Return to home
page Book Reviews, Book Lover Resources, Advice for Writers and Publishers
Home / California Bookwatch

California Bookwatch

Volume 11, Number 5 May 2016 Home | CALBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Mystery/Suspense Shelf Fiction Shelf
Education Shelf Business Shelf Needlecraft Shelf
Music Shelf Cookbook Shelf Sports Shelf
Autism Shelf Health/Medicine Shelf Audiobook Shelf
Jewelry Shelf Metaphysical Studies Shelf Science Shelf
Pets/Wildlife Shelf Crafts Shelf Photography Shelf
American History Shelf Fantasy/SciFi Shelf Political Science Shelf
Theatre/Cinema Shelf California Shelf Independent Publishers Shelf


Reviewer's Choice

Route 66 Crossings
Jim Ross
University of Oklahoma Press
2800 Venture Drive, Norman, OK 73069
www.oupress.com
9780806151991, $29.95, www.amazon.com

Route 66 Crossings: Historic Bridges of the Mother Road provides a different approach to the history of Route 66 in focusing on the bridges that crossed the rivers and railroads between Chicago and Santa Monica, and pairs lovely photos throughout with a history that joins other collections strong in American bridge structures. Until now, no book has provided this focus to Route 66, so fans of the history of one of the country's best-known routes now have another, satisfying different approach to its history. Hundreds of the author's own photos make this a unique contribution to Route 66 literature.

The Inefficiency Assassin
Helene Segura
New World Library
14 Pamaron Way, Novato, CA 94949
www.newworldlibrary.com
9781608684007, $16.95, www.amazon.com

The Inefficiency Assassin: Time Management Tactics for Working Smarter, Not Longer is for anyone who Wants to take their ordinary, often time-consuming routines and transform them by streamlining them and instigating better management routines, and offers lessons that will apply equally well to home or business environments. Author Helene Segura is a productivity coach who has successfully worked with a number of professionals, and her program accepts different learning styles and creative options for achieving success. This differs from other books on organization or time management, which require almost regimental choices with little room for right-brain thinking styles. Any tired of a chaotic life and uncontrollable environment will find The Inefficiency Assassin holds many easy options for instigating positive changes.

Remarkable Trees of the World
Thomas Pakenham
W. W. Norton & Company
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
www.wwnorton.com
9780393325294, $35.00, www.amazon.com

Remarkable Trees of the World comes from a British naturalist who has spent the last decade or more of his life exploring the world's most massive, impressive, and spectacular tree specimens, and it appears in an oversized presentation to capture just a piece of this drama over trees that are often on the brim of extinction. One might expect the collection to revolve around trees that are already famous, but one satisfying aspect to this account is that many of the trees chosen for this volume aren't prominently displayed elsewhere. Pakenham hunted down and photographed these gems in a five-year journey that took him across the U.S. and around the world to many remote regions. His descriptions wax poetic but also include historical references about particular trees and the species they represent as a whole, while full-page color photos of each notable tree are accompanied by text that explores their meaning in human and natural history. The result is a lovely synthesis of detail that is a highly recommended reference for any collection strong in botanical history in general and lovely tree images and details in particular.


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

No Cats Allowed
Miranda James
Berkley Prime Crime
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
375 Hudson Street, 4th floor, New York, NY 10014
www.penguin.com
9780425277744, $26.00, www.amazon.com

No Cats Allowed provides a 'Cat in the Stacks' mystery that both adds to a series and stands satisfyingly well on its own. Librarian Charlie Harris and his Maine Coon cat Diesel must again solve a mystery: this one revolving around a friend who is the prime suspect when an annoying library director is murdered in the library. Charlie knows his good friend wouldn't commit murder: his task is to prove this against all evidence, and he and Diesel face one of their greatest challenges when he tries to track down a stranger. Mystery readers who love cat stories will relish this lively series in general and No Cats Allowed provides a fine addition with a good investigative piece that is engrossing to the end.

Poisoned Pen Press
6962 E. First Ave., #103, Scottsdale, AZ 85251
www.poisonedpenpress.com

David P. Wagner's Murder Most Unfortunate (9781464204340, $26.95) provides a Rick Montoya Italian mystery and centers upon a sojourn in Italy which turns deadly. Rick's looking forward to examining the history of some missing paintings while sampling local cuisine and culture, but his sojourn is interrupted when one of the seminar professors is killed, drawing Rick into a murder investigation and the uncertainties of the Italian police. An excellent story steeped in Italian sentiments evolves. Donis Casey's All Men Fear Me (97814674204685, $26.95) provides an Alafair Tucker mystery set in World War I times when the first draft lottery is scheduled and pro-war and anti-conscription socialist clash. Alafair's brother visits her as her oldest sun enlists and a group of vigilantes trash the form of her son-in-law. As tensions rise, Alafair's family is torn by patriotism on both sides, but when murder enters the picture, overseas involvements may not be the culprit in this fantastic historical murder mystery, steeped in the politics and action of its times.


The Fiction Shelf

The Fall of Moscow Station
Mark Henshaw
Touchstone Books
c/o Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
www.simonandschuster.com
9781501100314, $26.00, www.amazon.com

The Fall of Moscow Station provides an especially powerful thriller from a CIA analyst who examines modern espionage and murder when a body with Russian military tattoos is found floating in a lake outside of Berlin. It's enough to attract the attention of the CIA because the body is that of the director of Russia's Foundation for Advanced Nuclear Research, also a CIA asset, and it also coincides with a CIA officer's defection. This is enough to involve a double agent, a Russian intelligence service member, and an analyst and an agent who all interact for special interests on both sides. The result is a thriller steeped in international espionage, deadly plots, and murder threats that will keep readers on edge until the end.

The Fourth Horseman
David Hagberg
Forge
c/o Tor/Forge Books
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
www.tor-forge.com
9780765334633, $25.99, www.amazon.com

The Fourth Horseman provides a Kirk McGarvey thriller as it tells of a hit man charged with killing the most dangerous, elusive terrorist in the world who is about to give two hundred Pakistani nukes to terrorist groups. The agent that's supposed to thwart the deal is an Islamic double agent also working for the terrorists, but when a nuclear bomb is detonated, every nation in the world comes to realize its major cities are targets. Can one man prevent world-wide holocaust? Tension is superbly done in a riveting thriller that's a real nail-biter.


The Education Shelf

Story: Still the Heart of Literacy Learning
Katie Egan Cunningham
Stenhouse Publishers
480 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101-3451
www.stenhouse.com
9781625310248, $21.00, www.amazon.com

Story: Still the Heart of Literacy Learning is recommended for teachers of grades K-8 and provides a key to helping students understand why stories matter and how they come alive. Chapters tell teachers how to build better literacy through understanding how stories work, offering educators many tips to the process based on her role as a teacher and literacy specialist. She provides the basics of how teachers can create classrooms filled with curious and caring learners, and shows how to use the power of the story to achieve lasting literacy results.

Classical English Rhetoric
Ward Farnsworth
David R. Godine, Publisher
Fifteen Court Square, Suite 320, Boston, MA 02108-2536
www.godine.com
9781567925524, $18.95, www.amazon.com

Farnsworth's Classical English Rhetoric studies how ancient rhetorical devices have been used by some of the best modern English writers to greatest effect, and surveys the basic principles of these old reliable devices and how they apply to modern rhetoric. College-level readers will discover it holds numerous examples from Shakespeare, Thoreau and others, and will find the science of rhetoric enhanced by a combination of applications and theory. The result is a powerful literary survey that no college-level student of rhetoric will want to miss.

"Proof", Policy, & Practice
Paul E. Lingenfelter
Stylus Publications
22883 Quicksilver Drive, Sterling, VA 20166-2012
www.styluspub.com
9781579227517, $29.95, www.amazon.com

"Proof," Policy, & Practice: Understanding the Role of Evidence in Improving Education comes from an author with thirty years background working in public policy, and considers higher education policy-making, how it's created, and how influences and interactions between research, policy and practice affect policy making and how and whether they work. Chapters analyze common problems that occur between researchers and policy makers, consider evidence-based practices, decision-making systems, and political conflicts over postsecondary education, and provide much food for thought that any continuing education professional should have.

Autism Spectrum Disorder and the Transition Into Secondary School
Marianna Murin, Josselyn Hellriegel and Will Mandy
Jessica Kingsley Publishers
400 Market Street, Suite 400, Philadelphia, PA 19106
www.jkp.com
9781785920189, $35.95, www.amazon.com

Autism Spectrum Disorder and the Transition Into Secondary School provides educators with a solid handbook for implementing secondary education strategies to help autistic students integrate into mainstream classrooms, and is packed with the latest research and strategies on a program designed to help students transition to secondary school levels. Half the book focuses on how to create a transition plan for each child and how school staff can work with parents to make this happen, while the second part offers photocopiable resources to be used with autistic students. The result is support manual that offers information and resources on different levels, recommended for parents and teachers working with students who are about to move to the next level of secondary education.

The Last Thousand
Jeffrey E. Stern
St. Martins Press
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
www.stmartins.com
9781250049933, $26.99, www.amazon.com

The Last Thousand: One School's Promise in a Nation at War is as much about social issues as it is about education, and comes from a journalist in Afghanistan who offers his observation of the lasting effects of over a decade of the American military occupation of that country. This perspective is honed by experiences at the Marefat School and the students and teachers involved with it, and reveals how this progressive, pro-women's rights school has become one of the country's most successful institutions. Marefat School educates both sexes and encourages students to think about and question their worlds in a process not normally associated with this region of the world, but by adding the wider perspective of the political and social situation and why this school is a standout, it's really a bigger picture view of what happens in countries after American occupiers leave. Any interested in either education, military or social issues will find this a compelling, vivid set of insights into one extraordinary approach to success.

Nature Preschools and Forest Kindergartens
David Sobel
Redleaf Press
10 Yorkton Court, St. Paul, MN 55117-1065
www.redleafpress.org
9781605544298, $39.95, www.amazon.com

Nature Preschools and Forest Kindergartens: The Handbook for Outdoor Learning provides a fine alternative to indoor digital classroom settings and advocates developing an outdoor program for preschool and kindergarten groups. It advocates a different, nature-based approach to learning that encourages kids to get down and dirty outdoors, blending theories about nature-based learning with discussions of nature centers, curriculum, language development, and understanding the risks and benefits afforded by nature-based play. The result is a powerful blend of research, theory and applications that will allow parents and teachers to take the next step in linking a child's natural enthusiasm for the outdoors to a play environment that makes the most of this instinct.

Colleges That Pay You Back
Robert Franek, et.al.
The Princeton Review
c/o Random House Inc.
1745 Broadway, New York NY 10019
www.PrincetonReview.com
9781101882467, $21.99, www.amazon.com

Colleges That Pay You Back: The 200 Schools That Give you the Best Bang for Your Tuition Back, 2016 Edition pinpoints the institutions that offer good educations at great prices: pursuits which lend to lucrative careers. Not to be mistaken with books that document the lowest prices, this book's focus on the greatest return for money invested offer a cross-comparison of schools that combine academic and work experiences that consistently lead to good jobs and pay scales for their graduates. These top picks were based on over forty data points detailing costs and earnings, and select 200 schools that offer the most 'bang for the buck'. No high school should be without this key reference.

Corwin
2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320-2218
www.corwinpress.com

Jennifer Abrams's Hard Conversations Unpacked: The Whos, the Whens, and the What-Ifs (9781506302904, $25.00) provides educators with an approach to conversing among each other about work issues, and provides a companion to Having Hard Conversations that further delves into how to prepare for and direct these discussions. From how to begin interactions that hold growth potential and positive results for all to understanding race, culture, and social filters and how they affect the content and approach of conversations, Hard Conversations Unpacked holds various models for scripting these hard conversations, discusses generational differences and how they affect typical discussions, and considers individual and group politics that affect the process. The result is a concrete survey that blends approaches with analysis of real-world scenarios. If Marcia L. Tate's Worksheets Don't Grow Dendrites: 20 Instructional Strategies That Engage the Brain (9781506302737, $33.95) sounds familiar, that's because it appears in its third updated edition and adds the latest neuroscientific research into its discussions of 20 instructional approaches specifically designed to engage a learner's brain. From the strategy of using music the rhythm to support various educational objectives to theoretical frameworks behind instructional approaches, this collection is packed with sidebars of information, a workbook of various instructional activities, and an approach supported throughout by the latest brain research into more effective learning. Andrew P. Johnson's 10 Essential Instructional Elements for Students with Reading Difficulties: A Brain-Friendly Approach (9781483373775, $32.95) takes learning a step further as it uses neuroscience findings to create new techniques for students who have trouble reading. Chapters discuss psychological obstacles to reading, neurological barriers, social justice implications in handling struggling readers, and a new strategy for building vocabulary and streamlining the education process. Teachers will find this a specific and important key to better understanding and reaching students who struggle. Jim Knight's Better Conversations: Coaching Ourselves and Each Other to Be More Credible, Caring, and Connected (9781506307459, $27.95) comes from an instructional coaching expert who teaches the basics of how to improve school communication, and covers a range of strategies from asking better questions and redirecting emotional and non-productive responses to connecting on a deeper level. It's highly recommended for any educator interested in better communications throughout the educational system, it gathers the expertise of self-coached communicators under one cover, and it comes packed with real-world ideas for developing better connections. The result is a highly recommended pick educators will quickly come to consider an essential tool for success.


The Business Shelf

How to Develop Your Healthcare Career
Lisa Taylor, Editor
Wiley Blackwell
350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148
www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell
9781118910832, $39.99, www.amazon.com

How to Develop Your Healthcare Career: a Guide to Employability and Professional Development will appeal to a wide audience from grad students to healthcare professionals, and teaches the basics of how to develop a professional healthcare career. Some of the basics of career planning are integrated into specifics about the health care industry, with chapters covering continuing professional development avenues, service delivery and improvement, leadership and basic business skills, and more. Newcomers to the health care industry, in particular, will find this a key introduction to the stages of health career development and how best to navigate them for optimal results.


The Needlecraft Shelf

The Art of Quilting
Judy Woodworth
AQS Pubishing
c/o American Quilter's Society
PO Box 3290, Paducah, KY 42002-3290
www.americanquilter.com
9781604602814, $24.95, www.amazon.com

The Art of Quilting: Machine Techniques & Designs tells how to create a quilt that is more of an art piece by incorporating basic elements taught in art, from space and color to texture and lines. Freemotion and original quilt design patterns are incorporated into these composition concepts, which delve into the reasons why some quilts are standouts, and how to blend these basic insights into one's own work. From patterns to colorful examples throughout, this is a recommendation for any quilter who would better understand how to produce a standout quilt.

Knit Tops for Kids
Muriel Agator
Stackpole Books
5067 Ritter Road, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055-6921
www.stackpolebooks.com
9780811716642, $14.95, www.amazon.com

Knit Tops for Kids: Irresistible Projects for Girls & Boys Ages 1 to 6 provides an excellent set of projects for this age range that uses knitting specifics to help knitters craft pullovers, tank tops, and more. Dresses, cardigans, and more offer options and suggestions for variations on themes, while 17 patterns in sizes for girls and boys provides an excellent range of ideas. Knitters who seek fun crafts projects for kids will relish this!


The Music Shelf

The Sounds of Louisiana
Roger Hahn
Pelican Publishing Company
1000 Burmaster Street, Gretna, LA 70053-2246
www.pelicanpub.com
9781455621026, $24.95, www.amazon.com

The Sounds of Louisiana: Twenty Essential Music Makers comes from a music writer and cultural historian who analyzes how Louisiana music has spread and influenced world music, and it considers different genres from jazz to funk and hiphop in the process of its world journey. Biographies of some twenty musicians and musical groups who have shaped the Louisiana sound serve as the foundation for understanding musical influence and cultural achievements alike. The result is a powerful analysis that is perfect for any who would receive a basic musician-oriented survey to the sounds and development of Louisiana style.


The Cookbook Shelf

The French Kitchen
Michel Roux, Jr.
Weldon Owen
415 Jackson Street, San Francisco, CA 94111
www.weldonowen.com
9781681880600, $40.00, www.amazon.com

The French Kitchen packs in some 200 recipes gathered by a French chef and is one of the best contemporary French cookbooks to appear in recent years. Perhaps this is because Michel Roux Jr. includes French history and family history in the course of presenting classics from his childhood, in which hunting and fishing brought fresh ingredients to the table. Or maybe it's because he provides a primer in basic cooking techniques such as grilling, making sauces, and roasting, offering a blend of traditional recipes and tips to making them perfect. Full-page color photos offset most dishes, while brief introductions place the dish in perspective of French culinary traditions. From a Chicken With Saffron Milk-Cap Mushrooms and Dark Rum to Pork with Sauerkraut and a Pear and Almond Tart, The French Kitchen is a surprisingly easy delight that places French cuisine within range of the relative novice cook.

Simply Ramen
Amy Kimoto-Kahn
Race Point Publishing
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
400 First Avenue North, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55401-1722
www.quartoknows.com
9781631061448, $22.99, www.amazon.com

Simply Ramen: A Complete Course in Preparing Ramen Meals at Home covers a range of ramen variations on themes and provides home cooks with some seventy recipes that serve as the basis for soups, toppings, and side dishes. It simplifies the process by featuring four soup bases which can be combined with ramen noodles and a range of ingredients, and it teaches how to put together spicy soups and ramen dishes with world influences from a Malaysian Curry Laksa to a Lobster Ramen. The result is a lovely coverage packed with full-page color photos throughout and offering far more variations than the typical ramen cookbook covers.

Sensationally Sugar Free
Susanna Booth
Hamlyn
c/o Octopus Publishing
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
www.octopusbooksusa.com
www.hachette.co.uk
9780600632528, $29.99, www.amazon.com

Sensationally Sugar Free: Delicious Sugar-Free Recipes for Healthier Eating Every Day packs in over a hundred recipes that offer alternatives to refined sugar, and shows how to adjust traditional sugar dishes into desserts that are sweet and better for you. From muffins, scones and breads to ice cream, pies and cakes, each recipe focuses on how to substitute for traditional sugars and offer innovations as well as traditional approaches. A Jeweled Chocolate Tart made with no-added-sugar semisweet chocolate and grapes, Banana Bread packed with naturally sweet bananas, and Carrot Cake made with nuts, carrot, spices and stevia powder all make for delightful dishes loaded with nutrition and without the sugars their counterparts feature. Color photos throughout add to the mouth-watering dishes.

Cheddar
Gordon Edgar
Chelsea Green Publishing Company
85 North Main Street, Suite 120, White River Junction, VT 05001
www.chelseagreen.com
9781603585651, $25.00, www.amazon.com

Cheddar provides an appealing discussion not just of cheddar cheese's history, but of how it progressed from being one of the first cheeses to be industrialized to how it moved from traditional farm wheels to become packaged as singles and marketed in different shapes and forms. Even cooks who think themselves well versed in cheese identification, varieties and usage will likely find new information here, from insights on cheese grading and advances in culinary science that led to the development and marketing of Velveeta to the changing flavors of cheddar over the decades. The result is a cheese history that will delight any prior fan with more than a casual interest in cheese in general and cheddar in particular.

Cooking with Seeds
Charlyne Mattox
Da Capo Press
c/o Perseus Book Group
250 W. 57th St., Suite 1500, New York, NY 10107
www.perseusbooksgroup.com
www.dacapopress.com
9780738218274, $22.99, www.amazon.com

Cooking with Seeds packs in a hundred recipes for familiar foods enhanced by a range of seeds, from pumpkin and chia to flax, hemp, poppy and sesame seeds, and it's a recommendation for cooks who want to take advantage of the nutritional qualities of seeds by using them as additions to ordinary dishes. Recipes range from snacks and all meals to desserts and feature an international flair with such productions as a pine-nut enhanced Cod Fillets with Saucy Braised Leeks, Cheddar Hemp Scones, and Harissa Braised Chicken Legs with chia seeds. All that's required is an access to cooking seeds and an interest in using them in a variety of dishes: the cookbook provides fairly simple recipes with a minimum of specialty dishes and is perfect for cooks who want to expand their seed cooking repertoire.

My Fat Dad
Dawn Lerman
Berkley Books
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
375 Hudson Street, 4th floor, New York, NY 10014
www.penguin.com
9780425272237, $16.00, www.amazon.com

Strictly speaking, My Fat Dad is a memoir that incorporates recipes and food insights with autobiography, but its connections between family and food are so closely presented that fans of culinary reads will welcome it as a lively saga filled with insights on growing up in a food-oriented household. Dawn learned to cook from her grandmother but spent her childhood hungry, as her obese father was always on a diet that the family had to follow. In a chaotic and ever-changing household, Dawn gained a particular kind of appreciation for food and cooking that would ultimately lead to her own love of wholesome food. Toss humor with food psychology and family insights and then add a liberal dose of humor to the mix and you have a funny, deliciously moving story that's hard to put down, and which originated as a popular blog series before becoming a book.

Tortillas: Wheat Flour and Corn Products
L.W. Rooney and S.O. Serna-Saldivar, Editors
AACC International Press
3340 Pilot Knob Road, St. Paul, MN 55121
9781891127883, $259.00, www.aaccnet.org

Tortillas: Wheat Flour and Corn Products is not light consumer or cookbook reading, but is recommended for college-level students of culinary studies who want a specific, 300-page technical discussion of the technology and development of corn and wheat tortilla products. From food safety and development processes to the chemical properties of tortilla flours, effects of preservatives on the shelf life of tortillas, properties of corn kernals and how they lend to tortilla production, and more, these are technical discussions directed to scientists, product developers and nutritionists. Students and food science professionals looking to learn more about tortillas and their production and distribution will find the technical discussions perfect for an in-depth understanding of everything involved in tortilla making and use.


The Sports Shelf

Triathlon 2.0
Jim Vance
Human Kinetics Publishers, Inc.
PO Box 5076, Champaign, IL 61820-5076
www.HumanKinetics.com
9781450460026, $21.95, www.amazon.com

Triathlon 2.0 comes from a triathlete and coach who maintains that most triatheletes begin a race either under- or over-trained. In answer to these problems, he's developed a data-driven course that uses various devices - trackers, monitors, and meters - as a cornerstone for gathering measurements, understanding data, and applying them property. With such information at hand a program can be devised to take advantage of an optimal aerobic fitness routine, track improvements and modifications in training schedules, and create custom programs based on individual performances and goals. Charts and diagrams explain many of these keys to success and allow athletes and trainers to devise programs that work.

The Social Issues

The Devil You Know
Elicka Peterson Sparks
Prometheus Books
59 John Glenn Drive, Amherst, NY 14228-2197
www.prometheusbooks.com
9781633881501, $27.00, www.amazon.com

The Devil You Know: The Surprising Link Between Conservative Christianity and Crime considers the dark force of Christianity as a criminologist maintains that high rates of violent crime and Christian conservative mindsets are linked. From violent Biblical passages that are often quoted by such conservatives to justify hatred and violence as God-sanctioned to how rigid belief systems affect women and minorities, The Devil You Know offers much food for thought based on Biblical research, social issues, and criminal justice statistics, and should be on the shelves of any spirituality or social issues collection.

The Industries of the Future
Alec Ross
Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas, 14th fl., New York, NY 10020
www.simonandschuster.com
9781476753652, $28.00, www.amazon.com

The Industries of the Future covers the next likely wave of innovation which will sweep around the globe and change countries and societies, and comes from one of the leading American experts on the innovation process. Alex Ross has long been involved in international politics and innovation issues around the world, so he's been in a unique position to observe its changes and effects on third world nations in particular. Any collection strong in business and social issues discussions and connections will find this a powerful analysis of the next wave of social and business change.


The Autism Shelf

In A Different Key
John Donvan and Caren Zucker
Crown
c/o The Random House Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, 17th floor, New York, NY 10019
www.crownpublishing.com
9780307985675, $30.00, www.amazon.com

In a Different Key: The Study of Autism provides a powerful history of autism using a series of dramatic episodes to narrate the story of how autism came to be recognized, diagnosed, and explored. Years of patient determination, researcher and physician studies, and frustration went into this process, captured here through stories that range from dark misconceptions of autism to how determined individuals both autistic and not struggled to understand these conditions. The authors' own families have struggled with autism, so they are especially invested in providing powerful, thought-provoking documentation that is more than just another study, but captures the powerful personalities, struggles, and efforts involved throughout the process of diagnosing and understanding a challenging condition over the years.

Take Charge of Treatment for Your Child with Asperger's (ASD)
Cornelia Pelzer Elwood and D. Scott McLeod
Jessica Kingsley Publishers
400 Market Street, Suite 400, Philadelphia, PA 19106
www.jkp.com
9781849057233, $29.95, www.amazon.com

Take Charge of Treatment for Your Child with Asperger's includes downloadable templates and a plan to help parents of Asperger's kids foster success at home, in school, and beyond, and it's a top survey filled with strategies and directions on how to create a profile unique to the child which will help others interact successfully with the child's unique attributes. It can serve as an instruction booklet for a child that guides their daily activities and engagements with the world as well as providing information to third parties to enable them to better work with the child. Checklists, worksheets, and tips on managing crisis round out the book's clear formula for better understanding and success.


The Health/Medicine Shelf

Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeial Plant Drugs: Expanded Therapeutics
C.P. Khare
CRC Press
6000 NW Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300, Boca Raton, FL 33487
www.crcpress.com
9781466589995, $169.95, www.amazon.com

Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeial Plant Drugs is not a recommended for the casual health collection for lay readers, but is a technical coverage that is the first to review all therapeutic sections of over four hundred fifty plant drugs in the first six volumes of the Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India. It covers classical Ayurvedic herbs, their applications and dosages, and their formulas, and it converts Sanskrit into English equivalents, adding botanical names in the process. Habitat, regional language names, cautions and comments about dosages, and botanical sources are included in a dictionary 'must have' recommendation for any college-level or technical health collection strong in herbal medicine in general and Indian Ayurvedics in particular.

Sharks Get Cancer, Mole Rats Don't
James S. Welsh, MD
Prometheus Books
59 John Glenn Drive, Amherst, NY 14228-2197
www.prometheusbooks.com
9781633881549, $19.00, www.amazon.com

Why do some animals get cancer while others do not? It's all a matter of immune system makeup, and new cancer research is examining the clues animals can provide about the nature of cancer and its progress. From spontaneous cures evident in various animals to how some creatures succumb to powerful forms of cancer that can cause species extinction, Sharks Get Cancer, Mole Rats Don't provides some absorbing keys to the latest lab research and animal tests and offers a lively coverage that doesn't require an expertise in either medicine or animals to prove accessible and fascinating.

Clinical Communication in Medicine
Jo Brown, et.al., Editors
Wiley-Blackwell
350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148
www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell
9781118728246, $60.00, www.amazon.com

Clinical Communication in Medicine provides a powerful compilation of theories and models of healthcare communication and discusses all kinds of scenarios typical in clinical communication settings, from breaking bad news to patients and families to standard practices in handling older patients. From diversity issues to core concepts in the doctor-patient relationship, this examines the foundation principles of clinical communication and the various options and processes this involves. From being proactive to skills that come into play when handling emergencies, Clinical Communication in Medicine discusses all kinds of scenarios and options, contrasting different coping strategies and approaches, and should be required reading for any medical student.


The Audiobook Shelf

Hachette Audio
237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017
www.hachetteaudio.com

James MacPherson provides a vivid reading for Ian Rankin's unabridged audio thriller Even Dogs in the Wild (9781478905334, $35.00), a story that centers around a female detective's investigation into a senior government prosecutor's death. The death purportedly happened during a robbery, but nothing is missing from the home invasion. Add a cop who is struggling with retirement who faces a similar fate and two seemingly disparate cases that demand attention and provide similarities and suddenly a thriller mystery becomes something even more twisted. Fans of detective whodunits will find Even Dogs in the Wild an especially vivid listen in audio. Mark Hyman, MD's Eat Fat, Get Thin (9781478983358, $30.00) is narrated by the author and attacks some common, basic months about eating habits, including the idea that eating fat leads to obesity, that saturated fat is bad, or that fat increases the risk of all kinds of medical conditions. Discussions revolve around the beneficial qualities of fat in the diet and provide insights into a big surprise: the benefits of engaging in a high-fat diet rich in eggs, nuts, coconut oil and other kinds of fats. With its clear insights on what to eat and what not to eat, this is a solid winner for any dieter looking for more information and better alternatives, and is easily digested in its audio format. Jeffrey Deaver's The Steel Kiss (9781478906612, $40.00) appears in an unabridged audio narrated by Edoardo Ballerini, who lends a seasoned voice to this new Lincoln Rhyme novel returning the forensic detective to the limelight in a new mystery. Here Amelia is tracking a killer when a mysterious accident lands her and detective Lincoln Rhyme on the same side, investigating what appears to be the first in a series of attacks. As a dangerous killer surfaces, it's a race against time to stop him, making for a riveting audio listen. Michael Connelly's Chasing the Dime (9781478908036, $25.00) is narrated by Jonathan David, an acclaimed narrator whose background in numerous productions lends a professional, polished voice to this story of mysterious phone messages and Henry Pierce's unwitting involvement in Lilly's life. Can he help a woman he's never met and doesn't know? His efforts could mean the difference between life and death. Pete Seeger's Storm King Volume 2: Stories, Narratives, Poems (9781478964612, $20.00) sets spoken word to music and is presented by Jeff Haynes as it joins the forces of a percussionist and producer and a folksy storyteller, poet, and musician. Here are a range of styles, from blues to Americana and new age music - all the way to hiphop - in a powerful recommendation for any who love Seeger's works and want an audio rendition of his best. Joyce Meyer's Overload (9781478983099, $24.00) is narrated by Jodi Carlisle, who has recorded thousands of radio and TV voiceovers and whose voice captures Meyer's sentiments as she discusses everyday life's stress factors and how overload happens. From identifying worries and handling them better to managing different kinds of stress, this is an excellent advice guide that comes to life in audio. All are wonderful listens that stand out in the audio book world.


The Jewelry Shelf

Vogue: The Jewelry
Carol Woolton
Conran
c/o Octopus Publishing
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9781840916577, $125.00, www.amazon.com

Vogue: The Jewelry is a lovely slipcased hardcover that appears in an oversized format to capture the range of jewels that have appeared on the pages of British Vogue over the decades. The jewelry pieces vastly differ in style and period and represent a century of fashion changes, but the most notable facet of Vogue: The Jewelry lies in 300 images that have been culled from the magazine's archives and are grouped here by theme. Any arts holding interested in jewelry history and fashion must have this definitive, oversized presentation with its unique focus and alluring contents: the history and fashion insights are not to be missed.


The Metaphysical Studies Shelf

Awaken Your Divine Intuition
Susan Shumsky, DD
New Page Books
c/o Career Press Inc.
12 Parish Drive, Wayne, NJ 07470
www.newpagebooks.com
9781632650283, $15.99, www.amazon.com

Awaken Your Divine Intuition: Receive Wisdom, Blessings, and Love by Connecting with Spirit provides a fine transformational spirituality piece holding proven techniques to increasing divine contact, and is a recommendation for new age readers interested in increasing their spiritual connections. From a basic review of how inner guidance and genius works to receiving and interpreting divine messages and awakening clairvoyant and supernatural gifts, this covers classic inhibitions, what it means to tune into the spiritual world, and what to do with the forces successfully awakened. The result is a discussion of spirits, signals, and applications that will help any new age reader.

Sacred Geometry of the Earth
Mark Vidler and Catherine Young
Inner Traditions International, Ltd.
One Park Street, Rochester, VT 05767
www.innertraditions.com
9781620554685, $18.95, www.amazon.com

Sacred Geometry of the Earth: The Ancient Matrix and Monuments and Mountains uses maps and research to show how the locations of megalithic monuments reflect a natural pattern on Earth that connects its major relics and features, and considers geography around the world in the course of mapping these land masses and their connections. From circles of standing stones to ancient peoples, chapters not only present the case for geometric connections, but show how ancient monuments around the world represent a hitherto-unexplored method of communication among ancient tribes and peoples. Charts, illustrations, and codes make for a specific discussion that new age readers will appreciate.

There Were Giants Upon the Earth
Zecharia Sitchin
Bear & Company
c/o Inner Traditions International, Ltd.
One Park Street, Rochester, VT 05767
www.innertraditions.com
www.bearandcompanybooks.com
9781591431947, $16.00, www.amazon.com

There Were Giants Upon the Earth: Gods, Demigods, and Human Ancestry: The Evidence of Alien DNA is recommended for new age readers with special, particular interest in a combination of Biblical re-interpretation and ancient history and peoples, and examines whether humans are actually the descendants of demigods. According to this interpretation, Adam was genetically engineered in the likeness of gods who came to Earth from their planet Nibiru, and his survey of ancient writings, artifacts, Bible passages and scientific evidence blends a scholarly Bible assessment with a lively survey representing some 60 years of the author's research on the subject. The result is a powerful survey that is recommended for open-minded readers of Biblical analysis and ancient history.


The Science Shelf

Botanical Miracles
Raymond Cooper and Jeffrey John Deakin
CRC Press
Publicity Department
CRC Press
6000 NW Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300, Boca Raton, FL 33487
www.crcpress.com
9781498704281, $119.95, www.amazon.com

College-level holdings strong in chemistry and botanical analysis will find Botanical Miracles: Chemistry of Plants That Changed the World to be an in-depth reference connecting plant extracts and their properties to the development of modern medicine and products. Chapters describe how these plant extracts and compounds affect various products, cover how mankind has uncovered their properties and applied them to various natural products, and it uses organic chemistry principles to consider legends, realities, interactions and more. Each chapter concludes with further references and exercises designed to test knowledge, and results in a primer highly recommended for any student of plant properties and organic chemistry.

Vertical Reefs
Mary Katherine Wicksten
Texas A&M University Press
4354 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843-4354
www.tamupress.com
9781623493110, $29.95, www.amazon.com

Vertical Reefs: Life on Oil and Gas Platforms in the Gulf of Mexico is recommended for specialty collections interested in sea life in general and the ecology of the Gulf of Mexico in particular, and packs in information specific to both the region and to the phenomenon of reefs on platforms in general. Chapters discuss artificial reef marine life and their value in the ecosystem, providing an overview on developing and managing such reefs in the Gulf. Its blend of science, natural history, and insights on vertical, manmade, man-managed reef development will be an especially significant addition to collections already strong in marine biology.


The Pets/Wildlife Shelf

Wiley/Blackwell
350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148
www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell

These important books are key titles for any veterinary practice, and are top recommendations for clinics and veterinary school collections alike. Lesley J. Smith's Questions and Answers in Small Animal Anesthesia (9781118912836, $59.99) addresses a number of questions that typically arise in practices handling small animal surgeries, and covers different kinds of anesthetic options, how to recognize and handle pain in animals, fluid and medicine administration and troubleshooting common issues, and more. From what drugs should be avoided for particular conditions to basic monitoring concern, each chapter opens with a highlight of key points and offers references, charts, statistics, and supporting information to answer all kinds of issues involved in administering small animal anesthesia. Lillian R. Aronson's Small Animal Surgical Emergencies (9781118413487, $149.99) is also recommended for small animal practices and focuses on typical surgical emergencies common to soft tissue and orthopedic damages. The information ranges from emergency stabilization techniques to postoperative care, troubleshooting, and handling typical complications, and offers the latest best practices and advice on surgical emergency management. Color photos of surgical procedures are an intrinsic and useful part of the coverage, illustrating different procedures and adding to the value of an in-depth reference that no practicing vet should be without. Ma Taylor, RL Coop and RL Wall's Veterinary Parasitology (9780470671627, $229.99) provides a definitive veterinary parasitology reference for students of veterinary science and practitioners working in the field, and appears in an updated fourth edition that has been turned into a two-part reference reflecting the latest advancements in parasitology science. New to this updated edition are new approaches to teaching the science, detailed parasite descriptions and a new structure that lends to the reference's use in the clinic or in a classroom. Charts, diagrams, descriptions of parasites common to different animals from sheep and goats to dogs and cats, and epidemiology and treatment for each make for a powerful reference that is a 'must' for students of veterinary science.


The Crafts Shelf

Paper & Tape: Craft & Create
Marisa Edghill
Walter Foster Publishing
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
400 First Avenue North, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55401-1722
www.quartoknows.com
9781633220485, $19.99, www.amazon.com

Paper & Tape: Craft & Create provides step-by-step project that are directed to washi tape crafters interested in a range of ideas from birthday cards and coasters to wall art, and offers a blend of color photos and how-to projects on how to use washi tape in a range of projects. Over seventy projects based on paper creations cover bright, innovative ways of melding paper and tape to produce a wide range of results. Novice crafters who either have no basic background in paper and tape craft as well as those who have some basics down will find Paper & Tape expands the range of paper projects and applications, offering bright color photos of both process and finished result.

Jewelry Designs with Knitted Wire
Nealay Patel
Kalmbach Books
21027 Crossroads Circle, Waukesha, WI 53187-1612
www.kalmbachstore.com
www.jewelryandbeadingstore.com
9781627002356, $21.99, www.amazon.com

Jewelry Designs with Knitted Wire: Explore the Possibilities offers a wide range of projects based on using knitted wire, and offers jewelry based on knitted cords which are fine creations that can add beads and crystals to increase the possibilities for different designs. Some thirty step-by-step projects are accompanied by good-quality color photos that leave nothing to guess at as they tell how to make bracelets, earrings, necklaces, and more. The variety of designs are illustrated by full-page color photo close-ups of each completed piece, making this a top pick for any newcomer to knitted wire who wants to learn how to make jewelry.


The Photography Shelf

Light and Shadow
Tony Corbell
Amherst Media
175 Rano Street, Suite 200, Buffalo, NY 14207-2176
www.amherstmedia.com
9781608959938, $37.95, www.amazon.com

Light and Shadow: Dynamic Lighting Design for Location Portrait Photography tells how to make use of existing light or enhance that light in any location either outdoors or inside, and comes from a photographer whose specialization in modifying and working with light lends to some exceptional work. Examples of this work and how it was achieved are the foundation of a book that is all about understanding how light affects photo results, and how to control it. Colors, exposures, ambient light, and adding or subtracting to light with existing 'props' such as garage door backgrounds makes for a powerful coverage no aspiring photographer should be without.


The American History Shelf

Serve the People
Karen L. Ishizuka
Verso
20 Jay Street, 10th Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201-8346
www.versobooks.com
9781761688625, $29.95, www.amazon.com

Serve the People: Making Asian America in the Long Sixties brings readers back to a time when there were no 'Asian Americans', but isolated ethnic groups billed as "Orientals". The transition of this loosely banded group into a social and political identity that operates from a powerful demographic base today is the subject of a book that uses over a hundred interviews, stories of grassroots activists and movements, and accounts of growing up Asian in a changing America to offer a powerful survey of how Asian America came to be a powerful presence, today. The result is a key acquisition for any collection looking to fill in some social, political, and historical blanks about the evolution of modern Asian communities.


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

Revisionary
Jim C. Hines
Daw Books, Inc.
c/o Penguin Group USA
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
www.dawbooks.com
9780756409708, $26.00, www.amazon.com

Revisionary is Book Four of the Magic Ex Libris series and tells of a possible utopian future thwarted after magic is revealed to the world. It's a year since the event, and Isaac's role in the discovery of magic hasn't changed the world for the better. Some want a war between magical and non-magical forces. Others want to lock up any suspected of supernatural powers with the idea that such makes them automatic threats. Isaac is in the middle of struggles that envelope all sides as he discovers that the intersection of magic and ordinary may not be what he has dreamed. Familiarity with the prior books will help solidify the events that evolve in Revisionary, but newcomers will find it accessible and engrossing as well as forces come into place and Isaac's decisions and options become clearer. Strong characterization and a moving story line contribute to an engrossing saga.


The Political Science Shelf

The Fight
Dan Bongino
St. Martins Press
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
www.stmartins.com
9781250082985, $26.99, www.amazon.com

The Fight: A Secret Service Agent's Account of Security Failings and the Political Machine comes from an author who served in the Secret Service under three Presidential administrations, and discusses security problems and what caused him to leave the Secret Service at the top of his profession in pursuit of political office. It's a hard-hitting story of presidential security, politics, and citizen rights and it ranges from autobiographical discussions of his experiences in the service as an agent to insights into the intersections between security and politics. Because issues of security are typically of internal concern and not part of general public knowledge, the stories in The Fight will enlighten many about subjects ranging from how presidents are protected to internal hierarchies and workings of the secret service system. The discussions of politics, leadership, and changing security challenges makes for a lively presentation that will reach beyond political science readers into general-interest circles.


The Theatre/Cinema Shelf

The Rocky Horror Picture Show FAQ
Dave Thompson
Applause Books
c/o Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group
19 West 21st Street, Suite 201, New York, NY 10010
www.applausebooks.com
9781495007477, $19.99, www.amazon.com

The Rocky Horror Picture Show FAQ provides the history of the famous stage show and its worldwide appearance and closely examines the cultural and social phenomenon of the Rocky Horror crowd. From the play's original creation and its evolution to world shows and the stars who have made them famous, this includes a detailed Rocky Horror discography - the largest and most in-depth ever published - to a discussion of the complicated shooting and presentation efforts of many of the shows, this examination is the item of choice not only for Rocky Horror fans, but for any collection strong in stage and film history and culture.


The California Shelf

Californio Portraits
Harry W. Crosby
University of Oklahoma Press
2800 Venture Drive, Norman, OK 73069
www.oupress.com
9780806148694, $29.95, www.amazon.com

Californio Portraits: Baja California's Vanishing Culture provides an updated, expanded version of the original 1981 treatise titled Last of the Californios, which surveyed the history of the mountain folk of Baja California, and is a fine and well-detailed account that represents one of the most extensive reports of Baja's occupation by the Spaniards in the 17th century to its modern times. It's a history and cultural inspection that examines the lifestyles, society, and political encounters of these early peoples and comes from an author who rode hundreds of miles by mule to visit with various Californio families and document their lifestyles. His personal accounts and reports from modern-day descendants covers their daily lives and history in an account peppered with vintage black and white photos throughout.


The Independent Publishers Shelf

The Artful Lodger
Barbara De La Cuesta
Carpenter Gothic Press
ASIN: B0079KSRAO, $0.99

http://www.amazon.com/Artful-Lodger-Barbara-dr-Cuesta-ebook/dp/B0079KSRAO/ref=sr_1_1? ie=UTF8&qid=1455294405&sr=8-1&keywords=Artful+Lodger

Ned's been long out of touch with the wife he divorced and the family he left, but when force of habit brings him to Carrie's door, she can't deny him a drink - especially when her childhood friend Hester (who now lives with Carrie and her kids) encourages Ned to stay for a visit. One thing leads to another and the unexpected visit turns into an open-ended stay when Ned falls ill, even though both women are suspicious of these seemingly-accidental circumstances and his underlying intentions. Thus Ned slowly begins to weave himself back into their lives, and Hester, Carrie and her kids (along with their new roommate Jaya) find all their presumptions challenged and changing, as a result.

It soon becomes evident that The Artful Lodger is more than a mystery: it's an exploration of tangled relationships, evolving lives, and separations that sometimes turn into unexpected new connections. As each character finds their path in life is anything but set and predictable, so readers are carried along on a journey that intersects three women, one man, and all of their expectations about past and future choices. Suicide, escape, the quest for different, happy lives, and dreams that embrace them: all these elements make for twists in the tale which are anything but standard and anticipated. The writing is lyrical, evocative, and insightful ("No, she doesn't hate stars and trees and nature in general. They just have their place, she thinks."), and the overall result is appealing and nicely presented, recommended for novel readers who enjoy complex tales of interpersonal relationships.


James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
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

Diane C. Donovan, Editor & Senior Reviewer
12424 Mill Street, Petaluma, CA 94952
phone: 1-707-795-4629
e-mail: donovan@sonic.net


Copyright ©2001

Site design by Williams Writing, Editing & Design