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The Bookwatch
Table of Contents
Reviewer's Choice
Ghosts of the British Museum
Noah Angell
Monoray
c/o Octopus Books
https://www.octopusbooks.co.uk
9781800961340, $24.99 HC, $1.99 Kindle, 256pp
https://www.amazon.com/Ghosts-British-Museum-Colonial-Restless/dp/1800961340
American readers might initially wonder at the applicability of the British-based Ghosts of the British Museum: A True Story of Colonial Loot and Restless Objects, but its real value lies in a travelogue of spooky history that pairs supernatural overtones with history, travel, and true art crime. All these elements give the story a rich undercurrent of attraction, whether readers are coming from an art world background, are interested in true crime, or are planning actual visits to British museums. The history/folklore backdrop and blend holds vivid language, ghostly insights, and an attraction that will reach into general-interest library audiences as well as hose with specific attractions to British art history.
The Cookbook Shelf
A Recipe for Every Day of the Year
Francesca Huntingdon
Hamlyn
c/o Octopus Books
https://www.octopusbooks.co.uk
9780600638261, $24.99 HC, $11.99 Kindle, 384pp
https://www.amazon.com/Recipe-Every-Day-Year-timeless/dp/060063826X
A Recipe for Every Day of the Year: A Year of Timeless, Seasonal and Trusted Recipes is a seasonal celebration of key dates, festivities, and winning dishes which reinforce gatherings and fresh seasonal fare. Over three hundred recipes embrace easy directions, sweet and savory dishes, and international influences, represented in such fair as Asian-fused Ginger Pork Chops, Indian-jazzed Mango, Coconut & Lime Lassi, or an Indonesian Gado Gado Salad.
While some dishes will be familiar, others will be refreshingly different. What A Recipe for Every Day of the Year lacks in photographic reinforcement is more than made up in the diversity of dishes, which will appeal to cooks and libraries seeking an appealingly novel, diverse year-round recipe collection.
The Interior Design Shelf
The Romantic Minimalist
Atlanta Bartlett & Dave Coote
Mitchell Beazley
c/o Octopus Books
https://www.octopusbooks.co.uk
9781784729547, $39.99 HC, $17.99 Kindle, 224pp
https://www.amazon.com/Romantic-Minimalist-Simple-Homes-Soul/dp/178472954X
The Romantic Minimalist: Simple Homes With Soul comes from two designers who focus on adding elements of romance into their reworking and decorating approaches, applying minimalism to simplify its creation and reinforcement in a home. Full-page color photo examples back a discussion accompanied by insights on the environment, locale, and design intentions of each space. This approach gives students of interior design a wide range of discussions and examples of how minimalism and romanticism can combine in the design world. Students of design as well as arts libraries will want to include The Romantic Minimalist for its wide-ranging discussions of how different approaches to design can be applied to a broad range of abodes and atmospheric intentions.
The Photography Shelf
America the Beautiful: A Story in Photographs
National Geographic
www.natgeo.com
9781426223365, $19.99
https://www.amazon.com/America-Beautiful-Photographs-Geographic-Collectors/dp/1426223366
This gorgeous new arrival from National Geographic will appeal to a wide audience. America the Beautiful: A Story in Photographs packs in over 250 high-quality color images from National Geographic's archives, takes a cross-country visual journey, and captures America's well-known and lesser-covered attractions. Historian Jill Lepore's accompanying introduction and commentary by various citizens on all 50 states (plus six territories) beings to life the vast human and natural resources which comprise this nation.
Beyond the Selfie
Rosie Hardy
Ilex
https://www.ilexinstant.com
c/o Octopus Books
https://www.octopusbooks.co.uk
9781781579381, $26.99 PB, $13.99 Kindle, 208pp
https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Selfie-Self-Portraiture-Digital/dp/1781579385
Beyond the Selfie: The Art of Self Portraiture in the Digital Age takes a step beyond the usual photographer's general focus to narrow attention to the ever-popular selfie. Readers may not think this topic would deserve an entire book, but Rosie Hardy's many explorations of how to move beyond typical and much-used selfie approaches to incorporate the basics of neo-professional self-portraiture is invaluable. Chapters cover suitable locations, shooting lighting, aperture, and props, incorporating insights into body image in a selfie, and using the photo to tell a story. Hardy employs the first-person and her own experiences to bring technical advice to life, adding full-page color examples throughout that illustrate how to translate one's personality and interests into a powerful photo. Photographers and libraries interested in photographic art should consider Beyond the Selfie essential for taking the step beyond amateur self-portraiture into images that are far more effective and reflective.
The Travel Shelf
Here Not There: 100 Unexpected Travel Destinations
Andrew Nelson
National Geographic
www.natgeo.com
9781426222580, $30.00
https://www.amazon.com/Here-Not-There-Unexpected-Destinations/dp/1426222580
Andrew Nelson's Here Not There: 100 Unexpected Travel Destinations focuses on destinations well off the typical tourist path. These include choosing Lecce, Italy over the much busier and better known classic Florence; the unexpected theatre attractions to be experienced in Cleveland, Ohio; and the choice of Portugal's Azore islands over overly-popular Hawaii. It also surveys major attractions of other nations which typically don't receive much American attention, such as the astounding ruins in Borobudur, Indonesia and the amazing memorial to love that is Bibi Ka Maqbara in Aurangabad, India. Each attraction is profiled as an alternative to more familiar and major attractions, making it easy to choose based on desired experience and undesirable crowds. Packed with color photos, Here Not There shows that adventure travel is not over-touristed and tapped out. Choosing lesser-known destinations that contrast well with more familiar options is a snap with this book in hand, which will appeal to libraries, armchair travelers, and destination planners alike.
The Wildlife Shelf
Secrets of the Octopus
Sy Montgomery
National Geographic
www.natgeo.com
9781426223723, $30.00
https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Octopus-Sy-Montgomery/dp/1426223722
Sy Montgomery's Secrets of the Octopus comes from an animal lover who has produced a long line of prior animal books on everything from pigs to birds. Here Sy tackles the octopus, providing new science about its behavior and natural history and celebrating their variety and attraction. The incredible full-page color photos accompany equally vivid explorations of the octopus via stories and encounters that personalize their countenance and abilities. Libraries seeking an octopus book that is contemporary in its science and thoroughly appealing in its language will find Secrets of the Octopus an engaging acquisition -- especially given the increased interest in the octopus by modern audiences.
The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf
Storm Furies
Web Spencer
Baen Publishing
www.baen.com
9781982193546, $28.00 HC, $9.99 Kindle, 448pp
https://www.amazon.com/Storm-Furies-Elfhome-Wen-Spencer/dp/1982193549
Storm Furies continues the Elfhome series with yet another vivid, action-packed addition to the fray that is Tinker's world. Here the oni have invaded Pittsburgh on Elfhome, making Tinker and her friends a focal point in a war that's been in the making for centuries. Tinker is tasked with saving everybody, but as the storm furies invade and rule, it feels like she can't even save herself. Swift action, fine tension, and more challenges to Tinker's sense of self, choices, and worldview keep Storm Furies fast-paced, unpredictable, and character-driven to the point that it's hard to put down. Newcomers and prior fans of Tinker alike will find the story absolutely riveting.
To Turn the Tide
S.M. Stirling
Baen Publishing
www.baen.com
9781982193359, $28.00 HC, $9.99 Kindle, 464pp
https://www.amazon.com/Turn-Tide-S-M-Stirling/dp/1982193530
To Turn the Tide portrays the approaching end of the world from nuclear war and the efforts of one man to survive it by escaping via time machine into the past. Unfortunately, the machine's inventor didn't get to use it... the beneficiaries are a team of American grad students and a professor who find themselves in the times of the late Roman Empire. This tasks even their extensive, shared historical knowledge as they struggle to not just survive, but reconcile the history they have studied with the reality of the times, which is very unexpected. The survival challenge thus is juxtaposed with historical and psychological inquiry and tension to create a story that stands out from either apocalyptic or time travel sagas with the blended taste of something satisfyingly different. Libraries will find it essential to acquire and easy to recommend.
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Diane C. Donovan, Editor
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