After They Were Packers
Jerry Poling
Trails Books
923 Williamson Street, Madison, WI 53703
1931599726 $19.95 www.trailsbooks.com
Written by editor and columnist Jerry Poling, After They Were Packers: The Super Bowl XXXI Champs & Other Green Bay Legends is the true story of the 1997 Superbowl champions after they left the Packers. Some returned to ordinary lives; some tragically fell victim to powerful internal demons. Filled with career highlights and behind-the-scenes glimpses of the world of professional football, as well as a handful of black-and-white photographs, After They Were Packers is enthusiastically recommended for any Packers fan curious about what became of the ultimate winning team.
Don't Flinch
Barry Alvarez & Mike Lucas
KCI Sports, LLC
3340 Whiting Avenue, #5, Stevens Point, WI 54481
097587697X, $14.95 www.kcisportsventures.com
Barry Alvarez is one of the most successful and respected coaches in the history of Wisconsin's college football. He first hired on to take over the University of Wisconsin's substandard college football program with its lackluster collegiate support. What he created over the ensuing years was a UW football program that would win three Rose Bowl engagements in the 1990s and by the time he retired after the 2005 season ended, was one of Wisconsin's all-time success records as a UW football coach. Alvarez became so well respected that a statue in his honor now stands outside the UW football stadium. With the help of Mike Lucas, "Don't Flinch" is the autobiographical story of Coach Barry Alvarez and how he came to accomplish one of the most remarkable stories in college football history. A "must" addition to the Biography and Sports History collections for all Wisconsin community libraries, no Badger fan or college football enthusiast will want to miss reading "Don't Flinch", the truly remarkable, candidly personal and occasionally inspiring story of UW football coach Barry Alvarez!
Eleven Days in August
Amatore Mille
429 Prussian Lane, Wayne, PA 19087
1412086485 $19.95 610-341-3611
The debut novel of Milwaukee native Amatore "Matt" Mille, Eleven Days in August: A Chronicle of Summers is the author's memoir and collection of anecdotes relating to his family's tradition of selling Italian sausage sandwiches at The Wisconsin State Fair. For eleven days each summer, the broad extended family would gather, share news and opportunities, and experience joy, adventures, and misadventures. From Italian immigrant grandparents whose mark blazes fiercely on subsequent generations, to the core bonds that tie family members to each other and their business, to the long-spanning history of the annual Wisconsin gathering dating back to its inception in 1932, Eleven Days in August is a robust tour that reveals beyond any shadow of doubt that blood - or sausage meat - is thicker than water.
Any Damn Fool Can Be a Farmer
Bob Knopes
Archenell Publishing
9607 Laurel Oak Pl., Fairfax Station, VA 22039
0976814609 $12.95
An Honorable Mention title of the 2006 Independent Book Publisher Awards, Any Damn Fool Can Be a Farmer: Growing Up on a Wisconsin Farm is the true-life memoir of author Bob Knopes, who matured on a small dairy farm during the lean times of the Great Depression. But even though Knopes' father was wont to stoutly declare "Any damn fool can be a farmer!" the truth was that not just any damn fool could apply the necessary money, time, resources, and 14-hour days of labor to successfully keep a farm solvent. A handful of black-and-white photographs illustrate this touching picture of farm life from barn-burning fires to block-in blizzards, and the remarkable changes wrought by technological advancements such as milking machines, threshers, and indoor plumbing. A bittersweet and hard-hitting glimpse into what farm life was really like.
Masks From Around The World
Garth Dahl
Granville Island Publishing
212-1656 Duranleau, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6H 3S4
1894694457, $39.95 www.GranvilleIslandPublishing.com
Masks are an important part of aboriginal customs, ceremonial rituals, and cultural celebrations from time immemorial. They are also cultural icons and impressive works of art. "Masks From Around The World: A Personal Collection" by Garth Dahl represents outstanding examples of the ceremonial mask drawn from such culturally disparate ethnic backgrounds as those from communities and peoples of Latin America, Africa, Europe, and the Pacific Rim. Offering more than just a simple photo gallery of distinctive and colorful mask, "Masks From Around The World" also provides readers with informed backgrounds to their ceremonial meaning and usage. Of special note is Dahl's interview with noted West Coast carver and mask maker Reg Davidson on how makers of masks expresses their particular culture through their creations. Another valued contribution is the ‘End of Mourning' section drawing much needed attention to the continuing and wide-spread injustice to sacred burial grounds by treasure hunters – and even occasionally in the name of archaeological and anthropological research. Enhanced throughout with full color photography, "Masks From Around The World" is a unique and enthusiastically recommended contribution to personal, community library, and academic library Ethnological Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.
Engaging News Media
Mark Kelly
Cowley Publications
4 Brattle Street, Suite 309, Cambridge, MA 02138
1561012769 $14.95 www.cowley.org
Experienced news anchor, reporter, and documentary writer Mark Kelly presents Engaging News Media: A Practical Guide for People of Faith, a guide to evaluating and verifying truthfulness amid the political opinions, bias, and sometimes outright BS strewn across the many lanes of the modern information superhighway. Though written by a person of faith especially to help other Christians sort through news media, Engaging News Media is emphatically not biased toward the hardcore conservative Christian perspective - nor is it biased toward a hardcore liberal perspective. The strategies presented are ones used by (religious or secular!) journalists themselves, and invaluable to anyone trying to understand the truth, regardless of personal faith. One such technique is learning how to triangulate alternative media - rather than accepting any one alternative media's viewpoint as gospel, consult multiple alternative media known to lean toward different sides of the issue and compare their stories. Another is to pay close attention to the very first thing a news story emphasizes, in order to get a better feel for what, if any, bias the story has. Engaging News Media seriously contemplates the question "What is Truth?" in the literal sense more than the metaphysical sense, and is very strongly recommended for readers of all backgrounds especially in today's era of misinformation.
The Quilting Path
Louise Silk
Skylight Paths
PO Box 237, Sunset Farm Offices, Route 4, Woodstock, Vermont 05091
159473206X $16.99 www.skylightpaths.com
Written by Louise Silk, a professional quilter of thirty years' experience, The Quilting Path: A Guide To Spiritual Discovery Through Fabric, Thread and Kabbalah is a unique blend of needlecraft and Kabbalah spirituality. Silk presents the mystical traditions of Kabbalah as a contemplative system open to all regardless of individual religious or spiritual background. Chapters walk the reader through the practical steps of crafting ten products ranging from a utility quilts and string-pieced pillows to applique quilts and signature tablecloths, and more while simultaneously introducing the practitioner to the spiritual aspects of cutting and piecing. Each chapter introduces a human attribute as selected in accordance with Kabbalah tradition, and applies the attribute to the quilting project discussed. A deeply reverent and meaningful guide to the higher dimensions of a widely beloved craft and hobby.
Thinkertoys
Michael Michalko
Ten Speed Press
PO Box 7123, Berkeley, CA 94707
165 Percy Road, Churchville, NY 14428 (author)
1580087736 $19.95 www.creativethinking.com www.tenspeed.com
Critical-thinking expert Michael Michalko has applied his talents to the service of the U.S. Army, the NATO military, and the CIA; now, he offers the updated second edition of Thinkertoys: A Handbook of Creative-Thinking Techniques, a jam-packed wealth of brain-twisting visual and verbal puzzles and exercises designed to stimulate new ways of solving problems and looking at situations. Exercises designed to stimulate logic and reason, intuition, brainstorming skills and much more are offered in accessible and adaptable terms, for self-study or use in a larger creative thinking workshop. Sure to captivate the reader with its thinking-out-of-the-box puzzles and even more important, advice for reexamining old problems with a fresh perspective, Thinkertoys is enthusiastically recommended for anyone striving to expand their creative mindset.
Every Day Counts
Maria Sirois, Psy. D
Walker & Company
104 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10011
0802714951 $19.95
Licensed clinical psychologist Maria Sirois presents Every Day Counts: Lessons in Love, Faith, and Resilience From Children Facing Illness, is not a standard, scholarly psychology text; rather, it is a compilation of life lessons learned by the author from her professional experience counseling children facing life-threatening sickness, and their families. Chapters tell stories of sorrow as well as joy, the faith held by children that can far outstrip that of adults, and making peace with the end of life when it comes at a young age. Written for a general audience, and especially to share with those who have or know a severely sick or hurt child, Every Day Counts offers insights to transform one's own view on life, inspiration to emulate the big and little triumphs of small patients, as well as the understanding to cope with inexplicable suffering. Highly recommended.
The Gulf Coast: A Literary Field Guide
Sara St. Antoine, editor
Milkweed Editions
1011 Washington Avenue South, #300, Minneapolis, MN 55415-1246
1571316655 $10.95 www.milkweed.org 1-800-520-6455
Part of the "Stories from Where We Live" series, The Gulf Coast: A Literary Field Guide is a collection of poems, essays, recipes, historical accounts, and true stories about the Gulf Coast region. Written for all ages from kids to adults, The Gulf Coast is as educational as it is entertaining, and the stories within tell of a legend about a Mississippi Choctaw hunter and an alligator; ivory-billed woodpeckers observed by John Audubon; violent hurricanes and mild winters; and land ranging from the watery Everglades to the Rio Grande delta to the beaches of South Padre Island. Black-and-white illustrations intersperse this amazing tour of a rich and diverse land, and the people, plants, and animals who inhabit it.
The Poetry Shelf
She Alone
John Menaghan
Salmon Publishing
c/o Dufour Editions
PO Box 7, Chester Springs, PA 19425
190339256X $18.95 www.dufoureditions.com 610-458-5005
Prize-winning poet John Menaghan presents She Alone, a sequene of poetry in book form that follows the life of a woman from birth to death and beyond. Changing forms from free verse to heroic couplets and other poetic devices as suits the story, She Alone encapsulates its nameless protagonist's struggle to find her own sense of place and identity in a rapidly evolving world. Alternately passionate, tender, ironic, and erotic, She Alone is a unique experience in epic poetry and enthusiastically recommended.
Shell Island
Ian Parks
Dufour Editions
PO Box 7, Chester Springs, PA 19425
1904130194 $17.95 www.dufoureditions.com 610-458-5005
Ian Parks, named one of the National Poetry Society's New Poets in 1996, presents his second poetry collection Shell Island, an anthology that dwells upon Parks' cherished themes of love, loss, and the connections between individuals and society. Personifying the transitive instants in which life-changing decisions are made, the free-verse poems of Shell Island alternately evoke tenderness, distance, or mourning. "The Catch": When my father married, / he gave up fishing for good / and sold his rod and line / to buy the marriage bed. / But his dreams are haunted still / by dam p river-banks and mist / where he stoops to dip a net, / lifting the catch from memory / in a rehearsal of regret. / The reel unwinds inside his head.
Juniper Street
Vona Groarke
Wake Forest University Press
PO Box 7333, Winston-Salem, NC 27109
193063028X $11.95 1-336-758-5448
Juniper Street is poet Vona Groarke's collection of free-verse work stemming from both her Irish heritage and her life experiences in America. Personalizing the link between people and lasting historical and social conditions, Juniper Street evokes a delicate brilliance in its interplay of relationships, expression, and the human search for meaning amid an increasingly modernized world. "The Undercurrent": Anywhere. So long as there's a flicker of the sea, / a far-fetched train, a lighthouse nodding off / between tea-time and that moment when / your father brightly takes you by the hand / to a place that is the opposite of home. / 'Not over the rocks in darkness, Paddy. / You don't mean to tell me that.'
The Joy of a Ming Vase
Ruth Dallas
Otago University Press
c/o ISBS
920 NE 58th Avenue, Suite 300, Portland, OR 07213-3786
1877372307 $29.95
Written by senior poet and children's author Ruth Dallas, The Joy of a Ming Vase is a compilation of brief, poems expressing the quiet pleasure of contemplation, whether of priceless objects of art, a cactus on the windowsill, or tombstones within a still cemetery. Most poems are free-verse, though a few are haiku; all are compact gems of sparkling wisdom and shining expression. "A Stem of Bamboo": I cut a new shoot / From a young bamboo / And place it in water. / The glass is a copy / Of a Greek oil-vessel, / The bamboo is for poet Po Chui / And for certain meditative / Artists who could reveal / In a few strokes of a brush / The movement of unmoving reeds.
Light Unlocked
Kevin Crossley-Holland & Lawrence Sail, editors
John Lawrence, illustrator
Dufour Editions
PO Box 7, Chester Springs, PA 19425 USA
1904634184 $24.95 www.defoureditions.com
Edited by award-winning authors Kevin Crossley-Holland and Lawrence Sail, Light Unlocked: Christmas Card Poems is a collection of eighty Christmas card poems by a wide variety of contemporary authors, many of them well-known. From Advent to Epiphany, these often detailed and nuanced verses reach out to capture the spirit of the Christmas season and deliver a symphony of emotional expression filled with the joy, wonder, hope, and delight of the season. Black-and-white wood engravings by expert John Lawrence beautifully illustrate this sentimental compilation, perfect for reading aloud or sharing with the family while celebrating yuletide. "Christmas": Despite the forecast's promise, / It didn't snow that night; / But in the morning, flakes began / To glade all right. / Not enough to cover roads / Or even hide the grass; / But enough to change the light.
ESL teacher and English literature expert Mitchell Parry presents Tacoma Narrows, a work of free-verse poetry about the pain of disasters, both public and private. Reflecting upon things lost with humble sensitivity, Tacoma Narrows gently touches upon the suffering of death, divorce, and the emptiness and isolation that haunts survivors of loved ones. "Balance" (-after a photo by Jin Me Yoon): She is poised forever between moments, / the vertical in a postcard landscape / of natural geometery meeting right behind / her eyes. Thousands of miles to stand / here, immobile, by a lake either freezing / or thawing, snow advancing or receding. This / is how silence looks, sung by John Denver. / If one more person walks between her / & the camera she knows she is going / to scream. In a fraction of a second / she will pull on her coat, rub her hands / together & think of circles, coils, the twist / of her mother's hair, will remember: / there are no corners in the sky.
Juniper Street
Vona Groarke
Wake Forest University Press
PO Box 7333, Winston-Salem, NC 27109
193063028X $11.95 1-336-758-5448
Juniper Street is poet Vona Groarke's collection of free-verse work stemming from both her Irish heritage and her life experiences in America. Personalizing the link between people and lasting historical and social conditions, Juniper Street evokes a delicate brilliance in its interplay of relationships, expression, and the human search for meaning amid an increasingly modernized world. "The Undercurrent": Anywhere. So long as there's a flicker of the sea, / a far-fetched train, a lighthouse nodding off / between tea-time and that moment when / your father brightly takes you by the hand / to a place that is the opposite of home. / 'Not over the rocks in darkness, Paddy. / You don't mean to tell me that.'
The Joy of a Ming Vase
Ruth Dallas
Otago University Press
c/o ISBS
920 NE 58th Avenue, Suite 300, Portland, OR 07213-3786
1877372307 $29.95
Written by senior poet and children's author Ruth Dallas, The Joy of a Ming Vase is a compilation of brief, poems expressing the quiet pleasure of contemplation, whether of priceless objects of art, a cactus on the windowsill, or tombstones within a still cemetery. Most poems are free-verse, though a few are haiku; all are compact gems of sparkling wisdom and shining expression. "A Stem of Bamboo": I cut a new shoot / From a young bamboo / And place it in water. / The glass is a copy / Of a Greek oil-vessel, / The bamboo is for poet Po Chui / And for certain meditative / Artists who could reveal / In a few strokes of a brush / The movement of unmoving reeds.
Milan Rufus: And That's the Truth
Milan Rufus, author; Koloman Sokol, illustrator
Milan Richter, editor
Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers
1000 Brown Street, Unit 101, Wauconda, IL 60084
0865165092 $25.00 www.bolchazy.com
Expertly edited by Milan Richter, "Milan Rufus: And That's the Truth" is the very first bilingual English/Slovak edition of Nobel literature prize candidate Milan Rufus' poetry. Stark black-and-white images by illustrator Koloman Sokol perfectly complement the brief, striking verses embodying the author's embrace of human values, Christian morality, and concept of homeland as a place where man's creativity can shine. Each short poem is presented in its original Slovak and in English translation, on facing pages. "Ordination for a Poet" (for Jozef Mihalkovic): Long ago / when sand still flowed, / God stopped the poet. / And to him said: // "Wherever you come from, / you are my child. / You will bring warmth to the world. // But for the words for each poem / you must enter the deep seams of home."
Live Wire
Golden Style
Publish America
PO Box 151, Frederick, MD 21705-0151
1424111412 $16.95 www.publishamerica.com
Live Wire is the fourth published book of poetry by Golden Style, written especially to raise awareness in a world where lies and distortions of the truth aren't merely spread person to person, but also publically broadcast on news media. Drawn from hard-learned lessons and the grim realities of current events, Live Wire appeals to voice, body and spirit, using simple rhyming schemes that lend themselves naturally to being read aloud. "Dried Ink": When the ink is still moist, / You have the option of a second choice. / Remember the days not long ago, / When you did things for the show. / You didn't comprehend, so your intellect, / Was put on pause, thus you couldn't grow. / Then you wrote words without thinking. / Now when people see you they see dirt, / You wrote words that left pain and hurt. / Now that the tears have been cried, / Just remember the ink has been dried.
Who-So-Ever
Buhle Nyamazana
American Literary Press
8019 Belair Road, Suite 10, Baltimore, MD 21236
1561676144 $7.95 www.americanliterarypress.com 1-800-873-2003
Zimbabwe-born poet, volunteer, and mother Buhle Nyamazana presents Who-So-Ever, a free-verse poetry collection reflecting her own experiences and challenges. Originally written during a period in which Nyamazama sought employment, Who-So-Ever dwells not only on the trivialities of daily life, but also on the grander picture and the good things to treasure and appreciate. "Still Counting": Are you still counting? / Counting what Grandma? / Your blessings, / I never stopped! Listen: // One. / I am having fun. / Two. / I look good in this shoe. / Three. / I am finally free. / Four. / It doesn't hurt as much as it did before. / Five. / I have a good life. / Six. / I am not sick. / Seven. / I'll be received in Heaven. / Eight. / I don't get to work late. / Nine. / All this stuff is mine. / Ten. / Grandma! Do you want me to count again?
Phosphorescence
Graeme Miles
Fremantle Arts Centre
c/o International Specialized Book Services
920 Northeast 58th Avenue, Suite 300, Portland, OR 97213
1921064722, $19.95 www.isbs.com 1-800-944-6190
The debut compilation of poetry by Graeme Miles, "Phosphorescence" introduces an outstanding and gifted Australian poet to an American audience. Drawing inspiration from a Western Australian childhood, the individual poems speak to universal themes, common experiences, and fanciful flights of imagination with an artistic flourish documenting Miles as an accomplished and talented wordsmith. "Ego was": a neurotic in its bedroom/frightened to be the warden/of all the mountains in China./Ego was swollen footed/from snakebite/but nimble on its crutches./Ego washed its feet/in the rain/hemmed into the garden./ego wanted/only its music on the street./Ego wished, ego willed, ego washed/repetitively./(say that again).
Terminal Colors
Janet Rodney
Talisman House Publishers
PO Box 3157, Jersey City, NJ 07303-3157
1584980524, $12.95 1-201-938-0698
"Terminal Colors: Selected Poems is a compilation of verse by poet, translator, editor, artist and printer Janet Rodney written between 1974 and 2005. As carefully crafted as they are engaging, her unique verses are snippets of poetic conversations that linger in the mind and imagination. "Bardo of Sleep and Dream": The world sleeps in me/and I in it./My Shadow falls on shadows/and goes among the moods./Under the eyelid's madness/I glide with death/along an emerald road./Waves roll at the coast,/scattering adamantine light./Wrapped in nuptial monsoon,/my body is flayed and dismembered,/its blood red meat/quivering in the spray/sings at the harp of the cliff./Vultures sail in wide arcs round/screaming a song of joy.
Parallel Press
University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries
728 State Street, Madison, Wisconsin, 53706
1-800-636-0071 http://parallelpress.library.wisc.edu
One of the best of today's university affiliated poetry presses, Parallel Press specializes in publishing poetry chap books. A part of the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus library system, Parallel Press began publishing poetry chapbooks in 1999 and has so far published twenty-nine chapbooks, one of the most recent of which is "Encore: More of Parallel Press Poets", an anthology edited by Elisabeth R. Owens and aptly selected to showcase poems contributed by forty poets along with fascinating commentaries on their experiences with respect to writing the included poems. Also very highly recommended reading are all the other individual chapbooks thus far published in the Parallel Press poetry program that include "Stilt Man" by Doug Flaherty; "Short Story and Other Short Stories" by Corey Mesler; "What Wisconsin Took" by Paul Dickey; "Sundogs" by James Silas Rogers; "The Discovery of Heaven"; by Richard Hedderman; "Sure Knowledge" by Elizabeth Oness; "Apparition" by Max Garland; "Hosannas" by Katharine Whitcomb; "The Perfect Day" by Andrea Potos; "Wild Apples" by Timothy Walsh; "When Gertrude Married Alice" by Eve Robillard; "What Grandmother Says" by J.D. Whitney; "Our Sainted Lady Esther" by Matt Welter; "Them Poems" by Mason Williams; "The Twig Songs" by Gwen Ebert; "A Visionary's Company" by Rick Hilles; "Anna, Washing" by Ted Genoways; "Cicatrix" by Charles Cantrell; "The Only Everglades in the World" by Robin Chapman; "Eat & Remember" by Carl Lindner; "How Dumb the Stars" by Francine Conley; "Border Crossings" by Heather Dubrow; "What The Body Knows" by Alison Townsend; "Rendered into Paradise" by Jean Feraca; "Small Acts" by Mary Mercier; "Sand Island Succession: Poems of the Apostles" by Judith Strasser; "From the Sketchbooks of Vanessa Bell" by Allison Funk; "A Girl in Water" by Barbara Edelman; "A Little Dinner Music" by Stephen Murabito; "The Heart of War" by Carmine Sarracino; "The Promised Land" by Harriet Brown; "Virgins on the Rocks" by Karla Huston; "Facts of Life" by Jim Ferris; "Alley Scatting" by Sharon F. McDermott; "Now You See It" by Ron Wallace; "The Minimalist's How-to Handbook" by Karl Elder; "White Horses on Sale for a Song" by Shoshauna Shy; "Considerations of Earth and Sky" by Temple Cone; "Chapman's Pack" by John D. Niles; "Getting Out Alive" by Tisha Turk; "Marquees of Buffalo" by Dennis Trudell; "Bones of Light" by Judith Sornberger; "Light Made from Nothing" by Susan Elbe; and "Singing to the Garden" by Roger Pfingston. Highly recommended for both personal and academic library poetry collections, Parallel Press chapbooks are simple, inexpensive, elegant little paperback productions that provide a forum for some of the best and quite diverse poetic talents plying their craft today.
The Religion/Spirituality Shelf
Finding Clarity
Jeru Kabbal, author
Leonard M. Zunin MD, Robert Strock, & Victoria Ritchie, editors
North Atlantic Books
PO Box 12327, Berkeley, CA 94712
1556436203 $16.95 www.northatlanticbooks.com
Finding Clarity: A Guide to the Deeper Levels of Your Being collects the enlightened writings and teachings of spiritual instructor Jeru Kabbal, whose explorations included delving into both Eastern traditions and Western psychology. Chapters address the nature of the subconscious, the potential trap of the self-fulfilling prophecy, the paradox of fearing the positive, the power of attaining practical enlightenment through living in the present moment, the importance of gratitude, exercises and techniques for applying Kabbal's teachings, and much more. Question-and-answer segments elucidate the finer points of Kabbal's wisdom concerning the search for happiness and fulfillment, in this profound and uplifting spiritual self-help guide, written for readers of all faiths and backgrounds.
The Manichean Debate
Saint Augustine of Hippo, author; Roland Teske, S.J., translator
New City Press
202 Cardinal Road, Hyde Park, NY 12538
1565482476 $44.00 newcitypress.com
The Manichean Debate is a skillful translation of eight works by Saint Augustine of Hippo, originally written circa 387 to 404, to counter the Manichean religion. Saint Augustine of Hippo was thoroughly knowledgeable of Manicheanism, as he had associated with Manicheans as a "Hearer" for nine years prior to his conversion to Catholic Christianity. Three of the volumes presented have never before been translated into English. An index of scripture quoted as well as general index allow for quick reference to this classic philosophical treatise, which offers a close evaluation of a system of thought that challenged orthodox Christianity in the Roman Empire especially during the third and fourth centuries. An utterly invaluable addition to religious studies bookshelves and library shelves of primary sources concerning religions and religious discourse.
Fidel & Religion
Fidel Castro and Frei Betto
Ocean Press
PO Box 1186, Old Chelsea, Station, New York, NY 10113
1920888454 $19.95 www.oceanbooks.com
Fidel & Religion is a particularly unusual theological discussion, consisting entirely of a dialogue between Brazilian liberation theologist Frei Betto and Fidel Castro. Spoken over the course of twenty-three hours, the dialogue reveals Castro's background and his views on ethics, morals, religion, and revolution. Now with a new introduction revealing how Fidel & Revolution helped open the way for Pope John Paul II's historic 1998 visit to Cuba, and the Cuban Communist Party's decision to accept as members those practicing religious faith. Of especial interest are the parallels between Socialism and Christianity that Castro astutely observes. A thought-provoking examination for the sake of the ideals spoken as well as the political and historical importance of the man who espouses them.
The Purpose of Physical Reality
John S. Hatcher
Baha'i Publishing
2427 Bond Street, University Park, IL 60466-3101
1931847231 $12.00 www.BahaiBooksUSA.com 1-800-705-4925
Poet, philosopher, Bahai theologist, and English literature graduate studies director John S. Hatcher presents The Purpose of Physical Reality, a thoughtful discussion of theodicy particularly from the Bahai perspective, and the quest for metaphysical justice in a flawed physical world. Chapters address Hatcher's Bahai response to classic passages justifying God in Plato's "The Republic", The Book of Job, Boethius' "Consolation of Philosophy", and Milton's "Pardise Lost"; recommendations of physical reality "prenatal exercises for our second birth"; contemplations on Divine Sustenance and the Bahai concept of afterlife; and much more. A meditative exploration of the purpose of human existence in the physical world, especially if humans are considered to be spiritual beings, The Purpose of Physical Reality approaches challenging theological questions in a sedate, meticulous and serious-minded manner.
The Writing/Publishing Shelf
Writing White Papers
Michael Steizner
WhitePaperSource Publishing
13025 Danielson Street, Suite 10-8, Poway, Ca 92064
0977716937, $34.95 www.WritingWhitePapers.com
A ‘White Papers' is a written presentation of information that combines aspects, formats and purposes of magazine articles and brochures. They are a standard communication form for government agencies, business organizations, academic institutions, and political group position statements. A master of the white paper format, Michael A. Stelzner draws upon his practical experience and expertise as the author of some 100 white papers for companies such as Microsoft, HP, Motorola, FedEx and others, to provide a complete and comprehensive instructional guide to creating technical and business white papers in "Writing White Papers: How To Capture Readers And Keep Them Engaged". Aspiring writers will learn how to craft white papers so as to generate their sustained and long-term sales, engage a reader's total and immediate attention, create outlines using effective and tested formulas, master techniques for interviewing and data collection, write persuasively and create compelling white paper titles. Thoroughly ‘user friendly', "Writing White Papers" should be considered ‘must reading' for any writer seeking to master the art, craft and science of writing effective white papers regardless of the subject matter or intended audience.
Crafty TV Writing
Alex Epstein
Henry Holt & Company
175 - 5th Avenue, Suite 400, New York, NY 10010-7725
0805080287 $15.00 www.henryholt.com 1-888-330-8477
Experienced professional television screenwriter and story editor Alex Epstein presents Crafty TV Writing: Thinking Inside the Box, a solid writer's manual that covers all the bases. From the hidden structure of TV series, to turning great story ideas into workable scripts, the many tips, tricks, and techniques of a writer's toolkit, the realities of working in TV land (including how to break into the business, get hired, and get promoted!) and much more. Appendices, resources, and spot-on advice from direct personal experience distinguish this absolute "must-have" for aspiring and practicing television writers alike.
Now Write!
Sherry Ellis, editor
Tarcher/Penguin
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014-3658
1585425222 $13.95 www.penguin.com
Edited by personal writing coach Sherry Ellis, Now Write!: Fiction Writing Exercises from Today's Best Writers and Teachers is a carefully selected collection of writing exercises from some of today's most acclaimed fiction writers such as Steve Almond, Jayne Anne Phillips, Virgil Suarez, and more. From activities just to get motivated practicing writing, to ones focusing on point of view, character development, dialogue, plot and pacing, setting and description, revisions, and more, Now Write! focuses on ideas to get aspiring and practicing writers' creative juices flowing, or engage in activities such as learning to identify the distinctions between real dialogue and smooth, fictional dialogue. Prefacing each idea is a couple pages of solid advice and concepts to keep in mind when crafting the next potential masterpiece. A highly recommended, practical guide for any aspiring writer seeking to take independent study to the next level.
Selling Your Story in 60 Seconds
Michael Hauge
Michael Wiese Productions
3940 Laurel Canyon BI. #1111, Studio City, CA 91604
1932907203 $12.95 www.mwp.com
Written by expert screenwriting coach Michael Hauge, who has consulted on projects for Warners, Disney, Columbia, New Line, CBS, and Lifetime among many others, Selling Your Story in 60 Seconds: The Guaranteed Way To Get Your Screenplay or Novel Read is a no-nonsense guide for novice to veteran novel writers and screenwriters to get noticed. Written in plain terms, Selling Your Story in 60 Seconds covers the 10 key components of a commercial story, how to design a strong pitch, targeting the right buyer, securing opportunities to pitch, what steps to take next if a potential buyer says yes or no, and much more. A no-nonsense "how-to" guide filled with industry tips, tricks, techniques and etiquette guidelines, and an absolute "must-have" for any writer trying to break into the business.
Reading Writers Reading
Danielle Schaub, photographer and editor
The University of Alberta Press
Ring House 2, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada, T6G 2EI
0888644590 $60.00 www.uap.ualberta.ca
Photographed and edited by professional lecturer and critic Danielle Schaub, Reading Writers Reading: Canadian Authors' Reflections presents an amazing cross-section of talented Candian writers of all backgrounds and from all regions of the nation. Each two-page spread of this gorgeous and insightful coffee-table book proffers a candid, black-and-white photograph of a different Canadian author on the right, and a one-page commentary by the author about reading, writing, or similar subjects on the left, such as the comments by Sharon Thesen that begin, "Reading seems so often to encompass all that my mind is or has been composed by that I find it difficult to separate my reading form myself." A superb giftbook for anyone who enjoys reading or writing for pleasure, highly recommended.
Jan Tschichold, Designer
Richard B. Doubleday
Oak Knoll Press
310 Delaware Street, New Castle, DE 19720-5038
1584561785, $39.95 www.oakknoll.com 1-800-996-2556
Jan Tschichold, Designer: The Penguin Years is a seminal and impressive contribution to the history of publishing with its focus on Jan Tschichold and his influence with respect to the typographic revolution that was applied to Penguin's mass production of books for the general populace. Author Richard B. Doubleday (Assistant Professor of Art, Department of Graphic Design, College of Fine Arts, Boston University) brings a special research-based expertise to providing an historical and analytical survey of Tschichold's contributions during the mid to late 1940s that saw the emergence of a wide ranging Penguin Book Series that included both fiction and non-fiction. Many of Tschichold's preliminary hand drawn cover and title page designs are made public for the first time in order to demonstrate and document his meticulous attention to detail and the development of his ‘New Typography'. Enhanced with the inclusion of an extensive bibliography on Tschichold's writings and historical appendices of his inter-office memoranda and texts, "Jan Tschichold, Designer" is a significant addition to academic library collections on the history of publishing, and an especially recommended for students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in typography, book design, and the publishing industry.
Bylines: 2007 Writer's Desk Calendar
Sylvia Forbes
Snowflake Press
PO Box 522, Fayette, MO 65248
1933509023, $13.95 www.bylinescalendar.com
I see most of wall calendars, desk calendars, engagement calendars, diaries and journals intended for aspiring or practicing authors. Simply stated, one of the very best of them for 2007 is Sylvia Forbes' "Bylines: 2007 Writer's Desk Calendar", a superbly designed and presented weekly planner for writers that is enhanced with 53 stories specifically appropriate to encourage and inspire people to write something every day of every week of every month throughout the year. Spiral bound so as to lay flat upon a desktop or table, every week finds an author's personal anecdote (along with a photo) of a particular author on the left, with the seven day week laid out on the right. Each day also comes with a little notation of authors past and present born on that particular day. "Bylines" is an ideal gift to give any novice author because it is a perfect writing motivator. It not only makes for a great writing, things-to-do and appointment log, it's a great way to discover such writing-related holidays as Biographer's Day, National Columnist's Day, Young People's Poetry Week, and even Be Kind to Editors and Writers Month! (Shouldn't somebody also come up with a ‘Be Kind to Reviewers' month?) Every dedicated author needs to keep track of deadlines, keep focused on their writing goals, keep up their morale, jog their memory by recording contact names, addresses, and websites with a highly portable and user-friendly take-along calendar like "Bylines'. When you have a daily written log book you also have an indispensably valuable document when responding to any IRS challenges to your expenses or validity as a writer. My particular advice to editors and literary agents is to give out a copy of "Bylines" to your authors and clients as way of motivating them to keep turning out their best work in a timely manner! Whether you are a beginning writer or a seasoned author, get yourself a copy of Sylvia Forbes' "Bylines: 2007 Writer's Desk Calendar" – you'll be glad you did!
The Military Shelf
Iraq
Rusty B. Wilson
Songbird Publications
4616 Orange Grove Avenue, Orange, CA 92869
0978711718, $14.95 www.IraqStory.net
Rusty Wilson is a professional journalist who wrote columns for the Orange County Register giving his firsthand observations of the conditions and people he met and worked with in Iraq while serving on a Forward Operating Base as a Morale, Recreation and Recreation staffer in support of the American troops. His newspaper columns ran between July and December 2004 and offered an apolitical account drawn from his observations and conversations with serving men and women, in addition to his own personal experiences and perspectives on what he saw himself. When he returned from duty in Iraq he drew from those published columns to write "Iraq: The Story You'll Never Get From The Media". Beginning with a brief review of Iraq's history, the path civilian contractors take to get there, and a collection of stories about soldiers he met, Rusty details what he learned from the Iraqis he met and his afterthoughts upon returning to the U.S. The result is a especially well-written narrative that is as informed as it is informative – and a welcome, necessary, and very highly recommended contribution to the national discourse that is as timely as today's evening news broadcasts.
Charlie Battery
Andrew Lubin
Hellgate Press
c/o PSI Research
PO Box 3727, Central Point, OR 97502-0032
1555716423, $16.95 www.hellgatepress.com 1-800-795-4059
"Charlie Battery: A Marine Artillery Unit In Iraq" by Andrew Lubin (American Military university, Charles Town, West Virginia) is the fascinating and informative account of a Marine Corps artillery unit and their experiences on the front line in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Professor Lubin is the father of one of the Charlie Battery Marines and has a very special perspective in relating the history of the unit's preparation for war, deployment to the front lines, and eventual return home. Drawing upon interviews with the Marines, their commanding officers, and their families, "Charlie Battery" provides a true and accurate account of the early days of the Iraqi War – a war that unlike any other America has waged, allowed the families of the marines to watch the progress of the war and their son's participation in it live on CNN and MSNBC. A critically important contribution to community and academic library Military Studies reference shelves, "Charlie Battery" is a compelling, informative reading – and especially commended to the attention of military buffs and civilians with an interest in the on-going Iraqi conflict.
Osprey Publishing
443 Park Avenue South #806, New York NY 10016
www.ospreypublishing.com
Osprey's excellent military titles cover campaigns, units and specialized military history, and are perfect references for the in-depth military collection. Si Sheppard's PHARSALUS 48 BC: CAESAR AND POMPEY – CLASH OF THE TITANS (1846030021, $18.95) covers early military history in chronicling the final clash of to Roman world greats. While odds were against Caesar, his battle genius won – and is reviewed here in great details including black and white illustrations throughout. This publisher offers many World War 2 titles: David K. Yelton's HITLER'S HOME GUARD: VOLKSSTURMMANN, WESTERN FRONT 1944-45 (1846030137, $17.95) focuses on the creation of a unit of all able-bodied civilian males between ages 16 and 60 and adds Yelton's capture and treatment as a POW, Ed Gilbert's US MARINE CORPS RAIDER 1942-43 (1841768919, $17.95) covers an elite force modeled on British Commandos who performed special operations within the US forces; Gordon L. Rottman's US WORLD WAR II AMPHIBIOUS TACTICS: MEDITERRANEAN & EUROPEAN THEATERS (1841769541, $17.95) tells of forces who perfected special equipment and tactics needed for amphibious attacks during the war, and Gordon Williamson's WORLD WAR II GERMAN POLICE UNITS (1846030684, $15.95) tells of the German Police, an arm of the Nazis centrally controlled but divided into a range of functions, many with their own uniforms. All provide exact, well detailed history which delves into operations, strategies, and organization alike. Andrew West edits ROLLING THUNDER IN A GENTLE LAND: THE VIETNAM WAR REVISITED (184603020X, $32.95), a group of essays by fifteen historians on the origins and lasting legacy of the Vietnam War. Chapters provide a history that embraces both political and social influences, from its roots in the colonial war with France right up to modern times. Essays come from all circles; from a young Vietnamese girl coming of age during the war to US and world journalists and even a North Vietnamese Colonial who accepted the surrender of the South Vietnamese Army. A diverse, unique set of perspectives are juxtaposed under one cover.
Letters From The Front Lines
Rear Admiral Stuart Franklin Platt
Granville Island Publishing
c/o Planned Television Arts
1110 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10022
1894694481 $24.95 www.plannedtvarts.com
Rear Admiral Stuart Franklin Platt presents Letters From The Front Lines: Iraq and Afghanistan, a compendium of first-person testimonies of servicepeople that gives an up-close and personal perspective of what is really happening in Iraq and Afghanistan day to day. In a modern era where email and online blogging is fast supplanting the serviceman's handwritten letter, Letters From The Front Lines preserves a piece of history and tradition even as it reveals the harsh conditions under which men and women risk their lives for the sake of their country. Highly recommended.
The Cookbook Shelf
Best Of The Best From Idaho Cookbook
Gwen McKee & Barabara Moseley, editors
Quail Ridge Press
PO Box 123, Brandon, MS 39043
www.quailridge.com
1893062465 $16.95 1-800-343-1283
A welcome addition to the "Best of the Best" cookbook series, Best Of The Best From Idaho Cookbook: Selected Recipes From Idaho's Favorite Cookbooks is a spiral-bound compilation selected from Idaho's most popular cookbooks especially to aid cooks of all skill and experience levels in bringing a taste of Idaho country flavor to the kitchen. From Very Creamy Potato Soup to Easy Company Curry Chicken and Burnt Sugar Candy Bar Cake, Best Of The Best From Idaho Cookbook presents homestyle flavors to tease and tantalize the palate. Especially recommended for potato gourmets!
51 Fast & Fun Slow Cooker Recipes
Dolores Kostelni
Collectors Press, Inc.
PO Box 230986, Portland, OR 97281
1933112212, $7.95 www.collectorspress.com 1-800-423-1848
The crock pot is an essential kitchen tool for time pressed family cooks wanting to prepare nutritious and delectable meals for their households that are a distinctive cut above frozen foods zapped in a microwave. Slow cooker expert Dolores Kostelni has compiled wonderful, easy, palate pleasing and appetite satisfying dishes for the family kitchen that are fail-proof dishes fit for any dining occasion. These versatile recipes rang from Beef with Burgundy, Chocolate Spoon Cake, and Fiesta Cheese Dip, to Raisin and Date-Stuffed Baked Apples and Overnight Oatmeal. Inexpensive and completely ‘user friendly', "51 Fast & Fun Slow Cooker Recipes" truly lives up to its title and will make an especially popular addition to any time-stressed family's kitchen cookbook collection.
Rendezvous for Dinner
Chuck Byers &Tom Berki
de Sitter Publications
1288 Ritson Road North, Suite 417, Oshawa, ON L1G 8B2, Canada
c/o ISBS
920 NE 58th Avenue, Suite 300, Portland, OR 97213-3786
1897160186 $19.95 503-287-3093
Wine entertainer and connoisseur Chuck Byers and popular cook Tom Berki present Rendezvous for Dinner: A Guide to Canadian Wine, Dining, and Dessert, an in-depth guide to tasting and pairing wines with fine cooking. Part cookbook, part history of Canadian winemaking, part suggestive guide for dinner and wine tasting themes, Rendezvous is a superb resource for anyone seeking to create just the right, unforgettable mood. The recipes range from "Easy Spinach and Crab Dip" to "Pecan Crusted Rack of Lamb", "Homemade Potato and Leek Soup", "Citrus Fruit Sauce", "Fettuccine Alfredo", and numerous signature dishes from wineries, bed & breakfasts, and chefs and restaurants. A high-class cookbook enthusiastically recommended for discriminating connoisseurs and chefs.
Off The Shelf Baking
Better Homes & Gardens
Meredith Books
1716 Locust Street, Des Moines, IA 50336-0001
0696232685, $14.95 www.meredithbooks.com 1-800-678-8091
Spiral bound so as to be laid flat on a kitchen counter or table, "Off The Shelf Backing" is another outstanding cookbook from Better Homes & Gardens and features more than 200 recipes; special chapters on kids' baking, potluck dishes, and holiday favorites; icons identifying fast and easy recipes; ‘make ahead' tips for baking, freezing and reheating; and lists of the latest bakeware for perfect results in the kitchen. With a section of full-color photographs of finished dishes, the recipes range from Green Onion parker House Biscuits; Neapolitan Pound Cake; Banana-Nut Sandwich Cookies; and Chocolate-Kissed Date Puffs; to Peach Melba Crisp; Double-Berry Vanilla Cream Pie; Home Run Garlic Rolls; and Bean Enchilada Casserole. "Off The Shelf Baking" is thoroughly ‘kitchen cook friendly' and an enthusiastically recommended addition to family and community library cookbook collections!
Countryside Cooking & Chatting
Lucy Leid
Herald Press
616 Walnut Avenue, Scottsdale, PA 15683-1999
083619327X, $19.99 www.heraldpress.com 1-800-759-4447
Expertly compiled by Lucy Leid, "Countryside Cooking & Chatting" is a handy spiral bound treasury of mouth-watering traditional recipes and reflective wisdom drawn from the culinary traditions of Amish and Mennonite communities. From Hot Cross Buns; Pineapple Sweet Potato Casserole; Chunky Beef Soup; Amish Macaroni Salad; and Original Amish Roast; to Grandma's Caramel Pudding; Sweet Midget Pickles; Sugar-Free Pumpkin Pie; Easy Coleslaw; and Peanut Butter Fudge, "Countryside Cooking & Chatting" is a prized and thoroughly ‘kitchen cook friendly' addition to the family cookbook shelf.
Eating Well Through Cancer
Holly Clegg & Gerald Miletello
Favorite Recipes Press (FRP)
2451 Atrium Way, Nashville, TN 37214
0961088885, $24.95 www.frpbooks.com 1-866-569-6925
The collaborative work of culinary expert Holly Clegg and medical oncologist Gerald Miletello, "Eating Well Through Cancer: Easy Recipes & Recommendations During & After Treatment" is a specialty cookbook that provides more than two hundred quick and delicious recipes for dishes designed to ease chemotherapy side effects; nutritional analysis; caregiver ideas; a ‘tips and food' list; post-treatment recipes, diabetic exchanges, and menus. Nutrition is a critically important factor in the treatment of cancer and such after affects as neutropenia (low white blood cell count), diarrhea, constipation, sore mouth or throat, loss of appetite, etc. "Eating Well Through Cancer" is the perfectly designed and strongly recommended combination of recipes and medical advice specifically designed and intended for non-specialist general readers having to deal with cancer therapies for themselves or a loved one.
Around My Mother's Table
Lisa Burton, editor
Leathers Publishing
4500 College Boulevard, Overland Park, Kansas 66211
1585973793 $16.95 www.leatherspublishing.com 1-888-888-7696
Compiled by the daughter of a mother lost to breast cancer, Around My Mother's Table: Stories and Recipes Celebrating Lives Lost to Breast Cancer is a unique cookbook that embraces the connection between mothers and daughters. Each recipe has been contributed by a different daughter, in loving memory of a beloved mother whose life ended too soon. From Beef Brisket to Cranberry Salad, Blueberry-Banana Muffins, Almond Rocha, Peanut Blossoms, and more, these delicious time-tested and love-tempered recipes invoke flavors and textures worthy of transcending generations, and accompanying each is a brief, bittersweet memory of the beloved mother who taught it. A treasury to be cherished.
The Jobs/Careers Shelf
Hire Me, Inc.
Roy J. Blitzer
Entrepreneur Press
c/o The McGraw Hill Companies
Two Penn Plaza, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10121-2298
1599180235 $19.95 www.entrepreneurpress.com 1-877-833-5524
Written by Roy J. Blitzer, executive and management consultant of more than 28 years' experience, Hire Me, Inc.: Package Yourself to Get Your Dream Job is a guide to selling one's talents, for job hunters of all walks of life. Chapters overview how to assess one's own skills, package onself with concise and effective business cards, a resume, and brochures that won't be ignored, the fine art of networking, using internet job sites to maximum advantage, preparing oneself for the interview including anticipating different interview styles and what to do if improper questions come up - inquiries into one's age, martial status, ethnic origin, religious preference, sexual preference, and disabilities are prohibited by law, yet a direct "gotcha" confrontation over them is not advised prior to being hired; instead, Blitzer recommends a nonconfrontational evasion such as "I'm surprised that came up. How relevant is this to the position?" Sample letters, forms, and template guidelines round out this first-rate self help guide to getting the best out of the job market.
Step Up To The Mic
Rodney Saulisberry
Tomdor Publishing
PO Box 1735, Agoura Hills, CA 91376
0974767891, $14.95 www.tomdorpublishing.com
"Step Up To The Mic: A Positive Approach To Succeeding In Voice-Overs" by Rodney Saulisberry is the quintessential instructional guide for establishing a productive and commercially successful career doing voice-over work in the advertising and entertainment industries. Now only does Saulisberry draw from his many years of experience and expertise as a successful and sought-after voice-over performer, he draws upon the advice of Nancy Cartwright (the voice of Bart Simpson), Don LaFontaine (known within the film industry as the ‘king' of movie trailer voice-overs), Frank Welker (the voice of Scooby Doo), Robe Paulsen (the voice of Pinky in the Warner Brothers animated television series ‘Pinky and The Brain'), and Harlan Hogan (author of "VO: Tales and Techniques of a Voice-Over Actor"). Aspiring voice-over actors will learn how to control their mental, physical, and emotional well-being through transforming self-doubt and performance anxiety into confidence and professional level performances. Enhanced with a compilation of informed, informative, and even inspiring essays, affirmations and exercises, "Step Up To The Mic" is a welcome and practical addition to academic and professional Performing Arts Jobs/Careers reference collections. Also very highly recommended as an instructional introduction to a career in voice-over work by Rodney Saulisberry is his previous "how to" book; "You Can Bank On Your Voice: Your Guide To A Successful Career In Voice-Overs" (0974767808, $16.95).
The Science Shelf
Hands-On Agronomy, revised edition
Neal Kinsey & Charles Walters
Acres USA
PO Box 91299, Austin, TX 78709-1299
0911311955 $30.00 www.acresusa.com
Written by agriculture technology experts Neal Kinsey and Charles Walters, Hands-On Agronomy: Understanding Soil Fertility & Fertilizer Use is an information-packed guide for soil scientists and professional farmers alike. Now in a newly revised edition, Hands-On Agronomy covers how to balance soil nutrients for maximum yield, why simple N-P-K fertilization isn't enough, how to properly use manures, compost, tillage, and micronutrients, and much more. Written in straightforward language, offering techniques and wisdom from practical experience and for practical use, Hands-On Agronomy is an absolute "must-read" for any professional in the field.
The Automotive Aerodynamics Handbook, 10th Edition
Douglas Cox Landa & Henry C. Landa
The Film Instruction Company of America
5928 W. Michigan Street, Wauwatosa, WI 53213-4248
0931974267 $68.70 (hc) 0931974186 $43.20 (sc)
Written by mechanical engineering graduate Douglas Cox Landa and registered professional engineer Henry C. Landa, the tenth edition of The Automotive Aerodynamics Handbook is the latest updated version of a highly technical and practical reference manual written especially for engineers and scientists, or advanced college and graduate studies students. Suitable for use as a curriculum guide or a self-teaching text, The Automotive Aerodynamics Handbook distinguishes itself from others addressing the complex engineering nuances of air and fluid flow, drag, force, power, shapes, lift, stability, and airflow about wheels and cylinders by offering hard data in addition to mathematical derivations and abstract theory. Numerous black-and-white diagrams illustrate examples with the data "plugged in" to precisely explicate physical processes step by step. Divided into sections discussing theory, practice and engineering applications, miscellany, downforce, economics (in particular the problem of keeping costs down), The Automotive Aerodynamics Handbook is a "must-have" for experts and aspiring experts in the field striving to keep their knowledge up-to-date and who need immediate access to a thorough and detailed reference to a complex and technical subject.
The Travel Shelf
Big Island of Hawai'i
Robert Nilsen
Moon Handbooks
c/o Avalon Publishing Group
1400 - 65th Street, Suite 250, Emeryville, CA 94608
1566919592 $19.95 www.avalonpub.com 1-800-345-5473
Big Island of Hawai'i Including Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park is the Moon Handbooks guide for tourists and travelers, and like all books in the Moon series, is packed cover to cover with absolutely everything one needs to know to make the most of a Hawai'i vacation or business trip. Focusing specifically on Hawai'i's Big Island rather than the rest of the chain, chapters cover Kona, South Kohala, North Kohala, The Saddle Road, Hamakua Coast, Hilo, Puna, and Ka'u and Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. From tips for getting around to health and safety advice to extensive directions, maps, black-and-white photographs, recommended hotels, hours for ideal eateries and gift shops, sports and recreation facilities, and much more, Big Island of Hawai'i is a compact, information-laden guide that no traveler to Hawai'i's Big Island should be without.
The Disney Queue Line Survival Guidebook
Kimberly Button
Infinity Publishing
1094 New DeHaven Street, Suite 100, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2713
0741432684 $19.95 www.buybooksontheweb.com
Former Walt Disney World and Disney Cruise Line member Kimberly Button presents The Disney Queue Line Survival Guidebook, a handy guide for vacationers that distinguishes itself with a host of activities to counter boredom while waiting in line at the Walt Disney World resort. Trivia questions, suggested scavenger hunts, word finds and more pepper this matter-of-fact guide with tips for safety and courtesy while exploring Disney World or interacting with costumed characters (for example, many costumes limit hand mobility so it's important to bring a big, easy-to-use pen if asking for an autograph). Different attractions are described at length, with specific advice for each, and attractions that typically do not require a waiting period are highlighted. Black-and-white maps for easy navigation round out this "must-have" guide especially for vacationing families with small children.
The Business Shelf
Street Smart Franchising
Joe Mathews, Don DeBolt, & Deb Percival
Entrepreneur Press
c/o The McGraw Hill Companies
Two Penn Plaza, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10121-2298
1599180219 $19.95 www.entrepreneurpress.com 1-877-833-5524
Joe Mathews (former manager of national chains such as Subway and Blimpie), Don DeBolt (former president of the International Franchise Association), and franchise developer Deb Percival apply their combined experience in Street Smart Franchising, a no-holds-barred insider's guide when, where, why, and how to franchise. From the learning curve to successfully oversee a franchise, to the evolution of the franchisee-franchiser relationship, to skillfully locating optimum franchise opportunities and following a six-step franchise investigation process, Street Smart Franchising spells out the risks and the rewards in plain terms. An absolute "must-have" for any small business owner contemplating, starting, running, or expanding a franchise.
Exceptional Selling
Jeff Thull
John Wiley and Sons Inc.
111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030
Jane Wesman Public Relations (publicity)
322 Eighth Avenue, Suite 1702, New York, NY 10001
0470037288 $24.95 www.wiley.com
Written by Jeff Thull (President and CEO of Prime Resource Group), Exceptional Selling: How the Best Connect and Win in High Stakes Sales is a guide especially for people who work in the high-pressure realm of complex sales. Chapters discuss the general negotiating tools for selling to businesses, corporations and corporate representatives, from entry-level workers to CEOs. Exceptional Selling dispenses with harmful traditional sales mindsets, such as the impression that the salesperson must use any quoted hard figures against the customer, or that the best thing to do with any potential surprises in the transaction is to hide them until the last minute. Exceptional Selling draws upon the author's expertise to build the practical, confident, cooperative and highly persuasive mindset necessary to succeed in the increasingly connected and fast-paced world of twenty-first century sales. Highly recommended for any aspiring or practicing professional in the field.
Branding a Store
Ko Floor
Kogan Page USA
525 South 4th Street, #241, Philadelphia, PA 19147
0749448326 $45.00 www.koganpage.com 1-800-232-0223
Author Ko Floor applies his nearly forty years of retail experience in Branding a Store, a guide to the core competency of developing and differentiating retail brand identities. Chapters instruct the reader in retail brand positioning, differentiating brand personality, retail brand communications, the four different types of consumer shopping (speedy, low-cost replenishment shopping, solution-driven shopping, self-expression shopping, and sense of discovery shopping), forecasts for the future (such as his prediction that each retail sector will become dominated by two or three megabrands), and much more. Written in straightforward, no-nonsense language, Branding a Store is a "must-read" especially for retail marketers big and small.
Getting To Scale
Jill Bamburg
Berrett-Koehler Publishers
235 Montgomery Street, Suite 650, San Francisco, CA 94104-2916
1576754162 $14.95 www.bkconnection.com
Written by Jill Bamburg (dean of the MBA program at the Bainbridge Graduation Institute), Getting To Scale: Growing Your Business Without Selling Out draws upon interviews with more than thirty growth-oriented entrepreneurs to deliver readers the straight scoop on what to take into account when deciding just how much one's business should expand. Debunking myths such as "you have to sell out to grow", Getting to Scale addresses how to responsibly increase business size while maintaining ownership and control, how to adapt to corporate culture, how to access greater capital and markets, and much more. Written in plain, no-nonsense terms, Getting To Scale is emphatically recommended for anyone scaling up the size of the business - whether simply opening a second storefront, taking the step to incorporate, or going global.
Small Business Accounting Simplified
Daniel Sitarz
Nova Publishing Company
1103 West College Street, Carbondale, IL 62901
1892949172 $24.95 www.amazon.com
Now in a newly updated fourth edition, Small Business Accounting Simplified: Everything Necessary to Skillfully Manage Your Business Finances is an easy-to-use guide to the nuts and bolts of small business finance. Written by attorney-at-law Daniel Sitarz in a plain-terms style immediately accessible to lay readers, Small Business Accounting Simplified covers how to track business assets, expenses, income, and payroll, keep a chart of accounts, prepare a profit and loss statement, set up a practical recordkeeping schedule, and much more. Numerous full-page sample forms, including business tax forms, round out this invaluable and handy guide, highly recommended for small business owners everywhere.
Start Your Own Senior Services Business
Jacquelyn Lynn & Charlene Davis
Entrepreneur Press
c/o The McGraw Hill Companies
Two Penn Plaza, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10121-2298
1932531947 $14.95 www.entrepreneurpress.com 1-877-833-5524
Sponsored by Entrepreneur Magazine, Start Your Own Senior Services Business: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Success is a no-nonsense source of ideas and practical strategies for getting a potentially lucrative business up and running, especially in the modern era of aging baby boomers. In addition to general advice for serving seniors, running a senior care service and developing one's plan, chapters look in-depth at operating an adult day-care service, relocation service, home care and home health-care service, concierge service, transportation service, and travel service. The final portion of Start Your Own Senior Services Business is packed heavily with tips, tricks, techniques, and vital tidbits for everything from how to set up a dependable team to financial matters to when things go wrong. Perhaps the most valuable piece of advice is the warning not to take every job offered, especially not ones that are beyond one's technical skills or expertise - better to refer those to another, who may well return the favor in the future. Highly recommended for anyone considering setting up in the field.
Potent Enterprise
Leslie T. Lax
iUniverse
2021 Pine Lake Road, Suite 100, Lincoln, NE 68512
0595386792 $14.95 www.iuniverse.com
Written by former social activist, investor, advisor, and principle of Potential Inc. Leslie T. Lax, Potent Enterprise collects tidbits of wisdom, insight, and candid advice concerning ethics and responsibility as vital components for advancing a successful business from the "Potential Enterprise Newsletter". Articles from fall of 2002 to winter of 2006 discuss topics ranging from a discussion of the value of the Head Start program to the extremely deleterious effects of associating with thieving, harmful or shifty individuals in the realm of business (as one of Aesop's fables warns, "You are judged by the company you keep"), to disaster preparedness lessons that can be drawn from the devastation left by hurricane Katrina. An excellent springboard to discourse and contemplation concerning what "ethical business" really means and how it can best be achieved.
Exceptional Selling
Jeff Thull
John Wiley and Sons Inc. (publisher)
111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030
Jane Wesman Public Relations (publicity)
322 Eighth Avenue, Suite 1702, New York, NY 10001
0470037288 $24.95 www.wiley.com
Written by Jeff Thull (President and CEO of Prime Resource Group), Exceptional Selling: How the Best Connect and Win in High Stakes Sales is a guide especially for people who work in the high-pressure realm of complex sales. Chapters discuss the general negotiating tools for selling to businesses, corporations and corporate representatives, from entry-level workers to CEOs. Exceptional Selling dispenses with harmful traditional sales mindsets, such as the impression that the salesperson must use any quoted hard figures against the customer, or that the best thing to do with any potential surprises in the transaction is to hide them until the last minute. Exceptional Selling draws upon the author's expertise to build the practical, confident, cooperative and highly persuasive mindset necessary to succeed in the increasingly connected and fast-paced world of twenty-first century sales. Highly recommended for any aspiring or practicing professional in the field.
Getting To Scale
Jill Bamburg
Berrett-Koehler Publishers
235 Montgomery Street, Suite 650, San Francisco, CA 94104-2916
1576754162 $14.95 www.bkconnection.com
Written by Jill Bamburg (dean of the MBA program at the Bainbridge Graduation Institute), Getting To Scale: Growing Your Business Without Selling Out draws upon interviews with more than thirty growth-oriented entrepreneurs to deliver readers the straight scoop on what to take into account when deciding just how much one's business should expand. Debunking myths such as "you have to sell out to grow", Getting to Scale addresses how to responsibly increase business size while maintaining ownership and control, how to adapt to corporate culture, how to access greater capital and markets, and much more. Written in plain, no-nonsense terms, Getting To Scale is emphatically recommended for anyone scaling up the size of the business - whether simply opening a second storefront, taking the step to incorporate, or going global.
Small Business Accounting Simplified
Daniel Sitarz
Nova Publishing Company
1103 West College Street, Carbondale, IL 62901
1892949172 $24.95 www.amazon.com
Now in a newly updated fourth edition, Small Business Accounting Simplified: Everything Necessary to Skillfully Manage Your Business Finances is an easy-to-use guide to the nuts and bolts of small business finance. Written by attorney-at-law Daniel Sitarz in a plain-terms style immediately accessible to lay readers, Small Business Accounting Simplified covers how to track business assets, expenses, income, and payroll, keep a chart of accounts, prepare a profit and loss statement, set up a practical recordkeeping schedule, and much more. Numerous full-page sample forms, including business tax forms, round out this invaluable and handy guide, highly recommended for small business owners everywhere.
The Philosophy Shelf
Friedrich Schiller
Gail K. Hart
University of Delaware Press
c/o Associated University Presses
2010 Eastpark Boulevard, Cranbury, NJ 08512
0874138957 $42.50 www2.lib.udel.edu/udpress
Professor Gail K. Hart presents Friedrich Schiller: Crime, Aesthetics, and the Poetics of Punishment, a scholarly exploration of eighteenth-century writer, dramatist, and philosopher Friedrich Schiller's views upon punishment to crime, whether as state-sponsored retribution or simply as a means to prevent the criminal from repeating his offenses. Though Schiller's fascination with crime and criminals has bee previously explored at length, his views concerning punishment have received comparatively less scrutiny in the past; Crime, Aesthetics, and the Poetics of Punishment remedies the omission, exploring how Schiller consciously discredited retribution, his question of whether murder can ever be constructed to be "good", and the expression of Schillers thoughts and points of debate through his famous plays including "Maria Stuart", "Wilhelm Tell", and "The Maid of Orleans". A final chapter explores Schiller's intertextuality in the twentieth century, as well as the persistence of his ideals of freedom and aesthetic education in modern permutations, notably Anthony Burgess' "A Clockwork Orange" novel and movie. A welcome contribution to close analysis of philosophy and cultural expression, recommended for college library and literary studies shelves.
Philosophy At The Edge Of Chaos
Jeffrey A. Bell
University of Toronto Press
10 St. Mary Street, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M4Y 2W8
0802094090, $32.95 www.utppublishing.com 1-800-565-9523
"Philosophy At The Edge Of Chaos: Gilles Deleuze And the Philosophy Of Difference" by Jeffrey A. Bell provides students of philosophy with fascinating insights and perspectives on the work of Spinoza, Aristotle, Whitehead, Derrida, and Deleuze. A work of impeccable scholarship, "Philosophy At The Edge Of Chaos" is divided into two major sections: ‘Thinking Difference' and ‘Rethinking System". Bell fundamentally addresses systematic thinking and what is described as the ‘Philosophy of difference". Of special interest is the chapter dedicated to ‘Thinking Difference: Heidegger and Deleuze on Aristotle', as well as Bell's thoughtful and compelling conclusions at the end of this extended treatise. Enhanced with extensive notations, an impressive bibliography, and a comprehensive index, "Philosophy At The Edge Of Chaos" is also available in a hardcover edition (0802091288, $65.00) and is strongly recommended as a core contribution to scholarship and academic library Philosophy Studies collections.
The Political Science Shelf
America on Notice
Glenn Schweitzer & Carole Schweitzer
Prometheus Books
59 John Glenn Drive, Amherst, NY 14228-2197
1591024285 $28.00 www.prometheusbooks.com
AMERICA ON NOTICE: STEMMING THE TIDE OF ANTI-AMERICANISM tells how a new program can be developed to create a more positive attitude toward America, thus deterring terrorism. To do this, a history of American diplomacy and international and social issues is required: AMERICA ON NOTICE provides this background first, showing how growing American military and economic powers and questionable policy choices have earned it a negative image – especially in Muslim counties. Chapters show how to strengthen ties with developing nations, how to adjust diplomatic strategies, and more, making AMERICA ON NOTICE a welcome and important addition to governmental, academic, and community library reference collections and supplemental reading lists.
Conservatives Betrayed
Richard A. Viguerie
Bonus Books
9255 W. Sunset Boulevard, Suite 711, Los Angeles, CA 90069
1566252857 $24.95 www.conservativesbetryed.com
Written by Richard A. Viguerie, who in 1999 was cited as one of the Washington Times' thirteen "Conservatives of the Century", Conservatives Betrayed: How George W. Bush and Other Big Government Republicans Hijacked the Conservative Cause is a fierce attack upon the Bush administration from the conservative point of view. Viguerie does not speak for the neo-conservatives, who have drastically inflated spending and expanded federal government; he speaks for the old conservatives who believed in the values of fiscal restraint and small government, and who recognize the threat that excessive national debt - much of which is now owed to powers overseas! - poses to national security and to America's future, as more and more of America's annual budget must be applied to interest payments alone. Viguerie is emphatically a social conservative as well as a fiscal conservative; he speaks strongly against "obese government" characterized by excessive bureaucracy, pork-barrel spending, and mounting deficits; the social ills caused by uncontrolled illegal immigration; abortion; judicial activism; and more. Though not all readers will agree with Viguerie's opinions about the "culture war" in America and some will find his antagonistic attitudes toward illegal immigrants and homosexuals distasteful, his core exhortations against wasteful government spending are a desperately needed wake-up call. Even more valuable is his suggestion that conservative voters disassociate themselves from any one party and become a block whose favor needs to be wooed by both parties, in order to exert more influence and power - a suggestion that holds merit for any political subsection. Highly recommended for its thought-provoking content, regardless of whether the reader personally agrees with Viguerie on all points.
Build It Now
Michael A. Lebowitz
Monthly Review Press
122 West 27th Street, New York, NY 10001
1583671455, $14.95 www.monthlyreview.org 1-800-670-9499
"Build it Now: Socialism For the Twenty-First Century" by Michael A. Lebowitz (Professor Emeritus of Economics, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada) offers readers an informed and compelling analysis of socialism adapted to the socio-economic and international political changes that are a part of the 21st century. Articulate, persuasive, and exhibiting a realistic optimism, Professor Lebowitz addresses the needs of capital and the needs of human beings, the necessities of ideological and economic development, how to reclaim a socialist vision in a world dominated by national and international corporations. "Build It Now" is a welcome and much needed contribution to the national dialogue of how to achieve economic and social equality in the world today.
The Christian Studies Shelf
Jesus and Archaeology
James H. Charlesworth
WM B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
255 Jefferson Avenue SE, Grande Rapids, MI 49503
080284880X $50.00 www.eerdmans.com
Edited by James H. Charles worth (Professor of New Testament Language and Literature and Director of the Dead Sea Scrolls Project at Princeton Theological Seminary), Jesus and Archaeology is an anthology of scholarly essays by learned authors, many of whom worked recently and directly in excavations at Bethsaida, Capernaum, Nazareth, and Jerusalem. Essay topics range from "Did Jesus Attend the Synagogue?" to "Jesus and Resurrection Faith in Light of Jewish Texts" to "The Christian Apocrypha and Archaeology" and much more. A handful of black-and-white photographs, a selected bibliography, an index of scripture and other ancient texts, and a glossary round out this cutting-edge compilation of what the latest archaeological findings tell us of Jesus and the era in which he lived.
Seeing in the Dark
Gary Kinnaman & Richard Jacobs, MD
Bethany House
11400 Hampshire Avenue South, Bloomington, MN 55438
0764201999 $13.99 www.bethanyhouse.com
Written by Word of Grace Church senior pastor Gary Kinnaman and Richard Jacobs MD, Seeing in the Dark: Getting the Facts on Depression & Finding Hope Again is a guide especially for Christians who suffer from depression, or who yearn to help a loved one so afflicted. Chapters cover how to recognize the serious medical condition of true depression, Biblical insights into depression, information about brain chemistry and depression, how to adopt a grace-filled lifestyle of letting go, how to recognize patterns of thinking that exacerbate depression and put a stop to them, communal strategies for combating depression that is too overwhelming to face alone, and much more. Case studies illustrate the harm depression can bring to God's faithful, and means by which one can cope while keeping warm with the flame of faith. An index for quick reference and a self-test to gauge one's own mindset round out this vital guide to rising above neurochemical and emotional misery.
Miracles of John Paul II
Pawel Zuchniewicz
Ignatius Press
PO Box 1339, Fort Collins, CO 80522
0978097904 $20.00 www.catholicradio.ca
Journalist Pawel Zuchniewicz presents Miracles of John Paul II, a bestselling title in Poland and a compendium of miracles that have occurred through the intervention of Pope John Paul II. A poignant tribute to the powers of prayer and faith, Miracles of John Paul II is illustrated throughout with colorful photographs and laced with testimonies and question-and-answer segments by those who knew and loved the late pope. A treasure enthusiastically recommended for Catholic church libraries and anyone who knew and respected the spirit of the late pope.
Spiritual Fitness
Graham Tomlin
The Continuum International Publishing Group
PO Box 1321, Harrisburg, PA 17105
0826486770 $15.95 1-800-877-0012
Written by the Principal of St. Paul's Theological Centre, Graham Tomlin, Spiritual Fitness: Christian Character in a Consumer Culture connects a parallel between physical and spiritual fitness. Both require daily maintenance and attention, and both are vital to human well being. Tomlin stresses that spiritual fitness is vital not only for the church itself, but also society as a whole, and offers guidelines to help churches transform into agents of change and spiritual renaissance. From cultivating virtue to the vital role of discipline in enacting spiritual transformation, to the necessity, power, and difficulty of forgiveness, Spiritual Fitness conceptualizes a powerful antidote to the consumption and luxury-driven culture advertised by modern media that can all too readily drown out the finer and holier aspects of life.
Written by passionate Christian Alicia Britt Chole, Anonymous: Jesus' Hidden Years and Yours is an exploration into the first thirty years of Jesus Christ's life, "hidden years" in that they passed largely unnoticed by the world. Yet those years spent in anonymity prepared Jesus for true greatness, allowing him room to grow and learn. Anonymous draws parallels form Jesus' experience that can be applied to one's own life, and to appreciate the value of each day rather than slide into anxiety and despair when one's goals are delayed or deferred. A deeply spiritual message of hope and inspiration.
The Bible from Scratch
Simon Jenkins
Saint Mary's Press
702 Terrace Heights, Winona, MN 55987-1318
0884899403 $14.95 www.smp.com 1-800-533-8095
Written by Simon Jenkins, the founder of online community and "magazine of Christian unrest" shipoffools.com, The Bible from Scratch: Catholic Edition is a condensed, simplified run-through of what the Bible has to say in plain-terms English. Black-and-white cartoon illustrations add a visual dimension to the stories of the ancestors, saints, prophets, and historical figures related in the Bible. Covering both Old and New Testaments, The Bible from Scratch is accessible to readers of all ages, backgrounds, and faiths, even though as its title indicates, it presents a Catholic point of view. The Bible from Scratch is essentially a Cliff Notes version of the Bible with a small dose of cartoon humor added for good measure, enthusiastically recommended especially for anyone brand new to Biblical studies and in need of an easy-to-grasp overview.
Dying and Rising With Christ
Terrance Callan, Ph.D.
Paulist Press
997 Macarthur Boulevard, Mahwah, NJ 07430
080914395X $19.95 www.paulistpress.com
Written by Professor of Biblical Studies Terrance Callan Ph.D., Dying and Rising With Christ: The Theology of Paul the Apostle is an in-depth theological discussion of Paul's understanding of Christian life, and the critical role that dying and rising with Christ as part of the body of Christ plays in human salvation. Researched in meticulous depth and detail, Dying and Rising With Christ picks apart the scriptures of Paul line by line in its quest to uncover the precise nuances of Paul's vision that may surprise contemporary Christian believers. A scholarly, respectful, yet audacious scrutiny and evaluation of holy scripture.
Sacred Space
Jesuit Communication Centre, Ireland
Ave Maria Press
PO Box 428, Notre Dame, IN 46556
159471097X $14.95 www.avemariapress.com
Inspired by the successful interactive website www.sacredspace.ie, created in 1999 by Alan McGuckian, S.J. and Peter Scally, S.J. of the Jesuit Communication Centre in Ireland, Sacred Space: The Prayer Book 2007 is a useful tool to aid Christians in daily prayer. For each day of December 2006 through November 2007, Sacred Space presents a scriptural passage followed by points of inspiration to contemplate when considering the passage's relevance in daily life. Weekly themes are also present, and six stages of prayer are outlined for the theme of each week. For example, the passage for Thursday Aug 2 is Psalm 83(84) "My heart and my soul ring out their joy to God, the living God. They are happy whose strength is in you. They walk with ever growing strength." One of the points for that day's contemplation is, "Is my strength in the Lord? Or is it invested in these mortal limbs, this limited mind of mine?" A deeply reverent aid to setting aside a little time each day to think about God.
The Christian Right... or Wrong?
John Cord
Blue Dolphin Publishing
PO Box 8, Nevada City, CA 95959-0008
1577331427 $16.95 www.bluedolphinpublishing.com 1-800-643-0765
Written by a committed Christian, for committed Christians and those of all faiths who are committed to selfless good works in the name of the divine, The Christian Right... or Wrong? Of Corporate Christianity and its Leading Media Evangelists is a scathing dissection of the self-serving hypocrisy, idolatry, and divisive claims of forty influential, modern-day American Christian leaders, including Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, Billy Graham, Robert Schuller, and Jimmy Swaggart. Winner of the 2005 Ethos Award, The Christian Right... or Wrong? denounces the greed of corporatized church tithing (especially in terrorizing one's flock with accusations of thievery from God if they do not relinquish 10% of their income), the Catholic Church's idolatry of its system of concentrated power that does not hold child-molesting priests accountable for their crimes (though it is a myth that child molestation happens only in Catholic churches - it occurs in Protestant and other churches as well), the harm in exhorting that man is saved through faith alone, neglecting the importance of good works in bringing one's spirit closer to the divine, and much more. Author John Cord does not shy from such thorny topics as homosexuality, abortion, and reincarnation. Cord refutes self-serving scriptural arguments from corrupt religious leaders with an honest and refreshing "common sense" look at scripture that emphasizes the importance of bringing one's soul closer to God through one's noble and charitable deeds. Highly recommended.
Fabric of Faith
Kimberly Winston
Morehouse Publishing
c/o Church Publishing
445 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016
0819221937 $23.95 www.churchpublishing.org 1-800-242-1918
Written by Kimberly Winston, recipient of the 2005 American Academy of Religion Award for Best In-Depth Reporting on Religion, Fabric of Faith: A Guide to the Prayer Quilt Ministry is a how-to guide to the physical and spiritual process of creating a prayer quilt. Chapters discuss a history of the prayer quilt, the basic methodology and finishing techniques for making a prayer quilt, the power of quilting contemplatively or quilting from the heart, spiritual expression through quiltmaking, and much more. Fabric of Faith tends to focus on the devotional side of quilting rather than "how-to" nuts-and-bolts instructions, and is geared more toward mildly experienced to intermediate and expert quiltmakers seeking to express their faith than novice quilters. Sidebars on most pages with insightful quotes from great religious leaders and an inset section of color plates enhance this superb introduction to expressing one's faith through needlecraft. A sample prayer provided for the dedication or rededication of quilts is, "Your promise, O God, Giver of all Life / That wherever we go / You will be with us. May we never forget your comforting care / And may our growing faith be a sign to [recipient's name] / That you will never stop loving us."
Slavery in Early Christianity
Jennifer A. Glancy
Fortress Press
c/o Augsburg Fortress, Publishers
PO Box 1209, Minneapolis, MN 55440-1209
0800637895 $22.00 fortresspress.com
Jennifer A. Glancy (Professor of Religious Studies, LeMoyne College) presents Slavery in Early Christianity, a highly scholarly examination of the prevalence of slaves and slaveholders among early Christians, particularly in the Roman Empire. Chapters scrutinize how the social histories of emerging Christian churches had their rhetoric affected by the influence of slavery, the life experiences of slaves and what it meant to be a slave in the first Christian centuries. Of particular interest is the figure of the slave in the sayings of Jesus Christ, an aspect examined at length in historical and social as well as a religious context. A welcome addition to both university library and private religious studies collections.
If You Preach It, They Will Come
Rev. Eduardo A. Samaniego, SJ
Resource Publications, Inc.
160 East Virginia Street, Suite 290, San Jose, CA 95112-5876
0893906468 $23.95 www.rpinet.com 1-888-273-7782
Reverend Eduardo A. Samaniego, SJ presents If You Preach It, They Will Come, a guide filled with "tricks of the trade" to maintaining the interest levels of the faithful, intended especially for fellow preachers. From the four good rules of public speaking, to tips for cultivating one's own preaching style, to the six principles of preparation, and a wealth of anecdotes and lessons in preaching drawn from personal experience, If You Preach It, They Will Come is an invaluable resource for improving both one's technical skills and one's spiritual connection to the all-important task at hand. A bibliography rounds out this straightforward "how to preach it" guide, filled cover to cover with solid advice for preachers of all branches of Christianity.
Pastoral Theology in an Intercultural World
Emmanuel Y. Lartey
The Pilgrim Press
700 Prospect Avenue, East, Cleveland, OH 44115-1100
0829817220 $21.00 www.pilgrimpress.com 1-800-654-5129
Emmanuel Y. Lartey (Professor of Pastoral Theology, Care and Counseling at Candler School of Theology, Emory University, Atlanta) presents Pastoral Theology in an Intercultural World, a scholarly response to the question: how can today's pastors model their venues of care in an increasingly globalized society characterized by marked sociocultural differences and ambiguities? Chapters explore pastoral theology as contextual theology, care-inspired faith, pastoral theology at work in the modern world, and much more. A studious account, written not just to discuss theory but also to be of practical service to pastors administering to a multicultural flock, Pastoral Theology in an Intercultural World treats its issues with a serious, critical, and balanced eye tempered with faith, passion, and experience.
The God Of Sex
Peter Jones
Victor
c/o Cook Communications
4050 Lee Vance View, Colorado Springs, CO 80918
0781443725, $19.99 www.cookministries.com 1-800-323-7543
"The God Of Sex: How Spirituality Defines Your Sexuality" by Christian theologian Peter Jones (Professor of New Testament, Westminister Seminary, Escondido, California) is an affirmation of biblically based Christian perspectives on the intertwined nature of spirituality and sex, and the corrupting influences of the broader secular culture. In "The God Of Sex", Professor Jones also addresses the concept of spirituality and sexuality as defined in pagan terms, why and how pagan approaches to human sexuality produce a ‘culture of death', defines biblically based spirituality and sexuality, why and how the Christian approach to human sexuality produces a ‘culture of life', and why the issues of human sexuality and human spirituality are so critically important for the Christian community to understand within the context of biblical teachings, instructions, and commandments. When dealing with these complex and controversial issues, "The God Of Sex" is strongly recommended as critically important and highly informative reading for clergy and laity alike.
The Fiction Shelf
Catalina
Markus Orths
The Toby Press
PO Box 8531, New Milford, CT 06776-8531
1592641652 $24.95 www.tobypress.com
Written by Markus Orths, Catalina is an amazing historical novel based on the true story of Catalina d'Erauso, a girl born in 17th century Spain, who rejected what society expected her to become and successfully disguised herself as a man. When her beloved older brother Miguel was sent to the New World to pursue the family's fortunes, Catalina longed to follow him; so, after obtaining her education in a convent, she cut her hair, dressed in men's clothing, and adopted the new identity of Francisco. Her quest would span continents, leading her from San Sebastian to New Spain, Chile, and Peru. She was drawn into violence, and even experienced love - all the while internalizing her male identity so thoroughly it effectively supplanted her natural gender. A truly fascinating read of one woman's staunch defiance.
On the Run with Dick and Jane
Robert Gover
Hopewell Publications
PO Box 11, Titusville, NJ 08650-0011
1933435127 $15.95 www.hopepubs.com
The ninth novel of former journalist Robert Gover, On The Run With Dick and Jane is the story of a truly unlikely couple - Jane, a twelve-year-old stowaway girl fleeing an overseas sex slavery operation, and Dick, a sixty-three year-old man grieving the death of his beloved wife and struggling with mounting medical bills. A distinctive feature of On the Run with Dick and Jane is that quotation marks are omitted from the spoken dialogue, lending the tale elements of a stream-of-consciousness feel. A story of a most unlikely friendship, eventually leading both to take a stand against those who would recapture Jane for their own vile profit.
Troubling Love
Elena Ferrante
Europa Editions
116 East 16 Street, New York, NY 10003
1933372168 $14.95 www.europaeditions.com
Italian author Elena Ferrante presents her second novel Troubling Love, the story of a daughter who, upon learning of her mother's untimely death, sets out on a harrowing journey through the streets of Naples in search of the truth about her family. A dark tale of sexuality, the violent dissolution of a marriage, unfulfilling relationships, threatening conditions, and the haunting quest to uncover the truth no matter how frightening it might be.
Terra Firma
Clara Orban
Florida Academic Press
PO Box 540, Gainesville, FL 32602-0540
1890357197 $24.95 352-332-5104
The second place winner for the CNW/FFWA Award for Fiction in 2003, Terra Firma is a novel about the suffering of pre-World War Italian and Hungarian families that pushed them to emigrate to America, and the reconciliation of an American daughter with the past of her proud ancestors. The debut novel of Clara Orban (professor of French and Italian at DePaul University, Chicago), Terra Firma is a rich interconnection between Old World Europe and the hectic modern day, and also a contemplation of the searches for independence, meaning, roots and balance in life both then and now. Highly recommended.
Torpedo
Jeff Edwards
iUniverse
2021 Pine Lake Road, Suite 100, Lincoln, NE 68512
0595675239 $29.95 www.thedeckplate.com www.iuniverse.com
Retired U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer and Anti-Submarine Warfare Specialist Jeff Edwards presents Torpedo, a military thriller about the escalating consequences of an accident at a German nuclear plant and a biological warfare attack on the British Embassy in Washington, D.C., combined with an illegal arms deal between a trusted NATO ally and a rogue Middle Eastern state. The threat of all-out war between America, Europe, and the Middle East casts a spectral shadow; Commander Samuel (Jim) Bowie and the crew of the USS Towers, plus a handful of navy destroyers, must work fast to end the crisis before all hell breaks loose. Their enemy is a NATO ally trained in U.S. warfare tactics, with the potential to out-gun, out-maneuver, and out-think them. A taut, fast-paced narrative brimming with edge-of-seat excitement.
Mamie and the Root Woman
Elizabeth Bowles
Outskirts Press
10940 S. Parker Rd. - 515, Parker, Colorado 80134
1598004816 $14.95 www.outskirtspress.com 1-888-OP-BOOKS
Written by veteran teacher Elizabeth Bowles, Mamie and the Root Woman is a novel based on the true story of a young girl who was almost murdered by the Ku Klux Klan. In 1879, years after the Civil War, the Klan murders fifteen-year-old Mamie's mother and severs Mamie's legs. Yet with the help of the mysterious voodoo practitioner Root Woman and a repentant former Klansman, Mamie gradually heals, makes her way to Charleston, and discovers a surprising new life. Mamie and the Root Woman is a profound story of connections, recovery from inhuman treatment, and finding the inner strength to withstand life's seemingly unbearable challenges. Highly recommended.
Chameleon
Richard Hains
Beaufort Books
c/o Maryglenn McCombs Book Publicity
2817 West End Avenue, Suite 126-274, Nashville, TN 37203
0825305101, $24.95 www.amazon.com
Jon Phillips is a successful Wall Street bond trader whose personal lifestyle is both lavish and arrogant. He plans to retire after making an unprecedented deal to secure his financial future through gaining control of the U.S. Government bond market through barely-legal procedures and the inclusion of shady investors that include a Russian gangster seeking to launder money through American financial markets that will expose the investment bank he works for to serious regulatory risk. When things go sour, Jon finds himself the target of a potential lethal manhunt and his survival depends on his ability to become more predator than prey in the Wall Street jungle. Author Richard Hains skillfully draws upon his many years as a professional finance expert and successful global investor to provide realistic background detail in his novel "Chameleon", a gripping and highly recommended work of suspense that could have been plucked from the newspaper headlines of today..
The Art of Salvage
Leona Theis
Coteau Books
2517 Victoria Avenue, Regina, SK, Canada, S4P 0T2
1550503480 $17.95 www.coteaubooks.com 1-800-440-4471
Two-time Saskatchewan award-winner Leona Theis presents The Art of Salvage, is a complex novel about the distance between mother and daughter. When nineteen-year-old Delorie leaves her parents' small-town home for the big city, an unexpected pregnancy upends her dreams; she responds by renouncing her rights to her daughter, Amber. Twenty-five years later, Amber struggles with her origins and rebuilding her own life despite her biological mother's emotional distance. Amber collects a hoard of souvenirs, and builds a mobile from them to represent herself. The Art of Salvage is an introspective tale, with elements of tragedy, marking the harmful repercussions of deaths and lies even as it explores alternate ways to cope with day-to-day pressures. There is no one "right" way to love or to live in The Art of Salvage; though finding balance and one's own proper terms is difficult, it is the key to life itself. Highly recommended.
The Literary Shelf
Writing to Delight
Antonia Arslan & Gabriella Romani
University of Toronto Press
10 St. Mary Street, Suite 700, Toronto, ON, M4Y 2W8
0802038107 $29.95 1-800-565-9523
Edited by Antonia Arslan (professor of contemporary Italian literature, University of Padua) and Gabriella Romani (assistant professor in the Department of Modern Languages, Seton Hill University), Writing to Delight: Italian Short Stories By Nineteenth-Century Women Writers is an anthology of selected short stories by some of the most accomplished and acclaimed female writers of nineteenth-century Italy, all translated into English for the first time. A clear window into cultural views of Italian history, particularly attesting to the restrictive concept of female domesticity that was so widespread and ingrained in the setting. Writing to Delight is especially recommended for college library shelves and students or connoisseurs of Italian literature and literary fiction.
Baum's Road To Oz
Nancy Tystad Koupal, editor
South Dakota State Historical Society Press
900 Governors Drive, Pierre, SC 57501-2217
0962262188 $29.95 www.sdshspress.com
Edited by Nancy Tystad Koupal (editor of the award-winning journal "South Dakota History"), Baum's Road to Oz is a literary tour de force of early writings by celebrated children's author L. Frank Baum, best known for his fantastic imaginary land of Oz. Baum's Road to Oz includes a sampling of Baum's baseball poems, newspaper editorials, and animal fairy tales, and especially apprises Baum's controversial opinions on topics ranging from women's suffrage to spiritualism and the occult to tolerance, contentment, and dishonest trade practices. Koupal and other literary disseminators Mark I. West and Michael Patrick Hearn lend their own insights into Baum's early works, in this enthusiastically recommended volume for college libraries and serious-minded students, scholars, and fans of L. Frank Baum's classics.
Mikhail Kuzmin: Selected Writings
Michael A. Green and Stanislav A. Shvabrin, editors
Bucknell University Press
c/o Associated University Press
2010 Eastpark Blvd., Cranbury, NJ 08512
0838756018 $45.00 www.bucknell.edu 1-609-655-4770
Skillfully translated from Russian and edited with notes and an introduction by expert scholars Michael A. Green and Stanislav A. Shvabrin, Mikhail Kuzmin: Selected Writings presents one of Russia's least known, non-conformist authors, Mikhail Kuzmin (1872-1936). Kuzmin's earlier "decadent" aesthetic works praising worldly delights have received some accord, but Mikhail Kuzmin: Selected Writings particularly focuses upon Kuzmin's later works, which reflected his endurance and struggle to survive during the early Soviet years. These works, long censored in the Soviet Union due to their absolute loathing of how the state denied individual liberties, to the extent of drawing an allegory between Nero's Rome and Stalin's Russia. Kuzmin as a literary theoretician was a key figure in the reaction against Symbolism for the new generation, and ultimately influential in Russian art, despite a totalitarian state's severe attempts to subdue and utilize art for its own propaganda. Prose, poetry, and plays including "The Trout Breaks the Ice", "Thrall", and "Alexandrian Songs" fill this strongly recommended addition to classic literature shelves.
The Bible
Harold Bloom
Chelsea House Publishers
132 West 31st Street, New York, NY 10001
0791081370 $45.00
Edited by Harold Bloom, and now in an updated edition, The Bible is part of Bloom's Modern Critical Views series. Essays by a wide range of scholarly authors present diverse perspectives on both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, from the first three chapters of Genesis to the role of myth and symbolic resistance in Revelation 13. All of the essays are by contemporary literary critics and experts, and presented in clear language for lay readers and scholars alike. An excellent and balanced discussion forming an ideal springboard for in-depth Biblical studies from religious or secular perspectives alike.
Faust/Romeo Et Juliette
Mary Dibbern
Pendragon Press
52 White Hill Lane, PO Box 190, Hillsdale, NY 12529
1576471012 $48.00 www.pendragonpress.com
Expert translator Mary Dibbern presents Faust/Romeo Et Juliette: A Performance Guide, an in-depth translation of two of Charles Gounod's great nineteenth-century operas, which were in turn based on the classic parables of "Faust" by Goethe and "Romeo and Juliet" by Shakespeare. Faust/Romeo Et Juliette juxtaposes each line of the original French dialogue with a pronunciation guide for the French indicating which phrases are stressed in performance, and the English translation. Though footnotes noting where the libretto is an exact quote or a paraphrase of its original literary source are present, Faust/Romeo Et Juliette is far more than a simple scholarly or literary reference; it is intended especially for anyone determined to faithfully produce, conduct, or perform Gounod's great operas regardless of their level of fluency in French, and to this end includes literary source footnotes and essays explaining the development of the libretti. The definitive resource for students, teachers, scholars, and performers of Gounod's masterpieces.
Le Morte D'Arthur
Sir Thomas Malory, author
Retold by Joseph Glaser
Pegasus Press
2641 South Emerson Street, Chandler, AZ 85248
1889818429 $19.95 www.pegpress.org
Le Morte D'Arthur: The Whole Book of King Arthur and of His Noble Knights of the Round Table is a skillful retelling of Sir Thomas Malory's classic rendition of the Arthurian epic, first printed in 1485. Joseph Glaser (Professor of English, Western Kentucky University) applies his skill to make the fifteenth-century manuscript accessible to modern-day readers while retaining the style and spirit of the original. An up-to-date bibliography with websites and video resources and a descriptive index keyed to the book and chapter divisions of the original 1485 printing round out this excellent rendition particularly valuable to college library shelves and literature collections.
The Shambhala Anthology Of Chinese Poetry
J. P. Seaton, editor and translator
Shambhala Publications, Inc.
Horticultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, MA 02115-4544
1570628629, $15.95 www.shambhala.com 1-800-733-3000
In traditional Chinese culture, poetry was a source of entertainment, instruction, prestige, and even political authority. Ably translated and carefully edited by J. P. Seaton (Professor of Chinese at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill), "The Shambhala Anthology Of Chinese Poetry" is an impressive and scholarly compilation of Chinese poets and poetry from the classic ‘Shih Ching' era down to the twentieth century. No academic library collection can be considered complete or comprehensive without its inclusion as a core addition to their Poetry and Literary Studies reference shelves. ‘Moonlight Night': Moon of the night, in Fu-chou,/along in your chamber you gaze./Here, far away, I think of the children,/too young to remember Longpeace.../Fragrant mist, moist cloud of your hair./In that clear light, your arms jade cool./When, again, to lean together, by your curtain there,/alight alike, until our tears have dried. Tu Fu (712-770).
Real Sofistikashun
Tony Hoagland
Graywolf Press
2402 University Avenue, Suite 203, Saint Paul, MN 55114
1555974554, $15.00 www.graywolfpress.org 1-651-641-0077
"Real Sofistikashun: Essays On Poetry And Craft" by Tony Hogland (who is the author of three published poetry collections and is the recipient of the Folger Shakespeare Library's O. B. Hardison, Jr. Poetry Prize) is a compilation of essays in which he deftly explores the craft of writing poetry in a more conversational style than that commonly employed in traditional verse. Hogland addresses the use of metaphor, tone, rhetorical and compositional strategies in a thoroughly ‘reader friendly' manner that is as inherently fascinating as it is informed and informative. "Real Sofistikashun" is an impressive and invaluable contribution to personal, academic, and community library Literary Studies reference collections and the ‘Art of Poetry' supplemental reading lists.
The Sports Shelf
Game of My Life
Steve Greenberg & Laura Lanese
Sports Publishing LLC
804 North Neil Street, Champaign, IL 61820
1582618216 $24.95 sportspublishingllc.com
Newspaper reporter and editor Steve Greenberg and practiced legal expert Laura Lanese present Game of My Life: Ohio State Memorable Stories of Buckeye Football, a collection of true stories and vignettes about the individuals who gave their all to Ohio State football. Each of the thirty-six chapters relates the perspective of a different twentieth-century football player, recounting the game that was most unforgettable to him - and not necessarily because it ended in victory! Black-and-white photographs enhance this perfect holiday gift for Buckeye Football fans.
The St. Louis Baseball Reader
Richard Peterson, editor
University of Missouri Press
2910 LeMone Boulevard, Columbia, MO 65201
0826216870 $29.95 www.umsystem.edu/upress 1-800-828-1894
Edited by Richard Peterson (Professor Emeritus of English, Southern Illinois University), The St. Louis Baseball Reader is a carefully selected anthology of writings by a wide variety of authors about St. Louis' two most famous baseball teams: the Cardinals and the Browns. Covering St. Louis baseball from its late-nineteenth-century origins to the amazing tales of its hall-of-fame players to how Jackie Robinson stood up to racism and Curt Flood challenged the reserve clause to modern-day games. Articles include "World Champs: Cardinals Wrap It Up" by Rick Hummel, "Browns in American League Since 1902" by Frederick J. Lieb, "The Cardinals' First Publicity Man" by Gene Karst, and many more. A delight for sports fans to page through or read straight cover to cover.
The Metaphysical Studies Shelf
Mary Magdalene: The Illuminator
William Henry
Adventures Unlimited Press
PO Box 74, Kempton, IL 60946
1931882630 $16.95 www.adventuresunlimitedpress.com 1-815-253-6390
Written by the author of "Cloak of the Illuminati", Mary Magdalene: The Illuminator goes beyond ideas mentioned in "The Da Vinci Code" and frankly discusses the Biblical figure of Mary Magdalene as teacher, illuminator, and spiritual visionary. From possible alchemical secrets of Mary Magdalene's anointing oil, to the connections that Gnostics and Cathars held to her, to her parallel role to that of ancient goddesses such as Ishtar and Isis, extraterrestrial presence and influence in the Bible and Gnostic texts, how the Knights Templar wrote secret teachings of Jesus and Mary in religious graffiti at Domme, France and much more. Black-and-white photographs illustrate this holistic exploration of Mary Magdalene in spiritual and metaphysical contexts far beyond mainstream theological imagination.
The Practice of Ally Work
Jeffrey Raff, Ph.D.
Nicolas-Hays
PO Box 1126, Berwick, ME 03901
0892541210 $14.95 www.nicolashays.com
Jungian analyst Jeffrey Raff, Ph.D. presents The Practice of Ally Work: Meeting and Partnering with Your Spirit Guide in the Imaginal World, guide of techniques for achieving intimate contact with the divine through allies - spirit guides unique to each human. Imagination-building practices, ways to identify one's ally and learn its name, methods for receiving guidance from it, and advice for navigating the two-way street in which both human and ally provide for each other's needs fill this soberly written roadmap to spiritual self-help. A purpose and practicality-oriented discussion of the metaphysical and sacred rewards of reaching out to God's divine manifestation.
Deeksha
Kiara Windrider with Grace Sears
Inner Ocean Publishing
PO Box 1239, Makawao, Maui, Hawaii 96768
1930722702 $15.95 www.innerocean.com
Licensed psychotherapist and spiritual teacher Kiara Windrider with Canadian-born mystic Grace Sears present Deeksha: The Fire from Heaven, a guide to attaining enlightenment through deeksha, a process based on a spiritual movement originating in India's Golden City. The principle taught by the movement's founders, Sri Bhagavan and Sri Amma, is that the path to Divine Consciousness is not a disciplinary process extending across decades of discipline but rather a neurobiological process attainable to anyone who desires it. Deeksha presents the author's story of personal awakening as well as six other accounts of enlightenment, a conversation with Bhagavan, and much more. Celebrating the power of cosmic consciousness as attainable by any and all individuals, Deeksha is a highly empowering spiritual embodiment of the principle that Divinity best enlightens those who enlighten themselves.
Numbers
Paul G. Minmar
iUniverse, Inc.
2021 Pine Lake Road, #100, Lincoln, NE 68512
Cate Cummings Publicity & Promotion Group
7601 East 93rd Street, Kansas City, MO 64138-4206
0595380700, $21.95 www.iuniverse.com
"Numbers: The Energy Forces In Your Name" by professional numerologist Paul Minar presents the reader with a comprehensive, deftly written, ‘user friendly' introduction and guide to the meaning and methods of Numerology and the use of nine creative forces inherent in a name. Minar combines modern numerology techniques with information channeled to him by the spirit of the ancient Greek mathematician Pythagoras. Sample charts and motivational exercises build confidence and expertise in applying numerology to life's problems and questions. This approach to numerology is also efficacious with respect to animals as well. "Numbers: The Energy Forces In Your Name" is a welcome and appreciated contribution to the growing library of Metaphysical Studies in general, and the science of numerology in particular.
The Language Studies Shelf
Linguistics of American Sign Language, fourth edition
Claton Valli, Ceil Lucas, & Kristin J. Mulrooney
Gallaudet University Press
800 Florida Avenue, NE, Washington, DC 20002-3695
1563682834 $75.00 http://gupress.gallaudet.edu 1-800-621-2736
Written by the team of Clayton Valli, Ceil Lucas (Professor of Linguistics in the department of Linguistics as Gallaudet University), and Kristin J. Mulroney (Assistant Professor of Linguistics in the Department of Linguistics as Gallaudet University), Linguistics of American Sign Language is an in-depth reference and resource for intermediate to expert linguistic students, scholars and professionals, now in an updated fourth edition with an accompanying course DVD. The fourth edition of Linguistics of American Sign Language features an entirely revised section on morphology and syntax, the latest research on main categories of verbs in ASL, insight into artistic forms of ASL such as singing, drama, and poetry, 18 new and updated readings, and new suggested homework assignments based on the DVD, and much more. The first half of the text focuses on the nuts-and-bolts grammar and dissection of ASL; the second half is devoted to supplemental readings by a variety of learned authors, discussing nuances of ASL and its usage, variations in linguistic structure, sub-communities of the deaf such as the black deaf community, and much more. Simple black-and-white diagrams illustrate this definitive linguistic compendium and college-level education and consultation reference.
The Economics Shelf
Transforming the Development Landscape
Lael Brainard
Brookings Institution Press
1775 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington DC 20036
0815711247 $18.95 www.brookings.edu
Edited by Lael Brainard, Transforming the Development Landscape: The Role of the Private Sector presents a collection of essays that offer insight into blueprints for successful economic development. Key topics include how to shape investment climate, mobilize innovation and financing, and decrease the level of harm that could accompany development projects. Sample writings include "Leveraging the Development Impact of Business in the Fight against Global Poverty", "Venture Capital for Development", and "Financing for Global Health". An absolute "must-read" for professionals, diplomats, and multinational businesses as well as macroeconomic students and scholars.
The Audiobook Shelf
Cross
James Patterson
Hachette Audio
1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
1594836035, $39.98 www.hachettebookgroup.usa
The still grieving Alex Cross has the chance to capture the homicidal psychopath responsible for the murder of his wife Maria. Cross had set up practice as a psychologist and his life is finally in good order when his former partner, John Sampson calls him for a favor. Sampson is tacking a serial rapist in Georgetown who brutal modus operandi is similar to a case on which he and Cross had worked together one some years earlier. In the course of their inquiry on this Georgetown rapist, a connection to Maria's death surfaces and Cross is plunged into a complicated and dangerous pursuit. "Cross" by James Patterson is dynamically narrated in this complete and unabridged 8 hour, 7 CD edition by the team of Peter J. Fernandez and Jay O. Sanders. Highly recommended for mystery and suspense enthusiasts, "Cross" is also available in an abridged CD edition (1594835993, 5 CDs, 6 hours, $29.98) and an unabridged audio cassette edition (1594836019, 5 CS, 8 hours, $29.98).
For The Love Of A Dog
Patricia McConnell
Tantor Media, Inc.
114 Mill Rock Road East, Old Saybrook, CT 06475
1400133009 $69.99 www.tantor.com 1-877-782-6867
Flawlessly narrated by Ellen Archer, this 9 disc CD audiobook edition from Tantor Media of "For The Love of A Dog: Understanding Emotion In You And Your Best Friend" by certified animal behaviorist Patricia McConnell (Adjunct Associate professor of Zoology, University of Wisconsin-Madison) is complete and unabridged. A renowned canine expert, McConnell addresses issues common to dog enthusiasts including whether or not dogs have emotions like their human masters, and do our dogs truly love us? So much more than just another dog-training manual, listeners can learn how to accurately ‘read' their canine companion, recognize important doggy signals, interpret a dog's feelings by its facial expressions, body posture, and even ‘tongue flicks'. Thoroughly ‘user friendly', "For The Love Of A Dog" should be considered ‘must listening' for every down owner, fanciers, and trainer. Very strongly recommended for personal, professional, veterinary school, and community library Canine Studies reference collection, "For The Love of A Dog" is also available from Tantor Media in a retail format (1400103002, 9 CDs, $34.99) and an MP3 CD format (140015300X, 1 CD, $24.99).
The Great Tennessee Monkey Trial
Peter Goodchild
L.A. Theatre Works
681 Venice Boulevard, Venice, CA 90291
1580813526, $24.95 www.latw.org 1-800-708-8863
"The Great Tennessee Monkey Trail" is a brilliantly written and flawlessly produced play by Peter Goodchild who drew from original sources and the actual trial transcripts. This audiobook production was directed by Gordon Hunt and features the talented contributions of Edward Asner (who plays William Jennings Bryan), Mike Farrell (as Clarence Darrow), Matthew Patrick Davis (the defendant, John Thomas Scopes), Shaon Gless as the narrator, and a superb supporting cast that includes James Gleason, Matthew Underwood, Robert Pescovitz, David Alan Novak, Rob Nage, Jon Matthews, Jerry Hardin, and Harry Groener. This infamous 1925 trial that sought to allow the teaching of Darwinian theories of evolution in the Christian fundamentalist oriented public school systems of a southern state is compelling recreated and is as dramatic a confrontation as those going on today between proponents of ‘Intelligent Design' and science with respect to the evolution of species. Strongly recommended for both school and community library collections, "The Great Tennessee Monkey Trial" offers the listener a perfect ‘theater of the mind' experience on two compact discs with a combined total running time of 1 hour and 52 minutes.
Soldier
Karen DeYoung
Books On Tape, Inc.
400 Hahn, Westminister, MD 21157
1415933421, $144.00 www.booksontape.com 1-800-541-5525
Complete and unabridged on 18 compact discs and with a total running time of 23 hours and 17 minutes, "Soldier: The Life Of Colin Powell by Washington Post journalist Karen DeYoung is superbly narrated by Coleen Marlo. This is a combination memoir and biography of a genuine American hero who was universally respected among his peers and associates during a lifetime of military and political service to his country. "Solider" lays out a life which began as the son of Jamaican immigrants and was to lead into the highest levels of government during four presidential administrations. Perhaps his most important military contribution was the development of what came to be called the "Powell Doctrine" that called for the necessity of going into any military engagement with overwhelming force. Perhaps the most calamitous results of abandoning this doctrine by the Bush administration (and while Powell was serving as the American ambassador to the United Nations) resulting in the catastrophic American engagement in Iraq. Drawing upon interviews with both American and foreign sources, as well as with Colin Powell himself (and being given unprecedented access to Power's personal and professional papers), "Soldier" is an informed and informative presentation of an American icon who was both inspiring and fallible. This is a very highly recommended addition to community library audiobook and American Biography collections.
Faith And Politics
John C. Danforth
Listen & Live Audio
PO Box 817, Roseland, NJ 07068
LL181, $29.95 www.listenandlive.com 1-800-653-9400
Former three-term Republican U.S. senator from Missouri and an ordained Episcopal priest, John C. Danforth offers an insider's perspective on the changes in his party and their alliance with Christian fundamentalists. Alarmed at the excesses and compromises he saw, Senator Danforth has written and narrator "Faith And Politics: How The ‘Moral Values' Debate Divides American And How To Move Forward Together", an informed and informative account of how the Republican Party became a co-proponent with the Christian Right in employing wedge issues ranging from abortion, to stem-cell research, to gay marriage, to the Terry Schiavo case, to unconstitutional public displays of religion on federal and state properties, all for the primary purpose of seizing political power by driving the American people apart in a kind of ‘divide and conquer' strategy. Now with the latest sea-change in the American political scene on a national level, "Faith And Politics" can continue to contribute to the national dialogue with Senator Danforth's suggestions and recommendations of how to heal the divisive wounds caused by the last sixteen years of political demagoguery from politicians who courted favor with Christian fascists. With a total running time of ten hours spread over eight compact discs, "Faith And Politics" is a welcome and critically important addition to personal, academic, and community library collections.
The Harsh Cry Of The Heron
Lian Hearn
Highbridge Audio Books
33 South Sith Street, CC-2205, Minneapolis, MN 55402
159887067X, $46.95 www.highbridgeaudio.com 1-800-847-5515
After years of battle and sacrifice, Ord Otori Takeo and his wife, Shirakawa Koede, have brought unity, peace and prosperity to the Three Counties. But Takeo's success is haunted by a prophecy that he can die only at the hand of a member of his own family. When the hard won peace is destroyed and everything Takeo and Koede have achieved is under threat, a fight of epic proportions is about to begin. A welcome and very highly recommended addition to personal and community library audiobook collections, "The Harsh Cry Of The Heron" is a fascinating and extended saga of warfare and sacrifice in ancient Japan. Interwoven into a compelling narrative are betrayals, love, acts of revenge, all within the context of a complicated world of Samurai obligation and cultural tradition. This complete and unabridged audiobook production is skillfully narrated by the team of Julia Fletcher and Henri Lubattii. Expertly produced and providing a perfect ‘theater of the mind' experience for listeners, "The Harsh Cry Of The Heron" has a total running time of 20 hours on 16 compact discs.
Riders Of The Dawn
Louis L'Amour
Blackstone Audiobooks
PO Box 969 , Ashland, OR 97520
0786165960, $36.00 www.BlackstoneAudio.com 1-800-729-2665
"Riders Of The Dawn" is one of the first western novels by the legendary author Louis L'Amour (1908-1988). It is the story of a you
