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Small Press Bookwatch

Volume 3, Number 9 September 2004 Home | SPBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Fiction Shelf Mystery/Suspense Shelf
Self-Help Shelf American History Shelf Poetry Shelf
Health/Medicine Shelf Jobs/Careers Shelf Biography Shelf
Education Shelf Business Shelf Fantasy/Sci-Fi Shelf
Travel Shelf Metaphysical Shelf Language Studies Shelf
Money/Finance Shelf    


Reviewer's Choice

Treasured Times
Lonna Weidemann
LW Promotionals
PO Box 7583, Helena, MT 59604
097483162X $12.99 www.lwpromo.com

Printed in a spiral bound format, Treasured Times: 101 Creative Gift Ideas Under $10.00 by Lonna Weidemann (who has been active in the gift industry for 15 years, has authored two gift basket busines books, and who manufactures her own retail wrap product which won the 2004 "Hot Products Contest" from N.M.O.A.) is an anthology of memorable, creative, and inexpensive gift ideas. Suggestions range from hand-made dipped pretzels, to a handy bank made from a specially decorated and personalized coffee can, to family videos for relatives, and much more. An excellent sourcebook of ideas for gift-givers, especially those on a budget - or who need to come up with something nice for each member of a large extended family!

The Emperor Of Ice Cream
Rose Vesel Matus
The Wordsmithy, LLC
PO Box 224, New Milford, NJ 07646
097488703 $24.95 1-800-780-5183 www.thewordsmithy.com

The Emperor Of Ice Cream: The True Story Of Haagen-Dazs, A Love Story by Rose Vesel Mattus is the history of the Haagen Dazs ice cream company. It's also the story of immigrant children who marry as teenage sweethearts and their struggle of many "years and tears" to create one particular formula for a product that would go on to make them wealthy beyond their wildest dreams, and their ice cream to become an American legend. This is the biographical account of how Rose and her husband Reuben, built a commercial giant from from the humblest beginnings with hard work, uncompromising diligence, and unwavering determination. This is the fascinating and inspiring story of Haagen-Dazs that exemplifies the great American dream of opportunity and went on to becoming an international success from across the country and around the world!

Beyond Cultural Anxieties
Aaron A. Vessup, editor
XanEdu Original Works
c/o Cultures In Focus International
PO Box 7218, Elgin, IL 60121
1593990812 $TBA www.xanedu.com/originalworks/vessup

Knowledgeably compiled and expertly edited by Aaron A. Vessup (Professor Emeritius, Elgin Community College), Beyond Cultural Anxieties: Ingredient Of Fear, Tests Of Character is an anthology of writings by authors from a wide variety of cultures describing personal experiences and what can be learned when crossing the gap between one way of life and another. Tales of struggling to break through with one's message in an alien and sometimes even hostile environment range from the story of a parent desiring to be reunited with her family yet fearful that her relatives in native Mali will circumcize her daughter; a white woman's effort to teach sensitivity to a room of hostile police offers, one of whom speaks in racial epithets the moment she enters; a public school substitute teacher's efforts to spur leadership and community involvement, and much more. An emotionally charged, positive account that threads together case studies in the hope of finding a common thread that will promote a better tomorrow even amid diversely conflicting worldviews.

A Caregiver's Challenge
Maryann Schacht, MSW, BCD
iUniverse.com, Inc.
2021 Pine Lake Road, #100, Lincoln, NE 68512
0595308910 $14.95 www.iuniverse.com www.caregivers-challenge.net

A Caregiver's Challenge: Living, Loving, Letting Go by psychotherapist Maryann Schact chronicles her own experience caring for her terminally ill husband and candidly exploring how terminal illness affects personal relationships. The onset of serious illness can throw relationships into shock, making it difficult to stay open and loving in spite of fear, and confronting people with the terror of things they never wanted to talk about. Simple steps and exercises to manage pain, consolodate one's emotional as well as physical resources, and stay true to one's bonds despite the perilous journey ahead, as well as advice concerning hard decisions and the medical power of attorney, dealing with money matters, alternative therapies to complement modern medicine, and much more. A highly recommended primer, written especially for caregivers but filled with crucial wisdom for anyone confronting the protracted loss of a loved one.


The Fiction Shelf

Category Five
Philip S. Donlay
Nightbird Press
129 North Second Street, Suite 450, Minneapolis, MN 55401
0975376535 $23.95 1-612-817-7369 www.nightbirdpress.com

Category Five is Philip S. Donlay debut novel. This superbly written adventure thriller of man vs. nature follows the efforts of a rescue mission to extract key government people who have been studying hurricane Helena, the most powerful storm in recorded history. A routine effort begins to go wrong when an assassination attempt is made on the life of a lead scientist, and protagonist Donovan Nash must risk everything - his life, his hidden secrets, and his future - to combat human intrigue and natural disaster alike, and save the woman he loves. A gripping, tension-filled saga that entangles the reader's attention and does not let go.

Tall Trees, Tall People
Rex Southwell
Pleasant Word
PO Box 428, Enumclaw, WA 98022
1414101546 $32.99 1-800-326-4674 www.pleasantword.com

Tall Trees, Tall People by Rex Southwell is a deftly written novel that takes place in northern Michigan and tells the story of one family's struggle against a background of cutting virgin timber, clearing land, and making a life in the far north woods. Set in the early twentieth century, it tells of a young man made a ward of the state, and placed with a farmer who won't let him stop working long enough to go to school. When the young man turns eighteen, his father returns, only to find his son consumed with bitterness. The road to forgiveness is a long and rocky one, amid financial pressures, the perils of an untamed wilderness, and bonds of family love that at times stretch tenuously thin. Highly recommended.

Fire Of God
J. M. Kelly
iUniverse.com, Inc.
2021 Pine Lake Road, #100, Lincoln, NE 68512
0595660908 $28.95 www.iuniverse.com www.authorsden.com/jmkelly

Fire Of God is the debut volume of a planed five-part series by author J. M. Kelly that is a dark allegory set in a distant future. A war with origins in the distant past threatens the balance of good and evil, and terrible events come to enwrap the planet Augusta. One of Augusta's KaRel family is bequeathed the most powerful weapon imagineable: the Fire of God. But power this great is almost beyond mortal comprehension, and could potentially hold the key to the galaxy's demise, as surely as its salvation. A gripping saga of struggle and the search for meaning, and the threat of all-consuming internecine conflict, highly recommended.

Keeper Of The Cross
Nathan Barber
PublishAmerica
PO Box 151, Frederick, MD 21705-0151
1413721362 $19.95 www.publishamerica.com

Keeper Of The Cross by history teacher Nathan Barber is an exciting epic novel. Set in the era of the Crusades, it follows the life of a young English crusader who, after a fateful encounter with Richard the Lionheart in the Holy Land, returns to England with a double mission: to safeguard the two pieces of the True Cross and combat the treachery of Prince John. But both objectives are filled with peril and danger, and a lone man faces immense odds in his struggle to attempt to confront treachery at its highest levels. A thoroughly riveting and engaging yarn, told with a flair for details of the era.

Outrage: We The People
Michael Bret Hood
Baycrest Books
PO Box 2009, Monroe, MI 48161
0972845038 $14.95 www.baycrestbooks.com

In Outrage: We The People, novelist Michael Bret Hood draws upon his many years of experience as a member of the U.S. Department of Justice to craft an impressive political thriller. An action-adventure story in which a group of American citizens calling themselves "The Patriots" decide to halt commerical and federal corruption by taking things into their own hands, they put everything on the line to broadcast their message and demand change - but at what price? An exciting saga, written with vibrancy and a sense of enthusiastic determination that disregards personal welfare for the importance of getting done what has to be done.

My Dearest Patcy
Barbara Vest
Elton-Wolf Publishing
2505 Second Avenue, Suite 515, Seattle WA 98121
1586191004 $17.00 1-888-281-5965 www.alton-wolf.com

My Dearest Patcy: The Early Years Of Martha Washington is a unique and superbly written historical novel about Martha (Patcy) Dandridge, the woman who would met and marry George Washington as her second husband and become the First Lady of the newly formed United States of America. Author Barbara Vest has created a remarkable and erudite novel of history and romance with meticulous attention to historical background and detail including the story of her first marriage, a match made of love between herself and the aristocratic-blood Daniel Parke Custis, against the will of Custis' father - only her first husband's untimely death could cut short their bond. Yet as a twenty-eight year old wealthy widow with two surviving children, she would persevere past grief, and one day make her contribution to history. A rapturously told portrait of a strong and truly remarkable woman.


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

All Roads Lead To Murder
Albert A. Bell, Jr.
High Country Publishers (NBN, dist.)
197 New Market Center, #135, Boone, NC 28607
097130453X $21.95 1-800-462-6420 www.highcountrypublishers.com

Set in the world of the first century Roman Empire, Pliny the Younger teams up with his friends Taciiitus the historian and the Christian physician Luke who is composing the story of his crucificed god Jesus, to solve an horrific murder in the ancient community of Smyrna. Superbly illustrasted with 30 line drawings by William Martin Johnson that original appeared in the firrst edition of Lew Wallace's 19th Centuryt novel "Ben Hur", and supplemented with a glossary of terms for the use of modern readers, All kRoads Lead To Murder is a superbly crafted, wonderfully written murder mystery that treats the reader to a thrilling detective story meticulously backgrounded with accurate historical detail. Author Albert A. Bell, Jr. (Professor of History at the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill) has drawn upon his considerable expertise and imagination to craft one of the best antiquarian murder mysteries published to date. Also very highly recommended is his earlier antiaurian historical novel, Daughter of Lazarus; and his nonfiction work Resources in Ancient Philosophy (co-authored with James B. Allis) and Exploring The New Testament World.


The Self-Help Shelf

Squeezing Your Size 14 Self Into A Size 6 World
Carrie Myers Smith
Champion Press
4308 Blueberry Road, Fredonia, WI 53021
1891400304 $16.00 1-877-250-3354 www.championpress.com

It seems there is no end to diet and self-help books -- with most of them not being worth the paper they are printed on. Then there is Squeezing Your Size 14 Self Into A Size 6 World: A Real Woman's Guide To Food, Fitness And Self-Acceptance by Carrie Myers Smith who draws upon her considerable experience and undeniable expertise to create a truly effective and "user friendly" manual that will enable her readers to successfully deal with the kinds of head games and body games that so often derail simple happiness and ordinary satisfaction with our selves. Carrie delivers the keys to successful self-care; shows how to control stress and not let stress be in control; how wellness means uncluttering our lives; how to overcome obstacles to fitness; figure out a fitness plan specifically appropriate for the reader's particular needs; as well as discovering what "eating personality" is ours and how to use it to advantage. Also very highly recommended is the companion title, Carrie Myers Smith's Squeezing Your Size 14 Self Into A Size 6 World Workbook (1891400967, $18.95) complete with exercises and worksheets to create a truly customized personal wellness plan.

Hope Is Like The Sun
Lisa Church
HopeXchange Publishing
26 Towne Centre Way, #731, Hampton, VA 23666-1999
0974869961 $15.95 1-757-826-2162 www.HopeXchange.com

There is no more poignant or painful loss to a parent than the loss of a child, whether it be by miscarriage, stillbirth or infant death. There are almost a million pregnancy miscarriages a year in the United States alone, and all too high record numbers of infant deaths. Hope Is Like The Sun: Finding Hope And Healing After Miscarriage, Stillbirth, Or Infant Death follows author Lisa Church and four of her close friends as they personally navigate the difficult passage through the grief of having a child die. The result is a unique volume offering similar couples a compendium of practical tips and emotional/spiritual encouragements that can only come from personal experience and an intimate expertise. Hope Is Like The Sun is strongly encouraged and highly recommended reading for anyone having to deal with the death of a child -- before or after one is born into the family and the world.

Beacon Of Hope
Marcia J. Lawton
Cameo Publications
PO Box 8006, Hilton Head Island, SC 29938
0974414913 $17.95 1-8666-372-2636 www.cameopublications.com

Beacon Of Hope: A Guide To Internal Truth by Marcia J. Lawton (Founder of the Alcohol and Drug Education/Rehabilitation Program, Virginia Commonwealth University, and herself in recovery for thirty years) was written specifically to show men and women of all ages and backgrounds just how they can successfully deal with the inevitable stresses and problems of life, uncover and surmount personal barriers to emotional growth and well-being, and enhance their life journey with meaning and with joy. A welcome and inspiring addition to anyone's personal improvement and/or self-help reading list, Beacon Of Hope is informed and informative reading.

How To Turn Anger Into Love
Reshmi M. Siddique & Mahmood I. Siddique
QualHealth Inc.
3 Fairview Terrace, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648
1932675418 $14.95 1-609-730-3542 www.HowToTurnAngerIntoLove.com

The collaborative work of research scientist Reshmi M. Siddique and Mahmood I. Siddique (Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Medicine and Dentistry , New Jersey-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School) How To Turn Anger Into Love: A Spiritual Guide is quite literally a "how to" manual for assertiveness in communicating one's own feelings and needs without harming or threatening others. Dealing with anger in all its forms ranging from simple irritation to episodic rage, How To Turn Anger Into Love is enhanced for the reader with an "Anger Management Checklist" detailing step-by-step what must be done when angry, as well as an informative Afterword; a list of references for further study, and a "user friendly" index. How To Turn Anger Into Love is a welcome and confidently recommended addition to personal self-help/self-improvement reading lists.

Conscious Courage
Maureen Stearns, MS
Enrichment Books
PO Box 3362, Seminole, FL 33775-3362
0972690832 $13.95 www.enrichmentbooks.info

An especially recommended addition to personal inspirational and self-help reading lists, Conscious Courage: Turning Everyday Challenges Into Opportunities by Maureen Stearns shows the reader how to challenge self-defeating thoughts, rise above emotional discomfort, and heighten one's awareness of life's opportunities. An upbeat guide to adopting a positive attitude, building inner resolve and focusing the will to make one's dreams a reality, Conscious Courage presents its wisdom in direct terms and short sections, which can be browsed and internalized quickly and easily. A sprinkling of inspirational quotes rounds out this insightful guide.

The Rapture Of Maturity
Charles D. Hayes
Autodidactic Press
PO Box 872749, Wasilla, AK 99687
0962197947 $21.95 www.autodidactic.com

The Rapture Of Maturity: A Legacy Of Lifelong Learning by former Marine and self-taught philosopher Charles D. Hayes is a self-help guide intended especially for the middle aged and those passing the half-century mark, that discusses how to sift wisdom from one's own experiences, get in touch with younger generations, take steps to leave the world a better place, and focus on what is truly important in life. An upbeat, plain-terms guidebook encouraging the reader to reap the rewards of living authentically and responsibly, The Rapture Of Maturity is a source of abiding inspiration to persevere and determine the goals to which one most wishes to dedicate oneself. Highly recommended.

Relationships: Gifts of the Spirit
Julie Hutslar
Luminous Epinoia Press
PO Box 1224, Cedar City, UT 84721
0975300040 $15.00 www.luminousepinoia.com

Relationships: Gifts Of The Spirt by Julie Hutslar is a spiritual self-help guide to meeting the challenges of difficult relationships, and transform them into opportunities for growth. A spiritual discussion that explores issues of karma, creating equality among souls, understanding and communicating in spite of differences in polarity and point of view, and much more. A practical, serious-minded tour of methods to find balance in one's association with others.

The Leadership Talk
Brent Filson
Williamstown Publishing Company
505 White Oaks Road, Williamstown, MA 01267
097490421X $14.95 www.actionleadership.com

Also available in a hardcover edition (0974904201, $24.95), The Leadership Talk: The Greatest Leadership Tool by motivational speaker and leadership expert Brent Filson is a detailed guide for leaders, particularly in the business world, to the skill of motivating one's followers and getting results. From the three indispensable questions that one must ask when facing every leadership challenge, to proven processes to quickly get people on one's side and keep them there, to means of establishing strong relationships and the secrets to enkindle enthusiasm, The Leadership Talk is a superlative, step-by-step primer and planner. Highly recommended for anyone charged managerial duties.

Kicking Depression's Ugly Butt
Robert Westermeyer
Quick Prints
1610 Long Leaf Circle, St.Louis, MO 63146
1882349075 $14.95 1-888-782-5474 www.quickpublishing.com

Kicking Depression's Ugly Butt by licensed psychologist Robert Westermeyer is a self-help guide that embraces a "divide and conquer" approach to overcoming depression. Offering strategies based on research in clinical psychology, Kicking Depression's Ugly Butt offers an in-depth explanation of why depression endures, and dozens of techniques to increase personal resiliance against it. Simple illustrations vividly drive home the points and recommendations throughout, and an inset section of laminated coping cards that can be cut and carred in one's wallet or pocket for quick reference when in need round out this plain-talking, myth-busing, highly recommended coping guide.


The American History Shelf

The Lost Guide
Richard Hetu
East Village Press
666 Greenwich Street, Sujite 643, NY, NY 10014
0975330705 $25.95 1-646-352-2117 www.eastvillagepress.com

There are a great many new books out now on the Lewis & Clark, but The Lost Guide: The Man Behind The Lewis And Clark Expedition is unique and particularly recommended reading. This is the story of Toussaint Charbonneau, Sacagawea's "Husband" and a many who has been a neglected element of the Lewis & Clark historic journey of discover. Charbonneau played a crucial role in the expedition, indeed, without him there would never have been Sacagawea and it is more than likely that without her the expedition would have been doomed to failure at several critical points. Charbonneau was one of the many French-Canadians in the early history of the western frontier fur trade. When the Lewis & Clark expedition was formed, he was living among the Native American Hidatsas whose lands in 1808 were in the Upper Missouri area. Very ably written by Montreal journalist Richard Hetu, The Lost Guide restores not only Charbonneau to his proper place, but the role and historic contributions of the French-Canadians in the early beginning days of what was to become the great westward expansion from the eastern seaboard to the shores of the Pacific ocean.

A Mile Deep And Black As Pitch
Carrie Papa
The McDonald & Woodward Publishing Company
431-B East College Street, Granville, OH 43023
0939923904 $24.95 1-800-233-8787 www.mwpub.com

Carrie Papa's father, Paul Moore, was a deep shaft miner in the Franklin Mine in northern New Jersey. This is an area well known to geologists, mining historians, and mineral experts for the quality, diversity, and complexity of zinc ores and associated mineral wealth. A Mile Deep And Black As Pitch: An Oral History Of The Franklin And Sterling Hill Mines is a unique regional history drawing upon the memories and experiences of thirty-four mine workers, their families, and others whose lives were intertwined the New Jersey mining industry in general, and the New Jersey Zinc Company in particular between the years of 1897 and 1986. A superbly presented and original work of seminal history, A Mile Deep And Black As Pitch is especially recommended to the attention of students as well as non-specialist general readers with an interest in American's mining industry and the contributions deep shaft ore mining has made to the development and expansion of the American nation.


The Poetry Shelf

Snap Shots
Rochelle Brener
Write Here, A Sanctuary For Writers
162-B2 Coffee Pot Drive, Sedona, AZ 86336
0971783306 $14.95

Winner of the Writer's Digest International Self-Published Book Award, Snap Shots: Photo Op Poems From An Everyday Life is an anthology of vibrant, free-verse poetry. Celebrating the transformations and experiences of New Orleans life through the eyes of musicians, young adults, and women in search of dreams, Snap Shots celebrates the ordinary in its search for the extraordinary. A handful of black-and-white photographs of people and daily life serve as inspiration. "Don't Think Of An Elephant": When you tell yourself not to think, / or to think of nothing, it's amazing / what your mind will do. Like when / someone says, "don't think of / an elephant" and all you can conjure up / are Dumbo ears and peanut breath. // Some experts tell you, "don't blame / yourself," and right away you're in / trouble. You know that they mean / you have to look inside yourself / and see what it was you should have done / instead of whatever it was / you did.

Moonbeams And Myst
Joyce P. Hale
Imagine Publishing
7620 Dogleg Road, Dayton, OH 45414
0975889907 $13.95 http://publish.bluesky40.com

A slender, 110 page volume of 110 poems punctuated by small, colored photographs, Joyce Hale's Moonbeam And Myst is a compilation of wonderful, mind-soaring, heart-feeling lyrics that range from the familial to the humours and back again. You Are Not Gone: Although I cannot see your face or hear your voice so clear,/I feel that you are watching...I sense your presence near./I think of your out of the blue when sunshine showers me.../Oh no, you've never gone away from heart and memory.//I look for your to come around; I hear you call my name,/You come to mind so vividly as breezes stir the lane./I know you walk along my side when I am all alone.../They say you crossed the river wide./but I know you are not gone.

The Mountain Poems Of Meng Hao-jan
David Hinton, translator
Archipelago Books
239 West 12th Street, 3C, New York, NY 10014
0972869239 $12.00 www.archipelagobooks.org

Meng Hao-jan (689-740 C.E.) is one of China's greatest poets during the illustrious T'ang Dynasty. A man who was deeply influenced by Ch'an (Zen) Buddhism and provides unique insights encapsulated by succinct language. Now expertly and deftly translated into English for the first time by David Hinton, the poetry of this esteemed elder in the pantheon of China's greatest poets is readily available and accessible to a grateful and appreciative American readership. Adrift at Wu-ling: Wu-ling's river thinned out, my long-ago/boat glides on into peach-blossom forests//where headwaters harbored such quiet/mystery: immortal families so deep away.//Water meanders, blurs into blue cliffs,/darkens green beneath a crossing cloud.//I sit listening. Idle gibbons cry out, mind/sudden clarity far beyond a world of dust.


The Health/Medicine Shelf

YogaBand
Lisa M. Wolfe
Wish Publishing
PO Box 10337, Terre Haute, IN 47801
1930546696 $9.95 www.wishpublishing.com

In YogaBand, certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor Lisa Wolfe draws upon her more than 14 years of professional experience in the fitness industry (which includes owning her own gym and participating in fitness competitions) to offer an innovative and challenging Yoga workout specially designed to increase personal muscle tone, improve physical flexibility, and reduced psychological stress levels. After an informative introductory explanation of the increasing and enduring popularity of Yoga, YogaBand is divided into individual chapters on what YogaBand is; how to prepare for a YogaBand workout; special considerations; breathing techniques; safety cautions; the yoga poses; sample routines; and additional information to insure a safe, successful, and personally rewarding exercise experience. YogaBand is a welcome and highly recommended addition to personal and professional yoga exercise program reference collections.

Johnny's Simple Dumbbell Workout
Johnny Aliotti
ProTips Media
810 Adair, Del Rey Oaks, CA 93940
0974060003 $17.95 1-831-394-5119 www.ProTipsMedia.com

Johnny's Simple Dumbbell Workout, by competitive body builder Johnny Aliotti, is a no-nonsense fitness guide that walks the reader through a healthy exercise routine involving dumbbells, with simple instructions and black-and-white photographs. Basic streteches, sample routines and exercises to build physical strength, recommended suggestions for a nutritious diet and healthy, wholesome recipies fill this superb and easy-to-follow guide. Highly recommended, for lay people as well as fitness enthusiasts, offering practical instructions that are easy to follow with a minimum of equipment.

Deskercise!
Todd M. Berntson
Center Path Media
14859 Embry Path, Apple Valley, MN 55124
0972402217 $21.95 1-952-220-2633 fax: 651-407-0803

Deskercise: The Workplace Workout: A Revolutionary Exercise Program You Can Do Right At Your Desk! by chropractor Todd M. Berntson is a superb resource especially for those who spend long hours at desks and computer workstations. Offering simple 15-minute exercises to prevent muscle aches and pains, improve health and well-being, proper instructions for stretching, basic tips on vitamins, nutrition, and healthy lifestyle habits, black-and-white photographs and diagrams, and much more, Deskercise is a welcome guidebook to improving not only one's physical fitness, but also one's overall quality of life. Highly recommended.

Love Your Patients!
Scott Louis Diering, M.D.
Blue Dolphin Publishing
PO Box 8, Nevada City, CA 95959
1577331419 $17.95 www.loveyourpatients.org www.bluedolphinpublishing.com

Love Your Patients!: Essential Behaviors That Enrich The Lives Of Patients & Caregivers by Dr. Scott Louis Diering (a practicing emergency medicine physician in Maryland, where he is also a Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of Maryland medical school) persuasively argues that it is love, respect, and humility which lie at the heart of the successful medical caretaker whether that caretaker be a doctor, a nurse, or a paraprofessional. This thesis is wonderful illustrated by a series of true life stories. Of special note is the final section titled "The Art of Agape". Enhanced for the reader with extensive references and a "user friendly" index, Love Your Patients! should be mandatory reading for the students of every medical school and nursing college in the country.


The Jobs/Careers Shelf

Help! I'm Surrounded By Idiots
Tom E. Jones
WORX Publishing
5555 North West Avenue, #133, Fresno, CA 93711
0964908034 $17.95 1-800-604-9227 www.worxpublishing.com

In Help! I'm Surrounded By Idiots: A Workplace Survival Guide, author Tom E. Jones draws upon his many years of experience and expertise working with Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, health care providers, and small businesses to offer a jargon-free presentation of what working men and women can and should do to create rapport with colleagues and work with their associates to build better careers and better companies. Help! I'm Surrounded By Idiots argues against the traditional "one size fits all" approach so common to standard personnel training and typical workshop gurus. Tom Jones has a natural writer's gift for making sophisticated concepts and complex work place relationships readily understandable and instantly recognizable to the reader. Very strongly recommended reading for anyone wanting to successfully deal with staff and management generated workplace stress should give a careful and instructive reading to Help! I'm Surrounded By Idiots.

You Can Bank On Your Voice
Rodney Saulsberry
Tomdor Publishing
PO Box 1735, Agoura Hills, CA 91376
0974767808 $16.95 www.tomdorpublishing.com

In You Can Bank On Your Voice: Your Guide To A Successful Career In Voice-Overs, Rodney Saulsberry draws upon his many years as one of the top voice-over talents whose work ranges from Toytoa and Alpo commerical campagins; to movie trailers for such films as How Stella Got Her Grove Back, and Dumb & Dumberer; to character voice for animated television spots and the Spider-man cartoon series to reveal how anyone can become successful in this specialized field of the performing arts. Readers will learn how to audition, find an agent, make a suitable demo CD or a professional quality submission letter, record voice-overs at home, understand the procedure for commercial, promo, and animation voice-over sessions, and much more. An excellent, practical guide for anyone aspiring to an entertainment career, especially those seeking to making a living from their voice but also for other actors seeking to broaden and hone the range of their talents.


The Biography Shelf

Story: The Way Of Water
Anne Lenehan
The Communications Agency
c/o Jenkins Group Inc.
400 West Front Street, Suite 4A, Traverse City, MI 49684
0975226809 $29.95 www.bookpublishing.com

Story: The Way Of Water by Australian author Anne Lenehan is the biography of Story Musgrave. American hero, renaissance man, and arguably NASA's greatest spokesperson, Story Musgrave's remarkable personalty, determination, and talent shine through in this inspirational accounting of his life and work. Told with detail, yet in a friendly, engrossing style of narration, Story: The Way Of Water is as enjoyable to read as it is uplifting.

It Stops With Me
Charleen Touchette
Touch Art Books
PO Box 4009, Santa Fe, NM 87502
0974654507 $18.00 1-505-420-2411 TouchArt@aol.com www.authorsguild.net/touchart

It Stops With Me: Memoir Of A Canuck Girl is the autobiography of artist, writer, curator, educator and activist Charleen Touchette. Narrating a life steeped in traditions of both French Canadian and Indian cultures, but also darkened by the legacies of anger, alcoholic rages, and violence, It Stops With Me tells of one woman's journey from girlhood to motherhood, to being debilitated by an illness that compels her to face the dark memories of her past. A captivating and sober memoir of a difficult and varied life.

The Seesaw Girl And Me
Dick York
New Path Press
801 Garden Street, Elizabeth, NJ 07202
0974544647 $25.95 www.newpathpress.com

Dick York is best known to most people as the first Darren on the popular 1960s television show "Bewitched". He was replaced in that role was suddenly and without announcement or acknowledgment to the puzzlement of a legion of viewers. He died in 1992 and dedicated fans of the series (including a new generation of viewers that were treated to perpetual re-runs on cable/satellite television's TV Land and Nick at Night) only heard rumors about back problems as the cause of one of the first and most famous "changing of horses in midstream" events in weekly sitcom television history. Now Dick's York's personal memoir has been posthumously published and we can all be privy to his personal life, professional accomplishments, and how he came to grapple with such obstacles as enduring back pain, addiction to pain medication, financial ruin, and a bittersweet life rescued by an enduring life. In writing his autobiography, Dick York exhibits both candor and humor. The Seesaw Girl And Me could well be cited as one of the best and most intrinsically interesting celebrity memoirs published to date.


The Education Shelf

Study Abroad 101
Wendy Williamson
Agapy Publishing
2625 Hazelnut Ln, Kalamazoo, MI 49004
097213283X $12.95 www.agapy.com

Study Abroad 101 by Wendy Williamson (Study Abroad Advisor at Western Michigan University) is a brilliantly conceived and expertly presented introduction providing specific, concise, informed and informative answers to 101 direct questions about studying abroad. From determining if studying abroad is a viable option, to narrowing down the choices, to planning the trip, to health and safety concerns, Study Abroad 101 goest on to cover such significant issues as money management abroad, "culture shock" arising from living in another country and living with the locals, to keeping in touch with the folks at home, and life after studying abroad. Of special note are Wendy's "Top Secrets You Should Know" to make studying abroad a successful educational and personal experience. If you are considering studying in another country, then give a close and careful reading to Wendy Williamson's Study Abroad 101!


The Business Shelf

Building Biotechnology
Yali Friedman
ThinkBiotech LLC
PO Box 1456, Amherst, NY 14226
0973467622 $34.95 www.thinkbiotech.com

Building Biotechnology: Starting, Managing, And Understanding Biotechnology Companies by biotechnology industry expert Yali Friedman is an introduction to the business of biotechnology, written in plain terms readily accessible to lay readers. Covering the basics of funding, drug development, research applications, legal and regulatory issues concerning such matters as intellectual property, and much more, Building Biotechnology is a sound foundation for better understanding this exciting and rapidly changing line of commerce and highly recommended especially to visionary entrepreneurs with a keen interest in this challenging field.

Brandicapped?
Mel! Epstein
Black Forest Press
c/o Epic Book Promotions
594 Serrano Lane, Chula Vista, CA 91910
1582750378 $19.95 1-888-808-5440 www.Brandicapped.com

Mel Epstein draws upon his many years of business experience and a natural gift for storytelling in Brandicapped? to teach and illustrate for others just how to use brand names to clearly and effectively communicate one's business identity, so as to impress oneself upon the memory of anyone who has reason to care about what one's business does. Presenting basic business and marketing concepts in the format of a 43-chapter story, Brandicapped? illustrates its simple narrative with whimsical black-and-white illustrations and diagrams. A plain-terms tale, accessible to all readers regardless of background, very brief and easy to read yet effectively conveying a powerful idea and business tool.

Great Companies, Great Charts
Andy Dunn
iUniverse.com, Inc.
2021 Pine Lake Road, #100, Lincoln, NE 68512
0595312756 $14.95 www.iuniverse.com www.amazon.com

Andy Dunn is a successful investor, as well as a professional stock and commodies futures trader who expertly distills what he knows into the pages of Great Companies, Great Charts: Effective Stock Trading Techniques To Beat The Markets. Instructing the lay reader in how to scan for the best stocks, enter trades with buy shops, exit trades with sell shops, reduce risk with portfolio allocation, weigh the advantages and disadvantages of a short time frame vs. a long one, and much more, Great Companies, Great Charts is a first-class primer and technique guide for investors of all experience levels with the market. Dunn's no-nonsense writing style does not obscure technical matters but presents them in terms that readers of all backgrounds can readily grasp.


The Fantasy/Sci-Fi Shelf

To The Stars
L. Ron Hubbard
Galaxy Press
7051 Hollywood Boulevard, Suite 200, Hollywood, CA 90228
1592121756 $24.95 www.galaxypress.com www.tothestars.com

To The Stars is vintage science fiction adventure by the late L. Ron Hubbard. Originally published in the pages of "Astounding Science Fiction" magazine in 1950, this is the story of a galaxy rent apart by conflict, in which starships exact a horrific price from their crews in order to travel unimagineable distances. A brilliant engineer is shanghaied aboard one such ship during increasingly violent times when the link between Earth's colonies is more tenuous than ever; yet as he struggles to survive, he will discover a startling truth that forms the key to mankind's ultimate destiny among the stars. A vividly exciting work of mind-expanding science fiction, as bold and daring now as it was over fifty years ago.


The Travel Shelf

A Year Of Sundays
Edward D. Webster
VanderWyk & Burnham
PO Box 2789, Acton, MA 01720-6789
1889242217 $24.95 www.VandB.com

A Year Of Sundays: Taking The Plunge (and Our Cat) To Explore Europe is the personal travelogue account of Edward Webster who, along with Marguerite, his legally blind wife of 28 years, and his 16-year-old cat, toured France, Holland, Austria, Greece, Italy, and Spain much in a manner reminecent of the "Grand Tours" of the 19th century upper classes. Zest and passion bring to life the sights and sounds of the world, recounting a one-of-a-kind travel experience that deepened their relationship and enriched their lives. From shopkeepers so captivated by Marguerite they encourate her to touch and experience everything, to the comfortable indolence of a cat who sees every place as home, to the quiet vibrancy of medieval-style villages and much more, A Year Of Sundays is an extraordinary and captivating journey following adventures both without and within.


The Metaphysical Studies Shelf

Going Deeper
Jean-Claude Koven
Prism House Press
69115 Ramon Road, Suite 1386, Cathedral City, CA 92234
0972395458 $24.95 1-888-600-9689 www.prismhouse.com

Going Deeper: How ToMake Sense Of Your Life When Your Life Makes No Sense by entrepreneur and metaphysical free spirit Jean-Claude Koven is a transcendent work of promise and encouragement, written especially for those the author terms "Wanderers" - advanced souls who came to Earth from a distant dimension, currently incarnated on planet Earth to aid in its dimensional shift. Redefining reality with the positive message that now is the time to make a choice, whether to continue the status quo of one's existence or strive to make a bigger difference for the better in the life of oneself and others, Going Deeper is a profound metaphysical work with a transcendent message about waking up and taking control of one's positive influence, whether one truly believes oneself to be a Wanderer or simply an ordinary human soul beset with the same multitude of complex problems, challenges, and opportunities as anyone else.


The Language Studies Shelf

Comic Mnemonics
Jim Sarris
Alacan Publishing
PO Box 8623, Tarrytown, NY 10591
0974909637 $16.95 1-914-333-7705 www.comicmnemonics.com

Profusely illustrated by Jim Sarris with one hundred instances of cartoon style artwork, Comic Mnemonics: A Fun, Easy Way To Remember Spanish Verbs by Jim Sarris is a vocabulary building guide that uses simple, humorous line drawings and whimsical catch phrases to help students of Spanish memorize verbs, such as "viajar" to travel: "on Mars, they travel via jars". Conjugation and grammar reviews for each verb help reinforce memorization and understanding of these verbs, all of which are common-use words vital for anyone striving to gain a working command of the Spanish language. Highly recommended for self-study, student use, review, or just plain fun.


The Money/Finance Shelf

Successful Investing
Don Chambers, CPA, MBA, PFP
Fingerprint Press
PO Box 278075-8705, Sacramento, CA 95826
0972207139 $14.99 1-877-807-4509 www.fingerprintpress.com

Successful Investing: Using Real Estate, Stocks and Bonds by certified public account and financial investment expert Don Chambers is a highly practical instructional concerning to the world of finance and investing, intended especially for the lay reader. Chapters delineate basic need-to-know information concerning equity building, real estate, portfolio design, investment advisory services, pitfalls to watch out for when investing in collectible items, and much more. A handful of charts and graphs add visual emphasis to the solid principles of this "must-read" financial primer for anyone considering putting their money to work.

After The Mold
Gordon Smith
Cargo Publishing Company
PO Box 75162, Houston, TX 77234
0965312372 $29.95 1-888-332-6657

After The Mold: It'sYour Money Turning To Dust! by insurance claims expert Gordon Smith is an information resource for the lay reader concerning insurance, insured losses, and the claims that arise from them with regard to issues of mold in one's housing. Advice about mold claims and what to do if entangled in the situation, a broad view of the history of insurance, tips on where to stay and eat when one's home is being treated for mold, dealing with "contractors and other scoundrels" and much more fill this superb and money-saving guide for anyone concerned about household mold and the expense of removing it.

The Letter Writer
Robert Mercer-Nairne
Gritpoul, Inc.
c/o Hurley Media LLC
1477 Canyon Road, Santa Fe, NM 87501
0974814105 $22.95 1-505-982-4006 www.hurleymedia.com

The Letter Writer by Robert Mercer-Nairne is a compelling satirical spoof of those frantic get-rich-quick schemes and too-good-to-be-true financial intrigues that were to climax in the great stock market crash of 2000. In a prosperous Seattle suburb, an assemblage of ordinary and seemingly well-off individuals have the (mis)fortune to encounter a free copy of "The Rich Man's Investment Letter". They sign up for one of his Golden Cruises and entire the stock market... just before the 2001 crash! At times scathing, witty, rollicking funny or all too serious, The Letter Writer is a compelling parable of greed, overreaching, vanity, and the human struggle to understand what truly matters in life... when not diverted by material wants and needs. Although a work of fiction, The Letter Writer is strongly recommended reading for anyone taking "flyers" in stock market schemes in the hope of getting rich quick.


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Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
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Oregon, WI 53575-1129
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