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

Internet Bookwatch

Volume 16, Number 12 December 2006 Home | IBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Poetry Shelf Religion/Spirituality Shelf
Writing/Publishing Shelf Military Shelf Cookbook Shelf
Jobs/Careers Shelf Science Shelf Travel Shelf
Business Shelf Philosophy Shelf Political Science Shelf
Christian Studies Shelf Fiction Shelf Literary Shelf
Sports Shelf Metaphysical Studies Shelf Language Studies Shelf
Economics Shelf Audiobook Shelf Hunting/Fishing Shelf
Art Shelf Theatre/Cinema/TV Shelf Social Issues Shelf
Photography Shelf Library DVD Shelf Psychology Shelf
Graphic Novel Shelf Health/Medicine Shelf World History Shelf
Gaming Shelf Humor Shelf Education Shelf
Pets/Wildlife Shelf Interior Design Shelf American History Shelf
Parenting Shelf Music Shelf Mythology/Folklore Shelf
Civil War Shelf Fantasy/Sci Fi Shelf Biography Shelf
Environmental Studies Shelf Judaic Studies Shelf Buddhist Studies Shelf
Library Science Shelf Black Studies Shelf Railroading Shelf
Genealogy Shelf Native American Shelf Archaeology Shelf


Reviewer's Choice

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.

Tacoma Narrows
Mitchell Parry
Gooselane
330-500 Beaverwood Court, Fredericton, NB, Canada E3B 5X4
086492450X $14.95 www.gooselane.com

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.

Anonymous
Alicia Britt Chole
Integrity Publishers
660 Bakers Bridge Avenue, Suite 200, Franklin, TN 37067
1591454212 $16.99 www.integritypublishers.com

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 young gunslinger who falls in love with a beautiful woman and changes his life. A simple theme made grand by the literary talent of a man who could write compellingly and with authority, whose stories became popular as they have passed from generation to generation and never going out of print as new readers encountering him for the first time are motivated to read all they can of what he wrote in an extensive lifetime as a gifted novelist. In this complete and unabridged audiobook production, "Riders Of The Dawn" is distinctively narrated by Jim Gough who brings tension and immediacy to this classic western story. Flawlessly produced and with a total running time of 4 hours, 30 minutes on 4 compact discs (with tracks every 3 minutes for easy bookmarking), "Riders Of The Dawn" is a ‘‘must' for the legions of Louis L'Amour fans and a welcome, popular addition to community library audiobook collections.

Jane's Smart Art Guide To Sta. Maria Del Popolo In Rome
M. Jane McIntosh
Context Audio Guides, LLC
PO Box 414, ringoes, NJ 08551
0976905221, $19.95 www.JanesSmartArt.com

One of Rome's lesser known but truly outstanding cultural and artistic icons are wonderfully showcased and informative presented in "Jane's Smart Art Guide To Sta. Maria Del Popolo In Rome", a two CD disk audiobook that has a total running time of 1 hour, 55 minutes (consisting of an 18 minute pre-visit and a 97 minute on-site excursion) and guides the listener through a remarkable church with its modest early Renaissance facade masking an interior adorned with an wealth of Italian art treasures and rare architectural features that includes the first Renaissance dome, the last Baroque tomb, as well as works by such celebrated artists as Algardi, Bernini, Bramante, Bregno, Caravaggio, Pinturicchio, Raphael, and others. This audiobook format is ideal for the ‘armchair traveler' and a simply wonderful ‘hands free' guide for on-site visitors as the narration covers details far beyond the ‘highlights only' superficiality of many ordinary guidebooks. Thoroughly researched and expertly produced, as well as enhanced with the inclusion of an 8-page booklet including the track list, floor plan, a glossary, tips, and twelve photographic images, "Jane's Smart Art Guide To Sta. Maria Del Popolo In Rome" is nicely paced, well organized, and thoroughly ‘user friendly'. Also very highly recommended are the companion audiobook guides: "Jane's Smart Art Guide To St. Peter's Basilica In Rome And Its Remarkable Art Treasures" and "Jane's Smart Art Guide To Our Lady Cathedral In Antwerp And its Remarkable Art Treasures".

Dreams Of Rio
ZBS Foundation
174 North River Road, Fort Edward, NJ 12828
1881137473, $35.00 1-800-662-3345

That most unusual private eye Jack Flanders is back for yet another metaphysical mystery adventure in "Dreams Of Rio", a 6 hour, 5 CD disc, audiobook adventure that features a full cast of actors, auditory special effects, and original music. This is a superbly crafted and presented tale of ancient treasures, lost cities of the Amazon, strange voodoo rites, a rather creepy crystal skull, and (to be expected in any Jack Flanders story) a steamy romance. With their usual technical excellence and adherence to dramatic recording standards, the folks at ZBS Foundation have produced another true ‘theatre of the mind' experience for the listener, making "Dreams Of Rio" a superb choice for science fiction enthusiasts in general – and Jack Flanders fans in particular!

Gypsy In Amber
Martin Cruz Smith
Recorded Books, LLC
270 Skip Jack Road, Prince Frederick, MD 20678
RD500, $TBA www.recordedbooks.com 1-800-638-1304

Superbly narrated by Walt MacPherson, "Gypsy In Amber" is another small masterpiece of mystery and suspense by Martin Cruz Smith and features antique dealer Roman Grey, a gypsy who is called upon to solve a grisly murder when the dismembered body of a young woman is found at the scene of a traffic accident. Flavored with elements of gypsy culture, memorable characters, and wickedly clever plot twists, "Gypsy In Amber" provides a true ‘theater of the mind' experience and is recommended for personal and community library audiobook collections. Flawless recorded, complete and unabridged, "Gypsy In Amber" has a total running time of 5.5 hours on four cassettes. Also very highly recommended for mystery fans is "Canto For A Gypsy (Recorded Books, RD501), another of Martin Cruz Smith's ‘Roman Grey' stories.


The Hunting/Fishing Shelf

Woolly Wisdom
Gary Soucie
Frank Amato Publications
PO Box 82112, Portland, OR 97282
1571883517, $35.00 www.amatobooks.com

"Woolly Wisdom: How To Tie And Fish Woolly Worms, Woolly Buggers, And Their Fish-Catching Kin" by fly-fishing expert Gary Soucie is a superbly presented ‘how to' guide to creating a special class of versatile and popular fishing flies that are experienced proven at catching fishing. "Woolly Wisdom" provides an informed and profusely illustrated documentation on tying and fishing with some 400 of these diverse, handmade flies for both fresh water and salt water fish. Fun, informative, practical, and time-tested, "Woolly Wisdom" is confidently recommended for any aspiring fly-fisher from novice anglers to seasoned experts.

Common Scents Strategies
Richard Combs
Creative Outdoors
24 Park Way, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
1580113079 $14.95 www.creativehomeowner.com

Award-winning author and seasoned deer hunter Richard Combs presents Common Scents Strategies: Tricks of the Trade for Attracting Deer, a savvy guide for hunters of all skill and experience levels to stalking the white-tailed deer. Chapters address various ways to mask one's own scent from playing the wind to scent reduction to cover scents and attractant scents, the intelligence of deer and how to outsmart them, decoying and calling deer, Zen deer hunting, and much more. Black and white photographs illustrate this tips and tricks compendium sure to have useful advice and insights even for seasoned experts.


The Art Shelf

Art & Context
Chris Bruce, Nella Van Dyke, Keith Wells
Museum of Arts
c/o WSU Press
PO Box 645910, Pullman, WA 99164-5910
0975566229, $24.95 www.wsupress.wsu.edu 1-800-354-7360

"Art & Context: The ‘50s and 60s" focuses upon artistic creations by twenty of postwar America's most influential artists ranging from Alexander Calder, Willem de Kooning, and Roy Lichtenstein, to Robert Motherwell, Jackson Pollock, and "Andy Warhol. The two decades of 1950 and 1960 saw the rise of an American counterculture with its new social, sexual, racial, and artistic freedoms. Historical context and analysis are provided by essays by Chris Bruce (Director of the Museum of Art, Washington State University, Pullman), Nella Van Dyke (Associate Professor of Socilogy, Washington State University, Pullham), and Keith Wells (Curator of Exhibitions and Collections,l Museum of Art, Washington State University, Pullham). "Art & Context" is a work of impeccible scholarship and a welcome, seminal contribution to personal, professional, and academic library ‘Art History & Criticism' reference collections and supplemental reading lists

The Uffizi Gallery Museum
Alexandra Bonfante-Warren
Hugh Lauter Levin Associates Inc.
9 Burr Road, Westport, CT 06880
0883635127, $76.00 www.hlla.com

"The Uffizi Gallery Museum" by Alexandra Bonfante-Warren (freelance writer, translator, and former associate editor in the Department of Publications at the Museum of Modern Art, New York) is the profusely illustrated history of the Galleria degli Uffizi, the world's oldest surviving museum. The building houses the Uffizi museum is itself considered a masterpiece designed by Renaissance architect Giorgia Vasri. Founded in the mid-1500s by the Medici family, The Ufizi museum is offers visitors one of the richest and most complete collections of masterworks that include Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, Buontalenti, and Titian, among a legion of other notable artistic talents. Superbly produced and enthusiastically recommended for academicians and the non-specialist general reader with an interest in art, the full-color reproductions perfectly augment and illustrate an informed and informative text in a coffee-table book that will prove to be a popular and core addition to personal, academic, and community library Art History reference collections and reading lists.

Made For Maharajas
Amin Jaffer
The Vendome Press
1334 York Avenue, New York, NY 10021
Harry N. Abrams, Inc. (distributor)
115 West 18th Street, New York, NY 10011
0865651744, $65.00 www.abramsbooks.com 1-800-759-0190

Dr. Amin Jaffer is a curator in the Asian Department of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London where he specializes in Indian art and culture during the era of European influence during the British Raj period (1857-1947). With "Made For Maharajas: A Design Diary Of Princely India", Dr. Amin has compiled with narrative commentary an impressive historical overview of art and luxury goods in all manner of media and associated with the aristocracy of the maharajas during these centuries. Superbly illustrated with 290 images (150 of which are in full color), the representative and custom-made artifacts range from private airplanes and luxury cars, to chandeliers, gold dinnerware, couture fashions, fine leather goods, houses, furniture, jewelry, and more. Dr. Amin drew upon the archives of firms that included Louis Vuitton, Boucheron, Chaumet, Cartier, and Hermies, he had access to palace and private collections, and employing his own extensive expertise, has written a text that is as entertaining as it is informative in revealing the extraordinarily varied works commissioned by princes whose personal wealth was exceeded only by their eccentricities. As an impeccable work of scholarship in a coffee-table art book format, "Made For Maharajas" is especially recommended for academic library collections and would make a superb choice as a community library Memorial Fund acquisition.

Zink: The Language Of Enchantment
Hollis Walker
New Mexico Magazine
495 Old Stana Fe Trail, Santa Fe, NM 87501
0937206903, $38.95 www.nmmagazine.com

The latest title in the impressive ‘New Mexico Magazine Artist Series', Hollis Walker's "Zink: The Language Of Enchantment" showcases the extraordinary career and creations of acclaimed Taos, New Mexico artist Melissa Zink. The works of art showcased in this impressive compilation range from figurative clay dioramas and bronze sculptures to mixed media compositions combining sculpture, painting, and assemblage. Reflecting Zink's love of language and of books, she often incorporates words, individual letters, phrases, illustrations, book fragments, and references to literary figures in her art. Highly recommended to the attention of art enthusiasts and a welcome addition to community and academic library American Art History collections, "Zink: The Language Of Enchantment" is a 90-page art history enhanced with 80 color plates and as informative as it is entertaining to browse through.

The Book of Angels
Todd Jordan, author
Ruth Thompson, L.A. Williams, and Renae Taylor, illustrators
Sterling Publishing
387 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10016
1402738374 $17.95 1-800-805-5489

Stunningly illustrated throughout with full-color original artwork by popular fantasy artists Ruth Thompson, L.A. Williams, and Renae Taylor, The Book of Angels is a celebration of angelic beings as remembered in mythology, Biblical scripture, and historic visions. Written for lay readers and anyone curious to experience an overview of angelic beings, The Book of Angels covers the nine types of angels, portrays the notable angels of Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, Azriel, Uriel, and Lucifer (once called Samael) in depth. Relatively modern lore concerning angels, such as their presence in classical works such as John Milton's "Paradise Lost", Dante Aligheri's "Divine Comedy", and Wolfgang von Goethe's "Faust" is also contemplated with highlights. Yet the true mark of grace for The Book of Angels is unquestionably its artwork, from the two-page spread of Uriel unleashing destruction upon Hell itself to Michael doing battle against Lucifer in the form of a monstrous dragon. Highly recommended for its sheer visual beauty.


The Theatre/Cinema/TV Shelf

A New History Of Japanese Cinema
Isolde Standish
The Continuum Publishing Group
15 East 26th Street, #17, New York, NY 10010-1505
0826417906, $24.95 www.continuumbooks.com 1-800-561-7704

"A New History Of Japanese Cinema: A Century Of Narrative Film" by Isolde Standish (Convenor of the Cinemas of Asia and Africa, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London) is a carefully compiled historical and analytical survey of Japanese filmmaking from 1896 when cinema in the form of Kinetoscope prototypes first arrived in Japan, to the end of the 20th Century. Cinema became very popular with the Japanese public and saw the first cinema theatre being opened in Tokyo in 103 and within the next thirteen years more than three hundred other cinema theatres would appear and prosper throughout the Japanese islands. "A New History Of Japanese Cinema" addresses such issues as the relationship of cinema to Japanese nationalism, empire politics, humanism, and general culture. Of special note is the chapter devoted to ‘Genres and Gender' in Japanese films. Enhanced with the inclusion of a Select Filmography and a Select Bibliography, "A New History Of Japanese Cinema" is a seminal work of remarkable scholarship and should be a part of every academic library and film school International Cinema Studies reference collection.

Image + Territory: Essays On Atom Egoyan
Monique Tschofen & Jennifer Burwell, editors
Wilfrid Laurier University Press
Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, N2L 3C5
088920487X, $29.95 www.wlupress.wlu.ca

Atom Egoyan has made significant contributions to filmmaking, installation art and opera that contradict the widespread notion that formal experimentation and theoretical argument must, of necessity, be antithetical to the pleasures of creation and/or enjoyment of observational or experiential art. Expertly compiled and collaboratively edited by Ryerson University Department of English associate professors Monique Teschofen and Jennifer Burwell, "Image + Territory: Essays On Atom Egoyan" offers eighteen diversely informed and informative essays grouped around the themes of ‘Media Technologies, Aura, and Redemption'; ‘Diasporic Histories and the Exile of Meaning'; ‘Pathologies/Ontologies of the Visual'; and ‘Conversations'. Enhanced with the inclusion of an exhaustive Filmography, an extended Bibliography, Notes on Contributors, and an Index, "Image + Territory: Essays On Atom Egoyan" is offers impressive body of commentary pertaining to the study of theatre, film and opera which would prove to be a core contribution to university library collections and supplemental reading lists for academic studies.

King of the Cowboys, Queen of the West
Raymond E. White
Popular Press
c/o University of Wisconsin Press
1930 Monroe Street, third floor, Madison, WI 53711-2059
0299210049 $29.95 www.wisc.edu/wisonsinpress

Professor Raymond E. White, author of numerous published articles concerning Roy Rogers and cowboys in film, presents King of the Cowboys, Queen of the West, an in-depth biography of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, two of twentieth-century America's most celebrated personifications of the American West mythos in popular culture and entertainment. King of the Cowboys, Queen of the West naturally focuses on both actors' careers in film, recordings, television, and even comic books, but also covers their meticulous maintenance of their public image and how their Christian faith was incorporated into their performances. Vintage black-and-white photographs intersperse this solid and highly readable reference for fans and media scholars alike.


The Social Issues Shelf

Burning Books And Leveling Libraries
Rebecca Knuth
Praeger
88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
0275990079 $39.95 www.praeger.com

Rebecca Knuth (Chair of the Library and Information Science Program, University of Hawaii) presents Burning Books And Leveling Libraries: Extremist Violence and Culture Destruction, a scholarly study of nationalist, ethnic, religious, or political extremism taken to such lengths as to result in the wholesale destruction of libraries as an all-out assault upon cultural values the extremists despise. As Knuth shows, destruction of books goes hand in hand with destruction of people. Burning Books And Leveling Libraries especially focuses upon incidents of biblioclasm in the late 20th and earth 21st century. Chapters examine the annihilation of books and libraries as tactic of political or ethnic protest, and move on to explore the execution and aftermath of libricidal, homicidal, and genocidal conflicts in Germany, Afghanistan, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, India, and more. The final chapter harshly scrutinizes the war in Iraq and the looting and vandalism of Iraqi libraries and other cultural edifices during the American occupation. Ultimately, Knuth reveals that using military might alone to advocate and enforce ideals is futile when humanitarian, security, and cultural concerns are ignored. Deftly researched and bitingly exact in its portrayal of extremist psychology and its terrible consequences, Burning Books And Leveling Libraries is highly recommended, as is Knuth's previous study in the field, "Libricide."

Typecasting
Stuart Ewen & Elizabeth Ewen
Seven Stories Press
140 Watts Street, New York, NY 10013
1583227350 $34.95 www.sevenstories.com 1-800-596-7437

Co-written by recognized consumer culture historian Stuart Ewen, Typecasting: On the Arts and Sciences of Human Inequality is a plain-terms, no-holds-barred look at the long-running practice of science warped to serve prejudice. Though the word "typecasting" refers to a common practice in cinema and mass-media to pick certain types of actors for certain roles, Typecasting covers discrimination in all aspects of human society. From Johann Friedrich Blumenbach, King George's court physician who subdivided humanity into five unequal categories during the Declaration of Independence era, to early twentieth-century birth control advocate Margaret Sanger's view of birth control as a means to curb the procreation of "socially degenerate" populations "unfit" for democracy, to the 2005 president of Harvard University's claim that "issues of intrinsic aptitude" explain the under representation of women in the sciences and mathematics, Typecasting leaves no stone unturned from ancient taxonomies of human difference to modern-day battlegrounds of ideas. Of particular interest is the elucidation of how religion is often dragged into prejudice, with inequality or second-class citizenship depicted as God's will in past centuries and the current century. An absolute "must-have" for sociology shelves, enthusiastically recommended for public and college libraries alike.

Working Mothers and the Welfare State
Kimberly J. Morgan
Stanford University Press
1450 Page Mill Road, Palo Alto, CA 94304-1124
0804754144 $21.95 www.sup.org

Written by Kimberly J. Morgan (Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, George Washington University), Working Mothers and the Welfare State: Religion and the Politics of Work-Family Policies in Western Europe and the United States is a scholarly examination of two critical questions for Western nations, in an era when women are increasingly a part of the paid workforce. The questions are: Should mothers of young children work outside the home? And if so, who bears responsibility for the care and well-being of their children? Working Mothers and the Welfare State compares and contrasts governmental policies concerning these issues in France, the United States, the Netherlands, and Sweden, especially during the latter half of the twentieth century and modern times. From the politics of child care in France to the consolidation of the private market model in America, Working Mothers and the Welfare State astutely dissects each implementation, exposing its strengths and weaknesses as well as its implications for future generations of mothers and children. A thoroughly researched critical examination especially recommended for women's studies shelves.

Pot Politics
Mitch Earleywine, editor
Oxford University Press
198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016-4314
Gulotta Communications Inc. (publicity)
341 Lexington Street, Newton, MA 02466
0195188020 $45.00 www.oup.com 1-800-451-7556

Edited by Mitch Earleywine (Associate Professor of Psychology, University at Albany), Pot Politics is an anthology of essays by learned international authors critically reviewing marijuana policy. Addressing the matter from medical, ethical, religious, and social perspectives, Pot Politics essays include "Marijuana and the Media: Science, Propaganda, and Sloppy Reporting in the U.S. News Media", "Judaism and Marijuana", "A Cautious Case for Cannabis Depenalization", "The [Often Unheard] Case Against Marijuana Leniency", and much more. Enthusiastically recommended for anyone studying law or social policy with regard to marijuana, or seeking to educate themselves about the drug, Pot Politics is particularly helpful in that it presents a diverse spectrum of well-researched, well-argued viewpoints.


The Photography Shelf

Harpers Ferry: A Visual Collection
Stephen M. Cobaugh
DMG Donegal Media Group
231 School Lane, Elizabethtown, PA 17022-8111
1427602913 $23.95

National award-winning photographer and Civil War reenactor Stephen M. Cobaugh presents Harpers Ferry: A Visual Collection, a collection of black-and-white and color photographic images, some modern, some vintage, capturing the landscape of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. The images reveal Harpers Ferry dramatic 260-year history, from George Washington's establishment of an armory and rifle factory to John Brown's doomed 1859 raid to free slaves to a Civil War battle three years later and the present-day municipal battle to preserve the local natural landscape. The text brings history alive with colorful anecdotes, historic songs, and an insightfully jocular tone. An extraordinary visual glimpse to small town America's past from its frontier roots to the modern day.

Mike Butterfield's Guide to the Mountains of New Mexico
Peter Greene, author
Mike Butterfield, photographer
New Mexico Magazine
Lew Wallace Building, 495 Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe, NM 87501
0937206881 $29.95 www.nmmagazine.com

Mike Butterfield's Guide to the Mountains of New Mexico is a rapturous photographic showcase of the natural beauty of New Mexico. Full-color images on almost every other page capture the rainbow hues of the desert, the tenacity of local flora, the glory of sunrise and sunset and the pristine powder of winter snow. Hiker, backpacker, and aspiring naturalist Peter Greene provides text filled with information about the formation of major ranges as well as their recreational opportunities, ecology, true tales of exploration, and pieces of lore. Multiple maps, including a separate fold-out map showing ranges in photographic relief, as well as detailed peak and wilderness lists round out this wondrous guide for armchair travelers and inspiration for outdoor enthusiasts contemplating a New Mexico visit.


The Library DVD Shelf

Frederick Douglass
Legacy Audio Books
PO Box 11183, Cincinnati, OH 45211
0977988325, $29.95 www.legacyaudiobooks.com 1-877-843-8489

Superbly narrated by Andrew L. Barnes, "Frederick Douglass: narrative Of An American Slave" tells the story of a journey from enslavement to freedom and a life spent in the 19th century cause of abolishing slavery and the advocacy of civil rights for African-Americans. Douglass was involved in pivotal movements and meetings, associating with leading Americans on the most critically important social issues of his day. This is the story of a remarkable man who, after failing to purchase his freedom from his master, escaped from slavery in September 1838 by dressing as a sailor and traveling by train and steamboat to New York. Eventually he married and settled in New Bedford, Massachusetts where he addressed the August 1841 convention of the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society and allied himself with the leading anti-slavery abolitionists. This deftly produced CD audiobook showcases a life in service to the betterment of human society and will prove a informative, engaging, and welcome addition to both school and community libraries.

Back In Action
Jon Mello
MyFitnessQuest.com
411 Video Information
PO Box 1223, Pebble Beach, CA 93953
20324-12 $14.95 www.myfitnessquest.com www.411videoinfo.com

With a total running time of 98 minutes (that includes a 45 minute workout), "Back In Action" is a specifically designed series of exercises to prevent and relieve back pain and back related problems that are the result of physical inactivity or negligence. Experienced exercise expert and certified personal fitness instructor Jon Mellow leads the viewer through more than two dozen abdominal and back related exercises and stretches that are based on the work of professional chiropractor Aaron Hinde. Offers an easy to follow, do-it-yourself series of exercises for preventing and minimizing back pain, "Back In Action" can also assist with sleeping better, improved posture, enhanced muscular flexibility, relieve the tensions and stresses of daily life, raised energy levels, and even extend longevity by slowing down the aging process. Highly recommended for personal and community library exercise video collections, the DVD format allows for the inclusion of three extra exercises, ‘Fitness Product Essentials, a music only soundtrack, and comments from Dr. Aron Hinde.

The Inspector Lynley Mysteries 4
WGBH Boston Video
c/o SSA Public Relations
148 Madison Avenue, 16th floor PH-1, New York, NY 10016
WG41079, $39.95 www.shop.wgbh.org 1-800-949-8670

Newly released and now available for fans and enthusiastically recommended for community library DVD collections, "The Inspector Lynley Mysteries 4" is a boxed set of 4 DVDs which continue the adventures of one of Britains most sophisticatedly presented investigators, Inspector Lynley (Nathanial Parker) and his assistant, Detective Sergeant Havers (Sharon Small) who unravel particularly convoluted mysteries based on the stories of acclaimed mystery author Elizabeth George. The four new mysteries comprising this outstandingly produced boxed set include: In Divine Proportion; In the Guise of Death; The Seed of Cunning; and The Word of God. These riveting ‘whodunnits" are packed with memorable characters, fascinating plot twists, and surprise endings. The DVD format allows the inclusion of such features as scene selection, closed captions, and even access to the Mystery! Website. The earlier three Inspector Lynley boxed sets in this outstanding series are still available on the WGBH website for anyone needing to complete their collections.

Discoveries America: Vermont
Bennett Watt Entertainment
13021 - 244th Avenue Southeast, Issaquah, WA 98027
DVDDAVT, $24.95 www.Bennett-Watt.com 1-800-327-293

Vermont is one of the small New England states that is known to the general public primarily for its Maple Syrup and Fall Colors when the tree leaves turn from green to gold, yellow, and red. "Discoveries America: Vermont" is a full color, sixty minute, highly informative and entertaining DVD documentary that showcases a great more characteristics and history of this north eastern state which has long been a bastion of individualism and patriotism. It once had more than 600 bridges, a legacy honored by the Covered Bridge Museum in Bennington. It is the home of the Moosefest where dozens of moos art sculptures appear around a small Vermont town. Then there is the Teddy Bear Company which is the only United States based manufacturer still making teddy bears for children. In this superbly presented travelog, viewers will also be treated to a visit to the Cold Hollow Cider Company and the cider making process, the Benedictine monks at the Weston Pirory and their music, the Knights Spider Web farm where real spider webs are employed in the creation of art, and so much more. Also very highly recommended for community library collections is another new release in the Bennett Watt Entertainment travelog documentary series: Discover America: Maine (1932978429, $24.95).

Faces Of The Holocaust
Barbara P. Barnett
Beach Lloyd Publishers
PO Box 2183, Southeaster, PA 19399-2183
0974315834, $30.00 1-866-218-3253

"Faces Of The Holocaust: Marcel Jabelot" is an award winning documentary by Barbara P. Barnett (author, documentary filmmaker, Holocaust educator, and Head of Modern Languages at The Agnes Irwin School) in which Marcel Jabelot, a survivor of the French Holocaust who was imprisoned in the Nazi concentration camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau tells his personal story with remarkable candor and an inspiring grace. After surviving Auschwitz-Birkenau and the Death March, Marcel somehow found the strength to start a new life in Paris after Germany's defeat in World War II. In the face of a despicable trend of Holocaust denial in some quarters of the western world, it is personal eye-witness testimonies like that of Marcel Jabelot that will stand like a beacon against the return of European anti-Semitic fascism. This 60-minute DVD documentary should be a part of every academic library's Holocaust Studies collection. Also highly recommended is the book form of "Faces Of The Holocaust: Marcel Jabelot" (0974315877, $12.95, 96 pages) which would make an excellent addition to community library World War II and Holocaust Studies reference shelves.

No Greater Love
Vision Video
PO Box 540, Worcester, PA 19490-0540
#500937D, $14.99 www.visionvideo.com 1-800-523-0226

"No Greater Love" is the story of a despondent American journalist who, following the failure of an attempted Hungarian revolution against their oppressive Soviet occupation, was sent to rural Austria in the fall of 1956 to cover the story of the refugee flight from Communist Hungary. It was while investigating the story of a devoted father who went to extraordinary measures to get his family out of Community Hungary to safety in the West that the reporter had a change in perspective regarding his own family, and the time he spends away from them, that alters his view on the dramatic events he is covering. "No Greater Love" is based on actual events and real people as it explores and illustrates the theme of sacrificial love. This sixteen minute, full color, enthusiastically recommended DVD is enhanced with a PDF study guide, as well as both an English soundtrack and an Hungarian soundtrack with English sub-titles.


The Psychology Shelf

Psychotherapy as Religion
William M. Epstein
University of Nevada Press
Mail Stop 166, Reno, NV, 89557-0076
0874176786 $24.95 1-877-682-6657

Professor William M. Epstein of the School of Social Work, University of Nevada presents Psychotherapy as Religion: The Civil Divine in America, a studious yet sharply critical look at the flaws of America's modern system of psychotherapeutic treatment (drug therapy and psychopharmacology are not covered). Psychotherapy as Religion sharply denounces psychotherapy as failing to provide sufficient scientific credibility that it is helpful for treating depression, anxiety, eating disorders, juvenile violence, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other ills, picking apart the inaccuracies and lack of rigorous professional standards in studies that attempt to show positive benefits from psychotherapeutic practice. Psychotherapy as Religion goes on to demonstrate how psychodynamic psychotherapy, behavioral therapy, and cognitive-behavioral therapy are all rooted in an American mythology that exalts "heroic individualism", placing responsibility squarely on the individual's shoulders and utterly ignoring contributing factors from society. Thus, perhaps the greatest harm done by the (according to Epstein) religious adherence to psychotherapy to the point of virtual worship is that it forestalls efforts to find social solutions to problems caused by social ills. Though severe to the point of militancy, Psychotherapy as Religion promotes some serious criticisms that need to be heard regarding an institution that has to be held accountable with the same exacting rigor as required for all other branches of science and medicine.

APA Dictionary of Psychology
Gary R. VandenBos, Ph.D., editor-in-chief
American Psychological Association
750 First Street, NW Washington DC 20002
1591474302 $69.95

The APA Dictionary of Psychology is the American Psychological Association's definitive, cutting-edge resource for students and professionals in the field. Crystal-clear definitions of 25,000 entries, covering 90 subfields of psychology from clinical and cognitive psychology to psychopharmacology and statistics, appendices on entries from categories such as biographies, psychological tests, and psychotherapies, and a "quick guide" to easily acquaint the reader with stylistic and formatting features, and much more. A "must-have" basic reference, enthusiastically recommended for college libraries and the reference shelves of aspiring and practicing experts.


The Graphic Novel Shelf

Rogue Trooper: Realpolitik
Gordon Rennie & Ian Edginton
2000 AD
c/o Titan Books Ltd.
144 Southwark Street, London, England, SE1 0UP
1904265944, $23.99 www.titanpublishinggroup.com 020-7620-0200

The latest volume in a simply outstanding science fiction action/adventure series, "Rogue Trooper: Realpolitik" continues the story of a genetically designed soldier who can survive the horrors and lethal environments of ‘New Earth' as Northers and Southers battle for dominance over a ruined planet. His combat buddies are now just ‘memory chips' controlling his rifle, helmet and backpack. The collaborative work of writers Gordon Rennie and Ian Edginton, "Rogue Trooper: Realpolitik" is superbly enhanced with the collaborative efforts of artists Staz Johnson, David Roach, Dylan Teague, Skimon Coleby, Mike Collins, Paul J. Holden, and Steve Pugh – and features the striking cover art of Colin MacNeil. The entire and enthusiastically recommended Rogue Trooper series is characterized by imagination, superb storytelling, detailed artwork, and the kind of entertaining engagement that grips and keeps the reader total attention from first page to last.

The Life of Pope John Paul II... in Comics!
Alessandro Mainardi, author; Werner Maresta, artist; Federico Pietrobon, colorist
Papercutz
c/o Holtzbrinck Publishers (dist.)
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
1597070394 $16.95 www.papercutz.com 1-888-330-8477

The Life of Pope John Paul II... in Comics! is a full-color, graphic novel biography of Karol Wojtyla, a pious youth of Poland who matured to become Pope of the Catholic Church and accept the name of his predecessor John Paul out of veneration. Wojtyla's path was a hard one, enduring the loss of his mother at a young age, followed by the oppression of the Nazi occupation of Poland... then the substantially different yet still severe oppression of the Russian occupation and Communist government that denounced his faith with militant force. It is a testimony to Wojtyla's courage that he persevered in his faith despite the dark times in which openly professing religious beliefs could easily lead to imprisonment or execution at the hands of the authorities. The Life of Pope John Paul II... in Comics! traces his early ambitions to be in the theater, which eventually gave way to his heart's calling as a priest. As pope, he set a new high standard in diplomacy, openness, and outreach; he was the first pope to set foot in a synagogue or a monastery, and traveled the globe - in his own words, he wished to be like Paul the Apostle, always on the move spreading the Good Word. The crisp color art vibrantly illustrates the true story of a remarkable religious leader; The Life of Pope John Paul II... in Comics! is enthusiastically recommended especially for Sunday school shelves and church libraries, as well as for introducing readers of all ages and backgrounds into the dedicated life of a great leader.


The Health/Medicine Shelf

Baby Boomers and Hearing Loss
John M. Burkey
Rutgers University Press
100 Joyce Kilmer Avenue, Piscataway, NJ 08854-8099
0813538815 $27.95 http://rutgerspress.rutgers.edu 1-800-446-9323

Written by audiologist and award-winning author John M. Burkey, Baby Boomers and Hearing Loss: A Guide to Prevention and Care is a no-nonsense guide to the prevention and treatment of hearing loss, including solid information about the use of hearing aids. Though written especially for the baby boomer generation, which is beginning to confront hearing loss as the result of advancing age, Baby Boomers and Hearing Loss is enthusiastically recommended for anyone confronting an encroaching hearing problem. Chapters cover common causes of hearing loss, how hearing aids work, satisfaction and dissatisfaction with hearing aids, non-hearing aid solutions, and much more. An invaluable and highly readable "must-have" resource for anyone making difficult choices about hearing loss.

Life and Love
Zosia Zaks
Autism Asperger Publishing Company
PO Box 23173, Shawnee Mission, KS 66283
1931282935 $19.95 www.asperger.net 1-877-277-8254

Zosia Zaks, who was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome at age 31, presents a "peer-to-peer" guide for fellow adults with Asperger's and high-functioning autism drawn from the creative strategies she has devised to cope since her childhood, in Life and Love: Positive Strategies for Autistic Adults. Chapters discuss practical means for handling sensory issues including strategies for navigation, how to facilitate maintaining a clean and orderly home, how to shop for necessities without becoming distracted or vulnerable to impulse purchases, health care and vocational challenges, issues to keep in mind when dating from health and safety concerns to inappropriate versus appropriate behavior, things to keep in mind when trying to make autism spectrum/non-spectrum relationships work, advice for when and how to disclose one's autism spectrum diagnosis, and much more. An utterly invaluable guide for autism-spectrum adults to dealing with the large and small trials of ordinary life one day at a time.

Chicken Soup for the Breast Cancer Survivor's Soul
Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Mary Olsen Kelly
Health Communications, Inc.
3201 S.W. 15th Street, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442-8190
0757305210 $14.95 www.hcibooks.com 1-800-441-5569

Co-written by breast cancer survivor Mary Olsen Kelly and bestselling "Chicken Soup for the Soul" authors Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, Chicken Soup for the Breast Cancer Survivor's Soul is an inspirational anthology of brief true stories about breast cancer patients and their family members dealing with chemotherapy, surgery, and side effects one day at a time. Each tale is only a couple pages long, but all nurture the healing power of optimism. A handful of black-and-white cartoons intersperse this heartwarming collection.

Is Your Health Care Killing You?
Colleen C. Badell Ph.D.
Turning Point Press
PO Box 4111, Napa, CA 94558-0411
0976112922 $12.95 1-707-259-1155

"Blind faith and blind trust toward health care are luxuries we can no longer afford," writes Colleen Badell Ph. D., in Is Your Health Care Killing You?: 12 Ways to Survive Our Fractured Health Care System. A severe wake-up call to incompetence, mismanagement, excessive cost-cutting, and sometimes outright fraud rife within the health care industry, Is Your Health Care Killing You? describes at length how ordinary individuals can engage in preventive health self-care to improve one's lifestyle, the importance of requesting copies of records and reports, how to prepare for appointments, what to look for when being selective about health care providers, and much more. Appendices include state agency and licensing boards, consumer advocacy groups, and a list of professional associations and organizations. A highly readable, down-to-earth guide written by a medical industry insider especially for the public at the mercy of a powerful and all too often ruthless system.


The World History Shelf

Gauntlet
Barbara Masin
Naval Institute Press
291 Wood Road, Annapolis, MD 21402
1591145155 $29.95 www.navalinstitute.org 1-800-233-8764

Gauntlet is the true story of five dedicated anti-Communist young men whose epic journey and struggle in the 1950's could have altered the course of the Cold War in Europe. Though grounded heavily in historical testimony and evidence, Gauntlet reads like a novel, as it follows the group's fugitive attempt to deliver a message from a Czechoslovak general to U.S. authorities. An inspirational tale of courage, daring, and absolute commitment to ideals of freedom.

Stories From A Sacred Landscape
Caimin O'Brien
Irish Books & Media, Inc.
1433 Franklin Avenue East, Minneapolis, MN 55404-2101
185635489X, $59.95 www.irishbook.com 1-800-229-3505

Profusely illustrated with both color and b/w photography, "Stories From A Sacred Landscape: Croghan Hill To Clonmacnoise" is a 230-page coffee-table book showcasing twenty-three of County Offaly's early Irish Christian monastic sites. Each featured sacred place serves as a narrative and archaeological framework in which to trace the history of Christianity in Offaly. Taken all together, these twenty-three sites offer a composite of the complex and sometimes contradictory history of Christianity in Ireland as a whole. Informed and informative, "Stories From A Sacred Landscape" is a welcome and strongly recommended addition to personal and academic library Irish History and Christian History reference collections and supplemental reading lists.


The Gaming Shelf

How To Play Winning Poker
Avery Cardoza
Cardoza Publishing
857 Broadway 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10003
1580421695, $14.95 www.cardozapub.com 1-800-577-9467

Now in a newly revised and expanded edition, "How To Play Winning Poker" continues to establish itself as an invaluable instructional guide to successfully playing poker whether it's a kitchen table game or a world class tournament. This newest and thoroughly ‘user friendly' edition includes No-Limit Texas Hold'em, Pot Limit Hold'em, and the diverse aspects of tournament play. Players seeking to enhanced and refine their poker skills will be instructed in winning strategies for the main home and casino poker games that also include 7-Card Stud, Draw Poker, Omaha Cash Games; and playing poker online. Features include twenty-one of poker's essential winning concepts, fifteen critically important bluffing strategies in poker, advice on reading opponents, how to calculate and use ‘pot odds', the importance of player position, professional money management. There's even a poker glossary. If you only have time to read one ‘how to' book on playing poker for fun and profit, then you would be well advised to make it Avery Cardoza's "How To Play Winning Poker".

Discovering Chess Openings
John Emms
Everyman Chess
c/o The Globe Pequot Press
PO Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437
1857444191 $23.95 www.everymanchess.com 1-800-243-0495

British Grandmaster and opening chess move expert John Emms presents Discovering Chess Openings: Building Opening Skills from Basic Principles, a solid guide written especially for intermediate to advanced chess players seeking to hone their skills and familiarize themselves with the basic principles underscoring the hundreds of different opening options. Chapters cover everything from the simple checkmate-in-four-moves trap to dealing with a blocked center in the board due to pawn play to the advantage of applying gambits to keep one's opponent off-guard and much more. Numerous diagrams and sample games clarify the points and principles in this rock-solid guide sure to enhance the overall strength of the studious reader's game. Highly recommended for chess enthusiasts regardless of their personal stylistic leanings.

Secrets of Professional Pot-Limit Omaha
Rolf Slotboom
D & B Publishing
c/o Continental Enterprise Group
302 West North 2nd Street, Seneca, SC 29678
1904468306 $19.95 www.dandbpublishing.com 1-864-885-9444

Poker professional and "Card Player" magazine columnist Rolf Slotboom presents Secrets of Professional Pot-Limit Omaha: How to Win Big - Both Live and Online, a guide especially attuned to the complex elements of medium and high-stakes Pot-Limit Omaha poker. Drawing directly on his experience matched against top players, Secrets of Professional Pot-Limit Omaha dispels common misconceptions (such as the idea that an open-ended straight draw on the flop is always a hand to be excited about), presents practice hands and hand match-ups and analysis to test one's poker deductive skills, offers strategies especially for players looking to earn money in online games, and much more. In addition to suggestions for optimum bet sizes, correct seating positions, blocker play, the bare ace bluff, and numerous other tips and tricks, Secrets of Professional Pot-Limit Omaha features an accompanying DVD with Rolf Slotboom, Ed Miller, and Byron Jacobs in person. An excellent resource for poker players of all skill and experience levels looking to hone their Pot-Limit Omaha skills.

The Parliament House
Edward Marston
Magna Large Print
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
0750525304 $32.50 www.ulverscroftusa.com 1-800-955-9659

Presented in large print format, The Parliament House is a historical murder mystery set in 1670 London. Architectural designer Christopher Redmayne is delighted to complete his latest masterpiece, a house commissioned for a wealthy merchant; but when one of the merchant's guests is murdered the night of the new house's debut, Redmayne feels personally involved and, with the aid of Puritan Constable Jonathan Bale and his brother Henry, sets out to find the killer. A period piece written with detail and flavor befitting its era, The Parliament House inextricably wraps the reader in its complex yet fluid storytelling style.


The Humor Shelf

Try Rebooting Yourself
Scott Adams
Andrews McMeel Publishing
4520 Main Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64111
0740761900 $10.95 www.andrewsmcmeel.com

Featuring eight bonus stickers to liven up anyone's cubicle, Try Rebooting Yourself is cartoonist Scott Adams' latest compilation of Dilbert cartoons, which savagely mock and jeer corporate ineffectualness, human obnoxiousness, and the literally cutthroat (or shove-off-a-roof) competition of office politics. A special point of interest is a short series of strips in which Adams dares to break the fourth wall and draw himself into a few cartoons! As wickedly funny as always, Try Rebooting Yourself is the perfect dose of humor anywhere and anytime, but especially recommended as an inexpensive gift of gut-busting laughter for Secretary's Day, Boss' Day, or co-worker birthdays. "You know what two things are very similar? Unpaid overtime and death. They both deny me the pleasures of being alive."


The Education Shelf

Learning Later, Living Greater
Nancy Merz Nordstrom, M.Ed. & Jon F. Merz
Sentient Publications
1113 Spruce Street, Boulder, CO 80302
1591810477 $16.95 www.sentientpublications.com

Lifelong learning expert Nancy Merz Nordstrom and critically acclaimed writer Jon F. Merz present Learning Later, Living Greater: The Secret for Making the Most of Your After-50 Years, a guide to reaping the benefits of lifelong learning. From why learning is important to stimulate activity in the aging brain, to pros, cons and distinctions of classroom learning as compared to learning through educational travel or through volunteer work, to where to find the most innovative lifelong learning programs, Learning Later, Living Greater effectively demystifies the fun and life-enriching promise of improving one's knowledge. Highly recommended.

Study Abroad Paris
John Chrisman & Audrey Queyreyre
Angevin LLC
PO Box 1785, Midland, MI 48641-1785
Independent Publishers Group, dist.
0977432394 $19.95 www.abroadparis.com

Written by French native Audrey Queyreyre and university Peer Advisor John Chrisman, both of whom have extensive personal experience studying abroad, Study Abroad Paris an in-depth, everything-you-need-to-know guide to getting the most out of studying abroad in France's most famous city. From financial and insurance issues, to which Parisian news and media sources are available in English, to shopping tips, safety advice (including which public transportation lines and city areas are more prone to crime than others), housing recommendations and much more. An absolute "must-have" for anyone seriously contemplating or undertaking the life-transforming experience of studying abroad in Paris, and a valuable resource for Paris tourists of any season.

Research-Based Strategies to Ignite Student Learning
Judy Willis, M.D.
ASCD
1703 North Beauregard Street, Alexandria, VA 22311-1714
1416603700 $21.95 www.ascd.org 1-800-933-2723

Board-certified neurologist and middle school teacher Judy Willis, M.D. presents Research-Based Strategies to Ignite Student Learning, a guide for K-12 educators that combines the latest findings of learning-centered brain research with practical experience in the classroom. The result is a resource for helping students achieve their full academic potential that covers memory, learning, and test-taking success; strategies to corner student attention; how to mitigate the negative effects and draw benefits from the positive effects of stress and emotion in learning; and much more. A glossary, bibliography for further reading, and index round out this invaluable supplement to enhancing one's grade school curriculum for maximum effectiveness.

Crafting Comparison Papers
Marcia S. Freeman
Maupin House Publishing
PO Box 90148, Gainesville, FL 32607
0929895940 $19.95 www.maupinhouse.com

Internationally recognized author, educator, and writing consultant Marcia S. Freeman presents Crafting Comparison Papers, a resource especially for teachers instructing students in grades 4-10 in the fine art of writing. Crafting Comparison Papers offers lessons to aid students in learning how to create papers that describe both similarities and differences - a skill that will prove invaluable for both higher education and career-related writing. Lessons with specific "Target Skills" (tm) to support student progress, guidelines for assessing student writing, recommendations for helping students learn how to organize a comparison paper and much more fill this solid supplementary tool, highly recommended for middle, junior high, and high school English teachers as well as homeschooling instructors.


The Pets/Wildlife Shelf

Squirrels: The Animal Answer Guide
Richard W. Thorington Jr. & Katie Ferrell
The John Hopkins University Press
2715 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218
0801884039 $24.95 www.press.jhu.edu

Written by Richard W. Thorington Jr., curator of mammals at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, and his former research assistant Katie Ferrell, Squirrels: The Animal Answer Guide is an information-packed primer all about various species of squirrels, from the common grey squirrel to black-tailed prairie dogs to flying squirrels. Presented in a question-and-answer format, Squirrels: The Animal Answer Guide covers topics ranging from "Can squirrels see color?" to "Why do squirrels commit infanticide?", "Do squirrels make good pets?" and "What do squirrels have to do with the Cinderella story?" (Cinderella's famous slipper was originally a comfortable squirrel slipper; it became an impractical glass slipper due to a mistranslation!) Black-and-white photographs and a handful of color plates illustrate this fascinating book sure to entertain readers of all ages and backgrounds.

Through Animals' Eyes, Again
Lynn Marie Cuny
The University of North Texas Press
PO Box 311336, Denton, TX 76203-1336
1574412167 $22.95 www.unt.edu/untpress

Written by the founder of Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation, which now rescues more than 7,000 animals annually and releases native animals back to the wild when restored to full health, Through Animals' Eyes, Again: Stories of Wildlife Rescue is a compilation of true tales sure to dispel the myth that animals are devoid of reason, emotion, or compassion. From an orphaned baby Rhesus monkey who finds a new mother in an old monkey rescued from a lab, to an illegally shot red-tailed hawk that gradually regained the ability to soar, to the quixotic friendship between an elderly rabbit and a young porcupine, Through Animals' Eyes, Again brings the reader on a journey of discovery, insight, and wonder. Also highly recommended is Cuny's previous book, "Through Animals' Eyes: True Stories from a Wildlife Sanctuary".

The Dog Trainer's Resource
Mychelle E. Blake, editor
Dogwise Publishing
PO Box 2778, 701B Poplar, Wenatchee, Washington 98807
1929242395 $24.95 www.dogwise.com

Edited by certified dog behavior consultant Mychelle E. Blake, The Dog Trainer's Resource: The APDT Chronicle of the Dog Collection is an anthology of 80 articles by 40 authors, all previously published by The Association of Pet Dog Trainers newsletter. Top-notch, cutting edge information on everything from puppy training to learning theory, dealing with aggression, shelter dogs, running a professional dog training business and meeting the needs of clients, and much more fill this expert-level resource. Lay people seeking to train their beloved pets will also benefit greatly from the wisdom and advice in The Dog Trainer's Resource.


The Interior Design Shelf

Green Design
Buzz Poole, editor
Mark Batty Publisher
202 West 40th Street, 5th Floor, New York ,NY 10018-1504
0976224585 $34.95 www.markbattypublisher.com

Knowledgeably compiled and deftly edited by Buzz Poole, Green Design by is an amazing and enthusiastically recommended showcase of eco-friendly products ranging from vinyl records recycled into bowls ideal for dry good storage, to stylish bags crafted from discarded boat sails, to traditional chabah sandals handmade by locals at a fair wage, and so much more. Full-color photography displays the innovative, inventive, practical, and beautiful creations, while the text describes recycling or creation processes tailored to avoid waste, pollutants, or the use of unfair or inhumane practices. A marvelous treasury of ideas, suggestions, and recommendations for the consumer searching for products not created through harmful or overly consumptive practices. Indeed, Green Design is virtually an artbook given the distinctive visual flair of the ordinary, useful household items it showcases.

Making Room
Wendy Jordan
The Taunton Press
63 South Main Street, Newtown, CT 06470
1561588024, $19.95 www.taunton.com 1-800-477-8727

In "Making Room: Finding Space In Unexpected Places", author Wendy Jordan draws upon her more than twenty years of experience in the remodeling industry to help apartment dwellers and homeowners to create new areas of ‘liveability' within their existing residence without the necessity of major remodeling. Profusely illustrated throughout, "Making Room" features more than one hundred creative, do-it-yourself ways to make the living space within a home bigger and better without adding on or tearing down walls. More than forty case studies illustrate dozens of ideas highlighting transformation that are ‘small in scale but big in impact'. From converting the toe-kick under kitchen cabinets into perfect storage areas for serving dishes; to the use of hooks, shelves, and slim cabinetry to enhance the usefulness of a closet, to building a draw into a stair and thereby creating a jumbo-size storage area for bulky items, "Making Room" offers a highly recommended wealth of practical ideas and recommendations for interior design and remodeling that are easy to do and enduringly useful.


The American History Shelf

Past Tents
Susan Snyder, editor
Heyday Books
PO Box 9145, Berkeley, CA 94709
1597140392, $17.95 www.heydaybooks.com 1-510-549-3564

"Past Tents: The Way We Camped" by Susan Snyder (director of Access Services in The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley) is a photographic and descriptive history of family outings during the first years of the automobile, and of campgrounds and campfires against the backdrop of the Sierra Nevada, of the special gear and ‘helpful' hints for vacationing in the newly formed state and national parks and forests. "Past Tents" is a work of nostalgia, memory, and a yesteryear that saw the beginnings of ordinary people being able to sample and experience the extraordinary outdoors. An informed and entertaining history of early camping in the American West, "Past Tents" is superbly enhanced with historic photos and makes a welcome and much appreciated addition to academic and community library Popular Culture and American History collections.

Michigan Breweries
Paul Ruschmann & Maryanne Nasiatka
Stackpole Books
5067 Ritter Road, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055-6921
0811732991, $16.95 www.stackpolebooks.com 1-800-732-3669

Expertly co-authored by Michigan residents and beer enthusiasts Paul Ruschmann and Mayanne Nasiatka (co- creators of BeerFestivals.org and who write the ‘Beer Travelers' column for All About Beer magazine), "Michigan Breweries" is a detailed and authoritative guide to sixty-six of Michigan's best breweries and most popular brewpubs. Beer enthusiasts and connoisseurs are provided a history of Michigan brewing as well as what types of beer are produced at each of the various sites, along with information on tours, food served, lodging and attractions. A ‘must' for dedicated beer fans, "Michigan Breweries" is a superbly specialized and highly recommended guide that could well serve as a model for similar brewery-oriented travel guides in other states.

Boise, Idaho 1882-1910
Carol Lynn MacGregor
Mountain Press Publishing Company
PO Box 2399, Missoula, MT 59806
0878425225 $24.00 www.mtnpress.com

Written by Boise native Carol Lynn MacGregor, Boise, Idaho 1882-1910: Prosperity in Isolation is the true story of how the community of Boise thrived at the turn of the twentieth century, despite being geographically bypassed and isolated from the main railroad lines. Boise, Idaho 1882-1910 covers the removal of the Northern Shoshoni from the land, the progress of government, infrastructure, and business, the development of arts and culture, and changes in the community's ethnic and religious makeup. Also observed is the seamier side of Boise, such as racism, prostitution, and crime that marked its growth and progress. A handful of vintage black-and-white photographs illustrate this fascinating case study of small-town America.


The Parenting Shelf

Parenting Outside The Box
Diane Hawkins Summers
Summerville Spirit
c/o Seven Locks Press
3100 West Warner Avenue, Suite 8 Santa Ana, CA 92704
0977486605 $19.98 www.severnlockspublishing.com

Written by child development specialist Diane Hawkins Summers, Parenting Outside The Box: Honoring the Spirit in Your Child is a comprehensive, step-by-step guide for parents to bolster the strengths and compensate for the weaknesses in their chosen parenting styles. Chapters cover the different expectations of a child's life stages, how to recognize and nurture the different inclinations towards types of learning in children - roughly 15% of children are auditory learners, 40% visual learners, and 45% kinesthetic learners - to avoiding negative spirals of behavior when trying to enforce discipline and much more. An eye-opening and thought-provoking approach to the mental and emotional challenges of raising well-adjusted, well-rounded children prepared to follow their own dreams in today's complex world.


The Music Shelf

Maximum Clarity And Other Writings On Music
Ben Johnston
University of Illinois Press
1325 South Oak Street, Champaign, IL 61820-6975
0252030982, $40.00 www.press.uillinois.edu 1-800-545-4703

Expertly edited by Bob Gilmore Reader in Musicology, Dartington College of Arts, England), "Maximum Clarity And Other Writings On Music" is a collection of writings on music by Professor Ben Johnston who taught theory and composition from 1951 to 1984 at the University of Illinois School of Music at Urbana-Champaign. Utilizing intonation, Professor Johnston reconceives familiar idioms ranging from neoclassicism and serialism, to jazz and southern hymns. This body of Professor Johnston's writings spans the whole of his professional career and documents him as a truly literate composer who was able to write about his own music as well as the music of others with accuracy, insight, and eloquence. "Maximum Clarity And Other Writings On Music" conforms to the highest standards of scholarship while being completely accessible to students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in music interpretation and criticism. Enhanced with a discography of all commercially available recordings of Professor Johnston's music, "Maximum Clarity And Other Writings On Music" is enthusiastically recommended for academic library and music department reference collections.

Let There Be Rock
Susan Masino
Omnibus Press
257 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10010
0825634695 $22.95 www.musicsales.com

Written by music journalist Susan Masino, who has followed the career of AC/DC since their beginning in the late-1970s, Let Their be Rock: The Story of AC/DC is the exciting true history of the band. Drawing from interviews with numerous industry insiders including Dave Evans (original singer for AC/DC), Kirk Dyer (tour manager for Cheap Trick), "Pyro" Pete Cappadocia (pyro technician for AC/DC since 1982) and many more, Let There Be Rock covers everything from the band's debut in Australia in the early 1970s to the devastating death of their lead singer Bon Scott in 1980 to their continuing fandom into the 21st century and beyond. Inset sections of black-and-white photograph plates round out this comprehensive look behind the scenes of a rock-n-roll legend.


The Mythology/Folklore Shelf

A Short History Of Myth
Karen Armstrong
Canongate U.S.
841 Broadway, New York, NY 10003
Publishers Group West (distributor)
1700 Fourth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
184195800X, $12.00 www.groveatlantic.com

Myths were explanations created by human beings to help them understand and influence the world around them. In "A Short History Of Myth", Karen Armstrong presents an informed and informative overview of the history and role of myths in human belief systems from the prehistorical stone age down to the present day. Knowledgeably succinct, "A Short History Of Myth" is laid out in seven chronological groupings that include: ‘The Paleolithic Period: The Mythology of the Hunters' (c. 20000 to 8000 BCE); ‘The Neolithic Period: The Mythology of the Farmers' (c. 8000 to 4000 BCE); ‘The Early Civilizations' (c. 4000 to 800 BCE); ‘The Axial Age' (c. 800 to 200 BCE); ‘The Post-Axial Period' (c. 200 BCE to c. 1500 CD); ‘The Great Western Transformation' (c. 1500 to 2000 CE). Strongly recommended for both school and community library collections, "A Short History Of Mythology" is an ideal introduction for students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the study of myth, legend, folklore, and religion.


The Civil War Shelf

Blood Money
John Remington Graham
Pelican Publishing
1000 Burmaster Street, Gretna, LA 70053-2246
1589803981 $12.95 www.pelicanpub.com

Written by professional trial lawyer and history expert John Remington Graham, Blood Money: The Civil War and the Federal Reserve is a scholarly and studious examination of an oft-neglected aspect of the American Civil War - how the great international banking houses augmented the pre-existing antagonisms between North and South, how the Federal Reserve came to be created, and the negative legacies of public debt following the Civil War. Researched with exacting precision and calculated depth, Blood Money will prove enlightening and fascinating to Civil War scholars and lay readers alike, as it exposes myths about the Civil War's origins, and reveals that the hot-button issues of the era served as a convenient means to distract Americans from the huge national debt being incurred - a crisis situation that would in turn prompt a hostile takeover of American banking and currency. Highly recommended.


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

Threshold Shift
Eric Brown
Golden Gryphon Press
3002 Perkins Road, Urbana, IL 61802
1930846436 $24.95 www.goldengryphon.com

Accomplished Eric Brown presents Threshold Shift, an anthology of fantastic tales of the imagination that includes the British Science Fiction Award winning tales "The Children of Winter" about a hopeless love affair between alien kinds on an icy world in the far future, and "Hunting the Slarque" about a Hunter resurrected by the curator of an alien zoo and set against the vicious creature that killed him, the Slarque. Other stories include three set in Brown's Kehani universe, in which aliens offer the people of Earth immortality - a gift that comes with abiding moral and ethical dilemmas. Threshold Shift explores the complex problems arising from future technology, as well as constructing fantastic alien visions and worlds, and is strongly recommended for science fiction collections and reading lists.

Echelon's End: PlanetFall
E. Robert Dunn
The Haworth Press, Inc.
10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904-1580
1560235446 $24.95 www.HaworthPress.com 1-800-429-6784

The debut science fiction novel of playwright and article writer E. Robert Dunn, Echelon's End: PlanetFall is set in the far-flung future when Earth is but a distant memory and humanity has colonized the stars. The advanced human civilization has transcended racial and sexual prejudice, yet encounters galaxy-spanning tragedy in the form of a deadly war with the Tauron, a vicious saurian race bent on conquest and destruction. One refugee spaceship's voyage casts it amid a horrifying eugenics project, and eventually leads its survivors to a world scarred by the ravages of the Tauron Occupation - a planet controlled by a "same-gender-oriented-society" where homosexual Echelons wield power and heterosexual "Reproductionists" are persecuted. An enthralling space opera with a gender-bending twist.


The Biography Shelf

Billy Mitchell
Alfred F. Hurley
Indiana University Press
601 North Morton Street, Bloomington, IN 47404-3797
0253201802, $19.95 www.iupress.indiana.edu 1-800-842-6796

"Billy Mitchell: Crusader For Air Power" by Alfred F. Hurley (Professor of History, University of North Texas, publisher of ‘Air Power History, and a retired USAF Brigadier General) is the biography of the pioneer aviation visionary Billy Mitchell (1879-1936) whose contributions to modern military develop simply cannot be underestimated. The subject of a court-martial in 1925, Brigadier General William ‘Billy' Mitchell has been celebrated in books, film and television before. But Alfred Hurley's biography of this influential general goes beyond the more sensational aspects of a controversial military career to provide a fuller and more complete picture of the man who dropped out of college in 1898 at the age of 18 to enlist in a volunteer regiment of the army and fight against Spanish forces in the liberation of Cuba, was an avid horseman and hunter, and became the youngest Army captain at the age of 24, and the youngest member of the General Staff at the age of 32. Enhanced with the inclusion of an appendix, notes, bibliography, index, and historic photos, "Billy Mitchell: Crusader For Air Power" is an impressive and strongly recommended addition to community and academic library Military History, Aviation History, and American Biography collections.

Michigan's State Forests
William B. Botti & Michael D. Moore
Michigan State University Press
Suite 25, Manly Miles Building, 1405 South Harrison Road, East Lansing, MI 48823-5202
0870137808, $29.95 www.msupress.msu.edu

Co-authored by professional naturalists and forestry experts William Botti and Michael Moore, "Michigan's State Forests: A Century Of Stewardship" is a descriptive history of Michigan's timber forests that allowed the lumber industry to become a core part of that state's economy. Detailed are the stories of harvesting, transporting and processing pine logs, the fires that imperiled Michigan settlers, and how an abandoned, cutover, burned out wilderness has been converted once again into highly productive and protected public lands that today are one of Michigan's greatest assets for continued economic development and a rising quality of life for its citizens. "Michigan's State Forests" is a work of impeccable and meticulous research, making it a seminal addition to academic and community library Michigan History and Environmental Studies collections.

The Bridge Crew
Sam Shumate
Parkway Publishers
PO Box 3678, Boone, NC 28607 - 5578
1933251360 $19.95

Written by high school teacher and principal Sam Shumate, The Bridge Crew is a memoir of growing up in a Blue Ridge mountain village in the 1940's and 50's. In an era before television, video games, personal computers, and personal automobiles, the kids met under a pedestrian walkway to plan activities to entertain themselves - from building huge spider webs on the bridge to oiling the tracks to watch the "Virginia Creeper" attempt to leave the Warrensville depot. True tales of mischief, with some hijinks that were deadly serious at the time yet can be regarded with humor after years of reflection, make The Bridge Crew a nostalgic reminiscence of days of yore.

The Bear
Don Keith
Cumberland House Publishing
431 Harding Industrial Drive, Nashville, TN 37211
1581825625 $19.95

Award-wining newswriter Don Keith presents The Bear: The Legendary Life of Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, a most unusual biography of charismatic football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. The Bear is based upon a screenplay by Al Browning, Jr. and reads like a fluid novel, yet firmly grounded in actual events and corrects common inaccuracies or misperceptions held about Paul Bryant to this day. A handful of black-and-white photographic plates illustrate this true tale of the vivacious man who turned around a struggling football program in Alabama, led the record in career victories for a college football coach, with 323 major-college wins and had the loyalty and steadfast determination to resist a $1.7 million offer to coach for the Miami Dolphins. Enthusiastically recommended reading especially for football fans.

Earl B. Dickerson
Robert J. Blakely & Marcus Shepard
Northwestern University Press
629 Noyes Street, Evanston, IL 60208-4170
0810123355 $24.95 www.nupress.northwestern.edu

Prominent journalist Robert J. Blakely and freelance writer Marcus Shepard present Earl B. Dickerson: A Voice for Freedom and Equality, the first ever biography of Earl B. Dickerson (1891-1986), an independent-minded African-American who spent his life struggling against racial injustice. The racial oppression in his native Mississippi forced him to flee to Chicago at age fifteen; yet Chicago was no utopia. Dickerson worked his way through preparatory schools and college, a segregated officers' training school, and law school at the University of Chicago. His distinguished career included membership in FDR's first Fair Employment Practices Committee; leadership in the movement that broke the color barrier to membership in the Illinois State Bar Association; and his driving role behind the Hansberry v. Lee U.S. Supreme Court case that brought about the beginning of the end of restrictive real estate covenants, used as a legal tool of segregation in the North. A thoroughly researched, engagingly told life story that brings to life the man behind the pitched legal battles for social progress.

I Have America Surrounded
John Higgs
Barricade Books, Inc.
185 Bridge Plaza North, Suite 308-A, Fort Lee, NJ 07024
1569803153, $24.95 www.barricadebooks.com 1-800-592-6657

British biographer John Higgs draws upon previously unavailable archive of documents in "I Have America Surrounded: The Life Of Timothy Leary", new biography of Timothy Leary, the brilliant Harvard University psychologist who was one of the leading proponents of using psychedelic drugs like LSD to expand the mind's perception. A figure of controversy who has achieved an almost cult-like status in the history of the 1960s drug culture – and the man who coined the phrase ‘tune in, turn on, drop out' as a mantra of that era – Leary conducted research that led to changes in popular American culture as reflected in its music, cyber-culture, the Mind-Body-Soul movement, and clinical psychological profiling. Very highly recommended reading and an appropriate addition to academic and community library American Biography collections, "I Have America Surrounded" is a compelling, informed, and informative biography of one of the key figures in the ‘hippie' cultural movement that stamped the baby boomer coming-of-age experience on and off the college campus.

Memoire Sexuel
Valerie Tasso
Ulysses Press
PO Box 3440, Berkeley CA 94703-3440
1569755604, $12.95 www.ulyssespress.com 1-800-377-2542

Memoire Sexuel: The Erotic Diary Of A French Girl In Spain is the extraordinary autobiographical story of Valerie's sexual experiences both in pursuit of love as a young woman then as the life as a prostitute. Her candid account reveals both the benefits and the detriments of emotional passion and commercial sex. This engaging and intensely personal story of unusual sexual adventure and compelling romantic pursuits embodies all the properties of temporary pleasure, inevitable disappointment, unexpected surprise, internal revelation, and poignant self-discovery. Superbly written and highly recommended for personal and academic library Human Sexuality reference collections, "Memoire Sexuel" is a unique memoir and especially recommended for the mature reader.


The Environmental Studies Shelf

Pesticides
Graham Matthews
Blackwell Publishing
PO Box 570, Ames, IA 50010-0570
1405130911 $159.99 www.blackwellprofessional.com

Written by pesticide expert Graham Matthews (Emeritus Professor, Dept. of Biosciences, Imperial College of London), Pesticides: Health, Safety and the Environment is a scholarly resource for agriculture science students and professionals concerning the history, application, hazards and future of pesticides. Pesticides: Health, Safety and the Environment seeks to balance the increased food and agricultural productivity pesticides can bring a heavily populated planet with the necessary precautions of applying pesticides only when needed and according to a strict registration process with guidelines, in order to minimize harm to human beings and the environment. Black-and-white photographs illustrate the close examination of techniques of pesticide application, how to prevent operator exposure to harmful toxins, dealing with spray drift, bystander, resident and worker exposure, and hopes for the future to keep the harmful side effects of pesticides under tight control. An expert scientific text filling a much-needed void in scholarly and instructional writings on pesticide application technology and procedures. Also highly recommended is Professor Matthews' previous book, "Pesticide Application Methods".

Is it Hot in Here?
Nathan Todd Cool
iUniverse, Inc.
2021 Pine Lake Road, #100, Lincoln, NE 68512
059540622X $19.95 iuniverse.com

Professional forecaster and American Meteorological Society member Nathan Cool presents Is it Hot in Here? The Simple Truth About Global Warming, a plain-terms discussion of what global warming is and what its repercussions for Earth's environment and for human civilization are. Chapters explain the basics of climate change, including both natural and manmade factors that influence it, counterarguments to those who denounce the existence of global warming, natural phenomena that serve as bellwethers to the planet's crisis such as frog populations and temperature trends, future possibilities and the hope provided by green technology, and much more. An enthusiastically recommended and desperately needed wake-up call for lay readers everywhere.


The Judaic Studies Shelf

Rethinking Synagogues
Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman
Jewish Lights Publishing
PO Box 237, Sunset Farm Offices, Route 4, Woodstock, VT 05091
1580232485 $19.99 www.jewishlights.com 802-457-4004

Written by Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman, Rethinking Synagogues: A New Vocabulary for Congregational Life is a daring call for transformation in the modern synagogue, particularly the American synagogue. Chapters discuss means of reconceptualizing synagogue life in order to preserve Judaism as a religion that is taken seriously, rather than as a lingering ethnic nostalgia with trimmings of outward demonstrations and ritual observance. Hoffman acknowledges that the American synagogue is not currently in danger of falling into disuse, but compares synagogues to public schools in that they could be and do so much more than they are. A passionate call to reawaken core beliefs and life practices, and reexamine the meaning of living and passing on the Jewish faith.


The Buddhist Studies Shelf

Soul To Soul
Vernon Kitabu Turner, Roshi
Hampton Roads Publishing
1125 Stoney Ridge Road, Charlottesville, VA 22902
1571744703 $14.95

Written by African-American Zen master and expert martial artist Vernon Kitabu Turner, Soul To Soul is a guide to focusing and stilling one's mind, so that it can become a mirror of the Ultimate. The power to tame one's mind begets the power to change the world, according to Turner; simple exercises and techniques are presented to aid readers of all faiths in taking the first step on the crucial journey to increased mental clarity. Soul To Soul emphasizes that Zen mind is not only for Buddhists, but offers benefits in self-awareness, understanding, and spiritual growth to everyone.


The Library Science Shelf

Training Library Staff and Volunteers to Provide Extraordinary Customer Service
Julie Todaro & Mark L. Smith
Neal-Schuman Publications Inc.
100 William Street, Suite 2004, New York, NY 10038
155570560X $65.00 www.neal-schuman.com

Written by Julie Todaro and Mark L. Smith, both library managers with decades of experience, Training Library Staff and Volunteers to Provide Extraordinary Customer Service is a practical, plain-terms guide to teaching staff members to excel in their interactions with customers. Chapters discuss both general and specific training guidelines, how to assess and anticipate the needs of customers, tracking and responding to customer feedback, instituting continuous learning in libraries and ingraining that practice with customer service, a wealth of resource tools for customer service management and trainers, and much more. A solid compendium of expertise gathered from, tested in, and applied to the field, very highly recommended for library customer service managers and instructors.

Exploring The Bancroft Library
Charles B. Faulhaber & Stephen Vincent
Signature Books
564 West 400 North, Salt Lake City, UT 84116-3411
1893663191, $39.95 www.signaturebooks.com 1-800-356-5687

Founded in 1860 by San Francisco bookseller, publisher, and collector Hubert Howe Bancroft, The Bancroft Library became one of the premier research institutions anywhere in the world and the repository of a collection on the American West that is unsurpassed. In 1906, this private institution was acquired by the University of California and expanded to include the Mark Twain Papers and Project, the Tebtunis Papyri, Rare Books and Manuscripts, significant collections in the history of science and technology, the Regional Oral History Office, and representative materials showcasing and illustrating the sweep of Western civilization in general. "Exploring The Bancroft Library" is a collaborative production of The Bancroft Library (courtesy of the University of California) and Signature Books (an established and respected publisher based in Salt Lake City, Utah). Under the informed editorship of Charles R. Fayulhaber (Professor of Medieval Spanish Literature, University of California, Berkley, and the James D. Hart Director of The Bancroft Library) and Stephen Vincent (poet, essayist, and the director of Book Studio), "Exploring The Bancroft Library" is a centennial celebration of one of America's finest reference and resource libraries for academic scholarship. Enhanced with contributions by ten leading scholars in their respective fields, "Exploring The Bancroft Library" is a welcome addition to Library Science collections in general, and of immense interest to non-specialist general readers with respect to the Bancroft Library in particular.


The Black Studies Shelf

Project Success
Shelia P. Moses
Atlas Books
30 Amberwood Parkway, Ashland, OH 44805
0977653803, $39.95 www.atlasbooks.com 1-800-BOOKLOG

"Project Success: The Right Thing For The Right Reason" by author, producer and playwright Shelia P. Moses is the story of a remarkable organization founded to advance the cause of help young black people to prepare for and to live successful and productive lives. Begun in 1986, 100 Black Men of Atlanta, Inc. has had as developed and implemented a post-secondary preparation and tuition assistance program called ‘Project Success'. Now Shelia Moses has compiled true stories of students who, with the help of Project Success, beat the odds against them with the help and inspiration of the mentors who tried (and succeeded) in making a difference. More than just a showcasing of success stories, "Project Success: The Right Thing For The Right Reason" will serve as a highly recommended model and an enduring inspiration for supporting this and similar efforts to help disadvantaged children to succeed in school and in life.


The Railroading Shelf

Railroad Fever
Wayne Erbsen
Native Ground Books & Music
109 Bell Road, Asheville, NC 28805-1521
1883206316, $5.95 www.nativeground.com 1-800-752-2656

The director of the Appalachian Music Program at Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa, North Carolina and as president of Native Ground Music, Wayne Erbsen draws upon his very special expertise and years of studied experience to compile "Railroad Fever: Songs, Jokes & Train Lore". This impressive, 65-page collection includes railroad oddities, hobo lingo, vintage photos, railroad slang, and diner lingo, railroad superstitions, poetry of the rails, wild train legends and lore, railroad firsts, and more. Then there are the authentic railroad themed songs ranging from such classics as the ‘Death of John Henry' and the ‘Little Red Caboose', to such folksong fare as ‘Blue Train', Early Morning Train', ‘Railroad Blues', ‘The Hell-Bound Train' and more. Also very strongly recommended for all dedicated railroad enthusiasts and community library collections is Wayne Erbsen's companion title: "Singing Rails: Railroadin' Songs, Joes & Stories" (188320626X, $5.95). Railroading fans, American popular culture musicologists, and academic libraries would also be well advised to add Wayne Erbsen's Native Ground CD music albums to their collections: "Singing Rails" (CD: NG-CD-910, $14.95; Cassette: NG910, $9.95) and "Railroad Fever" (CD: NG-CD-930, $14.95; Cassette: NG930, $9.95).


The Genealogy Shelf

Getting Started In Genealogy Online
William Dollarhide
Beth A. Zeleny
Genealogical Publishing Company
3600 Clipper Mill Road, Suite 260, Baltimore, MD 21211-19533
0806317701, $12.95 www.genealogical.com 1-800-296-6687

A basic, 64-page ‘how to' introduction and instruction guide for using the internet in genealogical research by veteran genealogist William Dollarhide, "Getting Started In Genealogy Online" is particularly ‘user friendly' for beginning genealogists and anyone relatively unfamiliar with using the computer and the internet for tracing family trees online. Whether a novice needing to master the fundamentals of genealogy or a seasoned genealogist ready to take maximum advantage of what the internet has to offer as a research medium, "Getting Started In Genealogy Online" will prove an invaluable learning tool. Enhanced with a listing of American genealogy resources centers, forms that include a family data sheet, a pedigree chart, and a family group sheet, readers will learn how to start their online researches, as well as where to find more information as their research expands. No personal or community library Genealogy Reference collection can be considered complete or comprehensive without the inclusion of "Getting Started In Genealogy Online"!


The Native American Shelf

Chickasaw
David G. Fitzgerald
Chickasaw Press
c/o Graphic Arts Center Publishing Co. (distributor)
PO Box 10306, Portland, OR 97296-0306
KSB Promotions (publicity)
55 Honey Creek, NE, Ada, MI 49301
1558689923, $35.00 www.gacpc.com 1-800-452-3032

Featuring contributions by Jeanne Barbour, Amanda Cobb, and Linda Hogan on Chickasaw life, history and culture, "Chickasaw: Unconquered And Unconquerable" is a pictorial tribute to the resilience and endurance of the Chickasaw Nation. The full color illustrations by professional photographer David Fitzgerald present a series of accomplished Chickasaw members reflecting the diverse accomplishments contributed to the rich contemporary tapestry of Chickasaw culture in the fields of art, music, literature, athletics, politics, education, health, and even space flight. "Chickasaw: Unconquered And Unconquerable" is an impressive, inspiring, welcome, and highly recommended addition to personal, academic, and community library Native American Studies collections.


The Archaeology Shelf

Tracking Ancient Footsteps
R. G. Matson & Timothy A. Kohler, editors
WSU Press
PO Box 645910, Pullman, WA 99164-5910
0874222907, $22.95 www.wsupress.wsu.edu 1-800-354-7360

Professor William ‘Bill' L. Lipe has enjoyed a five decade career that has made him an acknowledged and respected expert in conservation archaeology and the archaeology of the American Southwest where he has worked in Utah's Glen Canyon, Red Rock Plateau, and Cedar Mesa, Colorado's Dolores Valley and Mesa Verde, and key archaeological projects defining much of what we now know about Native American life in antiquity. It was Professor Lipe who developed the concept of ‘private archaeology' and served in the Society for American Archaeology, the Register of Professional Archaeologists, and the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center at Cortez, Colorado. Assembled and edited by R. G. Matson and Timothy A. Kohler, "Tracking Ancient Footsteps: William D. Lipe's Contributions To Southwestern Prehistory And Public Archaeology" is a compilation of articles by nine of Professor Lipe's associates, each of whom outlines the archaeological digs and researches associated with his remarkably productive career. Of special note is the final chapter, ‘A Conversation with Bill Lipe. An impressive and highly recommended addition to academic library Archaeology and Native American Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists, "Tracking Ancient Footsteps" is not just a testimonial to a consummate professional by his peers, it is also an informed and informative survey of archaeology in the American Southwest and the earliest Native American cultures discovered in the region.

Goodbye To The Vikings?
Richard Hodges
Duckworth
c/o International Publishers Marketing
22841 Quicksilver Drive, Dulles, VA 20166
0715634291, $31.00 www.ducknet.co.uk 1-800-758-3756

"Goodbye To The Vikings: Re-reading Early Medieval Archaeology" by Richard Hodges (Director of the Institute of World Archaeology, School of World Art Studies, University of East Anglia, and Scientific Director of the Butrint Foundation) presents an informed and informative reevaluation of what archaeology has to tell us about the daily life and communities of the Norsemen and their impact on the Europe from the British Isles to the Balkans. Of special interest are the chapters on ‘King Arthur's Britain and the end of the western Roman empire'; ‘Charlemagne's elephant'; and ‘Beyond feudalism: monasteries and their management in the eight and ninth centuries'. An impressive distillation of superb academic scholarship, "Goodbye To The Vikings" is a welcome and highly commended addition to academic library European History and Viking History reference collections and supplemental reading lists.


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


Copyright ©2001

Site design by Williams Writing, Editing & Design