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Library Bookwatch

Volume 3, Number 4 April 2008 Home | LBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Cookbook Shelf Library Science Shelf
Poetry Shelf Travel Shelf Native American Shelf
Education Shelf Christian Studies Shelf Judaic Studies Shelf
Art Shelf Money/Finance Shelf Library DVD Shelf
Social Issues Shelf Comix/Graphic Novel Shelf Parenting Shelf
Sociology Shelf Computer Shelf Theatre/Cinema Shelf
Philosophy Shelf Library CD Music Shelf Audiobook Shelf
Writing/Publishing Shelf    


Reviewer's Choice

Harnessing The Wheelwork Of Nature
Thomas Valone, editor
Adventures Unlimited Press
PO Box 74, Kempton, IL 60946
Integrity Research Institute (author)
5020 Sunnyside Avenue, Suite 209, Beltsville, MD 20705
www.IntegrityResearchInstitute.org
1931882045, $16.95, www.adventuresunlimitedpress.com

It has only been in the last few decades that Nikola Tesla has been recognized for as innovative genius and inventor whose contributions to science made him the equal (and to some the superior) of such contemporaries as Edison and Marconi. Compiled and edited by electronics engineer, physics instructor, and patent testing expert Thomas Valone, "Harnessing The Wheelwork Of Nature: Tesla's Science Of Energy" is 332-page compendium of expert commentators on Tesla's contributions to our understanding of electricity, wireless power transmission, as well as his inventions such as the Homopolar Generator, and Tesla's Ionizer and Ozonator (with implications for indoor air pollution). Of special note is the chapter devoted to 'Selected Tesla Patents'. Enhanced with an extensive bibliography, a glossary of Tesla technology terms, and a comprehensive index, "Harnessing The Wheelwork Of Nature" is a seminal contribution and a welcome, enthusiastically recommended addition to personal, professional, academic, and community library History of Science collections in general, and Nikola Tesla supplemental reading lists in particular. Also very highly recommended for students of Nikola Tesla, alternative energy, physics, and related matters is magazine "Future Energy", published by Thomas Valone and the Integrity Research Institute.


The Cookbook Shelf

Gluten Free and Easy
Robyn Russell
Sellers Publishing
81 West Commercial Street, Portland, ME 04101
9781569069967, $16.95 www.makefun.com 1-800-625-3386

Wife, mother, and author Robyn Russell has had celiac disease for fourteen years; she doesn't let it stop her from preparing delicious and healthy meals. Gluten Free and Easy is Russell's compilation of mouth-watering recipes, each with featuring easy-to-follow instructions and a full-color, full-page photograph. From French potato salad, to tortiche (a quiche with a tortilla crust), Thai style chicken balls, curried sweet potato cakes with raita, almond biscotti, san choy bau, chicken with leek in white wine sauce and much more, the recipes draw from culinary traditions around the world and include a healthy dash of creativity; the one thing in common is that they are all gluten-free (sometimes relying on ingredients such as the misnamed "glutinous rice flour" of Asian supermarkets, which contains no gluten). Over ninety recipes ideal for pleasing all manners of tastebuds fill this superb cookbook enthusiastically recommended for gluten-intolerant individuals everywhere.

BBQ Joints
David Gelin
Gibbs Smith, Publisher
PO Box 667, Layton UT 84041
9781423602187, $15.95, www.gibbs-smith.com 1-800-748-5439

The true and dedicated barbecue connoisseur well knows and appreciates the complexities and subtleties involved in this very special culinary genre. Ordinary folk just know that barbeque tastes good! In either case, "BBQ Joints: Stories And Secret Recipes From The Barbeque Belt" by David Gelin will prove to be a source of fascination, inspiration, and great eating. Alphabetically organized by southern states ranging from Alabama to Texas, "BBQ Joints" is a compendium of restaurants and eateries that are presented with anecdotal stories, addresses, phone numbers, monochromatic photographs, and terrific recipes that showcase the variety and diversity of the barbeque -- including some legendary side dishes and desserts! From Woody's Barbecued Rice (Woody's Bar-B-Que, Arkansas); Simmie Nichols' B-B-Q King Pig Ear Sandwich (B-B-Q King, Georgia); and Smokehouse Bob's Patricia Newton's Sweet Potato Pie (Smokehouse Bob's, Oklahoma); to Katy Garner's Hog Heaven Fruit Cobbler (Hog Heaven, Tennessee); Denice Janow's Austin's BBQ Macaroni Salad (Austin's BBQ & Catering, Texas); and Elvis's Pound Cake (Starlight Grill, Alabama), "BBQ Joints" ably serves as a tour guide planner for the true and traveling barbeque enthusiast. Of special note is the 'Build Your Own Pit' chapter. "BBQ Joints" is a unique, informative, and highly recommended addition to the cookbook collection of any and all barbecue fans.

Skinny Bitch In The Kitch
Rory Freedman & Kim Barnouin
Running Press
2300 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103-4371
9780762431069, $14.95 www.runningpress.com 1-800-345-5359

Even supermodels (and those who aspire to supermodel figures) have to eat. For that matter, so does everyone else. Now Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin have compiled "Skinny Bitch In The Kitch", a impressive and diverse collection of 'kitchen friendly' vegan oriented recipes that are as palate pleasing as they are figure friendly. After a very funny introduction, Freedman and Barnouin continue a humorous approach to their chapter headings from 'PMS (Pissy Mood Snacks)' to 'Skinny-Ass Salads'. The recipes range from Quesadillas with Beans, Soy Cheese, Guacamole, and Salsa; Edamame Three-bean Salad; and East Coast Lasagna; to Tamari-roasted Root Vegetables with Cashew Millet; Veggie Enchiladas; and Buttery Shortbread Cookies. A compact and enthusiastically recommended culinary compendium, "Skinny Bitch In The Kitch" is a perfect resource for menu planning any occasion from late night snacks to multiple course formal dining.

8 Degrees Of Ingredients
Melisa K. Priem
Beaver's Pond Press
7104 Ohms Lane, Suite 101, Edina, MN 55439
www.BeaversPondPress.com
9781592982141, $24.95 1-952-829-8818

One of life's genuine pleasures for the true food lover in search of great culinary experiences is to browse the pages of a really fine cookbook. The hunt for suitable cuisine that would be as nutritious as it is delicious for those who must be mindful of food allergies is especially challenging. There are currently about 12 million Americans who are diagnosed as having a significant food allergy that could imperial their health -- and even their lives. That is where Melisa Priem's "8 Degrees Of Ingredients" is a particularly impressive compendium of 250 hypoallergenic recipes specifically designed to be used in behalf of those who have been diagnosed as having to avoid eight common allergens (wheat, soy, eggs, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish. But because these things must be avoided does not condemn any such diagnosed person from preparing and consuming dishes that would please any palate and satisfy any appetite. "8 Degrees Of Ingredients" showcases recipes that range from Honey-Roasted Chickpeas; Chili-Stuffed Baked Potatoes; Pork Fried Rice; and Chicken Enchiladas; to Chilled Broccoli Salad; Beef Burgundy; Veal Marsala; and Blueberry Peach Cobbler. Especially for those with food allergies, but terrific for anyone that enjoys making great meals featuring 'kitchen cook friendly' menus, "8 Degrees Of Ingredients" is an ideal and recommended addition to any personal, family, and community cookbook collection.

Arabian Delights
Amy Riolo
Capital Books, Inc.
c/o International Publishers Marketing
22841 Quicksilver Drive, Sterling, VA 20166
9781933102559, $20.00 www.capital-books.com 1-800-758-3756

The culinary legacies of Arabian cuisine can be as common as humus and as exotic as a sweet orchid drink. There are several different (albeit complimentary) regional sources of Arbaian cuisine which Amy Riolo informatively details in the beginning of "Arabian Delights: Recipes & Princely Entertaining Ideas From The Arabian Peninsula", a compendium of authentic, step-by-step, 'kitchen cook friendly' recipes, combined with menu ideas, and an 'Entertaining Timeline'. Organized into three major sections (Palatial Feasts; Special Ceremonies; Simpler Delights), the sixteen individual chapters range from a Royal Wedding Reception; to a Yemeni Sabbath Luncheon; to a Jeddah Red Sea Picnic. Enhanced with a Glossary, a 'Where to Buy Guide, a Bibliography, and an Index, "Arabian Delights" is a unique and highly recommended addition to personal, professional, and community library ethnic and specialty cookbook collections.

Recipe Of The Week: Burgers
Sally Sampson
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5773
9780470169445, $16.95, www.wiley.com 1-800-225-5945

America's favorite food in the opening decade of the 21st century isn't the hot dog or mom's apple pie -- it is the hamburger in all its variations and diversities! The latest addition to the popular Wiley cookbook series 'Recipe of the Week', veteran cookbook author and hamburger authority Sally Sampson has compiled 52 'kitchen cook friendly' recipes that will provide a different style hamburger every week of the year. Accompanied by the superb full-page sized color photography of Yunnee Kim, each recipe notes how many burgers it will make, a brief word of personalized introduction by Sally, the ingredients for the condiment and the burger it goes on, easy and well presented step-by-step instructions for its preparation. From Beef Burgers with Soy and Lemon; to Curried Chicken Burgers with Chutney; to Spicy Chipotle Turkey Burgers; to Lamb Burgers with Herbs; to Cuban Style Pork Burger, to Caramelized Onion and Chickpea Burgers, this is a fabulous collection of gourmet quality burgers that goes quantum leaps beyond anything a fast food join can turn out. "Recipe Of The Week: Burgers" is a welcome addition to any personal, family, or community specialty cookbook collection. Also very highly recommended are two earlier Wiley cookbook collections by Sally Sampson: "Recipe of The Week: Kabobs" and "Recipe Of The Week: Cookies"!

A Taste Of Wyoming
Pamela Sinclair
Farcountry Press
PO Box 5630, Helena, MT 59604
9781560374589, $24.95, www.farcountrypress.com 1-800-821-3874

Sometimes cookbooks can be as much fun to simply browse through as they are inspiringly instructive to prepare meals from. Such is the case for Pamela Sinclair's compendium of Cowboy State recipes and Paulette Phlipot's full page, full color photographs that comprise A Taste Of Wyoming. Of special note is the 'Guidelines for Recipes' which is for the benefit of the novice high altitude kitchen cook and baker. The recipes themselves are organized into sections devoted to Breakfast & Brunch; Appetizers & Snacks; Salads & Sides; Soups & Stews; Main Courses; Desserts & Sweet Treats. The photography is as spectacular as the dishes are enticing. Contributed by some of the best chefs from some of the finest dining establishments Wyoming has to offer, the recipes range from Blue Ribbon Caramel Cinnamon Rolls; Pancetta-Wrapped Chicken Livers; Winter Root Vegetable Hash; and Blue Corn Tortilla Soup; to Bison Tenderloin with Blue Cheese Sauce; Roast Duck Breast with Apple and Sun-Dried Cranberry Chutney; Sea Scallops with Frizzled Spinach, Carrots, and Citrus Beurre Blanc; and Sour Cream Cherry Pie. A Taste Of Wyoming is a truly elegant, gourmet quality, kitchen cook friendly, culinary collection that would grace any personal, professional, or community library cookbook collection.

Cooking Big Game
Scott Haugen & Tiffany Haugen
Frank Amato Publications
PO Box 82112, Portland, OR 97282
9781571884077, $29.95 www.amatobooks.com

Aborigines from the dawn of human kind have hunted big game for food (and used every part of the animal from hide to hoof to antler). Modern hunters would be well advised to hunt big game for more than just trophies, these are animals whose meat, properly prepared, can provided dishes that would grace any dining occasion from simple family meals to elegant celebratory occasions. The trick is in knowing how best to prepare big game for the table. That's where "Cooking Big Game" by the husband and wife team of Scott and Tiffany Haugen comes in. This is a spiral bound (so it can lay flat upon the kitchen counter or table for easy use) compilation of superbly illustrated, step-by-step recipes for making delicious, nutritious dishes from venison, bear, and wild pig. Each of these different meats have thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' recipes organized into seven groupings: Steaks, Strips & Cubes; Stews & Soups; Ground; Planked; Roasts & Fillings; Jerky; Marinades, Rubs & Stock. Enhanced with the inclusion of general 'Game Care & Preparation' advice, cooking tips, 'Time-Savers', recipe notes, an Index and a Cooking Method Index, "Cooking Big Game" is an invaluable instruction manual for the novice, and holds a great deal of value for even the more experienced chef. Anyone who hunts big game needs a copy of "Cooking Big Game" as a core addition to their personal and family cookbook collection.

Grandma's Back To Basics All Natural More Than Just A Cookbook
Teresa Thompson
Dorrance Publishing Company
701 Smithfield Street, 3rd floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15222-3906
9780805962864, $22.00, www.dorrancepublishing.com 1-800-788-7654

The typical American diet today is dominated by processed foods that come equipped with all manner of chemical constituents, additives, preservatives, and substitutions. This has been particularly difficult for those with food allergies, those wanting to avoid the long-term health and medical problems associated with overly processed foods, and basically pursue a course of natural foods that are as nutritious as (properly prepared) they are delicious. One of the enduring ironies is that natural foods, even organically grown foods in season, can be significantly less expensive that their processed counterparts. Compiled for the novice kitchen cook, and holding a great deal of value for experienced family cooks as well, "Grandma's Back To Basics All Natural More Than Just A Cookbook" is a compilation of advice, notes, helpful hints, and recipes that will prove appropriate for all dining occasions from simple family meals to elegant celebratory occasions. The recipes range from beverages, breads, and breakfast, to desserts, sandwiches and soups, to sauces, vegetables, and main dishes. "Grandma's Back To Basics All Natural More Than Just A Cookbook " is an ideal and highly recommended addition to any and all personal, family, and community library cookbook collections.

The Complete Idiot's Guide To Being Vegetarian
Frankie Avalon Wolfe
AlphaBooks
c/o Penguin Publishing Group
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014-3658
9781592576821, $18.95 www.penguin.com 1-800-847-5515

Now it a newly revised, updated and expanded third edition, "The Complete Idiot's Guide To Being Vegetarian" continues to be a premier instructional guide for aspiring vegetarians enhanced with the inclusion of almost one hundred, 'kitchen cook friendly' non-meat recipes for dishes that would grace any dining occasion, please any palate, and satisfy any appetite. Of special note is the inclusion of nutritional advice focused on keeping meat-eating habits in proper balance; tips for helping non-vegetarian family members and friends to understand the benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle; finding vegetarian options at grocery stores, restaurants, and when eating while traveling. The recipes range from such staples as Vegan Gravy, to popular dishes like Veggie Bean Chili, to ethnic fare such as Tofu Tamale Bake, to such party fare as an Eggless Potato Salad. Each individual recipe includes along with a list of ingredients and cooking instructions, an 'info block' noting the number of serving portions, servicing size, and prep time. Especially recommended for practicing and aspiring vegetarians, "The Complete Idiot's Guide To Being Vegetarian" is an ideal addition to personal, family, and community library cookbook collections.

Regional Greek Cooking
Dean Karayanis & Catherine Karayanis
Hippocrene Books, Inc.
171 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016
9780781811460, $24.95 www.hippocrenebooks.com 1-212-685-4371

For most Americans, Greek cuisine is pretty much limited to gyros and baklava. But "Regional Greek Cooking", a compilation of authentic Greek recipes by the husband and wife team of Dean and Catherine Karayanis clearly demonstrates that Greek cuisine has a breadth, depth, and diversity that reflects centuries of culinary influences from around the Mediterranean, including key regions of mainland Greece; the Saronic, Ionian, Cyclades, Dodecanese, Aegean, and Sporades islands; Asia Minor, and Cypress. Of special note are the individual chapters composed of Greek beverage recipes. The recipes themselves range from Saragli ti Alexandroupoli (Walnut Phyllo Roll Alexandroupolis); to Patates me Dendrolivano e Thimari (Potatoes with Rosemary or Thyme); to Keftedes sto Furno meh Domates ke Vasiliko (Baked Meatballs with Tomato and Basil); to &Yia Yia's Koulourakia (Grandma's Easter Cookies). Enhanced with a glossary of Greek cooking terms and ingredients, 'Wrapping Dolmades', and a comprehensive Index, "Regional Greek Cooking" is a welcome, thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly', and highly recommended addition to personal, family, and community library multi-cultural and ethnic cookbook collections.

Rosalind Creasy's Recipes From The Garden
Rosalind Creasy
Tuttle Publishing
364 Innovation Drive, North Clarendon, VT 05759-9436
9780804837682, $34.95 www.tuttlepublishing.com

Rosalind Creasy is a renowned gardening authority and the author of the acclaimed instruction guide "The Complete Book of Edible Landscaping". Now she has compiled a superbly illustrated compendium showcasing a culinary wealth of recipes featuring vegetables, fruits and herbs that can be grown in anyone's garden. There are two hundred easy-to-prepare, kitchen-cook-friendly recipes -- each of which is as nutritious as they are delicious. The individual recipes are organized into sections featuring herb blends and salad dressings, salads, soups and starters, vegetable dish entrees, meat, poultry and seafood dishes, side dishes, drinks and desserts. From exotic items like flower butters (Nasturtium Butter and Rose Butter) to such diet friendly items as Fennel Salad with Red Peppers; appetite satisfying entrees such as Savory Bread Pudding with Sorrell and Baby Artichokes; to terrific 'dinner enders' like Baked Apples with Cherries and Hazelnuts, "Rosalind Creasy's Recipes From The Garden" is a cornucopia of edible garden products prepared to satisfy even the most gourmet appetite and an enthusiastically recommended addition to personal, family, and community library cookbook collections!


The Library Science Shelf

Managing Library Employees
Mary J. Stanley
Neal-Schuman Publishers
100 William Street, Suite 2004, New York, NY 10038-4512
9781555706289, $59.95 www.neal-schuman.com 1-866-672-6657

A school or community library is more than just a brick-and-board structure housing books on its shelves, it is also a group of people, professionals and volunteers, who work together to make those books as accessible as possible to the students, patrons, and communities they serve. The latest addition in the Neal-Schuman 'A How-To-Do-It Manual' series of instructional guides, "Managing Library Employees" by Mary J. Stanley (Director of Human Resources, Indiana University and Purdue University, Indianapolis) focuses specifically on the management responsibilities of library directors and supervisors. A basic and highly recommended primer, "Managing Library Employees" is a compendium of real-world tested advice, strategies, tips, techniques, recommendations, and illustrative examples, as well as ready-to-use templates, sample documents, letters, and checklists. The text is accessibly organized in a Question & Answer format and cover covers all of the pertinent issues ranging from writing job descriptions and conducting interviews, to enhancing staff job satisfaction and motivation, to setting up a 403(B) or a 401(K) plan, to the legal implications of disciplining or terminating a staff member, to downsizing the staff when necessitated by budget cuts. Like all corporate and non-profit agencies, office politics will inevitably occur, that will ensure that "Managing Library Employees" will continue to have relevance and importance as a reference resource for both the novice as well as the experienced library director.

75 Outrageous Ways Librarians Can Impact Student Achievement In Grades K-8
Laurie Thelen
Linworth Publishing
3650 Olentangy River Road, Suite 250, Columbus, OH 43214
1586832328, $39.95 www.linworth.com

School and community librarians play an essential role in the education of children. In "75 Outrageous Ways Librarians Can Impact Student Achievement In Grades K-8", teacher and school librarian Laurie Thelen draws upon her years of experience and expertise to create an impressive and 'user friendly' compendium of seventy-five standards-based, fun and skill-building lessons designed to be taught in the school library using activities that range from involving an entire community, to focusing on a specific grade level of student or a particular subject area. Library media specialists will find "75 Outrageous Ways Librarians Can Impact Student Achievement In Grades K-8" to be ideal as a curriculum supplement resource and to also function as an assessment tool based on the national standards (included at the end of each activity). The benefits of these individual activities includes motivating students, inspiring collaboration, and improving learning skills and achievement, making "75 Outrageous Ways Librarians Can Impact Student Achievement In Grades K-8" a welcome and enthusiastically recommended addition to home-schooling curriculums as well as public, private, and parochial school library media center reference resources.

Story Celebrations
Jan Irving
Libraries Unlimited
88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
9781591584322, $35.00 www.lu.com

An essential service in the eyes of parents, 'Story Hour' is a popular mainstay of school and community libraries for children of all ages from preschool through eighth grade. "Story Celebrations: A Program Guide For Schools And Libraries compiled by former children's librarian Jan Irving is an instruction and guide manual for creating library story telling programs for children in grades 4 through 8. Comprised of ten chapters, each of which focuses upon a particular theme or study area, "Story Celebrations" offers annotated lists of selected books along with two complete programs for each designated theme. Included are step-by-step instructions, materials lists, reproducible patterns, scripts and stories to make each Story Hour a unique experience that is as fun as it is informative. In addition to school and community library story hours, these reading lists, puzzles, arts, crafts, writing exercises and more, make "Story Celebrations" ideal for home-schooling and after-school programs, as well as a traditional classroom curriculum supplement.

Transforming Library Service Through Information Commons
Russell Bailey & Barbara Gunter Tierney
ALA Editions
c/o American Library Association
50 East Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611
9780838909584, $55.00 www.alastore.ala.org 1-866-746-7252

Whether it is an academic library serving scholars and students, or a community library in service to the general public, libraries are institutional resources indispensable to the economic and democratic health of the nation. That's the principle reason that traditionally oriented collections of printed publications (books, magazines and periodicals) has been expanded to include electronic resources such as CDs, DVDs, and the Internet. A compilation of twenty case studies collaboratively compiled and co-edited by Russell Bailey (Library Directory, Providence College, Rhode Island) and Barbara Bunter Tierney (University of North Carolina - Charlotte), "Transforming Library Service Through Information Commons" showcases the information commons model that library patrons can utilize for the gathering and dissemination of information, and which librarians can employ with respect to integrating research, teaching, and learning utilizing the opportunities provided by the new digital age. Enhanced with the inclusion of an extended bibliography and a glossary, "Transforming Library Service Through Information Commons" is especially recommended as a Library Science curriculum supplement and as invaluable reading for librarians and administrators seeking to establish and maintain an information commons model for their institutions.


The Poetry Shelf

The Crisp Day Closing On My Hand
Jeanette Lynes
Wilfrid Laurier University Press
Wilfrid Laurier University
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, N2L 3C5
9781554580255, $14.95 wlupress.wlu.ca

Poetry is as diverse in its form and format as it is in expressional content and emotional articulation. It can be as ephemeral as a moment or as enduring as the recorded history of human kind. The latest addition to the impressive Laurier Poetry series from Wilfrid Laurier University Press, "The Crisp Day Closing On My Hand" is a compilation of the poetry of M. Travis Lane (Honorary President of the Writers' Federation of New Brunwick and a Life Member of the League of Canadian Poets) as selected and with an informative introduction by Jeanette Lynes (Associate Professor of English, St. Francis Xavier University and co-editor of 'The Antigonish Review). Lane has long established her reputation as a major Canadian poet through the publication of eleven books of poetry and the achievement of several prestigious awards for her writings. This newest collection of her verse will aptly serve to introduce a major literary talent to a new generation of readers. 'The Gift from the Bad Fairy': This is the curse, that we do not sleep/and let the rose briars hide us, but our hope/awakes each morning to be pricked.//I sew this page, the needle hurts, is bone,/is flesh, is permanent. If we could sleep,/the future like a fairy prince suck out/the dead bee's mortal sting and change the world/to roses...//But it is, roses, every morning/when we wake. I take my housework up again,/and find again the secret thorn/the sick rose nourished every day.//What makes us thing the heart breaks once? It breaks/all day. It breaks like rain. All that I did/not want to bear has to be borne, and what I mend/has to be mended all over again.//Do we learn to be glad there is still pain?

No Starling
Nance Van Winckel
University of Washington Press
PO Box 50096, Seattle, WA 98145-5096
9780295987354, $25.00 www.washington.edu/uwpress 1-206-543-4050

Award-winning poet Nance Van Winckel presents No Starling, a brief yet evocative selection of poems utilizing a variety of rhythms and soundscapes. Subtly community-building in its reminders of human responsibilities for each other and the world at large, No Starling touches upon spiritual and political issues alike, singing aloud in a crystal clear voice that deserves to be heard. "Leastways": The ship had a bar, listing. A porthole / awash. Loyal drinkers swearing they'd seen / the giant squid. Sheer genius, they said, / to survive the millennia, the depths. // I blinked into that window at only / my face... all splash and dissolve. // Days under the white sails, over / cruel swells. Days taken / like aspirin. Hard little fact / of the body: if it goes down, / I go. And the bar raised. The bar / tilted. A tentacles here-on portends / a hereafter. I hang on. Rain clouds / pretend to take the lead.


The Travel Shelf

Bad Karma
Tamara Sheward
Academy Chicago Publishers
363 West Erie Street, Chicago, IL 60610
9780897335652, $17.95 www.academychicago.com 1-800-248-7323

The next best thing to traveling is to read a well crafted travelogue -- plus you don't have to experience the dubious joys of crowded flights, strange foods, sanitation challenges, and personal encounters with 'swindlers, sleaze balls and sanctimonious hippies' yourself. In the case of "Bad Karma: Confessions Of A Reckless Traveller In Southeast Asia", Tamara Sheward has done it for you! With the humorous flair of a Maureen Dowd and the articulate storytelling skills of a Studs Terkel, Tamar Sheward is an experienced world traveler whose trek through Southeast Asian countries of Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia with her friend Elissa are recounted with a 'you are there' intimacy that is particularly vivid, energetic, witty, occasionally bizarre, and always entertaining. A highly recommended addition to community library Travel & Travelog collections, "Bad Karma" is especially appropriate and appealing for those who prefer to do their roaming of the world as an armchair traveler in the comfort of their own home.

Time Out: Chicago
Time Out New York
475 Tenth Avenue, 12th floor, New York, NY 10018
Publishers Group West (distributor)
1700 Fourth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
www.timeoutnewyork.com
9781904978572, $19.95 www.pgw.com 1-800-788-3123

Chicago is a terrific place to visit whether for business or for pleasure, for a weekend or a week. For those who live in or around the Windy City, it's possible to spend every day of the year exploring its sights and cultural resources. But whether a casual traveler or a interested resident, taking full advantage of what Chicago has to offer will require an expert travel guide and resource manual -- and that's where "Time Out: Chicago" truly comes into its own. This 336-page compilation of information begins with a succinct overview of the city's history, architecture, politics, music, and sports. Then it goes on to feature places to go, things to do, sights to see, events to participate in, that will keep the vacationer or resident happily occupied with experience the very best that the city has to offer from fine dining, to memorable accommodations, diverse recreations, and so much more. Enhanced with photographs, maps, and recommendations for day trips out of town, "Time Out Chicago" is comprehensive, portable, 'user friendly', and an ideal trip planning resource. Also very highly recommended as a companion guide is "Time Out Chicago: Eating & Drinking" (9780979398438, $9.99) which focuses specifically on 1500 of the city's best restaurants and bars.

Safari Guide Kenya
Dave Richards and Val Richards
New Holland Publishers
c/o The Globe Pequot Press
PO Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437
9781845375584, $19.95 www.globepequot.com 1-800-243-0495

Printed on high-quality paper and featuring full-color photography, Safari Guide Kenya is a part of the "Globetrotter" travel guide series, written especially for travelers looking to make the most of a Kenyan safari. Chapters cover recommended parks to visit, walks and hikes to take, and safety tips, providing detailed maps, a gallery of animal illustrations, checklists for game viewing and bird watching, travel tips, and more. An easy-to-use index rounds out this solid supplement for any Kenyan visitor with a yearning to see the rugged beauty of nature firsthand.


The Native American Shelf

Magic Weapons
Sam McKegney
University of Manitoba Press
301 St. John's College, Winnipeg, MB, Canada, R3T 2M5
9780887557026, $28.95 www.umanitoba.ca/uofmpress 1-800-565-9523

Magic Weapons: Aboriginal Writers Remaking Community after Residential School is a survey of what writings by Canada's indigenous population have to say about the destructive legacy of its residential school system, including the system's attacks on native culture and its negative repercussions as embodied in domestic violence, poverty, alcoholism, drug abuse, and high suicide rates. The individual writings studied include Anthony Apakark Thrasher's prison compositions, and Tomson Highway's "Kiss of the Fur Queen". A harsh indictment of the weaknesses of "assimilationist" policy, noting the incidences of "survival narratives" among those who made it through residential school, Magic Weapons is an invaluable political as well as literary commentary, persuasively arguing that indigenous life writings are culturally formative in ways beyond simple disclosure. A highly recommended addition to Native American studies shelves.

The Elk Way
Elk Soldier
Canyon Records Productions
3131 West Clarendon Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85017
CD, $15.98 www.canyonrecords.com 1-800-268-1141

The Elk Way is a music CD of Native American pow-wow songs recorded live in Green Bay. Elk Soldier Drum Group refers to well over a dozen men, women, and children who combined their talent in the tradition of their Ihanktowan heritage. The resulting songs resonate with strength and vibrancy, offering a positive message of pride in Native heritage to all listeners. A fold-out insert lists the song lyrics in both their original language and in English translation. Highly recommended as a worthy addition to Native audio collections, and the next best thing to being honored with the invitation to witness a pow-wow in person. The tracks are E-Unit (3:42); E-Time (3:58); Cree Love II (4:08); Lightning McQueen (2:28); Lil' E (3:22); Mike One Star (2:11); My World (4:55); Oscar The Grouch (5:30); Smooth E (3:50); Stomp The Yard (6:38); The Raven Strut (2:34); and The Way of the Soldier (4:44). 48 minutes 50 seconds.


The Education Shelf

Creating Welcoming Schools
JoBeth Allen
Teachers College Press
1234 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027
International Reading Association
PO Box 8139, Newark, DE 19714-8139
9780807747896, $23.95 www.reading.org www.tcpress.com

JoBeth Allen (Professor of Language and Literacy Education, University of Georgie) presents Creating Welcoming Schools: A Practical Guide to Home-School Partnerships with Diverse Families, a useful resource that explains how schools and diverse families across America have entered into constructive partnerships to improve student learning. Intended for teachers, parents, and school administrators, Creating Welcoming Schools covers such options as writing cultural memoirs, inviting dialogue at the conference table, engaging families in classroom projects, collaborating for more democratic schools and a more democratic society, and much more. "Evidence of learning may come from other teachers or adults who know the learner. If the child has a gift in art or music or physical education, or is working as an assistant in the library, invite that teacher for the conference. These teachers cannot go to every conference of every child, but they are rarely invited to any. What does that say about what we value?" Highly recommended.

The Essentials of Science, Grades 7-12
Rick Allen
ASCD
1703 North Beauregard Street, Alexandria, VA 22311-1714
9781416604136, $23.95 www.ascd.org 1-800-933-2723

For America to survive and thrive in a constantly evolving global market place it's grade school and high school students must be well grounded in a basic science curriculum. Over the past several decades, science curriculums at the secondary level have been founded upon textbooks, lectures, rote memorization, and lab demonstrations. A direct result of the diminishing global stature of America with respect to science and technology that the demand (as exemplified by the onset of NCLB-mandated science testing) grew for improved educational tools and student performance scores in the sciences. One result is that secondary school science teachers are confronted with an array of challenges that must be met and mastered if recent trends of the downward trend of student and graduate science scores is to be reversed. That is the rationale behind "The Essentials Of Science, Grades 7-12: Effective Curriculum, Instruction, And Assessment" by Rick Allen. Part of the ASCD 'Priorities in Practice' series, "The Essentials of Science, Grades 7-12" instructs the instructors how they can make use of research within the cognitive sciences to foster critical thinking skills and provide students with a deeper understanding and appreciation of scientific concepts and their applications; using 'backward design' to create greater coherence in their curriculums; initiate innovative ideas for implementing scientific inquiry within the classroom environment; apply holistic strategies when addressing complex problems with respect to the problems related to such issues as an achievement gap, equity, and resources of the science classroom; as well as create and implement strategies for dealing with day-to-day as well as NCLB assessments. Of special note is how professional learning communities and mentoring can help teachers in reexamining and improving their curriculum development skills and classroom instruction practices. "The Essentials of Science, Grades 7-12" should be considered essential reading for student teachers considering a position teaching science at the secondary-level, as well as an indispensable, core addition to academic library and teacher education reference collections.

"A Land We Can Share"
Paula Kluth & Kelly Chandler-Olcott
Brookes Publishing Company
PO Box 10624, Baltimore, MD 21285-0624
9781557668554, $24.95, www.brookespublishing.com

It takes some adaptation to the curriculum and some insights on the part of the reading instructors, but autistic students can be literate students. "A Land We Can Share: Teaching Literacy To Students With Autism" is the collaborative work of Paula Kluth (consultant, teacher, author, and advocate in Oak Park, Illinois) and Kelly Chandler-Olcott (Associate Professor, Syracuse University Reading and Language Arts Center, Syracuse, New York) and specifically designed to teach the teacher of an autistic student in grades K-12 how to implement researched-based practices in reading and writing instruction (including those consistent with Read First recommendations); plan effective lessons that build on their student's strengths, interests, and individual needs; design a classroom environment that promotes literacy learning for all students while addressing the individual needs of mainstreamed autistic students; assess students who do not (or cannot) show their literacy learning in tradition fashion; and how to include autistic students in a wide range of classroom literacy activities. Superbly co-written, organized and presented, "A Land We Can Share" is thoroughly 'user friendly' and should be considered essential reading for all teachers at the primary and secondary levels having to work with autistic students within a classroom environment.


The Christian Studies Shelf

The New Christians
Tony Jones
Jossey-Bass, Inc.
989 Market Street, 5th floor, San Francisco, CA 94103-1741
DeChant Hughes & Associates (publicity)
1440 North Kingsbury, Chicago, IL 60622
9780787994716, $22.95 www.josseybass.com 1-800-225-5945

Christianity has been in a state of evolution, change, flux, and internal conflict every since the very first Christians emerged out of the synagogues of Jerusalem two thousand years ago. A doctoral fellow in practical theology at the Princeton Theological Seminary, author, speaker, and seasoned observer of the American religious landscape Tony Jones has written a seminal work exploring the emergent frontier of Christianity in the opening decade of the 21st Century in "The New Christians: Dispatches From The Emergent Frontier". Providing an informed, informative, and exceptionally well written survey of the more adventurous Christian communities around the world, "The New Christians" reveals a religious movement that is not based on the usual Left-Right political, economic, social, and cultural divides that have marked previous fractions of the Christian church. Simply stated, this is a new form of Christian community that difference in both substance and ideology from such previous ecclesiastical movements that gave rise to Protestantism from Catholicism, or even earlier than that, the Catholic Churches of the West from the Orthodox Churches of the East. "The New Christians" is enthusiastically recommended reading (especially for non-specialist general readers with an interest in religion, spirituality, church history, and current trends with in today's diverse Christian communities) and a seminal contribution for academic and community library Christian Studies and Religious History reference collections.

The Apologetics Study Bible
Chuck Colson, et al.
B&H Publishing Group
127 Ninth Avenue North, Nashville, TN 37234-0143
www.bhpublishinggroup.com
9781586400248, $39.99 1-800-251-3225

For Christians of all denominations and affiliations, the Holy Bible is the bedrock document of their faith. Being universally acknowledged in its importance, the necessity to be as informed as possible about what the Bible teaches and what it is necessary to understand in this secular age, "The Apologetics Study Bible" was created with contributions form Chuck Colson, Ravi Zacharias, Norman Geisler, J. P. Moreland, and many other scholars to help non-specialist general readers address such major questions and issues as the existence of God, the concept of evolution, the evidence underlaying the believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, personal destiny, and the paradox of evil in a world under the influence of a benevolent deity. "The Apologetics Study Bible" features introductions and notes for each of the 66 books comprising the Bible, more than 130 informative articles, biographical sketches of renowned Christian apologists, a timeline of Christian apologists and their works, thematically relevant archaeological charts, five full color maps, and an extensive annotated bibliography. Of special note are the 'Twisted Scripture Notes' addressing common ways that Scripture has been distorted by some heretical groups contrary to historic and traditional Christian teachings. A truly impressive work of biblical scholarship, "The Apologetics Study Bible" is confidently recommended for personal, seminary, academic, and community library reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

The Bible Speaks Today: New Testament CD-ROM
John R. W. Stott, editor
InterVarsity Press
PO Box 1400, Downers Grove, IL 605151426
9780830824489 (Windows) , $115.00
9780830824496 (Macintosh), $115.00 www.ivpress.com 1-800-843-9487

The Bible Speaks Today: New Testament is a massive CD-ROM archive of all 22 volumes of "Bible Speaks Today" series concerning the Christian New Testament, ideal for self-study or as a reference. From "The Message of Matthew" and "The Message of the Sermon on the Mount" to "The Message of John's Letters" and "The Message of Revelation", each study guide strives for accuracy, contemporary relevance, and accessibility to readers of all backgrounds. The "Libronix" search engine makes looking up specific Biblical concepts a snap! The CD-ROM also contains the Accordance 7.4 Bible software, a free KJV Bible, and complete documentation. Available in both Windows and Macintosh editions, The Bible Speaks Today: New Testament CD-ROM is a bargain reference and resource particularly ideal for pastors, church leaders, librarians and Sunday school teachers.

Solidarity Will Transform the World
Jeffry Odell Korgen
Orbis Books
PO Box 308, Maryknoll, NY 10545-0308
9781570757440, $16.00 www.orbisbooks.com

Solidarity Will Transform the World: Stories of Hope From Catholic Relief Services is an inspirational collection of true anecdotes about the people served by Catholic Relief Services. CRS programs of microcredit in Mexico and India have helped men and women create small businesses and jobs for their fellow countrymen. CRS trains people to become caregivers to those with HIV/AIDS in Zambia, and peacemakers in Rwanda; the production of Fair Trade Exchange coffee brings hope for prosperity to Nicaragua. A handful of black-and-white photographs illustrate this uplifting testimony to how religious charity can have a positive effect upon the world at large, literally helping people to help themselves as well as fostering the spiritual rewards of faith.

Against Ratzinger
Anonymous
Antony Shugaar, translator
Seven Stories Press
140 Watts Street, New York, NY 10013
9781583227664, $14.95 www.sevenstories.com 1-800-596-7437

Skillfully translated from the original Italian by Antony Shugaar, Against Ratzinger is a close study of the message of the current Catholic Pope, Joseph Ratzinger (Benedict XVI), scrutinizing his life and theology as well as comparing him to his predecessor Karol Wojtyla (John Paul II). Though written from an intellectual standpoint, Against Ratzinger is sharply critical of the narrow-minded aspects to Ratzinger's doctrine. Against Ratzinger has much to criticize Ratzinger upon, such as his collaboration with the Axis during World War II, his tendency to depict masturbation or consensual adult homosexual relationships as morally objectionable as pedophilia, his blindness to the ills caused by unchecked population growth in his stance against contraception, and more. Yet the greatest criticism of all is the revelation of how he has subverted philosophical reason to champion Christianity and Christians as the sole hope of combating negative social issues or societal decline in Europe, adamantly refuting the possibility that nonbelievers could also be a creative, moral, ethical, or revitalizing force. "We should reject Joseph Ratzinger's claim to philosophical authority because... he has stealthily purloined from the field of rational research its essential nucleus and objective. By defining (but never proving) the partiality and inadequacy of human reason as it has been used in modern times against the authenticity of the Christian narrative, unprovable by definition, the pontiff denies truth the opportunity to offer itself up to rational inquiry. To judge from the feeble response of many professional philosophers to the pope's strategic move, philosophy - inasmuch as it is a quest for truth - truly seems dead." Highly recommended as a solidly argued counter-argument to the values and the system of thinking that Ratzinger promotes.

Song Of The Talanton
Claire Brandenburg
Conciliar Press
PO Box 76, Ben Lomond, CA 95005-0076
9781888212907, $15.95 www.conciliarpress.com 1-800-967-7377

Music and music-making have been an integral part of the Christian experience from the very beginning of the Christian movement some two thousand years ago. A 'Talanton' is a long portable wooden board (or occasionally a fixed metal bar), usually featuring decorative or carved ends and has been used in monasteries for centuries as a means of calling the faithful to prayer. A wooden mallet striking the talanton, makes a loud (tonk) sound. Deftly written and beautifully illustrated by Claire Brandenburg, "Song Of The Talanton" takes the reader to the moment of sunrise and a pilgrim visiting a women's monastery hears this ages-old, rhythmic talanton call to worship. Accompanied by a superbly recorded audio CD featuring a reading of the story by the author, songs by Eikona, and more, "Song Of The Talanton" is unique and especially recommended for young children and their families.


The Judaic Studies Shelf

Journeys To A Jewish Life
Paula Amann
Jewish Lights Publishing
PO Box 237, Woodstock, VT 05091
9781580233170, $19.99 www.jewishlights.com 1-800-962-4544

For the last three thousand years of recorded history, the Jewish people have had to struggle against the temptation of assimilation with respect to the cultures that bordered them as a nation and then within which they were embedded during the two thousand years of the diaspora. Usually it was the hostility of the majority cultures that helped to keep the Jewish cultural identity intact. In the United States, while anti-Semitism has always been present to some degree, it is the more general climate of tolerance and religious diversity that has made answers to the question of 'Why be Jewish' especially imperative for new generations of Jewish men and women. In "Journeys To A Jewish Life: Inspiring Stories From The Spiritual Journeys Of American Jews", Paula Amann (former news editor of the 'Washington Jewish Week' and a former staff writer at B'nai Brith International) has compiled a series of highly recommended and personal accounts by men and women who had to discover the necessity of living a Jewish life in a secular America, including their participation in a Jewish spiritual community, adopting and adapting Jewish teachings, rituals, and life-styles, the needs of family and the duties of observance. As informed and informative as they are inspired and inspiring, these are personal, anecdotal, illustrative examples that will well serve as templates for others seeking their own enduring answers to the questions of religious identify as a Jew in America today.


The Art Shelf

Robert Kipniss: Paintings 1950-2005
Robert Kipniss
Hudson Hills Press
PO Box 205, 74-2 Union Street, Manchester, VT 05254
9781555952808, $60.00 www.hudsonhills.com

Robert Kipniss is perhaps best known for painting memorable landscapes, created from memory, unpopulated, and presenting an almost poetic expression of light, color, and form. Enhanced with an informative foreword by E. John Bullard (Montine McDaniel Freeman Director of the New Orleans Museum of Art) and an informed essay by Richard J. Boyle (former director of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and an Adjunct Professor of Art History at Temple University, Philadelphia), "Robert Kipniss: Paintings 1950-2005 is a coffee table style art book showcasing 117 paintings of this talented printmaker and impressively sophisticated artist over the past fifty-five years of his work. Also very highly recommended for personal, academic, and community library American Art History reference collections is the previous volume of his work: "Robert Kipniss: Intaglios 1982-2004" (Hudson Hills Press, 2004).

Gerhard Richter: Red, Yellow, Blue
Helmut Friedel
Prestel Publishing
900 Broadway, Suite 603, New York, NY 10003
9783791338606, $49.95 www.prestel-usa.com 1-888-463-6110

No one who considers themselves to be truly knowledgeable about trends in contemporary art will be unfamiliar with the name and work of Gerhard Richter, one of the most influential, innovative, and acclaimed painters of the past four decades. Enhanced with informed and informative essays on Richter and his art by Helmut Friedel and Robert Storr, "Gerhard Richter: Red, Yellow, Blue" is a coffee table art book compilation showcasing more than 100 color plates and three gatefolds of Richter's series of paintings that he created in 1973 for the lobby of the BMW headquarters in Munich. A welcome and core addition to any professional, art school, and academic library 20th Century Art History collection, "Gerhard Richter: Red, Yellow, Blue" is especially recommended to students of abstract painting in general, and Richter's seminal, groundbreaking techniques and imagery in particular.

Albert Paley: Portals & Gates
M. Jessica Rowe
Landauer Corporation
3100 NW 101st Street, Suite A, Urbandale, IA 50322
9780979811104, $35.00, www.landauercorp.com 1-800-557-2144

Next to cave wall paintings, sculpture is the oldest known form of human artistic expression and has been a part of every culture in recorded human history. "Albert Paley: Portals & Gates" is an annotated compendium of 150 magnificently reproduced color plates of 150 examples of sculptures by Albert Paley, beginning with his first major commission (Portal Gates) for the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Institutes in Washington D.C., to his most recent work (Transformation) displayed at the Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. The theme of these sculptures is that of diverse depictions and interpretations of portals, gates, and other key works over his thirty year career in which he has created more than sixty major works of art for public institutions and private corporations. Edited by M. Jessica Rowe (an established contemporary art expert and former curator of several national and international exhibitions), "Portals & Gates" is enhanced with informed and informative commentaries by Lynette L. Pohlman, Gregory L. Geoffroy, William L. Clark, and Mark C. Engelbrecht. Of special note is the inclusion of a Chronology and a Checklist that students of Palye's work will find invaluable. "Albert Paley: Portals & Gates" is a seminal study and a highly recommended addition to personal, academic, and community library 20th Century Art History & Sculpture reference collections and supplemental reading lists.


The Money/Finance Shelf

Effective Fundraising For Nonprofits
Ilona Bray
Nolo Press
950 Parker Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
9781413307481, $24.99 www.nolo.com 1-800-955-4775

Just as money is the life-blood of governments and private enterprise corporations, so it is essential to carrying out the mandates of non-profit organizations as well. Now in a fully updated and significantly expanded second edition, Effective Fundraising For Nonprofits: Real-World Strategies That Work" by Ilona Bray draws upon her years of experience and expertise serving a variety of nonprofit agencies in every managerial capacity from development director and staff attorney to department manager and advisory council member to create a 496-page compendium of superbly organized and presented information, jargon-free advice, case examples, and illustrative comments from more than forty experienced and successful fund raisers who work in the non-profit sector. An ideal guide, readers will learn how to work with individual donors, plan special fund raising events, successfully compete in the solicitation of grants from foundations and corporations, obtain and exploit media coverage, utilize the Internet as a fundraising tool, start side businesses to create additional revenue streams, develop effective print materials (brochures, newsletters, annual reports), and a great deal more. Of special note are the eleven appendices offering fundraising worksheets for everything from sample cost analysis to press release templates. "Effective Fundraising For Nonprofits" should be a core reference work and a part of every community library and non-profit agency collection, and is an especially recommended study for non-specialist general readers having a responsibility to raise funds for their particular non-profit group.


The Library DVD Shelf

Housewife, 49
Acorn Media Group
8515 Georgia Avenue, Suite 620, Silver Spring, MD 20910-3403
AMP-8041, $24.93 www.acornmedia.com

World War II was to change the lives of everyone who lived through it. The story begins in 1939 as England is in the process of entering World War II. Nella Last is an ordinary middle-aged English housewife and mother of two adult sons whose desperately unhappy marriage and suppressed life has resulted in driving her into such a dark depression that she seems to be suffering form some early form of senile dementia. But through the ensuing years, Nella discovers amidst the demands of war on the homefront that she is capable, that she can accomplish useful things despite an unsupportive husband, unaware children, class snobbery of other women, and her own deep seated, long-standing insecurities and low self-esteem. As is usual with a British theatrical production, the cast is uniformly impressive, the costuming and set designs are authentic in every detail, the production values are superb, the story (written by Victoria Wood who plays the principle role of Nella) is fully engaging from beginning to end. With a total running time of 93 minutes, "Housewife, 49" (based upon a true story) is a unique and emotionally rewarding experience for the viewer and an enthusiastically recommended addition to personal and community library DVD collections.

Dance for Camera 2
First Run Features
630 Ninth Avenue, Suite 1213, New York, NY 10036
DVD $24.95 www.firstrunfeatures.com

Dance for Camera 2 is a DVD collection of award-winning short dance films from around the world. Ranging from sensual bedroom gyrations to the portrait of a mad aristocrat, these films unabashedly celebrate movements of the human body. The short films are "Boy" (UK), "Burst" (Iceland), "Cargo" (Canada), "Case Studies from the Groat Center for Sleep Disorders" (US), "Horses Never Lie" (Canada), "Motion Control" (UK), and "The Duchess" (US). A sumptuous feast for the senses. 50 minutes, color and black-and-white.

Argentina: Turning Around
Melissa Young and Mark Dworkin
Bullfrog Films, Inc.
PO Box 149, Oley, PA 19547
1594586977, $225.00 www.bullfrogfilms.com 1-800-543-3764

Intended for adult viewers as well as young viewers in grades 9-12, Argentina: Turning Around is an educational film that looks at Argentina's economic recent past and present. In the 90's Argentina sought to become part of globalization, yet its economy fell apart. All was not lost - the people turned to one another in a remarkable grassroots organizational effort. The de facto sequel to "Argentina: Hope in Hard Times", Argentina: Turning Around re-examines worker-run factories, and delivers the insights of journalists, economists, and unemployed workers. As new models of politics, labor, and community are tested and enacted, a nation strives to make good on its worthy promise of a better life for all its citizens. Ideal for social or Latin American studies classes, Argentina: Turning Around is a fascinating glimpse into the Argentina's increasingly bright future. 37 minutes, closed captioned, English & Spanish.

The Paris Opera Ballet: Seven Ballets
V.I.E.W. Video
34 East 23rd Street, New York, NY 10010
0803022094, $19.98 www.view.com 212-674-5550

The Paris Opera Ballet: Seven Ballets is a DVD presentation of seven ballet dances performed by the stars of the Paris Opera Ballet, within the largest theater building in the world. The dances are "Escamillo", "Le Petit Pan", "Bambou (extract)", "Grande Pas Classique", "Rixe", "Une Femme", and "The White Swan (Swan Lake)". A medley of classical tradition, enhanced with DVD bonus features such as performer biographies and video performance from the Paris Opera Ballet Company, The Paris Opera Ballet: Seven Ballets is a superb example of the art and a welcome addition to any ballet lover's collection. 66 minutes.

Fit & Healthy Prenatal Workouts
Gabrielle Reece & Mike Monroe
Anchor Bay Entertainment
1699 Stutz Drive, Troy, MI 48084
DVD $14.98 www.anchorbayentertainment.com

Fit & Healthy Prenatal Workouts features six 15-minute workouts designed by Gabrielle Reece and her personal trainer Mike Monroe, following the guidelines of the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists. Offering a month-by-month pregnancy workout program covering the first and second trimesters, as demonstrated by Gabrielle Reece while carrying her second child, Fit & Healthy Prenatal Workouts is an excellent baby or bridal shower gift. An inexpensive exercise ball, fitness band, and small hand weights are recommended but not required, and all pregnant women should consult their physicians before embarking on an exercise program - but if the physician OKs it, then Fit & Healthy Prenatal Workouts is definitely one of the best workout options available! A second DVD in the series covering the third trimester and post-natal recovery is forthcoming. 150 minutes, color.

Marilyn Monroe: Beyond the Legend
Richard Widmark, narrator
Gene Feldman, director
Janson Media
88 Semmens Road, Harrington Park, NJ 07640
9781568392443, $24.95 www.janson.com

Marilyn Monroe: Beyond the Legend is a DVD biography beloved movie star and sex symbol Marilyn Monroe. Focusing on her passionate if somewhat tumultuous life rather than the seamy rumors about her and her tragic death, Marilyn Monroe: Beyond the Legend includes highlights from her greatest movie moments in films such as "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes", "How to Marry a Millionaire", "Some Like It Hot", and more. Extra features include a photo gallery, a "meet the producers" segment, and an interview with director Gene Feldman. An upbeat tribute that pays homage to the unforgettable pop culture contribution of a Hollywood icon. 115 minutes, color (some black-and-white scenes).

Just the Facts Cake Decorating
Chef Rick Forpahl
Learning ZoneXPress
PO Box 1022, Owatonna, MN 55060
1571754644, $49.95 www.learningzoneexpress.com 1-888-455-7003

Just the Facts Cake Decorating with Chef Rick Forpahl is a straightforward DVD introduction to the art and fun of cake decoration. Chef Rick Forphal walks viewers through proper hand positions, how to use the tools and equipment, and specific techniques such as shell, sweet pea, and writing. Forpahl also assembles a carrot cake, teaching through example. An excellent, easy-to-follow primer for educational or personal use, highly recommended for viewers in grade 10 or older, not to mention adults! 20 minutes, closed-captioned.

Mindfreak
Criss Angel
A&E Videos
c/o A&E Television Networks
235 East 45th Street New York , NY 10017
1422906353, $84.42 www.aetv.com

The complete Season 3 of the hit series featuring Criss Angel captures all his stunt performances and mystic episodes from the third season making it a hit for prior fans who have seen the series. All 20 episodes star a range of scenes, include Criss' celebrity guests, and host additional scenes and features. An outstanding set of illusionist specials.


The Social Issues Shelf

Bilingualism And American National Unity
Margot Kinberg & Peter Serdyukov
The Edwin Mellen Press
PO Box 450, Lewiston, NY 14092-0450
9780773455382, $99.95, www.edwinmellenpress.com

The struggle with having to deal with more than one language in American cultural history and society goes back to the very beginnings of European settlement on the North American continent. Not only was their the Europeans having to deal with Native American languages in all of their diversity, but among the Europeans themselves were the struggle of linguistic dominance between English and French; English and German; English and Spanish; even English and Yiddish. Today the issue of English linguistic primacy is a contentious one while immigration continues to bring bilingual and multilingual issues into every aspect of American society from schools to workplaces to governmental services. The collaborative work of linguists and academicians Margot Kinberg and Peter Serdyukov, "Bilingualism And American National Unity: the Pros And Cons Of Immersion Education" focuses upon bilingualism and multilingualism in a global age; various theoretical models of bilingualism; ESL (English as a Second Language) theory and practice in education; and bilingualism and Second Language instruction issues in a workplace setting. Enhanced with the inclusion of Appendices, a Bibliography, and an Index, "Bilingualism And American National Unity" is a seminal contribution of exceptional scholarship which is very highly recommended for professional and academic library Linguistic Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.


The Comix/Graphic Novel Shelf

Winsor McCay's Little Nemo In Slumberland
Winsor McCay
Checker Book Publishing Group
2044-A South Alex Road, West Carrollton, OH 45449
1933160217, $49.95 www.checkerbpg.com

Throughout the 20th century, newspaper comic strips have been a staple of American popular culture. Winsor McCay's "Little Nemo In Slumberland" was a color comic strip that debuted in the New York 'Hearld' on October 15, 1905 and achieved an immense popularity almost overnight. It continued to be published until December 1913, when McCay was pressed by his editor to suspend the series in order to concentrate on editorial cartooning. In August 1924 McCay revived the comic strip and it ran for an additional three years. Now the Checker Book Publishing Group has brought out a photomechanical reprint in full color of all of the strips from the first episode in 1905 though August 15, 1909. Also included in this impressive first volume are forty-three strips comprising 'Tales of the Jungle Imps', as well as samples of original promotional material, play bills, posters, early Nemo merchandising, and more. Of immense nostalagic interest and a superb example of early American newspaper cartoon strips, "Winsor McCay's Little Nemo In Slumberland; Volume One" is also highly recommended because it makes available to a whole new generation of readers the wonderful adventures of Nemo, Flip, The Princess, and a cast of memorable characters.

Innocent
Shawn Granger
King Tractor Press
PO Box 7732, La Verne, Ca 91750
9780978748630, $14.99 www.kingtractorpress.com

The graphic novel as a literary form within American popular culture has truly come of age. Ably assisted by a team of five talented artists, three letterers, two designers, two cover artists, and an editor, Shawn Granger's "Innocent" is a compelling story of an angel of retribution who befriends a psychopathic mortal. The angel Innocent finds himself hard pressed to keep his psycho friend David focused on killing only those who really deserve to be murdered, and leaving the innocent well enough alone. A sophisticated story featuring characters that are intrinsically interesting and a bit more than casually sophisticated, "Innocent" is the first volume of a graphic novel series that can be confidently recommended to the attention of science fiction and fantasy fans in general, and graphic novel buffs in particular -- and will lead readers in both groups looking eagerly toward the next installment of this debut effort.

Maison Ikkoku, volume 15
Rumiko Takahashi
Viz Communications Inc.
295 Bay Street, San Francisco, CA 94133
9781421502793, $9.95 www.viz.com 1-800-394-3042

Now available on in an "editor's choice" reprint edition with a new cover, the fifteenth and final volume Maison Ikkoku concludes the slice-of-life romance between Godai and Kyoko, with a thoroughly satisfying wrap-up of their story as well as that of their rambunctious, out-of-control neighbors. Though the issues of love, relationships, and responsibility take the dramatic center stage, the situation comedy elements are neither gone nor forgotten; the well-known "goddess of manga" Rumiko Takahashi pens Maison Ikkoku's finale with her usual flair for wit and insight. Maison Ikkoku carries the highest possible recommendation, as a heartwarming saga that resonates so strongly with the ups and downs with real life that it is worth rereading again and again.


The Parenting Shelf

Mothers & Daughters: That Special Bond
Susan Beilenson
Peter Pauper Press, Inc.
202 Mamaroneck Avenue, White Plains, NY 10601
9781593598938, $9.95 www.peterpauper.com

It is one of life's ironies that children only come to truly appreciate their parents when they become parents themselves. The relationship between mothers and their daughters is truly something special and to be celebrated. That is the premise underlying "Mothers & Daughters: That Special Bond", a series of photographs and quotations compiled by Susan Beilenson that illustrate that very special relationship. The photographs of celebrity moms and their daughters (a few of whom grew up to become celebrities in their own right) is the perfect visual augmentation to a wealth of memorable observations by equally memorable women. The quotations are nicely organized into three main sections: Daughters Talk about Their Mothers; What Mothers Say about Their Daughters; and The Mother-Daughter Relationship. "Mothers & Daughters: That Special Bond" is an ideal gift for Mother's Day, as well as Birthdays, Holidays, and any other such family-oriented celebratory occasion. 'I pray that I may be all that my mother would have been, had she lived in an age when women could aspire and achieve.' -- Ruth Bader Binsburg, Supreme Court Justice.


The Sociology Shelf

Social Stratification
David B. Grusky
Westview Press
c/o Perseus Books Group
Eleven Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142
9780813343730, $60.00 www.westviewpress.com 1-800-242-7737

Even America is not immune to the forces that give rise to class warfare. Now in a thoroughly revised, updated, and expanded third edition, "Social Stratification: Class, Race, And Gender In Sociological Perspective" by David B. Grusky (Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center for the Study of Poverty and Inequality, Stanford University) continues to be the primary text comprising contributions by leading academicians and researchers on the issues associated with poverty and inequality within the United States. Part 1 is 'Gloom, Doom, and Inequality', an informed and informative introduction to the general subject and co-authored by Professor Grusky and Manwai C. Ku. Part 2 is comprised of eight contributions examining the 'Forms and Sources of Inequality'. Part 3 presents a series of contributions with respect to 'The Structure of Contemporary Inequality'. Part 4 covers 'Inequality at the Extremes'. Part 5 focuses upon 'Generating Inequality'. Part 6 is on 'Race and Ethnicity' with Part 7 addressing 'Gender Inequality'. Part 8 studies 'The Consequences of Inequality'. Part 9 concludes with thoughtful and thought-provoking contributions on 'The Future of Inequality'. A standard text for more than a decade, this new third edition of an impressive body of sustained and seminal scholarship continues to insure that "Social Stratification" is an invaluable and emphatically recommended, core addition to professional and academic library Sociological Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.


The Computer Shelf

Information Security
Philip Alexander
Praeger Publishers
c/o Greenwood Publishing Group
88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
9780313345586, $44.95 www.praeger.com

The problem with building a better mousetrap is that sooner or later, somebody will come along and build a better mouse. The history of computers is also a history of computer crime. Data is valuable and so inevitably someone will try to hack it. Computers are important (even vital) so someone sooner or later will want to do them mischief -- even if its just for the perverted fun of it. Therefore the unrelenting, unflagging, unending necessity for securing computers and the data they contain from hackers and thieves. "Information Security: A Manager's Guide To Thwarting Data Thieves And Hackers" by Philip Alexander (Information Security Officer for Wells Fargo Bank) writes with an impressive, comprehensive, experience-based expertise to specifically enable corporate managers at every level to understand and deal with the diverse security issues associated with their computer systems and data bases. From issues of security policy and standards, to network and DMZ design, to authentication and authorization, to security issues associated with mobile employees, hackers, snoops, viruses, data privacy laws, overseas outsourcing, and more, "Information Security" is a complete instruction manual that is as informed as it is informative. Up-to-date, 'reader friendly', and comprehensive, "Information Security" is strongly recommended reading for anyone with a management responsibility that includes data security and computer usage, as well as a core addition to professional, corporate, academic, and community library Computer Science & Security reference collections.


The Theatre/Cinema Shelf

Palestinian Cinema: Landscape, Trauma, and Memory
Nurith Gertz and George Khleifi
Indiana University Press
601 North Morton Street, Bloomington, IN 47404-3797
9780253220073, $24.95 www.iupress.indiana.edu 1-800-842-6796

Palestinian Cinema: Landscape, Trauma, and Memory is a one-of-a-kind collaboration between an Israeli scholar and a Palestinian scholar tracing the development of Palestinian cinema, with especial attention paid to its response to political and social evolutions. Chapters reveal that the worse social, political, and economic positions become, the more Palestinian cinema intertwines itself with the national struggle. Palestinian cinema creates its national narrative against the Israeli narrative, and the bitter reflection between the two viewpoints sadly echoes the greater resentment and hostility between the two peoples sharing the same territory. In particular, the films of Michel Khleifi, Rashid Masharawi, Ali Nassar, and Elia Suleiman are discussed, as well as roadblock movies in general. "To a large extent, the new directors have joined forces to protect Palestinian unity and identity in the face of the threat of extinction. Thus, they express, even more intensely than their predecessors did, the strengthening national consciousness and identity vying with familial, regional, pan-Arabic, class, or gender identities. In their films, they strive to construct a single national unity, which is strong and secured, by integrating different sections, groups, minorities, and political stances." A 'must-read' for anyone with an interest in Palestinian cinema and what it has to tell us about the culture from which it comes.


The Philosophy Shelf

Lessons from a Materialist Thinker
Samantha Frost
Stanford University Press
1450 Page Mill Road, Palo Alto, CA 94304-1124
9780804757485, $21.95 www.sup.org

Part of the "Cultural Memory in the Present" series, Lessons from a Materialist Thinker is a philosophical treatise on political theory as contemplated by Samantha Frost (Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science and the Gender and Women's Studies Program at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign). Drawing upon Thomas Hobbes' well-known if dark concept of the brutal self at war with all others, as juxtaposed with a Cartesian view of the self split into the mind and the body, Lessons from a Materialist Thinker questions tacitly occurring assumptions humans make about themselves as well as the common, negative view of Hobbes' insights. Elucidating upon Hobbes' materialist ontology, Lessons from a Materialist Thinker suggests that Hobbes in fact offers a new means of understanding the fundamental concepts of self-consciousness, reason, agency, power, freedom, and responsibility. "...Hobbes's ethics does not require that we actually like one another or that we truly respect or appreciate one another. When the laws of nature dictate peace, they do not demand that we be loving and generous in our hearts. Rather, they teach us that the minimum condition of our interactions is a perceptible or visible commitment to ending overt hostility." A welcome contribution to philosophical studies shelves, especially for its insights into the border where philosophy and politics meets concepts of sociology and anthropology.


The Library CD Music Shelf

Dans Les Airs
Le Vent du Nord
Borealis Records
225 Sterling Road Unit 19, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6R 2B2
Rock Paper Scissors (publicity)
511 West 4th Street, Suite 2, Bloomington, IN 47404
CD, $20.00 www.rockpaperscissors.biz

Dans Les Airs is the latest music CD by Le Vent du Nord, a quartet of young singers and instrumentalists. Blending old songs learned from the people of French Canada (including a school janitor on Cape Breton) with their own reals and tunes drawing upon the music of Ireland, Scotland, medieval France, and their own creativity, Le Vent du Nord is a vibrant expression of the full range of the human spirit, from exuberant fun to bittersweet reflections. Of especial interest is Le Vent du Nord's inclusion of the traditional French hurdy-gurdy, a stringed instrument with a rotating wheel that acts a constant bow, known for being notoriously difficult to properly tune. Highly recommended. The tracks are Rosette (3:55); La piastre des Etats (4:10); La veillee chez Poirier (2:57); La traversee (4:31); Tour a bois (3:01); Le vieux cheval (3:04); Petit reve III (2:48); Les larmes aux yeux (4:28); La beaute du mariage (4:24); Du Labrador a Montmagny (3:53); Le berger (3:17); L'heure bleue (4:02); and La fille et les dragons (5:05).

Meet the Sun Halfway
Mae Robertson
Lyric Partners
PO Box 531165, Birmingham, AL 35253
CD, $16.98 www.lyricpartners.com

Mae Robertson's eighth album, Meet the Sun Halfway is a beautiful music CD featuring her enchanting alto singing voice accompanied by a medley of elegant keyboard, guitar, and drum rhythms as well as harmony vocals. As soothing and inspirational as the wind rustling amid flowers, Meet the Sun Halfway is pure audio grace at its finest. Highly recommended. The tracks are Straight as the Crow Flies (4:07); What Remains Is Love (4:36); Almost Blue (4:10); Little Sparrow (5:08); Only Heaven Knows (4:11); Meet the Sun Halfway (3:19); Turning to You (4:50); Lying Next to You (3:24); All for the Love (3:11); Little Trip to Heaven (3:39); Single Drop of Rain (3:45) and Singing with You (3:45).


The Audiobook Shelf

The Dark Highlander
Karen Marie Moning, author
Phil Gigante, narrator
Brilliance Corporation
PO Box 887, Grand Haven, MI 49417
9781423341543, $29.95 www.brillianceaudio.com 1-800-854-7859

The Dark Highlander is the unabridged audiobook adaptation of Karen Marie's lustful fantasy novel of love, sex, and travel between eras. Dageus MacKeltar is a sixteenth-century Scot caught between worlds, locked in a losing struggle against the thirteen evil Druids who possess his soul. The dark forces within compel him engage in sexual pursuit, and when antiquities student Chloe Zanders responds to his seduction, she is inextricably intertwined in an ancient prophecy that transports her to medieval Scotland. She must confront the ultimate challenge of battling in a war against thirteen evil spirits to liberate the heart of one irresistible man. Read aloud by theatrical performer, director and producer Phil Gigante, The Dark Highlander is a satisfyingly sensual adventure.

Maelstrom
Michael MacConnell, author
Sean Mangan, narrator
Bolinda Publishing, Inc.
48 Oxford Woods, Falmouth, ME 04105-3401
9781921334764, $110.95 www.bolinda.com 1-888-235-2019

Maelstrom is an unabridged audiobook suspense novel following Special Agent Sarah Reilly, daughter of an FBI legend, in a thrilling hunt to catch a monstrous serial predator. The psychopath has learned to exploit a flaw in forensic profiling, and taken interest in stalking Sarah. Meanwhile, someone else is hunting down and murdering serial killers with exacting accuracy. Amid this maelstrom, Sarah Reilly will have to face her worst fears in order to protect what is most dear to her. A nail-biting crime story right up to the very end. 10 CDs, 12 hours.


The Writing/Publishing Shelf

How To Start A Home-Based Writing Business
Lucy V. Parker
The Globe Pequot Press
PO Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437
9780762744015, $18.95 www.globepequot.com 1-800-243-0495

A previous edition of Lucy V. Parker's "How To Start A Home-Based Writing Business" was recommended by the staff of Midwest Book Review to anyone aspiring to earn a living through their writing as being "A superbly presented, complete-in-one-volume manual. An invaluable user-friendly, highly recommended 'how to' guide specifically for freelance writers." Now in a newly updated and expanded seventh edition, that original assessment has been further strengthened and justified. Featuring a jargon-free, eminently practical, informed and informative text of instruction, advice, and commentary, "How To Start A Home-Based Writing Business" is enhanced with the inclusion of Business-Success Worksheets, Prospect Information Forms, Estimate Forms, Job-Log and Job-Control Forms, a Checklist of Key Client Types, Profiles of Success Stories, Guidelines for Software Selection, Business Resources, and a Source Directory making it a completely up-to-date instructional reference that will prove enduringly valuable to anyone seeking to establish a career writing be it with fiction, non-fiction, or any combination of the two.

Niche Publishing
Gordon Burgett
Communication Unlimited
185 Shevelin Road, Novato, CA 94948
9780979629525, $19.95 www.nichepublishing.org

We now live in the age of desk top publishing and Print-on-Demand presses where anyone with a manuscript and some cash can get published. But getting published profitably is quite another matter. That takes planning, preparation, and perseverance. It also takes a 'how to' manual like successful author-turned-publisher Gordon Burgett's "Niche Publishing: Publish Profitably Every Time!" Drawing upon his own years of experience and hard-won expertise, Burgett shares his practical advice and cogent experience to show aspiring author/publishers how they can reduce and contain the financial risks of publishing, test the marketplace for their particular title, successfully compete for the attention (and dollars) of their targeted readership, and parlay their book into secondary and additionally profitable revenue generation. Of special note is the inclusion of an illustrative 'Case Study', the lists of resources and guides for aspiring publishers, and the listings of Burgett's companion resources such as his audio CD series on setting up and marketing a seminar, as well as his Writing Reports and Niche Publishing Reports. Practical, realistic, informed and informative, "Niche Publishing" should be considered essential reading and a core addition to the Writing/Publishing reference shelf of any author or novice publisher aspiring to be published profitably and with a minimum of risk.

Spinning Words Into Gold
Maureen Ryan Griffin
Main Street Rag Publishing Company
6731 Morganford Road, Charlotte, NC 28211
1599480220, $21.95 www.maureenryangriffin.com

Anyone aspiring to a career as a professional writer needs to assemble a reference collection of sound, practical, illustrative, and comprehensive reference works that will aide them in the enhancement and application of the skills required to write correctly, persuasively, and lucratively. Author, poet, and creative writing instructor Maureen Ryan Griffin draws upon her many years of experience and expertise in "Spinning Words Into Gold: A Hands-On Guide to The Craft Of Writing" to provide aspiring and practicing writers with a compendium of useful and useable information, examples, training exercises, and resources that cover every aspect of the writing process from original drafts to pre-publication polishing. An ideal instruction manual that applies to writing in any category, genre, or purpose be it fiction or non-fiction, memoir or poetry, literary or popular, magazine article or published book. Following a useful essay and an introduction, the contents are divided into chapters dealing with the classical Who, Why, When, Where, What, and How as applied to the processes of writing. Of special note for the novice is the chapter specific to getting publishing, and the concluding chapter on continuing to write. In addition to personal reference collections, "Spinning Words Into Gold" is a 289-page instructional that is also ideal for use as a textbook for creative writing curriculums, and as a supplemental reading list entry for informal community writing groups and writer retreats.

The Writer's Workshop
Gregory L. Roper
Intercollegiate Studies Institute
F.M. Kirby Campus
3901 Centerville Road, Wilmington, DE 19807-0431
9781933859330, $18.00 www.isi.org 1-800-526-7022

It is a truism that people who have not read the great writers of English literature are less equipped to write as well as those who have. There are lessons available in the writings of such literary giants as Shakespeare, Milton, Conrad, Cicero, Aquinas, Dickens, Joyce, Hemingway, that can improve the narrative skills for written expression for high school students writing term papers, college students striving with creative writing assignments, aspiring authors yearning to see their manuscripts turned into books with the widest and most appreciative possible readership. "The Writer's Workshop: Imitating Your Way To Better Writing" by Gregory L. Roper (Professor of English and Directory of the Writing Program at the University of Dallas) is a complete-in-one-volume workshop instruction guide that can assist anyone from a home-schooled student, to a novice novelist, to an beginning playwright, to aspiring poet to write more effectively, fluently, engagingly, and successfully. Simply stated, "The Writer's Workshop" should be on the supplemental reading list of anyone wanting to successful express themselves through the written word and should be considered a core acquisition for personal, professional, academic, and community library Writing Reference Studies collections.

Writing and Developing Your College Textbook
Mary Ellen Lepionka
Atlantic Path Publishing
PO Box 1556, Gloucester, MA 01931-1556
9780972816472, $37.95, www.atlanticpathpublishing.com

Textbook publishing for technical schools, colleges, and universities, is a very specialized and potentially lucrative section of the publishing industry and one that has both state and institutional compliance requirements and standards that must be adhered to by authors who aspire to have their books adopted for curriculums, library collections, and student reading list. Now in a fully updated and significantly expanded second edition, "Writing And Developing Your college Textbook: A Comprehensive Guide To Textbook Authorship And Higher Education Publishing" by Mary Ellen Lepionka continues to be the premier introduction and instruction reference guide manual for college instructors, academic authors, textbook editors, and publishers of education materials. Beginning with informed and informative chapters on the college textbook publishing industry, "Writing and Developing Your College Textbook" continues with superbly organized and presented chapters on what authors must do to interest a publisher in their manuscript, publishing contracts, textbook development, identifying the intended readership and their needs with regarding the textbook's subject matter, writing with authority, the role of 'Learning Objectives', 'Heading Structure', pedagogy, chapter organization, 'Feature Strands', drafts and revisions, issues of length and management schedules, permissions, and visual elements for text enhancement. Of special note is the up-to-date advice with respect to pricing issues, academic self-publishing, open access, digitization, 'wiki-textbooks'. Simply stated, any author aspiring to write and have published a textbook, regardless of its subject matter, should begin by giving a careful reading to what Mary Ellen Lepionka has laid out in the pages of "Writing and Developing Your College Textbook".

The Birds And Bees Of Words
Mary Embree
Allworth Press
10 East 23rd Street, Suite 510, New York, NY 10010
9781581154955, $14.95 www.allworth.com 1-800-491-2808

The crafting of legible, literate sentences is a learned skill. A skill that separates the amateur from the profession, the incoherent from the competent. "The Birds And Bees Of Words: A Guide To The Most Common Errors In Usage, Spelling, And Grammar" by Mary Embree (a freelance editor, successful author of six books, and founder of the Small Publishers Artists and Writers Network) was specifically written to provide aspiring authors and practicing writers to communicate clearly and correctly through the use of the written word. A thoroughly 'user friendly' instructional guide to 21st Century American English, "The Birds And Bees Of Words" covers frequently misused words, the parts of speech, word roots, common grammar mix-ups (and how to correct them), often misspelled words, as well as brand new words and phrases. The perfect antidote to a flawed or substandard public school English Department or classroom curriculum, "The Birds And Bees Of Words" is especially recommended for school and community reference collections, as well as anyone wanting to write professionally or personally with an authority and accuracy unmarred by blunders of spelling or grammar or usage.

The Superior Person's Field Guide to Deceitful, Deceptive & Downright Dangerous Language
Peter Bowler, author; Leslie Cabarga, illustrator
David R. Godine, Publisher
PO Box 450, Jaffrey, NH 03452
9781567923377, $16.95 www.godine.com 1-800-344-4771

Unlike the previous three books in this David R. Godine series, The Superior Person's Field Guide to Deceitful, Deceptive & Downright Dangerous Language is not meant solely to amuse the reader. In today's modern era when words are carefully chosen to soften the severity of what they represent, such as "extraordinary rendition" for flying prisoners to faraway countries where they can be tortured, or "transit pouch" to induce more complacency with regard to human casualties than "body bag" would, there is a greater need than ever to remain alert to insidious verbal trickery. In an era when "peace" means "war" (i.e. "pacify" means "invade and subjugate by force of arms") and "life" means "death" (as in "life insurance"), George Orwell's warnings against the misuse of language in his dystopian classic 1984 are perilously close to coming true. Of course, plenty of less deadly serious entries such as "squirrel" for psychiatrist (because they "feed off nuts") are also present for comedic relief. Perhaps the most eye-catching entry is the long list of deceptive terms used in real estate, with accompanying translations: "leafy neighborhood" means "forest fire area", "price slashed" means "was way overpriced to begin with", and "starter" or "investment" means "a normal person would not want to live here". Highly recommended.


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


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