Wisconsin: Simply Beautiful
Darryl R. Beers, RJ & Linda Miller
Farcountry Press
PO Box 5630, Helena, MT 59604
www.montanamagazine.com
1560371854 $29.95 1-800-654-1105
The collective effort of Darryl R. Beers, RJ Miller, and Linda Miller, Wisconsin: Simply Beautiful is an impressive compendium of full color photography celebrating the scenic wonders and diverse landscapes of the Badger State. Showcasing spectacular images of Wisconsin's flora, fauna, architecture, people and communities, each individual photographic image is accompanied by a succinct caption. Ideal browsing for the armchair traveler, Wisconsin: Simply Beautiful is a superbly organized and presented survey of Wisconsin and a "must" for every Wisconsin community library.
Consuming Nature
Gregory Summers
University Press of Kansas
2501 West 15th St., Lawrence, KS 66049
www.kansaspress.ku.edu
0700614869 $29.95 1-785-864-4155
Consuming Nature: Environmentalism In The Fox River Valley, 1850-1950 has an unusual dual nature - in one respect, it is a straightforward chronicle of the debate in Wisconsin's Fox River Valley more than fifty years ago, when the populace questioned and resisted the paper industry's heedless practice of dumping pollution into the Fox River. On a deeper level, Consuming Nature examines not only how this microcosm struggle, repeated in numerous areas elsewhere throughout the state and the nation, reflected not only the clash of economic industrial forces versus environmentalists, but also how it represented the growth of a consumer society. Consumers craved employment and products created by the paper industry, but consumers also craved the ability to enjoy recreation in Fox River, a privilege that excess pollution was about to destroy. At its core, Consuming Nature dares to advance the thesis that the modern environmental movement owes far more than most anyone would admit to the power and influence of consumer society.
Doing Nothing
Tom Lutz
Farrar, Straus, And Giroux
19 Union Square West, NY, NY 10003
0865476500 $25.00 www.fsgbooks.com
Doing Nothing: A History Of Loafers, Loungers, Slackers, And Bums In America by Tom Lutz is the true story of the American anti-work ethic from Benjamin Franklin's "air baths" to Jack Kerouac's dharma bums to the notorious slackers of Generation X to doctors declaring the medical problems of overwork and much more. The history, philosophy, and justification of goofing off, supplemented with careful research and statistics, makes for engaging reading whether for expert sociologists researching the cultural phenomenon’s of shirking or lay readers making the most of their own relaxation time. A true pleasure to read cover to cover, especially while the reader is allegedly at work.
Rhetoric: An Historical Introduction
Wendy Olmsted
Blackwell Publishing
2121 State Avenue, Ames, IA 50014-8300
www.blackwellpublishing.com
1405117729 $49.95 1-800-216-2522
Rhetoric: An Historical Introduction is a straightforward introduction to the art, skill, and history of rhetoric. Author Wendy Olmsted (Associate Professor, University of Chicago) discusses classical traditions of rhetoric, classical rhetoric and literary interpretation, and the role rhetoric has to play in contemporary disciplines. The place rhetoric has in specific great works of literature, such as Machiavelli's "The Prince", Augustine's "On Christian Doctrine", and much more is discussed at especial length. A scholarly resource especially for college students seeking to acclimate themselves to principles of persuasiveness.
Loving The Machine
Timothy N. Hornyak
Kodansha America, Inc.
575 Lexington Avenue, NY, NY 10022
www.kodanshaamercia.com
4770030126 $26.95 1-800-451-7556
Loving The Machine: The Art And Science Of Japanese Robots is a fascinating and informative tribute to Japanese popular culture and its love affair with humanoid robots ranging from anime's Astro Boy to automatons imagined in speculative fiction to have existed in the Edo period of Japanese history. In stark contrast to American movies portraying robots as ruthless, Terminator-style killing machines, Japanese cinema and television has a tradition of gentler robots that mimic human activities. Full-color photographs on every page illustrate this unique analysis of what Japanese culture celebrates robots, Japan's historical connections to robots, and what modern technology indicates the future holds. Loving The Machine is very highly recommended reading -- especially for modern Japanese culture buffs.
Communication Gaps And How To Close Them
Naomi Karten
Dorset House Publishing Company
353 West 12th Street, NY, NY 10014
0932633536 $39.95 dorsethouse.com
Communication Gaps And How To Close Them by international speaker, seminar leader, author, and consultant Naomi Karten is a straightforward guide especially for businesspeople, but also useful for lay readers, to effective and positive communication. From recognizing and preventing misinterpretations or disassociated definitions, to becoming aware of communication differences, to learning to see things from the other party's perspective, to the value of gathering and analyzing customer feedback, Communication Gaps And How To Close Them offers no-nonsense advice for untangling the confusion between human beings. Black-and-white illustrations and the occasional humorous cartoon add a touch of zest to this highly practical guide especially recommended for anyone in an interpersonal business job, such as management or customer relations.
Everything I Know About Men I Learned From My Dog
Clare Staples
The Free Press
1230 Ave. of Americas, NY, NY 10020
0743291239 $12.00 www.amazon.com
Everything I Know About Men I Learned From My Dog by former British model Clare Staple was actually released in the UK a year ago to much acclaim, so it's been a long wait for American readers to enjoy its appearance here. Any with an interest in pets, romance, and the modern dating scene will find Everything I Know About Men I Learned From My Dog a hilarious set of links on how to train and manage either species. From 'off days' and 'superiority' to grooming for self-worth and being elusive rather than too easy, this is an hilarious, fun, and enthusiastically recommended read.
University of Indianapolis Press
1400 E. Hanna Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46227-3697
www.uindy.edu/universitypress
Two excellent guides on world history and events are important additions recommended for college-level holdings strong in social or political science. James C. Hsiung's Comprehensive Security: Challenge For Pacific Asia (088093850, $16.95) appeared some time ago but deserves ongoing mention in light of modern events: it's a study explaining comprehensive security and its relationship to both traditional security perspectives and post-9/11 meanings. From virus spreads to economic security and political change, Comprehensive Security advocates a wider perspective than most. Chiara Betta's The Other Middle Kingdom: Brief History Of Muslims In China (0880938536, $19.95) is provided in both Chinese and English and provides a history of fourteen centuries of Muslims in China. One would think this would be a weighty coverage: The Other Middle Kingdom synthesizes information for a survey of both early Muslim life in China and the modern ten Muslim nationalities recognized by the PRC. Both are essential additions to any comprehensive college-level collection.
Outdoor Rooms
Tina Skinner & Melissa Cardona
Schiffer Books
4880 Lower Valley Rd, Atglen, PA 19310
0764324594 $24.95 schifferbooks.com
If you dream of making your backyard part of your house, here's the book for you: Outdoor Rooms: Fresh Air Kitchens And Living Areas tells how to blend a simple lawn into a fresh-air open-'walled' room which can be made of wood, concrete, brick, or stone. From patios to kitchens, a pool house to a pavilion, Outdoor Rooms provide a wide range of options for any who would add on to an outdoor setting.
Storey Publishing
210 Mass MoCa Way, North Adams, MA 01247
www.storey.com
Outdoor showers aren't just for camping anymore: they're popping up as trendy home add-ons to a garden, and Ethan Fierro's The Outdoor Shower: Creative Design Ideas For Backyard Living, From The Functional To The Fantastic (158017552X $19.95) allows for a range of ideas and applications. Lovely color photos of such showers run the gamut from very simple to amazingly detailed, while choices in heating from solar to convention and choices in design offer details for virtually any setting, whether it be stone, wood, metal or tile. A fine pick for any who would restore function to an outside setting. Anne Halpin's Seascape Gardening From New England To The Carolinas (1580175317, $19.95) may not reach the West coast but East Coast residents will find this a fine guide to the shrubs and landscaping choices which enhance an Atlantic environment. The seaside residence offers special gardening challenges: salt and coastal conditions affect plant choices and growing conditions. Halpin here explains these conditions and how to best work with them.
A Passion For Asia
Cynthia Bronson Altman, et al
Hudson Hills Press
PO Box 205, Manchester, VT 05254-9911
0878481036 $60.00 www.amazon.com
Deftly compiled by a team of imminent scholars, A Passion For Asia: The Rockefeller Legacy is an in-depth, informative study of the Rockefeller family's strong dedication to providing Americans with an understanding and appreciation for Asian art, politics, history, society and culture. Introducing the reader to the intricate collection of Asian art and culturally influenced decor, A Passion For Asia: The Rockefeller Legacy elaborates on the actual Asian culture itself, as well as detailed essays and writings on the actual art itself. A Passion For Asia: The Rockefeller Legacy has been presented on the fiftieth-year anniversary of the founding of the Asia society, and for that reason, is very strongly recommended to all readers seeking a better understanding of the Asian perspective of art, culture, politics and ethics, as well as those who are engaged in the study of general Asian society.
Retired With Husband
Mary Louise Floyd
VanderWyk & Burnham
PO Box 2789, Acton, MA 01720-6789
1889242268 $24.95 www.VandB.com
Mary Louise Floyd, herself a retired educator, community active, empty-nested mother with a retired-corporate-attorney husband, writes with a very special expertise about the challenges, strategies, and necessities of being a "first wave boomer" and entering the senior citizen years of retirement. There has always been pressure on baby boomer women to "have it all and do it all". Often that continues into the retirement years with "superwoman" expectations in "partnership marriages". Mary Floyd articulate defines and discusses the concept of "baby-boom superwoman", the "Gray Divorce" phenomenon, the challenges superwomen face with their retired husbands (and the strategies to deal with them); steps to establishing long-term goals and their achievement, all illustrated through her own experiences as on of those baby-boom superwomen. Strongly recommended reading, Retired With Husband is written with wit, humor, insight, experience, and will prove to be one of the most engaging and informative introductions to helping women (and men) in similar circumstances master the changes that are occurring in their lives as aging baby boomers themselves.
Greenwood Press
PO Box 5007, Westport, CT 06881-5007
www.greenwood.com
Hussein became Iraq's president in 1979, where he held power through terrorism into modern times. His reign was marked by three wars until he was overthrown by the US: Shiva Balaghi‘s biography Saddam Hussein (0313330778, $29.95) details lesser-known aspects of his personal life, from a difficult childhood and politically charged teen years to his involvement in politics and rise to power. His rule and its effects will be felt for decades, which makes Saddam Hussein: A Biography more than of passing interest. Lori Aqskeland edits Children And Youth In Adoption, Orphanages And Foster Care: A Historical Handbook And Guide (031-3331839, $59.95): an outstanding and unusual survey providing the first comprehensive introductory resource on individuals and groups which have contributed to ideas of what children need temporary care. Three sections of original essays survey the practice of adoption, foster care and orphanages from colonial to modern times, using primary documents by adults and children alike to round out the historical review. A ‘must' for any involved in children's social work, and for college-level specialty holdings. James M. Volo and Dorothy Deneen Volo's Family Life In 17th And 18th Century America (0313331995, $49.95) adds to Greenwood's ‘Family Life Through History' series, following the daily lives of all family members from parents and children to grandparents as they operate in society and at home. Narrative chapters provide daily insights on household operations, work, ceremonies, customs, parenting and more, while readers also receive details on the era involved, and sources of further information. Especially recommended for college-level specialty holdings on early American history and sociology.
The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf
The Art Of X-Men
Peter Sanderson, et.al.
Newmarket Press
18 E. 48th Street, New York, NY 10017
www.newmarketpress.com
1557047332 $19.95 www.amazon.com
The Art Of X-Men The Last Stand: From Concept To Feature Film could've been featured in our 'Theatre and Cinema' section but sci-fi buffs will find it an irresistible heroic fantasy superhero moviebook packing in nearly four hundred illustrations from movie stills to production artwork, concept drawings and ideas. Director Brett Ratner provides commentary about the film's production, while a plot review includes critical comments about movie themes on genetics and prejudice. The photos and artwork are exquisite: The Art Of X-Men The Last Stand will thus appeal beyond the film genre well into the science fiction fan's world.
Dan Abnett's Horus Rising: The Seeds Of Heresy Are Sown (184416294X, $7.99) is set in the 31st millennium and tells of a galaxy-wide empire in its golden age of discovery and conquest. Favorite son Horus, promoted to Warmaster, must carry out a plan which pits him against his brothers. Graham McNeill's False Gods: The Heresy Takes Root (1844163709, $7.99) joins others in the Warhammer series, providing a sequel to Horus Rising. Familiarity with the prior book will lend a speedy acceptance of the setting here, which continues the epic story of one man's choices and its impact on the galaxy. Can sibling jealousy and Horus' injury affect the kingdom's struggle against chaos? Dan Abnett's Ravenor Returned (1844161854, $7.99) tells of Ravenor and his team, investigating a psychic substance and facing a rival and more influences form the forces of chaos.
Resolution
John Meaney
Pyr
50 John Glenn Dr., Amherst, NY 14228
1591024374 $25.00 www.pyrsf.com
In Resolution, the third book of the 'Nulapeiron Sequence' trilogy, the war against The Blight has ended and the Nulapeiron people have a chance for peace except for Tom Corcorigan, revolutionary and war hero, who knows threats remain. Despite his new marriage and longing for peace, Tom's 'story crystal' reveals impending threat and a new Anomaly begins to kill of the human realms. Only Tom's forces have a chance against such an invader because Tom is a warlord who is no longer human Resolution concludes the trilogy of tales featuring Tom and is a top pick for prior fans.
Baen Books
PO Box 1403, Riverdale, NY 10471
www.baen.com
These new arrivals are top picks for leisure reading. Timothy Zahn's The Cobra Trilogy (1416520678, $14.00) is military sci fi at its best: a new kind of soldier is created to fight aliens not in space but on the ground: the Cobras' weaponry is surgically implanted yet invisible until needed. And Jonny Moreau learns the hard way that not all Cobras are on Earth's side the complete Cobra trilogy under one cover is hard to beat. David Drake, Eric Flint and Jim Baen are a powerful combination of literary forces together in The World Turned Upside Down (116520686, $15.00), in which publisher Baen joins with two top authors to gather the stories which made them sci fi fans in their youth. Sources used range from Analog to Weird Tales from the early 30s on and pack in some of the finest names in the field: a must for any 'best of the best' reader of the genre. Timothy Zahn's Blackcollar: Judas Solution (1416520651, $25.00) tells of the legendary 'blackcollar' warriors, the only hope of the planet. Military aggression, a sector's tactical center prize, and the Ryqril's threat make for a fast-paced military space action story. Arlene Golds' From Dream To Dream (141652066X, $25.00) tells of dreams turning to reality. Drew finds herself lost in a nightmare of dangerous monsters a nightmare pushing into her real waking world and learns her dreams have the power to change reality. From Dream To Dream is a fine, original story that comes packed with adventure and action: a top pick.
Seeking Wholeness: Women Dealing With Abuse Of Power In The Catholic Church, written by professional theology and ethics translator Marie Evans Bouclin, gathers the expertise and testimony of the authors' experience striving to redress the physical and spiritual needs of women who have suffered betrayal and sexual abuse (ranging from being persuaded through an abuse of power and influence to have a sexual relationship with a priest to rape) by priests, particularly Catholic priests. Seeking Wholeness also addresses the betrayal of women who are not necessarily sexually exploited, but who are sexually discriminated against in that they are summarily dismissed from a parish or church-related job without reason or recourse. Seeking Wholeness addresses the male-centered power dynamic of the Catholic Church that utterly excludes lay people and therefore offers fewer checks and balances against corruption within, as well as stripping Catholics of responsibility for their own spirituality. Above all, Seeking Wholeness emphasizes the critical importance of recognizing the problem, of allowing and encouraging women's stories to be told. Much has been written concerning priest sexual abuse of children; less has been spoken of sexual abuse of women, and Seeking Wholeness strives to rectify the gap as well as offer steps toward healing and exposure of innate flaws in the Catholic power system and patriarchal faith doctrine that will continue to cultivate abusers until rectified.
God's Invisible Hand
Gerard O'Connell, interviewer
Ignatius Press
P.O. Box 1339, Ft. Collins, CO 80522
1586171356 $16.95 www.amazon.com
God's Invisible Hand: The Life And Work Of Francis Cardinal Arinze by journalist Gerard O'Connell compiles a series of interviews with His Eminence Francis Cardinal Arinze, the only African cardinal currently heading a Vatican department. Essentially relating the story of Arinze's life in his own words, from his conversion to Christianity at age nine to studying in Rome and London, to working as a priest in Nigeria, becoming the world's youngest bishop, being appointed by Pope John Paul II in 1982 to lead the Catholic Church's dialogue with major world religions, and more, God's Invisible Hand offers Arinze's reflections upon his extraordinary journey of faith and labor in God's name. A handful of black-and-white photographs round out this compelling primary source of one man's dedication to God's cause.
Making Faith Fun
Amy Viets
ACTA Publications
5559 West Howard, Skokie, IL 60077
www.actapublications.com
0879463031 $9.95 1-800-397-2282
Making Faith Fun: 132 Spiritual Activities You Can Do With Kids by Amy Viets (Director of Children's Ministry, ELCA Lutheran Congregation) is a no-nonsense list of ways for parents to weave faith into daily life with their children, from infants and toddlers to preteens. The individual chapters are organized by age groups and refer to ways to remember God on the road, during chore time, in the great outdoors, at the store, at the dinner table, during special occasions, and more. Ideas range from telling stories from the Bible to emphasizing the importance of mealtime prayers to quietly donating surplus school supplies and helping neighbors with housework or yard work when they fall sick or upon difficult times. Making Faith Fun is especially highly recommended for its promotion of compassion, connections, and positive moral values in an era of increasing individual isolation.
Are You Running With Me, Jesus?
Malcolm Boyd
Cowley Publications
4 Brattle St, #309, Cambridge, MA 02138
1561012750 $15.95 1-800-225-6675
Now celebrating its 40th anniversary edition, Are Your Running With Me, Jesus? by ordained Episcopalian priest Malcolm Boyd is a groundbreaking treasury. Daring to break with the formal patterns of the era, Boyd's prayers are in a conversational tone, centered upon Jesus Christ as a compassionate Savior to whom one can pray about anything, lofty or trivial. This new edition of Are You Running With Me, Jesus? has the more outdated linguistic forms updated, and the prayers made obsolete by topicality removed. A true devotional classic, highly recommended for all Christians. "When a mind is closed and communication has ceased, how may a person be reached? If one's heart has never learned to love, or has stopped loving, how may the heart be taught, Jesus?"
Pentateuch: The Saint John's Bible
Donald Jackson
The Liturgical Press
St. John's Abbey, PO Box 7500, Collegeville, MN 56321-7500
www.litpress.org
0814690521 $69.95 1-800-858-5450
Exquisitely handwritten and illuminated by Donald Jackson, Pentateuch: The Saint John's Bible is as much a work of art as it is a religious text. Commissioned by Saint John's Abbey and University as an expression of the Benedictine monks' daily focus on scripture and devotion to books, art, and religious high culture, Pentateuch presents sacred text in flowing English calligraphy, Hebrew book headings, and colorful marks studding the passages. The care put into each line is breathtaking. In oversized hardcover format, Pentateuch uses the sheer scope of its page to display the columns of perfectly penned scripture in vivid detail.
Preaching Without Contempt
Marilyn J. Salmon
Augsburg Fortress
PO Box 59304, Minneapolis, MN 55459
0800638212 $16.00 fortresspress.com
Preaching Without Contempt: Overcoming Unintended Anti-Judaism by Marilyn J. Salmon (Associate Professor of New Testament Theology at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities) is an in-depth study of the general misrepresentation provided by so many Christian preachers in the past concerning the Judaic religion. Providing contemporary Christian readers with a comprehensive and accurate understanding of the New Testament Gospels in their historical first-century Jewish context, Preaching Without Contempt insightfully and knowledgeably presents Jewish beliefs and offers helpful advice for avoiding the kind of stereotypes that lead to Christian driven discrimination, persecutions, pogroms and holocausts against the Jews of the past. Preaching Without Contempt is very highly recommended reading for all Christians, and most especially seminary students and the Protestant clergy.
Invoking Mary Magdalene
Siobhan Houston
Sounds True Audio
413 South Arthur Avenue, Louisville, CO 80027
www.soundstrue.com
1591794226 $19.95 1-800-333-9185
Invoking Mary Magdalene: Accessing The Wisdom Of The Divine Feminine is a spiritual book and audio CD guide to invoking the sacredness of Mary Magdalene, who is mentioned in the New Testament more than any other woman. Chapters include a Magdalene litany for turning oneself over to become a vessel for Divine Feminine grace, teachings on enlightenment Jesus is said to have imparted to Magdalene alone, a guide to creating one's personal shrine to Mary Magdalene, and much more. Written by a graduate of Harvard Divinity School, Invoking Mary Magdalene is a profound, reverent, and respectful guide to expressing faith and paying homage. The sessions on the accompanying CD are Guided Visualization to the Cave of Baume (11:45), The Holy Gnostic Rosary (31:37), Union with the Holy Bride (13:00), Magdalene as Grail Guardian and Queen of Shadows Meditation (9:47), and Prayer of Archangelic Protection (0:52).
Historical Atlas Of Religions
Karen Farrington
Mercury Books
c/o International Publishers Marketing
PO Box 605, Herndon, VA 20172-0605
www.internationalpubmarket.com
1904668135 $25.00 www.amazon.com
Any interested in an overall reference covering the rise and fall of all religions will find Historical Atlas Of Religions a fascinating read: it takes a regional approach to major faiths of the world, includes tribal beliefs form all continents, and provides a visual approach to traditions, conflicts, and issues. From early to modern times, religious history comes to life.
Pathways To Spirituality
Bill O'Hanlon
W.W. Norton
500 - 5th Avenue, New York NY 10110
0393704890 $24.95 www.wwnorton.com
Spirituality is becoming more of a driving force in modern lives so therapists should be making more effort to integrate spirituality as a part of therapeutic practice. Pathways To Spirituality tell how to work with clients, injecting a spiritual direction into counseling routines. The author is a licensed marriage and family therapist and a certified counselor: his book explains pros and cons of using spirituality to help clients cope, and proscribes three different pathways to access spirituality in the therapy strategy. A fine survey results.
World Wisdom Inc.
1501 East Hillside Drive, Bloomington, IN 47401
www.worldwisdom.com
Does the Qur'an and hadith provide a basis for improving interfaith relations? It's unusual to find a spiritual title which doesn't take sides but The Universal Spirit of Islam achieves this goal, providing selected passages from the two which offer a better understanding of Islam. Add reproductions of Islamic art and photos to chapters contrasting Islam with Judaism, Christianity and more, and Judith Fitzgerald & Michael Oren Fitzgerald, Eds's The Universal Spirit Of Islam (1933316160, $14.95) displays its strengths. Joseph A. Fitzgerald edits Honen The Buddhist Saint: Essential Writings And Official Biography (19-33316136, $19.95), a condensed biography in English translation of a 1925 original publication. Buddhist readers will relish the rare presentation of Honen's life and teachings, as well as the background history and Fitzgerald has done a fine job of synthesizing an original multi-volume scholarly presentation into a standard paperback even non-Buddhists will learn from. Frithjof Schuon's Gnosis Divine Wisdom (1933316187, $18.95) appears in a new translation of the classic work blending religion and philosophy. It's been revised and expanded to not only feature the new translation, but to include an appendix of selections from letters, editor's notes, biographical notes and more.
Basic Principles Of Islamic Worldview
Sayyid Qutb
Mizan Press
c/o Islamic Publications International
5 Sicomac Road, #302, North Haldedon, NJ 07508
1889999342 $24.95 www.islampub.com
Executed in 1996 by the totalitarian Egyptian government as part of a crackdown on dissident leaders and movements, Sayyid Qutb was unshakeably persuaded that Islam provides an ideal framework for human existence including all of its diverse individual, social, political, economic, intellectual, and spiritual aspects. Qutb believed that all these aspects of the revealed Islamic faith had become obscured and/or distorted by alien influences both within and without the Muslim community. In Basic Principles Of Islamic Worldview, Qutb presents what he saw as the authentic mode of thought that is distinctive of Islam. Profusely illustrated with Qur'anic verses, Basic Principles Of Islamic Worldview has been ably translated into English by Rami David, enhanced with an informative preface by Hamid Algar (Professor of Persian and Islamic Studies, University of California - Berkley) placing Sayyid Qutb and his works in an historical and contemporary context while also evaluating the principle ideas presented, and is also available in a hardcover edition (1889999350, $34.95). No academic library Islamic Studies collection can be considered complete or adequate without the inclusion of Sayyid Qutb's Basic Principles Of Islamic Worldview.
The Face Behind The Veil
Donna Gehrke-White
Citadel Press/Kensington Publishing
850 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022
0806527218 $22.95 kensingtonbooks.com
The Face Behind The Veil: The Extraordinary Lives Of Muslim Women In America is an illuminating and riveting string of more than fifty miniature portraits of Muslim women in America that reveals a many-faceted view of individual Muslim women, or Muslimah. There are perhaps 6 million Muslims in America; the figure is indefinite because the U. S. census does not ask Americans their religious preference. American Muslimah are extremely diverse in origins, hailing from at least seventy-seven different countries. Converts or 'reverts' also come from every ethnic group in America. Perhaps one reason Americans are unaware of the Muslimah in their midst is because they prefer not to draw attention to themselves, due to religious intolerance. There are many different groups and subgroups of the Muslimah in addition to stereotyped downtrodden, traditionally veiled women who are refugees, or facing problems of domestic violence and child custody battles. Some of the new types of Muslimah are categorized as follows: The New Traditionalists wear the veil or hijah, but also include career women as well as full time mothers. The Blenders are Muslimah who wear no head covering and so may not look "Muslim." They are often immigrants, second generation Americans, and career women, but they consider themselves spiritually Muslim. The Converts come from a mix of racial and ethnic groups and sometimes call themselves 'reverts,' because they believe everyone was originally Muslim; thus it is reversion, not conversion to the Muslim faith. Converts sometimes wear traditional women's attire, even adding gloves and long gowns to the veil. The Persecuted Muslimah are women who come to America to escape violence and repression. Coming from countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia and India, these Muslimah may be seeking asylum and immunity to sometimes fatal outcomes at the hands of male relatives or husbands. Finally there are the Changers, Muslimah who seek to improve the status of women in Muslim through public declarations, running for public office, and starting nonprofit humanitarian groups to help abused, poor Muslimah. Some of these champion equal rights for women within the mosque. In The Face Behind The Veil, the reader will meet individual Muslimah from each of these groups and more, thanks to tireless interviews collected and deftly edited by Donna Gehrke-White,career journalist and feature writer for the Miami Herald. There are Cherokee heritage mothers, suburban moms, career moms, literate and intellectual women, and desperately poor women who are in fear of their very lives. There are determined Muslimah, canny women who intend to take a stand to improve their future and the future of their daughters. There are many women of widely varied backgrounds who are attracted by the principles of Muslimism. The Face Behind The Veil is an effort to demystify and identify these courageous, ordinary Muslimah to the rest of their fellow Americans. Expect a surprising amount of eye-opening evidence of religious oppression in the land of the free. The Face Behind The Veil may help to correct prejudice and bigotry where it is unconscious, or even perhaps deliberate. It is a profoundly moving book.
Human Rights In The Arab World
Anthony Chase & Amr Hamzawy, eds.
University of Pennsylvania Press
3905 Spruce St., Philadelphia, PA 19104
www.upenn.edu/pennpress
0812239350 $65.00 1-800-537-5487
Human Rights In The Arab World: Independent Voices is an anthology of essays by learned authors about the unfortunate and longstanding marginalization of human rights in the Arab world, the obstacles that bar the way to implementing these rights, and pathways to improve human rights and welfare in the future. Individual essays also discuss the intersection of globalization and human rights, the especial plight of women's rights in the Arab world, case studies in Yemeni, Egypt, and Morocco, the difficulties faced by activists and NGOs pushing for human rights, and much more. A sober, serious-minded compilation of a vital current problem, especially recommended for library reference shelves.
Written by a Fellow in Christian-Muslim Relations (St. Ethelburga's Centre, London) with twenty years' experience, Understanding Islam: An Introduction is an introduction to Islamic theology, customs, philosophy, worldview, culture, scholarship, and history, accessible to lay readers of all backgrounds and featuring a fair amount of black-and-white photographs. Author C.T.R. Hewer is a Christian who, despite not personally believing all of the tenets of Islam literally (because doing so would naturally require him to convert), feels that Muslims are cousins in faith and that the moral principles of Islam and exemplary life of Mohammad should be recognized. As a result, Understanding Islam is as unbiased as humanly possible in its straightforward presentation. Enthusiastically recommended particularly for public libraries, and also as a detailed primer for anyone from lay people to scholars seeking to educate themselves about Islam and the people who practice it.
The Writing/Publishing Shelf
Author 101
Rick Frishman & Robyn Spizman
Adams Media Corporation
57 Littlefield Street, Avon, MA 02322
www.adamsmedia.com
1593375247 $12.95 1-800-872-5627
Rick Frishman is president of Planned Television Arts and Robyn Freedman Spizman is an award-wining author. Together they have provided a truly "user friendly" instruction manual for aspiring authors trying to promote themselves and their books in a highly competitive marketplace. Offering a kind of "crash course" in the mechanics, strategies and tactics of book publicity and promotion, Author 101: The Insider's Guide To Promoting Your Book--and Yourself is a compendium of field tested, effective, "tips, tricks & techniques" for reaching the reading public that includes practical advice for writing press releases, arranging book signings, getting on the talk show circuits. Also covered are "insider tips" from authors, agents, and publishers on what to do (and not do) when promoting books. There are even special sections devoted to building grassroots support through book clubs and readers groups. All this and more are carefully, methodically laid out so as to be completely accessible to the novice author -- and has much to offer even the more experienced writers. The appendices providing extensive resource information could prove invaluable in and of itself. No aspiring author who is now faced with the task of promoting and marketing their book can afford to be without their own personal reference copy of Author 101.
Damn! Why Didn't I Write That?
Marc McCutheon
Quill Driver Books
1254 Commerce Way, Sanger, CA 9357
188495556 $14.95 quilldriverbooks.com
The newly updated edition of a classic we recommended in its first publication, Damn! Why Didn't I Write That? is here to show how ordinary folk can write profitable nonfiction books. Housewives, blue collar workers and more are producing many of today's bestsellers and the message here is: you can, too. Chapters revise and revamp recommendations on where to locate profitable venues and how to fill niches repeatedly.
A Novel Approach To Writing
Alfie Thompson
Running Press
125 South Twenty-Second Street, Philadelphia, PN 19103-4399
076242401X $12.95 runningpress.com
A Novel Approach To Writing: Lights! Camera! Fiction! by movie buff and professional writing instructor Alfie Thompson is a guide to writing great novels especially for movie lovers. Chapters instruct how to watch movies with a writer's eye for what works and what doesn't, blending believable character traits into scenes and plots, using goals to reveal character motivation, judiciously applying foreshadowing and flashback, the power of the suspense of disbelief and how to encourage it, smooth plotting, and much more. A Novel Approach To Writing is a valuable supplement to aspiring and practicing fiction writers, outlining how to absorb the most advanced techniques and inspiration from multimedia experiences and transform it into improved quality within one's own work.
See Jane Write
Sarah Mlynowski & Farrin Jacobs
Quirk Books
215 Church St., Philadelphia, PA 19106
1594741158 $14.95 quirkbooks.com
See Jane Write: A Girl's Guide To Writing Chick Lit is a fabulously entertaining, wickedly practical, 192-page beginner's manual for the chick lit bestselling authors of next year, and the year after that, and maybe the year after that. A first of its kind to focus only on chick lit, See Jane Write is hilariously witty, incredibly compact, and begins with a peppy, condensed definition and history of chick lit. Because of that very important introduction, I now know that a) Chick lit started in Ireland, in the mid 90's, and b) All of Part One, The Big Picture is designed to inform, educate, and motivate the next group of wannabe chick lit authors. I particularly liked chapter four, How Writing Chick Lit Is Like Dating: "Think about it: What do you want to achieve with your novel (besides fame, fortune, and an addiction to checking your sales ranking on Amazon.com)? (p. 39)." The fantastic intimate stream of idea-framing consciousness continues at a merry pace. Are you getting how much fun See Jane Write is? That, by the way, is one of the reasons why a sense of humour is essential to the successful chick lit author (See Rule #2: Always have your wit about you. p.41). This rule ends with the key statement "...it was never a chore to read it (p.42)." See Jane Write continues on to Part Two, The Details. In eight sizzling chapters, the authors teach the basics of style, creating primary and secondary characters, structure, pacing, and piecing, grammar and punctuation, and revising and revisiting. Not only that, the last chapter is devoted to extremely savvy pointers on packaging and selling the manuscript, choosing an agent (and why you should), and dealing with rejection. Somehow I have forgotten to mention the very talented and wise coauthors of See Jane Write, you see what insouciance does to the reader? Co-authors Mlynowski and Jacobs added in Appendix 1 (p. 182) a list of "Books That Will Help You, Really." In summary, if you think you are a potential chick lit writer, this is definitely a must read for you. Additionally, if you are bored, lonely, and tired of "stuffed shirt lit", See Jane Write is even more definitively required reading for aspiring "chick lit" authors. When you are all through reading and laughing, you may be surprised how much you have learned about writing.
Fluent Writing: How To Teach The Art Of Pacing is a guide especially for elementary and grade school teachers about how to teach the skill and art of smoothly pacing one's writing. Chapters cover basic mechanical tool such as the using patterns of threes and how to use "ands and buts" without overdoing it; basic pacing lessons such as learning how to cut irrelevant material; advanced lessons such as how to properly structure paragraphs; and much more. Lessons are supplemented with examples, recommended reading, tips for evaluating student writing, and a wealth of insights. Fluent Writing is very enthusiastically recommended for writing teachers of both public and private schools, and for aspiring writers seeking to hone their craft.
A Teen's Guide To Getting Published
Jessica Dunn & Danielle Dunn
Prufrock Press
PO Box 8813, Waco, TX 76714-8813
www.prufrock.com
1593631820 $14.95 1-800-998-2208
Now in an updated second edition, A Teen's Guide To Getting Published: Publishing For Profit, Recognition, And Academic Success is a "user-friendly" introduction to the business end of the writing world written especially for young adults. Written by two successful former teen authors, A Teen's Guide To Getting Published covers the writing skill, freelance publishing, rights and copyright information, common mistakes, scams, and risks (of particular note is the warning against distributing one's address, phone numbers, or other sensitive contact information - such things can lead to harassment by stalkers and worse), the basics of writing camps and workshops, and much more. Written in a friendly, down-to-earth tone, A Teen's Guide To Getting Published is recommended to anyone getting started in selling their writing regardless of individual age.
Writing Open The Mind
Andy Couturier
Ulysses Press
P.O. Box 3440, Berkeley, CA 94703
www.ulyssespress.com
1569754764 $13.95 1-800-377-2542
Writing Open The Mind: Writing Open The Mind: Tapping The Subconscious To Free The Writing And The Writer is a 241 page idea book full of creative approaches to the process of writing. For both the serious professional writer and the creative personal journalist, Writing Open The Mind could be just what the writing workshop doctor ordered. Quirky, humorous, irreverent, yet filled with practical tips and exercises to jog loose the cobwebs and stopping places of the mind, Writing Open The Mind delivers more valuable writing gold for the miner than many a heftier, loftier tome. Perhaps what works best in Writing Open The Mind is in fact its underlying sense of playfulness. For example, who would you respond to the idea of triggering new 'mindstates' with use of hypnotic scents, lights, and sounds? If this intrigues the writer in you, read chapter four, 'Sway'. How about the notion of resequencing the mind, shuffling the nuggets, splicing things differently? Read chapter three, 'Shatter/Scramble. 'Other mind unblocking approaches include dropping into the deep subconscious, pushing against the boundaries of your work, architectures, prismatics, writing from the kindetic body (or 'Shaking Up the Curmudgeon'), and re-visions, a way to work on writing using the improvisational mind. Author Couturier also suggest working with a writing group, and inventing your own experiments. Couturier deftly quotes a gaggle of creative writing bylines in such a way as to highlight the energy unblocking magic implicit in each one. In the last chapter subsection titled 'The Secret Order of Hermeneutics and the Text of the World' he openly advocates his major agenda: "We write to understand. Thus we should write. But we can never fully understand...Thus we should keep writing (p.234)." He goes on to explain the hermeneutic circle, which is what writers do when they write, attempt to understand and interpret the world. He writes: "When we ask questions in our writing in a way that replicates the complexity of the world, the questions are better questions. That's why the writing experiments here try to replicate the complexity of this very world (p. 235)." Writing Open The Mind is a most enjoyable magician's toolbox of techniques to help the writer improve his/her writing. It deserves to be read at least twice, once for entertainment and once for understanding.
Doing It For Money
Daryl G. Nickens, editor
Tallfellow Press
1180 South Beverly Drive, Suite 320, Los Angeles, CA 90035
193129058X $24.95 1-800-851-8923
Doing It For Money: The Agony And Ecstasy Of Writing And Surviving In Hollywood is a no- nonsense, insider's account of what writing for the "Hollywood Machine" is really like. From idiotic executives to volatile stars to rewrites that shred the intentions of the original script, Doing It For Money tell it like it is, and offers a wealth of tips, such as registering one's work with the Writers Guild of America as a hedge against plagiarism (both guild and non-guild members can do this for a small fee). A highly readable account, filled with fascinating anecdotes sure to entertain even non-writers as surely as they educate aspiring writers about what to expect. Deftly edited by Daryl G. Nickens for The Writers Guild Foundation, Doing It For Money is a "must- have" reference for any aspiring or practicing entertainment industry screenwriting professionals.
The Public Domain
Stephen Fishman
Nolo Press
950 Parker Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
www.nolo.com
1413304540 $34.99 1-800-728-3555
The author of "The Copyright Handbook," attorney Stephen Fishman's latest instructive and authoritative text is a "user friendly" guide to public domain usage in literature, music, art, photography, writings, movies, and other creative sources and intellectual properties. The Public Domain: How To Find & Use Copyright-Free Writings, Music, Art & More, is Fishman's exhaustive and definitive 538 page (plus appendices and index) authoritative guide to public domain law and usage is impressive. Now in a newly updated and expanded third edition, "The Copyright Handbook devotes entire chapters to writings, music, art, photography, movies and television, computer software, architecture, maps, choreography, and collections, titles, plus a complete chapter on the internet and the public domain. Additional chapters deal with copyrights restored from the public domain; the public domain outside the United States; copyright protection and its duration; copyright notice requirements, trademarks and publicity rights, and other related areas. Chapters are succinctly and clearly written and carefully organized, with helpful tables, graphs, and illustrations, plus highlighted paragraphs for areas of special interest. The Public Domain covers a vast amount of information compactly and is a useful textbook, but it makes no claim to be a substitute for legal consultation with a qualified attorney. A handy table of icons are used to codify information throughout the book, with the icon key on page 18. An interesting chapter on the use and abuse of copyright is presented early in the book gives some helpful definitions of copyright law and its history and limitations. Stephen Fishman's The Public Domain is a pertinent text for anyone in the business of writing and publishing in the twenty-first century.
The Audiobook Shelf
Brilliance Audio
PO Box 887, Grand Haven, MI 49417
1-800-854-7859 brillianceaudio.com
Dan Fesperman's The Prisoner Of Guantanamo (1423317807, $26.95) is set in Guantanamo and tells of an interrogator who is assigned to a stubborn Yemeni prisoner who may have valuable details on Al Qaeda. When a body washes up that of an American soldier Falk finds himself at the heart of an international crisis that blends espionage with murder. David Colacci's veteran experience lends to a fine narration of politics and realities. J. A. Konrath's Rusty Nail (1423312376, $24.95) receives a dual narration by Susie Breck and veteran Dick Hill which brings to life the story of a serial murder all people Lt. Daniels knows, and all involved in a previous case. Intrigue and mystery are brought to life. Linda Howard's Cover Of Night (1423310071, $26.95) blends suspense and romance with Joyce Bean and Dick Hill two long-time audio narrators as it tells of a rural Idaho town where a young widow's bed-and-breakfast is beset with mystery when a guest vanishes and armed men demand his belongings. Soon the whole small town will face a threat from this disappearance. Weis & Hickman's Dragons Dwarven Depths: The Lost Chronicles Volume 1 (1423316169, $26.95) comes to life under veteran Sandra Burr's voice as it provides a fast-paced fantasy listen. The companions are back and seemingly safe in a hidden valley but the Dragon Army still pursues them, so there is no real safety. From a haunted fortress to a search for a legendary hammer, each of the companions faces his own trial.
Telegraph Days
Larry McMurty
Simon & Schuster Audio
1230 Ave. of Americas, NY, NY 10020
0743554515 $39.95 simonsays.com
Reader Annie Potts is known for her role on Designing women and in many other TV shows and in film, and here lends a seasoned and fine voice to Larry McMurty's winning western novel Telegraph Days, telling of siblings orphaned by their father's suicide. Journeying to a nearby town they make their mark as a sheriff's deputy and a town telegrapher, finding possible romance and fame as a result. A fine Western saga packed with adventure and romance evolves.
Full Moon Rising
Keri Arthur
Books on Tape
400 Hahn Road, Westminister, MD 21157
www.librarybooksontape.com
1415927391 $63.00 1-800-733-3000
Dramatically narrated by Justine Eyre, Full Moon Rising by Keri Arthur is the story of Riley Jenson and her twin brother Rhoan. Riley and Rhoan are a rare hybrid of vampire and werewolf who work for the "Directorate of Other Races", an organization created to police the supernatural races of werewolves, vampires, ghouls and others who now live side by side with humans. It is the role of these guardians to protect humans from the depredations of their unhuman neighbors. But guardians have been disappearing and something has decidedly gone very wrong. To complicate matters further, the coming of the full moon has werewolves like Riley going out of control with the urge for sex. What is happening with the missing guardians? why must a female werewolf's love life be so complicated? Very highly recommended for fantasy action/adventure fans, Full Moon Rising is original, entertaining, and unabridged (10 hours, 10 minutes, 7 cassettes).
Company
Max Barry
Tantor Media
114 Mill Rock Road East, Old Saybrook, CT 06475
1400102022 $34.99 www.tantor.com
Stephen Jones is a young recruit who reports in for his first day in the Training Sales Department in Seattle's Zephyr Holdings Building only to find the department enmeshed in a scandal involving the theft of a doughnut. The result is that Stephen finds himself promoted from assistant to sales rep and while doing his best to get along with his fellow workers, has the feeling that the company is hiding something that results in people getting fired and never being heard from again. Author Max Barry has crafted a wonderfully funny black comedy about the cut-throat world of corporate management that is the stuff of white-collar nightmares and big box office movies. Superbly narrated by William Dufris and enthusiastically recommended for community library audiobook collections, Company is an unabridged 8 CD audiobook with a running time of 7 hours, and is also available in a library edition (1400132029, $69.99) and on an Mp3 CD (140013202X, $19.99).
Blackstone Audio, Inc.
PO Box 969, Ashland, OR 97520
1-800-729-2665 blackstoneaudio.com
Beverly Lewis is the accomplished author of an outstanding trilogy of novels recreating the simple life and community of the Amish. Flawlessly recorded in three unabridged formats that include audiocassette ($39.95), CD ($48.00), MP3-CD ($24.95), and superbly narrated by Maruerite Gavin, this engaging trilogy consists of The Shunning (3183, 7 hours) in which Katie Lapp hears a devastating confession from her parents on the eve of her wedding -- a confession that unravels the only life she has ever known). The Confession (3193, 7 hours) finds Katherine Mayfield shunned from her home, alone in a world of strangers, and longing for the gentle, loving embrace of the woman she hopes to call Mother). In The Reckoning (3199, 7 hours), Katherine finds solace in the delights of the modern world, but unknown to her, a long lost love is searching for her and she will be compelled to face the heritage of her past and recognize God's love. Beverly Lewis' enthusiastically recommended trilogy of life and love among the Amish will prove to be a welcome and popular addition to community library audiobook collections.
The History Of The World Cup
Brian Glanville
Naxos
416 Mary Lindsay Polk Drive, Suite 509, Franklin, TN 37067
NA440412 $29.98 www.naxosusa.com
The narrator is Bob Wilson who, as a former goalkeeper for Arsenal and Scotland, brings a special expertise to his superb narration of Brian Glanville's history of international soccer's World Cup competitions from 1930 to 2002. This complete and unabridged, 4 CD audiobook has a total running time of almost five hours surveys the 32 countries that have qualified for the soccer finals, games followed with great enthusiasm by billions of listeners and viewers from around the world. Enhanced with additional commentaries by Sir Bobby Charlton (one of the great icons of international soccer), The History Of The World Cup 1930-2002 is a unique addition to any personal or community library audiobook collection.
The Money/Finance Shelf
Best Credit
Dana A. Neal
Paladin Press
7077 Winchester Cir., Boulder, CO 80301
www.paladin-press.com
9781581605013 $20.00 1-800-392-2400
The second revised and updated edition of Best Credit: How To Win The Credit Game comes from a collection agency insider and is packed with all kinds of credit and debt insights for consumers, from re-establishing good credit after bankruptcy to preventing identity theft, stopping bill collectors, and negotiating on unsecured debts. Best Credit is so filled with important facts that it's a top recommendation for every consumer; not just those starting out in the credit world.
Scams & Swindles
Silver Lake Editors
Silver Lake Publishing
111 E. Wishkah St., Aberdeen, WA 98520
1563437864 $11.95 silverlakepub.com
Scams & Swindles: How To Recognize And Avoid Internet Era Rip-Offs is a basic primer packed with insights any Internet user should be aware of. From Nigerian schemes and money laundering to phishing, id theft and investment frauds, Scams & Swindles covers method, purpose, and how to avoid becoming a victim. Mortgage fraud, spam and spyware receive insights too all with an eye to Internet dangers.
The Political Science Shelf
The Age Of War
Gabriel Kolko
Lynne Rienner Publishers
1800 30th St., #314, Boulder, CO 80301
1588264394 $19.95 www.reinner.com
America at war with the world? It's a possibility: The Age Of War: The United States Confronts The World details the lack of insight US leaders have gained from the past and it isn't just talking about the last decade, either. Chapters analyze Vietnam to Iraq, providing a blend of history and critical appraisal of US responses. Gabriel Kolko began his study of US policy at Harvard in the 1950s: his scholarly survey will interest any college-level political studies collection.
Reflections In A Bloodshot Lens
Lawrence Pintak
Pluto Press
c/o University of Michigan Press, 839 Greene Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
0745324193 $26.95 www.plutobooks.com
The actions and reactions of the U.S. before and after 9/11 has done little to improve its standing in the world, especially in Muslim-populated nations around the world, and Reflections In A Bloodshot Lens: America, Islam And The War Of Ideas probes the basic differences between perceptions of Americans and Muslims around the world. It comes from a veteran CBS news correspondent with strong connections to these world communities, reflects his journalistic experience, and proves a strong survey of not only American and Islam ideas, but how misreporting has emphasized differences.
Blue State Birds
David R. Slavitt
Wesleyan University Press
215 Long Lane, Middletown, CT 06459
www.wesleyan.edu
0819568069 $24.95 860-685-7723
Blue State Birds: How A Conservative Launched A Campaign And Found Himself The Liberal Candidate (And Still Lost) is the immensely entertaining political memoir of a moderate, pro-choice, pro-gay-marriage Republican candidate David Slavitt, who dared to run against a pro-life Democrat for the Massachusetts State Legislature in 2004. Though a skilled writer, Slavitt was a political novice, absolutely blindsided by the circus of insanity pervading state politics. An engaging story of heart, soul, and fighting the good fight, Blue State Birds resists being put down until the very last page and embodies the twin spirits of determination and political participation that makes America great. Highly recommended.
The Antiques/Collectibles Shelf
Western Shirts
Steven E. Weil & G. Daniel DeWeese
Gibbs Smith
PO Box 667, Layton, UT 84041
1586852485 $39.95 gibbs-smith.com
Western shirts have been around enough decades to become collectible: but what distinguishes brands, makes them collectible, or makes them special? Western Shirts: A Classic American Fashion follows both the history and collectible points of the Western shirt, offering a complete listing of Western shirt labels, covering everyday wear to costume wear, and adding plenty of photos, illustrations, and sidebars of information. A 'must' for any who either collect or love the Western shirt style.
Collector Books
PO Box 3009, Paducah, KY 42002-3009
www.collectorbooks.com
A bonus DVD is included for this field guide to typical auction treasures Don and R.C. Raycroft's Raycraft's Auction Field Guide Volume 1 (1574324845, $19.95), packed with color photos, ratings, and prices throughout. In the 1950s and 60s most antiques were sold in small shops across America: today auctions on the internet are the place to go and Raycrafts' Auction Field Guide: Volume 1 is here to guide you through all possibilities. The DVD follows the authors as they find, price, research and sell the items listed, offering tips along the way. Joe Devine's Collecting Royal Copley Plus Royal Windsor & Spaulding Identification And Value Guide (1574325043, $19.95) packs in a lovely photo gallery of pieces with history and values. Royal Copley is the main focus of the presentation, though some Windsor and Spaulding pieces are presented, and about 85% of everything made at Spaulding was Royal Copley. Collectors will find this a 'must have' reference. John & Malinda Bomm's Official Precious Moments Collector's Guide To Figurines, 2nd Edition (157432490X, $19.95) provides a handy tote-size manual which will easily fit into a purse or coat pocket, offering collectors take-along accessibility to the Precious Moments treasures they may locate in flea markets or garage sales. Each figurine receives a clear color photo, issue price, and various price ranges based on condition. The authors have almost 900 pieces in their own collection and theirs is a guide enthusiasts won't want to miss.
The Graphic Novel Shelf
Attitude 3
Ted Rall, editor
NBM
40 Exchange Place, #1308, NY NY 10005
1561634654 $13.95 nbmpublishing.com
Attitude 3: The New Subversive Online Cartoonists covers online web cartoonists: over twenty daring, original creators whose works appear on the Net. From love and politics to humor and fun, Attitude 3 brings alternative cartooning to an offline audience in book form, presenting works and interviews with over twenty leading online cartoonists who are not limited by big media constraints and rules. Any cartoonist particularly those interested in alternative graphic novels and works will find this absorbing.
Love That Bunch
Aline Kominsky Crumb
Fantagraphics
7563 Lake City Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115
156097170 $16.95 fantagraphics.com
From romance and sex to food, Love That Bunch is a 1960s-style romp which comic and graphic novel fans will relish. Presented in black and white are tales of funny customers, organic foods, philosophy, low esteem and more: comics which represent camp comedy at its best. Fans of Crumb and alternative comics will thrill to many of the jokes and 1960s scenarios.
Playback
Raymond Chandler & Ted Benoit
Arcade Publishing
141 Fifth Avenue, 8th Fl, NY, NY 10010
www.arcadepub.com
1559707968 $19.95 1-800-759-0190
If you like graphic novels in classic black and white, Raymond Chandler's mysteries, or comics revolving around blackmail and murder, then this Arcade Publishing edition of Playback is for you. It holds plenty of tough talk and strong dialogue, brisk action, and well done characters: combine these with excellent graphic images and you have a very strong pick for personal and community library collections.
James Bond 007: Colonel Sun
Kingsley Amis, et al.
Titan Books Ltd.
144 Southwark Street London SE1 0UP
1845761758 $19.95 www.amazon.com
Latest in a series of James Bond daily strip collections, James Bond 007: Colonel Sun by the team of Kingsley Amis, Jim Lawrence, and Yaroslav Horak is a graphic novel compilation of black-and-white daily newspaper strips that adapted Ian Fleming's classic James Bond action-adventure story "River of Death" and Sir Kingsley Amis' James Bond story "Golden Sun" to comic format. In addition to flawless reproductions of the original strips, James Bond 007: Colonel Sun includes an introduction by Britt Ekland, a summary of how Kingsley Amis came to continue the Bond legacy after Fleming's passing in 1964, and an interview with comic-strip artist and adapter Jim Lawrence. James Bond 007: Colonel Sun is an absolute "must-have" for all dedicated James Bond fans.
The Hobby Shelf
Building And Detailing Scale Model Cars
Pat Covert
Specialty Press
39966 Grand Avenue, North Branch, MN 55056
1580070906 $24.95 specialtypress.com
Modelers receive a specific, detailed guide to painting and detailing model cars in a title which packs in over 300 color photos to illustrate techniques, materials, and fine tuning alike. Covert is a worldwide authority on car modeling and has written many articles and books on the subject, but Building And Detailing Scale Model Cars is one of his best, appealing to both newcomers and experienced modelers alike.
The Health/Medicine Shelf
The Reality Diet
Steven A. Schnur, MD
Avery/The Penguin Group
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
www.us.penguingroup.com
1583332502 $24.95 1-800-847-5515
There are so many diet books on the market that there hardly seems room for yet another but The Reality Diet: Lose The Pounds For Good With A Cardiologist's Simple, Healthy, Proven Plan is truly different: it comes from a president of one of Florida's largest cardiology practices, it's designed to include foods you like such as pasta and waffles, and it provides separate exercise routines for men and women, along with tips on handling restaurants and holidays. The result's an easier diet to follow than most, and comes with the authority of a M.D. specializing in heart care.
Menasha Ridge Press
2204 First Avenue South, Suite 102, Birmingham, AL 35233
$9.95 each www.menasharidge.com
Two important 'Treating Medical Emergencies' guides by Dr. Patrick Brighton for treating medical emergencies in the field are essential for any who would cultivate safety in the wilderness. Paddlers' Guide For Treating Medical Emergencies (089-7326296) covers a range of possible water injuries and problems; from exposure and fractures to animal and insect bites and self-evacuation. Dr. Brighton similar handbook Hikers' And Backpackers' Guide (0897326407) includes coverage of high-altitude problems, stings, open wound treatment, and more. No avid backpacker should be without these take-along totes: while library holdings will find them fine references, their value on the trail is especially notable.
A Perfectly Striking Departure
Nicholas T. Tilney, MD
Science History Publications
Box 1240, Sagamore Beach, MA 02562
0881353825 $35.00 www.shupusa.com
A Perfectly Striking Departure: Surgeons And Surgery At The Peter Bent Brigham Hospital 1912-1980 follows the seventy-year growth of the teaching arm of the Harvard Medical School, an initially small facility which attracted an international faculty. From the influences of different surgeons-in-chiefs to changes in academic departments and perspectives, chapters follow the growth, evolution and influences of the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital; and while this might be a specialty acquisition for many collections any interested in medical history will find it a fine survey.
Bird Flu What To Do
Verona Fonte, Ph.D.
Chelsea Green Publishing
PO Box 428, White River Junction, VT 05001-0428
www.chelseagreen.com www.birdfluwhattodo.com
0977103714 $14.95 1-800-639-4099
Bird Flu What To Do: Prepare To Survive by Verona Fonte Ph.D. (a psychologist for over twenty years' experience) with contributions from five experienced doctors, is a straightforward instruction manual for readers of all backgrounds about what to do and how to survive in a pandemic, particularly a bird flu pandemic. Chapters address how to prepare, including storing water and making sure water is safe to drink, what food and other goods to get and how to store it, healthy habits to adopt now to strengthen one's immune system, networking for a safer community, caregiving tips, what to do when death occurs, and much more. Bird flu specifically is extremely virulent and easily contagious simply from being in proximity to the sick; Bird Flu What To Do does not pretend to have a magic solution to the grim realities of a pandemic, but rather presents all the emergency advice that medical science and common sense have to offer in no-nonsense terms. Highly recommended.
All In My Head
Paula Kamen
DaCapo Press/Perseus Book Group
11 Cambridge Ctr, Cambridge, MA 02142
0738210390 $14.95 dacapopress.com
Paula Kamen was twenty-four when a contact lens insertion ignited an intense pain: over ten years later she still has the exact same headache. All In My Head: An Epic Quest To Cure An Unrelenting, Totally Unreasonable And Only Slightly Enlightening Headache is a memoir of medical hell, recounting ineffective remedies, medical frustration, and the problem of chronic pain sufferers. Included in her medical journey are interviews with over a dozen other sufferers of chronicle pain. 'Chronic Daily Headache' is a neurological disorder that affects only four or five percent of the population but its story hasn't been told before. Sufferers will find plenty to learn from here.
Demos Medical Publishing
386 Park Avenue South, #301, NY, NY 10016
www.demosmedpub.com
Two important new guides are top picks for families facing special medical challenges. Nicholas LaRocca, Ph.D. & Rosalind Kalb, Ph.D.'s Multiple Sclerosis: Understanding The Cognitive Challenges (193260331X, $19.95) is the first to discuss MS-related cognitive dysfunction, tracing the emotional and social impact of these changes, medical evaluations of symptoms, and treatment and coping options alike. Chapters cite studies, discuss patient care and provider perception of physical disabilities, and emphasize approaches to cognitive rehabilitation. Shelley Peterman Schwarz's Parkinson's Disease: 300 Tips For Making Life Easier (1932603530, $16.95) appears in a second updated edition to provide techniques for daily living and coping. From tips to caregivers providing support to subject-oriented tips for quick reference and suggestions for task management, Parkinson's Disease: 300 Tips For Making Life Easier provides important resources for patients and their families. Stacey Chillemi and Blanca Vazquez, MD's Epilepsy And Pregnancy (193203158, $16.95) examines all the issues involved in the epileptic woman's pregnancy, from nutrition and special risks to mother and fetus to what to expect, the use of antiepileptic drugs during pregnancy, and more. While some advice is general to all pregnancy, it's the epilepsy-oriented health tips that make this a winner.
The Environmental Studies Shelf
Kicking The Carbon Habit
William Sweet
University of Columbia Press
61 West 62nd Street, NY, NY 10023-7015
www.columbiaedu/cu/cup
0231137109 $27.95 1-800-944-8648
Kicking The Carbon Habit: Global Warming And The Case Of Renewable And Nuclear Energy doesn't adopt the usual focus on cutting oil consumption: instead it focuses on reducing coal use. Coal-fired plants produce over half of the electricity in the US, accounting for some 40 percent of the country's greenhouse gasses. Sweet doesn't advocate a singular path of change another unusual feature but proposes a mix of environmentally sound technologies from wind power to nuclear reactors. Chapters survey not just techniques but political pros and cons, social effects, and environmental impact.
The Pets/Wildlife Shelf
Horse Racing's Top 100 Moments
The Staff of Blood-Horse Publications
Eclipse Press
Box 919003, Lexington, KY 40591-9003
National Book Network, dist.
4720-A Boston Way, Lanham, MD 20706
www.eclipsepress.com
1581501390 $24.95 1-800-462-4620
Compiled by the staff of Blood-Horse Publications, Horse Racing's Top 100 Moments is a nostalgic compilation of great instances in the history of the sport of kings. Each two-page spread of this trade paperback is devoted to memorable occasions ranging from Cigar's historic victory of the first Dubai World Cup, to the very first race call as conceived by George Schilling in the mid-20's, to the broadcast of Man o' War's funeral, each great moment is described in clear prose and illustrated with vintage black-and-white and color photographs. An enjoyable treasury and giftbook especially for horse racing enthusiasts.
Lizards
David Badger
Voyageur Press
380 Jackson #200, St. Paul, MN 55101
0760325790 $19.95 voyageurpress.com
Lizards: A Natural History Of Some Uncommon Creatures-Extraordinary Chameleons, Iguanas, Geckos & More pairs gorgeous close-up color photos by John Netherton of some thirty fascinating creatures with natural history insights from journalism professor and critics David Badger. Here's the perfect place to get the entire family interested in the world of lizards: simply gorgeous photos capture the dramatic nuances and colors and delight the eye.
Retriever Trouble-Shooting
John Dahl & Amy Dahl
Willow Creek Press
PO Box 147, Minocqua, WI 54548
www.willowcreekpress.com
157223783X $24.50 www.amazon.com
Most retrievers are eager to retrieve but there still can be problems training them to do so properly, even in advanced settings. Retriever Trouble-Shooting: Strategies & Solutions To Retriever Training Problems comes from the authors of highly acclaimed training manual, The 10-Minute Retriever and offers the authors' own experiences and expertise in handling typical problems and coaching owners on retrievals covering many a long distance. Chapters cover line manners, bird handling, force-fetching and more, making Retriever Trouble-Shooting a 'must' for any owner or handler engaged in training a superior retriever dog.
The High Maintenance Bitch
Lori Pacchiano & Ryan Pacchiano
Sasquatch Books
119 South Main, #400, Seattle, WA 98104
1570614806 $14.95 sasquatchbooks.com
If you own a little dog, The High Maintenance Bitch is a "user friendly" guide to grooming, etiquette, discipline, and more, all tailored to the female dog owner as concerned about style as about dog training. Humor abounds in a guide covering how to gain romance despite handling a small amorous dog in traffic, and more. Pet owners will love The High Maintenance Bitch , as will the chic upward-bound girl who understands social encounters and the possibilities of pets in public places.
A Guide To The Reptiles And Amphibians Of Egypt
Sherif Baha El Din
The American University in Cairo Press
420 Fifth Avenue, NY, NY 10018-2729
9774249798 $34.95 www.aucpress.com
A Guide To The Reptiles And Amphibians Of Egypt is a concise, solid, and up-to-date reference especially for herpetologists and natural scientists in need of a quick reference to the 1180 species currently recognized within Egypt. Each species' entry includes information about its taxonomy, identification, natural history, ecology, and conservation. Author Sherif Baha El Din has spent twenty years researching and studying the reptile and amphibian fauna of Egypt; his meticulously gathered data is supplemented with over 130 color photographs and black-and-white line drawings, accurate distribution maps, and a bibliography. Featuring sufficient detail and scientific rigor for professionals while retaining an accessible narrative style for amateur nature lovers, A Guide To The Reptiles And Amphibians Of Egypt is a quality reference of the highest order.
The Language Studies Shelf
Spanish: Live It And Learn It!
Martha Racine Taylor
Cypress House
155 Cypress St., Fort Bragg, CA 95437
9781879384644 $18.95 cypresshouse.com
Anyone who wishes to learn Spanish by the immersion method will now know how much work goes into researching classes offering such opportunity, because Martha Racine Taylor has done the research upon which she has based Spanish: Live It And Learn It: The Complete Guide To Language Immersion Schools In Mexico using her studies in Spanish at the college level to assess and present programs. She visited Spanish-language schools in fourteen cities in Mexico and stayed with local families: her guide covers facilities, academic background, credits, costs and descriptions.
The Adventure Shelf
The Greatest Escape Stories Ever Told
Darren Brown, Editor
Lyons Press
PO Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437
1592284809 $14.95 lyonspress.com
To reach freedom the most famous escapers of modern times have been willing to pull off the impossible: their adventures and struggles are related in The Greatest Escape Stories Ever Told: a blend of history and drama which presents riveting stores of escape, from battling the Bastille to swimming shark-infested waters to avoid the Japanese during the war. Any interested in true life adventure will find this a compelling collection.
Pedaling To Hawaii
Stevie Smith
Countryman Press
PO Box 748, Woodstock, VT 06091
0881507091 $23.95 countrymanpress.com
Looking for high adventure? Read Pedaling To Hawaii: A Human-powered Odyssey. A Parisian bureaucrat decides to change his life and with no special skills and no money, he and his friend ride through Europe and pedal-boat across the Atlantic in 111 days. Using skates, bikes and boats and the two cross the US and then go to Hawaii their high adventures combine with life-changing insights in a story of change and motivation.
The Criminology Shelf
Bronx D.A.
Sarena Straus
Barricade Books
185 Bridge Plaza North, Suite 308-A, Ft. Lee, NJ 07024
1569803056 $22.00 barricadebooks.com
This true crime memoir of author Sarena Straus, a young assistant D.A. working in the Bronx, isn't just another collection of vignettes but tackles the overall struggle against violence, considering the experiences of those living with violence on the streets and those who work against it fellow attorneys, physicians, social workers and others. From homicides to police actions and her own disturbing caseload of rapists, murderers, and batterers, Straus manages to find the human element and hope in each case, ultimately surveying the camaraderie and connections which arise from struggle and adversity.
The atrocities of war are many, and should not be forgotten P.O.W. keeps this memory alive, linking a personal account of history from the perspective of one Lloyd King, a civilian worker on Wake Island who was a P.O.W. after the island was attacked by the Japanese during the war. From starvation to forced labor and brutality, the daily experience of a military prisoner of war come to life here.
Zenith Press/MBI
380 Jackson #200, St. Paul, MN 55101
zenithpress.com mbipublishing.com
There have been so many books about wars and their weapons that one might wonder at the need for another, but the focus is different, here: Bill Yenne's Secret Gadgets And Strange Gizmos: High-Tech (And Low-tech) Innovations Of The U.S. Military (0760321159 $24.95) narrows the focus to the secret, behind the scenes and largely forgotten inventions and theories of these wars, surveying some lesser-known weapons and military systems from World War 1 onward. These include the strange 'lobber' missile, spy satellites, night-attack systems and nuclear explosion detection devices. Chapters cover history, manufacture, testing results and more and provide plenty of black and white and color photo embellishment: a highly recommended pick any military collection should have. Harry Yeide's Weapons Of The Tankers: American Armor In World War II (0760323291, $24.95) tells how the U.S. Army went from having a near-nonexistent armored force to a world-class fighting unit almost overnight. Chapters not only review tank performance and history, but survey their development, strategies, and soldiers who operated them under impossible conditions. Vintage black and white photos on nearly every page pack the presentation. Russ Byrant and W. David Perks' USMC (0760325324, $19.95) provides a fine survey of the history and experience of the U.S. Marine. It adds to the growing 'Military Power series and reviews the branch's history and structure as well as Marine experiences in war. An impressive selection for military specialty collections and aviation holdings is Grumman F-14 Tomcat: Bye-Bye, Baby!, (0760325766, $40.00):compiled by Dave Parsons, George Hall and Bob Lawson. The dramatic oversized presentation charts a craft which had a terrible time being 'born', evolving during the era of McNamara's 'whiz kids' in the Pentagon who wanted a new fighter for both Air Force and Navy personnel the TFX. The underpowered failure eventually was halted by Tom Connolly and the Tomcat was born. Color images pack a gorgeous history of the craft's stormy history.
Osprey
443 Park Avenue South, Suite 806, New York NY 10016
www.ospreypublishing.com
Chris Bishop's Huey Cobra Gunships (1841769843, $15.95) follows the history of the first helicopter gunship to see combat. It's surprising to note it was designed in the 1960s, for it's still being manufactured and improved upon today, serving as a support weapon in Iraq from its original service in Vietnam. Warren Thompson's F-86 Sabre Aces Of The 4th Fighter Wing (1841769967, $20.95) interviews most of the aces from the 4th Wing, offering first-person accounts of aerial combat and rare accounts of first-time encounters with Russian pilots. Since these pilots wrote the book on jet warfare, the F-86 Sabre aces' accounts are of special note. Rene Chartreand's The Spanish Main 1492-1800 (1846030056, $16.95) focuses on early fortifications and examples of medieval styles, providing a special survey of the 'Spanish Main' an area encompassing the West Indies and the Central American and Mexican coast. An intriguing survey of not only fortifications, but politics. Steven J. Zaloga's U.S. Armored Units In The North African And Italian Campaigns, 1942-45 (1841769665, $23.95) is a very specific guide for collections strong in World War II events: it covers the area which saw the first operational deployment of US armored divisions and their organization and strategies, following tactics and changes alike. The focus on strategy makes this a very specific, recommended pick for such collections. Bernd Horn & Michael Wyczynski's Canadian Airborne Forces Since 1942 (1841769851, $17.95) covers the history and uniforms of Canadian airborne forces from World War II to modern times. While this specialty item will be limited to collections with an interest in Canadian military topics, such a collection will find it packed with history. Same can be said for Lawrence Burr's British Battlecruisers 1914-18 (1846030080, $15.95), a survey of the design, development and deployment of British battlecruisers, which were innovations in their time. Chapters provide details on technology and intelligence blends which made them effective. Abiodun Alao's Mau-Mau Warrior (1846030-242, $17.95) features color photos published for the first time as it covers the Mau-Mau Uprising of 1952-60, long presented as a primitive uprising and seldom analyzed for its strategy and skills. The uprising forced the British government to make the longest airlift in military history: Mau-Mau Warrior examines those behind the movement and their importance to African struggles. Ronald Pawly's Napoleon's Scouts Of The Imperial Guard (1841769568, $15.95) covers the leader's last and best campaign, when he'd been driven out, defeated, and most of his veterans had been killed. In this final battle he raised three regiments of mounted scouts for his Imperial Guard and here their equipment, history and uniforms are detailed. G. Rottman's Viet Cong And Nva Tunnels And Fortifications Of The Vietnam War (184603003X, $16.95) joins others in the 'Fortress' series to focus on the key fortresses and defensive systems of the era. The North Vietnamese Army was forced to dig shelters and hide weapons underground: their systems and camouflage are analyzed here.
The Devil's Topographer
David M. Owens
University of Tennessee Press
293 Communications Building, Knoxville, TN 37996-0325
www.utpress.org
1572334649 $33.00 1-800-621-2736
The Devil's Topographer: Ambrose Bierce And The American War Story tells one who was billed 'the first writer of fiction ever to treat war realistically'. This realism came from Bierce's experiences as a Union soldier in the Civil War, where he moved from soldier to cartographer and saw major battles of the war. Any interested in Bierce's background must have The Devil's Topographer: it outlines an important part of his life and sets over twenty of his war stories chronologically according to the story's action. This could've been reviewed in our Literary section but is mentioned here for its added interest to military literature audiences.
Andrea Press/Casemate, dist.
2114 Darby Rd., Havertown, PA 19083
www.casemate.com www.amazon.com
It's hard to easily categorize this slim title: hobbyists will find here highly detailed models and a fine set of tips on Red Baron modeling; but it's the military buff who will best appreciate the vintage photos and history which accompanies the models in Lee Preston's The Red Baron (8496527-336, $24.95). Displays of reconstructions and models include specifics down to the paint job, while vintage black and white photos provide excellent depth. The War On Terror: A Deep Review About Islamic And Other Terrorist Ways (84-96527646, $22.95) joins others in the 'Historical Warriors' series, analyzing the historical circumstances which fostered terrorism on a global scale leading to the 9/11 attacks. From terrorist strategies to a chronicle of major attacks, illustrations and drawings accompany details on Islam, jihad, and more. An excellent introduction.
Don't You Know There's A War On?
Jonathan Croall
Sutton Publishing Limited
260 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10001
www.suttonpublishing.co.uk
0750936991 $16.95 1-800-462-6420
Don't You Know There's A War On?: Voices From The Home Front provides an intimate 'you are there' experience chronicling the perceptions of young people during the second world war. Documents come in many forms here, from letters and poems to diary extracts and writings of soldiers. Essays by a range of authors are organized by topic, from 'Women's Work' to those out of sync with the norm. An intriguing, involving discourse, Don't You Know There's A War On? is a highly recommended addition to American History and Military History collections.
Into The Dragon's Teeth
Dany Lynch & Paul Rutherford
Atlas Books
30 Amberwood Parkway, Ashland, OH 44805
www.atlastbooks.com
0878755594 $29.95 1-800-537-6272
The collaborative work of veteran journalism, television pundit and author Dan Lynch in partnership with essayist and author Paul Rutherford, Into The Dragon's Teeth: Warriors' Tales Of The Battle Of The Bulge recounts the true-life story of three American solders who fought in the World War II epic battle that came to be known as the "Battle of the Bulge". The Germans were desperate to keep the allies from entering Germany in the closing year of the war. A cruel winter held the frontline in its frigid grip. Enhanced with the inclusion of a DVD and very highly recommended for military buffs and the Military History collections of academic and community libraries, Into The Dragon's Teeth compellingly provides illustrative stories about what close order combat was really like in those dark and desperate times.
Inman's War
Jeffrey S. Copeland
Paragon House
1925 Oakcrest Avenue, Suite 7, St. Paul, MN 55113-2619
155778860X $17.95 paragonhouse.com
Author Jeffrey Copeland (head of the Dept. of English Language and Literature, University of Northern Iowa) presents Inman's War: A Soldier's Story Of Life In A Colored Battalion In WW II, a narrative biography of an African-American who served in the American military prior to its integration under Harry S Truman. Drawn from one hundred and fifty letters written by Inman Perkins to his fiancee and later wife, Inman's War offers an intensely personal look at individual valor and suffering, and allows lay readers and historians alike to appreciate the contribution of "colored battalions" not only to the war effort, but to the improved egalitarianism of American culture. Highly recommended reading.
The Philosophy Shelf
Uncommon Dissent
William A. Dembski, editor
ISI Books
3901 Centerville Road, Wilmington, DE 19807-0431
1932236309 $28.00 www.isibooks.org
It's hard to easily categorize this: both science and philosophy blend in Uncommon Dissent: Intellectuals Who Find Darwinism Unconvincing, making it a pick for college-level collections strong in either science or philosophy. Contributors discuss Darwinian evolutionary theory with an eye to revealing its problems: Dembski gathers essays from leading intellectuals who provide strong counter-arguments against Darwin's ideas.
Open Court
PO Box 300, Peru, IL 61354
www.opencourtbooks.com
A poet, a philosopher and a politician each understood the attraction of evil, depicting it in their respective genres; but it takes religious hermit and scholar Claire Ortiz Hill to put the three together under one cover in Roots And Flower Of Evil In Baudelaire, Nietzsche And Hitler (08126-95860, $27.95), pulling together their writings to examine and contrast philosophy with historical events in which evil is manifested. Her comparison will interest college-level students of both literature and philosophy and will provide excellent material for classroom discussion and further inquiry. Gary L. Hardcastle and George A. Reisch's Monty Python And Philosophy (0812695933, $17.95) is for any Python fan, whether or not they like philosophy. Here professional philosophers and amateur Python fans celebrate and discuss the unlikely intersections of humor and philosophy, with comedy blending to metaphysics and ethics blending into TV and film insights. Especially recommended for college-level readers reluctant to enter the world of philosophy.
The Fiction Shelf
Panda Diaries
Alex Kuo
University of Indianapolis Press
1400 East Hana Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46227-3697
www.uindy.edu/universitypress
088093865X $16.95 www.amazon.com
It's hard to easily peg this account: it's a novel about a colonel's attempt to reclaim his life after a career in China's secret service but it's also a reflection on Chinese history and culture, surveying China's politics and effects using an insider's viewpoint in a novel form. Whether easily pegged or not, it will intrigue any interested in either Chinese politics or military fiction.
Donovan's Paradigm
Lynn Price
Behler Publications
22365 El Toro Road, #135, Lake Forest, CA 92630
www.behlerpublications.com
1933016337 $18.95 www.amazon.com
Donovan's Paradigm is a novel that will have a very special appeal to anyone in the medical profession. Kim Donovan's challenge to traditional medicine involves her in a direct conflict with a well-respected surgeon as well as involving the entire hospital: their standoff will change the hospital's world as well as their lives in this expertly crafted story of medical ethics and issues that could well be the stuff of today's newspaper headlines. A strongly recommended addition to community library contemporary fiction collections, Donovan's Paradigm clearly documents author Lynn Price as an especially talented writer who will engage the reader's total attention from first page to last.
Westbow/Thomas Nelson
PO Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214
www.thomasnelson.com
Laura Jensen Walker's Reconstructing Natalie (1595530679, $14.99) provides a rare opportunity to laugh at a serious subject: breast cancer. Joining others in the 'Women of Faith' fiction imprint, it's based on the author's experiences and provides a dynamic story of disease, faith, and the power of humor. Diann Hunt's RV There Yet? (159554142X, $14.99) is another in the imprint, this focusing on a cross-country RV trip for a girl recovering from spurned love and a demanding chocolate business. Her love of luxury is challenged in a road trip which offers anything but relaxation. Denise Hildreth's Savannah By The Sea (1595541608, $14.99) provides a sequel to Savannah Comes Undone but no prior familiarity is needed to appreciate this tale. Savannah's seaside week leads to an unexpected new man in her life and an unexpected ability to cope. Hilarious encounters with parents, boyfriends and bosses enhance a lively adventure.
Ursula's Maiden Army
Philip Griffin
Beagle Bay Books
3040 June Meadows Rd, Reno, NV 89509
094961019 $14.95 288 pages + maps www.beaglebay.com
Ursula's Maiden Army is historical fiction at its best. Built around the hazy tales and legends of Britannic princess Ursula in the fifth century, Ursula's Maiden Army is a reworking of the known legends and scant facts that surround the princess' maiden army of thousands who defended their homeland from invading Picts, Hibernians, and Saxons when their men did not return from their recall to the Continent, in the beginning of what would become the collapse of the Roman Empire. Ursula and her maidens use armor, horses, and cunning to defeat their enemies in hand-to-hand combat. Though destined for bloody martyrdom outside Colonia at the hands of Huns in Germania, these women did not suffer their eventual fate tamely. Instead, legend records that a British princess emasculated (and killed) Mundzuk, father of Attila, on a wedding bed. The tales of Ursula, and her friends, Pinnosa, Brittola, Cordula, Martha, and Saula in their adventures together are fiercely entertaining. Ursula is not presented as someone accustomed to killing, nor are her friends. Rather, it becomes something they are driven to accomplish as a last resort, almost a sacramental deed. Working with little historical precedent, author Philip Griffin has developed a highly charismatic figure in Ursula, believable in her deeds and choices, both heroic and human.
Scribblers On The Roof
Melvin Jules Bukiet & David G. Roskies
Persea Books
853 Broadway, New York, NY 10003
www.perseabooks.com
089255326X $15.95 212-260-9256
Scribblers On The Roof: Contemporary American Jewish Fiction by Co-authors Melvin Jules Bukiet & David G. Roskies is an anthology of modern short stories by American Jewish writers, all drawn from the successful "rooftop reading" series of New York City's Congregation Ansche Chesed. Blending stoicism, comedy, and bittersweet tragedy, these short tales offer a glimpse of the human condition, and range in setting from the mundanity of daily life to the workings of a divine bar in Paradise. Each brief tale has its own delicious slant in perspective, and all are highly recommended.
Leave A Candle Burning
Lori Wick
Harvest House Publishers
990 Owen Loop North, Eugene, OR 97402-9172
www.harvesthousepublishers.com
0736913734 $12.99 1-877-307-0662
Part of the "Tucker Mills" trilogy, Lori Wick's Leave A Candle Burning finds that when young and handsome Dannan MacKay arrives in Tucker Mills to take over the medical practice of his uncle, he feels welcomed by the town, the church family, and his patients. Dannan feels that he has it all -- until he finds himself dreaming of love, offering his home to a young orphaned cousin, and finds himself drawn to the one woman in Tucker Mills that he cannot love -- but does. Leave A Candle Burning is a superbly crafted romance novel that is engagingly entertaining from first page to last, and documents yet again that veteran author Lori Wick is a truly gifted storyteller. Also very highly recommended are the first two titles of the "Tucker Mills" trilogy: Moonlight On The Millpond and Just Above A Whisper.
The Library DVD Shelf
MacArthur
WGBH
c/o SSA Public Relations
148 Madison Avenue, NY, NY 10016
www.shop.wgbh.org
1593755953 $29.95 1-877-807-2622
As originally broadcast on public television, MacArthur is the documentary of a true American military hero, General Douglas MacArthur - America's most decorated officer in World War I, and a man who recovered from severe defeat from the Japanese in the opening months of the Pacific campaign, to make an ultimately triumphant return to the Philippines in World War II, and who masterminded a brilliant invasion in the Korean War only to be severely reversed by overwhelming Chinese forces. As egotistical as he was courageous, MacArthur fought doggedly against anyone who dared to question his military judgment, even the President of the United States. This in-depth documentary includes closed captions, scene selection, and printable material for educators. Enthusiastically recommended for home, school, and public DVD libraries. 2 DVDs, 240 minutes, color.
Anchor Bay Entertainment
1699 Stutz Drive, Troy, MI 48084
$14.98 each anchorbayentertainment.com
Fitness videos have long since given way to fitness DVDs and have become an essential part of most home-based physical exercise routines for the health conscious. For those who are also under a time constraint, three "10 Minute Solution" DVDs are fun and effective. 10 Minute Solution: Fat Blasting Dance Mix (DV14639, 54 minutes) hosted by Jennifer Galardi offers five "fun and funky" programs: Simple Slimmer, Calorie Meltdown, Fat Burning Dance Party, Butt and Thigh Blaster, and Ab Attack. These lively exercises are designed to burn off fat while working on body sculpting. 10 Minute Solution: Rapid Results Pilates (DV14625, $54 minutes) with Lara Hudson offers five specific exercises: Simple Slimmer, Arms and Should Shaper, Waist Trimmer, Total Body Blast, and Slim & Sleek Stretch. Light weights are utilized during the Arms workout. In 10 Minute Solution: Fitness Ball Workouts (DV14626, 54 minutes), Kimberly Spreen offers five enjoyable ball workouts: Mix and Match Lower Body Workout, Upper Body Workout, Core Workout, Cardio Workout, and Flexibility Workout. A stability ball is required, and light weights may be used in the upper body segment. Also very highly recommended are two additional home exercise "follow along" instructional DVDs: Pick Your Level: Fat To Firm Fast (DV14628, $14.98, 44 minutes) and Pick Your Level: Weight Loss Pilates (DV14627, $14.98, 35 minutes).
The Library CD Music Shelf
Critical Mass
Dave Holland Quintet
Dare 2 Records
c/o Rock Paper Scissors
216 West Allen Street, Suite 137, Bloomington, IN 47403
CD $16.98 www.rockpaperscissors.biz
The first new Dave Holland Quintet album in over three years, Critical Mass is steeped both in the jazz tradition and in the ideal of the "working band", an ensemble that performs and records together regularly. Each of the five musicians has contributed their own composition to this toe-tapping, flawlessly recorded album of vibrancy, memories, and tribute. The songs include The Eyes have It (7:00), Easy Did It (11:16), Vicissitudes (9:56), The Leak (5:42), Secret Garden (8:42), Lucky Seven (8:35), Full Circle (12:11) and Amator Silenti (9:17)
The Literary Shelf
Shared Histories
Angela Potter, editor
University of Georgia Press
330 Research Drive, Athens, GA 30602
0820328022 $22.95 ugapress.org
Shared Histories: Transatlantic Letters Between Virginia Dickinson Reynolds And Her Daughter, Virginia Potter, 1929-66 provides correspondence at its best: a mother-daughter series of written conversations which offer solid insights into high society London and Richmond before, during and after World War II. In having the conversations between two on different continents; one Britain, one US, and in having the writings include notable frankness and opinions rather than personal events alone, Shared Histories holds value far beyond the usual family portraits, making it a top pick.
Dufour Editions, Inc.
Box 7, Chester Springs, PA 19425-0007
1-800-869-5677 dufoureditions.com
Charles Dickens's Hunted Down: The Detective Stories Of Charles Dickens (0720612659, $22.95) gathers stories which demonstrates the detective-writing prowess of a classic author best known for his social issues fiction. His influence on crime fiction fostered the development of a genre, while his characters and plots were based on his observations of the fledgling police detective force when he was a reporter and accompanied them on their nightly patrols. Any fan of detective fiction will find this an essential key to the early methods and choices of the genre. Jim O'Donnell's Wordgloss: A Cultural Lexicon (1843510731, $33.95) first appeared in 1990 to much acclaim: here it's been reworked and extensively revised and extended to provide essays on law, politics, science, history and language. Any interested in words and culture will learn about literary usage, word origins, cultural connections, and changing historical context in a fascinating survey. Both of these excellent titles are informed, informative, and highly recommended reading.
The Newberry And Caldecott Awards
American Library Association
50 East Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611
www.alastore.ala.org
0838935656 $19.00 1-866-746-7258
Now in an updated edition for 2006, The Newberry And Caldecott Awards by the Association For Library Service To Children is a straightforward catalog of children's books that received the Newberry award (2006-1922) and the Caldecott Award (2006-1938). Each entry lists the title, author, and illustrator of the book, along with a brief summary of the book's and art style, and a supplementary list of other honors the book earned. The 2006 edition also features a brand new essay by children's literacy consultant Sue McCleaf Nespeca, "Sharing Picture Books with Children to Promote Art Appreciation", which reviews the elements of great art and reveals how modern children's book artists incorporate such into their work. A superb and easy-to-use reference especially recommended for librarians.
Modern Language Association
26 Broadway, 3rd Fl, NY, NY 10014-1780
www.mla.org
Bronte's classic Wuthering Heights has received acclaim since its publication and has been taught as foundation study in high schools and colleges yet it's a challenging novel to teach. Sue Lonoff and Terri Hasseler, That's Why Approaches To Teaching Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights (0873529936 $19.75) is so important for any: it surveys experienced teachers of the novel and interviews students alike to point out areas of common difficulty, offering chapters which include classroom analysis, teaching approaches, and useful critical studies alike. Any teaching this novel must have this book. Nancy L. Baker and Nancy Huling's A Research Guide For Undergraduate Students: English And American Literature (0873529243, $12.00) appears in its sixth updated edition to show undergrads how to use research time effectively. From learning how to access databases and evaluate findings to locating primary sources, Research Guide For Undergraduate Students is essential for any modern undergrad seeking to produce authoritative, well-researched papers.
Creole America
Sean X. Goudie
University Of Pennsylvania Press
3905 Spruce Steet, Philadelphia, PA 19104
081223930X $55.00 www.amazon.com
Creole America: The West Indies And The Formation Of Literature And Culture In The New Republic by Sean X. Goudie (English Department, Vanderbilt University) explores how literary culture in the New Republic era became framed amid a background of both expansionist desires of the North American continent and a push for commercial empire along the routes of West Indian trades. George Washington's Secretary of the Treasury and West Indian immigrant Alexander Hamilton came to personify the unease felt by Americans about the relations between the slave colonies of the West Indies and the supposedly free and democratic states of the independent mainland, a state of mind that Goudie terms the "creole complex". Chapters scrutinize the resulting repercussions on literary expression and daily culture in the annals of history. A serious, college-level scholarly dissection of cross-cultural dynamics.
A new 279 page comparative analysis of the poetics of T.S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, Wallace Stevens, and William Carlos Williams is presented in Poetry, Politics & Culture: Argument In The Work Of Eliot, Pound, Stevens & Williams by Harold Kaplan (Professor Emeritus of English and American literature at Northwestern University and formerly of Rutgers University and Bennington College). Professor Kaplan uses the work of each poet to present two basic counter viewpoints: Pound and Eliot embraced a more orthodox, expatriate view of the poetic imagination grounded in outward forms of European tradition (even in Pound's case, embracing Italian fascism), while Williams and Stevens, whose poetics evolved in the wake of Emerson and Thoreau, chose a definition of poetry and poetics that was centered on nature, and transcended, or disregarded the old ideas of Christian sin, guilt, and cultural hierarchy. All four poets were seeking to redefine cultural values through poetry in a time of change and cultural and political crisis following World War I. Thus the argument becomes a mirror of opposite approaches, as seen through the poets' writings. Professor Kaplan takes the reader through a thorough consideration of each poet's background, poetics and related writings to arrive at his conclusions. Only then does he state, "If my theme has a moral conclusion it is one I have mentioned. The protagonist in the drama of poetry and life is not nature, not divinity, not history or tradition, and not a culture. It is "major man" wherever he or she is found (p. 252)." Professor Kaplan carefully lists his extra sources, including works of Emmanuel Levinas, Bakhtin, Mandelshtam, and Celan, in three Appendices and in a plethora of footnotes. Recommended for undergraduate and graduate students of American Studies, literature, poetry and history, Poetry, Politics, & Culture is not light reading, but it is very clearly written and represents definitive thinking about America's intellectual and poetic history at its finest.
Searching For Jane Austen
Emily Auerbach
The University Of Wisconsin Press
1930 Monroe Sreet, 3rd Floor, Madison, WI 53711-2059
www.wisc.edu/wisconsinpress
0299201848 $21.95 1-800-621-2736
Searching For Jane Austen by Emily Auerbach (Professor of English at the University of Wisconsin-Madison) is an impressively informative documentation and study of the life and writings of the remarkable historical literary figure and author Jane Austen. With impeccable scholarship, Searching For Jane Austen combines biography with literary criticism to deftly depict Austen's intricacies and her struggles with censorship and editing the romantically inclined writer was faced with throughout her life and career. A seminal study and core addition to academic library reference collections, Searching For Jane Austen is a simply outstanding work that is engagingly written and thoroughly accessible to the non-specialist general reader as it is to the academician with an interest in the life, times, and works of Jane Austen.
Virginia Woolf: Bloomsbury & Beyond
Anthony Curtis
Haus Books
c/o International Publishers Marketing
22841 Quicksilver Drive, Dulles, VA 20166
www.internationalpubmarket.com
190495023X $24.95 1-800-758-3756
Literary journalism Anthony Curtis reviewed the volumes of Virginia Woolf's diaries, letters, and essays when they were first published, as well as accounts of her life history and mental illness. Virginia Woolf: Bloomsbury & Beyond is his biographical expose of Woolf that seeks to answer the question, "Of what does Virginia Woolf's greatness consist?" Vintage black-and-white photographs illustrate this distinguished study of her life and literature, which also takes into account the contemporary novels that Woolf's writing was a reaction against, and especially her rebellion against the linear narrative. A fascinating read for scholars and lay readers alike, Virginia Woolf seamlessly blends the twin issues of Woolf's literary achievements and the context of their creation. Highly recommended.
The Genealogy Shelf
Map Guide to the U.S. Federal Censuses
William Thorndale & William Dollarhide
Genealogical Publishing Company
1001 North Calvert Street, Baltimore, MD 21202-3897
www.genealogial.com
0806311886 $49.95 1-800-296-6687
The collaborative work of William Thorndale and William Dollarhide, Map Guide To The U.S. Federal Censuses, 1790-1920 was originally published in 1987 and has now been reissued and is once again available to aspiring and experienced genealogists. Enhanced with the inclusion of almost 400 maps, the old county lines are superimposed over modern county lines to highlight boundary changes at ten-year intervals. Also included is a history of census growth, a precis of technical facts about each census, a discussion of census accuracy, an essay on the sources available for identifying each state's old county lines, and a statement with each map indicating which county census lists survive and which are lost, and an index listing all present-day counties, defunct counties, and re-named counties. No genealogical reference collection can be considered complete without the inclusion of the Map Guide To The U.S. Censuses.
The World History Shelf
Wars of Latin America, 1899-1941
Rene De La Pedraja
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
www.mcfarlandpub.com
0786425792 $49.95 1-800-253-2187
Wars Of Latin America, 1899-1941 is a scholarly survey of turbulent conflict in Latin America during an era when border quarrels and domestic insurrections marked the difficult transition of nations from agrarian to industrial societies. Chapters discuss the war between Panama and Costa Rica; U.S. occupations of Cuba; Mexico's internal strife; the U.S.'s efforts against Pancho Villa; the phases of the Chaco War; the war between Peru and Colombia; the war between Peru and Ecuador; and much more. Black-and-white photographs illustrate the descriptive text, which tells of jungles, mountains, and deserts that were as deadly as any opposing force. A scrupulous and highly recommended text for college library and world history shelves.
Space And History In The Caribbean
Oruno D. Lara
Markus Wiener Publishers
231 Nassau St., Princeton, NJ 08542
1558764011 $24.95 markuswiener.com
The history of the Caribbean islands began long before the arrival of Christopher Columbus and the Europeans. That is why Oruno Lara (founder of the Centre de recherches Carabes-Ameriques at the University of Paris in 1982) begins Space And History In The Caribbean with describing the Caribbean Mediterranean sea and its geodynamics. Next is a historical summation of what archaeology can reveal about ancient human settlements and civilizations of the area, including the distribution of cultural groups. Lara then address European colonialism and slavery, the eventual destruction of the slavery system, a chronological survey of the crisis of the 20th Century, and a descriptive summation of the contemporary geopolitical and geostrategic problems associated with the Caribbean. Of special note is the listing of a bibliography for additional study. Superbly written and ably presented, Space And History In The Caribbean is a welcome addition to academic library Caribbean Studies and Western History reference collections.
The Mythology/Folklore Shelf
The Enchanted Lake
Sinead de Valera
Currach Press/Dufour Editions
PO Box 7, Chester Springs, PA 19425
1856079236 $14.95 dufoureditions.com
The Enchanted Lake: Classic Irish Fairy Stories by Sinead de Valera is a fun and engaging anthology of age-old Irish folktales and fairy legends. Featuring the stories of The Three Drinks, The Captive Princess, The Hare of Sleevebawn, The Treacherous Waters, The Jewel of Truth, The Mountain Wolf, A Prince in Disguise, and the title piece, The Enchanted Lake this anthology deftly offers a very special introduction into traditional Irish storytelling culture and folk lore. A wonderful addition to any personal or community library Fairytale, Folklore & Mythology collections, The Enchanted Lake is very highly recommended as a compendium of Sinead de Valera's most entertaining and endearing Irish fairy tale stories.
The Computer Shelf
New Riders
1249 - 8th Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
www.newriders.com
The 2nd new updated edition of Jeremy Birn's Digital Lighting & Rendering (03-21316312, $50.00), a definitive lighting text, will reach photographers and computer graphics artists alike, covering all the details needed to understand how to use 3D applications to maximum effect. Learn how to paint textured details, use dynamic range images, and render in multiple passes for better control. George Maestri's Digital Character Animation 3 (0321376-005, $50.00) provides new artwork to pair with animator and writer George Maestri's insights on the theory and basic techniques of rigging, walk-cycles, lip-synch and more: all the elements which bring an animation to life. You don't have to have a prior background in digital animation to appreciate this guide, either: chapters offer both the basics of modeling and animation and progress to more advanced levels of applications and characterization, so all levels of users gain insights.
O'Reilly
1005 Gravenstein Highway North, Sebastopol CA 95472
www.oreilly.com
DV Filmmaking From Start To Finish (0596008481, $39.95) by Ian David Aronson's will reach both amateur and professional digital video users with a basic primer on differences between digital and print mediums. Familiarity with Final Cut Pro or Adobe After Effects, the two programs used here, will aid in understanding DV applications in either PC or Mac formats, while the author's background as a teacher of digital media lends a logical progression to his tips and practical applied examples. Harold Davis' Google Advertising Tools (0596101082, $29.99) tells how to make the most with Google's business advertising services – especially when All are fantastic references. From Adsense and Adwords to optimizing a site for search engine placement and working with Google ad campaigns, Google Advertising Tools touches all the basics, paid and unpaid of getting more mileage from a web site's setup, operations and campaigns. Bonnie Biafore's Quickbooks 2006: The Missing Manual (0596101848, $29.99) covers much more than just installing and using the program: it goes beyond the basics to provide a printed manual to the program geared to the financial reports and business needs of the typical modern office. Basic, daily accounting is taught under the Quickbooks 2006 program's umbrella in chapters which show how to track audit trails, run reports, and improve company data output and therefore performance. Andy Rathbone's PES: The Missing Manual (0596100930, $24.95) is another recommended winner, again helping bridge the gap between program and learner with a book which moves quickly from the basics to more advanced computer concepts – all linked to user needs. With its surveys of how software and hardware interact to how to tweak either for maximum performance, and how to troubleshoot common problems including spyware and Internet viruses, PES: The Missing Manual not only tells all, but in user-friendly language. All are top, winning picks.
The Architecture Shelf
Building The Japanese House Today
Peggy Landers Rao & Len Brackett
Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
115 West 18th Street, NY, NY 10011
0810959313 $40.00 abramsbooks.com
Superbly illustrated with photography from Aya Brackett, Building The Japanese House Today by Peggy Landers and Len Brackett is an outstanding collection of beautiful and decorative architectural designs drawn from the Japanese traditional and contemporary architectural ideas and ideals. Deftly co-authored to provide a wealth of usable and informed perspectives, Building The Japanese House Today offers such particulars as preliminary design decisions for building a Japanese home; design directions based on living with or without furniture a chart showing the relative proportions of components of the traditional house; lumber selection, drying and milling; design and construction of a Japanese bath; technical drawings showing how to make traditional architecture conform to western building codes; sources and contacts for materials and craftsmen; and twenty pages of professional plans and diagrams to guide readers through the simple and elegant procedures of construction. A core addition to any professional or academic library Architectural Studies reference collection, Building The Japanese House Today is very highly recommended for non-specialist general readers searching for a knowledgeable and "user-friendly" study of domestic Japanese architecture.
The Music Shelf
So I've Heard
Alan Rich
Amadeus Press Inc.
512 Newark Pompton Turnpike, Pompton Plains, NJ 07444
1574671332 $24.95 amadeuspress.com
So I've Heard: Notes Of A Migratory Music Critic comes from a music critic whose published music criticism column has decades of appearance here gathered under one cover for the first time. From an unenthusiastic account of a Leonard Bernstein world premiere to encounters with conductors and classical musicians in different settings both on stage and off, So I've Heard provides a set of rich insights on musicians, their inspirations, and the future of music as a whole.
Kansas City Jazz
Frank Driggs & Chuck Haddix
Oxford University Press
198 Madison Ave., NY, NY 10016-4314
www.oup.com
0195307127 $17.95 1-800-451-7556
Kansas City Jazz is a chronicle of the golden age of jazz music, an era that put Kansas City on the map along with the more heavily documented jazz havens of New Orleans, Chicago, and New York. Jazz authority and former record executive Frank Driggs combines his talent Kansas City native and radio host Chuck Haddix to present an in-depth chronicle jazz styles that encompassed rough-and-tumble urban blues, and pounding piano music that would come to be known as "boogie-woogie". A tour of jazz cultural landmarks such as the Reno Club and colorful profiles of jazz figures from Mary Lou Williams and Big Joe Turner to Jimmy Rushing and Andy Kirk, along with an inset section of black-and-white photographs, distinguish this "must-read" for jazz music history enthusiasts.
Routledge
270 Madison Avenue, NY, NY 10016
1-800-634-7064 www.routledge.com
David Walley's Teenage Nervous Breakdown: Music And Politics In The Post-Elvis Era (0415978572 $19.95) blends music criticism and cultural history to survey how the rock culture and lifestyle was marketed first to a teen audience and later to consumers as a whole. Critic David Walley considers the rock culture's appearance in all aspects of American and world life, from music to politics, and how it's changed and evolved into the mainstream from an alternative venue. With chapters touching upon the icons and philosophy of the genre, this newly updated second edition provides a cultural history that is revealing and engrossing. Ronald D. Cohen's The Basics: Folk Music (0415971608, $16.95) comes from a history professor who uses scholarship and analysis from the most recent scholarly writings to contrast all kind of folk music, from local and traditional to professionals performing during the folk revival period. From record labels and producers to performers, genres and issues, college-level students will appreciate this detailed history-based survey.
A Humanistic Philosophy Of Music
Edward A. Lippman
Pendragon Press
PO Box 190, Hillsdale, NY 12529
www.pendragonpress.com
1576471217 $45.00 1-518-325-6100
Seventh in the "Aesthetics in Music" series, A Humanistic Philosophy Of Music is a scholarly, philosophical evaluation of music's role in communicating the human experience. Chapters expound at length upon the material, form, meaning, style, permanence, composites, context, and conception of music, and the interplay between music's creation, message and perceived meaning, and an intuitive comprehension. In particular, A Humanistic Philosophy Of Music raises the concern that the humanistic values of music are currently being subverted or ignored by overwhelming, inevitable, irreversible changes in modern culture. Recognizing change and possible loss allows for our collective memory to recall what the onward march of time is so quick to forget, making A Humanistic Philosophy Of Music especially vital reading for advanced music scholars and composers.
Cooks with a sweet tooth will find a lovely gathering of sweets between these covers, from baked goods to mousses, meringues, and fruit. From a pecan and biscuit Chocolate Hedgehog to Chocolate Peppermint Slice, and Vanilla and Carmel Swirl Ice Cream Pie, these are lovely delights. No photos, which would have enhanced the presentation but serious cooks with experience don't need them to be enticed.
The Place Setting
Fred W. Sauceman
Mercer University Press
1400 Coleman Avenue, Macon, GA 31207
0865549907 $25.00 www.mupress.com
The Place Setting: Timeless Tastes Of The Mountain South, From Bright Hope To Frog Level by Fred W. Sauceman (Senior writer and executive assistant to the President for Public Affairs at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City) is an eclectic combination of pure homestyle southern cooking and nostalgic "down home" stories. Offering his readers expansive first hand knowledge of southern cooking, Sauceman's The Place Setting includes tasty dishes ranging from Sheri Castle's Killed Lettuce; Gertrude Ripley's Carrot Cake with Black Walnuts; and Sorghum Snaps, to Spinning Spider Warm Goat Cheese Salad; White Lily Almond-Filled Pound Cake; and Margaret Anne Mitchell's Capered Deviled Eggs. The Place Setting presents an entertaining and invaluable compilation of area restaurants, unique cooking ideas, and intriguing stories which are ideal for readers with an interest in the culinary arts and southern culture, and in search of detailed recipes and fun stories.
Rio Nuevo Publishers
PO Box 5250, Tucson, AZ 85703
$12.95 each www.rionuevo.com
Bright color photos accompany easy directions and a focus on the flavors of the West will appeal to new cooks as wells as experienced kitchen chefs in each book of the delicious 'Cook West' series from Rio Nuevo Publishers. Amy Reiley and Annette Tomel's Chile Aphrodisia (188789-6902) provides many unique dishes from French Toast Rellenos to Limeade with jalapenos and Grape Salsa. Gwin Grogan Grimes' Gorgeous Garlic (1887896937) presents dishes such as Roasted Garlic Quesadillas, Garlic Vinaigrette, or Grilled Corn with Garlic Lime Butter, Geraldine Duncann's Absolutely Avocado (1887896-899) provides a range of salads, cold soups, and sandwiches and baked goods; Teresa Kennedy's The Elegant Olive (18-87896880) provides salsas, Olive Salad and more; and Gwyneth Doland's Cilantro Secrets (1887896929) provides recipes for Spring Rolls, Posole, and more. Each ingredient-oriented guide offers up 50 original recipes along with tips on entertaining.
Gimme Five!
Nicola Graimes
North Atlantic Books
PO Box 12327, Berkeley, CA 94712
www.northatlanticbooks.com
155643586X $
