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Small Press Bookwatch

Volume 14, Number 8 August 2015 Home | SPBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Biography Shelf Architecture Shelf
Fiction Shelf Self-Help Shelf Mystery/Suspense Shelf
Psychology Shelf Business Shelf Christian Studies Shelf
Health/Medicine Shelf Philosophy Shelf Cookbook Shelf
Poetry Shelf Fantasy/SciFi Shelf LGBT Studies Shelf
American History Shelf Civil War Shelf Religion/Spirituality Shelf


Reviewer's Choice

Not In God's Name
Paula Fouce
Paradise Filmworks International
http://www.paradisefilmworks.com
http://notingodsnamebook.com
9780692435649, $17.99, 258pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Paula Fouce was trapped in a religious riot after the assassination of India's Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Her life was threatened as mobs murdered in revenge and the country exploded in carnage. Before that time, she worked in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kashmir, India, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Tibet, and it had been peaceful. Not in God's Name searches for the causes and solutions to religious intolerance. Paula's quest to understand the causes of this violence took her on a journey to meet faith leaders including Mother Teresa and the Dalai Lama. She followed the Dalai Lama's guidance to understand religious intolerance. She produced the film. Not in God's Name, that aired on PBS, and wrote this book. "Not In God's Name: Making Sense of Religious Conflict" examines why religious clashes ravage our world, and why different creeds sometimes don't live in harmony. At any given time in our world, there are fifty conflicts being fought in the name of faith. Religion, a source of great peace, is sometimes misused to create division and strife. "Not in God's Name" asks the bewildered question, "Why do people kill in the name of God?"

Critique: Impressively well written, organized and presented, "Not In God's Name: Making Sense of Religious Conflict" is an extraordinary read that is as insightful as it is thoughtful and thought-provoking. "Not In God's Name" is strongly recommended and must be considered an essential addition to church, community, and academic library collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "Not In God's Name" is also available in a Kindle edition ($7.99).

Wrongly Charged: A Look at the Legal System
David Merkatz
Prominent Books LLC
9781942389033, $17.95, 202pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: What would you do if you were arrested and wrongly charged with a crime? It can happen in the blink of an eye. It's not supposed to happen in the United States, but it can at any time. After being advised by his attorney in 2013 that his new marketing strategy was legal, Florida locksmith David Merkatz was shocked to learn he was under criminal investigation. Then he was arrested and charged with money laundering and an organized scheme to defraud. With the flip of a switch, he was facing a 20-year prison sentence. He was terrified. Life as he knew it was over, and it happened in an instant. But David Merkatz was determined to fight back. "Wrongly Charged: A Look at the Legal System" is his shocking and true story. Readers will learn practical information and advice on such issues as: What to do if you're suddenly arrested; How to get through the booking and arraignment process; Why you should always carry a bail bondsman's card; The pros and cons of accepting a plea bargain; How to appeal a criminal conviction or civil judgment; How to salvage your life and rebuild your reputation; And a great many other things that can save your life as you know it today.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Wrongly Charged: A Look at the Legal System" is packed with practical tips and fundamental information on how to deal with the legal system should you ever be arrested -- a possibility that is always present as our nightly news headlines so frequently attest. "Wrongly Charged" should be a part of every community and academic library Criminology and Judicial studies reference collections (especially those communities and schools with substantial minority populations) as well as Public Defender offices and Prisoner Rights & Reform NGOs. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "Wrongly Charged" is also available in an inexpensive Kindle edition ($0.99).

The Tale of Miss Susie and Her Steamboat
Sonja N. Kreps
CreateSpace
4900 LaCross Rd., North Charleston, SC 29406
9781505907957, $7.99, 168pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Miss Susie had a steamboat; the steamboat had a bell. Miss Susie went to Heaven, the steamboat went to Hello, Operator, please give me number nine, and if you disconnect me, I'll kick you from behind the 'frigerator, there was a piece of glass. Miss Susie sat upon it and broke her little ask me no more questions, I'll tell you no more lies. The boys are in the bathroom, zipping up their flies are in the city. Bees are in the park. Miss Susie and her boyfriend are kissing in the d-a-r-k, d-a-r-k, d-a-r-k, dark, dark, dark. This is a simple song from your childhood, right? But have you ever wondered how Miss Susie got in to all those messes? Or what that song was specifically referring to? Imagine that the story of Miss Susie isn't an innocent, age-appropriate song. What if she was a party girl whose life intertwined with other campfire songs? Forget the eight-year old thrill of almost saying a bad word while chanting this song over slapping hands, and get comfortable, because you're in for a wild ride.

Critique: Exceptional, original, informative, and above all, entertaining, "The Tale of Miss Susie and Her Steamboat: And Other Songs from your Childhood Explained" by Sonja N. Kreps is an inherently fascinating read from beginning to end. Very highly recommended for community library Popular Culture collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Tale of Miss Susie and Her Steamboat" is also available in a Kindle edition ($3.99).

Indy Writes Books: A Book Lovers Anthology
John Green & Dan Wakefield, authors
Travis M. DiNicola, editor
Indy Reads
911 Massachusetts Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46202
www.indyradsbooks.org
9780692300299, $25.00, 400pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Indy Writes Books: A Book Lovers Anthology" is a compilation of the writings of local Indiana authors who have helped Indy Reads' independent bookstore grow and thrive. "Indy Writes Books" features fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and puzzles centered around bookstores and reading. This anthology also includes works by the following authors, poets, and puzzle makers: John Green, Dan Waikefield, John David Anderson, Victoria Barrett, Frank Bill, Ray Boomhower, Mary Susan Buhner, Lorene Burkhart, Michael Dahlie, Cathy Day, Carol Faenzi, Terence Faherty, Lou Harry, Liza Hyatt, Angela Jackson-Brown, Lyn Jones, Jeff Knurek & David Hoyt, Karen Kovacik, Norbert Krapf, Bonnie Maurer, Susan Neville, Will Shortz, Barb Shoup, Amy Sorrells, Gordon Strain & Dianne Moneypenny, Larry Sweazy, and Ben Winters. It was edited by M. Travis DiNicola and Zach Roth.

Critique: An engaging and inherently entertaining literary cornucopia of excellent writing by gifted novelists, short story writers, and poets, "Indy Writes Books: A Book Lovers Anthology" is very highly recommended reading and would serve as a useful template for similar efforts by other centers of literary accomplishment and productivity. One caveat is the rather small typeface that will require good eyesight on the part of the reader. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "Indy Writes Books: A Book Lovers Anthology" is also available in a Kindle edition ($0.99) which would address the type size issue quite nicely.


The Biography Shelf


No Limits
Leah Goldstein
Influence Publishing Inc.
1200 Lonsdale, Unit #310, North Vancouver, BC, V7M 3H6
http://www.influencepublishing.com
9781771411127, $19.95, 200pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "No Limits: The Powerful True Story of Leah Goldstein: World Kickboxing Champion, Israeli Undercover Police and Cycling Champion" is a personal story of what happens when a person doesn't believe in any limitations? An internationally renowned professional cyclist, Leah Goldstein has raced towards finish lines all her life. Her life lessons however extend beyond her achievements on a bike -- from a young World Kickboxing Champion, to a trainer of elite Israeli soldiers including the commandos; from breaking glass ceilings by entering Israel's Undercover Police Unit, to breaking records as a professional athlete. Having faced fear many times, Goldstein has learnt that no matter how genuine the actual danger we confront may be, we have two choices: fight or flight. Yet, some of us have fallen into a third, much more dangerous category, by simply freezing. We do nothing, and therefore risk neither failure nor success. Full of tragedies and triumphs, crashes and podiums, Leah Goldstein's life has been a long series of fights and even a few flights. Her fascinating story is not about being fearless but about being unstoppable.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "No Limits: The Powerful True Story of Leah Goldstein: World Kickboxing Champion, Israeli Undercover Police and Cycling Champion" is an inherently fascinating and ultimately inspiring read. Very highly recommended for community and academic library Contemporary Biography collections, for personal reading lists it should be noted that "No Limits" is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).

Letter from Alabama
David L. Workman
Workman & Associates, Inc.
http://www.workman-inc.com
9780996230919, $8.99, 212pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: David's life could turn out very, very badly. His mother dies suddenly when he is an infant. Then at age two, he is gone. Vanished, with his father, and abandoned in a far-away place. His future hangs on a letter from Alabama, a piece of paper that must travel hundreds of miles in an envelope. Then it must land in exactly the right place in a busy office where nobody is under any obligation to read it or pay any attention to it. "Letter from Alabama: The Inspiring True Story of Strangers Who Saved a Child and Changed a Family Forever" is the true story of that letter, and all that will transpire because of it. It's the story of human failure, and human triumph. Forgiveness and redemption. It is a testament to, and a prayer of thanks for, good and decent people everywhere who stand up for a child when they don't have to -- when they have nothing to gain and perhaps much to lose. It's a tribute to those who see the potential in a young person and give that person a chance to be the best that he or she can be. They are the heroes for whom this story is now committed to writing.

Critique: Impressively well written, organized and presented, "Letter from Alabama: The Inspiring True Story of Strangers Who Saved a Child and Changed a Family Forever" is a compelling and inherently fascinating read from beginning to end. An extraordinary and heartwarming account, "Letter from Alabama" is very highly recommended for community library American Biography collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "Letter from Alabama" is also available in a Kindle edition ($2.99).

Come Back Strong: A Widow's Song
Eileen McGuire Whaley
CreateSpace
4900 LaCross Rd., North Charleston, SC 29406
www.createspace.com
9781505219760, $14.95, 258pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Slammed down by four little words "It doesn't look good," a couple tries to be happy in spite of the massive cancer in his chest. His bonus days eventually run out leaving her tired, unhealthy, and sad to be the one "still breathing." "I'll find a way to get past this." The 64 year old woman learns how to deal with her loss and her diminished health in a surprising and humorous way. Stubbornly independent, she vows she'll never talk to anyone about her grief. Forever a clumsy bookworm, she'll never join a gym. Yet soon after her husband's passing she is happily on a new journey with a compassionate counselor she appreciatively refers to as "Compass" and a tough trainer she laughingly names "Sheriff". They ultimately prepare her for a powerful first in her life. "If you embarrass me, I'm out of here." Written especially for those facing loss, "Come Back Strong, a Widow's Song" is a thoughtful yet humorous story of a woman's return to health and happiness. Reading this motivational memoir is like a good hot soak while sipping wine. The story of benevolence, friendship, and well-seasoned love will warm you inside and out. "Good to see up. Been down way too long."

Critique: Exceptional, impressive, candid, intimate, inherently fascinating, inspired and inspiring, "Come Back Strong: A Widow's Song" is very highly recommended for community library American Biography collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "Come Back Strong: A Widow's Song" is also available in a Kindle edition ($4.99).

It Only Hurts When I Can't Run
Gewanda J. Parker
MIS Press
1760-F Airline Hwy., #203, Hollister, CA 95023
www.msipress.com
9781933455808, $14.95, 260pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "It Only Hurts When I Can't Run: One Girl's Story" is the personal story of Gewanda J. Parker. Abandoned, neglected and beaten by a mother who really did care about her but suffered from her own demons and addictions, left with friends and relatives, as well as placed in foster homes, molested and raped on more than one occasion, including by men considered upright, the little girl who grew up to become an educator, minister, and entrepreneur learned to survive by running away again and again. This heartbreaking and heartwarming story, told with courageous frankness, reveals a deep trust in God that, in the long run, promoted an unbelievable resilience, allowing a young girl, turned young woman, to forgive those who hurt her and to reach out to all those who hurt with a message of healing and hope.

Critique: Impressively candid, exceptionally informative, and ultimately inspiring, "It Only Hurts When I Can't Run: One Girl's Story" is a compelling read from beginning to end. Very highly recommended for personal reading lists, as well as community and academic library American Biography collections.

That Old Bilbao Moon
Joseba Zulaika
Center for Basque Studies
University of Nevada, Reno /2322
Reno, Nevada 89557-2322
www.basque.unr.edu
9781935709589, $25.00, 352pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "That Old Bilbao Moon: The Passion and Resurrection of a City" is a personal memoir by Joseba Zulaika. It is an ethnography of desire, an essay tracking a generation's consciousness, a manifesto for a new city and a new subject after the shipwreck. This Dantean narration presents "characters," including its author, whose lives do not conform to idea cultural models. They are rather figures under the threat of disintegration who require self-transformation for their survival. Every conservation and event here narrated is ethnographically factual, yet the book is essentially about the fundamental fantasies and subjective conversions of a generation surrendered to "the passion for the real." This Bilbao generation of the sixties-branded inaugurally by the trauma of ETA, socialism, atheism. Aresti's Malden behera (Downfall), the survival of Euskara, the art of Oteiza and Chillida, feminism-found in Frank Gerhy's "shipwreck" masterpiece its ultimate emblem and the promise of a new city. It is the architecture of labyrinth, a building of cuts and torsions, "the reincarnation of Marilyn Monroe" (Muschamp), turned into the new face of "that old Bilbao moon" that Brecht sang as "the most beautiful in the world." Because even after the ruins and the defeat the mandate persisted: you must change your life, you must transform your city.

Critique: Joseba Zulaika (Professor of Basque Studies, University of Nevada - Reno) has produced an intensely informed and informative work that is an inherently fascinating read. Thoughtful and thought-provoking, "That Old Bilbao Moon: The Passion and Resurrection of a City" is extraordinarily well written, organized and presented, making it very highly recommended reading and a critically important addition for personal and academic library Basque Studies reference collections.

Stuck in the Passing Lane
Jed Ringel
About Face Press
9780986255007, $14.99, 288pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: What happens when a newly divorced, monogamous, family-oriented Baby Boomer gets trapped on the Internet dating superhighway? From Spanish Harlem to Singapore, in relationships with Muscovite intellectuals and streetwise Chinatown massage parlor queens, Jed Ringel takes you on his personal, hilarious, heartrending, self-revelatory, and sometimes even cringe-worthy journey. With the unsparing comments of his three daughters, and his own honest, self-deprecating assessments, "Stuck in the Passing Lane" is the non-stop entertaining memoir of a mature man, dauntlessly searching for his last great love; one that won't, in just a matter of time, become relationship deja vu.

Critique: An inherently fascinating memoir, Jed Ringel writes with skill, candor, and a thoroughly 'reader friendly' engagement that is rarely equaled. Extraordinary and highly recommended for community library Contemporary American Biography collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Stuck in the Passing Lane" is also available in a Kindle edition ($7.99).

Twisting My Kaleidoscope
Shannon Love
Outskirts Press, Inc.
10940 S. Parker Road, #515, Parker, CO 80134
www.loveskaleidoscope.com
9781478755500, $25.95, 302pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In "Twisting My Kaleidoscope" author Shannon Love offers her readers a kind of 'observational window' into the world of psychosis. "Twisting My Kaleidoscope" carefully places readers in a sort of enchanted bubble, transiting from one scene to the next. As readers position themselves to view what best suits them, Love unbars the door to her therapy sessions, uncovers the blanket of her thoughts, unlocks the key to her journal, and extends temporary access to her physical being. "Twisting My Kaleidoscope" is a complex, multi-layered work of considerable depth and sophistication.

Critique: Impressively well written, organized and presented, it must be stated that "Twisting My Kaleidoscope" by Shannon Love is an ultimately rewarding read -- but not for anyone of faint heart or weak constitution. An extraordinary and unique work by an extraordinary and unique author, "Twisting My Kaleidoscope" is very highly recommended for community and academic library collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Twisting My Kaleidoscope" is also available in a Kindle edition ($4.99).

Under Paris Rooftops
Arleen Shabel & Norman Shabel
Chateau Publishing House
525 Route 73, North, Suite 302, Marlton, NJ 08053
www.cphine.com
9781467591072, $23.95, 191pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Under Paris Rooftops" by Arleen and Norman Shabell is a non-fiction romantic comedy in which Norman proves just how much he loves his beloved wife, Arleen, when he indulges her request to buy a piece of Paris. Arleen is the dreamer and Norman is the realist and together they battle the medieval French legal and banking systems in this 'his and her' portrayal of buying a Parisian apartment. Follow the journey the Shabels took as they pursued their adventure to straddle living in Paris and the United States in this easy to read modern day true love story.

Extraordinary, unique, engaging, absolutely charming and always entertaining, "Under Paris Rooftops" is a terrific read and will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to community library collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "Under Paris Rooftops" is also available in a Kindle edition ($5.99).


The Architecture Shelf


Catalyst Architecture
Hans Kiib & Gitte Marling
Aalborg University Press
c/o International Specialized Book Services
920 Northeast 58th Avenue, Suite 300, Portland, OR 97213
www.isbs.com
9788771122237, $59.00, 308pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: The collaboratively compiled by Hans Kiib (Professor of Urban Design, Aalborg University, Denmark) and Gitte Marling (Professor of Urban Design, Aalborg University), "Catalyst Architecture: Rio de Janeiro, New York, Tokyo, Copenhagen" raises a discussion in regard to architecture's role as a catalyst for urban development. Through the study of eight architectural projects in large cities on four different continents, the book's focus is placed on how architecture can promote the enriching experiences of the tolerant, the democratic, the learning- and the experience- rich city. In other words, the city worth living in, worth supporting, and worth investing in. These architectural projects operate with a mix of design programs, organized so that they invite diverse user groups to a variety of activities. Visual and other sensuous architectural effects frame the interaction between the projects and the human activities within their urban context - an interaction that indicates a direction for a new narrative about the potential of place.

Critique: "Catalyst Architecture" will prove to be of particular interest to students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in architecture and urban life in large cities. Exceptionally informed and informative, "Catalyst Architecture" is very highly recommended for community and academic library architecture, urban design, town planning, urban geography, urban sociology, and aesthetic reference collections and supplemental studies reading lists.


The Fiction Shelf


Odin's Child
Bruce Macbain
Blank State Press
http://blankslatepress.com
9780991305865, $18.95, 350pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: An old grudge erupts into violence as Odd Tangle-Hair refuses to back down from the men he believes shamed his father and betrayed their heritage by turning away from the old gods in favor of the White Christ. But when the violence escalates and Odd's family bears the brunt of it, he must leave his beloved Iceland behind and find his own way in the world. The golden age of Viking conquest is fading when he takes to the seas with his rag-tag crew, but they will voyage to primitive Lapland, war-torn Norway, the magic-drenched forests of Finland, and the borders of Russia, where Odd enlists in the retinue of a renegade prince.

Critique: "Odin's Child" is the first of author Bruce Macbain's 'Odd Tangle-Hair Saga' trilogy. Impressively well written, "Odin's Child" is an inherently fascinating read and documents Macbain's considerable storytelling talents in crafting truly memorable characters and deftly embedding them into a complexly woven and solidly entertaining story that will leave his readers looking eagerly toward the next title in this outstanding series. Very highly recommended for community library General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Odin's Child" is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).

Love
Leagan E. Kasper
CreateSpace
4900 LaCross Rd., North Charleston, SC 29406
www.createspace.com
9781511422338, $12.99, 202pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Many of us have experienced attraction, like, desire, lust, sex, and though the former may often be confused with "love", few have and will know "love" and even fewer dare suffer love (a kind of flame which once ignited has been known to cause insanity in men and women alike) with only those feeling confident they deserve love able to bear the torment as well as the power that comes with "love". But these two people, Herzog and Em (who met by mere coincidence or not) are both living a life of secrecy, daring what few are courageous enough to embrace -- the spark that ignites a raging inferno inside the innermost of their being, allowing them to see themselves for who they really are. "Leagan E. Kasper" by Leagan E. Kasper is an aesthetically erotic, as well as humorous novel.

Critique: An impressively well written and intrinsically fascinating novel by a naturally gifted and original storytelling talent, Leagan E. Kasper's "Love" is highly recommended for a mature readership. In addition to the paperback edition, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Love" is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).

The Last Dreamgirl
Shane Hayes
Drake Valley Press
http://www.drakevalleypress.com
9781935970248, $16.95, 278pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: For every man there's a girl who grips his imagination and his heart as no other girl ever did or will. She may be in her teens or a mature woman. He responds to her as a boy to a girl. Whether she comes early in his life or late, there is a throne in his subconscious that she takes possession of, without trying, often without wanting to. The image he forms of her reigns there in perpetuity, even if she has left his life, or this life. Or shed the image. Or proved unworthy of it. The image endures. Her enchantment never fades or fails, and he is never immune to it. She may not be for him the last wife or paramour, but she is the last dreamgirl.

Critique: A unique and finely crafted novel by a master storyteller, "The Last Dreamgirl" by Shane Hayes is a well-tuned story that hold's the reader's fully entertained attention from beginning to end. Very highly recommended for community library General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Last Dreamgirl" is also available in a Kindle edition ($6.99).

To Ride a White Horse
Pamela Ford
Aine Press
9780990594215, $14.99, 374pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Set against the backdrop of 1840s Ireland and America, To Ride a White Horse is an epic historical saga of hope, loyalty, the strength of the human spirit, and the power of love. With Ireland ravaged by famine, and England unsympathetic to its plight, Kathleen Deacey, a spirited and strong-willed young Irish woman faces a devastating choice--leave her country to find work or risk dying there. Despising the English for refusing to help Ireland, she sets sail for Canada, determined to save her family and find her missing fiance. But her voyage doesn't go as planned and she ends up in America, forced to accept the help of an English whaling captain, Jack Montgomery, to survive. As Jack helps her search for her fiance and fight to save her family and country, she must make an impossible choice -- remain loyal to Ireland or follow her heart. With insight and compassion, award-winning author Pamela Ford captures the anguish of a devastating period in Irish history, illuminates the resilience of the human spirit and celebrates the strength of love. To Ride a White Horse is a deeply-moving novel that wraps itself around the heart and doesn't let go.

Critique: Another superbly crafted romance/adventure novel by a master of the genre. "To Ride A White Horse" by Pamela Ford is highly recommended for community library collections. For personal reading lists is should be noted that "To Ride A White Horse" is also available in a Kindle edition ($4.99).

Solving For Y
Frederick Barrows
Lone Argonaut
5000 West Esplanade Avenue, #280, Metairie, LA 70006
www.loneargo.com
9780989372961, $25.99, 342pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Solving For Y explores a modern world defined by free agency, both personally and professionally. It also probes the inherent mystery and ultimate unknowability of others. Embodying these concepts is Y. Follow Y as he moves through a series of dramatically different and challenging information technology jobs. Experience the tech boom of the 1990s to a near future defined by radically life-altering technologies and the beginnings of commercial-driven space exploration. You, the reader, see the world through Y's point of view. Those characters most closely orbiting Y's life, however, struggle to understand the man, all the while attempting to find a deeper meaning in their own lives.

Critique: Impressively well written and thoroughly entertaining from beginning to end, "Solving For Y" is an exceptional and original novel that documents author Frederick Barrows as a particularly gifted an innovative writer of considerable talent. Very highly recommended for community library General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Solving For Y" is also available in a Kindle edition ($4.99).

The Naive Guys
Harry Patz Jr.
Alophie Press / Gondolin Advisors LLC
www.thenaiveguys.com
9780990539322, $29.99, 452pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Set against the historical backdrop of New York City in the early 1990s, "The Naive Guys: A Memoir of Friendship, Love and Tech in the Early 1990s" is a hysterical yet poignant coming-of-age novel. Mark Amici embarks on a challenging journey through the post-college world, where he struggles to emerge from his sheltered upbringing to a life of love, friendship, and career success. Fighting through the bad economy of 1991, Mark takes an entry-level sales role at a growing tech company, Fishsoft, at the dawn of the Internet Age. Living at home with his gruff uncle, mother, and older sister, Mark pursues his aspirations with a trio of wingmen, Pete, Sally, and Kostas. His quixotic search for love, his desire to truly understand his family, and his pitfalls through corporate machinations all provide a humorous glimpse during an uneven period of life transition. Interwoven with key moments of the times, including the Bill Clinton and Rudolph Giuliani electoral victories, the first World Trade Center bombing, OJ Simpson, and New York's NBA Knicks and NHL Rangers simultaneously in their respective finals, "The Naive Guys" tells the story of one man's journey to uncover and fully understand his identity.

Critique: Impressively well written and thoroughly engaging from beginning to end, "The Naive Guys" establishes author Harry Patz Jr. as a particularly gifted writer able to deftly craft memorable characters into a complex story of layered detail and unexpected twists and turns. Very highly recommended for community library General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Naive Guys" is also available in a paperback edition (Gondolin Advisors LLC, 9780990539315, $14.95) and in a Kindle format ($0.99).

When Dreams Touch
Rosemary Hanrahan
SDP Publishing
http://sdppublishingsolutions.com
9780991316724, $14.00, 404pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Pregnant and uneducated, sixteen-year-old Adelaide trades her dream of escaping the grinding poverty of her rural village for hopes of a better life for her unborn child. Kate, a young American physician, often finds her roles as mother and wife to be in conflict with her childhood dream to practice medicine in a third-world country. Giselle, a university-educated artist, lives in Port au Prince. While she sympathizes with the plight of her fellow Haitians, she envisions her and her family's future as a comfortable life in the United States. When the violent 1991 coup d'etat erupts in Haiti, these three women's lives intersect and are forever changed. Despite different cultures and life circumstances, the women share in the vision of a better future for their children and the troubled country of Haiti. Their personal stories of adversity, tragedy, and triumph are embedded in the complex social, political and cultural climate that evolves when international assistance programs influence individuals and communities in the developing world. Often in startling contrast, the women portrayed in "When Dreams Touch" are united through mutual understanding and respect. With courage and perseverance, they confront the broader injustices of the world they live in and create a legacy of enduring hope.

Critique: A riveting and original novel from beginning to end, "When Dreams Touch" documents author Rosemary Hanrahan as a genuinely gifted storyteller able to deftly craft truly memorable characters and embed them into a skillfully developed tale that will linger in the mind and memory of the reader long after the book itself has been finished and set back upon the shelf. Very highly recommended for community library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "When Dreams Touch" is also available in a Kindle edition ($1.99).

Incoming: Collected Stories
Vic Amato
iUniverse, Inc.
1663 Liberty Dr. Suite #300, Bloomington, IN 47403
www.iuniverse.com
9781491762394, $14.95, 204pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: The sixteen short stories by Vic Amato and anthologized in "Incoming" deftly explores the nature of humanity through tales that are extraordinary, inspiring and even ridiculous. In "Death by Peanut Butter," you'll meet Twain, a mentally challenged man with a large stock of fluffy white hair who stuffs his mouth and makes a break for it. Tourist Dan in "Manhattan Mendicant" encounters a downtown panhandler and resents him for being able to live in Nyc. But when Dan sees the World Trade Center fall on Tv, he can think only of the beggar. "Camille", a fun-loving artist, holds back information and her true feelings. On a hot night, it all comes down on her boyfriend out on the front porch.

Critique: A master of the short story format, author Vic Amato defly creates truly memorable characters within his original and highly entertaining stories. "Incoming: Collected Stories" is very highly recommended for both community and academic library Literary Fiction collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "Incoming: Collected Stories" is also available in a Kindle edition ($3.99).

Shattered Hand: Sarah's Secret War
J. D. Liddle
CreateSpace
4900 LaCross Rd., North Charleston, SC 29406
www.createspace.com
9781507731628, $19.95, 218pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Sarah Clarke and her father, Ted, live a quiet life in Tennessee, even as tension mounts across the country on the subject of abolition vs. states' rights. When Ted and Sarah accompany a party of men from Massachusetts on a hunting trip, the men's discussion opens Sarah's eyes to the complexity of the issues at stake. After Ted joins the Union Army, Sarah moves to live with her aunt in Knoxville where she is swept into involvement with the Confederate Army. Sarah's work as a nurse brings her into contact with Matilda, an enslaved woman, as well as a young female soldier who enlisted to fight side-by-side with her husband. Listening to these women's stories and witnessing firsthand the brutality of war, Sarah is forced to examine her allegiances. And when an old friend from Massachusetts enlists her aid spying for the North, Sarah is forced to decide where her loyalties lie and what she is willing to sacrifice for a cause she might not believe in.

Critique: An inherently fascinating and thoroughly entertaining read, "Shattered Hand: Sarah's Secret War" is an exceptionally well written historical novel set in the Civil Ear era and taking the unique perspective of a young women caught up in conflicting loyalties of the time. Deftly crafted and skillfully presented, "Shattered Hand: Sarah's Secret War" is very highly recommended and certain to be an enduringly popular addition to community library Historical Fiction collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "Shattered Hand: Sarah's Secret War" is also available in a Kindle edition ($5.99).

Righteous Release
Richard Gardner
CreateSpace
4900 LaCross Rd., North Charleston, SC 29406
www.createspace.com
9781501076633, $15.68, 418pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: David Chambers was born into a strictly religious family. As members of the Eternal Fellowship, they have chosen to reject the ways of the world and have separated themselves from the rest of humanity. As his arranged marriage to another follower (a woman he has come to dislike) looms ever closer, David decides to break off the engagement. This comes as a shock to his betrothed, his family and the wider Fellowship community. When the beautiful Alison Johnson, a non-believer and former classmate re-enters his life, David makes a series of decisions that will change his life forever. Righteous Release will captivate the mind of the reader as David begins a life that is beyond his comfort zone. There are a number of difficulties to overcome as he adapts to his new existence. Has David jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire? Will he return to what he knows or embrace his new-found freedom?

Critique: Impressively well written and an inherently fascinating read, "Righteous Release" is a solid entertainment that establishes author Richard Gardner as a novelist with an extraordinary flair for deftly crafted, multi-layered storylines with unexpected twists and turns. Very highly recommended for community library General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Righteous Release" is also available in a Kindle edition ($2.99).

The Warming
Lorin R. Robinson
Mill City Press
www.millcitypress.net
9781634133128, $16.95, 380pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: It's 2047. Hundreds of millions around the world are suffering from the warming-drought, rising ocean levels and increasingly calamitous weather. Dr. Jonathan Carver is a brilliant marine scientist-both an observer and participant in the growing crisis. Despite major roadblocks, he works to develop a project that, while it cannot stop the warming, would address the growing hunger and famine. He also struggles to bring his dysfunctional personal and professional lives under control. Readers are taken around the world to experience the human impact of the warming close up. "The Warming" is a thought-provoking and artful amalgam of fact and fiction that puts a human face on the growing crisis. Whatever the cause or causes, the Earth is heating up, oceans are rising and the changing climate is bringing more severe weather. The human race is in for a very rough ride.

Critique: Impressively well written and a logical projection of current climate change phenomena, "The Warming" is a riveting and prophetic read that is very strongly recommended for community library collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "The Warming" is also available both Kindle and Nook editions ($6.99).

Essie's Roses
Michelle Muriel
Little Cabin Books
2025 Zumbehl Road, #252, Saint Charles, MO 63303
www.littlecabinbooks.com
9780990938309, $24.95, 346pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Growing up in the Deep South during the years leading to the Civil War, two young girls find freedom on a hillside overlooking Westland, an Alabama plantation. Essie Mae, an intuitive, intelligent slave girl, and Evie Winthrop, the sheltered, imaginative dreamer and planter's daughter, strike up a secret friendship that thrives amidst the shadows of abuse. Told from the viewpoint of four women: Katherine Winthrop, kind mistress and unexpected heiress to her father's small, cotton plantation; Delly, her sassy and beloved house slave; Essie Mae, her slave girl; and Evie Winthrop, Katherine's only child, "Essie's Roses" tells of forbidden relationships flourishing in secret behind Westland's protective trees and treasured roses. After scandal befalls Westland, Evie and Essie, aged nineteen, travel to Richmond, Virginia, to escape their abusive pasts. There, they face the gross indecencies and divisions leading to the War Between the States. Though the horrors of slavery and discrimination prompt action, Evie and Essie's struggles lie within. The secrets they hold and the pain of the past lead them away from one another and back home again. A story about a black slave who frees a white woman, "Essie's Roses" reveals the innocence of children's friendships, the diverse meanings of freedom, the significance of a dream, and the power of love. In their efforts to save each other, will the women of Westland find the true freedom they desire?

Critique: Impressively well written from beginning to end, "Essie's Roses" is an inherently absorbing and skillfully presented read, establishing author Michelle Muriel as an exceptionally talented novelist. Certain to be an enduringly popular addition to community library General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Essie's Roses" is also available in a paperback edition (9780990938323, $14.95) and in a Kindle format ($8.99).

Musical Chairs
Sheila Levin
First Edition Design Publishing
http://www.firsteditiondesignpublishing.com
9781622877690, $24.95, 262pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In a high-stakes game of musical chairs, there can be only one winner. Roberta Palmer, newly widowed supermodel and Marcia Baker, New York congresswoman are getting ready for the fight of their lives: both are running against each other in the primary for the democratic candidate of the NY senate race. Marcia's ex-lover, Jake Rubin and Roberta's step-daughter, Joan Palmer both hold secrets that could mean political suicide for both women. As the secrets threaten to surface which woman will be left standing when the music draws to a close?

Critique: An impressively crafted novel from first page to last, "Musical Chairs" is a riveting read and very highly recommended for community library General Fiction collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "Musical Chairs" is also available in a paperback edition (9781622877683, $14.95) and in a Kindle format ($6.99).

The Tree Of Young Dreamers
Frank Sousa
Xlibris Corporation
1663 South Liberty Drive, Bloomington, IN 47403-5161
www.xlibris.com
9781493176090, $34.99, 558pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Brought up in the years of the Great Depression, Johnny DaSilva is leader of a fun and imaginative gang that lives out their dreams in the Big Tree in which each has a branch that serves as the Lone Ranger's Silver, the race car of Morey Amsterdam, the rocket ship of Buck Rogers, the crow's nest for Black Bart the Pirate. When World War II broke out, they tried every ruse their young imaginations could think of to get into the marines, army, and navy but had to settle for the Boy Scouts. But the faux pas war to end all wars came too soon for the Big Tree Gang. Johnny is best described by an aunt as having the millstone around the neck of having a strict English Episcopalian conscience and bucking bronco Portuguese sexual proclivities. Two girls are in love with him, one wealthy and popular, the other sexually abused and who considered herself a worthless toy, until she met Johnny. Whatever they knew about the facts of life, male and female, were learned pretty much by trial and error.

Critique: A superbly crafted novel from beginning to end, "The Tree Of Young Dreamers" is storytelling at it's very best and documents author Frank Sousa as a particularly gifted writer. Very highly recommended for community library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Tree Of Young Dreamers" is also available in a paperback edition (9781493176106, $23.99) and in a Kindle format ($3.99).


The Self-Help Shelf


The Personal Accountability Code
Di Worrall
Worrall & Associates
www.humanresourceschange.com.au
9780992319311, $17.00, 178pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "The Personal Accountability Code" is specifically designed and intended for those who are committed to personal or professional change, as well as those who are professionals in the business of coaching others. The 6 modules comprising "The Personal Accountability Code" unlock a winning strategy for transforming goals into reality while building a powerful system for tracking progress and staying motivated and accountable to goals in the face of setbacks. "The Personal Accountability Code" covers: Why traditional goal-setting sets you up to fail; How you can use the new science of accountability to customize a 6-step pathway to success; The secrets to creating a crystal clear vision of the future, minimizing distractions and getting your priorities into laser sharp focus; How to unleash your natural energy, talent and motivation to create self-discipline and willpower on steroids; Where to plan for setback in advance in order to soften the blow; How you can make smart goals even smarter with a personal Accountability Action Plan; The truth about your readiness for change with the Responsibility and Accountability Assessment. "The Personal Accountability Code" presents practical answers to such challenges as: How to get back on track after setback; How to deal with unmet expectations, broken promises and failed commitments; How to hold yourself and others accountable; How to stay motivated when life gets in the way; How to get inspired when goals are imposed upon you; How to overcome procrastination and finish what you start, and so much more.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "The Personal Accountability Code: The Step-by-Step Guide to a Winning Strategy that Transforms Your Goals into Reality with the New Science of Accountability" is thoroughly 'user friendly' from beginning to end and very strongly recommended for personal self-help, self-improvement study lists. It should be noted that "The Personal Accountability Code" is also available in a Kindle edition ($7.99). Also very highly recommended for personal and professional instructional reference collections is Di Worrall's "Accountability Leadership: How Great Leaders Build a High Performance Culture of Accountability and Responsibility" (9780992319304, $13.95 PB, 132pp, $9.49 Kindle).

How To Overcome Once-Easy Tasks That Are Now Pains In The You-Know-What!, third edn.
Heather Latimer
Letterbox of London, USA
10501 Broom Hill Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89134
9780943698861, $12.95, 101pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Now in an updated and expanded third edition, "How To Overcome Once-Easy Tasks That Are Now Pains In The You-Know-What!" by Heather Latimer is a compilation of 101 pages showcasing 200 'tips, tricks and techniques' for everything from selling used items; turning mattress; picking up scattered pins; and lowering cholesterol; to dealing with verbal abuse; help with Medicare forms; problems with neighbors; removing jewelry; hastening return of phone call; starting small business; balancing a checkbook; keeping perishables fresh; getting up if you fall; remembering dates; and what to do when someone dies. All these and another 185 more!

Critique: Exceptionally 'user friendly' in tone, substance, organization and presentation, "How To Overcome Once-Easy Tasks That Are Now Pains In The You-Know-What!" is an inherently fascinating and informative read, making it very highly recommended for personal, senior citizen center, and community library Self-Help/Self-Improvement instructional reference collections.

An Invitation To Think & Feel Differently In The New Millennium
Harry J. Bury
Trafford Publishing
1663 Liberty Drive, Bloomington, IN 47403
www.trafford.com
9781426942662, $30.33, 360pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Harry J. Bury (an American Roman Catholic priest and a Professor Emeritus of Organizational Behavior and Administration) has a dream, a vision of how the world can be immensely better in the future than it is today. In "An Invitation to Think and Feel Differently in the New Millennium", Bury presents his hope for the world and provides a path to achieve this goal. "An Invitation to Think and Feel Differently in the New Millennium" describes a practical way of looking at life positively that brings meaning and fulfillment to oneself and others. This guide tells stories that touch the deepest layers of our humanness-awakening our imagination and transforming our understanding in a manner that makes us happy. Bury generates these stories for the new millennium in order to overcome cynicism with reasonable hopefulness while suggesting practical measures we can take to make life better for ourselves and for everyone in the world. He invites citizens to participate in creating an emerging and global worldview that enables humans to meet the challenges and opportunities of the new millennium. "An Invitation to Think and Feel Differently in the New Millennium" encourages us to change our mind to change the world.

Critique: As thoughtful and thought-provoking as it is inspired and inspiring, "An Invitation To Think & Feel Differently In The New Millennium" is an inherently engaging and informative read. A valued and highly recommended addition to community and academic library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "An Invitation To Think & Feel Differently In The New Millennium" is also available in a paperback edition (9781426942655, $20.33) and in a Kindle format ($9.99).

Embrace Happiness: The Art of Conflict Management
Ali Soleymaniha
iUniverse, Inc.
1663 Liberty Dr. Suite #300, Bloomington, IN 47403
www.iuniverse.com
9781491729588, $26.95, 182pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: It is your eternal responsibility to be successful and live happily; life is yours to enjoy. In "Embrace Happiness: The Art of Conflict Management, author Ali Soleymaniha provides a path to discover the Dao of life-the way toward happiness, success, and high achievement in both one's personal life and business. Soleymaniha offers a theory that blends the philosophy of Dao with modern conflict management concepts. He explores what conflict is, what causes it, how people tend to react to conflict, and how you can manage it. He focuses specifically on the conflict management process, guiding you down a straightforward path that requires neither incredible tasks nor solitary contemplation, only practice. Embrace Happiness communicates the importance of practicing and living the way of nature: the Dao of life. It maintains that happiness is neither a target nor a destination; it is "the way" we are marching on. Soleymaniha teaches that knowledge and awareness will start small, but can grow extensively-like a spiral moving upward and outward, glowing brighter at each step on the way to fulfillment.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Embrace Happiness: The Art of Conflict Management" is thoroughly 'reader friendly' in tone and substance. As insightful and informative as it is thoughtful and thought-provoking, "Embrace Happiness: The Art of Conflict Management" is very highly recommended for community library Self-Help/Self-Improvement instructional reference collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "Embrace Happiness: The Art of Conflict Management" is also available in a paperback edition (9781491729571, $16.95) and in a Kindle format ($3.99).


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf


The Tick Rider
William Street
iUniverse, Inc.
1663 Liberty Dr. Suite #300, Bloomington, IN 47403
www.iuniverse.com
9781491755020, $28.95, 558pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In the novel "The Tick Rider: A Story of Families, Homelands, Drugs, Redemption, and the Dividing Rio Grande", a Texas cowboy, charged with rounding up tick-carrying Mexican livestock, meets a ranchero's daughter. At the same time, two teenage boys, Miguel and Guillermo, yearning for opportunity, begin the dangerous trek toward America, and Alejandro, a young pilot for the cartel lands a load of cocaine in the mountains of Guatemala and finds fear. The cartel plans to establish a plaza on the river, but an assassination delays the plan. Their subsequent stories play out against the backdrop of the encroaching reach of the drug cartel, its bosses and pistoleros. All their lives become more dangerous as the cartel's grip tightens, culminating in an attempted escape as a pack-train of drugs crosses the Rio Grande in the moonlight.

Critique: Impressively well written and thoroughly 'reader engaging' entertainment from beginning to end, this debut novel clearly establishes William Street as an inherently talented author, making "The Tick Rider: A Story of Families, Homelands, Drugs, Redemption, and the Dividing Rio Grande" very highly recommended for community library General Fiction collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "The Tick Rider: A Story of Families, Homelands, Drugs, Redemption, and the Dividing Rio Grande" is also available in a Kindle edition ($3.99).

Simple Witness
Bob Siqveland
Outskirts Press, Inc.
10940 S. Parker Road, #515, Parker, CO 80134
www.outskirtspress.com
9781478751588, $12.95, 248pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Harold Bartz, aka Bandit, has a low IQ which contrasts sharply with his delusions of grandeur. He flees Minneapolis after witnessing a murder. Once in Las Vegas, rather than hiding, he starts cooking up schemes. His pals, Banger and Diggs, soon join him. Bandit has company in Vegas: Yuri Vostov and Nikki Kerlenko, two Russian hit men sent by the sadistic Jethro Plack. A shady telemarketer, Plack separates guileless customers from their money. His company is in Minnesota, but he oversees Internet swindles from a hidden office in London. Plack's scam, Fortune Fate Lottery, gains the attention of Sean O'Dell, a St. Paul police lieutenant. O'Dell is investigating the explosion of Internet crime and its elderly victims. "C. J." Johannson, a Minneapolis cop, is assigned a suicide case. Lana Winton's death however, doesn't fit the profile of a suicide. C.J. begins gathering clues that lead him to Plack's office in St. Paul. Plack's elaborate scheme has evaded detection thus far. Working against him this time however, is his own man, hacker extraordinaire Tommy Ling, who becomes uncomfortable with the idea of destroying the lives of innocent victims. Ling hatches a plan to scam the scammers and become the Robin Hood Hacker. When Bandit finally comes forward, C. J. can go after Plack for murder and O'Dell can foil Plack's Internet scheme in London. With Plack behind bars, the Robin Hood Hacker makes headlines while Bandit and his pals stumble into a surprise in Vegas.

Critique: An impressively well written and inherently gripping story from beginning to end, author Bob Siqveland's deftly crafted novel is compelling, entertaining, and highly recommended for community library collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "Simple Witness" is also available in a Kindle edition ($3.18).

The ALTA Project
David Chen
AuthorHouse
1663 Liberty Drive, Suite 200, Bloomington, IN 47403-5161
www.authorhouse.com
9781491825648, $27.99, 236pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: James Jeffreys has mysteriously disappeared following an accident. Dr Albert Anderson, the chief medical officer at BCG, awakens after a 5 year coma in 2017. Isolated and unable to communicate with the outside world, he learns of the developments that have transpired under the new military police state. The 2009 pandemic has reduced the world population by 1/3, and the ensuing chaos creates a financial, political, and religious climate unimaginable; but previously predicted. As Anderson is trying to figure out where he is and how he got there, the Jeffreys family makes a disturbing discovery in their home, launching a search which leads to a shocking turn of events. When BCG CEO Donald Parsons realizes there is a glitch in the project, things start going horribly wrong. Learning of Anderson and Jeffreys whereabouts (or their fate) becomes the all consuming focus of the US military police, as well as a mysterious and dangerously powerful Italian man by the name of Giovanni. Science, politics, and prophecy all converge on the success or failure of the ALTA project. Only a small group of individuals understand the true implications of the ALTA project, and how it could change the world -- forever.

Critique: A riveting novel from beginning to end, "The ALTA Project" is a compelling and deftly crafted read that documents author David Chen as a major storytelling talent. Solidly entertaining from first page to last, "The ALTA Project" is very highly recommended for community library Science Fiction collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "The ALTA Project" is also available in a paperback edition (9781491825655, $16.95) and in a Kindle format ($3.99).

Pardon The Ravens
Alan Hruska
Prospect Park Books
2359 Lincoln Avenue, Altadena, CA 91001
www.prospectparkbooks.com
9781938849404, $24.95, 320pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In "Pardon The Ravens" author Alan Hruska tells the gripping story of what happens when a man lets his heart get in the way of his business affairs -- and the consequences of crossing the man who controls organized crime in New York City during the Mad Men era. Gifted young lawyer Alec Brno is given the chance of a lifetime to try a huge fraud case making international headlines--a case that might make him partner in a prestigious law firm. But he risks it all when he falls for an alluring young woman whose enraged husband is a sadistic Mafia don--and the criminal mastermind behind Alec's case. Suddenly, Alec finds himself caught between saving the woman he's fallen for, pleasing the partners of his firm--and trying not to get killed in the process. This riveting ride blasts through Wall Street, the city's most dangerous neighborhoods and worlds where sex, drugs and unsolved murders hide behind every facade. "Pardon The Ravens" will grab you and not let go until the last page.

Critique: Solidly entertaining, exceptionally well written, "Pardon The Ravens" establishes Alan Hruska of an impressively talented novelist able to keep his readers fully engaged from beginning to end. Very highly recommended for community library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Pardon The Ravens" is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).

Killing Maine
Mike Bond
Mandevilla Press
www.mikebondbooks.com
9781627040303, $14.99, 386pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Surfer and Special Forces vet Pono Hawkins leaves Hawaii for Maine's brutal winter to help former SF buddy Bucky Franklin beat a politically motivated murder rap. Pono quickly learns that Maine is as politically corrupt as Hawaii, with huge energy corporations gobbling up the state's beautiful mountains and purchasing its politicians at bargain prices. He is hunted, shot at, betrayed, and stalked by knife-wielding assassins as he tries to find the murderer and free his buddy. Nothing is certain, no one can be trusted, no place is safe. And with a rap sheet that includes two undeserved jail sentences, Pono is a target for every cop in the state. Second in the Pono Hawkins series by Mike Bond, "Killing Maine" reflects an insider's view of crooked Maine politics and industrial crime, the state's magical and fast-disappearing natural beauty, how a lone commando hunts down those who hunt him, and is based on the author's own experiences in Maine, the Middle East and elsewhere.

Critique: Another terrifically entertaining read from a master of the storytelling craft, "Killing Maine" by novelist Mike Bond is very highly recommended for personal reading lists and community library Action/Adventure Suspense Fiction collections. Also highly recommended is the first book in this outstanding series: "Saving Paradise" (9781627040013, $15.99 PB, $4.99 Kindle).

Plantation Shudders
Ellen Byron
Crooked Lane Books
http://www.crookedlanebooks.com
9781629532509, $24.99, 288pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: It's the end of the summer and Prodigal Daughter Maggie Crozat has returned home to her family's plantation turned bed-and-breakfast in Louisiana. The Crozats have an inn full of guests for the local food festival, including elderly honeymooners, the Cajun Cuties, a mysterious stranger from Texas, a couple of hipster lovebirds, and a trio of Georgia frat boys. But when the elderly couple keels over dead within minutes of each other (one from very unnatural causes) Maggie and the others suddenly become suspects in a murder. With the help of Bo Durant, the town's handsome new detective, Maggie must investigate to clear her name while holding the family business together at the same time. And the deeper she digs, the more she wonders: are all of the guests really there for a vacation or do they have ulterior motives?

Critique: Enthusiastically recommended, Author Ellen Bryon's debut mystery "Plantation Shudders" is a deftly crafted and terrifically entertaining novel that will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense Fiction collections is also available as an unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9781504644723, $29.95). For the personal reading lists of mystery buffs, it should be noted that "Plantation Shudders" is also available in a Kindle edition ($11.99).

Pursuit
Harry Taylor
CreateSpace
4900 LaCross Rd., North Charleston, SC 29406
www.harrytaylor.com
9781502864697, $15.50, 414pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Tony Virenti, a young Italian, is serving a life sentence in a dire English prison having been wrongly convicted on circumstantial evidence of slaying a British lawyer and his family. In Italy his uncle, Massimo Pulverenti, the Mafia Godfather, is under pressure from family elders to seek Virenti's release as they are convinced there was collusion between the British police and the authorities with Freemason connections at the trial. Massimo is also concerned with the failing health of Virenti's mother, and as her desire is to see her son home again he makes a promise to set the boy free. He assigns the Mafia's top Italian lawyer to the case but the lawyer faces strong resistance from the British authorities and the police and he learns of the involvement of the Freemasons. The lawyer is brilliant and has never lost a case and he is determined to beat the British legal system but he encounters delays, delays that put pressure on Massimo, who then decides to secretly free Virenti the Mafia way. Two methods with one single objective. One legal, one illegal. Will either succeed?

Critique: Impressively well written, "Pursuit" is a riveting read from beginning to end and establishes author Harry Taylor as a exceptionally talented novelist of the first order. Very highly recommended for community library General Fiction collections, for personal reading lists it should be noted that "Pursuit" is also available in a Kindle edition ($15.50).

Money, Family, Murder
Timothy Patten
Privately Published
9780692347263, $17.95, 292pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In the picture-perfect community of Newport Beach violent crime is virtually nonexistent until one sunny morning, when the beautiful bookkeeper of Newport's wealthiest family is found strangled in her bed. Loyal husband, dad, philanthropist, and all-around decent guy Johnny Barnes is arrested for the murder. Johnny has been wrongly accused. He is released on $20 million bail, but the tide of public opinion turns rapidly against him. Everyone has competing agendas, from the power-hungry DA to a perspicacious police detective to Johnny's influential brother-in-law. With diminishing resources and dwindling hope, Johnny must conduct his own investigation. His journey takes him from Montecito to North Dakota to Key Biscayne as he uncovers a dazzling web of intrigue, self-dealing, extortion, and murder. The clock is ticking. Soon Johnny will be sent to prison for crime he did not commit -- unless he is able to identify the true murderer and clear his name in time.

Critique: a riveting read from beginning to end, "Money, Family, Murder" is a deftly crafted mystery/suspense novel that documents author Timothy Patten as a particularly gifted storyteller who will leave his readers looking eagerly forward to his next literary effort. Very highly recommended for community library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Money, Family, Murder" is also available in a Kindle edition ($8.99).

Gold-in-Quartz
Ronald van Freymann
AuthorHouse
1663 Liberty Drive, Suite 200, Bloomington, IN 47403-5161
www.authorhouse.com
9781496917942, $28.99, 314pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: It has been a year since an Islamic cleric declared a fatwa against Bill and Jenn for averting a terrorist plot to blow up two fully loaded passenger ferries off the southern coast of California. Now, in "Gold-in-Quartz", the Watsons must contend with another group of murderous thugs. While on a jewelry buying trip in Northern California's Gold Country, the Watsons inadvertently stumble into a gruesome shooting at the Speckled Gold Mine. Suddenly propelled into a set of circumstances that grows more mysterious-and perilous-by the day, Bill and Jenn soon find themselves in witness protection. But their new enemies are never very far behind. From the Gold Country to Catalina Island, to New York City to Paris, they are forced to rely on the FBI, the French police, and hefty measures of their own quick wits, intuition, and marksmanship to survive. When events lead them to Johannesburg, the Watsons and their allies-including the tough-talking, trigger-happy friend Tiffany and a drop-dead gorgeous FBI agent who refuses to carry a loaded weapon-must devise a plan to neutralize their adversary -- before their luck runs out.

Critique: A riveting read from beginning to end, with "Gold-in-Quartz", author Honald van Freymann has once again demonstrated his creative abilities to deftly craft a no-holds-barred suspense thriller of a novel. Certain to be an enduringly popular addition to community library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Gold-in-Quartz" is also available in a Kindle edition ($3.99).


The Psychology Shelf


The Metrics of Human Consciousness
Richard Barrett
Lulu Publishing
3101 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh, NC 27607-5436
www.richardbarrett.net
9781291987966, $10.11, 108pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Richard Barrett is an author, speaker and internationally recognized thought leader on the evolution of human values in business and society. He is the founder and chairman of the Barrett Values Centre, a Fellow of the World Business Academy, an Advisory Board Member of the Centre for Integral Wisdom, Honorary Board Member of the Spirit of Humanity Forum, and Former Values Coordinator at the World Bank. He is also the creator of the Cultural Transformation Tools (CTT) which have been used to support more than 5,000 organizations in 60 different countries on their transformational journeys. More than 5,000 change agents, consultants and coaches have been trained by the Barrett Values Centre to use the Cultural Transformation Tools in over 50 countries. In "The Metrics of Human Consciousness" he addresses the subject of consciousness in terms of understanding and defining it, measuring personal, organizational, and national consciousness.

Critique: Impressively well written, organized and informative, "The Metrics of Human Consciousness" is enhanced with the inclusion of three appendices: Overview of the Origins of the Seven Levels Mode; World views and stages of psychological development; The Seven Stages of Psychological Development. As informed and informative as it is thoughtful and though-provoking, "The Metrics of Human Consciousness" is an absorbing and inherently fascinating read. Very highly recommended for community and academic library collections, for personal reading lists it should be noted that "The Metrics of Human Consciousness" is also available in a Kindle edition ($6.99). For those to whom "The Metrics of Human Consciousness" is their first introduction to the thought and work of Richard Barrett, a complete listing of his writings are available on his web site at www.richardbarrett.com.


The Business Shelf


7 EASY Ways to Show Your Employees YOU Care!
Jokima Hiller
Outskirts Press, Inc.
10940 S. Parker Road, #515, Parker, CO 80134
9781478754619, $6.95, 38pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Employees are very important to the success of any business! However, feeling unappreciated is the number one reason why employees leave their jobs. As recruitment costs continue to rise, this does not have to be your reality. As a manager, caring for someone is an action requires some effort to connect with your team to exhibit your thoughtfulness, concern, and compassion. "7 EASY Ways to Show Your Employees YOU Care! A Booklet for Hotel Managers and Others" by Jokima Hiller (an Instructor for the Hospitality and Restaurant Administration department at Missouri State University in Springfield, MO) reveals seven of those ways in a quick and easy booklet where author Hiller shares her real-life experiences and expertise.

Critique: Informed and informative, "7 EASY Ways to Show Your Employees YOU Care!" should be considered essential reading for anyone with managerial responsibilities in the hospitality industry -- and has enormous value for managers in any other form of business endeavor. It should be noted that "7 EASY Ways to Show Your Employees YOU Care!" is also available in a Kindle edition ($2.99).

The Highest Rung Of The Ladder
Deane May Zager
Archway Publishing
1663 Liberty Drive, Bloomington, IN 47403-5161
www.archwaypublishing.com
9781480815575, $35.95, 274pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Deane May Zager and Diana Turner were two young women with a dream when they opened the first data processing service bureau in Orange County, California, in June 1962. Within twenty-four hours after the idea of a business was conceived, they had a small office. Using the slogan "Accuracy Is Our Key Word"; the two women included their home phone numbers on business cards, pledged not to miss a call, and vowed never to date anyone in authority to award contracts because it wasn't good business. As executive women in the data processing field at that time, they were an anomaly, but they earned respect and built a booming business a man's world -- all while enjoying an active family and social life. "The Highest Rung of the Ladder: Achieving The American Dream" is their personal story filled with laughs galore at some their unorthodox business adventures. "The Highest Rung Of The Ladder" also demonstrates the value of friendship and confirms that with little more than a dream and determination, anyone can blaze a trail in business and reach the pinnacle of success.

Critique: An absorbing and inherently fascinating read, ""The Highest Rung of the Ladder: Achieving The American Dream" is an inspired and inspiring account that is especially recommended reading for women entrepreneurs working in what has traditionally be a male preserve. Certain to be an enduringly popular addition for community library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Highest Rung of the Ladder" is also available in a paperback edition (9781480815582, $17.99) and in a Kindle format ($9.99).

Dare To Be Your Own Boss
Maya Sullivan
Synergy Books LLC
www.MayaSullivan.com
9780990754206, $22.99, 344pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: The prospect of being one's own boss appeals to millions of individuals. Yet it can be challenging to know what type of enterprise to create or when to make the leap. "Dare To Be Your Own Boss: Follow Your Passion, Create a Niche" helps a person design a business that is both viable and fulfilling. Entrepreneurs include a variety of individuals such as employees experiencing burnout, baby boomers who are too vibrant to retire, and graduates who dread the thought of working in an office cubicle for 50 years. Launching a successful venture is a five-step process: Step one - involves tapping into what sparks one's enthusiasm. The book offers readers 14 ways to clarify what is important to them in a fulfilling livelihood. Clues to an ideal vocation are embedded in values, strengths, childhood dreams, and other areas; Step two - encompasses looking at areas where there is a demand for products and services. This includes selecting the types of groups to serve such as seniors, children or businesses. In others words the type of people one feels impassioned to serve; Step three - involves matchmaking, taking ideas from steps one and two then combining them to identify concepts that resonate. The greater the excitement for what a person is doing, the more likely she is to prosper' Step four - focuses on market research and includes 16 sources of information and a list of 21 questions. Learning about the potential viability of a concept, the reality behind the dream, can save time and money. It involves looking at trends and kinds of businesses that could do well, even in weak economies, for well-managed enterprises; Step five - is about moving forward and taking 50 action steps to make it happen. "Dare To Be Your Own Boss" includes a complimentary spreadsheet. There are exercises throughout specifically designed to help readers gain insight into their interests and level of enthusiasm. A complimentary spreadsheet, which is downloadable at www.DareToBeYourOwnBoss.net, makes it easy to record what is appealing and offers a big picture of one's entrepreneurial traits, interests and potential ventures. Exploring a variety of ideas and offering 300 resources and over 600 opportunities that can help in discovering thousands of potential niches, "Dare To Be Your Own Boss" encourages readers to follow their heart and make a difference in their own unique way.

Critique: Impressively well written, organized and presented by an expert in her field, (Maya Sullivan assists individuals in starting their own businesses through seminars and talks. She has an MBA and her career has included being an accounting manager, financial analyst, stockbroker and entrepreneur), "Dare To Be Your Own Boss: Follow Your Passion, Create a Niche" is as thoroughly 'user friendly' as it is informed and informative. Very highly recommended for community and academic library Small Business Entrepreneur instructional reference collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Dare To Be Your Own Boss" is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).


The Christian Studies Shelf


God Does No Wrong
Jan Wooden Howse & Anthony Fred Howse
AuthorHouse
1663 Liberty Drive, Suite 200, Bloomington, IN 47403-5161
www.authorhouse.com
9781496924094, $26.95, 470pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: When reading "God Does No Wrong" you will experience romance, marriage, birth, death, happiness, sadness, health, sickness and always the love and power of the Almighty! Author Jan Wooden Howse lost her husband and her son. It was when her son died that she was inspired to write "God Does No Wrong" as both a testament to her own faith in a just and compassionate deity, and an inspirational aid for others confronted with a similar loss in their own lives.

Critique: Exceptionally well written and deftly presented, "God Does No Wrong" is especially recommended to the attention of anyone grieving a serious loss, and would prove to be an enduringly useful and inspiration addition to church and community library collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "God Does No Wrong" is also available in a Kindle edition ($3.99).


The Health/Medicine Shelf


Adapting to Alzheimer's
Sherry Lynn Harris
CreateSpace
4900 LaCross Rd., North Charleston, SC 29406
www.createspace.com
9781499539400, $14.95, 250pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: True life examples provide hope, guidance, and inspiration in "Adapting to Alzheimer's: Support for When Your Parent Becomes Your Child". Empowering caregivers by providing must-have information, tools, and encouragement, "Adapting to Alzheimer's" also gives ideas for adapting that can reduce stress and create joy. Author and Alzheimer's caregiver Sherry Lynn Harris details immediately useful advice as someone who has been there and knows from experience how to support a loved one through the disease's various stages. She poignantly describes how she cared for her mother for 18 years, discovering many innovative ideas, including ways to help caregivers cope emotionally. Ethical questions are explored, such as remuneration and resuscitation, as well as many suggestions on how to create fun playful moments. "Adapting to Alzheimer's" is a guidebook can sustain the caregiver through many difficult issues including: Recognizing warning signals; Simplifying the environment to safely remain at home as long as possible; Putting financial and legal affairs in order; Evaluating when a move is necessary; Taking the car keys away; Using play and music to keep the brain active; and Calming ideas to avoid aggression. Easily understood descriptions of scientific studies describe what can be done to encourage brain health in those with Alzheimer's disease (AD), such as the positive effects of listening to music, and the benefits of dancing. "Adapting to Alzheimer's" offers many ways to provide support to your loved one with Alzheimer's, not only advising what can be done at each stage, but explaining how to do it. This is particularly helpful in areas which may be new to you, such as the financial steps that need to be taken or end-of-life issues. This book sustains the caregiver through every stage of the AD experience, preparing them for what can be expected and providing ideas for adapting, making their job tremendously easier.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Adapting to Alzheimer's: Support for When Your Parent Becomes Your Child" is thoroughly 'reader friendly' from beginning to end and will prove to be an invaluable, practical, and comforting read for anyone charged with (or anticipating) having to care for an loved one with Alzheimer's. Simply stated, "Adapting to Alzheimer's" should be a part of every community library reference collection. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "Adapting to Alzheimer's" is also available in a Kindle edition ($5.38).

Don't Tell Her to Relax
Zahie El Kouri
BookBaby
www.bookbaby.com
9781631928055, $3.95, 62pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Having children is both a biological and cultural imperative for almost all women. In "Don't Tell Her to Relax: 22 Ways to Support Your Infertile Loved One", Zahie El Kouri ( an former infertility patient, and a parent) writes about infertility and immigrant culture, sharing her experience of surviving infertility and directly addressing the needs and concerns of infertile women.

Critique: Exceptionally well written for the non-specialist general reader having to deal with infertility issues, "Don't Tell Her to Relax: 22 Ways to Support Your Infertile Loved One" is enormously helpful, informative, and practical. Very highly recommended for community library Health/Medicine collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Don't Tell Her to Relax: 22 Ways to Support Your Infertile Loved One" is also available in a Kindle edition ($2.99).

Sassy Gal's How to Lose the Last Damn 10 Pounds or 15, 20, 25 ...
Sharon Helbert
Alegcris Press LLC
http://www.alegcrispress.com
9780983675266, $16.95, 182pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Get out of the way skinny girls, diet gurus and fitness fanatics- -- here comes "Sassy Gal's How to Lose the Last Damn 10 Pounds or 15, 20, 25 ..." with a clever new approach by author Sharon Helbert to losing weight you will actually want to follow! Forget the ridiculous miracle diets, survival type food plans and strenuous workouts that lead most of us to quit and say "To hell with it all!" This lifestyle plan encourages laughter as a pathway to success. The first thing you'll do is delete the negative, destructive words diet and exercise and replace them with your own humorous versions such as "Gimme Skinny" or "Kick Ass Plan" (Oprah did!). Then, with Sharon's help, add some simple, believable strategies and you're on your way to a happier, calmer and slimmer you. If the current trend of being a Vegan is too damn hard and too restrictive, try Sassy Gal's Vegevore lifestyle so you can eat it all! It's about time someone with real life experience tells it like it is and banishes all the unrealistic diet and exercise bullshit that doesn't work, and guides us on an inspirational weight-loss journey.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Sassy Gal's How to Lose the Last Damn 10 Pounds or 15, 20, 25 ...: How I told all diet gurus, fitness experts, and skinny people to go to hell. Then I ... ate them, and still lost weight. You can too!" is a practical an approach to weight control and as much fun to read as it is inspiring to apply. Very highly recommended for community library Health & Medicine instructional reference collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Sassy Gal's How to Lose the Last Damn 10 Pounds or 15, 20, 25 ..." is also available in a Kindle edition ($5.99).

Finding You In Fertility
Francisco Arredondo & Maria Eugenia Quevedo
Lulu Publishing
3101 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh, NC 27607-5436
www.lulu.com
9781329205222, $25.00, 72pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In the pages of "Finding You In Fertility: A Step-by-Step Emotional Workbook for Family Building through IVI and IVF", reproductive endocrinologist Francisco Arredondo (Board Certified in OBGYN and Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility) and marriage and family psychotherapist Maria Eugenia Quevedo (LPC, LMFT, RPT) effectively collaboratie to provide the reader with both expert information from a medical perspective and emotional tools to guide them through fertility. Whatever the unique process applicable to a particular reader, "Finding You In Fertility" can be a powerful element in preparing for the family to be created. Serendipitously, the emotional resiliency and self-discovery that this workbook provides will transfer into other aspects of life as well.

Critique: Impressively well written, deftly organized, and accessible presented for the benefit of non-specialist general readers who are dealing with fertility issues, "Finding You In Fertility: A Step-by-Step Emotional Workbook for Family Building through IVI and IVF" will prove enormously helpful and is very highly recommended.

Good Posture Made Easy
Carrie Mayes
Life Wise Ventures
www.goodposturemadeeasy.com
9780986080401, $12.95, 64pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Good Posture Made Easy" by professional chiropractor Carrie Mayes will help any one to help themselves. It is an illustrated, easy-to-read do-it-yourself guide that will help anyone who works/plays at the computer, sits, drives, sleeps or stands to ensure that their daily activities are supporting their health and well being. During 14 years in private practice, Dr. Mayes has also taught youth and adult workshops on posture and performed ergonomic consultations for computer work stations in businesses. Both in and out of her office she has seen the need for people to become aware of their daily postures and positions and apply simple corrections that will reduce or prevent pain and other health concerns while improving productivity and performance. Most people are simply unaware that how they work at the computer, sleep and drive affects their health and appearance. Nor do they realize how simple it can be to change postural habits. "Good Posture Made Easy" clearly and persuasively explains why posture is vital to optimal health and provides easy to apply principles and details for ideal postures in everyday activities.

Critique: Impressively well written, exceptionally well organized, deftly presented, "Good Posture Made Easy" is a quick and easy read that is extraordinarily well informed and informative. Critically important, "Good Posture Made Easy" should be considered a vital and essential addition to community and academic library Health & Medicine instructional reference collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "Good Posture Made Easy" is also available in a Kindle edition ($8.99).

Why Is Mid-Life Mooching Your Mojo?
Joni Labbe
AuthorHouse
1663 Liberty Drive, Suite 200, Bloomington, IN 47403-5161
www.authorhouse.com
9781496954312, $28.99, 278pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: If you, or someone you love, have been diagnosed with hypothyroid, an autoimmune disorder, or hormone disorders, you know what an ordeal life can become. You understand the sleepless nights, brain fog, and rigors of trying to lose weight. Challenging? Yes. But girlfriends, don't let mid-life mooch your Mojo. Instead know you have options and choices! In "Why Is Mid-Life Mooching Your Mojo?: Solutions to Banish Fuzziness and Fatigue Forever!", thyroid expert, chiropractic, and board certified clinical nutritionist, Joni Labbe helps you solve the puzzle about some of the most innovative, science-based nutritional health advances. Protocols that build you up, and get results. With candor, humor, and empathy, get ready to re-think your approach to Hashimoto's, hypothyroid and hot flashes. Join her, and many other mid-life (better-half) women across the country that are using effective alternative care and integrative methods to radically change their experience of the mid-life transition.

Critique: Informed and informative, "Why Is Mid-Life Mooching Your Mojo?: Solutions to Banish Fuzziness and Fatigue Forever!" is exceptionally well written, organized and presented. Thoroughly 'reader friendly' from beginning to end, "Why Is Mid-Life Mooching Your Mojo?" is very highly recommended and certain to be an enduringly popular addition to community library Health & Medicine collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "Why Is Mid-Life Mooching Your Mojo?" is also available in a paperback edition (9781888125054, $19.95) and in a Kindle format ($3.99).

Stroke Victor
Bob Mandell
Global Book Publishers
c/o Creative Projects International Ltd.
4001 Santa Barbara Blvd., Naples, FL 34104
9780981822273, $16.95, 256pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Stroke Victor: How To Go From Stroke Victim To Stroke Victor" by stroke survivor Bob Mandell is the ultimate "how to" instruction manual for anyone having to deal with the aftermath of a stroke. It most definitely is not just another "survivor" story, "Stroke Victor" brings stroke victims, their families and friends, the details, practical game changing lessons, techniques and vital new information that only a persistent, dedicated fighter against the "system", could learn. Follow this fact filled, informative and realistically holistic approach to "beating the odds" after a stroke! Sex and travel, just two of life's simple pleasures, are just some of the many "real-life" subjects covered in "Stroke Victor". Written in straight-forward language, "Stroke Victor" covers what a stroke feels like and how to successfully deal with it. Bob Mandell and his caregivers experienced frustration, "dead-end" paths, bad advice and rehabilitation plateaus after his near-death stroke -- but along the way discovered and utilized little known innovative therapies and techniques, tricks, techniques, devices and philosophies that today can help every stroke victim have a better chance of a decent recovery and ultimate healing.

Critique: Impressively well written, organized and presented, "Stroke Victor: How To Go From Stroke Victim To Stroke Victor" is very highly recommended reading for every stroke sufferer, as well as their care-givers and relatives. Practical and thoroughly 'reader friendly', "Stroke Victor" is very highly recommended for personal, professional, community and academic library Health & Medicine instructional reference collections.


The Philosophy Shelf


Art, Science, Religion, Spirituality
David V. White
Meaningful Life Books
PO Box 1988, Knoxville, TN 37901
www.ameaningfullife.org
9780989853804, $16.95, 356pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Retiring at the age of 35 gives David V. White time to reflect on what is truly important. After successful ventures in business, politics, and education, he devoted several years to study, travel, and spiritual practice. Meaningful experiences came and insights arose. Further insights emerged through interactions with participants in seminars and workshops given over the last twenty years. One insight is this: We tend to compartmentalize our lives, thinking separately about relationships, finances, health concerns, spiritual matters, career, sex, values, passions, goals, political views, group identities, finding pleasure, aesthetic interests, and on and on. At the living edge, however, where life happens, all these currents mingle and merge. To find meaning and live a fulfilling life requires that we discover how these separate currents can be prioritized and harmoniously integrated. The core motivations we humans have felt through the centuries have not changed much. The challenge is, as it has always been, to discover and put into practice wise responses to these motivations. In ancient Greece, the quest for this wisdom was exemplified by the admonition of Socrates: "Know Thyself." Two thousand years later mathematician, physicist, and philosopher Blaise Pascal said, "It is an extraordinary blindness to live without investigating what we are." Continuing this theme in the 20th century, the humorist James Thurber advised, "All human beings should try to learn before they die what they are running from, and to, and why." Four of the most valuable trails through the wilderness of life's confusion are: (1) Engagement with science; (2) Creating and experiencing art; (3) Following a religious tradition; and (4) Undertaking a spiritual journey. Although different on the surface, these four are not so different underneath. As Albert Einstein succinctly put it: "All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree." "Art, Science, Religion, Spirituality: Seeking Wisdom and Harmony for a Fulfilling Life" covers the four branches of the tree of life: art, science, religion, and spirituality in an exploration of the commonalities between them and the guidance they each provide for a fulfilling and meaningful life.

Critique: Erudite, exceptionally well organized and presented, informed and informative, thoughtful and thought-provoking, "Art, Science, Religion, Spirituality: Seeking Wisdom and Harmony for a Fulfilling Life" is an extraordinary volume and one of those philosophical works that will linger in the mind and memory long after the book itself is finished and set back upon the shelf. "Art, Science, Religion, Spirituality: Seeking Wisdom and Harmony for a Fulfilling Life" is very strongly recommended for community and academic library Philosophy collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Art, Science, Religion, Spirituality: Seeking Wisdom and Harmony for a Fulfilling Life" is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.00).


The Cookbook Shelf


Cooking for Artists
Mina Stone
Kiito-San
http://www.kiito-san.com
9780984721078, $40.00, 226pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Chef Mina Stone has been cooking delicious lunches at Urs Fischer's Brooklyn-based art studio for the past five years and producing private gallery dinners in the New York art world since 2006. "Cooking for Artists" presents more than 70 of Stone's family-style recipes inspired by her Greek heritage and her love of simple, fresh, seasonal food. "Cooking for Artists" is designed by Fischer and includes drawings by Hope Atherton, Darren Bader, Matthew Barney, Alex Eagleton, Urs Fischer, Cassandra MacLeod, Elizabeth Peyton, Rob Pruitt, Peter Regli, Josh Smith, Spencer Sweeney and Philippos Theodorides -- all members of the community of artists that delights in Stone's cooking.

Critique: A unique and elegant, coffee-table sized culinary compendium of recipes, "Cooking for Artists" offers up 'kitchen cook friendly' recipes for dishes ranging from Grilled Ramps with Crushed hazelnuts and Lemon; Tah-Dig with Pistachios, Apricots, and Caramelized Onions; Wild Striped Bass in Parchment with Swiss Chard; and Smoky Spiced Chicken Kebabs; to Plum and Greek Yogurt Tiramisu; Pistachio Orange Flower Cookies; Red Lentil Soup with Cumin and Lime; and Spicy Chickpea Stew. As much fun to browse through as it is inspiring to plan menus with, "Cooking for Artists" is very highly recommended for personal, professional, and community library cookbook collections.


The Poetry Shelf


Black Poet
Cassius Ali
Outskirts Press, Inc.
10940 S. Parker Road, #515, Parker, CO 80134
www.outskirtspress.com
9781478747574, $23.95, 146pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Black Poet" is one man's expression of the hurt, anger and joy of looking at the world as a black person. The author and actor Cassius Ali has written three poetry books "The Last Word", "Poetic Expression" and "A Bully Story" (A Bully Story has two short tales of bullying as well as poetry). After interviewing people of all colors, Cassius Ali tells their stories in "Black Poet" using what he calls a "Poetic expression". Because of growing up through hardships, many of his poems are filled with emotion and passion. Cassius has worked with and around children for over two decades and learned that for most of us, that is when we decide the direction of our lives. If we do not express the hurt, anger or even the joy we may hold inside of ourselves our choices could be made because of un-channeled emotions. One example is that after watching the news Cassius Ali wrote the poem called "On this Day".

Critique: An absorbing read throughout, "Black Poet" is a testament to the impressive literary skills of Cassius Ali and very highly recommended for both community and academic library collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "Black Poet" is also available in a paperback edition (9781478739722, $13.95) and in a Kindle format ($5.00).

The Significance of Moths
Shirley Camia
Turnstone Press
206-100 Arthur Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, R3B 1H3
www.turnstonepress.com
9780888015334, $17.00, 96pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Against the backdrop of the changing seasons, Shirley Camia's poetry comprising "The Significance of Moths" offers a graceful exploration of home and memory through the eyes of the migrant and the migrant child. As lives are displaced by new landscapes, where does home exist? In the land or in the mind? For new Canadians and their children there is no easy answer. In the journey to form identity, "The Significance of Moths" confronts the ghosts of "what was" with the here and now.

Critique: 'The Departure': the day was full of years / packed in a broken suitcase // as mama's lip quivered // a violin string / played a sadness / that range until hollow // a cry for her old life / and the lives she let go. Clearly, Shirley Camia is a poet of impressive abilities to evoke emotion from the written word. "The Significance of Moths" is one of those collections of free verse that will linger in the mind and memory long after the slender volume has been finished and set back upon the shelf. Highly recommended for community and academic library Canadian Contemporary Poetry collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Significance of Moths" is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).

The Ash and The Thorn: God on Trial?
Leonard H. Roller
FriesenPress
P.O. Box 29, Neche, ND 58265
http://friesenpress.com
9781460254202, $27.99, 120pp, www.amazon.com

Kind David in a fevered dream spoke to the Lord and said but he was a sweet and unoffending youth, O Lord - "I warn thee" came the voice, "You wrestle now not like Jacob with an angel, but with the Lord himself." Thus King David dares to raise The Question: if God is good and all-powerful, how come there's so much evil? Many thinkers and writers have even questioned the justice and rightness of God's perceived actions -- or lack of perceivable action. In "The Ash and The Thorn: God on Trial?", his second collection of poems, Leonard H. Roller explores, through verse, the mystery of a seemingly self-contradicting Deity in a puzzling universe. Themed to the stirring, Old Testament tale of Uzza, Leonard invites the reader to consider the terrible beauty of the world.

Critique: 'If The Proper Study Of Mankind...': If the proper study of mankind should be man, / That in no way annuls our right of God to scan. / Why did the Lord create this puzzling whole / If not to inspire awe in the human soul? / Was not the universe made for this pelf, / That God, through man, should perceive Himself? -- Unique, impressive, inherently fascinating, "The Ash and The Thorn: God on Trial?" is a one-of-a-kind anthology of exceptionally well crafted verse that is very highly recommended for community and academic library Contemporary Poetry collections. For individual reading lists it should be noted that "The Ash and The Thorn: God on Trial?" is also available in a paperback edition (9781460254219, $12.99).


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf


Googolplex
KG Johansson
Affront Publishing
9789187585357, $14.50, 206pp, www.affront.se

Synopsis: Jack is part of a group of colonists traveling to the distant planet Shylock to build themselves a new home. But Jack has trouble letting go of his past and the world he left behind. He becomes obsessed with what could have been, and with the help of multis - mysterious beings from parallel universes - he begins his search for truth. However, in a world where even love seems impossible to define, what can he find?

Critique: Ably translated into English for an appreciative American readership, "Googolplex" by Swedish author KG Johansson is an impressively original and deftly crafted science fiction novel that will hold the reader's fully entertained and rapt attention from beginning to end. Very highly recommended for community and academic library Speculative Fiction collections, for personal reading lists it should be noted that "Googolplex" is also available in a Kindle edition ($6.50).

A Mile North Of Good And Evil
Charles D. Hayes
Autodidactic Press
PO Box 872749, Wasille, Alaska, 99687
www.autodidactic.com
9780962197956, $24.95, 480pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "A Mile North Of Good And Evil" is the long awaited sequel to "Portals in a Northern Sky" (9780962197956, $24.95 HC; 9780962197963, $14.95 PB; $9.99 Kindle), in which author Charles D. Hayes delivers another engrossing adventure set in the Alaska wilderness and populated with a colorful cast. It's 2028, seven years after introduction of the Portals System, and the world is on the brink of all-out war. Now known as Adam 21, the Portals technology offers the ability to look back in time and view any event in history from any angle. As a result, new animosities have been unleashed worldwide, based on old ethnic wounds and past aggressions. Convening in Alaska, a group of strategists consider innovative and unprecedented ways to calm global tensions. At the same time, a brazen serial killer with ambitions of unequaled notoriety works his way north, and a retired detective gathers clues on the killer's trail with the help of his gifted niece. Operating from America's heartland, an influential religious leader objects to the power of Adam 21 and seeks to subvert it. In a world mad with contempt and hatred, domestic dogs tangle with wolves, and vengeance consumes the minds of those who feel wronged. As these players and their stories converge at a remote location in Alaska, the entire world reacts to living in the shadow of doomsday.

Critique: Exceptionally will written and an inherently fascinating read, "A Mile North Of Good And Evil" documents the impressive abilities of author Charles D. Hayes to deftly craft memorable characters and embed them into a riveting, complex, and thoroughly entertaining story that will holder his readers' rapt and complete attention from beginning to end. Very highly recommended for community library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "A Mile North Of Good And Evil" is also available in a paperback edition (9780988579538, $21.95) and in a Kindle format ($9.99).

Stowaway: Curse of the Red Pearl
Tracy Fobes
Tracy Fobes Books
www.tracyfobes.com
9780692439210, $8.99, 194pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Set on stormy seas during the early nineteenth century, "Stowaway: Curse of the Red Pearl" features a unique plot revolving around a classic adventure that quickly becomes supernatural horror. In the story, Kit Cabot is being groomed to take over his family's shipping fortune in 1808 Boston, Massachusetts. While Kit yearns for the approval of his father, he finds the day-to-day operations of the family business incredibly boring. Determined to do something more with his life, and attracted to the seafaring life of his uncle, Kit decides to stowaway on his uncle's ship. But instead of being swept up in the life of adventure and romance he always imagined, Kit finds himself subjected to harsh 1800's maritime conditions and another stowaway with a sinister mission of its own. "Stowaway: Curse of the Red Pearl" combines high sea adventure with dark horror, and paints a world filled with both mundane and otherworldly dangers. It builds a claustrophobic sense of supernatural terror as Kit and his friends are forced to deal with the dangers of nature and an unknown horror possessing the ship.

Critique: Impressively written, unfailingly entertaining, featuring a deftly crafted multi-layered storyline of unexpected twists and turns, "Stowaway: Curse of the Red Pearl" is very highly recommended for community library collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "Stowaway: Curse of the Red Pearl" is also available in an inexpensive Kindle edition ($0.99).


The LGBT Studies Shelf


The Peace Seeker
Susan E. Gilmore
Peaceseeker Press
PO Box 38, Fairview Village, PA 19409-0038
www.thepeaceseeker.com
9780615966922, $12.95, 176pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Susan E. Gilmore is a businesswoman, Christian church worker, and outspoken advocate for increased tolerance toward gay Christians who have been ostracized from their family of faith. She is also an activist blazing paths to peace between the Christian church and Christian homosexuals to minimize inner conflicts for gay Christians and create greater understanding and compassion in the Christian community. "The Peace Seeker: One Woman's Battle in the Church's War on Homosexuality" is the true and personal story of how when she planned a career in Christian work after graduating from Bible college in the early 1980s she soon discovered that her identity as a lesbian would prohibit her from pursuing her dream. "The Peace Seeker" chronicles her struggle to reconcile her sexual identity with the teachings of the Christian church. Her nearly thirty-year search for self-acceptance and understanding, a story of deep pain and devotion, is resolved only when she is prompted to investigate biblical passages used to condemn homosexuality as a sin. "The Peace Seeker" is important because it informs the public about what is going on behind the doors of the churches in their community. The world needs to know about the treatment of gay Christians, and the church needs to take a second look at what it is doing to the gay community. Whether you are interested in gay issues, religion, biblical scholarship, or human rights, "The Peace Seeker" will expand your awareness.

Critique: With respect to the LGBT community, the times are changing as discrimination based on sexual orientation is becoming discouraged in American society, culture, and politics. Now the battle against sexual discrimination is emerging within the Christian communities as well. "The Peace Seeker" is a critically important contribution to our on-going national dialogue and very highly recommended for both community and academic library LGBT collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "The Peace Seeker" is also available in a Kindle edition ($6.95).


The American History Shelf


Washington's Rebuke to Bigotry
Facing History and Ourselves
9781940457116, $15.95, 320pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Washington's Rebuke to Bigotry: Reflections on Our First President's Famous 1790 Letter to the Hebrew Congregation In Newport, Rhode Island" from Facing History and Ourselves" (an international educational and professional development organization whose mission is to engage students of diverse backgrounds in an examination of racism, prejudice, and antisemitism in order to promote the development of a more humane and informed citizenry) is a reprint with commentary of George Washington's 1790 Letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island. This is a foundational document in the history of religious freedom in the United States, and embodies a vision of religious harmony that remains deeply pertinent in our increasingly diverse society. In "Washington's Rebuke to Bigotry", scholars from across the disciplines use the letter as a springboard to engage with important and timely questions regarding religious freedom, religious diversity, and civic identity.

Critique: Exceptionally well organized and presented, "Washington's Rebuke to Bigotry: Reflections on Our First President's Famous 1790 Letter to the Hebrew Congregation In Newport, Rhode Island" from Facing History and Ourselves" is a critically important, impressively unique, and highly recommended contribution to the American History and American Political Science reference collections for community and academic libraries, and supplemental studies reading lists.

Icebound Empire, third edition
Elizabeth A. Tower
Old Stone Press
520 Old Stone Lane, Louisville, KY 40207
www.oldstonepress.com
www.iceboundempire.com
9781938462139 ebook
9781938462122 pbk, $24.95, 334pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Icebound Empire: Industry and Politics on the Last Frontier, 1898-1938" by Elizabeth A. Tower is about industry and politics on the Last Frontier of Alaska. It is the epic story of three men caught up in the early twentieth century battle for control of Alaska's land and resources. George Cheever Hazelet, Stephen Birch, and David Henry Jarvis were prime movers in the most ambitious early Alaska development initiative -- the Morgan-Guggenheim Alaska Syndicate. These three men convinced New York investors to provide capital to build the Kennecott copper mines and the Copper River and Northwestern Railway, but opposition from political opportunists, Eastern conservationists, and muckraking journalists stifled further industrial development on the last frontier.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, exhaustively researched, thoroughly informed and informative, "Icebound Empire: Industry and Politics on the Last Frontier, 1898-1938" is a compelling and inherently fascinating read. Now in an updated and expanded third edition, "Icebound Empire" is very highly recommended for community and academic library American History reference collections in general, and Alaskan History supplemental studies reading lists in particular. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "Icebound Empire" is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).


The Civil War Shelf


Grant Under Fire
Joseph A. Rose
Alderhanna Publishing
9781943177004, $42.50, 798pp., www.grantunderfire.com

Synopsis: Was Ulysses S. Grant a brilliant and unparalleled general who won the American Civil War, a magnanimous and incorruptible man, and an honest and accurate chronicler of history? Or was he remarkably untruthful, careless, persistent, indolent, aggressive, unjust, biased, impetuous, and lucky? A stringent and detailed examination of Grant's generalship and character in the war has long been necessary. Standard histories and biographies, founded on a lengthy succession of biased and erroneous writings, have much of it wrong. Many of these inaccuracies originated with the General himself. While Grant possessed many positive attributes and achieved valuable objectives, his reputation as a military mastermind with a virtuous character is hopelessly exaggerated. "Grant Under Fire: An Expose of Generalship and Character in the American Civil War", thoroughly establishes this. For example: In a report revised years after the battle of Belmont (but falsified to look as if written just ten days later) Grant fabricated communications to cover up his insubordination in attacking. And he scapegoated Napoleon Buford, who had avoided the ensuing rout of the federal expedition by taking a separate route to the riverbank; Denying that the blunder-filled Overland campaign was a failure, Grant misrepresented the size of the two armies, their casualties, and the results. After Grant assisted Sheridan in the dismissal of corps commander Gouverneur Warren, by preemptively providing authorization and then supplying incorrect information which made Warren look bad, as General-in-Chief and as President he quashed Warren's repeated requests for a court of inquiry. The court basically sided with Warren. Hundreds of other examples are described in "Grant Under Fire: An Expose of Generalship and Character in the American Civil War".

Critique: Impressively researched, "Grant Under Fire" is an iconoclastic but exceptionally well documented contribution to our clearer and more in-depth understanding of the role Grant played in the American Civil War. Informed and informative, "Grant Under Fire" is a seminal work of exhaustive scholarship and a critically important contribution to personal, community, and academic library American Civil War reference collections and supplemental studies reading lists.


The Religion/Spirituality Shelf


Spirit Training
William L. Conwill
Archway Publishing
1663 Liberty Drive, Bloomington, IN 47403-5161
www.archwaypublishing.com
9781480813250, $11.99, 142pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Many African American teens find themselves wondering what they should or should not be doing and how they should behave toward each other. As they struggle to build their characters, they receive a wide range of feedback from multiple sources, bringing about confusion. "Spirit Training: A Book of Ethics for Black Teens" offers a guide through that confusion by providing a personal training aid for Black teens in the arena of ethics. "Spirit Training" holds that our spirits, which protect and sustain us, should direct and unify our thoughts, efforts, and actions. Based on traditional African values, the principles presented in this guide serve as directives or instructions on living, as well as means of defense against destructive influences. These principles are represented throughout the text by Adinkra symbols, along with a self-defense interpretation for each principle and a reading to help provide insight. Drawing on brain science, transpersonal psychology, and mainstream psychiatry, as well as ancient traditions, "Spirit Training" invites Black teens to conduct a personal and conscious examination of the principles that have allowed us to survive, create, and nurture life.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Spirit Training: A Book of Ethics for Black Teens" is very highly recommended for professional, community, school, and academic library African-American Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists. Fully accessible to non-specialist general readers, "Spirit Training" is strongly commended to the attention of the parents of adolescent African American boys.


James A. Cox
Editor-in-Chief
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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