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Wisconsin Bookwatch

Volume 15, Number 1 January 2020 Home | WBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Sports Shelf Education Shelf
Business Shelf Christian Studies Shelf Judaic Studies Shelf
Buddhist Studies Shelf Religion/Spirituality Shelf General Fiction Shelf
Romantic Fiction Shelf Mystery/Suspense Shelf Fantasy/SciFi Shelf
Psychology Shelf Metaphysical Studies Shelf Biography Shelf
Automotive Shelf Jobs/Careers Shelf Graphic Novel Shelf
Audiobook Shelf Music CD Shelf DVD Shelf
Political Science Shelf Cookbook Shelf Military Shelf
Health/Medicine Shelf Art Shelf Parenting Shelf
Gardening Shelf Needlecraft Shelf Self-Help Shelf


Reviewer's Choice


The Battalion Artist
Janice Blake, author
Natale Bellantoni, editor & illustrator
Hoover Institution Press
https://www.hoover.org/hooverpress
9780817922245, $39.95, HC, 120pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "The Battalion Artist: A Navy Seabee's Sketchbook of War in the South Pacific, 1943- 1945" is the result of the three years, three months, and three days of Nat Bellantoni's life spent on the Pacific front during World War II.

He had known since childhood that he wanted to be (that he in fact was) an artist. When he packed his seabag and took leave of his family and his sweetheart to go to war, he knew that the best way to manage the narrative of his life and to cope with the ups and downs of his feelings was to create images -- visual records that spoke of what he felt, as well as what he saw.

"The Battalion Artist" is a visually unique compendium filled from cover to cover with authentic World War II images (many in full color) through which we see and feel the intensity of wartime life through the eyes of a talented young artist who was also a US Navy Seabee.

Natale Bellantoni, a young art student from Boston, sailed across the Pacific in 1943-45 and returned home with a sea chest of art and photographs documenting his experiences in New Caledonia, New Guinea, the Admiralty Islands, and Okinawa. His subject matter was his daily life: endless weeks at sea, harbors and ships, men at work, airstrips, the local countryside, and the view of enemy planes overhead at night from his fox hole.

Now collected in a lavishly illustrated volume, his watercolors, sketches, and photographs offer a window onto one of the most significant moments in American history. "The Battalion Artist" explores the World War II experiences of Nat Bellantoni, as well as visually reflecting the story of an entire generation that went to war.

Critique: A unique and inherently fascinating contribution to the growing body of War War II Pacific Theatre literature, "The Battalion Artist: A Navy Seabee's Sketchbook of War in the South Pacific, 1943-1945" is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, community, college, and university library World War II American Military History collections and supplemental studies lists.

Editorial Note: Natale Bellantoni was assigned to the US Navy's 78th Construction Battalion in the South Pacific during World War II before having a successful career as an art director in Boston.

Nancy Bellantoni carefully searched her father's extensive South Pacific collection for visual materials that accurately reflect the context in which Natale Bellantoni's wartime art was created. She is a co-founder with her husband, Peter Galipault, of Movidea Inc., a design and marketing strategy firm in Boston.

Janice Blake set aside her freelance work in order to focus on The Battalion Artist at the request of her friend and former colleague Natale Bellantoni. She has edited books for the Brazelton Institute and the Harvard Business School Press. She has also taught writing at the Harvard Business School.

The Year of the Fox: A Burning Man Memoir
Steve Arntson
Regent Press
2747 Regent St., Berkeley, CA 94705
9781587904752, $28.77, PB, 448pp, www.regentpress.net

Synopsis: Steve Arntson has been writing and playing the piano around the San Francisco Bay Area for the past 30 years. His training was in music at the University of Washington after which he did some private teaching and also discovered the poetry scene in San Francisco. He is the author of a previous book "To-and-From on the Day-for-Night Coast" published by Regent Press under the name of Stephen Francis Cosgrove.

"The Year of the Fox: A Burning Man Memoir" is a book of recollections about the 2016 Burning Man Arts Festival and is comprised of poems, stories and conversations with real and imaginary beings. It's about getting there, being there and leaving there -- and about a certain fox that appeared in the nearby hills while Steve was hiking through them.

Steve's love affair with the Burning Man Arts Festival began in 1996 and continues to this day.

Critique: An inherently fascinating, entertaining, thoughtful and thought-provoking read from first page to last, "The Year of the Fox: A Burning Man Memoir" will prove to be a unique and enduringly popular addition to community and academic library American Biography collections, as well as the personal reading lists of anyone having an interest in the Burning Man Arts Festival.


The Sports Shelf

The Year the Packers Came Back
Joe Zagorski
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476674247, $35.00, PB, 259pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: The 1972 Green Bay Packers were not expected to challenge for a playoff spot, or even to top their four victories from the season before. But the players were an eclectic group of over-achievers, 20 of whom were brand new to the team. Despite disheartening decisions by a questionable head coach, they gelled almost immediately and by season's end became the only Packers team throughout the 1970s to earn a division title.

"The Year the Packers Came Back: Green Bay's 1972 Resurgence" by Joe Zagorski details how they succeeded beyond all expectations and tells one of the great stories in pro football history.

Critique: An information packed and inherently interesting read, "The Year the Packers Came Back: Green Bay's 1972 Resurgence" is a 'must' for the legions of Packer fans and certain to ben an enduringly popular addition to personal, community, and academic library collections.

Editorial Note: Former sportswriter Joe Zagorski has been a member of the Pro Football Researchers Association since the mid-1980s, and has written numerous articles for their monthly publication The Coffin Corner. He has also written articles for the internet site Pro Football Journal.

Building The Brewers
Chris Zantow
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476672632, $29.95, PB, 222pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: When the Milwaukee Braves moved to Atlanta after the 1965 season, many impassioned fans grew indifferent to baseball. Others (namely car dealer Bud Selig) decided to fight for the beloved sport. Selig formed an ownership group with the goal of winning a new franchise. They faced formidable opposition -- American League President Joe Cronin, lawyer turned baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn, and other AL team owners would not entertain the notion of another team for the city.

"Building the Brewers: Bud Selig and the Return of Major League Baseball to Milwaukee" by Wisconsin author Chris Zantow is first ever history of baseball's return to Milwaukee covers the owners, teams and ballparks behind the rise and fall of their Braves, the five-year struggle to acquire a new team, the relocation of a major league club a week prior to the 1970 season and how the Brewers created an identity and built a fan base and a contending team.

Critique: Enhanced for academia with the inclusion of a nine page Bibliography, fifteen pages of Chapter Notes, and a five page Index, "Building the Brewers: Bud Selig and the Return of Major League Baseball to Milwaukee" is a unique history and essential reading for all dedicated Brewers fans and will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to personal, community, and academic library Wisconsin Sports History collections.


The Education Shelf

Lifeline 65
Ryan T. Stein, author
Jennifer Costa Berdux, contributor
Brandylane Publishers
5 South First Street, Richmond, VA 23219
www.brandylanepublishers.com
9781947860599, $15.95, PB, 184pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: After fifteen years as an award-winning educator, Ryan Stein knows this: when you make the school experience about fostering genuine human connection, students don't just succeed -- they thrive.

"Lifeline 65: How Small Connections and Big Enthusiasm Can Change Education" is part-guidebook and part-memoir in which Ryan shares the best ideas and stories from his groundbreaking educational philosophy with anyone seeking to make a positive difference in a student's life.

"Lifeline 65" is as joyful as it is useful, packed full of wit, humor, and heart. Try even one strategy and classroom teachers will find the students more engaged, confident, and eager to excel, from elementary school to college and beyond.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, insightful, thoughtful and thought-provoking, "Lifeline 65: How Small Connections and Big Enthusiasm Can Change Education" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to school district, college, and university library Teacher Education collections and supplemental curriculum lists. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Lifeline 65" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99).

Editorial Note: Ryan T. Stein has been recognized on a national scale as an Elite Educator and as a pioneer for student engagement, innovation, and achievement. As an educational songwriter and forward thinker, he sees no barriers. His high energy and contagious enthusiasm for building intentional and authentic relationships has created lifelines for school communities throughout Virginia.


The Business Shelf

Social Media Success for Every Brand
Claire Diaz-Ortiz
HarperCollins Leadership
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
195 Broadway, New York, New York 10007
www.harpercollins.com
9781400214969, $17.99, PB, 144pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Most business owners are blindly guessing at their social media strategy, and it's costing them time and money. Based on Donald Miller's "Building a StoryBrand", Claire Diaz-Ortiz applies the seven principles of the StoryBrand Framework in "Social Media Success for Every Brand: The Five StoryBrand Pillars That Turn Posts Into Profits" to help entrepreneurs and the business community to build an effective, long-lasting social media plan for your brand.

"Social Media Success for Every Brand" teaches readers how to incorporate the StoryBrand 7-Part Framework into their social media channels to increase engagement and see better results. Readers will understand exactly what they need to do with their social media to drive growth to their organization through the practical guidance of the five-point SHARE model: STORY; HOW; AUDIENCE; REACH; EXCELLENCE.

"Social Media Success for Every Brand" does not require the reader to be familiar with Building a StoryBrand but provides enough foundation to prepare the reader for practical success with their social media content. Together with the StoryBrand Framework, Claire's SHARE model will help boost customer engagement and grow the organization's brand awareness and revenues.

Critique: Impressively 'user friendly' in tone, commentary, organization and presentation, "Social Media Success for Every Brand: The Five StoryBrand Pillars That Turn Posts Into Profits" is unreservedly recommended for corporate, community, and academic library Business Management collections and supplemental curriculum lists. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Social Media Success for Every Brand: The Five StoryBrand Pillars That Turn Posts Into Profits" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Brilliance Audio, 9781799709824, $22.99, CD).

Operations and Supply Chain Management, fifteenth edition
F. Robert Jacobs & Richard Chase
McGraw-Hill Education
c/o McGraw Hill Professional
1221 Avenue of the Americas, 45th Floor, New York, NY 10020
www.mhprofessional.com
9781259666100, $90.89, HC, 784pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: If they are to succeed in today's volatile and competitive marketplace, resourceful companies must successfully manage the entire supply flow, from the sources of the firm, through the value-added processes of the firm, and on to the customers of the firm. Now in a fully updated and expanded fifteenth edition, "Operations and Supply Chain Management" continues to provide a well-balanced coverage on the specific subject of managing people and applying sophisticated technology to operations and supply chain management.

Critique: Exceptionally well organized and presented, this new and impressively informative edition of "Operations and Supply Chain Management" is an ideal selection as a curriculum textbook and is unreservedly recommended for corporate, college, and university library Business Management collections and supplemental studies lists for students, academia, corporate executives, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject.

Miracle Minded Manager
John J. Murphy
Beyond Words Publishing
www.beyondword.com
9781582707259, $16.99, PB, 272pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Miracle Minded Manager: A Modern-Day Parable about How to Apply "A Course in Miracles" in Business" by John J. Murphy is the story of Jack MacDonald, CEO of TYPCO, who is trying to transform his company. He's hit a roadblock with unhelpful and defensive direct reports and ingrained systems of doing business that no longer serve. Unsure of how to continue, he turns to business consultant Jordan Mckay, who has helped Jack with management challenges in the past.

Jack is surprised that instead of suggesting practical business tactics, Jordan encourages him to adopt A Course in Miracles to open his mind and let go of ego. Though at first he's reluctant, Jack and his wife Judy begin to follow the Course. The results are life changing.

Yes, the Course changes his mind set about solving TYPCO's problem, but Jack finds transformations occur in all areas of life: from family relationships to his daily stress levels. And it's right there to serve him during one of the most personal trials of his life.

Readers will learn along with Jack, that miracles spread across all areas of life, if only we open ourselves up to faith.

Critique: Applying 'A Course in Miracles' concepts and principles to the area of business in a capitalist culture and society in the form of a modern day parable, "Miracle Minded Manager: A Modern-Day Parable about How to Apply "A Course in Miracles" in Business" is an extraordinary and potentially life-changing read. Exceptionally well written and presented, "Miracle Minded Manager" is especially recommended for community, corporate, and academic library Business Management collections and supplemental studies lists, as well as the personal reading lists of business students, academia, corporate executives, business managers, and non- specialist general readers with an interest in the subject.


The Christian Studies Shelf

Speaking of God
Anthony G. Siegrist
Herald Press
P.O. Box 866, Harrisonburg, VA 22803
www.heraldpress.com
9781513806075, $31.99, HC, 276pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Christian theology is nothing more (and nothing less) than speaking together about God. Still, a lot of Christians simply don't know where to start.

In "Speaking of God: An Essential Guide to Christian Thought", pastor and theologian Anthony Siegrist helps readers recover a basic language around Christian theology. The sweeping epic of Scripture serves as the scaffold for this accessible study. In vivid and even humorous writing, Siegrist introduces us to scholars and pilgrims and traditions that disclose essential truths about God and Jesus Christ, as well as concepts like creation, sin, redemption, the church, and discipleship.

By plumbing the works of theologians such as Augustine, Julian of Norwich, Antonia Gonzalez, and Kazoh Kitamori, Pastor Siegrist offers readers an introduction to Christian theology throughout the ages, emphasizing common threads of thought and practice across traditions.

Learning to talk about God requires courage and humility; "Speaking of God" is handbook of Christian theology will help the reader to gain both.

Critique: Exceptionally well written for the benefit of all members of the Christian community, "Speaking of God: An Essential Guide to Christian Thought" is both inspired and inspiring. An extraordinary and highly recommended addition to church, seminary, and academic library Christian Studies collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Speaking of God" is also available in a paperback edition (9781513806068, $18.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.49).

The Passion Code
O. S. Hawkins
Thomas Nelson Publishers
PO Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214
www.thomasnelson.com
9781400211500, $14.99, HC, 224pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "The Passion Code: 100 Days with Jesus" by O. S. Hawkins was specifically written for those members of the Christian community who long to experience the joy and peace that is only to be found in knowing and loving the Lord. "The Passion Code" leads the reader to grow closer to God and to discover that the more we know Him, the more we will want to do His will. This was what Jesus desired as well: "My food is to do the will of Him who sent me, and to finish His work" (John 4:34).

"The Passion Code" is a 100-day journey that begins at Bethlehem, where we find God with us, then to Golgotha, where we find God for us, and finally to Pentecost, where we discover that God came to take up residence in our lives, God in us.

Each reading features a Code Word that serves as a daily reminder of the devotional thought. The reader can write it down and keep it with them to think about throughout their day so that, as James says, they will become a "doer of the word and not a hearer only" (James 1:22). Each day also includes a Passion Proclamation (a Bible verse to apply to their life) as well as a prayer.

Critique: Inspired and inspiring, thoughtful and thought-provoking, potentially life changing and life enhancing, "The Passion Code: 100 Days with Jesus" is unreservedly recommended to the attention of all members of the Christian community regardless of denominational affiliations. While highly recommended for church and seminary Christian Theology collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Passion Code: 100 Days with Jesus" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Brilliance Audio, 9781799732761, $14.99, CD).

Editorial Note: O. S. Hawkins is President and Chief Executive Officer of GuideStone Financial Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. GuideStone serves more than 250,000 individual participants from churches, missionary organizations, colleges and universities, hospitals, and other nonprofit institutions with their financial and benefit service needs. GuideStone Funds is the largest Christian-based mutual fund family in the nation, with assets of over 15 billion dollars. Prior to the beginning of his tenure at GuideStone in 1997, Hawkins served as senior pastor of the historic First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas (1993-1997), and senior pastor of the First Baptist Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida (1978-1993), as well as earlier pastorates at First Baptist Church of Ada, Oklahoma (1974-1978), and First Baptist Church of Hobart, Oklahoma (1972-1974).

A Silent Patriarch
Daniel Fanous
SVS Press
575 Scarsdale Road, Yonkers, NY 10707
www.svspress.com
9780881416497, $29.95, PB, 418pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Pope Cyril VI was born Azer Youssef Atta in Damanhour, Egypt, into a Coptic Orthodox middle-class family, the son of a deacon. He resigned from a civil service position to become a monk in July 1927 (Paoni - Epip 1643). He passed his probationary period and, on 24 February 1928 (21 Meshir 1644), took his monastic vows at the Paromeos Monastery, assuming the name of Father Mina el-Baramosy (Father Mina of the Paromeos Monastery). He was also known as Father Mina the Elder. (Wikipedia)

"A Silent Patriarch: Kyrillos VI" (1902 - 1971) by the Rev. Dr Daniel Fanous (who is Dean and Lecturer in Theology & Biblical Studies at St Cyril's Coptic Orthodox Theological College in Sydney, Australia) is the first scholarly biography of this desert hermit who became a most unlikely patriarch. Until now the details of his life have remained hidden.

As patriarch, Kyrillos inherited a bleeding church, one confronted by political Islamism, an indifferent Muslim president, and the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood. Silent in the face of persecution, mockery, and criticism, Kyrillos stood at the head of a nearly impossible spiritual revolution. But by the time he reposed, everything had changed.

In this lucid biography, Professor Fanous deftly traces Kyrillos life from childhood, drawing upon hundreds of letters and sources never before seen, detailing Kyrillos unusual method of ecclesial reform, which speaks enduringly to the uncertainties of the present age.

Critique: An inherently fascinating, impressively detailed, exceptionally well written, and ultimately inspiring biography, "A Silent Patriarch" is unreservedly recommended reading for all members of the Coptic Christian faith and a unique addition to church, seminary, community, and academic library Coptic Christian History collections.

Transubstantiation: Theology, History, and Christian Unity
Brett Salkeld
Baker Academic
c/o Baker Publishing Group
6030 East Fulton, Ada, MI 49301
9781540962188, $59.99, HC, 288pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Transubstantiation is, according to the teaching of the Catholic Church, the change of substance or essence by which the bread and wine offered in the sacrifice of the sacrament of the Eucharist during the Mass, become, in reality, the body and blood of Jesus Christ. In this teaching, the notions of substance and transubstantiation are not linked with any particular theory of metaphysics. (Wikipedia)

"Transubstantiation: Theology, History, and Christian Unity" by Brett Salkeld (who is Archdiocesan Theologian for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada) is detailed and definitive study of the doctrine of transubstantiation that deftly explores eucharistic presence in the theologies of Aquinas, Luther, and Calvin, showing that Christians might have more in common on this topic than they have typically been led to believe.

Critique: Enhanced for academia with the inclusion of a fourteen page Bibliography, a six page Author Index, and a five page Subject Index, "Transubstantiation: Theology, History, and Christian Unity" is an exceptionally well written, organized and presented study. Particularly and unreservedly recommended for church, seminary, and academic library Contemporary Christian Theology collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of clergy, seminary students, and non-specialist general readers in the Christian community with an interest in the subject that "Transubstantiation: Theology, History, and Christian Unity" is also available in a paperback edition (9781540960559, $29.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $16.19).

Trains, Jesus, and Murder
Richard Beck
Fortress Press
P.O. Box 1209, Minneapolis, MN 55440-1209
http://fortresspress.com
9781506433769, $18.99, PB, 205pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Saints and sinners, all jumbled up together." That's the genius of Johnny Cash, and that's what the gospel is ultimately all about.

Johnny Cash sang about and for people on the margins. He famously played concerts in prisons, where he sang both murder ballads and gospel tunes in the same set. It's this juxtaposition between light and dark, writes Richard Beck in "Trains, Jesus, and Murder: The Gospel according to Johnny Cash", that makes Cash one of the most authentic theologians in recent memory.

In "Trains, Jesus, and Murder", Beck explores the theology of Johnny Cash by investigating a dozen of Cash's songs. In reflecting on Cash's lyrics, and the passion with which he sang them, we gain a deeper understanding of the enduring faith of the Man in Black.

Critique: Part analytical biography and part theological treatise, "Trains, Jesus, and Murder: The Gospel according to Johnny Cash" is a compelling read that is insightfully inspirational, thoughtful and thought-provoking. While unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of the legions of Johnny Cash fans and members of the Christian community that "Trains, Jesus, and Murder: The Gospel according to Johnny Cash" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Richard Beck is professor of psychology at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas, and a popular blogger and speaker. He is the author of several books, including Unclean. His published research also covers topics as diverse as the psychology of profanity and why Christian bookstore art is so bad. Beck leads a Bible study each week for inmates at a maximum security prison.

Why Did Jesus Die and What Difference Does it Make?
Michele Hershberger
Herald Press
P.O. Box 866, Harrisonburg, VA 22803
www.heraldpress.com
9781513805658, $12.99, PB, 120pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Why did Jesus die? And how does his death change us and our world? These questions stand at the center of Christian faith. But that doesn't mean they are simple or straightforward.

In "Why Did Jesus Die and What Difference Does it Make?" Michele Hershberger helps us peer deeply into the meaning of the cross by sifting through Scripture and the life of Christ; Learn about theological concepts like sin, salvation, and atonement; Find out how Christians across the centuries have thought about Jesus' death; Discover how Jesus' life, crucifixion, and resurrection change everything.

Part of The Jesus Way series from Herald Press, "Why Did Jesus Die and What Difference Does it Make?" delves into a major and core questions about God's work in the world.

Critique: As thoughtful and thought provoking as it is inspired and inspiring, "Why Did Jesus Die and What Difference Does it Make?" is unreservedly recommended to the attention of all members of the Christian community regardless of their denominational affiliations. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of seminary students, clergy, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Why Did Jesus Die and What Difference Does it Make?" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.69).

Editorial Note: Michele Hershberger is the author of God's Story, Our Story; A Christian View of Hospitality; and several other books. She serves as chair of the Bible department at Hesston College, where she teaches Bible and youth ministry classes. With a degree from Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary, Hershberger has devoted her life to serving the church as pastor, writer, speaker, and instructor. She and her husband, Del Hershberger, have three children and are members of Hesston Mennonite Church.

Active Faith
Paul W. Chilocote
Abingdon Press
PO Box 280988, Nashville, TN 37228-0988
www.abingdonpress.com
9781791001728, $13.99, PB, 112pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In the pages of "Active Faith: Resisting 4 Dangerous Ideologies with the Wesleyan Way", Christians are invited to practice the way of Jesus by engaging in four formative practices representing central themes of the Wesleyan way: humility, hospitality, healing, and holiness.

These four practices function as counterpoints to four growing dangers based on fear in the contemporary church and in society: Christian Fundamentalism; Nationalism; Dispensationalism; Antinomianism.

Each of the four practices is an antidote related to the quest for a particular virtue as well, namely, truth, joy, peace, and love in resistance to these dangerous movements.

Each of the four chapters discusses the relationship of these practices to scripture, identifying a signature biblical text or story related to each. They introduce the reader to a spiritual mentor who can help them understand and embrace the practice more fully. They describe contemporary forms of Christianity that distort or compromise our received faith tradition, directing their attention to a contemporary issue in which these distortions figure prominently and in which a progressive Wesleyan perspective offers an alternative vision of Christian authenticity. Finally, the chapters offer guidance showing how readers can engage in these practices on a very practical level.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Active Faith: Resisting 4 Dangerous Ideologies with the Wesleyan Way" is an especially recommended addition to church, seminary, college, and university library Contemporary Christian Studies collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of clergy, seminary studies, theologians, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Active Faith" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Paul W. Chilcote is a retired United Methodist elder and professor of historical theology and Wesleyan studies who has taught on three continents. An award-winning author, he has published nearly thirty books, including Praying in the Wesleyan Spirit, A Faith That Sings, and Recapturing the Wesleys' Vision. He is a Benedictine Oblate of Mount Angel Abbey in Saint Benedictine, Oregon.

Resilient Faith
Gerald L. Sittser
Brazos Press
c/o Baker Publishing Group
6030 East Fulton, Ada, MI 49301
www.brazospress.com
9781587434082, $19.99, PB, 240pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In our Western, post-Christendom society, much of Christianity's cultural power, privilege, and influence has eroded. But all is not lost, according to Professor Gerald Sittser. Although the church is concerned and sobered by this cultural shift, it is also curious and teachable.

Professor Sittser shows how the early church offers wisdom for responding creatively to the West's increasing secularization. The early Christian movement was surprisingly influential and successful in the Roman world, and so different from its two main rivals (traditional religion and Judaism) that Rome identified it as a "third way." Early Christians immersed themselves in the empire without significant accommodation to or isolation from the culture. They confessed Jesus as Lord and formed disciples accordingly, which helped the church grow in numbers and influence.

Professor Sittser explores how Christians today can learn from this third way and respond faithfully, creatively, and winsomely to a world that sees Christianity as largely obsolete. Each chapter introduces historical figures, ancient texts, practices, and institutions to explain and explore the third way of the Jesus movement, which, surprising everyone, changed the world.

Critique: An exceptionally well written, organized and presented study that is as thoroughly accessible to non-specialist general readers as it is to seminary students and academia, "Resilient Faith: How the Early Christian "Third Way" Changed the World" is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to community, seminary, college, and university library collections. Impressively informative and featuring an eighteen page Annotated Bibliography, twenty-two pages of Notes, and a three page Index, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Resilient Faith: How the Early Christian "Third Way" Changed the World" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Gerald L. Sittser (PhD, University of Chicago) is the author of Water from a Deep Well, A Grace Disguised, and The Will of God as a Way of Life. He is professor of theology at Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington, where he also serves as senior fellow and researcher in the Office of Church Engagement. He specializes in the history of Christianity, Christian spirituality, and religion in American public life. Sittser has written for numerous publications, including Christianity Today, and has spoken at numerous churches, conferences, retreats, and colleges.

Everyday Witness
Theresa Rickard, O.P.
Ave Maria Press
PO Box 428, Notre Dame, IN 46556
www.avemariapress.com
9781594719233, $12.95, PB, 128pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In "Everyday Witness: 7 Simple Habits for Sharing Your Faith", Sr. Theresa Rickard, O.P. (President of RENEW International) offers seven simple habits to help fellow Catholics more comfortably talk about and model Christian faith in our everyday lives.

Most often people come to Christ because they've admired the words and actions of believers they respect. But talking about God and witnessing by our actions can be very difficult. In this primer for evangelizing witness, Sr. Theresa Rickard, O.P., presents inspirational stories and biblical reflections along with spiritual coaching and practical advice for Catholics who want to get better at sharing what they believe and how they came to believe it.

"Everyday Witness" encourages us to adopt seven habits that will help us confidently share our faith in word and deed: choose joy; be humble; preach from the pulpit of life; pray unceasingly; listen closely; practice the art of accompaniment; engage in God-talk.

Each chapter includes Rickard's reflection on witnessing the faith in her own life, a brief survey of what the Bible says on the topic, and the story of an ordinary person who gives witness to their faith in an extraordinary way. Each chapter also offers self-reflection questions, simple ideas about how to grow the habit, and a closing prayer that gives us not only food for thought but also practical help for becoming better witnesses to our Catholic faith.

Critique: Inspired and inspiring, "Everyday Witness: 7 Simple Habits for Sharing Your Faith" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to church and seminary library collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of seminary students, clergy, and all members of the Roman Catholic community that "Everyday Witness" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Theresa Rickard, O.P., is a Dominican Sister of Blauvelt, New York, a well-known retreat leader, and the president of RENEW International. She is the author of Daily Devotions for Advent 2015, Daily Devotions for Lent 2014, and LiveLent! Rickard also contributed to Preaching the Sunday Assembly and We Preach Christ Crucified. She earned a doctorate of ministry in preaching from Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, a master of divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary in New York City, and a master of arts degree in religion and religious education at Fordham University. Prior to working at RENEW, Rickard ministered in two multicultural parishes in the South Bronx, was the director of vocation and formation ministry for her congregation, and was a member of the Archdiocese of New York's Parish Mission Team.


The Judaic Studies Shelf

The Jewish Question
Enzo Traverso, author
Bernard Gibbons, translator
Haymarket Books
PO Box 180165, Chicago, IL 60618
www.haymarketbooks.org
9781642590548, $28.00, PB, 264pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: For figures ranging from Karl Marx to the luminaries of the Frankfurt School, the 'Jewish Question' (a set of problems related to emancipation and anti-Semitism, cultural assimilation and Zionism) raised significant controversies within Marxist theory.

In "The Jewish Question: History of a Marxist Debate", Enzo Traverso (who is the Susan and Barton Winokur Professor in the Humanities at Cornell University) carefully reconstructs this intellectual debate that runs over more than a century, discussing both its generative aspects and its blind alleys.

In "The Jewish Question", Professor Traverso deftly explores the causes and the forms of the encounter that took place, from the middle of the nineteenth century to the Holocaust, between the intelligentsia of a cosmopolitan minority and the most radical ideological current of Western modernity.

Originally published in French, then translated into English, and now in a completely rewritten and updated second edition, "The Jewish Question" has already been translated into many languages including German, Spanish, Japanese, and Turkish.

Critique: A seminal work of meticulously detailed and exceptional scholarship that is enhanced for academia with the inclusion of a two page Glossary, a six page Chronology, a twenty-five page Bibliography, and a seven page Index, "The Jewish Question: History of a Marxist Debate" is as informed and informative as it is thoughtful and thought-provoking, making it an unreservedly recommended addition to both community and academic library Judaic Studies and Marxist Studies collections, as well as the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non- specialist general readers with an interest in the subject.

The Mussar Torah Commentary
Rabbi Barry H. Block, editor
CCAR Press
355 Lexington Avenue, 8th floor, New York, NY 10017
9780881233544, $22.95, PB, 402pp, www.ccarpress.org

Synopsis: Compiled and edited by Rabbi Barry H. Block "The Mussar Torah Commentary: A Spiritual Path to Living a Meaningful and Ethical Life" is a mussar-based commentary is a vital resource for Torah study, offering a thoughtful analysis of each of the 54 weeks. Each individual essay in this anthology brings a parashah into juxtaposition with one of the mussar middot (character traits as described within the Jewish school of ethics called mussar), thereby providing an applied lens of mussar teachings that helps us to delve deeper into our tradition with increased mindfulness and intention.

Critique: Enhanced for academia with the inclusion of a four page Glossary and a complete listing of the contributors and their credentials, "The Mussar Torah Commentary: A Spiritual Path to Living a Meaningful and Ethical Life" is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, synagogue, community, college, and university library Judaic Studies collections and supplemental curriculum reading lists.

Editorial Note: Rabbi Barry H. Block serves Congregation B'nai Israel in Little Rock, Arkansas. A Houston native and graduate of Amherst College, Rabbi Block was ordained by Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 1991 after studying at its Jerusalem, Los Angeles, and New York campuses, and he received his DD, honoris causa, in 2016. Block currently serves as faculty dean at URJ Henry S. Jacobs Camp, a role he held for twenty-one years at URJ Greene Family Camp. He is a past board chair of Planned Parenthood of South Texas.

Armed With Spirit
Rabbi Shalom Hammer
Gefen Publishing House
www.gefenpublishing.com
9789652299673, $17.99, PB, 265pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: There are many ordeals that observant young men and women encounter while serving in the Israeli army. Rabbi Shalom Hammer's son Yakov is an observant young man who was drafted as a combat soldier for the Nachal Brigade battalion -- of whom the majority are non-observant from the Shomer Hatzair Kibbutz movement.

While Rabbi Hammer was supportive of Yakov and his service, as a devout father he knew there were religious challenges yet to come; and so from the very first day of his service Rabbi Hammer would send him a dvar Torah message on his whats app every single day.

Rabbi Hammer chose different divrei Torah from varied sources with the intention of finding something from that week's parsha which related to his serving in the Israeli army as an observant soldier. These divrei Torah were a means of remaining connected with the Rabbi's son and although the two of them were physically apart, the Torah would keep them together.

What evolved were conversations and exchanges between the two of them that were meaningful and insightful. "Armed with Spirit: A father's advice to his son in the Israeli army based on the weekly Torah portions" will give the reader an inside glimpse of the Israeli army from a religious perspective.

Critique: A unique, thought provoking, and inherently informative compilation of religious insights, observations and commentaries, "Armed with Spirit: A father's advice to his son in the Israeli army based on the weekly Torah portions" is an unreservedly recommended addition to synagogue, community, and academic library Judaic Studies collections and supplemental studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Armed with Spirit" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $3.99).

Editorial Note: Rabbi Shalom Hammer lives in Israel 30 years with his wife Gabi, their seven children and two granddaughters. He served under the Rabbinate Division of the Israeli Defense Forces and currently serves as a senior lecturer for Mahane Meshutaf and the Jewish Identity branch of Tzahal which motivates troops in all divisions and teaches soldiers about Jewish identity and Jewish heritage. In addition Shalom is the founder of Makom Meshutaf, an organization which promotes a new Judaism based on tolerance and unity between all denominations in Israel. Makom Meshutaf offers Jewish programming for secular Kibbutzim and Moshavim throughout Israel. Rabbi Hammer is also a contributing writer for the Jerusalem Post and is a sought after lecturer for communities throughout the Diaspora. He has authored four previous books including The Family Parsha Book, The Family Rashi Book, The Eybeshitz Haggadah: Experiencing Redemption, and Derash Yehonatan.

Be, Become, Bless
Yakov Nagen
Maggid Books
c/o Koren Publishers Jerusalem
PO Box 8531, New Milford, CT 06776
www.korenpub.com
9781592645275, $19.95, PB, 350pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: The thirst for spirituality and meaning is a defining characteristic of our times. A societal shift is taking place, one that emphasizes experience, feeling, and imagination. "Be, Become, Bless: Jewish Spirituality Between East & West" by Rabbi Yakov Nagen presents a Jewish approach to transforming the way we see and live our lives.

In these pages, Rabbi Nagen uses the weekly parasha as a springboard to converse with both Eastern spirituality and Western thinking, creating a synthesis that unifies being and doing. Thought-provoking and original, this study draws on wisdom from the Bible, Talmud, Kabbala, as well as philosophy, poetry, literature, music, and film. Rich with stories and insights from the author's personal journey, "Be, Become, Bless" seeks to guide its readers to discover their own path to fulfillment.

Critique: As thoughtful and thought-provoking as it is inspired inspiring, "Be, Become, Bless: Jewish Spirituality Between East & West" is an extraordinarily engaging, exceptionally informative, impressively organized and presented study that is unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists, as well as community and academic library Contemporary Judaic Studies collections.


The Buddhist Studies Shelf

Modern Tantric Buddhism
Lama Justin von Bujdoss
North Atlantic Books
2526 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Berkeley, CA 94704-2607
www.northatlanticbooks.com
9781623173951, $19.95, PB, 336pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Tantric Buddhism refers to the Buddhist traditions of Tantra and "Secret Mantra", which developed in medieval India and spread to Tibet, Bhutan, and East Asia. In Tibet, Buddhist Tantra is termed Vajrayana, while in China it is generally known as Tangmi. (Wikipedia)

Today, a new generation of Buddhists searches for ways to adopt Vajrayana while staying true to its historical legacy. "Modern Tantric Buddhism: Embodiment and Authenticity in Dharma Practice" unpacks the principles and applications of this esoteric practice in an accessible and meaningful manner, connecting its roots to a socially engaged, modern-day dharma.

Taking a traditional Tibetan pedagogical approach, Lama Justin von Bujdoss divides "Modern Tantric Buddhism" into three thematic sections: Body, as it applies to physicality and embodiment; Speech, or ethical action; and Mind, the context of awakening.

Von Bujdoss challenges assumptions about what it means to be a socially engaged Buddhist, and presents Tantra as an ideal vehicle for critically examining today's most pressing social issues while confronting the structural inequities of patriarchy, sexism, colonialism, and racism within Buddhist institutions.

Critique: A definitive and comprehensive study that is as impressively informative as it is exceptionally well organized and presented, "Modern Tantric Buddhism: Embodiment and Authenticity in Dharma Practice" is especially and unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Buddhist Studies collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Modern Tantric Buddhism" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).

Editorial Note: Justin von Bujdoss is an American Buddhist teacher and chaplain. He was ordained as a repa in the Karma Kamstang tradition of Tibetan Buddhism by His Eminence Goshir Gyaltsab Rinpoche in 2011 and given the name Repa Dorje Odzer. Justin is passionate about the preservation of the Tantric Buddhist tradition in a way that meets the needs of, and simultaneously challenges, the modern western way of life. From 2012 until 2017 Justin served as the resident-lama and executive director of New York Tsurphu Goshir Dharma Center and is presently the first dedicated Staff Chaplain for the New York City Department of Correction. In March 2018 Justin was appointed Executive Director of the Division of Chaplaincy and Staff Wellness for New York City Department of Correction and leads all wellness initiatives for the agency.


The Religion/Spirituality Shelf

Spiritual Rebel
Sarah Bowen
Monkfish Book Publishing Company
www.monkfishpublishing.com
9781948626170, $29.99, HC, 236pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Bringing together insights from a wide range of traditions ranging from Taoism, to Jediism, to Yoga, to Science, to Christianity and more, "Spiritual Rebel: A Positively Addictive Guide to Finding Deeper Perspective and Higher Purpose" by Sarah Bowen encourages readers to explore their own personal spiritual style and life purpose.

Mining the world's philosophical, scientific, and wisdom traditions, "Spiritual Rebel" offers a three-week program of unconventional spiritual practices. Each day readers choose from a variety of creative activities to try out including forest bathing, meditation with animals, visio divina, kirtan, sacred reading, and visiting spiritually charged locations, just to name a few.

Throughout "Spiritual Rebel", Sarah divulges juicy tidbits from her own spiritually rebellious journey. A preacher's kid originally inspired by the Force of Star Wars, she confesses her challenges with her birth religion, descent into addiction, and recovery into a life where everything can be sacred.

Combining pop culture with ancient wisdom, "Spiritual Rebel" draws on the interfaith wisdom of Wayne Teasdale, Brother David Steindl-Rast, Dr. Andrew Newberg, A.H. Almas, David Spangler, Abraham Joshua Heschel, Neil deGrasse Tyson, John Muir, Dr. Qing Li, Sarah Wilson, Leonard Felder, Deepak Chopra, Ram Dass, Diane Berke, Thich Nhat Hanh, Madeleine L'Engle, Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, Krishna Das, Phyllis Curott, Belden C. Lane, Albert Einstein, and many others.

An indispensable guide for seekers, those in spiritual communities, agnostics, atheists, mystics, and the spiritual-but-not-religious, "Spiritual Rebel" is for anyone who desires meaningful experiences without having to commit exclusively to one path or fear they might be "doing it wrong." The diverse collection of interspiritual practices and resources will inspire the Force within you, by whatever name you call it.

Critique: Informed and informative, thoughtful and thought-provoking, exceptionally insightful and ultimately inspiring, "Spiritual Rebel" is especially and unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Contemporary Spirituality collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Spiritual Rebel" is also available in a paperback edition (978-1948626040, $16.95) and in digital book format (Kindle, $8.49).

Editorial Note: Sarah Bowen is a multifaith spiritual educator and speaker, and an aspiring Jedi. As a member of One Spirit Interfaith Seminary's faculty, Spiritual Directors International, and several recovery communities, she seeks to help others connect with the higher power of their own understanding. Passionate about the world's great faith traditions, Sarah is a graduate of One Spirit and has studied at Chicago Theological Seminary, Emerson Theological Institute, Chopra Center, and Omega Institute. She is especially interested in the intersection of animal welfare and spiritual values and a fierce advocate for all creatures, and she currently serves as an animal chaplain.


The General Fiction Shelf

Someone We Know
Shari Lapena
Pamela Dorman Books / Viking Books
c/o Penguin Group USA
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
www.penguin.com
9780525557654, $27.00, HC, 304pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In a quiet, leafy suburb in upstate New York, a teenager has been sneaking into houses (and into the owners' computers as well) learning their secrets, and maybe sharing some of them, too. Who is he, and what might he have uncovered?

After two anonymous letters are received, whispers start to circulate, and suspicion mounts. And when a woman down the street is found murdered, the tension reaches the breaking point. Who killed her? Who knows more than they're telling? And how far will all these very nice people go to protect their own secrets?

In this neighborhood, it's not just the husbands and wives who play games. Here, everyone in the family has something to hide -- an you never really know what people are capable of!

Critique: An impressively well crafted thriller of a suspense novel by an author with a distinctive flair for originality and a narrative storytelling style that holds her readers enthralled from cover to cover, "Someone We Know" by Shari Lapena is unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of all dedicated mystery buffs that "Someone We Know" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99), and a large print edition (Random House Large Print, 9780593152232, $29.00, PB, 400pp).

Toward the Light
Bonnar Spring
Oceanview Publishing
1620 Main Street, Suite 11, Sarasota, FL 34236
www.oceanviewpub.com
9781608093762, $26.95, HC, 304pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Luz Concepcion returns to Guatemala to murder Martin Benavides, the man who destroyed her family. Benavides, who rose from insurgent fighter to president, controls a major drug network.

Richard Clement became Luz's resettlement officer when she was evacuated to the U.S. He now works for the CIA, which has its own reasons for eliminating Benavides. Richard's team persuades Luz to pursue a job as nanny to Benavides' grandson, Cesar, a lonely child with an absentee playboy father.

The Guatemala contact for her mission is Evan McManus, an expat painter who pursues Luz, hoping to persuade her to model for him -- and more. Luz initially spurns his advances, but her first terrifying encounter with Martin Benavides propels her into his arms.

Complicating matters, Luz conceals from all sides her clandestine contact with her surviving cousin, Antonio Torres, a guerrilla leader fighting the government propped up by the Benavides and their drug money.

Critique: An inherently riveting suspense thriller of an action novel, "Toward the Light" showcases an impressive author with a fully developed narrative storytelling style that keeps the reader totally engaged from first page to last. Offering the kind of story that makes for block buster movies, "Toward the Light" is unreservedly recommended, especially for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Toward the Light" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.29).

Tidal Flats
Cynthia Newberry Martin
Bonhomie Press
c/o Yellow Pear Press
57 Post Street, Suite 913, San Francisco, CA 94014
www.yellowpearpress.com
9781732676824, $26.95, HC, 364pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Mary Cassatt Miller falls for famous photojournalist Ethan Graham. But it's complicated. For months at a time, Ethan's work takes him to Afghanistan, and Cass, who's passionate about her job in Atlanta, wants a husband who comes home at night. Then, there's the issue of family -- he wants one; she doesn't.

What they do want is a life together, so Ethan agrees that after three years, he will stop traveling - - whether Cass agrees to children or not. But for Cass, who grew up with a mother who didn't want her and a father who was never home, even thinking about children is troubling.

Now, nine weeks before their third anniversary, Cass wonders whether Ethan will try to squeeze in one final trip to Afghanistan. When he does, she's unsure if he will ever give up the work he loves. And if he won't, well, she will not repeat the life her parents had.

As the clock counts down, it doesn't help that Singer, the artist-bartender, is always in Atlanta, and the enthralling Setara, the subject of Ethan's most famous photograph, is also his business partner. Then, a new danger in Afghanistan changes everything.

Critique: "Tidal Flats" is the inherently compelling, deftly crafted, and remarkably original story of a marriage that is all the more impressive when considering that it is author Cynthia Newberry Martin's debut as a novelist. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Tidal Flats" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.89).

The Country Guesthouse
Robyn Carr
Mira Books
195 Broadway, 24th Floor, New York, NY 10007
www.mirabooks.com
9780778309055, $26.99, HC, 336pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Hannah Russell's carefully crafted plans for her life have been upended without warning. When her best friend died suddenly, Hannah became guardian to a five-year-old named Noah. With no experience at motherhood, she's terrified she's not up to the challenge. She and Noah need time to get to know each other, so she decides to rent a country house with stunning views on a lake in rural Colorado.

When they arrive at the house, they are greeted by the owner, a handsome man who promises to stay out of their way. But his clumsy Great Dane, Romeo, has other ideas and Noah immediately bonds with the lovable dog. As Hannah learns to become a mother, Owen Abrams, who is recovering from his own grief, can't help but be drawn out of his solitude by his guests.

But life throws more challenges at this unlikely trio and they are tested in ways they never thought possible. All three will discover their strengths and, despite their differences, they will fight to become a family. And the people of Sullivan's Crossing will rally around them to offer all of the support they need.

Critique: Another deftly crafted, heartwarming, and thoroughly entertaining novel from the talented novelist Robyn Carr, "The Country Guesthouse" is a very special and original addition to her 'Sullivan's Crossing' series. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community library collections, it should be noted for the legions of Robyn Carr fans that "The Country Guesthouse" is also available in a paperback edition (Mills & Boon, 9781848458048, $11.96), in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Recorded Books, 9781980066286, $29.99).

Bodies on the Line: Short Fiction
Peter Stine
Regent Press
2747 Regent St., Berkeley, CA 94705
www.regentpress.net
9781587905193, $15.95, PB, 190pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In "Bodies on the Line: Short Fiction", Peter Stine (founder and editor of the literary magazine Witness), presents a debut collection of his stories that defy categorization. Here is a great weird scope. The most realistic story can twist and turn until suddenly you're in the land of dreams, questioning everything. Collectively, Stine's short stories are studies in violence and self-deception, unspeakable griefs and hypocrisy, sports and war, injustice, kindness. The body in these stories is often under siege ("on the line") either physically or psychologically. Wildly imaginative, the stories are often funny and absurd, always stripped clean of artifice, and possessed by the same eyes-wide-open-to-the-world consciousness that gave rise to one of the arguably best literary magazines in the country.

Critique: An inherently engaging, deftly crafted anthology of memorable short stories, "Bodies on the Line: Short Fiction" is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to community, college, and university library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Bodies on the Line: Short Fiction" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.95).

Trouthe, Lies, and Basketball
Charley Rosen
Seven Stories Press
140 Watts Street, New York, NY 10013
www.sevenstories.com
9781609809416, $18.95, PB, 240pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Elliot Hersch is given a basketball on his tenth birthday and cuts a deal with his disapproving father: if he makes straight As, he is allowed to play. Modeling his game on the basketball heroes of his time--Clyde Frazier, Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, and especially Larry Bird--Elliot becomes one of the finest high school basketball players in New York.

Trying to steer clear of the corruption and sleaze in the big college programs, Elliott signs with the seemingly clean-cut University of Southern Arizona (USA), partly to fulfill his promise to his father, whose one piece of advice about life is: Tell the truth, always. A quote from Chaucer, his father's favorite writer, guides both father and son "Trouthe is the hyest thing that man may kepe."

What he finds at the USA and then the NBA is a far cry from untarnished "trouthe." Elliott is challenged at every turn, tangling at the end of the day with what is most true: the game. Can Elliott truly play basketball? And if not, what is left of his life?

"Trouthe, Lies, and Basketball" is an epic comic tale that is uniquely structured like a gripping basketball game, completely with literary "time-outs" -- of a basketball player coming to terms with the world as it is, his talents as they are. Rosen's characters, even the mostly unseemly, are all heart, and by the end they leave those hearts on the hardwood.

Critique: A unique and impressively entertaining novel by an author with a very special grasp of how to utilize narrative storytelling to maintain the reader's rapt attention and engagement from beginning to end, "Trouthe, Lies, and Basketball" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to school and community library Contemporary General Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Trouthe, Lies, and Basketball" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).

We, The Jury
Robert Rotstein
Blackstone Publishing
31 Mistletoe Road, Ashland, OR 97520
www.BlackstoneAudio.com
9781538507728, $24.99, HC, 304pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: On the day before his twenty-first wedding anniversary, David Sullinger buried an ax in his wife's skull. Now, eight jurors must retire to the deliberation room and decide whether David committed premeditated murder -- or whether he was a battered spouse who killed his wife in self-defense.

The path to justice is fraught with surprising pitfalls and confusing turns. An experienced, fair-minded judge mistakenly tells the jury that David is guilty and fears she's losing her mind. The bailiff, once a decorated street cop but now a pariah in the sheriff's department, must fend off the sexual advances of an amoral juror. An unscrupulous tabloid reporter tries to tamper with the justice system.

Once inside the deliberation room, the jurors elect as foreperson an insecure, addled file clerk, who gets the job because no one else wants it. Despite (or perhaps because of) her delusions of grandeur, she loses control of the deliberations, allowing a juror known as the Housewife to monopolize the discussion. A buttoned-up jury consultant uses her professional experience to challenge her colleagues' preconceived notions about the evidence. An apparently sweet grandmother turns out to be anything but. A Methodist minister sits silently, concealing a shocking secret that could change everything.

As the jurors stagger toward a verdict, they must sift through contradictory testimony from the Sullinger's children, who disagree on which parent was Satan; sort out conflicting allegations of severe physical abuse, adultery, and incest; and overcome personal animosities that threaten a fair and just verdict. Ultimately, the central figures in We, the Jury must navigate the blurred boundaries between bias and objectivity, fiction and truth.

Critique: Deftly scripted and told from the perspective of more than a dozen participants in a dramatically vivid murder trial, "We, The Jury" by Robert Rotstein deftly examines how public perception can mask the ghastliest nightmares and format the process of justice into unexpected shapes. While very highly recommended, especially for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "We, The Jury" is also now available in a paperback edition (9781982546533, $15.99), in a digital book format (Kindle, $17.19), and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9781538503232, $34.95, CD).


The Romantic Fiction Shelf

Where Have All the Boys Gone?
Jenny Colgan
William Morrow & Company
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
195 Broadway New York, New York 10007
www.harpercollins.com
9780062869647, $16.99, PB, 368pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Faced with the harsh reality that there are 25,000 more women than men in London, Katie's dating prospects are at an all-time low. While she's glad it's not a man's world anymore, it wouldn't hurt if there were more eligible bachelors!

More likely to get murdered than married, according to gleeful media reports, Katie resigns herself to the fact that there's no sex in the city for her and decides to head for the hills -- or the Scottish Highlands to be exact. Despite the fact she's never been one for muddy rain boats (and Fairlish is in the middle of nowhere) the tiny town does have one major draw: men. LOTS of them!

But while Katie relishes the chance to do battle with armies of admirers, she's not excited about going head to head with her shady new boss, Harry. At least there's the local eye-candy to distract her, including gorgeous newshound Iain. But he is at loggerheads with Harry, and she can't afford to get on Harry's bad side any more than she already has.

Life in the country might not be one big roll in the hay, but now that Katie has taken the plunge, can she ever turn her back on the delights of Fairlish and return to city life?

Critique: A rollicking great read from cover to cover, "Where Have All the Boys Gone?" will prove to be a welcome and enduringly popular addition to community library collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Where Have All the Boys Gone?" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99), as well as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9781094107646, $39.99, CD).

Uncommon Woman
Laura Frantz
Fleming H. Revell Company
c/o Baker Publishing Group
6030 East Fulton, Ada, MI 49301
www.revellbooks.com
9780800737795, $29.99, HC, 368pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In the borderlands of 1770 West Virginia, unflinching and plainspoken, Tessa Swan is not your typical 18th-century woman. Born and bred on the western Virginia frontier along with her five brothers, she is a force to be reckoned with.

Quiet and courageous, Clay Tygart is not your typical 18th-century man. Raised by Lenape Indians, he returns a hero from the French and Indian War to the fort that bears his name, bringing with him Tessa's long-lost friend, Keturah, a redeemed Indian captive like himself.

Determined to avoid any romantic entanglements as fort commander, Clay remains aloof whenever he encounters the lovely Tessa. But when she is taken captive by the tribe Clay left, his hand (and heart) are forced, leading to one very private and one very public reckoning.

Critique: An inherently riveting action/adventure historical romance, "Uncommon Woman" by Laura Frantz is a simply riveting and engagingly entertaining novel from beginning to end. With an exceptional flair for historical detail combined with a singularly original narrative storytelling style, "Uncommon Woman" is unreservedly recommended for community library collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Uncommon Woman" is also available in a paperback edition (9780800734954, $15.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Stitches in Time
Suzanne Woods Fisher
Fleming H. Revell Company
c/o Baker Publishing Group
6030 East Fulton, Ada, MI 49301
www.revellbooks.com
9780800737078, $29.99, HC, 336pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: New to the area, Mollie Graber is a teacher in Stoney Ridge who takes on the challenge to help find homes for foster children in Lancaster County at the request of the new church deacon, Luke Schrock. Her effort brings hope to two young girls, but complicates her budding romance!

Critique: A pleasant and fully entertaining read from cover to cover, "Stitches in Time" by Suzanne Woods Fisher is another exquisitely crafted romance novel set in Amish country by a master of the genre and the second installment of the author's outstanding series 'The Deacon's Family". While especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Romance Fiction collections, it should be noted for the legions of Suzanne Woods Fisher fans that "Stitches in Time" is also available in a paperback edition (978-0800727529, $15.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.63).


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

Bound for Murder
Victoria Gilbert
Crooked Lane Books
2 Park Avenue, 10th floor, New York, NY 10016
www.crookedlanebooks.com
9781643852430, $26.99, HC, 311pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Taylorsford Public Library director Amy Webber's friend "Sunny" Fields is running for mayor. But nothing puts a damper on a campaign like an actual skeleton in a candidate's closet. Sunny's grandparents ran a commune back in the 1960s on their organic farm. But these former hippies face criminal charges when human remains are found in their fields -- and a forensic examination reveals that the death was neither natural nor accidental.

With Sunny's mayoral hopes fading, Amy sets her wedding plans aside, says "not yet" to the dress, and uses her research skills to clear her best friend's family. Any of the now-elderly commune members could have been the culprit. As former hippies perish one by one, Amy and her friends Richard, Aunt Lydia, and Hugh Chen pursue every lead. But if Amy can't find whoever killed these "flower children," someone may soon be placing flowers on her grave.

Critique: Another deftly crafted mystery buff's delight by a true master of the genre, "Bound for Murder" is another unreservedly recommended addition to author Victoria Gilbert's 'Blue Ridge Library Mystery' series. While "Bound for Murder" will prove to be an exceptionally popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the growing legion of Victoria Gilbert fans that "Bound for Murder" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).

The Woman in the Veil
Laura Joh Rowland
Crooked Lane Books
2 Park Avenue, 10th floor, New York, NY 10016
www.crookedlanebooks.com
9781643852416, $26.99, HC, 294pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Sarah Bain and her friends Lord Hugh Staunton and Mick O'Reilly are crime scene photographers for the Daily World newspaper. After solving a sensational murder, they're under pressure to deliver another big story. On a foggy summer night, they're called to the bank of the river Thames. The murder victim is an unidentified woman whose face has been slashed. But as Sarah takes photographs, she discovers that the woman is still alive.

The case of "Sleeping Beauty" becomes a public sensation, and three parties quickly come forward to identify her: a rich, sinister artist who claims she's his wife; a mother and her two daughters who co-own a nursing home and claim she's their stepdaughter/sister; and a precocious little girl who claims Sleeping Beauty is her mother. Which party is Sleeping Beauty's rightful kin? Is someone among them her would-be killer?

Then Sleeping Beauty awakens -- but with a severe case of amnesia! She's forgotten her name and everything else about herself. But she recognizes one of the people who've claimed her. Sarah is delighted to reunite a family and send Sleeping Beauty home -- until one of the claimants is murdered. Suddenly, Sarah, her motley crew of friends, and her fiance Detective Sergeant Barrett are on the wrong side of the law. Now they must identify the killer before they find themselves headed for the gallows.

Critique: An impressively elegant and well crafted Victorian era mystery by novelist Laura Joh Rowland, "The Woman in the Veil" is a compelling and compulsive page turner of a read from cover to cover. A very highly recommended addition to any community library Mystery/Suspense collection, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Woman in the Veil" is readily available in a digital book format as well (Kindle, $12.99).

Fatal Roots
Sheila Connolly
Crooked Lane Books
2 Park Avenue, 10th floor, New York, NY 10016
www.crookedlanebooks.com
9781643852393, $26.99, HC, 281pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: A few months earlier, Boston expat Maura Donovan was rekindled with her mother after more than twenty years of absence. Since then, Maura has been getting accustomed to Irish living, complete with an inherited house and a pub named Sullivan's. But now, her mother has returned -- and she's brought Maura's half-sister in tow.

To make matters more confusing, a handful of Cork University students are knocking on Maura's door asking about a mystical fairy fort that happens to be located on Maura's piece of land.

The lore indicates that messing with the fort can cause bad luck, and most everyone is telling Maura not to get too involved for fear of its powers, but Maura is curious about her own land, and she definitely doesn't buy into the superstition. Then one of the students disappears after a day of scoping out the fort on Maura's property.

Maura treads carefully, asking the folks around town who might have an idea, but no one wants anything to do with these forts. She has to take matters into her own hand--it's her land, after all. But when she uncovers a decades-old corpse buried in the center of the fort, nothing is for certain!

Critique: The latest County Cork mystery from the pen of Sheila Connolly, "Fatal Roots" is a superbly crafted and reader riveting novel by a master of the genre. Replete with unexpected plot twists and turns, "Fatal Roots" will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections. Another wonderfully entertaining and original story, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of all dedicated mystery buffs, as well as the growing legion of Sheila Connolly fans that "Fatal Roots" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).

Murder Ink
Lorraine Bartlett & Gayle Leeson
Berkley Prime Crime
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
www.penguin.com
9780425266014, $7.99, PB, 304pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: A tattoo parlor on Victoria Square? Some of the merchants get hot under the collar at the proposal, but could they be driven to kill to stop it? That's what the sheriff's office and Katie Bonner want to know when the building's owner is electrocuted with his own saw.

Meanwhile, tensions rise when a hot chef takes over the square's tea shop. Will Katie have three men vying for her affections, or will her rival take the tea cake?

Critique: Her sixth murder mystery in her 'Victorian Square Mystery' series, "Murder Ink" by Lorraine Bartlett (with the assistance of Gayle Leeson) is another little gem of a novel and certain to be a welcome and enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of all dedicated mystery buffs that "Murder Ink" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Tantor Audio, 9781977364258, $29.99, CD).

Galileo
Ann McMan
Bywater Books
P.O. Box 3671, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106-3671
www.bywaterbooks.com
9781612941592, $16.95, PB, 288pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Tim Donovan is a Catholic priest with a guilty conscience -- though not in the way most people would guess nowadays. And Katherine Donne is a Parisian socialite who long ago kicked her self-respect to the curb -- for good and for ill. And much closer, we have a group of men whose fortunes, graying temples and positions in life are distinguished and enviable. But their morals? Anything but.

And that's where Evan Reed comes in. Evan (short for Evangeline) is a highly principled political operative with an imperfect past, tasked with uncovering compromising material on a rotten judge up for nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court before he can be rushed through confirmation.

Evan knows it won't be simple to find damaging information against the judge because he's been vetted many times before. When Evan pulls the string after an interview with a cryptic madman, she finds herself struggling to solve a puzzle that gets more complex by the hour. And where crime, money, conscience, and greed come together, danger is sure to lurk.

As Evan pushes further into peril, her personal life sparks into flame with the increasing presence of the ravishing Julia Donne, a book publisher with a progressive bent and troubling questions about her late father. McMan's specialty of intertwining a hot romance into heart-pounding suspense just keeps getting better and better.

Critique: A sequel to her novel "Dust", this second suspense thriller of a read, "Galileo" continues to showcase author Ann McMan's genuine flair for originality and total mastery of the mystery/suspense genre. While unreservedly recommended, especially for community library collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of all dedicated mystery/thriller buffs that "Dust" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.69) as well as a complete and unabridged audio book (Brilliance Audio, 9781799770220, $29.99, CD).

Molten Mud Murder
Sara E. Johnson
Poisoned Pen Press
6962 E. First Ave., #103, Scottsdale, AZ 85251
www.poisonedpenpress.com
9781464211232, $15.99, PB, 320pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: When a body is found half-submerged in a molten mud pot in one of Rotorua's famous geothermal wonderlands, forensics expert Alexa Glock spots a way to prolong her stay in New Zealand, which she has been visiting for work. Teeth are her expertise, and the investigation needs her help, as other ways of identifying the body may have melted away!

Joining Detective Inspector Bruce Horne and his team, Alexa discovers that the murder victim, a city councilman, had trespassed on an island sacred to the Maori. The ancient punishment for such a transgression is disaster, demonic possession, or death. When she visits the island to investigate, the same outcome is promised for her. Alexa doesn't believe in ancient spirits returning to exact revenge, and when another victim turns up dead she begins to wonder whether the real threat is something (or someone) much closer to home.

Critique: A deftly crafted and exceptionally original mystery by a master of the genre, "Molten Mud Murder by Sara E. Johnson is her debut as a novelist and an exceptionally entertaining read with unexpected twists and turns that keep the reader's riveted attention from first page to last. While certain to be an enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs that "Molten Mud Murder" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99).


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

The Hanged Man
K. D. Edwards
Pyr
c/o Prometheus Books
59 John Glenn Drive, Amherst, NY 14228-2197
www.prometheusbooks.com
9781633884922, $17.00, PB, 384pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Rune Saint John, last child of the fallen Sun Throne, is backed into a fight of high court magic and political appetites in a desperate bid to protect his ward, Max, from a forced marital alliance with the Hanged Man.

Rune's resistance will take him to the island's dankest corners, including a red light district made of moored ghost ships; the residence of Lady Death; and the floor of the ruling Convocation, where a gathering of Arcana will change Rune's life forever.

Critique: Book 2 of 'The Tarot Sequence' series by fantasy author K. D. Edwards and set in a modern-day Atlantis off the coast of Massachusetts which is governed by powerful Courts based on a Tarot deck, "The Hanged Man" us a simply riveting story of the last member of a murdered House trying to protect his ward from a forced marriage to a monster while uncovering clues to his own tortured past. Impressively original, deftly crafted, and exceptionally entertaining, "The Hanged Man" is unreservedly recommended for community library Fantasy Fiction collections and is also available for the personal reading lists of dedicated fantasy fans in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Runemaker
Alex R. Haler
Inkyard Press
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
195 Broadway, New York, New York 10007
www.harpercollins.com
9781335462268, $18.99, HC, 368pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Tenn thought the spirits wanted him to find his fellow Hunter, Aidan, to win the war against the undead. But with Aidan on the brink of self-destruction and Tenn reeling from his lover's spite, their fated convergence seems far from promising. Especially because Aidan no longer appears to be fighting for the living!

With the Dark Lady whispering commands and Tom s guiding his hand, Aidan slips deeper into darkness. And while the world rallies for its final battle against the Dark Lady's minions, Tenn finds himself torn between saving the boy who's slipping away and fulfilling a prophecy he can't understand -- one that will require him to harness the most powerful magic the world has ever seen: the Sphere of Maya. And depending on who unleashes its power, that magic could either save humanity... or erase it!

Critique: The concluding volume to author Alex R. Haler's original and extraordinary fantasy series 'The Runebinder Chronicles', "Rune Maker" is another deftly crafted and riveting read from cover to cover. While unreservedly recommended for community library Fantasy Fiction collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of all dedicated fantasy buffs that "Rune Maker" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).


The Psychology Shelf

When Antidepressants Aren't Enough
Stuart J. Eisendrath, MD
New World Library
14 Pamaron Way, Novato, CA 94949
www.newworldlibrary.com
9781608685974, $18.95, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: For nearly two decades, Dr. Stuart Eisendrath has been researching and teaching the therapeutic effects of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) with people experiencing clinical depression. By helping them recognize that they can find relief by changing how they relate to their thoughts, Eisendrath has seen dramatic improvements in people's quality of life, as well as actual, measurable brain changes.

"When Antidepressants Aren't Enough: Harnessing the Power of Mindfulness to Alleviate Depression" by Dr. Stuart J. Eisendrath (Senior Clinician and Research Psychiatrist at the University of California, San Francisco, and the founding director of the UCSF Depression Center) is comprised of easily practiced breath exercises, meditations, and innovative visualizations release readers from what can often feel like the tyranny of their thoughts. Freedom of thought, feeling, and action is the life-altering result.

Critique: Exceptionally reader friendly in tone, commentary, organization and presentation, "When Antidepressants Aren't Enough: Harnessing the Power of Mindfulness to Alleviate Depression" is insightful, thoughtful, practical, effective and inspiring. While especially and unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Contemporary Health & Wellness collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "When Antidepressants Aren't Enough: Harnessing the Power of Mindfulness to Alleviate Depression" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).


The Metaphysical Studies Shelf

The Language of Tarot
Jeannie Reed
thelanguageoftarot.com
Llewellyn
www.llewellyn.com
9780738759425 $17.99 pbk / $9.99 Kindle amazon.com

Synopsis: Welcome to a world of tarot you couldn't have imagined until now a world in which you can give accurate and insightful tarot readings with little or no guesswork while also developing your psychic ability. This revolutionary guide, written by a tarot master with more than thirty years of experience, teaches a simple, proven system that makes reading cards in a spread as straightforward as reading words on a page.

The Language of Tarot presents an innovative system that treats tarot as a science. It can be taught and learned. Jeannie Reed discovered that when the same two or three cards appear together, it usually represents the same issue in any client's life. This remarkable book translates many card combinations and supplies examples to support each lesson. You can be more creative and confident with card meanings as you uncover how they relate to matters of health, money, relationships, and more. With Jeannie's guidance, it's easy to become fluent in the language of tarot.

Critique: The Language of Tarot: A Proven System for Reading the Cards is a practical-minded, accessible guide to a tarot-reading method that can be taught and learned like any other discipline. In addition to discussing the meanings of individual cards and how to interpret spreads, The Language of Tarot also covers how to work with people in need of a tarot reading - and what not to do. "...never, ever, ever make a financial decision based on what a psychic thinks is happening. Never. No matter how the psychic arrives at the information. And never be the one to give such advice unless you happen to be a psychic and a financial planner." The Language of Tarot is a "must-have" for anyone interested in learning how to read tarot cards. It should be noted for personal reading lists that The Language of Tarot is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).

Editor's Note: Jeannie Reed has been a tarot master and professional psychic for more than three decades. She designed a scientific system of tarot reading and has been teaching it for twenty years. Jeannie has written about oracles for AntiquityNow.org and she wrote a tarot advice column for the national magazine Women-in-Touch. Visit her online at thelanguageoftarot.com

The Ultimate Guide to Witchcraft
Anjou Kiernan
www.lightofanjou.com
Fair Winds Press
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
400 First Avenue North, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55401-1722
www.quartous.com
9781592339297, $26.99, PB, 192pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Today magic is not just for a select few. Everyone has the ability to connect to the power of the natural and supernatural worlds to support their intentions. Blending ancient practices with modern context, "The Ultimate Guide to Witchcraft: A Modern-Day Guide to Making Magick" is a guide by Anjoy Kiernan that gives aspiring witches a practical, easy-to-follow path through the study of natural witchcraft and ritual.

Whether the reader is looking to commune with spirits across the veil, need an amulet for protection, wish to build their magical apothecary, create a grimoire, or curate a crystal collection for vibrational work, this guide will empower and inform the craft with respect to learning how to harness the power of the moon, elements, and seasons to amplify spells and divination work.

Critique: Profusely illustrated throughout, exceptionally informative, expertly organized and accessibly presented, "The Ultimate Guide to Witchcraft: A Modern-Day Guide to Making Magick" is an ideal instructional manual and guide for personal development or spiritual enlightenment by tapping into personal magic and apply its alchemy to everyday life.

Editorial Note: Anjou Kiernan is the hedgewitch and herbal alchemist behind Light of Anjou, a witchery shop and virtual sacred space for magic and mysticism. She has been toiling in potions and occult writing since the age of 16 and has continued her journey in witchcraft on a magically-minded homestead in the rolling hills of mid-Maine. Anjou has been named as one of Refinery29's "Magical Women You Really Should Be Following on Instagram". Her writing and photography of unique altars and sacred spaces have attracted a broad audience and customer base on both Instagram (@lightofanjou) and her online witchery shop (www.lightofanjou.com).

Practical Tarot Techniques
Marcus Katz & Tali Goodwin
Llewellyn Publications
2143 Wooddale Drive, Woodbury, MN 55125
www.llewellyn.com
9780738762630, $17.99, PB, 240pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Now anyone can master the tarot card deck and develop their own unique style with "Practical Tarot Techniques: Your Essential Tool Kit for Better Readings", a fun, practical guidebook on becoming a confident and accurate tarot reader. Providing numerous spreads, exercises, and interpretation strategies, "Practical Tarot Techniques" is the key to unlocking essential skills and methods of tarot reading.

Marcus Katz (England) is a tarot teacher and co-director of the Tarosophy Tarot Association. He has studied and taught tarot for thirty-five years and has delivered more than ten thousand face-to-face readings. Marcus has coauthored several books, including Around the Tarot in 78 Days and Secrets of the Waite-Smith Tarot. Tali Goodwin (England) is a tarot researcher and co-director of the Tarosophy Tarot Association. She is responsible for the Cards of Antiquity campaign which set the ground for the return of Lenormand, Kipper, and other antique decks in the mass market. Tali is the coauthor of several books, including Around the World in 78 Days and Secrets of the Waite-Smith Tarot.

Based on over thirty years of tarot reading experience and an extensive survey of readers by Katz and Goodwin, this easy-to-follow tool has everything needed to perform insightful readings in everyday situations ranging from party games to magical applications. Whether an aspiring learner or an expert reader, "Practical Tarot Techniques" is an amazing guide that provides tarot techniques for any occasion with friends, family, or professional clients.

Critique: Thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Practical Tarot Techniques: Your Essential Tool Kit for Better Readings" is an ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library Metaphysical Studies collections in general, and Tarot Card supplemental studies lists in particular. It should be noted that "Practical Tarot Techniques" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).

The Witch's Herbal Apothecary
Marysia Miernowska
Fair Winds Press
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
400 First Avenue North, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55401-1722
www.quartous.com
9781592339099, $27.99, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Wiccans hold that Mother Earth is a living entity and holds great medicine to heal us physically and spiritually. However, in today's modern world, too many of us are separated from this source of nourishment. Using the wheel of the year as a framework, "The Witch's Herbal Apothecary: Rituals & Recipes for a Year of Earth Magick and Sacred Medicine Making" by Marysia Miernowska will enable its readers to understand the currents of nature and how to weave themselves back into this great web of life.

Using the plants, seasons, and cycles as tools, "The Witch's Herbal Apothecary" enable its readers to tap into the potent Earth Magick of life, death, renewal and rebirth. they will learn ways of growing medicine, harvesting from the wild or home garden, processing plants, and making remedies -- all in harmony with the seasons. Each season opens a portal of magick that allows the harvesting of the literal and spiritual gifts that the Earth is offering at that time.

"The Witch's Herbal Apothecary" will awaken the Witch inherent in every wild soul and guide him or her into an empowered relationship of healing and magick with the natural world.

Critique: Exceptional in organization and presentation, "The Witch's Herbal Apothecary: Rituals & Recipes for a Year of Earth Magick and Sacred Medicine Making" is an impressively informative compendium of information that is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library Metaphysical Studies collections.

Editorial Note: Marysia Miernowska teaches herbalism through the Gaia School of Healing and regenerative land practices in California. She is the master herbalist and owner of Wild Love Apothecary and was named one of the "top 15 witches on Instagram" (@marysia_miernowska). As an herbalist, witch, biodynamic gardener, and Plant Spirit Medicine Practitioner, she is rooted in the Wise Woman Tradition of Healing. Marysia teaches and speaks at conferences internationally on herbal medicine, plant shamanism, regenerative farming practices, and Earth Magick.

The Practice of Enochian Magick
Aleister Crowley
Weiser Books
c/o Red Wheel/Weiser/Conari
65 Parker Street, Suite 7, Newburyport, MA 01950
www.redwheelweiser.com
9781578636891, $18.95, PB, 272pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Enochian magick is a powerful system of ceremonial magic based on the 16th-century writings of John Dee and Edward Kelly, who claimed that their information was presented to them directly from angels. It is named after the biblical prophet Enoch and is perhaps the most powerful and elegant of all magical systems. Dee and Kelley's work has formed the basis for countless magical systems, such as the Golden Dawn, and has inspired magicians from all the generations that followed, including the famed Aleister Crowley.

This new edition of "The Practice of Enochian Magick" presents students of metaphysical studies with the Enochian selections from the Equinox, a magical journal published by Aleister Crowley. It features Crowley's distillation of the work of Dee and Kelley along with an introduction by Lon Milo DuQuette, master occultist.

Critique: Aleister Crowley (12 October 1875 - 1 December 1947) was an English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, painter, novelist, and mountaineer. He founded the religion of Thelema, identifying himself as the prophet entrusted with guiding humanity into the ’on of Horus in the early 20th century. A prolific writer, he published widely over the course of his life. This new edition of "The Practice of Enochian Magick" should be considered an essential and core addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library Metaphysical Studies collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Practice of Enochian Magick" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.99).

Moon Magic
Aurora Kane
Wellfleet Press
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
400 First Avenue North, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55401-1722
www.quartoknows.com
9781577151876, $18.99, HC, 192pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Aurora Kane is a practicing witch and herbalist with many decades (some say centuries) of experience in casting and conjuring. She lives in the Northeastern United States where she is a founding member of the Coven of the Moonbeam Ravine.

In the pages of "Moon Magic: A Handbook of Lunar Cycles, Lore, and Mystical Energies" she draws upon her years of experience and expertise to show others how they can harness the power of the magical, mystical, glorious Moon with more than 100 spells, chants, and rituals, along with Esbat celebrations for the Full Moon.

The Moon is one of our most prominent and ancient symbols. It has shaped how we understand and track time, its movement controls the tides, and its rise into the sky signals the coming of night. All of these roles have cemented our relationship with the Moon and its important place in our myths and culture. The distinct phases of the lunar cycle have associations with different states of being. These states mirror a kind of spiritual quest which, like our search for ourselves, never ends. When we observe the Moon, we see reflections of the grand pattern of life that is birth, death, and rebirth.

With this invaluable handbook, metaphysical studies students and practitioners can follow the Moon as she traverses each sign of the zodiac and discover how each astrological phase affects magic -- and how their personal Moon sign affects their magical work. The discussions include the influence of the seldom-discussed energies of the True-Blue Moon, the Black Moon, the Void of Course Moon, and the lunar eclipse.

"Moon Magic" shows how to properly conduct spells using candles and gemstones at exactly the right lunar moment to enhance the flow of power. Each Moon phase is explored individually to cover the phase's main themes along with moon rituals, intention setting, and practical ways to celebrate and manifest health, wealth, and confidence. Also included are herb and crystal lists as they relate to each moon phase and information on traditional lunar herbs, including lavender, jasmine, willow, moonwort, mug wort, pumpkin, and sandalwood.

Critique: An impressively informative and inherently fascinating read, "Moon Magic: A Handbook of Lunar Cycles, Lore, and Mystical Energies" is an exceptionally well organized and presented instructional guide and manual that is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library Metaphysical Studies collections.

Judy's Story: A Heavenly Love Story
L. R. Sumpter
Ozark Mountain Publishing, Inc.
PO Box 754, Huntsville, AR 72740
www.ozarkmt.com
9781940265667, $11.50, PB, 120pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: What happens when we pass on to heaven? Those who remain in the material world grieve and cope with the shock of their loss. But what do our departed loved ones experience? What is death like for them?

"Judy's Story: A Heavenly Love Story" by L. R. Sumpter is one woman's story narrated by her through a medium. She tells of her struggle to give up the material world and to adjust to her life in heaven. She struggles with the fear of being sent to hell that she had from the religious teaching of her childhood. She finally learns to be a joyful guide and healer for others.

Critique: Inherently fascinating, impressively informative, exceptionally well presented, "Judy's Story: A Heavenly Love Story" is an extraordinary and unique contribution to the growing body of After Life literature. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community and academic library Contemporary Metaphysical Studies collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Judy's Story: A Heavenly Love Story" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).


The Biography Shelf

Sidney Lumet: A Life
Maura Spiegel
St. Martin's Press
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
https://us.macmillan.com/smp
9781250030153, $29.99, HC, 416pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Broadly acknowledged as the ultimate New York movie director, Sidney Lumet (June 25, 1924 - April 9, 2011) began his astonishing five-decades-long directing career with the now classic 12 Angry Men, followed by such landmark films as Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, and Network. His remarkably varied output included award-winning adaptations of plays by Anton Chekhov, Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams, and Eugene O'Neill, whose Long Day's Journey into Night featured Katharine Hepburn and Ralph Richardson in their most devastating performances.

Renowned as an "actor's director," Lumet attracted an unmatched roster of stars, among them: Henry Fonda, Sophia Loren, Marlon Brando, Anna Magnani, Sean Connery, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Newman, Al Pacino, Ethan Hawke, and Philip-Seymour Hoffman, accruing eighteen Oscar nods for his actors along the way.

With the help of exclusive interviews with family, colleagues, and friends, author and biographer Maura Spiegel provides a vibrant portrait of the life and work of this extraordinary director whose influence is felt through generations, and takes us inside the Federal Theater, the Group Theatre, the Actors Studio, and the early "golden age" of television.

From his surprising personal life, with four marriages to remarkable women (all of whom opened their living rooms to Lumet's world of artists and performers like Marilyn Monroe and Michael Jackson) to the world of Yiddish theater and Broadway spectacles, "Sidney Lumet: A Life" is a biography that anyone interested in American film of the twentieth century will not want to miss.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, impressively informative, enhanced with the inclusion of a four page Filmography & Sources, a fourteen page Bibliography, and an eighteen page Index, "Sidney Lumet: A Life" is an extraordinary, inherently interesting and unreservedly recommended addition to both community and academic library 20th Century American Biography collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Sidney Lumet: A Life" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).

Rachel Maddow: A Biography
Lisa Rogak
Thomas Dunne Books
c/o St. Martin's Press
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
www.stmartins.com
9781250298249, $28.99, HC, 288pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Rachel Maddow is arguably the most popular and most watched political pundit in television today. Maddow has beaten the odds in a way that's novel in today's America: she uses her brain.

In a world of banal and opinionated soundbites, she regularly crushes Sean Hannity's ratings thanks to her deeply researched reports. And in our highly politically polarized world, Maddow amiably engages the staunchest conservatives, while never hesitating to expose their light-on-facts defenses.

As a result, she's become the top anchor for MSNBC and a beloved representative for all that progressive America holds dear. The news that Maddow was the first publicly self-acknowledged lesbian to anchor a prime-time TV news show seemed almost anticlimactic to her millions of viewers, who will be surprised and intrigued by little-known details of her life as revealed in "Rachel Maddow: A Biography by Lisa Rogak.

Growing up in a conservative California town (and viewing herself as a perennial outsider) helped spark an early interest in activism. After attending Stanford and Oxford, she opted for a minimum-wage job as a radio DJ in a tiny Massachusetts market while finishing her Ph.D. She planned to pursue a career as an activist, but 9/11 changed all that, so she returned to local radio where she could help listeners by "explaining stuff." A stint at Air America raised her national profile, which led to her groundbreaking MSNBC show where she dissects the news of the day with an approach found nowhere else on TV.

Critique: Exceptionally well researched, written, organized and presented, "Rachel Maddow: A Biography" is an impressively informative biography and unreservedly recommended for both community academic library Contemporary American Biography collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of the legions of Rachel Maddow fans that this biography is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Tantor Audio, 9781541418349, $39.99, CD).


The Automotive Shelf

Jeep Wrangler YJ 1987-1995: Performance Modifications
Don Alexander & Quinn Thomas
CarTech Inc.
838 Lake Street South, Forest Lake, MN 55025
www.cartechbooks.com
9781613254486, $32.95, PB, 144pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: More than 685,000 YJs were built from 1986 to 1995. They featured heavier wider leaf springs, track bars, and sway bars for improved handling. A massive range of parts are offered for these vehicles, which include lift kits, wheels up to 37 inches, larger brake rotors, high-performance aluminum remote reservoir shocks, stronger driveshafts and U-joints, and Dana 60 conversions.

In "Jeep Wrangler YJ 1987-1995: Performance Modifications", veteran author and automotive expert Don Alexander covers the 4.0 engine, transmissions (automatic and manual), transfer cases, axles, differentials, and driveshafts, steering boxes, brake upgrades, shocks, springs and lift kits, chassis strengthening, and interior upgrades.

Whether you want to do some simple upgrades, such as a lift and tire combination, or want to go all out with a rock crawler-style suspension and an engine swap, "Jeep Wrangler YJ 1987-1995: Performance Modifications" will guide you illustrated step-by-step through the process.

Critique: Markedly comprehensive, exceptionally well written, profusely organized, impressively organized and presented, "Jeep Wrangler YJ 1987-1995: Performance Modifications" is unreservedly recommended for personal and professional collections. It should be noted that "Jeep Wrangler YJ 1987-1995: Performance Modifications" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $31.30).


The Jobs/Careers Shelf

Cannabis Jobs
Andrew Ward
Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018
www.skyhorsepublishing.com
9781510749511, $16.99, PB, 192pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: As of 2019, eleven states and Washington, DC have legalized recreational marijuana use with another twenty-two states having legalized medical marijuana -- and those numbers will only continue to rise. Cannabis career opportunities are beginning to take off across the country and beyond. In fact, Forbes noted the legal marijuana industry is projected to create more jobs than manufacturing by 2020.

With the rise in legalization, virtually any job in the American market can be replicated in the cannabis industry. From working in a dispensary to social media, IT to HR, marketing to quality assurance, millions of future professionals are looking at cannabis as a future career path.

In "Cannabis Jobs: How to Make a Living and Have a Career in the World of Legalized Marijuana", Andrew Ward (who has been covering the growing cannabis industry for over a decade) shares the vast stretch of potential careers. In addition to job opportunities, Ward supplies career growth, salaries, and first-hand knowledge from professionals who have made a career in the field.

But as with any industry, there are pros and cons. While the market is expanding, every profession has growing pains, and Ward explains them in detail. In addition to potential jobs, Ward explores other options, such as freelancing and starting your own business. For those either looking to find a new career or preparing to join the workforce, "Cannabis Jobs" offers the most in-depth information available.

Critique: Impressively informed and informative, exceptionally well written, comprehensive and thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Cannabis Jobs: How to Make a Living and Have a Career in the World of Legalized Marijuana" is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community and academic library Contemporary Jobs/Careers instructional reference collections.


The Graphic Novel Shelf

The Regiment: The True Story of the SAS
Vincent Brugess, author
Thomas Legrain, illustrator
Cinebook Ltd.
www.cinebook.com
c/o National Book Network (dist.)
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
www.nbnbooks.com
9781849184465, $15.95, PB, 64pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: It's 1941 and almost all of Europe is under the Nazi heel. Great Britain is still holding out, but the situation worsens with every passing day. And in North Africa, gateway to the Middle East and its immense oil reserves, Rommel now threatens Egypt, keystone of British defences. In those desperate times, three men (David Stirling, Blair Mayne and 'Jock' Lewes), three unconventional officers, band together to create a small, elite unit that will become a military legend: the SAS. "The Regiment: The True Story of the SAS" is their story.

Critique: Engagingly written by Vincent Brugess and brought to life with the artwork of illustrator Thomas Legrain and colorist Elvire De Cock, "The Regiment: The True Story of the SAS" is a compelling and unreservedly recommended addition to personal and community library graphic novel collections. It should be noted that "The Regiment: The True Story of the SAS" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle/comiXology, $8.99).


The Audiobook Shelf

Die Mommie Die
Charles Busch, author
Carl Andress, director
Lewis Flinn, music and songs
L.A. Theatre Works
681 Venice Boulevard, Venice, CA 90291
www.latw.org
9781682660973, $28.95, CD, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Angela Arden wants to be free of her suffocating marriage to film producer Sol Sussman. What better way than poison! Distraught by her father's death and convinced of her mother's guilt, Edith Sussman plots to get the truth out of Angela using any means necessary. Charles Busch stars in the role he originated in this camp sendup where tongues aren't the only thing dipped in acid.

Recorded before a live audience at the UCLA James Bridges Theater in May 2019, this audio book edition of "Die Mommie Die" is directed by Carl Andress and features original music and songs by Lewis Flinn. The Producing Director is Susan Albert Loewenberg and includes as cast members: Charles Busch as Angela Arden Sussman; Mark Capri as Tony Parker; Willie Garson as Sol Sussman; Ellis Greer as Edith Sussman; Jeffery Self as Lance Sussman; and Ruth Williamson as Bootsie.

The Missing Girl and The Salt and Pepper Polka are performed by Mary Birdsong, music and lyrics by Lewis Flinn.

Critique: Providing a true and authentic 'theatre of the mind' experience, "Die Mommie Die" is unreservedly recommended and will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to personal, community and academic library audio book collections. (2 CDs, 1 hour, 34 minutes).

Children of Virtue and Vengeance
Tomi Adeyemi, author
Bahni Turpin, narrator
Macmillan Audio
175 Fifth Avenue, Suite 315, New York, NY 10010
www.macmillanaudio.com
9781250309914, $39.99, CD, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: After battling the impossible, Zelie and Amari have finally succeeded in bringing magic back to the land of Orisha. But the ritual was more powerful than they could've imagined, reigniting the powers of not only the maji, but of nobles with magic ancestry, too.

Now, Zelie struggles to unite the maji in an Orisha where the enemy is just as powerful as they are. But when the monarchy and military unite to keep control of Orisha, Zelie must fight to secure Amari's right to the throne and protect the new maji from the monarchy's wrath.

With civil war looming on the horizon, Zelie finds herself at a breaking point: she must discover a way to bring the kingdom together or watch as Orisha tears itself apart.

Critique: Expertly narrated by Bahni Turpin, this complete and unabridged audio book edition of Tomi Adeyemi's novel, "Children of Virtue and Vengeance" is the attention riveting sequel the first book in the Legacy of Orisha trilogy, "Children of Blood and Bone". Certain to be an enduringly popular addition to both personal and community library audio book collections, "Children of Virtue and Vengeance" is unreservedly recommended as a true 'theatre of the mind' experience. (11 CDs, 13 Hours, 27 Minutes).


The Music CD Shelf

Love Themes for Solo Piano
Dan Chadburn
www.danchadburn.com
Privately Published
$18.98 CD / $9.49 MP3 amazon.com

Love Themes for Solo Piano is a beautiful, original album composed by expert pianist Dan Chadburn, who has trained extensively in both classical and modern music traditions. The songs celebrate the boundless gift of love in its many forms. Some songs were traditionally composed; others created in the moment and recorded as single takes; still others were improvisations once improvisations in concert sessions, then transcribed to sheet music. Love Themes for Solo Piano is a joyful treasure that nourishes the spirit, highly recommended. The tracks are "Starlit Waltz", "Gentle Touch", "Cherished", "Stillness", "Newborn Joy", "Timeless", "Grounded", "Stars Above Sedona", "Longing", "Reminsice", "Undconditional", "Grateful", and "Shalom".

Divine Passage
Marshall Barnhouse
Privately Published
$TBA CD / $9.49 MP3 amazon.com

Divine Passage is an original solo piano album by pianist, composer, teacher, and recording artist Marshall Barnhouse. Crafted to reflect the timeless moments of one's divinely appointed passage through the world, Divine Passage resonates with emotion, from the dawning of first love to reminiscence of shining days past. A mellifluous treasure for solo piano connoisseurs, Divine Passage is highly recommended. The tracks are "Divine Passage", "The Traveler", "All Grown Up", "First Love", "A New Beginning", "All Joy", "As Time Goes By", "Remember", "Was it a Dream", "Why Worry", "By the River", "Home Again", and "What We Leave Behind".


The DVD Shelf

The Cry
Based on the novel by Helen Fitzgerald
Starring Jenna Coleman
Acorn
c/o RLJ Entertainment
www.us.RLJEntertainment.com
$34.99 amazon.com

A Sundance Now Original Series, The Cry is a British psychological thriller on DVD based on the novel of the same name Helen Fitzgerald. Complete in four episodes, The Cry follows how the sudden disappearance of a young couple's infant son leads to withering public scrutiny, which places unfathomable pressure on their relationship. Actress Jenna Coleman plays the starring role of the mother, whose tenuous connection to reality erodes from the pain of loss and condemnation. Intense and harrowing to the very end, The Cry is highly recommended. 4 episodes on 2 DVDs, 240 min., SDH subtitles.

Doc Martin series 9
Starring Martin Clunes
Acorn TV
https://acorn.tv
$39.99 DVD / Blu-ray

Available in both DVD and Blu-ray formats, Doc Martin series 9 continues the thoroughly engaging medical drama about the ill-tempered medical practitioner responsible for the health and well-being of a coastal British town. In series 9, Doc Martin's medical practice is jeapordized by official scrutiny, due to his blood phobia. Doc Martin is forced to attend refresher courses - beginning with phlebotomy. At the same time, his wife Louisa studies child psychology for her own career, and worries that their son James might be a little too much like his surly father. Her conclusion is that James needs a sibling! Additional life changes affect the lively town residents, and the medical board contemplates whether it is time for Doc Martin's time as the village GP should end, in this quirky, witty, yet ultimately heartwarming treat. Bonus materials include behind-the-scenes featurettes about the characters, filming in Cornwall, the Large family business ventures, trivia, and "Flip the Script" with Ian McNeice and Joe Absolom. While Doc Martin series 9 is not rated, it should be noted that the series does have graphic medical situations. 8 episodes on 3 DVDs or 3 Blu-ray discs, 384 min., SDH subtitles.


The Political Science Shelf

The Turn to Industry
Jack Barnes
Pathfinder Press
PO Box 162767, Atlanta, GA 30321-2767
www.pathfinderpress.com
9781604881103, $15.00, PB, 200pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: The proletariat is that class of wage-earners in an economic society whose only possession of significant material value is their labor-power (how much work they can do). A member of such a class is a proletarian. (Wikipedia)

"The Turn to Industry: Forging a Proletarian Party" by Jack Barnes (who is the National Secretary of the Socialist Workers Party) is about the working-class program, composition, and course of conduct of the only kind of party worthy of the name revolutionary in this current and imperialist epoch.

A Proletarian Part is the only kind of party that can recognize the most revolutionary fact of this epoch -- the worth of working people, and our power to change society when we organize and act against the capitalist class in all its economic, social, and political forms.

"The Turn to Industry" is specifically about building just such a party within the United States as well as in other capitalist countries around the world.

Critique: Enhanced for the reader with occasional black/white illustrations, "The Turn to Industry: Forging a Proletarian Party" is an exceptional and clarion call for political, cultural, and economic reform that is especially focused upon the United States. As informed and informative as it is thoughtful and thought-provoking, "The Turn to Industry" is unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Contemporary Political Science collections in general, and in particular, the personal reading lists of students, academia, political activists, social reformers, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject.


The Cookbook Shelf

The Little Women Cookbook
Jenne Bergstrom & Mike Osada
Ulysses Press
PO Box 3440, Berkeley CA 94703-3440
www.ulyssespress.com
9781612439433, $19.95, HC, 192pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: A classic work of literature, "Little Women" is the story of these four sisters who, with little means, find their own paths in a tale full of laughter, love, loss, and family. Now, experience fans of Louisa May Alcott's famous novel in an entirely new and delightful way -- as a cookbook!

Following the recipes showcased in "The Little Women Cookbook", anyone can now learn to make ice cream with Meg, molasses candy with Jo, baked squash with Beth, pickled limes with Amy, and so much more. For a creative twist, these delicious step-by-step recipes are adapted from vintage Civil War-era cookbooks for the modern kitchen.

"The Little Women Cookbook" is packed from cover to cover with beautiful color photographs, timeless illustrations, favorite passages, historical trivia, and additional commentary by the collaborative authors Jenne Bergstrom and Mike Osada -- who are also the founders of 36 Eggs, the literary food blog.

Critique: A joy to simply browse through and ideal for planning truly memorable meals with, "The Little Women Cookbook" is an engagingly unique and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, family, professional, and community library cookbook collections. It should be noted that "The Little Women Cookbook" is also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.49).


The Military Shelf

Loss and Redemption at St. Vith
Gregory Fontenot
University of Missouri Press
113 Heinkel Bldg., 201 S. 7th Street, Columbia, MO 65211
https://upress.missouri.edu
9780826221926, $34.95, HC, 374pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Loss and Redemption at St. Vith: The 7th Armored Division in the Battle of the Bulge" by Gregory Fontenot closes a gap in the record of the Battle of the Bulge by recounting the exploits of the 7th Armored Division in a way that no other study has. Most accounts of the Battle of the Bulge give short-shrift to the interval during which the German forward progress stopped and the American counterattack began. This narrative centers on the 7th Armored Division for the entire length of the campaign, in so doing reconsidering the story of the whole battle through the lens of a single division and accounting for the reconstitution of the Division while in combat.

Critique: Exhaustively researched, "Loss and Redemption at St. Vith: The 7th Armored Division in the Battle of the Bulge" is a detailed military history that reads with all the inherent engagement of a deftly crafted novel. Enhanced for academia with the inclusion of a listing of Formation Symbols, an informative Introduction and Epilogue, three appendices, a twenty-eight page Bibliography, and a nine page Index, "Loss and Redemption at St. Vith" is unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library World War II Military History collections and supplemental curriculum studies. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, military history buffs, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the Battle of the Bulge that "Loss and Redemption at St. Vith" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.22).

Whispers in the Tall Grass
Nick Brokhausen
Casemate Publishers
1940 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083
www.casematepublishers.com
9781612007755, $32.95, HC, 216pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Whispers in the Tall Grass" is the second volume of Nick Brokhausen's riveting memoir of his time serving in Recon Teams Habu and Crusader, CNN, part of MACV-SOG. These small recon teams, comprising Americans and indigenous Montagnards, conducted some of the most dangerous missions of the war, infiltrating areas controlled by the North Vietnamese in Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia.

Picking up where his first memoir "We Few" left off, "Whispers in the Tall Grass" opens as the war moves into a new phase. The enemy are using special formations to hunt recon teams and missions are now rarely accomplished without heavy contact. Despite the teams' careful prep, losses are mounting. More and more missions are extracted by Bright Lights until eventually classic recon missions are almost impossible, and the teams briefly trial HALO insertion. Finally, as the US prepares to withdraw, the teams undertake back-to-back missions directing air strikes and disrupting supply lines to ease the pressure on the ARVN. Broken by the pace, but desperate not to leave the Yards, Brokhausen is ordered to out-process, his request for extension denied, and is forced to leave his friends and his brothers-in-arms behind.

"Whispers in the Tall Grass" follows Habu, Crusader and other teams as they undertake missions in this new, deadlier phase of the war. The narrative veers from hair-raising to tragic and back as the teams insert into hot targets, act as Bright Light for stricken teams, and play hard in between missions to diffuse the ever-rising tension.

Brokhausen's account continues brings home the reality and the detail of operating for days within mere meters of the enemy, and movingly convey the bonds that war creates between soldiers.

Critique: Reading with all the inherent and riveting drama of a deftly crafted novel, "Whispers in the Tall Grass" is unreservedly recommended for community and academic library 20th Century American Military History and Contemporary American Biography collections in general, and Viet Name War supplemental studies lists in particular. It should be brought to the attention of all dedicated military history buffs and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Whispers in the Tall Grass" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.95).

Just Another Day in Vietnam
Keith M. Nightingale
Casemate Publishers
1940 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083
www.casematepublishers.com
9781612007854, $34.95, HC, 264pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Keith Nightingale's accomplishments in both military and civilian life largely contribute to the excellence of "Just Another Day" in Vietnam as a front line memoir of unusual depth as well as breadth.

Uniquely adopting a third-person omniscient point of view, Nightingale eschews the "I" of memoir in favor of multiple perspectives and a larger historical vision that afford equal time and weight to ally and enemy alike. Examples of the many perspectives based on real-life characters include: Hu, a VC "informant" whose false information led the Rangers straight into the jaws of a ferocious ambush; General Tanh, the COSVN commander; Major Nguyen Hiep, the 52d Ranger Commander; and Ranger POWs later returned by the North.

Nightingale moreover offers the point of view of an American advisor to elite Vietnamese troops, a vital perspective regrettably underrepresented in the literature of Vietnam, including Burns' documentary. Added to this are well-informed conjecture of enemy psychology; insight into the dedication and often misunderstood role of the elite Vietnamese Ranger forces; the intelligence acquired from debriefing captured Rangers, whose captors had told them that the entire battle had been a carefully staged attack planned by COSVN as part of a larger Total War strategy developed by the leadership of the North Vietnamese Army; and an eyewitness account by a gifted author who is a rare survivor of one of the most vicious (and heretofore forgotten) battles of the war.

Critique: An information packed and inherently riveting read from cover to cover, "Just Another Day in Vietnam" by Colonel Keith M. Nightingale (retired) will prove to be an enduringly valued and appreciated addition to the growing library of Vietnam War histories and memoirs. While especially and expressive recommended for both community and academic library 20th Century American Military History collections in general, and Vietnam War supplemental studies reading lists in particular, it should be noted that "Just Another Day in Vietnam" is also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).

Editorial Note: Colonel Keith Nightingale is a hard-core military man who wields a pen as brilliantly as any weapon, and strategically deploys a full literary arsenal. Targeting our senses with the sights, sounds, smells, textures, and even the tastes of war, his myriad of minute physical details, visual similes, and extended metaphors invariably strike home. To quote Pulitzer-Prize winner Tom Ricks, contributing editor to Foreign Policy: "If you want to know about war, Keith Nightingale is your man." Nightingale's work is further endorsed by General David Petraeus, General Volney Wagner, Susan Eisenhower, Emmy-winner Dennis Murphy, and other luminaries.


The Health/Medicine Shelf

Healing Trauma With Yoga
Beth Shaw
Blue River Press
c/o Cardinal Publishers Group
2402 North Shadeland Avenue, Suite A, Indianapolis, IN 46219
www.cardinalpub.com
9781681577777, $19.99, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Healing Trauma With Yoga: Go from Surviving to Thriving With Mind-Body Techniques" by Beth Shaw (president and founder of YogaFit Training Systems) is a thoroughly user-friendly guide to learning about trauma sensitive yoga, who needs it, and how to implement the practice. This book provides easy to understand, applicable, and valuable information for many populations so anyone can embrace the gift of yoga. As our world grows smaller through technology, we can grow more distant and alone. Tragedy seems to present itself as pervasive and overwhelming, however armed with the many tools of yoga, we discover resiliency and hope.

Trauma is an emotional response to an event like an accident, rape, or natural disaster. Trauma is a subjective experience and represents a threat to personal safety physically, emotionally, or mentally. Trauma activates our sympathetic nervous system (SNS), which is necessary and important as a survival response. Trauma becomes a problem when it is chronic or so severe in perception that the SNS is never turned back off. When the sympathetic nervous system is continually activated, it rewires the nervous system and physical changes take place in the brain and the endocrine system that make healing more challenging.

Chronic activation can turn into Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a condition that can cause serious physical and mental illness. Whether or not a trauma becomes a chronic stress seems to be related to the intensity and severity of the incident and also to past trauma exposure. This book will explore these changes and just how trauma gets stored in the body as well as offer a trauma sensitive format of YOGAFIT as a body based program for healing.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Healing Trauma With Yoga: Go from Surviving to Thriving With Mind-Body Techniques" is an ideal DIY instruction manual and guide that is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, college, and university library Health/Medicine collections in general, and Yoga supplemental studies reading lists in particular.


The Art Shelf

The Sporting Art of Eldridge Hardie
Eldridge Hardie, author & artist
Stackpole Books
5067 Ritter Road, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055-6921
www.stackpolebooks.com
9780811738392, $75.00, HC, 216pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Eldridge Hardie has made a name for himself as a highly respected sporting artist, capturing in watercolor and oil the heart-in-the-throat moments and the quieter times hunters and fishermen live for. Hardie's art helps us see, feel, understand, and hold on to those times.

"The Sporting Art of Eldridge Hardie: Paintings of Upland Hunting, Angling, and Waterfowling", is comprised of 150 paintings that are carefully and exquisitely reproduced and documents Hardie's lifework. Hardie has painted every kind of sporting scene, including Wisconsin grouse hunts, Atlantic salmon camps, southern quail plantations, angling waters in Tierra del Fuego and Scotland, waterfowling on the Santee marsh and Chesapeake Bay, fly fishing the Bahama flats, the Bighorn, Colorado, and South Platte Rivers.

Hardie has painted home rivers and close-to-home fields and destinations to dream for and in the pages of "The Sporting Art of Eldridge Hardie" he recalls these times and the paintings that capture them in descriptive text. Workbook pages of preliminary studies and notations from the artist's workbooks are reproduced side by side with the paintings. These notes give a rare look into the artist's creative process.

Critique: A beautifully produced coffee table style volume (12.4 x 1 x 10.3 inches), "The Sporting Art of Eldridge Hardie: Paintings of Upland Hunting, Angling, and Waterfowling" is inherently fascinating to simply browse through, one page at a time. Holding a very special interest for outdoor hunters and anglers, "The Sporting Art of Eldridge Hardie" will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to personal, community, and academic library Contemporary American Art collections.

Editorial Note: For six decades Eldridge Hardie has worked at what he loves doing, painting his passion for outdoor sport. His art has graced the pages of books -- his own and others, been published in the pages of the finest sporting magazines, hung in North America's galleries and private collections, and been shown in prestigious exhibitions.


The Parenting Shelf

Pilates For Parenting
Holli Kenley
Loving Healing Press
5145 Pontiac Trail, Ann Arbor, MI 48105
www.lovinghealing.com
9781615994885, $27.95, HC, 86pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Pilates For Parenting: Stretch Yourself & Strengthen Your Family" by Holli Kenley is a personalized workout regime for parents, guardians, those contemplating parenthood and anyone else who is open to assessing their parenting attitudes and adjusting their approaches as they strive to build stronger parent-child relationships.

When it comes to implementing healthy roles and tackling heavy responsibilities of being a parent, Pilates For Parenting targets five strategic areas. The goals of the Warm Up, 3 Workouts and Cool Down include: Increasing awareness regarding the importance of parenting; Strengthening the skill of being present for children: Fortifying the skill of doing what is best for children; Honing the skill of meeting children's needs; Increasing accountability as parents become purposeful in their parenting.

Critique: Unique, informatively instructive, and thoroughly 'user friendly' in tone, commentary, organization and presentation, "Pilates For Parenting: Stretch Yourself & Strengthen Your Family" will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to family and community library Parenting instructional reference collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Pilates For Parenting" is also available in a paperback edition (9781615994878, $17.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.95).


The Gardening Shelf

You Bet Your Garden Guide to Growing Great Tomatoes
Mike McGrath
Fox Chapel Publishing Company
1970 Broad Street N., East Petersburg, PA 17520
www.FoxChapelPublishing.com
9781497100756, $14.99, PB, 120pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: A complete guide to growing heirloom tomatoes, whether its in an entire backyard or just a small dedicated space, this newly updated and expanded second edition of "You Bet Your Garden Guide to Growing Great Tomatoes" by Mike McGrath is a fully illustrated instructional guide dealing with tomato varieties, germination, planting, staking and caging, food, water, maintenance, pest control and diseases, and harvesting.

With the help of "You Bet Your Garden Guide to Growing Great Tomatoes", novice gardeners will understand the benefits of growing their own tomatoes, going well beyond the obvious fact that they taste better.

Critique: An inherently fascinating and expertly presented compendium of tomato lore, expert tips, tricks and techniques (all flavored with Mike McGrath's irreverent wit), "You Bet Your Garden Guide to Growing Great Tomatoes: How to Grow Great-Tasting Tomatoes in Any Backyard, Garden, or Container" is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, and community library Gardening instructional reference collections.

Editorial Note: Mike McGrath is editor-at-large for Organic Gardening and is the former editor-in-chief. He writes a monthly column, "Mike McGrath's Tall Tales," and answers questions on the magazine's website. McGrath's You Bet Your Garden airs weekly on National Public Radio. He has made frequent guest appearances on NBC's Weekend Today and NPR's All Things Considered.

Asian Fruits and Berries
Kathleen Low
McFarland
McFarlandBooks.com
9781476675954 $29.95 amazon.com

Synopsis: From loquat to breadfruit to persimmon, Asian fruits and berries offer a dizzying selection of tastes, techniques and associated lore. This guide provides descriptions, histories, growing techniques and additional information about Asia's resplendent selection of fruits and berries, with a full color photograph accompanying each entry. Their rich history and cultural lore is presented in this practical guide to identifying, eating and growing the berries and fruits of the Asian continent.

Critique: Asian Fruits and Berries is packed cover to cover with information about how to grow an immense variety of Asian fruits and berries, along with their gardening and culinary history, and extensive references. An index rounds out this excellent, information-laden, and reader- friendly horticultural guide, enriched with a full-color photograph of virtually every featured fruit. Highly recommended!


The Needlecraft Shelf

Weekend Makes: Crocheted Toys
Emma Osmond
The GMC Group
www.gmcbooks.com
9781784945497, $22.95, PB, 144pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Weekend Makes: Crocheted Toys" by Emma Osmond presents 25 cute and colorful toys to crochet with love for young children and babies. Perfect for using up remnants of yarn and quick to make, needlecrafts be delighted with the results and so will their little ones! A variety of toys and games are included, from tactile stacking rings and an adorable giraffe to a practical stroller toy and educational number cubes - you'll want to make them all. There is even a toy basket to store all your precious makes. The essential tools and techniques section means that those new to crochet need not worry, these simple projects are achievable for all levels of ability. Additional projects include: baby rattle, elephant toy, number cubes, caterpillar, memory game, fishing game, and more!

Critique: Profusely illustrated throughout, "Weekend Makes: Crocheted Toys" is a complete course of instruction that is thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, making it an ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, and community library Needlecraft instructional reference collections.

Editorial Note: Emma Osmond was originally taught to knit and crochet by her grandmother, and this wonderful skill has become her career. It was in the haberdashery department at Liberty of London that her love of yarn was established. There she enjoyed teaching beginners' knitting and crochet classes, which gave people the opportunity to take a handmade item home with them at the end of the day. Now Emma creates beautiful patterns that are inspiring and enable others to use their newly learned skills in different ways.


The Self-Help Shelf

The Clutter Remedy
Marla Stone
https://www.i-deal-lifestyle.com
New World Library
www.newworldlibrary.com
9781608686292 $15.95 pbk / $10.99 Kindle amazon.com

Synopsis: There are many valid approaches to creating neat and tidy spaces, but these approaches tend to fail over time because they suggest that we dispose of our stuff, and most of us love our stuff! Marla Stone's fresh and friendly approach, based on her work as both a professional organizer and a former psychotherapist, goes beyond tidying up to offer the Clutter Remedy strategy that will create spaces you love and keep you perpetually organized.

Marla walks you through a process of getting to know yourself and your values and then visualizing your ideal lifestyle and optimal surroundings. From that perspective, you'll learn step by step (and room by room) how to create your ideal lifestyle and organize your space to support it.

Critique: The Clutter Remedy: A Guide to Getting Organized for Those Who Love Their Stuff lives up to its title as a user-friendly guide to de-cluttering one's home, lifestyle, and personal space. Chapters address how get family members to put things back in their proper place, reliable criteria for choosing what to keep and what to discard, how certain bad habits of thinking can obstruct one's efforts to remain organized long-term, and much more. The Clutter Remedy is ultimately an invaluable time-saver that will dramatically reduce the amount of aimless hours spent looking for that one important item amid heaps of unsorted materials. Highly recommended! It should be noted for personal reading lists that The Clutter Remedy is also available in a Kindle edition ($10.99).


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


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