA 94520-5206
9781607051763, $26.95, www.ctpub.com

80 original continuous-line designs for hand or machine quilting pack in a fine survey for any quilter's collection. Tips on machine quilting and marking accompany patterns that include a photo of the design stitched on fabric. Black and white patterns provide all the keys necessary to produce continuous-line quilting results.

Square-Agonals
Sandi Blackwell
Landauer Corporation
3100 SW 101st St., Urbandale, IL 50322
9781935726005, $24.95, www.landauercorp.com

Square-Agonals: A New Angle on Quilting holds no math, no cutting and connecting triangles, and easy stitched blocks and rows that create diagonal designs. While billed as a 'new angle' the look is satisfying old-fashioned and appealing, teaching how to sew rows of squares following three very simple cutting instructions. Newcomers to quilting, in particular, will find this a powerful survey!

Knitting at Home
Leanne Prouse
SixthandSpring Books
c/o SoHo Publishing Company
101 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 1301, New York, NY 10013
www.sixthandspringbooks.com
9781933027999, $24.95, www.amazon.com

KNITTING AT HOME: 60 CLASSICS FROM ELLA RAE DESIGNS comes from an author who created the Ella Rae brand of yarn, who brings her original designs to knitters of all skills levels. Thirty of her most popular patterns add to 30 new projects and cover all kinds of household projects, from cushions and slippers to blankets and children's clothes. Any home decorating or knitter's collection needs this!

Stitch 'n Bitch: Superstar Knitting
Debbie Stoller
Workman
225 Varick St., New York NY 10014
9780761135975, $17.95, www.workman.com

Stitch 'n Bitch: Superstar Knitting: Go Beyond the Basics pairs step-by-step directions with knitting-building skills, showing how to knit in a range of styles from Fair Isle and cables to lace. Over forth original patterns accompany 21 techniques covered in a fine guide for knitters who have the basics down, but wish to move to the next level.

Spinning Wool: Beyond the Basics
Anne Field
Trafalgar Square Books
Box 257, North Pomfret, VT 05053
9781570764646, $24.95, www.trafalgarbooks.com

Spinning Wool: Beyond the Basics appears in a fine revised guide to all spinners who want to move to the next level in their work. It's now in full color and goes beyond basics in teaching spinner how to analyze fleeces and get the most out of a spinning wheel. Yarn design is presented with step-by-step instructions and photos of the spinning process as a whole.

Knitting Block by Block
Nicky Epstein
Potter Craft
c/o Crown Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, New York NY 10019
9780307586520, $29.99, www.pottercraft.com

Knitting Block by Block: 150 Blocks for Sweaters, Scarves, Bags, Toys, Afghans and More covers everything about modular knitting and packs in over 150 block patterns that can be mixed and matched to produce unique results. All 150 blocks are presented in small size and color at the back of the book for easy photocopying and cutting in this winning presentation suitable for any knitter's library.


The Music Shelf

AC/DC: High-Voltage Rock 'n Roll
Phil Sutcliffe
Voyageur Press
c/o Quayside Publishing Group
400 First Avenue North, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55401
9780760338322, $35.00, www.voyageurpress.com

AC/DC: High-Voltage Rock 'n Roll: The Ultimate Illustrated History is simply a 'must' for any library strong in rock n roll music history. AC/DC has over thirty years of concerts and recordings to their name, and this tribute packs in over 400 images including live performances, handbill and gig poster reproductions, photos of their career at all stages, and sidebars of rock information from many sources. Add a specially commissioned band history and definitive discography and you have an outstanding winner!

The Official Vintage Guitar Magazine Price Guide 2011
Alan Greenwood & Gil Hembree
Vintage Guitar Books
c/o Hal Leonard
P.O. Box 13819, Milwaukee, WI 53213
9781884883224, $29.95, www.halleonard.com

The Official Vintage Guitar Magazine Price Guide 2011 is the only complete guide to vintage guitar prices, whether they be electric, acoustic, lap steels or mandolins. The market for musical instruments and their accessories always changes: this publication is in its 20th year and remains the only book to keep track of rapidly evolving prices, making it a 'must' key to over 1,900 brands. No music library or collector's reference holding should be without!

The Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers with Brendan Mullen
It Books
10 E. 53rd St., New York NY 10022-5299
9780061351914, $39.99, www.youritlist.com

The Red Hot Chili Peppers provides a fine oversized, illustrated guide for any fan of the rock group, pairing an oral and visual history with over 250 photos and recollections by the Peppers and their associates. Candid revelations by all band members contribute to a lovely tribute to the band and their era, perfect for any general rock music collection and Peppers fans in particular.

The Secret History of Rock n Roll
Christopher Knowles
Vivia Editions
2246 Sixth St., Berkeley, CA 94710
9781573444057, $16.95, www.vivaeditions.com/book

The Secret History of Rock n Roll: The Mysterious Roots of Modern Music offers a fine survey of rock bands and their mystique, drawing connections between 'mystery religions' and rock and how these religions used many of the trappings of modern rock and roll. The connection between violence, behaviors and rock music makes for an intriguing social history unlike any other rock n roll music history book!

Life
Keith Richards
Little, Brown & Company
c/o Hachette Book Group
237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017
9780316034388, $29.99, www.hachettebookgroup.com

LIFE will prove a 'must' for any library serious about rock music: it's been nearly seventy years in the making and details the story of Rolling Stones member Keith Richards's life, from his childhood in London to his relationships with the Stones and other musical proteges. This delves extensively into his personal experiences and observations, providing an intimate 'no holds barred' survey of all the influences and experiences that have contributed to his fame. Unparalleled in scope and perspective, it's a winner.

Star Guitars
Dave Hunger
Voyageur Press
400 - 1st Avenue North #300, Minneapolis MN 55401
9780760338216, $35.00, www.voyageurpress.com

From famous guitars whose names are commonly known in the rock world to pioneers of playing, this provides a fine illustrated history of the guitars - and their stars. STAR GUITARS: 101 GUITARS THAT ROCKED THE WORLD is presented by guitar type and packs in full-page color photos which are key to identification and appreciation.


The Cookbook Shelf

At Home with Madhur Jaffrey
Madhur Jaffrey
Alfred A. Knopf
c/o Random House
1745 Broadway, 17th floor, New York, NY 10019
9780307268242, $35.00, www.aaknopf.com

Madhur Jaffrey's Indian cookbook offers a fine collection that reduces the number of steps in a recipe and revises old techniques to make them easy for modern kitchens and cooks. From snacks and appetizers to a range of dishes suitable for everyday eating, this pairs color photos of completed dishes with recipes that lend to newcomer interest, making it a special recommendation for any general lending library seeking an easy introduction to Indian fare.

What to Cook and How to Cook It
Jane Hornby
Phaidon Press
180 Varick Street, 14th floor, New York, NY 10014
9780714859583, $39.95 www.phaidon.com

What to Cook and How to Cook It provides a fine step-by-step cookbook for any who wants to assure perfection in producing their favorite meal. Beginners will find this an exceptional starting point: every recipe comes with a clear color photo showing what to buy and illustrating all preparation steps. 100 dishes range from breakfast and lunch to dinner in this fine pick for new cooks.

Yeast
Chris White with Jamil Zainasheff
Brewers Publications
Box 1679, Boulder, CO 80306-1679
0937381969, $19.95, www.brewersassociates.org

YEAST: THE PRACTICAL GUIDE TO BEER FERMENTATION is a 'must' for any brewer's collection, covering the basics of brewing and beer-making and narrowing the focus to yeasts. From fermentation timelines to wort characteristics and yeast potentials, this provides fine in-depth coverage for any brewer who has the basic down and wants more knowledge of the science and handling of yeasts.

Southern Plate
Christy Jordan
William Morrow & Company
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022-5299
9780061991011, $27.50, www.harpercollins.com

SOUTHERN PLATE: CLASSIC COMFORT FOOD THAT MAKES EVERYONE FEEL LIKE FAMILY features the down-home Southern fare featured on Christy Jordan's food blog, www.southernplate.com, which has drawn forty-three million readers since its 2008 launch. Her cookbook shares over 150 recipes passed down by sharecropper ancestors and pairs stories about her life with Southern dishes ranging from Crunchy Beef Casserole to Pecan Pie Muffins. Every American cookery collection should have this!

1001 Ways to Cook Southern
Southern Living
Oxmoor House
Box 360220, Des Moines, IA 50336-0220
0848733118, $34.95, www.oxmoorhouse.com

1001 Ways to Cook Southern offers a definitive 'bible' of information - Southern classic dishes for any interested in cooking authentic, foolproof Southern cuisine. From Gingerbread Snowflake Cookies and Fig-Balsamic Roasted Pork Loin to Spicy Pecan-Cornbread Stuffing, it's packed with classics and innovative dishes alike, and a top pick for any American regional culinary collection!

Fresh Food Fast Weeknight Meals
Cooking Light
Oxmoor House
Box 360220, Des Moines, IA 50336-0220
9780848733186, $24.95 www.oxmoorhouse.com

Fresh Food Fast Weeknight Meals packs in nearly three hundred quick meal recipes, all of which use only five ingredients and take only 15 minutes to produce. From Teriyaki Salmon with Mushrooms to Pork Chops with Tarragon-Onion Gravy, this pairs color photos with quick dishes busy cooks of any skills levels can easily produce, making it a top lending library recommendation.

Taste of Home Cookbook
Reader's Digest Press
Reader's Digest Road
Pleasantville, NY 10570-7000
9780898217742, $29.95, www.rd.com

TASTE OF HOME COOKBOOK packs in over 1,500 recipes for modern cooks, presents them in a handy lay-flat binder format, and makes sure a good portion are thirty-minute recipes for busy cooks. With all the color, foolproof family meal dishes, and step-by-step directions paired with color throughout, this is a basic, top pick for any cook.

Keys to Good Cooking
Harold McGee
Penguin Press
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
375 Hudson Street, 4th floor, New York, NY 10014
9781594202681, $35.00, www.penguinpress.com

Keys to Good Cooking: A Guide to Making the Best of Foods and Recipes is a fine, basic guide to successful food preparation from the writer of 'Curious Cook', a New York Times columnist. It holds an organization by both ingredient and cooking tools and packs in discussions on everything from avoiding sticking during cooking to using leftovers economically. Safe handling methods are emphasized throughout, making this a standard text new cooks in particular will relish.

Bake!
Nick Malgieri
Kyle Books
4501 Forbes Blvd. #201, Lanham MD 20706
9781906868239, $29.95, www.kylebooks.com

BAKE! ESSENTIAL TECHNIQUES FOR PERFECT BAKING comes from an award-winning food writer and cooking teacher who has spent over thirty years teaching people how to bake. Each chapter begins with an Essential Technique and offers step-by-step color photos describing preparation. The basics are reinforced through a series of dishes that can be used with the foundation recipe. A 'must' for any serious culinary collection!

Quick & Kosher Meals in Minutes
Jamie Geller
Feldheim Publishers
208 Airport Executive Park, Nanuet, NY 10954
9781598265965, $34.99, www.feldheim.com

Quick & Kosher Meals in Minutes comes from a bride who 'knew nothing' about cooking and already juggled a career with household requirements. As her career - and family - grew, she was challenged to cook meals her family liked, that kids would eat, and how to keep kosher. Recipes in this book cover total preparation time from ingredients to full served meals and focus on meals that can be done in just 20, 40 or 60 minutes. From holiday celebrations to quick dishes, this packs in foolproof, easy recipes perfect for harried cooks. Color photos liberally packed throughout complete a highly recommended pick.

Cake Boss
Buddy Valastro
Free Press
1230 Avenue of Americas, New York NY 10020
9781439183519, $25.99, www.simonandschuster.com

CAKE BOSS: STORIES AND RECIPES FROM MIA FAMIGLIA details chef Buddy Valastro's life and tells how Carlo's Bakery came to be and how a small family-run bake shop became a household name. Buddy was in high school when he realized he, too, wanted to be a baker: at 17 when his father died, he took over the bakery and achieved status his family could never have envisioned. CAKE BOSS is inspiration, warming - and packed with recipes and a peppering of color photos throughout.

The Gourmet Cookie Book
Gourmet Magazine
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
215 park Avenue South, New York NY 10003
9780547328164, $18.00, www.hmhbooks.com

The best recipes of Gourmet magazine, spanning nearly seventy years, are gathered in The Gourmet Cookie Book, which selects the cream of the crop to select the 'most delicious' cookie for each year of the magazine's existence. Each recipe is preceded with explanations of where Gourmet was in magazine and culinary history that year, while color photos and easy directions conclude with recipe notes for maximum benefit. No cooking collection should be without this winner!

Houston Classic Desserts
Erin Hicks Miller
Pelican Publishing
1000 Burmaster St., Gretna, LA 70053-2246
9781589808362, $16.95, www.pelicanpub.com

Houston Classic Desserts joins others in Pelican's 'Classic Recipes Series' to present lovely cakes, pies, and cookies from the city's best restaurants and chefs. From Creole Bread Pudding from Brennan's Restaurant to a Coconut Cream Tart from Shade, this is packed with delicious desserts.

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day
Jeff Hertzberg, MD and Zoe Francois
St. Martin's Press
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
0312362919, $27.99, www.stmartins.com

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking tells how to make fresh bread as often as you wish, with only five minutes of active preparation time involved. The authors have created a method that makes home baked bread easier than buying at a store: 100 recipes offer a wide range of breads applying this innovation in a title recommended for any culinary collection.

Second Helpings
Johnnie Gabriel
Thomas Nelson Publishers
PO Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214
9781401600013, $24.99, www.thomasnelson.com

SECOND HELPINGS comes from a Marietta Georgia cook who has spent twenty years creating and developing classics of southern cooking. SECOND HELPINGS is the result, combining fine flavors and easy techniques. Shrimp in White Wine Cream Sauce, for example, pairs garlic, cream and butter in while Old-Fashioned Three Layer Peach Pie provides mouth-watering flavor. Any seeking an exceptional Southern cookbook will want this!

The Pure Joy of Monastery Cooking
Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila Latourrette
Countryman Press
Box 748, Woodstock, VT 05091
9780881509229, $35.00, www.countrymanpress.com

The Pure Joy of Monastery Cooking: Essential Meatless Recipes for the Home Cook comes from a monk who gardens all the vegetables he cooks with and provides vinegars and jams to the monastery's winery. His frugal approach to cooking lends to simple recipes using his vinegars and ingredients and makes for a fine collection notably powerful for its hearty main-course dishes, from casseroles to omelette dishes.

Blackbird Bakery Gluten-Free
Karen Morgan
Chronicle Books
680 - 2nd St., San Francisco CA 94107
9780811873314, $24.95, www.chroniclebooks.com

Blackbird Bakery Gluten-Free: 75 Recipes for Irresistible Gluten-Free Desserts and Pastries blends lovely photos by Knoxy with a fine survey of treats that are both gluten-free and delicious. They come form the author's on successful bakery, launched in 2008, which has attracted celebrity attention and patronage, and include dishes ranging from a classic Tiramisu to cherry pie, eclairs, and more. Highly recommended for any allergy-free cooking collection.

How Baking Works, third edition
Paula Figoni
Wiley
c/o Wiley Professional Trade Group
111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
9780470392676, $45.00, www.wiley.com

The third updated edition of HOW BAKING WORKS offers a fine, revised survey covering the chemistry of the basic techniques of baking. The entire process is covered with an attention to the science behind why baking works: from major ingredient groups to how sweeteners, fats and leavening agents affect appearance, flavor and texture, this is a 'must' for any serious culinary collection.

The Mitsitam Cafe Cookbook
Richard Hetzler
Fulcrum
4690 Table Mountain Drive #100, Golden CO 80403
9781555917470, $22.95, www.fulcrumbooks.com

The Mitsitam Cafe Cookbook: Recipes from the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian presents some ninety recipes from the museum's own Mitsitam Cafe, which uses tribal culinary traditions from five native cultures across the Americas. Here are dishes ranging from Buffalo Chili and Fry Bread Tacos to Fiddlehead Fern Salad and Honey-Roasted Rutabagas, making for a unique collection perfect for both Native American and serious American regional culinary collections alike. Color photos spice the pages.


The Military Shelf

Into the Viper's Nest
Stephen Grey
Zenith Press
c/o Quayside Publishing Group
400 First Avenue North, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55401
9780760338971, $28.00, www.zenithpress.com

INTO THE VIPER'S NEST: THE FIRST PIVOTAL BATTLE OF THE AFGHAN WAR is a specific analysis recommended for any in-depth military coverage of the Afghan War's experiences. It comes from a journalist who recounts the three-day battle for the Taliban stronghold of Musa Qala, covering strategy, experience, and the biggest battle of the war. A 'you are there' reporting method makes this a top pick for any who want blow-by-blow, moment-by-moment descriptions.

Sunray
Valerie Fortney
Key Porter Books
Six Adelaide Street East, 10th Floor, Toronto, Ontario Canada M5C 1H6
9781554703005, $32.95, www.keyporter.com

SUNRAY: THE DEATH AND LIFE OF CAPTAIN NICHOLA GODDARD tells of a woman who became the sixteenth Canadian soldier to die in Afghanistan, the first female Canadian soldier to die in combat. Goddard's story is examined by a journalist who considers how a woman raised by left-wing hippies came to fight and die in Afghanistan in a hard-hitting biography highly recommended for any military or women's issues collection.

When Angels Wept
Eric G. Swedin
Potomac Books Inc.
22841 Quicksilver Drive, Sterling, VA 20166
9781597975179, $27.50, www.potomacbooksinc.com

WHEN ANGELS WEPT: A WHAT-IF HISTORY OF THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS uses research h made available after the Soviet Union's collapse to examine what could have happened if nuclear war had broken out between the U.S. and Cuba in 1962. Behind-the-scenes revelations - that top U.S. military officers all urged a bombing campaign and even full-scale invasion while the Soviet Union had tactile nuclear weapons in Cuba - make for a frightening alternative history recommended for any military or general library.

Without Hesitation
General Hugh Shelton
St. Martin's Press
175 - 5th Avenue, New York NY 10010
0312599056, $27.99, www.stmartins.com

Without Hesitation: The Odyssey of an American Warrior provides the autobiography of Hugh Shelton, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1997-2001, who recounts vivid stories of his first tour in Vietnam, in Haiti, and in other countries. His encounters with presidents, world leaders, and his clashes in foreign affairs circles makes for an involving 'inside circle' survey perfect for a fine military collection acquisition. Co-Authors Ronald Levinson and Malcolm McConnell add spice to the account.

Typhoon Wings of 2nd TAF 1943-45
Chris Thomas
Osprey Publishing
4402 - 23rd Street, Suite 219, Long Island City, NY 11101-5058
9781846039737, $22.95, www.ospreypublishing.com

Typhoon Wings of 2nd TAF 1943-45 analyzes the Typhoon, the RAF's bomber supporting the troops in the invasion of northwest Europe during World War II. Military holdings considering strategy and equipment will find this a fine survey from an aircraft specialist who provides much research on the history and development of the Typhoon. Tactics used by the Typhoon and
insights on battles make for a fine presentation.


The Psychology Shelf

The Mind's Eye
Oliver Sacks
Alfred A. Knopf
c/o Random House
1745 Broadway, 17th floor, New York, NY 10019
9780307272089, $26.95, www.aaknopf.com

Psychology collections and general libraries alike will welcome Oliver Sacks' lively collection of insights about people who are able to live their lives despite losing senses key to perceiving the world. From the power of speech to the ability to read and see, all the people profiled here began with their full abilities, lost them, and compensated. Dr. Sacks' own eye cancer is also revealed in a powerful personal account of what happens when a key sense becomes compromised.

Alcoholism Sourcebook, third edition
Joyce Brennfleck Shannon, Editor
Omnigraphics
Box 1640, Detroit, MI 48231-1640
9780780811416, $95.00, www.omnigraphics.com

This latest updated sourcebook provides readers with the latest research on alcohol use and abuse, analyzing physical and mental alcohol-related effects and mental health issues. From underage drinking to the effects of drinking on different body systems, this is a 'must' reference for any collection strong in social issues and health alike.

Learning RFT
Niklas Torneke, MD
Context Press
c/o New Harbinger Press
5674 Shattuck Avenue, Oakland, CA 94609
9781572249066, $49.95, www.newharbinger.com

LEARNING RFT: AN INTRODUCTION TO RELATIONAL FRAME THEORY AND ITS CLINICAL APPLICATION is a pick for any college-level psychology library, and covers in depth a little-understood behavioral theory in clinical psychology. This introduction offers keys to applying RFT concepts in clinical settings and offers a review of concepts and their applications to therapeutic models. Highly recommended!

Sleights of Mind
Stephen L. Macknik, et al.
Henry Holt
175 - 5th Avenue, New York NY 10010
9780805092813, $26.00, www.henryholt.com

The collaborative work of Stephen L. Macknik and Susana Martinez-Conde with Sandra Blakeslee, SLEIGHTS OF MIND: WHAT THE NEUROSCIENCE OF MAGIC REVEALS ABOUT OUR EVERYDAY DECEPTIONS comes from the founders of the new discipline of neuromagic, and reveals the techniques of some of the best magicians who have formulas for tricking the brain. The authors spent years exploring magic around the world: their explanations use the latest cognitive neuroscience findings to reveal the secrets behind magic tricks and brain perception. Science and general interest holdings alike will relish this.


The Health/Medicine Shelf

Bad Medicine
Michael D. Tanner
Cato Institute
1000 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20001
www.cato.org
No ISBN, $10.00, www.cato.org

The pamphlet BAD MEDICINE: A GUIDE TO THE REAL COSTS AND CONSEQUENCES OF THE NEW HEALTH CARE LAW should be considered for any college-level collection analyzing health care reform options. It holds a little over fifty pages of analysis offering a critical, condemning look at the basics of Obama's new tax laws, and offers much for debate.

Practical Decision Making in Health Care Ethics, third edition
Raymond J. Devettere
Georgetown University Press
3240 Prospect St. NW, Washington DC 20007
9781589012516, $37.50, www.press.georgetown.edu

Practical Decision Making in Health Care Ethics: Cases and Concepts appears in its third updated edition to provide revised, updated discussions of landmark cases in medical ethics. College-level courses on medical ethics receive a text providing students and their instructors with a fine survey of bioethical issues and solutions. From stem cell research and infant euthanasia in The Netherlands to recent Vatican statements on organ donation, this covers a wide spectrum of ethical issues and is a 'must' for any serious college-level collection!

The Case Against Flouride
Paul Connett, PhD, et.al.
Chelsea Green Publishing
Box 428, White River Junction, VT 05001
9781603582872, $24.95, www.chelseagreen.com

The Case Against Flouride provides a fine science-based argument against drinking fluoride, using the latest research to examine public drinking supplies and safety. There's mounting evidence that fluoridated water is unsafe and affects the bones, kidneys, and entire body systems: this makes a case for the risk, then examines why practices continue despite all evidence. General and health collections need this!

The Age of Autism
Dan Olmsted and Mark Blaxill
Thomas Dunne Books
175 - 5th Avenue, New York NY 10010-7848
9780312545628, $27.99, www.thomasdunnebooks.com

The Age of Autism: Mercury, Medicine and a Man-Made Epidemic draws some startling connections between mercury and autism, showing how mankind has been poisoning itself and how mercury has been indicted as the possible cause of a number of 'modern' conditions. The authors probe how mercury exposure has caused catastrophic health conditions - and shows how medical and manufacturing interest have exposed the public for decades. This should be in every general lending library!

A Compromised Generation
Beth Lambert with Victoria Kobliner, MS, RD
Sentient Publications
1113 Spruce St., Boulder, CO 80302
9781591810964, $18.95, www.sentientpublications.com

A Compromised Generation: The Epidemic of Chronic Illness in America' Children provides a 'must' for any who would protect children. Research is showing that decades of medical over-treatment combined with poor diet choices and exposure to environmental toxins is compromising the health of kids and creating epidemics of chronic illness. Chapters show how to reverse these epidemics and how to prevent kids from becoming ill by altering environmental exposure and going outside Western medicine.

Pediatric Dosage Handbook, 17th edition
Carol K. Takemoto, PharmD, et.al.
Lexi-Comp
1100 Terex Road, Hudson, OH 44236
9781591952831, $59.95, www.lexi.com

The 17th updated edition of PEDIATRIC DOSAGE HANDBOOK is a 'must' reference for any serious nursing reference collection. It includes neonatal dosing, drug administration and more and this edition holds over twenty new drug monographs, updates to hundreds of others, and a new monograph on pregnancy considerations. A top, powerful pick!

You Can Cope with Peripheral Neuropathy
Mims Cushing and Norman Latov, MD
Demos Publishing
386 Park Avenue South #301, New York NY 10016
9781932603767, $18.95, www.demoshealth.com

You Can Cope with Peripheral Neuropathy: 365 Tips for Living a Full Life is packed with practical tips unique to those suffering from neuropathy, and comes from a patient-expert and doctor who cover everything from questions to ask the doctor to making the house easier to navigate and locating a support group. Practical information focuses on both easing pain and making daily life and travel easier, and make this a top pick for any health collection.

Essentials of Health Care Finance, seventh edition
William O. Cleverley, Paula H. Song, James O. Cleverley
Jones & Bartlett
40 Tall Pine Road, Sudbury, MA 01776
9780763789299, $105.95 www.jblearning.com

The collaborative effort of William O. Cleverley, Paula H. Song, and James O. Cleverley, "Essentials of Health Care Finance" appears in its seventh updated edition to provide health management students and executives with insights on financial decision-making in health care. From theory to its application under a range of conditions, this covers skilled nursing facilities, surgical centers, and private practices alike, with chapters showing how to analyze financial position, develop plans, use variance analysis in budgets, and more.

The Mayo Clinic Diet
Mayo Clinic
Good Books
PO Box 419, Intercourse, PA 17534-0419
9781561486762, $25.99, www.mayoclinic.com/diet

The Mayo Clinic Diet comes from weight loss experts who present a diet designed to lose up to 6 to 10 lbs in 2 weeks - and more. Yet, the diet is also designed to keep an enjoyment of life alive during the process - so food scales and calculators aren't part of the process. Color photos accompany tips on how to make the most of the Mayo's diet plan, in a title recommended for any general lending library.

Fresh Medicine
Philip Bredesen
Atlantic Monthly Press
841 Broadway, New York NY 10003
0802119387, $23.00, www.groveatlantic.com

FRESH MEDICINE: How to Fix Reform and Build a Sustainable Health Care System comes from the Democratic Governor of Tennessee and is the first book to address the health care reform act in a nonpartisan manner. His analysis of what's broken about America's health care system and how it can be reformed makes for a powerful survey highly recommended for any social issues or health collection.

The Energy Cure
William Bengston, Ph.D.
Sounds True
Box 8010, Boulder CO 80306
9781591799115, $18.95, www.soundstrue.com

THE ENERGY CURE: UNRAVELING THE MYSTERY OF HANDS-ON HEALING provides scientific evidence challenging conventional medicine to re-think beliefs on healing. The author's 35-year investigation into hands-on healing offers a blend of memoir and technique perfect for new age and many a general lending collection.


The American History Shelf

The New York City Draft Riots
Iver Bernstein
University of Nebraska Press
1111 Lincoln Mall, Suite 400, Lincoln NE 68588-0630
9780803234536, $21.95, www.bisonbooks.com

The New York City Draft Riots: Their significance for American Society and Politics in the Age of the Civil War tells the story of the New York City draft riots, following their participants and their underlying importance to the overall social concerns of the times. It's surprising to note that this is the first book to examine the riots in detail, making it a recommendation for any serious college-level American history and social issues collection.

Eye of the Explorer
Paul D.McDermott, Ronald E. Grim, Philip Mobley
Mountain Press
Box 2399, Missoula, MT 05806
9780878425600, $50.00, www.mountain-press.com

Eye of the Explorer: Views of the Northern Pacific Railroad 1853-54 tells of one of five government surveys led to determine a potential route for the transcontinental railroad in the West. Illustrations document the geography of the times, pair maps with color photos, and provide fine vintage illustrations - all the lithographs from the original exploration as well as six of the prints painted as a result of the survey.

Mapping Norwood
Charles Fanning
University of Massachusetts Press
Box 429, Amherst, MA 01004
9781558498105, $29.95, www.umass.edu/umpress

MAPPING NORWOOD: AN IRISH AMERICAN MEMOIR probes family life in a Massachusetts town from the 1920s to the 1960s and re-creates childhood and growing up in a place and time rich with potential. The author's personal memoir serves as a piece of social history considering the Irish experience as a whole, and will attract any interested in regional American Irish experiences.

White Man's Heaven
Kimberly Harper
University of Arkansas Press
McIlroy House, 201 Ozark Avenue, Fayetteville, AR 72701
1557289417, $34.95, www.uapress.com

WHITE MAN'S HEAVEN: THE LYNCHING AND EXPULSION OF BLACKS IN THE SOUTHERN OZARKS, 1894-1909 uses court records, newspaper articles, letters and diaries to investigate the systematic lynching and expulsion of Afro-Americans in the Ozarks in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, exploring events to show how post-Civil War violence escalated in the region. Though some whites tried to stop events, the end result was a region changed by the violence. History provided is lively, not dry, and provides a quick, easy understanding of all the social and political issues involved in a pick for any college-level racial studies collection; especially those focused on regional American experiences in general and Southern experience in particular.

The Kennedy Detail
Gerald Blaine with Lisa McCubbin
Gallery Books
c/o Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of Americas, New York NY 10020
9781439192962, $28.00, www.simonandschuster.com

THE KENNEDY DETAIL: JFK'S SECRET SERVICE AGENTS BREAK THEIR SILENCE adds to the wealth of Kennedy assassination data with something new, just when you thought there was nothing new to examine. The perspectives of the Secret Service agents who were there are presented by Gerald Blaine, who was one of the thirty-four men charged with JFK's protection. Clint Hill, the agent who jumped on the back of the car and pushed Jackie down mid-shooting, has not contributed to any other book on the topic - until now. The unique perspectives make this a 'must' for any serious JFK analysis.

Workers Unite! The American Labor Movement
Kevin Hillstrom
Omnigraphics
Box 31-1640, Detroit, MI 47231-1640
9780780811300, $49.00, www.omnigraphics.com

Workers Unite! The American Labor Movement offers three sections packed with labor history perfect for high school to college-level collections. An introductory narrative overviews provides a survey of the history of the American labor movement from early origins to modern times, while a collection of biographies provides biographical background of key labor leaders and a third section of primary resources gathers documents relating to labor union evolution. A 'must' for any American history or business collection.

Wicked River
Lee Sandlin
Pantheon
c/o Random House Publishing
1745 Broadway, New York NY 10019
9780307378514, $26.95, www.pantheonbooks.com

WICKED RIVER: THE MISSISSIPPI WHEN IT LAST RAN WILD is a 'must' for any American history holding. It provides a fine survey of the Mississippi River before commerce and technology altered it forever, blending a lively narrative discussing legends and realities of history with a survey of the river's natural history and influence on human progress. Chapters offer a history that begins in the early 1800s and ends in 1863, in a powerful and fun survey perfect for both American history and general lending libraries alike.


The World History Shelf

The Chinese in Mexico, 1882-1940
Robert Chao Romero
University of Arizona Press
355 S. Euclid Avenue Suite 103, Tucson, AZ 85719
9780816527724, $50.00, www.uapress.arizona.edu

The Chinese in Mexico, 1882-1940 argues that Chinese immigrants turned to Mexico as their new land of economic opportunity after the passage of the U.S. Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, using Mexico to get into the U.S. illegally and also seeking employment in Mexico itself. This study is based on Mexican and U.S. source material and provides a powerful survey blending oral history, census records and more. No college-level history of Mexico or the Chinese should be without it!


The Religion/Spirituality Shelf

The Bushman Way of Tracking God
Bradford Kenney, Ph.D.
Beyond Words
c/o Atria Books
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
9781582702575, $24.00, www.simonandschuster.com

The Bushman Way of Tracking God: The Original Spirituality of the Kalahari People offers a fine survey of how early tribes found meaning in life and perceived spirituality. The original spirituality of the Bushmen is linked to modern searches for life's meaning, with twelve universe mysteries covering a range of mystical experiences and perceptions. Any spirituality or new age collection needs this!

An Ethics for Today
Richard Rorty
Columbia University Press
61 West 62nd Street, New York, NY 10023-7015
9780231150569, $17.95, www.cup.columbia.edu

An Ethics for Today: Finding Common Ground Between Philosophy and Religion comes posthumously from a secularist who considers the philosophies of John Mill, Henry James, and others in an analysis of patterns of similarity and difference in religious beliefs. His opposition to uniformity and consideration of the central projects of philosophy and belief consider intersections between the two and provide college-level philosophy and spirituality collections with much food for thought.

The Wisdom Books
Robert Alter
W.W. Norton
500 - 5th Avenue, New York NY 10110
9780393068122, $35.00, www.wwnorton.com

THE WISDOM BOOKS: JOB, PROVERBS, AND ECCLESIASTES: A TRANSLATION WITH COMMENTARY comes from an award-winning Biblical translator and offers a new translation of Job, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. Any Bible student will find this analysis key to further understanding, covering issues of values, moral behaviors, and more. The three books are annotated and introduced in a survey of how the Wisdom poets have imparted basic metaphors for living. No Christian spirituality collection should be without this fine in-depth survey, lending to greater understanding.

The Religious Test
Damon Linker
W.W. Norton
500 - 5th Avenue, New York NY 10110
9780393067958, $25.95, www.wwnorton.com

THE RELIGIOUS TEST: WHY WE MUST QUESTION THE BELIEFS OF OUR LEADERS examines different elements of religious belief systems and links to political leadership, considering if a candidate's religious convictions should be off-limits to public scrutiny. There are some beliefs, Linker maintains, that are incompatible with high office and even sometimes in a democracy: he examines connections between church and state and how these beliefs operate in a fine survey for believers and atheists alike.

A Literary Bible
David Rosenberg
Counterpoint Press
2117 Fourth Street, Suite D, Berkeley, CA 94710
9781582436197, $26.95, www.counterpointpress.com

Information missed by previous Biblical translators is covered here in A LITERARY BIBLE: AN ORIGINAL TRANSLATION, which re-examines ancient Hebrew to provide a translation capturing the lively voices of the past. Representing over 30 years of work, this gathers portions of some 18 Biblical books and extensive passages, providing a fine feel for the words of the times. A 'must' for any spirituality collection.

America's Four Gods
Paul Froese and Christopher Bader
Oxford University Press
198 Madison Avenue, New York NY 10016-4314
9780195341478, $24.95, www.oup.com/us

America's Four Gods: What We Say About God - & What That Says About Us provides a powerful, comprehensive survey of American religious beliefs to explore how Americans view God. Many social and political conflicts actually arise from religious convictions rarely discussed: original survey data from thousands of Americans blend with interviews to consider the influence of differing beliefs in God on the American social and political system.

Spiritual Envy: An Agnostic's Quest
Michael Krasny
New World Library
14 Pamaron Way, Novato, CA 94949
1577319125, $22.95, www.newworldlibrary.com

Spiritual Envy: An Agnostic's Quest considers a history of the idea of agnosticism, which originated from Thomas Huxley in the mid-nineteenth century and had its roots in reason-based skepticism. After reviewing a history of the idea and its evolution, Krasny offers his own insights into faith, spiritual envy, and a desire for a higher power in this fine survey for any spiritual collection.


The Christian Studies Shelf

New Proofs for the Existence of God
Robert J. Spitzer
William B. Eerdmans Publishing
2140 Oak Industrial Drive NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49505
9780802863836, $28.00, www.eerdmans.com

New Proofs for the Existence of God: Contributions of Contemporary Physics and Philosophy comes from an expert in philosophy, metaphysics and ethics who explores the latest discoveries in big bang cosmology as it relates to religious beliefs. Science and spirituality blend in a satisfying exploration for any collection surveying the foundations of faith in human history.

Grace Before Meals, new edition
Father Leo Patalinghug
Doubleday Religion
1745 Broadway, New York NY 10019
9780307717214, $17.00, www.doubledayreligion.com

Grace Before Meals: Recipes & Inspiration for Family Meals & Family Life provides a fine survey covering cooking and family relationships alike, blending recipes with spirituality and including Biblical references for encouraging family dialogue. The result is a powerful revised new edition pairing Father Leo's favorite recipes with dishes sure to nourish on many levels!

Miracles Every Day
Maura Poston Zagrans
Doubleday Religion
1745 Broadway, New York NY 10019
9780385531818, $19.99, www.doubledayreligion.com

MIRACLES EVERY DAY: THE STORY OF ONE PHYSICIAN'S INSPIRING FAITH AND THE HEALING POWER OF PRAYER provides an involving account of a licensed doctor who left surgery and conventional medicine in 1992 to begin a holistic practice blending prayer with various forms of acupuncture. His technique would bring healing and comfort to many - and has become a ministry of faith, and his story deserves a place in many a spirituality holding.

Flourish
Catherine Hart Weber, Ph.D.
Bethany House Publishers
11400 Hampshire Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55438
9780764208089, $14.99, www.bethanyhouse.com

FLOURISH: DISCOVER THE DAILY JOY OF ABUNDANT, VIBRANT LIVING provides a practical spiritual book to tending the soul, blending breakthroughs in faith-based positive psychology with neuroscience and biblical wisdom to give women tools needed to flourish in relationships and live meaningful lives. Any spirituality collection looking for a daily conversational piece about meaning needs this!

Dancing With Max
Emily Colson
Zondervan Publishing House
5300 Patterson Avenue, S.E., Grand Rapids, MI 49530
9780310293682, $16.99, www.zondervan.com

Dancing With Max: a Mother and Son Who Broke Free offers a prologue and epilogue by Charles Colson as it chronicles experiences being a single mother whose only child is diagnosed with autism. Chuck Colson adds his insights as a father and grandfather to a title that tells how a family defines and handles disability with keen awareness of religious significance.

I Quit!
Geri Scazzero With Peter Scazzero
Zondervan Publishing House
5300 Patterson Avenue, S.E., Grand Rapids, MI 49530
9780310321965, $14.99, www.zondervan.com

I QUIT! STOP PRETENDING EVERYTHING IS FINE AND CHANGE YOUR LIFE offers a key to an emotionally healthy psychological and spiritual life. Geri Scazzero knew there was something wrong with her life and ministry - so when she left the thriving church her husband pastured, she embarked on a journey to faith that would transform her life. This documents her journey of spiritual self-discovery and will enhance any Christian collection.

The Walk
Shaun Alexander
Waterbrook Press
c/o Random House Publishing
12265 Oracle Blvd. Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80921
9780307459510, $17.99, www.waterbrookmultnomah.com

THE WALK: CLEAR DIRECTION AND SPIRITUAL POWER FOR YOUR LIFE is a top pick for any Christian library, and comes from a Christian who shows how God leads followers through five stages of spiritual maturity from unbelief to belief and beyond. Each stage is an important key to progression: chapters consider how to accept God's direction and wisdom in this pick for any contemporary Christian library.

A Maryknoll Book of Inspiration
Michael Leah and Doris Goodnough Editors
Orbis Books
Box 302, Maryknoll, NY 10545-0302
9781570759017, $25.00, www.orbisbooks.com

A Maryknoll Book of Inspiration: Readings Every day of the Year provides a fine collection of ideas from great spiritual writers from Flannery O'Connor to John Shea and Dorothy Day. These provide insights for daily prayer and reflection, and are key to any spiritual learner seeking daily motivation.

Revelation of the Magi
Brent Landau
HarperOne
c/o Harper San Francisco
353 Sacramento St., #500, San Francisco CA 94111-3653
9780061947032, $22.99, www.harperone.com

REVELATION OF THE MAGI; THE LOST TALE OF THE WISE MEN'S JOURNEY TO BETHLEHEM offers a fine survey of early Christian tradition and community, focusing on the Magi's prophecies, their visitation in form of a star, and their journey. Their teachings and more are analyzed from a Christian perspective in a pick for any Christian collection.

Begat
David Crystal
Oxford University Press
198 Madison Avenue, New York NY 10016-4314
9780199585854, $24.95, www.oup.com

Begat: The King James Bible & the English Language offers a powerful pick on the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible, showing how the book's words and phrases appeared in the works of influential writers and politicians over the centuries right up to modern times. Chapters describe the origins and uses of over 650 commonly used expressions from the King James Bible and offer detailed insights into the revisions made by its translators. No spirituality collection should be without this!

Heaven is for Real
Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent
Thomas Nelson Publishers
PO Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214
9780849946158, $16.99, www.thomasnelson.com

HEAVEN IS FOR REAL: A LITTLE BOY'S ASTOUNDING STORY OF HIS TRIP TO HEAVEN AND BACK provides a compelling story of four-year-old Colton, who survives an emergency appendectomy only to tell his parents he left his body during surgery and visited heaven. His exact description of what people in the hospital were doing during his surgery and events that happened before he was born makes for an involving account that describes perceptions of heaven through the eyes of a child. Christian collections will find this a compelling addition.


The Buddhist Studies Shelf

Buddha
Jon Ortner
Welcome Books
6 West 18th Street, 4th Floor, New York, NY, 10011
9781599620619, $29.95, www.welcomebooks.com

BUDDHA offers lovely photos by Jon Ortner to explore works of art inspired by The Buddha. Over 150 works pack a volume presented in full color, with a foreword by Ortner who talks about their creation and an introduction by Jack Kornfield, who provides the background details on Buddha's life and influence. A 'must' for both arts and Buddhist collections alike.

Rebel Buddha: On the Road to Freedom
Dzogchen Ponlop
Shambhala
300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston MA 02115
9781590308745, $21.95, www.shambhala.com

Rebel Buddha: On the Road to Freedom offers readers a spiritual assessment based on the idea of an internal 'rebel Buddha' - a force within that knows how to break free of fear and unhappiness. Explained here is a training program for touching base with this 'rebel Buddha' to train the mind for more peaceful approaches and perceptions of daily life. Buddhist teachings permeate this fine approach, recommended for any Buddhist or spirituality collection.


The Science/Technology Shelf

Polygon Mesh Processing
Mario Botsch, et.al.
A.K. Peters, Ltd.
5 Commonwealth Rd, Suite 2C, Natick, MA 01760
9781568814261, $59.00, www.akpeters.com

Geometry processing is a fast-growing area that uses concepts from computer science, engineering and applied math to design algorithms for 3D models. College-level collections strong in engineering and modeling science will find this covers the entire geometry processing pipeline, covering all kinds of models acquired by 3D scanning techniques. The latest techniques using triangle meshes receive powerful, in-depth analysis in a pick for any college-level engineering collection.

The Commodification of Academic Research
Hans Radder, Editor
University of Pittsburgh Press
3400 Forbes Avenue, 5th floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15260
0822943964, $50.00, www.upress.pitt.edu

The Commodification of Academic Research: Science and the Modern University provides college-level, scholarly collections with the first book-length analysis of the trend of science to become a sales method in modern universities. It offers philosophical and social analysis by scholars of research ethics and other areas, discussing the moral responsibilities of universities and considering the sociopolitical issues of the organization of science. No college-level science collection should be without!


The Biography Shelf

Growing Up Laughing
Marlo Thomas
Hyperion
114 - 5th Avenue, New York NY 10011
9781401323912, $26.99, www.hyperionbooks.com

GROWING UP LAUGHING: MY STORY AND THE STORY OF FUNNY tells of Marlo, who grew up surrounded by father Danny Thomas and countless other comedian friends of the family. Her early experiences with their stories led to her lifelong love of comedy and her comic roots are explored in this autobiography, which includes over 20 personal interviews conducted by Thomas herself with Alan Alda, Kathy Griffin, Jay Leno and the top names in modern comedy acts. From stories about her childhood to keys to her career, this is a lively survey any general lending library will relish.

Becoming Odyssa
Jennifer Pharr Davis
Beaufort Books
27 W. 20th St. #1102, New York NY 10011
9780825306495, $24.95, www.beaufortbooks.com

BECOMING ODYSSA: EPIC ADVENTURES ON THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL tells of a college graduate who is uncertain what to do after school. Drawn to the Appalachian Trail, she sets out alone to hike it for four months of intense physical activity - and changes from an uncertain college student to a strong rugged individual. Her story of achievement and growth makes for an inspirational read for any general lending collection.

Growing, Older
Joan Dye Gussow
Chelsea Green Publishing Company
PO Box 428, White River Junction, VT 05001-0428
9781603582926, $17.95, www.chelseagreen.com

GROWING, OLDER; A CHRONICLE OF DEATH, LIFE AND VEGETABLES comes from a key name in the food movement field who has grown her own food for forty years, and who teaches an acclaimed Nutritional Ecology program at Columbia. Her memoir begins with the loss of her husband to cancer and stories of the life that follows, offering insights that are positive, upbeat expressions suitable for any general lending library.

Frank: The Voice
James Kaplan
Doubleday & Company
c/o Random House
1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019
9780385518048, $35.00, www.doubleday.com

Frank: The Voice is a pick for any general lending library and offers a definitive biography detailing singer Frank Sinatra's rise to fame. From his marriages to Nancy Sinatra and Ava Gardner to his bridge between easy listening and rock n roll and his rise and fall in the public eye, this offers a detailed and in-depth biography unparalleled in scope and presentation. A 'must' for any who would thoroughly understand Sinatra!

Mohamed's Ghosts
Stephan Salisbury
Nation Books
387 Park Avenue South, New York NY 10016
9781568584287, $26.95, www.nationbooks.org

MOHAMED'S GHOSTS: AN AMERICAN STORY OF LOVE AND FEAR IN THE HOMELAND tells of an imam in a working-class Philadelphia neighborhood whose congregation became the subject of scrutiny by federal agents who arrested him and stormed his mosque. Terrorizing its members and holding Mohamed Ghorab without criminal charges for eighteen months before he gave up his fight against deportation, this attracted the attention of journalist Stephan Salisbury, who chronicles civil rights abuses in the War on Terror in a startling revelation recommended for any collection.

Jimmy Carter
Julian E. Zelizer
Times Books
175 - 5th Avenue, New York NY 10010
9780805089578, $23.00, www.henryholt.com

JIMMY CARTER offers the latest in the American President Series edited by Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. and Sean Wilentz, and considers the Georgia peanut farmer's rise to power. From his early years to the development of social and political talents that would lead to his presidency, this offers a survey of a political maverick who found it difficult to create a collaborative atmosphere in the White House. A fine pick for any political biography collection.

Walking Israel
Martin Fletcher
Thomas Dunne Books
175 - 5th Avenue, New York NY 10010-7848
9780312534813, $25.99, www.thomasdunnebooks.com

WALKING ISRAEL: A PERSONAL SEARCH FOR THE SOUL OF A NATION provides a fine survey of a long-time NBC Bureau Chief in Tel Aviv whose personal walk across Israel revealed facets of the country he never saw from his desk. Fletcher met Israeli Jews, Israeli Arabs, and others: his encounters shed new light on the nation's evolving cultures and concerns.

Mamalita
Jessica O'Dwyer
Seal Press
1700 - 4th St., Berkeley, CA 94710
9781580053341, $16.95, www.sealpress.com

MAMALITA: AN ADOPTION MEMOIR tells of a mother's ordeal to bring her adopted child home from Guatemala. It tells of an ordinary American woman who decided to adopt - against all odds - and whose adoption agency left her alone to fight for her daughter. A powerful, moving survey comes to life for any general-interest reader.

Decision Points
George W. Bush
Crown
c/o The Crown Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, #B1, New York, NY 10019-4305
9780307590619, $35.00, www.crownpublishing.com

Given that President Bush didn't grant many insightful interviews about his life and historic interviews, the appearance of DECISION POINTS earns extra attention from Bush fans who have long wished for more behind-the-scenes candid explanations. This chronicles the fourteen most critical and historic decisions in his public service, offering perspectives on why he chose advisors and particular avenues over others. Any who would consider the Bush presidency and its policies needs this in-depth expose!


The Political Science Shelf

The New Road to Serfdom
Daiel Hannan
Harper
c/o Harper Collins
10 East 53rd St., New York NY 10022-5299
9780061956935, $24.99, www.harpercollins.com

THE NEW ROAD TO SERFDOM: A LETTER OF WARNING TO AMERICA comes from a conservative British member of the EU parliament who provides an analysis of EU-style social democracy and its failings - and warns that President Obama is making some of the same choices that he views as fatal. Americans should not abandon their founding principles - and this argues for the Tea Party and other movements that go against socialist agendas.

Dupes
Paul Kengor
ISI Books
3901 Centerville Road, Wilmington, DE 19807-1938
9781935191759, $29.95, www.isibooks.org

DUPES: HOW AMERICA'S ADVERSARIES HAVE MANIPULATED PROGRESSIVES FOR A CENTURY provides an in-depth survey by a best-selling historian author who offers the idea that many progressives have unwittingly aided some of this country's most dangerous opponents. Newly released FBI files, Soviet archives and other primary sources newly revealed serve as the foundation for an expose of liberals who have played into the hands of dangerous enemies. An eye-opening survey.

Shifting Superpowers
Martin Sieff
Cato Institute
1000 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20001
9781935308218, $26.00, www.cato.org

SHIFTING SUPERPOWERS: THE NEW AND EMERGING RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES, CHINA, AND INDIA delves into various interactions and interests shifting between emerging superpowers and the U.S., offering a fine account that presents the image of an emerging new international landscape of relationships. In this new world China and India are pursuing their own interests as global superpowers - and the idea that America will remain on top of this new pyramid is dangerous. No college-level political issues collection should be without this!


The Pets/Wildlife Shelf

Ghost Birds
Stephen Lyn Bales
University of Tennessee Press
293 Communications Building
Knoxville, TN 37996-0325
1572337176, $29.95, www.utpress.org

GHOST BIRDS: JIM TANNER AND THE QUEST FOR THE IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER, 1935-1941 comes from a naturalist who was a graduate student when he saw his first ivory-billed woodpecker in a Louisiana swamp in 1935. His observation of one of the country's most elusive birds would lead to his lifelong passion documenting them, searching for only one species. His extensive field work on the woodpecker is presented here based on his personal journals and in cooperation with his widow, and reveals his quest and achievements. Science and natural history holdings need this!

The Stokes Field Guide to the Birds of North America
Don and Lillian Stokes
Little, Brown & Company
c/o Hachette Book Group
237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017
9780316010504, $24.99, www.hachettebookgroup.com

The Stokes Field Guide to the Birds of North America is a 'must' take-along tote for any avid birder, and represents the culmination of a lifetime devoted to bird study. Photos and more identification information than any competing guide packs a portable guide including a bonus CD of over 600 downloadable bird songs from 150 common species. It's also the first national bird guide to emphasize "quantitative shape" as a method of bird identification and offers the latest range maps and scientific details.

Bird Songs Bible
Les Beletsky, Editor
Chronicle Books
680 Second Street, San Francisco, CA 94107
9780811871389, $125.00, www.chroniclebooks.com

BIRD SONGS BIBLE is the item of choice for any who want a lavish, oversized gift presentation packing in detailed descriptions of birds with their actual songs. Every single breeding bird in North America is covered in a boxed set consisting of audio songs from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, including a digital player, and featuring all 747 breeding birds in the country. Simply outstanding; a unique gift edition any birder will relish!

Mammal Teeth
Peter S. Ungar
Johns Hopkins University Press
2715 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21218
9780801896682, $95.00, www.press.jhu.edu

MAMMAL TEETH: ORIGIN, EVOLUTION AND DIVERSITY is a pick for any college-level collection strong in natural history, providing an in-depth survey of the evolutionary history of teeth. Tooth structure, function and changing nutritional requirements are surveyed using the author Peter S. Ungar's own groundbreaking studies on analysis patterns and keys to ancient animal diets. A unique survey!

Success in Veterinary Practice
Bradley Viner
Wiley-Blackwell
350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148
www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell
9781405169509, $48.99, www.amazon.com

SUCCESS IN VETERINARY PRACTICE: MAXIMIZING CLINICAL OUTCOMES AND PERSONAL WELL-BEING provides would-be vets and libraries catering to them a fine survey of what is meant by success in veterinary practice. From setting and achieving goals in a veterinary career to improving work/life balance and changing management techniques for better outcome, this is a dual survey of professional ethics and well-being and is a 'must' for students and new veterinary office practitioners alike.

Dewey's Nine Lives
Vicki Myron with Bret Witter
Dutton
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
375 Hudson Street, 4th floor, NY, NY 10014
9780525951865, $19.95, www.penguin.com

DEWEY'S NINE LIVES: THE LEGACY OF THE SMALL-TOWN LIBRARY CAT WHO INSPIRED MILLIONS offers new Dewey stories and other cat tales and is perfect for any fan of felines. Vicki Myron had no intention of writing a second Dewey title - but she had more Dewey stories to tell plus more of her own experiences. The result is a sequel for Dewey fans and newcomers alike!

Homeopathic Care for Cats & Dogs, revised edition
Don Hamilton, DVM
North Atlantic Books
Box 12327, Berkeley, CA 94712
9781556439353, $27.95, www.northatlanticbooks.com

Homeopathic Care for Cats & Dogs: Small Doses for Small Animals appears in a revised edition updating basic treatments and guidance for caring for pets, and comes from a vet who has practiced for over thirty years. Chapters provide overviews of different systems, from digestive to eyes, and discuss common ailments and their homeopathic options. General collections will find this a popular consumer pick.


The Business Shelf

Social Media Marketing
Liana Li Evans
Que
c/o Pearson Technology Group
801 East 96th Street, #300, Indianapolis, IN 46240-3759
0789742845, $24.99, www.quepublishing.com

SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING: STRATEGIES FOR ENGAGING IN FACEBOOK, TWITTER & OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA provides a fine survey of how to make the most of social media to link marketing strategies to profits. From customizing social networking strategies to organizing it and managing risks, chapters cover branding, messaging, etiquette, customer service and ore, and tells how to take traditional marketing approaches to the next level. Business collections will find this a useful guide!

Trademark, ninth edition
Attorneys Stephen Elias and Richard Stim
Nolo Press
950 Parker Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
9781413312560, $39.99, www.nolo.com 1-800-955-4775

The ninth updated edition of TRADEMARK: LEGAL CARE FOR YOUR BUSINESS & PRODUCT NAME is a pick for any serious business or general lending library. It packs in the latest details on trademarks, teaches all basics from choosing good trademarks competitors can't copy and registering them to resolving disputes, and provides step-by-step directions for all instructions. Given the world-wide global business community's influence there's more need than ever for thorough knowledge on trademark protection - which this provides.

The Best 300 Business Schools
Nedda Gilbert
The Princeton Review
c/o Random House Inc.
1745 Broadway, New York NY 10019
9780375427909, $22.99, www.princetonreviewbooks.com

The Best 300 Business Schools provides a fine review of business schools derived from student surveys and profiles of the nation's top 300 schools, offering detailed statistics on over 150 programs accredited by the AACSB. From school areas of specialization and student demographics to admission criteria and all information needed to contact the school, this is a 'must' reference for high school to college-level holdings.

More Time for You
Rosemary Tator and Alesia Latson
Amacom
1601 Broadway, New York NY 10019-7420
0814416470, $18.95, www.amacombooks.org

MORE TIME FOR YOU: A POWERFUL SYSTEM TO ORGANIZE YOUR WORK AND GET THINGS DONE is a 'must' for any busy professional often facing overwhelm. It provides an easy, step-by-step program to get organized and stay productive, offering reviews of a range of tools useful to the process. Analysis of why we get overwhelmed and self-assessments make this a top pick for any business collection.

It's a Jungle in There
Steven Schussler
Union Square Press
c/o Sterling Publishing Company
387 Park Avenue South, NY, NY 10016-8810
9781402762895, $19.95, www.sterlingpublishing.com

It's a Jungle in There: Inspiring Lessons, Hard-Won Insights, and Other Acts of Entrepreneurial Daring comes from the founder of the successful Rainforest Cafe and documents his wild career in the restaurant and entertainment businesses. He rebuilt his suburban Minnesota home as a jungle - complete with 40 live tropical birds flying inside - and launched a dream business. This shares his life and vision and most of all, his entrepreneurial vision. Business collections will find this lively, inspiring reading.

Stoking Your Innovation Bonfire
Braden Kelley
Wiley
c/o Wiley Professional Trade Group
111 River St., Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
9780470621677, $34.95, www.wiley.com

STOKING YOUR INNOVATION BONFIRE: A ROADMAP TO A SUSTAINABLE CULTURE OF INGENUITY AND PURPOSE covers the basics of a successful organization and common barriers to innovation that have prevented them from achieving sustainable growth. Case studies and reviews of proven techniques contribute to a survey of leading innovation theories that work.

Buy In
John P. Kotter and Lorne A. Whitehead
Harvard Business Review Press
60 Harvard Way, Boston, MA 02163
9781422157299, $22.00, www.hbr.org/books

BUY IN: SAVING YOUR GOOD IDEA FROM GETTING SHOT DOWN traces the common roots of how a good idea is killed, from delays to confusion and irrational anxieties - and uses fictional narratives to show how avoiding attacks doesn't always work. BUY-IN shows common strategies for these attacks and how to gain support needed to deliver results, and makes this a fine survey highly recommended as a 'must' for any serious business collection.

I Live in the Future & Here's How It Works
Nick Bilton
Crown Business
c/o Crown Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, New York NY 10019
9780307591111, $25.00, www.crownpublishing.com

I Live in the Future & Here's How It Works: Why Your World, Work and Brain are Being Creatively Disrupted comes from a lead writer and technology reporter for the New York Times Bits Blog, and analyzes how social media has caused a revolution in how people perceive and interact with content and information. From how new concepts of navigation and narrative are changing lives to how news and storytelling may change business, this is an analysis no business collection can afford to be without.

Comebacks at Work
Kathleen Kelley Reardon & Christopher T. Noblet
HarperBusiness
c/o HarperCollins
10 East 53rd St., New York NY 10022-5299
9780061771026, $24.99, www.harpercollins.com

The collaborative work of Kathleen Kelley Reardon, Ph.D. with Christopher T. Noblet, MBA, COMEBACKS AT WORK: USING CONVERSATION TO MASTER CONFRONTATION provides a fine set of guidelines on what to say under difficult circumstances. From taking charge of how people treat and respond on a business level to what makes an effective comeback, this provides a fine set of answers to common situations.

Work at Home Now
Christine Durst and Michael Haaren
Career Press
Box 687, Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417
9781601630919, $14.99, www.careerpress.com

WORK AT HOME NOW: THE NO-NONSENSE GUIDE TO FINDING YOUR PERFECT HOME-BASED JOB, AVOIDING SCAMS, AND MAKING A GREAT LIVING offers the ultimate guide to finding the work-at-home project desired. From places where real jobs for mystery shoppers, transcriptionists and others can be found versus the fake 'come-ons' advertised to insider tips on good and bad online search terms and how to spot a scam, this is packed with key references any general and business lending library needs.

In Pursuit of Elegance
Matthew E. May
Broadway Books
1745 Broadway, New York NY 10019
9780385526500, $14.00, www.broadwaybooks.com

In Pursuit of Elegance: Why the Best Ideas Have Something Missing delves into the concept of ideas, solutions, and how 'elegant solutions' are devised to problems. The subject is achieving the maximum impact with the minimum input: chapters show differences between mainstream and 'elegant' solutions and offer keys to thinking that involve accomplishing more, not less. All business libraries need this!

Black Faces in White Places
Randal Pinkett, Jeffrey Robinson with Philana Patterson
Amacom
1601 Broadway, New York NY 10019-7420
0814416808, $24.95, www.amacombooks.org

Black Faces in White Places: 10 Game-Changing Strategies to Achieve Success and Find Greatness tells black Americans that everyone holds the potential to redefine victory and defeat. Success stories of blacks in business discuss how blacks need to expand their focus from working harder and smarter, showing how to achieve professional and personal goals while retaining racial pride. A top pick for both business and ethnic holdings.


The Art Shelf

The Ultimate Guide to Colored Pencil
Gary Greene
North Light Books
c/o F+W Media
4700 East Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236
www.fwpublications.com
9781600613913, $29.99, www.artistsnetwork.com

A DVD that shows how to paint a rose accompanies an easy handbook featuring lay-flat hardcover binding with spiral interior, a range of techniques for mastering colored pencil work, and ideas for solving common problems and mistakes. From choosing materials and colors to achieving realistic results, this packs in a range of ideas perfect for any beginner new to colored pencil art.

Drawing Inspiration
Michael Fleishman
Delmar Cengage Learning
5 Maxwell Drive, Clinton Park, NJ 12065-2919
1418052256, $77.95, www.cengage.com/delmar

DRAWING INSPIRATION: VISUAL ARTISTS AT WORK offers fine insights into drawing and sources of illustration offering a range of topics, from how an artist develops creative concepts to the basics of color and line. The works of nearly 200 illustrators from around the world accompany explanations key to any serious arts collection.

John Pawson: Plain Space
Alison Morris
Phaidon Press
180 Varick St., 14th Floor, New York NY 10014
9780714857480, $75.00, www.phaidon.com

JOHN PAWSON: PLAIN SPACE packs in over 300 color illustrations of his most recent work, to coincide with a Fall exhibition of the same name. This stands well alone too, gathering the designer's body of work under one cover and featuring projects that focus on Pawson's use of space, light and materials. With its full-page displays and colorful presentations, this is a top selection for any modern arts collection.

Josef Albers and Wassily Kandinsky: Friends in Exile
Nicholas Fox Weber & Jessica Boissel
Hudson Hills Press
Box 205, Manchester, VT 05254
9781555953270, $29.95, www.hudsonhills.com

Josef Albers and Wassily Kandinsky: Friends in Exile provides a decade of the correspondence between the two from 1929-1940, presenting near fifty letters between friends who faced exile together as 'undesirable' artists in Germany, refusing to comply with the terms proposed by the Third Reich. Each wrote of their continuing artistic evolution in exile - and their letters illustrate both friendship and evolving artistic growth even under changing circumstances.

I Am Plastic, Too
Paul Budnitz
Abrams
115 W. 18th St., New York NY 10011
9780810988873, $45.00, www.abrams.com

I AM PLASTIC, TOO: THE NEXT GENERATION OF DESIGNER TOYS provides Kidrobot's Paul Budnitz, who surveys the latest and most sought-after toys around the world. Examples from over a hundred toy artists and companies offer images from the hottest world designers and considers the evolution of the designer toy movement in a top pick for arts and social history collections.

Numismatic Art in America, second edition
Cornelius Vermeule
Whitman Publishing
3103 Clairmont Road, Suite B, Atlanta, GA 30329
0794822746, $29.95, www.whitmanpublishing.com

Numismatic Art in America: Aesthetics of the United States Coinage appears in its second updated edition and is a recommendation for collectors and arts collections alike. It traces a history of American coinage from 1792 in Philadelphia to the 1960s, with a focus and over 400 illustrations on coinage art development. Each period of history is discussed with respect to changing artistic trends and popular styles in American and European painting and statuary influencing coin design.

How to Start a Faux Painting or Mural Business, second edition
Rebecca Pittman
Allworth Press
10 E. 23rd St., New York NY 10010
9781581157444, $24.95, www.allworth.com

How to Start a Faux Painting or Mural Business: A Guide to Making Money in the Decorative Arts appears in its second edition to tell how to begin a faux painting or mural endeavor. Insider tips on creating a successful home-based business appears in an expanded second edition to cover new ways to advertise, all the latest trends, and more. Any faux painter artist contemplating independence needs this!

How to Draw and Paint Dragons
Tom Kidd
Barrons
250 Wireless, Hauppauge, NY 11788
0764143867, $21.99, www.barronseduc.com

How to Draw and Paint Dragons delves into the specifics of drawing dragons, from creating muscle groups and producing believable results to using actual living species such as reptiles and horses to create dragon art. Sketches and step-by-step directions contribute to a lively color-filled survey.


The Fashion Shelf

Harper's Bazaar Fashion
Lisa Armstrong
Hearst Books
c/o Sterling Publishing
387 Park Avenue South, New York NY 10016-8810
9781588168658, $24.95, www.sterlingpublishing.com

Harper's Bazaar Fashion: Your Guide to Style offers a step-by-step approach to identifying personal style. Photos of the world's fashion trend-setters accompanies a manual covering everything from How to Find Your Look to The Art of Shopping. Fifteen designers provide their original sketches and ideas on style throughout, while photos of both vintage and modern chic women illustrate style trends in a recommendation for general and fashion libraries alike.

Pattern
Orla Kiely
Conran
Octopus Publishing
publicity@octopus-publishing.co.uk
9781840915532, $34.99, www.octopusbooks.co.uk

PATTERN is a fine recommendation for any collection interested in fashion design and provides an account tracing the author's own development as a designer and insights into how to develop an eye for color, form and pattern. From wall coverings and rugs to linens and interior design, this packs in lovely photos and insights into how to use pattern successfully and will appeal to any college-level arts and design library.


The Architecture Shelf

Ethics for Architects
Thomas Fisher
Princeton Architectural Press
37 East 7th St., New York NY 10003
9781568989464, $24.95, www.papress.com

ETHICS FOR ARCHITECTS: 50 DILEMMAS OF PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE provides practicing architects with some fifty moral dilemmas at the workplace and offers solutions to each issue. From issues of uncompensated work and corrupt politicians to cultural conflicts and dishonest behavior, this surveys situations that might affect any architectural decision or architect's practice and offers ethical solutions.


The Crafts Shelf

Classic Chain Mail Jewelry
Kalmbach Publishing
21027 Crossroads Circle, Waukesha, WI 53186
9780871164070, $21.95, www.kalmbachbooks.com

Classic Chain Mail Jewelry packs in over thirty projects for all skill levels and pairs step-by-step photos with complete directions for working with chain mail. Styles are varied and provide a fine series of insights on classic chain mail productions in a beginner's guide that assumes no prior familiarity with the styles or creation of chain mail jewelry.


The Woodworking Shelf

Wood Bending Made Simple
Len Schleining
The Taunton Press
63 South Main Street, Newtown, CT 06470
9781600852497, $24.95, www.taunton.com

Adding to Taunton's 'Made Simple' series is a blended book/DVD package covering all the basics of how to bend wood for projects. Design options will appeal to furniture makers who want to add curves to their work, with the illustrated book and DVD set covering all common techniques from steam bending to bent lamination. A fine survey, this step-by-step coverage deserves a spot in any woodworker's collection.


The Audiobook Shelf

The Templar Salvation
Raymond Khoury
Penguin Audio
375 Hudson St., New York NY 10014
9780142428290, $39.95, www.penguin.com

The Templar Salvation receives veteran narrator Richard Ferrone's fine voice, which brings to life a riveting sequel to Khoury's best-selling THE LAST TEMPLAR. Fans of the previous title will appreciate a sequel that moves from 1203 to modern times as it presents FBI agent Sean Reilly's infiltration of the pope's Vatican Secret Archives. A gripping thriller audio collections will love.

Dragongirl
Todd McCaffrey
Brilliance Audio
Box 887, Grand Haven, MI 49417
1423373359, $38.99, www.brillianceaudio.com

DRAGONGIRL receives Emily Durante's fine voice and background as an actress and audio narrator: both of which spice the new Dragonriders of Pern story by the son of creator Anne McCaffrey. Here young Fiona has returned from the past where she and a group of dragons and riders fled. She's no longer a child in her own time - and a tragedy brings her pain, authority and new challenges in this riveting fantasy.

Worth Dying For
Lee Child
Random House Audio
c/o The Random House Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, 8th floor, New York, NY 10019
9780307749437, $45.00, www.randomhouseaudio.com

Worth Dying For is narrated by Dick Hill who provides a fine veteran's voice to this unabridged best-selling Reacher novel about Nebraska trouble. An unsolved case of a missing child and a local clan that wants Reacher gone before their ship comes in makes for a powerful thriller that comes to life in audio!


The Homeowner's Shelf

Practical Green Remodeling
Barry Katz
Taunton Press
Box 55006, Newtown, CT 06470-5506
9781600850882, $24.95, www.taunton.com

Practical Green Remodeling: Down-to-Earth Solutions for Everyday Homes comes from a green building expert who makes an argument for remodeling in a green way. From considering energy needs and more efficient ways of meeting them to reclaiming materials and using renewable materials, this covers a range of green choices and is a 'must' for any homeowner considering remodeling.

Welcoming Home
Michaela Mahady
Gibbs Smith
Box 667, Layton, UT 84041
1423603214, $40.00, www.gibbs-smith.com

Welcoming Home discusses the design elements that make a house feel like a home, showing how people connect with architectural characteristics and how simple entryways, roofs, and design lines can create comfort. It comes from an architect's design perspective but blends in human psychology and offers many color examples to analyze the qualities of superior home dwellings, making this a pick for home and arts libraries alike.


The Gardening Shelf

Bizarre Botanicals
Larry Mellichamp and Paula Gross
Timber Press
133 S.W. Second Avenue Suite 450, Portland OR 97204-3527
9781604690767, $24.95, www.timberpress.com

BIZARRE BOTANICALS: HOW TO GROW STRING-OF-HEARTS, JACK-IN-THE-PULPIT, PANDA GINGER, AND OTHER WEIRD AND WONDERFUL PLANTS is a 'must' for any gardener with access to a hothouse and a desire to grow something out of the ordinary. From strange orchids to voodoo lilies, beehive-shaped ginger and honey locust, each plant includes difficulty ratings, hardiness zones, growing needs, and even height and spread, which allows for assessment for garden or indoor environment. Color photos of each plant complete this highly recommended, unique coverage.

Edible Landscaping, new edition
Rosalind Creasy
Sierra Club Books
85 Second St., San Francisco CA 94105
9781578051540, $39.95, www.sierraclubbooks.org

EDIBLE LANDSCAPING; NOW YOU CAN HAVE YOUR GORGEOUS GARDEN AND EAT IT TOO provides a new version of a classic. The original edition, published in the 1980s, broke new ground in promoting edible landscaping: this new edition appears in an all-color format to provide the latest design and gardening science. Decades of research and experience lend to a comprehensive encyclopedia of edibles and their horticultural needs.


The Interior Design Shelf

Dream Rooms
Andreas von Einsiedel and Johanna Thornycroft
Merrell Publishers
38 High Avenue, 4th floor, Nyack, New York 10960
9781858945125, $39.95, www.merrellpublishers.com

DREAM ROOMS; INSPIRATIONAL INTERIOR FROM 100 HOMES is a 'must' for interior design and home libraries alike. It provides an outstanding wealth of 'Dream Room' interiors, offering tips on giving rooms a new look and blending clever design with practical room usage to offer keys to many possibilities. Over 800 color photos make this a powerful pick.

Organized Simplicity
Tsh Oxenreider
Betterway Home
4700 East Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236
1440302634, $16.99, www.betterwaybooks.com

ORGANIZED SIMPLICITY: THE CLUTTER-FREE APPROACH TO INTENTIONAL LIVING provides fine keys to home organization and offers an easy, ten-day plan that shows, step-by-step, how to organize each room of the house. From templates for building a home management notebook to ideas for non-toxic household cleaners, this covers all the basics of an organized, natural home.


The Theatre/Cinema/TV Shelf

The Filmmaker's Book of the Dead
Danny Draven
Focal Press
30 Corporate Drive #400, Burlington, MA 01803
9780240812069, $39.95, www.elsevierdirect.com

The Filmmaker's Book of the Dead: How to make Your Own Heart-Racing Horror Movie provides set tips and applications from an award-winning director, enhancing his perceptions with interviews withy horror legends from Stuart Gordon (of Re-Animator) to Tom Savini (Night of the Living Dead). The result is a fine history of horror and pre-production techniques key to putting on a superior production.

The Art of Tangled
Jeff Kurtti
Chronicle Books
680 - 2nd St., San Francisco CA 94107
9780811875554, $40.00, www.chroniclebooks.com

The Art of Tangled provides key insights into filmmaker influences from Disney productions as they pioneered new techniques in computer animation for the film Tangled. Author and Disney expert Jeff Kurtti explores not just Tangled by the entire history of 3D film animation, using interviews with artists, animators and producers and packing in the artwork that went into production, from character sketches and storyboards to color scripts. No fan of Tangled or animated film production should be without this in-depth survey.

The Elephant Goes to Hollywood
Michael Caine
Henry Holt & Company
175 Fifth Avenue, Suite 400, NY, NY 10010-7725
9780805093902, $28.00, www.henryholt.com

The Elephant Goes to Hollywood provides a fine survey of actor Michael Caine's life: an acting career he thought ended in his late fifties. His personal transformation led to one of the most radical comebacks in film history - and his new role changed his life. An inspirational, dynamite memoir, this trances Hollywood and actor changes and the transitional achievements of a noted success, and provides food for thought for both general and film collections alike!

The Woman in the Story
Helen Jacey
Michael Wiese Productions
12400 Ventura Blvd. #1111, Studio City, CA 91604
9781932907797, $26.95, www.mwp.com

THE WOMAN IN THE STORY: WRITING MEMORABLE FEMALE CHARACTERS is a top pick for any collection strong in screenwriting and film, showing how screenwriters and playwrights can create memorable female protagonists. From heroines who seek approval from others and those who face personal trials to keeping female character within themes, this is packed with specifics key to producing believable, involving female characters - and should be key to any screenwriter's library!

One From the Hart
Stephanie Powers
Gallery Books
c/o Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of Americas, New York NY 10020
9781439172100, $26.00, www.simonandschuster.com

ONE FROM THE HART: A MEMOIR was inspired by two events that happened one after the other in the actress' life: the death of her mother and her own diagnosis of lung cancer. Her memoir reflects on her career experiences in film and television, her encounters with other notable famous people, and her personal passions in life. Any familiar with the actress will relish this account!

Talk Show
Dick Cavett
Times Books
c/o Henry Holt & Company
175 - 5th Avenue, Suite 400, NY, NY 10010-7725
9780805091953, $25.00, www.henryholt.com

TALK SHOW: CONFRONTATIONS, POINTED COMMENTARY AND OFF-SCREEN SECRETS comes from a famous talk show host who offers commentary and memories of the great figures he's known through hosting his famous TV show. From stories of Bette Davis and Jon Lennon to his confrontation with Richard Nixon, this documents some of the most startling show experiences of his career and is a 'must' for both general and film libraries.


The Computer Shelf

Service-Oriented Design with Ruby and Rails
Paul Dix
Addison-Wesley
c/o Pearson Technology Group
800 E. 96th St., Indianapolis, IN 46240
9780321659361, $49.99, www.informit.com/ruby

Service-Oriented Design with Ruby and Rails covers the basics of programming with Ruby and Rails and introduces a services-based design approach geared toward overcoming all of its challenges and limitations. Students can use both while working with larger codebases and teams and will find this title lends to building scalable, Ruby-based services that integrate smoothly with other systems. No programming library should be without it!

IT Essentials: PC Hardware and Software Lab Manual, fourth edition
Cisco Networking Academy
Cisco Press
c/o Pearson Technology Group
800 E. 96th St., Indianapolis, IN 46240
1587132621, $40.00, www.ciscopress.com

IT Essentials: PC Hardware and Software Lab Manual appears in its fourth updated edition and is the only authorized Lab Manual for the Cisco Networking Academy IT Essentials v. 4.1 course. As such it's a key supplemental book for any student planning on taking the Comp TIA A+ exams, packing in hands-on labs, worksheets and class instruction in a top 'must have' reference.

The Linux Programming Interface
Michael Kerrisk
No Starch Press
555 DeHaro Street, #250, San Francisco, CO 94107
9781593272203, $59.95, www.nostarch.com

The Linux Programming Interface: a Linux and UNIX System Programming Handbook packs in a 1,500 page 'Bible' of detail offering the definitive programmer's guide to the Linux and UNIX programming interface. Here are descriptions of over 500 system calls and functions, tables, example programs, diagrams, and keys to reading, writing and troubleshooting files using libraries, threads, and interfaces. Learn to use pipes, shared memory and write network applications using the sockets API in a powerful survey packed with clear instructions.

Seven Languages in Seven Weeks
Bruce A. Tate
Pragmatic Publishers
P.O. Box 293325, Lewisville, TX 75029-3325
9781934356593, $34.95, www.pragprog.com

Seven Languages in Seven Weeks: A Pragmatic Guide to Learning Programming Languages is a 'must' for any programmer seeking similarities between seven major programs. Ruby, Scala, Haskell and more are covered in a survey of how pattern matching in one program influenced the development of others, and how different techniques developed in one program served to strengthen the next generation of Internet applications. A 'must' for any programming library.

GIS Tutorial 2: Special Analysis Workbook
David W. Allen
ESRI Press
380 New York Street, Redlands, CA 92373-8100
9781589482586, $79.95, www.esri.com

GIS TUTORIAL 2: SPECIAL ANALYSIS WORKBOOK FOR ARCGIS 10 has been fully revised for ArcGIS Desktop 10 compatibility, providing a workbook keyed to understanding its applied geographic technology. Intermediate users will find this compliments Andy Mitchell's ESRI GUIDE TO GIS ANALYSIS, VOLUMES 1 & 2, reinforcing learning with a series of workbook exercises that apply varied forms of spatial analysis in Mitchell's books. A 'must' for any student seeking reinforcement of Mitchell's concepts.

Javascript by Example, second edition
Ellen Quigley
Prentice Hall Professional
c/o Pearson Technology Group
801 East 96th Street, #300, Indianapolis, IN 46240-3759
9780137054893, $39.99, www.informit.com

The second updated edition of JAVASCRIPT BY EXAMPLE is a 'must' reference for any serious Javascript programming collection. It provides a basic tutorial fully updated with many new and rewritten code examples, updated coverage of CSS style sheets, the DOM model, and thousands of basic Javascript operations. Beginners will welcome the methodical, step-by-step approach which builds from real foundations of applied knowledge.

Moving Applications to the Cloud on the Microsoft Windows Azure Platform
Dominic Betts, et.al.
Microsoft Press
c/o O'Reilly Media
1005 Gravenstein Highway North, Sebastopol, CA 95472
9780735649675, $29.99, www.msdn.microsoft.com/practices

Moving Applications to the Cloud on the Microsoft Windows Azure Platform is a 'must' for any who would build applications to be scalable and have high availability. The cloud offers many solutions to both, but it holds special challenges. This book is the first in a planned series about the Windows Azure platform and as such focuses on a migration plan, introducing a fictitious company's needs to teach step-by-step migration processes. Any who wish to begin using the cloud system needs this specific primer!

Cyber Bullying
Samuel C. McQuade III, et al.
Praeger
c/o ABC-CLIO
Box 1911, Santa Barbara, CA 93116-1911
9780313351938, $39.95, www.abc-clio.com

The collaborative project of Samuel C. McQuade III, James P. Colt and Nancy B.B. Meyer, "Cyber Bullying: Protecting Kids & Adults from Online Bullies" deserves repeated, ongoing mention as the definitive text on the topic. It will reach high school to college-level students in social issues and computer subjects alike, covering the fundamentals of cyber bullying processes, protections, and how to identify and prevent Internet aggression. Any library serious about the social impact of computer use needs this in-depth coverage.


The Travel Shelf

A Year of Adventures
Lonely Planet
150 Linden St., Oakland CA 94607
9781741799767, $19.99, www.lonelyplanet.com

A YEAR OF ADVENTURES provides an excellent planning tool to activity-oriented independent vacations around the world. From snow biking in France or volcano boarding in Nicaragua to diving with hammerhead sharks in Costa Rica, this offers an organization by month of the year to pinpoint optimum world travel opportunities perfect for the adventure-oriented traveler. Descriptions come packed with color photos and detail.


The Metaphysical Studies Shelf

The Dictionary of Demons
Michelle Belanger
Llewellyn Publications
2143 Wooddale Dr., Woodbury, MN 455125-2989
9780738723068, $24.95, www.llewellyn.com

The Dictionary of Demons provides a mind/body occult survey of demons, fallen angels and spirits and comes from an occult scholar who has compiled the most complete gathering of demonic names in print. An alphabetic presentation lends to a survey of over 1,500 demons, many cross-referenced by theme. Alternate spellings and references to key resources accompany each short survey, making this an invaluable reference!

Magic in Ancient Egypt, revised edition
Geraldine Pinch
University of Texas Press
2100 Comal St., Austin TX 78722
9780292722620, $24.95, www.utexaspress.com

The revised edition of Magic in Ancient Egypt provides a fine survey discussing Egyptian techniques for magic, practitioners, and surviving magical texts. From medicine to how influences from early Egyptian magic survived to influence later societies into modern times, this provides a scholarly approach to Egyptian deities: though it's more likely to be picked up by new age collections, serious Egyptian history holdings also need this in-depth survey!

Yetis Sasquatch & Hairy Giants
David Hatcher Childress
Adventures Unlimited Press
One Adventure Place, Kempton, IL 60946
9781931882989, $18.95, www.adventuresunlimitedpress.com

Yetis Sasquatch & Hairy Giants offers fine historical documentation and a gathering of sightings from evidence around the world, discussing giants among men which have been recorded from Biblical to modern times. This systematic exploration of the theme offers many approaches to evidence surrounding these strange creatures, making for an intriguing discussion especially recommended for - but not limited to - new age collections.

Mind Body Zen: Waking Up to Your Life
Hokuku Jeffrey Maitland & Harold D. Roth
North Atlantic Books
2526 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Berkeley, CA 94704-2607
9781556439049, $16.95, www.northatlanticbooks.com

MIND BODY ZEN is a pick for collections strong in Zen Buddhism and philosophy, who will find this comes from a long-time Zen student and former philosophy professor who uses this blend of mind-body experience and Zen knowledge to bridge East/West gaps in thinking. Basic ideas behind Nyorai Zen tells why Zen is a practice more than a philosophy, and will appeal to healers, Zen practitioners and new age students alike.

Getting Into the Vortex: Guided Meditations CD and User Guide
Esther and Jerry Hicks
Hay House
Box 5100, Carlsbad, CA 92018-5100
9781401931698, $24.95, www.hayhouse.com

Getting Into the Vortex: Guided Meditations CD and User Guide comes from a channeled being, Abraham, who has guided the authors to understand differences between physical bodies, energy, and a conscious connection to larger spiritual beings. Chapters discuss the concept of alignment as 'getting into the vortex' and provide fine insights into self-enlightenment techniques reinforced by an accompanying CD of guided meditations.

Hands-On Healing
William Bengston, PhD
Sounds True
Box 8010, Boulder, CO 80306
9781591799146, $69.95, www.soundstrue.com

HANDS-ON HEALING: A TRAINING COURSE IN THE ENERGY CURE is recommended for a wide range of collections, from new age to health to general lending libraries strong in audio self-help coverages. Hands-on healing can be taught - and scientist Dr. William Bengston has spent over thirty years researching the subject. His detailed training course in the actual hands-on healing method itself is a 'must' for any who would learn this technique.

The Art of Navigation
Felix Wolf
Council Oak Books
2 W. 6th St., Ste. 262, Tulsa, OK 74119
9780982290019, $20.00, www.counciloakbooks.com

The Art of Navigation: Travels with Carlos Castaneda and Beyond provides an excellent survey of the author's own life and how an association with Carlos Castaneda changed him. His thirty-year journey outlines the finer art of navigating life, first taught by Castaneda in his popular shaman autobiographies, and makes for a powerful new age collection addition.

Infinite Quest
John Edward
Sterling Ethos
c/o Sterling Publishing Company
387 Park Avenue South, NY, NY 10016-8810
9781402778933, $22.95, www.sterlingpublishing.com

Infinite Quest: Develop Your Psychic Intuition to Take Charge of Your Life comes from a popular psychic medium who has unique abilities to connect people with loved ones who have crossed over. Now this teaches readers how to develop their own psychic capabilities, discussing intuitive energy and offering guidelines and intuition-building exercises. Paired with a new website of the same name, INFINITE QUEST is a top pick for any new age collection!

The Choice
Mike Bara
New Page Books
c/o Career Press Inc.
PO Box 687, Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417
9781601631442, $15.99, www.newpagebooks.com

THE CHOICE: USING CONSCIOUS THOUGHT AND PHYSICS OF THE MIND TO RESHAPE THE WORLD blends new thought and new science in a fine survey of a future shift bringing change. Descriptions of a new theory of physics and how it relates to keys to discovering one's own inner power of mind and spirit to influence the physical world contributes to a powerful survey recommended for any new age collection.

Be Love Now
Ram Dass with Rameshwar Das
HarperOne
c/o Harper San Francisco
353 Sacramento St. Suite 500, San Francisco CA 94111-3653
9780061961373, $27.99, www.harperone.com

BE LOVE NOW: THE PATH OF THE HEART comes some forty years after the publication of Ram Dass' classic BE HERE NOW, which sparked a revolution in spirituality, and offers a newly revised, reinforced message of love and faith. Stories, personal anecdotes and insights share new ideas about faith in a changing world and while new age collections will be the most likely purchasers of this classic, it is also a pick for any general spirituality collection.


The Education Shelf

Paying for College Without Going Broke
Kalman A. Chany with Geoff Martz
Princeton Review
1745 Broadway, New York NY 10019
9780375427916, $20.00, www.princetonreviewbooks.com

Paying for College Without Going Broke should be on the shelves of any general lending library. It offers steps to calculate what colleges will expect you to pay, how to increase changes of receiving aid, ways to lower college costs, and strategies for divorced parents and all levels of income. From the common most costly mistakes parents and students make when applying for aid to accessing free online updates on funding, this is packed with key details in a 'must' for any general lending library!

Poets on Teaching: A Sourcebook
Joshua Marie Wilkinson, Editor
University of Iowa Press
100 Kuhl House, Iowa City, IA 52242
1587299046, $29.95, www.uiowapress.org

Poets on Teaching: A Sourcebook provides a fine new guide for teaching poetry embracing the latest approaches to poetry. Poets here reflect on what and how teachers bring poetry to the classroom, with different teaching approaches contrasted for maximum effect. A hands-on approach to reading and writing poems, articles on rethinking specific approaches, and discourses offering new course design ideas make this a 'must' for any potential poetry teacher.

Get Out, Explore, and Have Fun!
Lisa Jo Rudy
Jessica Kingsley Publishers
400 Market St. #400, Philadelphia, PA 19106
9781849058094, $19.95, www.jkp.com

Get Out, Explore, and Have Fun provides parents of Asperger or autism kids with a fine encouragement to get the family involved with the community. From pinpointing family activities from sports to science to museums, science institutions and the arts, this provides handouts about autism and ideas on how institutions can include kids with special needs.

Twins and Supertwins
Eve-Maarie Arce, EdD
Redleaf Press
10 Yorkton St., St. Paul MN 55117
9781605540306, $29.95, www.redleafpress.org

TWINS AND SUPERTWINS: A HANDBOOK FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD PROFESSIONALS provides important keys to supporting twins during their formative years, focuses on the unique needs of twins and supertwins (children of a multiple birth of three or more), and is based on the latest research on twins. Educators receive keys to different approaches and practices which include guidelines for growth and transition, in a fine pick for any educator's collection.

Results Coaching
Kathryn Kee, et.al.
Corwin Press
2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
9781412986748, $33.95, www.corwin.com

RESULTS COACHING: THE NEW ESSENTIAL FOR SCHOOL LEADERS provides a fine leadership model based on building coaching relationships with staff members to help them develop, and is built upon the International Coach Federation standards. From developing and fostering a system for promoting creative thinking to methods for communication and the experiences of successful coach-leaders, this packs in strategies and tools for teachers and students interested in more effective cooperative learning routines.

Next Steps in Literacy Instruction
Susan M. Smartt and Deborah R. Glaser
Brookes Publishing
Box 10524, Baltimore, MD 21285-0624
9781598570960, www.brookespublishing.com

Next Steps in Literacy Instruction: Connecting Assessments to Effective Interventions considers what happens after a formative literacy assessment like DIBELS or FAIR - and how educators can use the results to make targeted interventions with improved reading results. Field tested during nationwide training and designed for use with response to intervention, this offers directions on designing Tier II and Tier II small-group instruction and pairs activities with integration ideas, making for a powerful gathering recommended for any educator's library.


The Automotive Shelf

Life is a Highway
Darwin Holstrom and Melinda Keefe
Motorbooks,
c/o Quayside Publishing Group
400 First Avenue North, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55401
9780760338582, $25.00, www.motorbooks.com

LIFE IS A HIGHWAY: A CENTURY OF GREAT AUTOMOTIVE WRITING offers essays by Jack Kerouac, The Onion, J. Edgar Hoover, Stephen King and more discussing all aspects of the automobile, from fantasy cars to horror cars, car culture and women drivers, auto racing and street riding, and much more. Its lively survey makes this accessible for general-interest collections as much as transportation collections.


The Fiction Shelf

The Twelfth Imam
Joel C. Rosenberg
Tyndale House Publishers
351 Executive Drive, Carol Stream, IL 60188
9781414311630, $26.99, www.tyndalehouse.com

THE TWELFTH IMAM provides a hard-hitting political and religious novel perfect for both general and spirituality collections. Tensions are rising in the Middle East while a religious cleric claims to be the Islamic messiah or the Twelfth Imam. Word of his miracles is changing the region - and challenging CIA operative David, sent undercover to the area to disrupt Iran's nuclear weapons program. A tense thriller evolves in a gripping apocalyptic story.


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

Absolute Risk
Steven Gore
Poisoned Pen Press
6962 E. First Avenue #103, Scottsdale, AZ 85251
9781590587713, $24.95, www.poisonedpenpress.com

ABSOLUTE RISK tells of an FBI agent dead, a Muslim economist deported and tortured, and a private investigator called upon to investigate their deadly connection. Gage's discovery of an economic terrorism conspiracy against the U.S. makes for a riveting mystery packed with mystery, espionage, and action.

You Better Knot Die
Betty Hechtman
Berkeley Prime Crime
375 Hudson St., New York NY 10014
9780425236932, $24.95, www.penguin.com

YOU BETTER KNOT DIE: A CROCHET MYSTERY is a perfect choice for any collection strong in mysteries, offering the fifth installment in Betty Hechtman's successful Crochet Mystery Series featuring Molly Pink and her crochet group. Here Molly's bookstore is adding a yarn department and planning a launch party, when Molly's neighbor vanishes. A fine mystery evolves.


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

Echo
Jack McDevitt
Ace
c/o Penguin Publishing Group
375 Hudson St., New York NY 10014-3658
9780441019243, $24.95, www.penguin.com

ECHO provides the fifth chapter in the series and comes from a scientist who has spent his life scouring the universe for signs of other intelligent life. Thirty years after he dies in obscurity, a stone tablet is found in his old house that leads to the planetary system of Echo, the last place visited by Tuttle, where he may indeed have found another civilization. A fine survey evolves!

Betrayer of Worlds
Larry Niven and Edward M. Lerner
TOR Books
175 - 5th Avenue, New York NY 10010
9780765326089, $25.99, www.tor-forge.com

BETRAYER OF WORLDS provides a fine prelude to Ringworld and here finally explains why Louis was selected by the Puppeteers. It's a 'must' for any collection strong in Ringworld fans and lending, offering the foundations for understanding the entire Ringworld setting. Any fan will find this a powerful adventure and a 'must' addition to the Ringworld saga!

Cryoburn
Lois McMaster Bujold
Baen Books
Box 1403, Riverdale, NY 10471
9781439133941, $25.00, www.baen.com

CRYOBURN includes a free CD-ROM with its latest Miles Vorkosigan novel packed with drama and action. Here Auditor Miles finds himself on a planet obsessed with immortality, involved in a plot that has orphaned two children and involves frozen patrons and stolen bodies. His involvement with Jin, a young boy obsessed with animals, and a series of plots involving kidnapping and bribery makes for another fast-packed novel especially recommended for prior Vorkosigan readers.


The Antiques/Collectibles Shelf

Cameos Old & New, fourth edition
Anna M. Miller, GG, RMV
Gemstone Press
Box 237, Woodstock, VT 05091
9780943763606, $19.99, www.gemstonepress.com

Newly updated and revised by Diana Jarrett, GG, RMV, this classic guide to cameos is a 'must' for any jewelry dealer or would-be collector. It tells how to locate them, how to identify old from new, and how to understand their creation and value. New cameo photos in this edition compliment discussions of key influences on value in this ongoing recommendation for any jewelry collector's library.


The Photography Shelf

Adobe Advanced Photoshop CS5 Revealed
Chris Botello
Delmar
c/o Cengage Learning, Inc.
200 First Stamford Place, Stamford, CT 06902
1111136254, $75.95 www.cengage.com/delmar

Adobe Advanced Photoshop CS5 Revealed has been fully revised to cover all the new Photoshop CS5 tools and features, which are highlighted throughout the text with a 'new features' icon. Instructions cover both Mac and PC platforms and come packed with color photo examples on nearly every page. The step-by-step directions leave nothing to imagination or prior experience and make this a real winner for any advanced Photoshop user.

Just One Flash
Rod & Robin Deutschmann
Amherst Media
Box 586, Buffalo, NY 14226
9781608952502, $34.95, www.amherstmedia.com

JUST ONE FLASH: A PRACTICAL APPROACH TO LIGHTING FOR DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY packs in keys to adding just one electronic flash to change a range of lighting challenges. From acquiring equipment and mastering a camera's built-in flash capabilities to adding an external flash and complimenting abilities, this is a 'must' for any who would move beyond the camera's automatic settings.


The Sports Shelf

Abs Revealed
Jonathan Ross
Human Kinetics
Box 5976, Champaign, IL 61825-5076
0736086501, $19.95, www.humankinetics.com

ABS REVEALED: EXERCISES AND PROGRAMS FOR SIX-PACK SUCCESS comes from an award-winning trainer and discusses chiseled abs and the core exercises that build them. This provides a complete program focusing on strengthening and sculpting muscles, showing how to tone abs regardless of one's current fitness levels. A step-by-step approach features over sixty core exercises and workout plans in a fine survey for any sports or exercise collection.

Taking the Lead
Sheila Robertson, Editor
University of Alberta Press
Ring House 2, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 2E1
9780888645425, $34.95, www.uap.alberta.ca

TAKING THE LEAD; STRATEGIES AND SOLUTIONS FROM FEMALE COACHES provides an exploration of female coaches and how women bring different values and approaches to the field. From how career aspirations are juggled to encounters with harassment and how their approaches differ from males, TAKING THE LEAD provides a strong selection of policies and social issues recommended for both college-level sports and women's issues collections alike.


The Native American Shelf

The Great Law and the Longhouse
William N. Fenton
University of Oklahoma Press
2800 Venture Drive, Norman, OK 73069
9780806141237, $49.95, www.oupress.com

The Great Law and the Longhouse: A Political History of the Iroquois Confederacy is for college-level Native American history holdings and packs in a political history key to understanding the Iroquois nation's organization. This represents a major survey of the history and culture of the Six nations from a premier dean of Iroquoian studies, using primary resources and expertise to provide an in-depth, scholarly viewpoint.


The Judaic Studies Shelf

Kosher Nation
Sue Fishkoff
Schocken Books
c/o Random House
1745 Broadway, 17th floor, New York, NY 10019
9780805242652, $27.95, www.schocken.com

KOSHER NATION: WHY MORE AND MORE OF AMERICA'S FOOD ANSWERS TO A HIGHER AUTHORITY explores the blossoming kosher food industry and those who work in it. From the basics of keeping kosher to its commercial production and those who supervise it, KOSHER NATION considers the history and modern practice of producing and consuming kosher foods, and is based on interviews with food manufacturers, rabbinic supervisors and others connected with the industry.

The Return to Judaism
Sandra Cumings Malamed
Fithian Press
c/o Daniel & Daniel Publishing
Box 2790, Mckinleyville, CA 95519
9781564745040, $32.50, www.danielpublishing.com

The Return to Judaism: Descendants from the Inquisition Discovering Their Jewish Roots provides interviews revealing family ties to secret survivors of the Inquisition, and offers a history covering the descendants of the Marranos who were assimilated into other cultures but often made a point of remembering their roots. Jewish history considers inherited customs and traditions and how they lead to a discovery of Jewish family roots in a fine scholarly survey including interviews with Catholic and non-believing families whose customs and values indicated possible Jewish roots.


The Nautical Shelf

Dampier's Monkey
Adrian Mitchell
Wakefield Press
publicity@wakefieldpress.com.au
9781862547599, $45.00, www.wakefieldpress.com.au

DAMPIER'S MONKEY: THE SOUTH SEAS VOYAGES OF WILLIAM DAMPIER provides a lively account of a buccaneer and traveler who sailed the world three times a century before Cook. He was the first to set foot in Australia and his published observations helped explorers after him, yet he was careful not to sensationalize his observations and experiences. This biography of Dampier considers his colorful life and values and accompanies a transcription of his journal of voyages from 1681-1691, with his annotations and illustrations, published for the first time. No nautical history collection should be without this!


The Comix/Graphic Novel Shelf

Icons: The DC Comics and Wildstorm Art of Jim Lee
William Baker
Titan Books
144 Southwark Street, London SE1 OUP, UK
www.titanbooks.com
9781845765194, $39.95, www.amazon.com

No serious comics and graphic novel collection should be without Icons: The DC Comics and Wildstorm Art of Jim Lee. It provides an oversized, color-packed history of one of the industry's most successful, famous artists and the co-publisher of DC Comics who has been widely acclaimed by critics worldwide and who has produced some of the most innovative costume and character artwork in the industry. Art from the range of his works is presented, from polished color illustrations to pencil sketches, and is structured around a new interview with Jim Lee by comics journalist Bill Baker in a lavish volume highly recommended for any serious comics collection.


The Women's Studies Shelf

No Excuses
Gloria Felot
Seal Press
1700 - 4th St., Berkeley, CA 94710
9781580053280, $24.95, www.sealpress.com

NO EXCUSES: 9 WAYS WOMEN CAN CHANGE HOW WE THINK ABOUT POWER blends research with the author's personal experience as a former CEO and president of Planned Parenthood, along with interviews with dozens of professional and political women, to conclude women have opportunity in plenty. The problem is that too few women are claiming power and reaching parity with male counterparts: NO EXCUSES pinpoints exactly why, and is a 'must' for any women's studies or business collection.


The California Shelf

Locals Only
Hugh Holland
Ammo
300 S. Raymond Ave., Suite 3, Pasadena, CA 91105
9781934429471, $39.95, www.ammobooks.com

LOCALS ONLY is edited by Steve Crist and provides a stunning addition to photography and California collections alike. An oversized presentation comes from a young photographer who encountered skateboarders riding along Laurel Canyon Boulevard in Los Angeles. Entranced, he devoted his photography talents to capturing them: this lovely survey captures Southern California culture and youth lifestyle and provides a vivid series of color images. Any arts or California history collection needs this!

Sunset Cookbook
Margot True & Sunset
Oxmoor House
Box 360220, Des Moines, IA 50336-0220
9780376027948, $34.95 www.oxmoorhouse.com

Over a thousand freshly revamped recipes for modern cooks pair with photos throughout in the new SUNSET COOKBOOK, offering the first 'master' collection of 'best' dishes culled from over 100 years of Sunset Magazine history. A fine focus on West Coast produce and seasons at last provides local flavor packed with extensive recipes. All lending libraries - especially in California - will find this a superior collection!

Knott's Berry Farm: The Early Years
Jay Jennings
Arcadia Publishing
420 Wando Park Blvd., Mount Pleasant, SC 29464
9780738569215, $21.99, www.arcadiapublishing.com

Before Disneyland there was Knott's berry farm. It began in the 1920s as a small roadside berry stand in Buena Park, California and grew to become one of the most popular amusement parks in the world. This comes from an amusement park historian and filmmaker as well as a Los Angeles native who spent his weekends there: his gathering of vintage images for this collection wasn't hard, as he owns one of the largest collections of Knott's Berry Farm memorabilia in the country. Especially recommended for any Southern California collection.

Kids of the Black Hole
Dewer MacLeod
University Of Oklahoma Press
2800 Venture Drive., Norman OK 73069
9780806140414, $19.95, www.amazon.com

KIDS OF THE BLACK HOLE: PUNK ROCK IN POSTSUBURBAN CALIFORNIA tells of a teen who witnessed firsthand the emergence of the punk culture in Southern California. It shows how Los Angels punk developed, its social influences, and how it integrated into Southern California culture as a whole, making this a pick not just for music collections, but for any library strong in Southern California modern culture.


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

Diane C. Donovan, Editor & Senior Reviewer
12424 Mill Street, Petaluma, CA 94952
phone: 1-707-795-4629
e-mail: donovan@sonic.net


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