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The Bookwatch
Table of Contents
Reviewer's Choice
The Little Frog's Guide to Life
Maybell Eequay
Summersdale
www.summersdale.com
9781837994731, $11.99
https://www.amazon.com/Little-Frogs-Guide-Life-Inspiration/dp/B0DSKGHGGD
The Little Frog's Guide to Life will make a fun gift book for many as it translates the internet mushroom frog's observations into a book filled with succinct pearls of wisdom. Some 40 hand-drawn frog illustrations accompany daily lessons perfect for easy digestion, encouraging and uplifting reflection, and humor that pairs nicely with admonition such as: "f you want to add a little sweetness into the world, write a letter to a stranger, wishing good things for them, and leave it on a public bench." This heartening collection is attractive and thought-provoking, all in one.
The Native American Studies Shelf
The Spirit of the Rainforest
Dr. Rosa Vasquez Espinoza
Gaia
c/o Octopus Publishing Group
https://www.octopusbooks.co.uk
9781856755566, $27.99
https://www.amazon.com/Spirit-Rainforest-Indigenous-Scientific-Reconnects/dp/1856755568
The Spirit of the Rainforest: How Indigenous Wisdom and Scientific Curiosity Reconnects Us to the Natural World comes from an author who grew up alongside the Amazon, learning about it from her native healer grandmother. Even though she pursued a career in science and gained a PhD in the US, Espinoza remained connected to her Amazon home, returning to it as a leading biologist and writer to explore its unique attributes. These Amazonian journeys are delivered with insights into ecology, healing, natural medicine, and biodiversity, contrasting Espinoza's scientific education with intimate knowledge of indigenous communities and insights. The combined perspective juxtaposes worlds not often brought together so seamlessly, and will prove an attraction for libraries interested in blends of science, new age, natural medicine, and healing.
The Cookbook Shelf
The Midlife Kitchen: Health-Boosting Recipes for Midlife and Beyond
Mimi Spencer and Sam Rice
Mitchell Beazley
c/o Octopus Publishing Group
https://www.octopusbooks.co.uk
9781840919646, $32.99
https://www.amazon.com/Midlife-Kitchen-health-boosting-recipes-midlife/dp/1840919647
Mimi Spencer and Sam Rice's The Midlife Kitchen: Health-Boosting Recipes for Midlife and Beyond is for midlife eaters just beginning to recognize that healthy eating should be a priority, especially in the perimenopause and menopause years. It features over a hundred creative recipes honed by Mimi Spencer and Sam Rice which are designed to restore and support health systems well past one's forties, blending healthy ingredients with no-fuss recipes in dishes such as Red Lentil & Smoked Mackerel Kitchri, Slow-Roasted Lamb with Sticky Figs, and Hot Tapas Almonds with Honey and Cinnamon. The dishes burst with flavor, feature unexpected combinations, and are introduced with color illustrations, health tips, and a 'why we love it' introduction that adds interest and appeal. The Midlife Kitchen is an excellent guide recommended for general-interest libraries strong in recipe collections.
Bold Beanco: Full of Beans
Amelia Christie-Miller
Kyle Books
c/o Octopus Publishing Group
https://www.octopusbooks.co.uk
9781804192979, $26.99
https://www.amazon.com/Bold-Beans-Full-Delicious-Recipes/dp/180419297X
Bold Beanco: Full of Beans packs delicious bean recipes into a collection filled with accompanying color photos for maximum attraction. While there are many, many bean cookbooks on the market already, this gathering focuses on expanding the perception and repertoire of bean cookery to new levels. Organized by types of beans and including recipes for all kinds of occasions from quick snacks to entertaining, the showcase of variety ranges from a mushroom-infused Carlin Pea Stroganoff to a One-Pan Chickpea, Roasted Grape and Carmelised Carrot with Baked Feta and a Speedy Tuna & Borlotti Bean Salad. Color photos on facing pages add attraction and interest. All that's needed is access to a variety of beans, and cooks are good to go.
Larousse French Cooking
Larousse
Hamlyn
c/o Octopus Publishing Group
https://www.octopusbooks.co.uk
9780600638582, $49.00
https://www.amazon.com/Larousse-French-Cooking-definitive-collection/dp/0600638588
Larousse French Cooking: The Definitive Collection of Classic Recipes from the French Home Kitchen gathers over a hundred recipes from all regions of France, organizes them by specialties and seasonal ingredients, and is the only French cookbook a home cook needs, if only one were to be selected for home reference. Classic, traditional French recipes are accompanied by step-by-step directions, color photos, and special features on local culinary traditions throughout country. From Cider-Braised Gammon to Chicken Fricassee or Quiche Lorraine, these are outstanding basics every aspiring French cook should know and love.
The Fashion Shelf
Vintage Icons of Fashion: From the Chanel 2.55 to the Rolex Oyster
Raul Barragan Sanz and Jean-Sebastien Moisy
Mitchell Beazley
c/o Octopus Publishing Group
https://www.octopusbooks.co.uk
9781840919653, $39.99
https://www.amazon.com/Vintage-Icons-Fashion-Chanel-Oyster/dp/1840919655
Raul Barragan Sanz and Jean-Sebastien Moisy's Vintage Icons of Fashion: From the Chanel 2.55 to the Rolex Oyster gathers under one cover some of the most collectable vintage pieces from the fashion world. It juxtaposes clothing and accessories with a probe of the the vintage fashion market, surveying big name brands, discussing their characteristics and history, and considering both manufacturing and collectibles. Full-page color photos accompany such articles as 'The Jackie by Gucci', 'The Chanel Jacket by Chanel', and 'The Bar Jacket by Dior', which details scandals, design intentions, the politics behind artistic creations and their marketing, and characteristics of different collections. Vintage Icons of Fashion is an excellent guide recommended for general-interest libraries strong in fashion history, offering information hard to find elsewhere.
The Music Shelf
Beyonce All the Songs
Benoit Clerc
Cassell
c/o Octopus Publishing Group
https://www.octopusbooks.co.uk
9781788405577, $60.00
https://www.amazon.com/Beyonc%C3%A9-All-Songs-Story-Behind/dp/1788405579
Music fans need have more than a passing interest in Beyonce in order to appreciate the weighty Beyonce All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track, which offers a deep dive into her music in a manner that will appeal to avid fans seeking a comprehensive guide. Over five hundred pages explores Beyonce, her creations and intentions, and their impact in this song-by-song survey of her career. From solo albums to visual projects and innovations, All the Songs not only profiles her finest creations, but the people around her who contributed to her inspiration. Full-page black and white and color photos pack the pages, providing added attraction and value that will thoroughly delight her fans, reinforcing her connections to soul, hip-hop, and other notable genres and musicians.
The Wine/Beer/Spirits Shelf
The Mixology Way: Classic Cocktail Recipes to Master the Art of Mixology
Lucas Tubiana
Mitchell Beazley
c/o Octopus Publishing Group
https://www.octopusbooks.co.uk
9781784729806, $39.99
https://www.amazon.com/Mixology-Way-Classic-cocktail-mixology/dp/1784729809
The Mixology Way: Classic Cocktail Recipes to Master the Art of Mixology by Lucas Tubiana blends drink mixing with coffee table embellishment as it pairs lovely color photos with some 100 cocktail recipes. It is recommended for home entertainment where lavish coffee table books are of special interest. Other mixology books focus on recipes and include small color photos of results, but this survey attracts with rich illustrations, from color photos to diagrams of mixed drink appearances. The recipes below them become the adjunct to, not the center of, attention, enhancing the finer art of drink mixing. The Mixology Way is intriguing, unique, and deserves a place in any mixology collection.
The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf
Baen Books
www.baen.com
https://www.amazon.com/Dancing-Destruction-Jason-Cordova/dp/1668072750
Jason Cordova edits Dancing With Destruction (9781668072752, $18.00), a collection of powerful military sci-fi readers who examine predators, clashes, and situations that each hold the potential to destroy everything. Such notable Baen authors as David Weber, Melissa Olthof, and others create diverse tales, from "lizard wars" and chases to girls who destroy (or remake, depending on one's perspective) worlds, raiders and bug hunts, and dangerous jungle pursuits. Fast-paced action keeps each story unpredictable and thoroughly engrossing.
https://www.amazon.com/Long-Home-Interstellar-Medic-Book-ebook/dp/B0DVJV8QDQ
Interstellar Medic: The Long Way Home by Patrick Chiles (9781668072745, $18.00) tells of galaxy-hopping emergency medic Melanie Mooney, whose fast-paced life comes with a cost: relativity distances her from everyone and everything she knows. Her goal is to return to Earth before it has totally changed, but her profession introduces a tangled scenario of possibilities and professional challenges that keeps her personal goals elusive and difficult. These wonderful stories will compliment many a sci-fi library and individual reading list.
https://www.amazon.com/Winds-Fate-Make-Darkness-Light-ebook/dp/B0DVJBZNXF
S.M. Stirling's The Winds of Fate: Make the Darkness Light (9781668072721, $30.00) combines time travel with international special interests and conflict in a story that embeds its time travel journey with thriller-style elements. Years after their initial foray into the past, Artorius and his tam find out the Chinese government has sent a team to change the past in their favor. A race against (and within) time ensues over control of what version of the future will emerge from this time tampering in a series of clashes between politics, technology, and powers that really have no business altering the past. Readers of alternate history and political sci-fi will find The Winds of Fate engrossing.
https://www.amazon.com/Presence-Malign-Deep-Man-Trilogy/dp/1668072734
Michael Mersault's The Presence Malign (9781668072738, $28.00) combines a pirate story with fantasy as an inter-world warship and its military captain face a war which will determine the future of humanity itself. Military sci-fi readers are in for a treat via fast-paced action, a wide cast of characters who emerge from both sides, and an overall struggle for power which holds its roots in perhaps-misguided loyalties and dangerous leaders. The result is thoroughly engrossing, satisfyingly complex, and rich in confrontation. Both are excellent additions for sci-fi readers seeking fast-paced action.
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Diane C. Donovan, Editor
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