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Reviewer's Choice
Homesick
Brendan O'Brien
Chicago Review Press
www.chicagoreviewpress.com
9781641609692, $19.99, PB, 336pp
https://www.amazon.com/Homesick-Why-Housing-Unaffordable-Change/dp/1641609699
Synopsis: Nobody who sits in traffic on Sedona, Arizona's main stretch or stands shoulder to shoulder in its many souvenir
shops would call it a ghost town.
Neither would anyone renting a room for $2,000 a month or buying a house for a half-million dollars. And yet the people
who built this small town and made it a community are being pushed further and further out. Their homes are being sold
out from under their feet.
In studying the impact of short-term rentals, Brendan O'Brien saw something similar happening in places ranging from
Bend, Oregon, to Bar Harbor, Maine. But it isn't just short-term rentals, and it's not just tourism towns. Neighborhoods in
Austin and Atlanta have become rows of investment properties. Longtime residents in Spokane and Boston have been
replaced by new, high-salaried remote workers.
Across the country, a level of unaffordable housing that once seemed unique to global cities like New York and San
Francisco has become the norm, with nearly a third of all US households considered housing cost burdened.
This situation has been abetted by the direct actions of developers, politicians, and existing homeowners who have sought
to drive up the cost of housing. But it's mostly happened due to a society-wide refusal to see housing as anything more than
real estate, another product available to the highest bidder. This trend of putting local housing on a global market has
worsened in recent years but is nothing new. Housing in the United States has always been marred by racial and income
inequality that mocks the country's highest ideals.
Deeply researched and deeply felt, with the publication of "Homesick: Why Housing Is Unaffordable and How We Can
Change It", O'Brien argues that we can be so much better -- and we can start where we live!
Critique: Impressively well researched, written, organized and presented, "Homesick: Why Housing Is Unaffordable and
How We Can Change It" by Brendan O'Brien is a seminal, groundbreaking, eloquent, and informatively fact laden
contribution to our present national dialogue with respect to homelessness and the crisis of inadequate affordable housing
in America. While also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.49), "Homesick: Why Housing Is
Unaffordable and How We Can Change It" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional,
community, and college/university library Urban Sociology, Contemporary Social Issues, and Real Estate Investment
collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Brendan O'Brien (https://www.bobrien.us) spent three seasons working for federal public land management
agencies in California, Montana, and New Mexico. He observed the influx of short-term rentals and non-primary homes
alongside rising rents and prices. Studying this link became the basis of his master's thesis from Northern Arizona
University as well as the article "When Boom Towns Become Ghost Towns in the New West."
The Gunner and the Grunt
Michael Kelley, author
Peter Burbank, author
Casemate Publishers
www.casematepublishers.com
9781636243436, $34.95, HC, 256pp
https://www.amazon.com/Gunner-Grunt-Michael-Kelley/dp/1636243436
Synopsis: Effectively co-authored by Michael Kelley and Peter Burbank, "The Gunner and the Grunt" is written in the
voices of two soldiers who fought in the same battles as members of the same recon unit but from different angles.
Michael Kelley, the "Gunner," was flying in an armed helicopter above the jungle providing suppressive fire support, while
Peter Burbank, the "Grunt," was down in the jungle on foot patrol involved in fire fights with Viet Cong and North
Vietnamese Army troops.
"The Gunner and the Grunt" follows these two Boston boys from army training through deployment to the Vietnam war
zone and the shock of first combat missions, to helicopter air assault "Search and Destroy" operations from the Cambodian
border to the sands of the South China Sea.
Critique: Enhanced for the reader's benefit with a section of photos, "The Gunner and the Grunt" is a riveting read and one
that will be of special and particular interest and recommendation to personal, community, and college/university library
Viet Nam War History/Biography/Memoir collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It is interesting to learn
that Burbank and Kelley remained lifelong friends after meeting in Vietnam as members of Troop C, 1st Squadron, 9th
Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division (Air Mobile). It should also be noted for student, academia, military history buffs, and non-
specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Gunner and the Grunt" is also available in a digital book
format (Kindle, $15.99).
Editorial Note #1: Michael L. Kelley served in the United States Army from 1964 to 1967, met his wife Ruth in late 1967,
helped her raise three children while he participated in dual careers with the Federal Government and the United States
Army Reserve. Kelley retired as a Master Sergeant from the 3rd Battalion, 18th Infantry in 1990 and from the Defense
Logistics Agency, DPRO Raytheon Missile Division, in 1994.
Editorial Note #2: Peter Burbank grew up in Hull, Massachusetts, a city south of Boston, and as a young boy, ran a paper
route and read about World War II history, especially small-unit actions on the battle fronts. He dreamed about being a
soldier, but not just an ordinary soldier, an "Airborne Infantry" soldier, where he could be at the "Tip of the Spear" for
combat action. He got to live his dream and was sent to Vietnam and served as an Infantry Rifleman at the forefront of the
action. After two combat tours he joined the Portland Police Department and saw action once again as a city patrol officer.
Alongside his police career, Burbank joined the US Army Reserve, retiring as a Sergeant First Class after serving for
twenty years.
Keeping Your Seat at the Table
Nori Jabba
1st World Publishing
www.keepingyourseat.com
9781421835365, $21.95 Paper/$14.95 Audio/$9.97 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Keeping-Your-Seat-at-Table/dp/1421835363
Keeping Your Seat at the Table is about women aging, facing agism, and defeating the self- and society-inflicted mindsets
and perceptions about the process and its impact on their lives. It's a book that should have been written long ago, but
which arrives now with a timeless message - that women can not only claim a seat at the table of empowerment, but can sit
at its head as stronger, more resilient leaders. With Nori Jabba's collection of research, stories, and insights, not only that
position but the table itself falls under close inspection.
This is especially vital for professional women used to power's presence, but not to interpretations of its meaning and
importance. Chapters evolve a series of "table-talk" sessions about purpose, redefining it in a series of discussions which
encourage readers to begin their own internal and external dialogues about its presence and importance. Jabba's blend of
research and her own reflections creates a synthesis of personal and political insights which are easy to digest and
encouraging in their presentation: "Shifting the function of the table from career pinnacle to life purpose provides an
opportunity to revitalize your goals, your career path, and your life path. Imagine if hiring managers asked questions that
get to the heart of a person and what value they can add to the organization with questions about the table, such as, 'What
does a seat at the table mean for you? Who's at your table?' or 'Tell me about a time when you felt pulled under the table
and how you handled it.'"
No one has ever asked me these questions in a job interview, but they became central questions I explored in my journey to
get my seat back at the table." All women interested in middle-age growth and involvement will find Keeping Your Seat at
the Table relevant and important; but perhaps nowhere else is the audience of professional women so important to reach.
These individuals have already worked hard to sit at the table. Now they need to absorb discussions on how to not just
keep that seat, but reinforce it through transformative thoughts and actions. Jabba has created many original approaches to
address all facets of this process.
One example is her program PURGE, designed to address the promises and failures of maintaining a social media
presence: "PURGE helps me create a shield from intimidation and being saddled, bogged down by social media, bullied, or
caught up in an uproar. It reduces anxiety and mitigates regret. It helps me leverage my voice strategically instead of
worrying and wondering. The purpose of a social media policy is threefold: to keep you out of trouble and protect you, to
give you a framework for sound decision-making, and to keep everyone on the same page."
Her creative yet reality-based approaches to addressing key obstacles in middle age that tends to thwart or reduce women's
power in various ways makes for a series of important lessons. These ideally won't be limited to women's book clubs
alone, but will expand into discussion groups for everyone from professional women to psychology self-help reading
groups. Libraries will find Keeping Your Seat at the Table an interactive, power-promoting, important read that should be
on the table of any aging woman interested in being proactive about her future.
As Jabba says: "No one wants to grow old, and while we cannot stop it, we can heed the early warning signs and manage
them as we age so that we don't wake up one day depressed, perplexed, and shocked at how we got there. What I have
learned from my mother's frustration, distress with aging, and head-in-the-sand mentality is this: do not let old age creep up
on you. Take it by the reins when the signs start to appear and manage it." Reading and sharing Keeping Your Seat at the
Table is the first step to doing so.
The Education Shelf
50 Strategies for Teaching STEAM Skills
Kara Ball
Shell Education
https://www.teachercreatedmaterials.com/shell-education
9798885543392, $21.99, PB, 80pp
https://www.amazon.com/50-Strategies-Teaching-STEAM-Skills/dp/B0C5GGZ9PQ
Synopsis: With the publication of "50 Strategies for Teaching STEAM Skills", Kara Ball provides students concrete
opportunities to practice STEAM skills" This teacher resource includes easy-to-use classroom strategies and activities for
science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics.
This instructive lesson guide and 'how to' manual provides 50 specific and effective strategies to support STEAM
instruction and build 21st-century skills such as collaboration, handling failure, problem-solving, communication, and
creativity. With ten strategies per essential STEAM skill, this book provides educators with tools to build skills. These
activities utilize accessible everyday materials, which makes them perfect for any classroom setting.
"50 Strategies for Teaching STEAM Skills" also includes student activity pages, instruction sheets, and ideas for variation
at every grade level. From building knowledge of STEAM concepts to strengthening lifelong learning skills, "50 Strategies
for Teaching STEAM Skills" offers PreK - 12 classroom teachers with the support they need to help their students
thrive.
Critique: Of particular and special interest to readers concerned with STEM education, education theory, and K-12
science/technology curriculums, "50 Strategies for Teaching STEAM Skills" is an ideal, high value, and unreservedly
recommended pick for personal, professional, school district, and college/university STEM Education collections and
supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Kara Ball (https://www.linkedin.com/in/karaball-stoy18) is a published author, academic officer, project
manager, program coordinator, award-winning curriculum developer & educator, a National Teacher of the Year Finalist
2018, a doctoral student and STEMinist.
Help Anxious Kids in a Stressful World
David Campos, author
Kathleen McConnel Fad, author
Free Spirit Publishing
www.freespirit.com
9798885543262, $34.99, PB, 192pp
https://www.amazon.com/Help-Anxious-Kids-Stressful-World/dp/B0BTKYB2VF
Synopsis: The number of students experiencing anxiety at school is swiftly on the rise. But with the publication of "Help
Anxious Kids in a Stressful World: 25 Classroom Strategies" by educators David Campos and Kathleen McConnell Fad,
classroom teachers can now create emotionally supportive environments and strengthen children's abilities to cope with
anxiety.
"Help Anxious Kids in a Stressful World" from Free Spirit Publishing is an essential resource that: Provides a framework
for understanding anxiety, its causes, and the various ways it can present in young people; Offers standalone action
strategies for classroom use, including a matrix to identify which strategies may be most useful for specific situations;
Makes implementation of strategies easy with reproducibles for teacher and student use.
Drs. David Campos and Kathleen McConnell Fad wrote "Help Anxious Kids in a Stressful World" to specifically ensure
that teachers, regardless of their prior knowledge and background, have a wide range of easy-to-understand and useful
instructional tools to address anxious behaviors.
Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, this large format (8.5 x 0.5 x 11 inches, 1.36 pounds)
paperback edition of "Help Anxious Kids in a Stressful World: 25 Classroom Strategies" by co-authors David Campos and
Kathleen McConnell Fad is an ideal and highly recommended selection for school district in-service training sessions, as
well as a supplemental Student Anxiety Reduction curriculum studies lists. It should be noted that "Help Anxious Kids in a
Stressful World: 25 Classroom Strategies" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $39.99).
Editorial Note #1: David Campos (https://ancorapublishing.com/authors/campos) is a Professor of Education at University
of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in special education,
culturally responsive teaching, and instructional design and delivery. He is an award-winning teacher and has written
books on issues that impact education, including Educating Latino Boys (2013), Jump Start Health (2011), and
Understanding Gay and Lesbian Youth (2005). His publications have been featured in Social Education, Principal
Leadership, Educational Leadership, American
Editorial Note #2: Kathleen McConnell Fad (https://ancorapublishing.com/authors/fad) has a Ph.D. in learning disabilities
and behavior disorders from The University of Texas at Austin. Kathy was a general and special education teacher before
working as a college professor and a consultant specializing in emotional and behavioral disorders. Her publications focus
on practical strategies for teachers, counselors, and educational specialists. Kathy has written books on childhood
loneliness, gifted and advanced learners, and more.
Leveling the Learning Curve
William B. Elmicke, et al.
Columbia University Press
https://cup.columbia.edu
9780231203845, $35.00, HC, 320pp
https://www.amazon.com/Leveling-Learning-Curve-Inclusive-University/dp/B0BY4DBQMW
Synopsis: Will the years of the COVID-19 pandemic be remembered as a turning point in how universities deliver teaching
and learning? How might the widespread use of digital tools change higher education?
"Leveling the Learning Curve: Creating a More Inclusive and Connected University" is a groundbreaking study that
explores the role of digital education at this crucial crossroads. Built on interviews with more than fifty leading
practitioners from major universities and ed-tech firms, "Leveling the Learning Curve" is an indispensable guide to the
inner workings of digital education.
Written for university managers and leaders, "Leveling the Learning Curve" explores how new tools can allow universities
to reach new audiences and address long-standing imbalances. The co-authors, William B. Eimicke, Soulaymane Kachani,
and Adam Stepan, examine challenges to implementing digital education programs and provide insight into how
universities have managed to balance the needs of faculty and on- and off-campus students.
"Leveling the Learning Curve" traces the history of digital education initiatives from Khan Academy, TED Talks, and
MOOCs through the pandemic, examining both successes and failures. It offers compelling examples of what a "connected
university" looks like in practice, sharing ways digital tools can bring in wider audiences, expand interdisciplinary teaching
and learning, connect students to real-life issues, help meet equity goals, and open new revenue streams.
Critique: Specifically designed as both a DIY manual and an in-depth study of the subject, "Leveling the Learning Curve:
Creating a More Inclusive and Connected University " must be considered as required reading for educational leaders and
institutional policy makers seeking to navigate the ever evolving complexities of a post-pandemic digital education in our
contemporary colleges and universities. A seminal and groundbreaking study, "Leveling the Learning Curve: Creating a
More Inclusive and Connected University" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, and
academic library Education Policy Planning and Application collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It
should be noted for education students, academia, college/university administrators and board members that "Leveling the
Learning Curve: Creating a More Inclusive and Connected University" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$16.99).
Editorial Note #1: William B. Eimicke is Professor of Practice in International and Public Affairs and the founding director
of the Picker Center for Executive Education of Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. He has
published several books including Social Value Investing: A Management Framework for Effective Partnerships
(Columbia University Press, 2018)
Editorial Note #2: Soulaymane Kachani is the senior vice provost of Columbia University. He oversees the university's
teaching, learning, and innovation strategies and the expansion of its online and hybrid offerings. He also focuses on
propelling Columbia's excellence as a global university, working to enhance existing international academic partnerships
and develop new ones, and to make its campuses ever more welcoming to students and scholars from around the
world.
Editorial Note: Adam Stepan is the director of Columbia's Picker Center Digital Education Group. He is also an Emmy
Award - winning documentary filmmaker and the author of more than thirty Columbia and Open Society University
Network Case studies, and he serves as a digital education consultant to universities in the United States and abroad.
The Science Shelf
Pathways to Discovery in Astronomy and Astrophysics for the 2020s
Medicine National Academies of Sciences, Engineering
The National Academies Press
www.nap.edu
9780309467346, $95.00, PB, 628pp
https://www.amazon.com/Pathways-Discovery-Astronomy-Astrophysics-2020s/dp/0309467349
Synopsis: We are in a time of extraordinary discovery and progress in the fields of astronomy and astrophysics. The next
decade is expected to continue to transform our understanding of the universe and humanity's place in it.
Every decade the U.S. agencies that provide primary federal funding for astronomy and astrophysics request a survey to
assess the status of, and opportunities for the Nation's efforts to forward our understanding of the cosmos. "Pathways to
Discovery in Astronomy and Astrophysics for the 2020s" identifies the most compelling science goals and presents an
ambitious program of ground-based and space-based activities for future investment in the next decade and beyond.
This decadal survey identifies three important science themes for the next decade aimed at investigating Earth-like
extrasolar planets, the most energetic processes in the universe, and the evolution of galaxies. The Astro2020 report also
recommends critical near-term actions to support the foundations of the profession as well as the technologies and tools
needed to carry out the science.
Critique: An absolutely essential and core addition to personal, professional, governmental, college and university library
Contemporary Astrophysics/Astronomy collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, "Pathways to Discovery in
Astronomy and Astrophysics for the 2020s" is a National Academies Consensus Study Report, and as such is
comprehensively informative, and impressively well organized in presentation.
Origins, Worlds, and Life
The National Academies Press
www.nap.edu
9780309475785, $90.00, PB, 736pp
https://www.amazon.com/Origins-Worlds-Life-Planetary-Astrobiology/dp/0309475783
Synopsis: The next decade of planetary science and astrobiology holds tremendous promise. New research will expand our
understanding of our solar system's origins, how planets form and evolve, under what conditions life can survive, and
where to find potentially habitable environments in our solar system and beyond.
"Origins, Worlds, and Life: A Decadal Strategy for Planetary Science and Astrobiology 2023-2032" from The National
Academies Press highlights key science questions, identifies priority missions, and presents a comprehensive research
strategy that includes both planetary defense and human exploration. This report also recommends ways to support the
profession as well as the technologies and infrastructure needed to carry out the science.
Critique: A massive, large format (8.48 x 1.51 x 11.04 inches, 4.41 pounds) paperback, "Origins, Worlds, and Life: A
Decadal Strategy for Planetary Science and Astrobiology 2023-2032" will prove of special and particular value to readers
with an interest in astronomy, astrophysics, and space science. As a well organized and presented compendium of current
and up-to-date science with respect to the study of space, astronomy, and astrophysics, "Origins, Worlds, and Life: A
Decadal Strategy for Planetary Science and Astrobiology 2023-2032" is unreservedly recommended for personal,
professional, community, governmental, and college/university library collections and supplemental curriculum studies
lists.
Editorial Note: The National Academies Press (NAP) publishes the publications of the National Academies of Sciences,
Engineering, and Medicine. NAP publishes more than 200 publications per year on a wide range of topics in science,
engineering, and medicine, providing authoritative, independently researched information on important matters in science
and health policy.
The Incredible Bones of the Narrenturm
Robert W. Mann, author
Eduard Winter, author
Charles C. Thomas, Publisher
https://www.ccthomas.com
9780398094102, $59.95, HC, 508pp
https://www.amazon.com/Incredible-Bones-Narrenturm-Photographic-Pathological/dp/0398094101
Synopsis: "The Incredible Bones of the Narrenturm: A Photographic Comparative Atlas of the Pathological and
Anatomical Collection of the Fool's Tower" is based on the perspective of two experienced scientists, Robert W. Mann and
Eduard Winter. Their shared goal is to better understand the human skeleton and to compile an accurate photographic and
historical document of a small portion of the vast osteological collection at the Narrenturm Museum.
This comparative and illustrated atlas records and shares some of the most incredible skeletal malformations and the wide
range of variability and severity that can afflict the human skeleton, before and after the advent of antibiotics. It captures
examples of disease, malformations, and trauma with little or no surgical or medical intervention and reveals their natural
progression, often, without treatment.
This atlas will also assist practitioners in making more accurate interpretations and in making better differential diagnosis
of human skeletal remains, whether ancient, modern, or contemporary. As well as serving as an invaluable resource for
scientists, oftentimes paleopathologists, in the process of excavating, analyzing, interpreting, and accurately reconstructing
skeletal remains in historical contexts.
"Incredible Bones" presents large, full color photographs augmented with diagnoses based on historical records and
sometimes patient histories. Each description and interpretation (diagnosis as it were) in this book are based on medical
diagnosis prior to or at the time they were received at the Narrenturm. Each photograph in Incredible Bones is intended to
"show" the reader a level of detail and clarity usually only gleaned through physical examination.
The co-authors use high quality and sometimes larger than life photographs so that readers can interpret what they are
seeing and perhaps even identify subtle details not provided by the authors. Incredible Bones, therefore, serves as a
comparative and exploratory photographic atlas of skeletal conditions not usually seen in daily practice or even in most
skeletal assemblages, collections, or museums.
"The Incredible Bones of the Narrenturm" provides medical students and forensic practitioners with a behind-the-scenes
perspective of some of the most extreme and thought-provoking examples in the Narrenturm pathological-anatomical
collection.
The format of Incredible Bones utilizes a regional approach to the human skeleton with each chapter beginning with the
cranium and ending with the feet, a "head to toe" approach. Using a regional approach to the skeleton based on broad
categories of conditions that include, for example, tumors and neoplasia, enables the reader to search for a skeletal
condition without first having to know the name of the disease, anomaly, or other condition they are seeking to
identify.
Critique: This large format (11 x 8.5 x 1.3 inches, 4.07 pounds) hardcover edition of "The Incredible Bones of the
Narrenturm: A Photographic Comparative Atlas of the Pathological and Anatomical Collection of the Fool's Tower" is a
seminal, exceptionally informative, impressively organized, and throughly 'reader friendly' in presentation. Ideal as a
textbook and a professional reference, "The Incredible Bones of the Narrenturm" is especially and unreservedly
recommended as a core addition to personal, professional, medical school, and college/university library Medical &
Anatomy collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
The Economic Studies Shelf
Field Guide to Family Business Research
Keith H. Brigham, editor
G. Tyge Payne, editor
Edward Elgar Publishing
www.e-elgar.com
9781800884137, $145.00, HC, 264pp
https://www.amazon.com/Field-Family-Business-Research-Guides/dp/1800884133
Synopsis: Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by Professors Keith H. Brigham and G. T. Payne, "The Field Guide to
Family Business Research" from Edward Elgar Publishing is a concise and accessible guidebook that addresses the unique
challenges associated with conducting high-quality family business research. Intended for both new and more experienced
scholars, experts provide essential guidelines and insightful best practices for overcoming these challenges.
Comprehensive in scope and split into three key parts, the contributors to "The Field Guide to Family Business Research"
address general, qualitative and quantitative challenges and their various solutions. Chapters examine three primary
research challenges: failure to demonstrate a clear and unique contribution to the extant literature; failure to properly frame
and align an argument's theory and hypothesis; and finally, failure to measure and conduct appropriate methodological and
empirical approaches to a study. Ultimately, the solutions presented offer a better understanding of the unique aspects of
conducting research in the family business domain.
With a wealth of expertise and practical information, "The Field Guide to Family Business Research" will be of great
benefit to anyone conducting research in family business. It will be especially helpful to researchers and students of
business management, law, public policy and social policy as well as consultants and practitioners in the field of family
business.
Critique: Exceptionally well organized and presented, "The Field Guide to Family Business Research" also includes a two
page listing of the contributors and their credentials. A seminal contribution to personal, professional, community, and
college/university library Business Management collections and supplemental MBA curriculum studies lists, "The Field
Guide to Family Business Research" should be considered essential reading for anyone engaging in, or aspiring to, the
management of a family owned business.
Editorial Note #1: Keith H. Brigham is the Professor of Entrepreneurship, Director, Tom Love Division of
Entrepreneurship and Economic Development, Price College of Business, University of Oklahoma.
(https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=5QQ8-OYAAAAJ)
Editorial Note #2: G. Tyge Payne (https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=lbRbss8AAAAJ) is Professor of
Entrepreneurship, Stephenson Department of Entrepreneurship & Information Systems, Louisiana State University,
US
The Cookbook Shelf
Signature Dishes of America
Sherry Monahan
The Globe Pequot Press
www.globepequot.com
9781493072644, $35.00, HC, 248pp
https://www.amazon.com/Signature-Dishes-America-Treasures-Restaurants/dp/1493072641
Synopsis: America's hotel chefs and restaurant cooks have reveled in serving meals to their customers since this country's
early beginnings, creating their own recipes based on available ingredients, creativity, or at the request of others.
Some took humble home recipes and made them into their signature specialties, many of which have become synonymous
with certain hotels and restaurants in America. These culinary treasures are household names, but their true origin has
slipped back into history.
With the publication of "Signature Dishes of America: Recipes and Culinary Treasures from Historic Hotels and
Restaurants", culinary historian Sherry Monahan showcases nearly 100 of these well-known dishes and their origins.
Including foods like Eggs Benedict, Green Goddess Dressing, and Hot Browns which were created decades ago and remain
mainstays in our culinary world today.
Readers will enjoy discovering the story behind Los Angeles' Brown Derby's Cobb Salad, whose recipe was created by a
hungry owner, or how an old pie recipe discovered in an antique drawer became a favorite at the Golden Lamb restaurant.
This collection of recipes and their background is a tasty way to share American food history and culture.
Critique: Beautifully illustrated throughly, "Signature Dishes of America: Recipes and Culinary Treasures from Historic
Hotels and Restaurants" is an impressive compendium of classic, palate-pleasing, appetite-satisfying, and kitchen cook
friendly recipes that will bring a culinary elegance to any and all dining occasions. Exceptionally well organized and
presented, "Signature Dishes of America" will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular and appreciated pick for
personal, professional, and community library regional cookbook collections. It should be noted that "Signature Dishes of
America" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $24.99).
Editorial Note: Sherry Monahan (https://sherrymonahan.com) is a culinary historian who enjoys researching the genealogy
of food and spirits. After studying frontier food, her culinary repertoire has expanded to include food and drinks from all
over America and beyond. She is a past-president of Western Writers of America and holds memberships in the James
Beard Foundation, the Authors Guild, and is an honorary Dodge City Marshal. Her other publications include Golden
Elixir of the West, Tinsel Tumbleweeds, and Star-Spangled Celebrations, The Tombstone Cookbook, Frontier Fare, The
Cowboy Cookbook, and Mrs. Earp: The Wives and Lovers of the Earp Brothers.
The Vegan Baker
Zachary Bird
Smith Street Books
c/o Rizzoli
www.rizzoliusa.com
9781922754554, $35.00, HC, 304pp
https://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Baker-Ultimate-Plant-based-Pastries/dp/1922754552
Synopsis: For any vegans struggling to veganize their favorite savory treats, sweets, or desserts, with the publication of
"The Vegan Baker: The Ultimate Guide to Plant-based Breads, Pastries, Cookies, Slices, and More" vegan culinary expert
Zacchary Bird is here to take you on a cooking experience like no other.
More than just a cookbook, "The Vegan Baker" is packed from cover to cover with over 100 recipes for all our baked
favorites, made vegan. Whip up cherry pies, chocolate chip cookies, or chocolate cakes without butter, eggs, milk, cheese,
and honey.
With "The Vegan Baker" you can learn how to make croissants from scratch, with step-by-step photos that show you how
to laminate your own pastry. Bake fresh brioche, Japanese shokupan, and other usually dairy-laden breads, or make your
own sourdough starter that you'll love so much you'll want to keep it by your side (or at least in your fridge) forever.
If you're feeling adventurous, learn how to make profiteroles, millefeuille, cannoli, and even a croquembouche. Or if
savory snacks are more your jam, Zac has recipes for sausage rolls, cornbread, meat-filled pies, scones, and more.
Each recipe is explained with Bird's signature humor and easy-to-follow instructions. Veganism isn't about missing out --
it's about getting creative, and with Bird's ingenuity, baked goods are no longer forbidden.
Critique: Simply stated, "The Vegan Baker: The Ultimate Guide to Plant-based Breads, Pastries, Cookies, Slices, and
More" is beautifully and profusely illustrated throughout and the ultimate 'kitchen cook friendly' DIY guide to plant-based
baked goods for vegans and vegetarians. A delight to browse through and to plan menus with, "The Vegan Baker" is
certain to be a treasured addition to personal, professional, and community library Vegan/Vegetarian cookbook
collections.
Editorial Note: Zacchary Bird (https://www.zaccharybird.com) is a vegan cookbook author, recipe developer, and social
media personality living in Melbourne, Australia. His first full-length published cookbook Vegan Junk Food: A Down &
Dirty Cookbook was released in 2020 by Smith Street Books and was called "a real winner" by New Zealand Prime
Minister Jacinda Ardern. His follow-up cookbook The Vegan Butcher was the 2021 winner of PETA's Best Vegan
Cookbook.
The Nourishing Asian Kitchen
Sophia Nguyen Eng
Chelsea Green Publishing Company
www.chelseagreen.com
9781645022169, $34.95, PB, 320pp
https://www.amazon.com/Nourishing-Asian-Kitchen-Nutrient-Dense-Recipes/dp/1645022161
Synopsis: When Sophia Nguyen Eng moved to the Appalachian Mountains in Tennessee to start a family farm, she was
determined to honor the cultural food traditions and flavors passed down by her parents, who fled Vietnam in 1975. The
meals of her childhood drew inspiration from the rich culinary traditions of Vietnam, China, Japan, Korea, and other Asian
countries. However, Sophia noticed that preparing these dishes in the United States often relied heavily on processed
ingredients containing artificial flavors and preservatives. She was determined to recreate the flavorful recipes she loved
while making them healthier.
Inspired by the nutritional research of Weston A. Price, the regenerative farming practices of Joel Salatin, and the
traditional Asian recipes passed down through her family for generations, with the publication of "The Nourishing Asian
Kitchen: Nutrient-Dense Recipes for Health and Healing" Sophia has curated a unique collection of wholesome dishes.
These recipes explore the proper preparation of grains, dairy, meats, and ferments, emphasizing fresh ingredients and
traditional cooking methods while focusing on flavor, food quality, ingredient sourcing, seasonality, and eating
nose-to-tail.
With an opening sectioning on mastering basic techniques (like working with bone broth, fish fumet, and ghee) the recipes
range from familiar classics to mind-blowing creations, including: Sauces (Korean Gochujang Sauce, Hoisin Sauce,
Vietnamese "Peanut" Dipping Sauce, Lemongrass Chili Oil); Vegetable & Sides (Pickled Red Onion, Daikon Kimchi,
Wild Bibimbap, Mushroom Banchan); Soups (Oxtail Pho, Sweet and Sour Tamarind Soup, Spicy Thai Hot Pot, Crab
Noodle Soup); Meats (Garlic Butter Chicken Wings, Five Spice Pork Belly Banh Mi, Shaking Beef with Watercress Salad,
Lamb Bulgogi Spring Rolls); Beverages & Desserts (Vietnamese Coffee, Strawberry Lychee Panna Cotta, Matcha Green
Tea Honey Ice Cream) -- and so much more!
From hot pot to tempura, kimchi to pho, each recipe is designed to nourish the body and reconnect with tradition and
heritage. And with beautiful photography by David K. Peng, easy-to-follow instructions, and tips for sourcing high-quality
ingredients, The Nourishing Asian Kitchen is a must-have for anyone seeking to explore the world of Asian cuisine
through the lens of nourishing traditions.
Critique: Beautifully illustrated and published in a large format (7 x 1 x 10 inches, 1.25 pounds) paperback format, "The
Nourishing Asian Kitchen: Nutrient-Dense Recipes for Health and Healing" is exceptionally 'kitchen cook friendly' in
organization and presentation. An ideal and highly recommended pick for personal, professional, and community library
ethnic cookbook collections, it should be noted that "The Nourishing Asian Kitchen" is also readily available in a digital
book format (Kindle, $26.49).
Editorial Note: Sophia Nguyen Eng is a first-generation Vietnamese-American who left a successful career in growth
marketing in Silicon Valley to start a five-acre permaculture farm in the Appalachian region of eastern Tennessee. During
her time in the tech industry, Eng led successful growth marketing campaigns for startups and Fortune 500 companies like
WorkDay, InVision, and Smartsheet, which led to opportunities to develop a certificate training program with CXL
Institute and being a founder of the tech organization Women in Growth. Now she draws on her experiences speaking on
stage and her knowledge of food, farming, and health to present at homesteading conferences. Eng is also a Weston A.
Price Chapter Leader and the founder of the website Sprinkle with Soil. With her husband, Tim, she raises grass-fed dairy
cows, beef cattle, laying hens, broilers, ducks, sheep, goats, turkeys, and grows a variety of produce for her
multi-generational family and local community.
Wisconsin Field to Fork
Lori Fredrich
The Globe Pequot Press
www.globepequot.com
9781493067695, $30.00, HC, 264pp
https://www.amazon.com/Wisconsin-Field-Fork-fresh-recipes/dp/1493067699
Synopsis: Farm-to-table dining has become best practice in restaurants across the nation, connecting consumers with those
who make and grow their food. While farmers have diversified their crops to meet the needs of both creative chefs and
increasingly adventurous home cooks, chefs have played a crucial role in bridging the gap between the field and the
fork.
Although states with longer growing seasons tend to take the credit for their ability to heed the call for locally grown food,
Wisconsin has earned its place at the forefront of the movement. Local chefs have capitalized on the state's bounty,
offering increasingly localized seasonal menus and extending the harvest through active preservation.
With the publication of "Wisconsin Field to Fork: Farm-Fresh Recipes from the Dairy State", Wisconsin culinary expert
Lori Fredrich tells the tale of Wisconsin agriculture, not only through stories about the farmers who provide the wealth of
vegetables, dairy, and livestock needed to sustain local restaurants but also through the seventy chef-driven recipes that
take those products and weave magic into them.
The recipes comprising "Wisconsin Field to Fork: Farm-Fresh Recipes from the Dairy State" range from drinks and
appetizers to dessert include the summery Watermelon Cocktail Punch, Wild Mushroom and Mascarpone Tortelli, and
Strawberry-Rhubarb Tres Leches Cake.
Critique: A compendium of palate pleasing, appetite satisfying, kitchen cook friendly, menu enhancing recipes with a
distinctive Wisconsin ethos, "Wisconsin Field to Fork: Farm-Fresh Recipes from the Dairy State" is beautifully illustrated
throughout and will prove to be an enduringly welcome and appreciated addition to personal, professional, and community
library cookbook collections. It should be noted for the personal resource lists for dedicated Foodies in general, and all
Wisconsin professional and family cooks in particular, that "Wisconsin Field to Fork: Farm-Fresh Recipes from the Dairy
State" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $21.49).
Editorial Note: Lori Fredrich (http://www.lorifredrich.com) is the Senior Food Writer and Dining Editor for OnMilwaukee.
She is also the author of Milwaukee Food: A History of Cream City Cuisine (History Press) and the co-host of FoodCrush,
a podcast "for people who eat." An avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook
collection. Over the years, her recipes and writing have also been featured in a variety of publications including Cheese
Connoisseur, Cooking Light, Edible Milwaukee, Milwaukee Magazine and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Taste of Home Everyday Slow Cooker
Taste of Home, editor
Trusted Media Brands
https://www.trustedmediabrands.com
9781621459828, $17.99, PB, 256pp
https://www.amazon.com/Taste-Home-Everyday-Slow-Cooker/dp/1621459829
Synopsis: The slow cooker is the busy cook's best friend, and for good reason -- it delivers the perfect combination of
comfort food and convenience. When managing hectic schedules, there's something magical about a device that lets you do
your prep work in the morning and discover a ready-to-serve meal just a few hours later.
"Taste of Home Everyday Slow Cooker" is a compendium of some 250+ recipes, each of which will make the most that
kitchen timesaver, the slow cooker. Here are to be bound a culinary wealth of recipes for hot breakfasts, savory main
courses, satisfying sides, hearty soups and stews, and tempting desserts today's families crave most! These amazing recipes
can all be made in the slow cooker so you can plan cooking around your schedule, instead of planning your schedule
around cooking.
Shared by home cooks and approved in the Taste of Home Test Kitchen, these slow-cooked specialties are sure to turn out
perfect every time. Between family dinners, weekend snacks, charity potlucks and game-day spreads, there's no reason to
ever put your slow cooker in the cupboard... every day is a day for slow cooking!
Critique: Beautifully and profusely illustrated with full color photos throughout, "Taste of Home Everyday Slow Cooker"
from Taste of Home features 250+ recipes & tips so no matter the course, occasion or timeline, an ideal dish is always at
your fingertips. "Taste of Home Everyday Slow Cooker" also includes a complete set of nutrition information and diabetic
exchanges (when applicable) to make it easy to plan well-balanced family meals. Of special note is the Freeze-It Icon --
dishes marked with a special icon include full freezing and reheating instructions, so you can plan ahead for your busiest
nights! Also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99), "Taste of Home Everyday Slow Cooker" is thoroughly
DIY and 'user friendly' source for palate pleasing, appetite satisfying, kitchen cook friendly dishes that take full advantage
of the family slow cooker and is a perfect pick for personal, family, and community library cookbook collections.
Editorial Note: Taste of Home is the leading multi-platform producer of information on food, cooking, baking and
entertaining, serving home cooks engaging media that capture the joy and comfort received from food made with love.
www.Tasteofhome.com is a top online destination for engaging audiences with kitchen-tested recipes, how-to techniques,
cooking videos and more.
CDMX: The Food of Mexico City
Rosa Cienfuegos
Smith Street Books
c/o Rizzoli
www.rizzoliusa.com
9781922754585, $40.00, HC, 256pp
https://www.amazon.com/CDMX-Food-Mexico-Rosa-Cienfuegos/dp/1922754587
Synopsis: "CDMX: The Food of Mexico City" is the follow-up cookbook to "Comida Mexicana: Snacks, Tacos, Tortas,
Tamales & Desserts" by Rosa Cienfuegos. Her new cookbook is a continuing celebration of the food of Mexico City and
the dishes that Rosa grew up eating and now recreates in her two Sydney restaurants: Tamaleria and Icatate.
It showcases the food that chilangos (residents of Mexico City) enjoy at home, on the streets, in markets, and in cafes and
bars. Authentic and often unique to Ciudad de Mexico, as the locals call it, CDMX's colorful recipes reflect the vibrancy,
history, and modern urban life of Mexico's liveliest city.
Filled with stunning food photography and on-the-scene shots of Mexico City, "CDMX" is substantially more than just
another ethnic cookbook. In addition to the unique dishes found only in the capital, "CDMX" is also where the country's
regional cuisines come together, giving you the opportunity to eat your way through Mexico without ever having to leave
the city. "CDMX" is the Mexico City culinary guide for those who crave authenticity and who strive to accurately recreate
their favorite food memories or head straight to the source, visiting Rosa's recommended bars, restaurants, street eats, and
markets.
Critique: A compendium of palate pleasing, appetite satisfying, kitchen cook friendly, authentic Mexican dishes (featuring
full page color photos of finished dishes), this large format (8.11 x 0.98 x 11.02 inches, 2.34 pounds) hardcover Smith
Street Books edition of "CDMX: The Food of Mexico City" by chef and restauranteur Rosa Cienfuegos will prove to be an
immediate and enduringly popular pick for personal, professional, and community library cookbook collections.
Editorial Note: Rosa Cienfuegos (https://www.mexicanfoodaustralia.com/our-story) was born in Azcapotzalco, a suburb of
Mexico City. She grew up surrounded by friends and family in this vibrant suburb before eventually relocating to Sydney,
Australia, to be close to her father. Once in Sydney, she missed the food of her home country and began importing
Mexican ingredients as a small business. This ignited the local Mexican community in Sydney, which encouraged
Cienfuegos to open her tamaleria and sell the street-food dishes she loved most in Mexico. Fast-forward several years and
her second restaurant, and deli, Icatate, opened in popular Redfern, extending her food offerings and authentic ingredients
from Mexico City. She regularly returns to Mexico to gain more knowledge and insight into her beloved cuisine.
The German Baking Book
Jurgen Krauss
Weldon Owen
c/o Insight Editions
www.insighteditions.com
9798886740615, $35.00, HC, 208pp
https://www.amazon.com/German-Baking-Book-Breads-Forest/dp/B0BHR4NBKL
Synopsis: "The German Baking Book: Cakes, Tarts, Breads, and More from the Black Forest and Beyond" is a culinary
celebration of German home baking from Jurgen Krauss, the man who won the hearts of viewers and three Star Baker
honors from the judges of The Great British Baking Show. A self-taught baker, Jurgen has drawn on the flavors,
techniques, and memories from his childhood, his European travels, and his wife's Jewish heritage, to create a collection of
authentic German baking recipes from his home to yours.
Jurgen's gentle charm can be felt with each delightful recipe ranging rom German classics such as Black Forest gateau, and
coffee cake, to festive bakes including lebkuchen and gingerbread, each of Jurgen's delicious recipes are crafted with care
and simplicity.
Critique: Beautifully and profusely illustrated throughout with full page color photography, "The German Baking Book:
Cakes, Tarts, Breads, and More from the Black Forest and Beyond" is an essential, core addition to personal, professional,
and community library cookbook collections. Of special and particular interest to fans of The Great British Baking Show
and home bakers with a love for classic and festive German baking, it should be noted that "The German Baking Book" is
also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99).
Editorial Note: Jurgen Krauss is a former Database Administrator turned professional baker, and a former contestant of
The Great British Baking Show. His love for baking began during his childhood in the Black Forest. His travels across
Europe widened his culinary influences and instilled in him the desire to master German bread-making, the perfect
showcase for his technical precision and creative flavors.
The American History Shelf
Agriculture in the Midwest, 1815-1900
R. Douglas Hurt
University of Nebraska Press
www.nebraskapress.unl.edu
9781496233493, $70.00, HC, 448pp
https://www.amazon.com/Agriculture-Midwest-1815-1900-Prof-Douglas/dp/1496233492
Synopsis: After the War of 1812 and the removal of the region's Indigenous peoples, the American Midwest became a
paradoxical land for settlers. Even as many settlers found that the region provided the bountiful life of their dreams, others
found disappointment, even failure -- while still others suffered social and racial prejudice.
"Agriculture in the Midwest, 1815-1900" by Professor R. Douglas Hurt is a broad and authoritative survey of midwestern
agriculture from the War of 1812 to the turn of the twentieth century. Professor Hurt contends that this region proved to be
the country's garden spot and the nation's heart of agricultural production.
During these eighty-five years the region transformed from a sparsely settled area to the home of large industrial and
commercial cities, including Chicago, Milwaukee, Cleveland, and Detroit. Still, it remained primarily an agricultural
region that promised a better life for many of the people who acquired land, raised crops and livestock, provided for their
families, adopted new technologies, and sought political reform to benefit their economic interests.
Focusing on the history of midwestern agriculture during wartime, utopian isolation, and colonization as well as political
unrest, Hurt contextualizes myriad facets of the region's past to show how agricultural life developed for midwestern
farmers -- and to reflect on what that meant for the region and nation.
Critique: Informatively enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of illustrations, fifty-two pages of Notes, a ten page
Selected Bibliography, and an eight page Index, "Agriculture in the Midwest, 1815-1900" is a work of meticulous
historical research. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Agriculture in the Midwest, 1815-1900" is
especially and unreservedly recommended for community and college/university library 19th Century American History
collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students,
academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Agriculture in the Midwest, 1815-1900" is
also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $66.50).
Editorial Note: R. Douglas Hurt (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._Douglas_Hurt) is a professor of history at Purdue
University. He is the author or editor of numerous books, including Food and Agriculture during the Civil War; The Big
Empty: The Great Plains in the Twentieth Century; and The Great Plains during World War II (Bison Books, 2010).
The World History Shelf
Lost Cities of the Ancient World
Philip Matyszak
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500025659, $34.95, HC, 288pp
https://www.amazon.com/Cities-Ancient-World-Philip-Matyszak/dp/0500025657
Synopsis: The ruins of ancient Athens, Luxor, and Rome are all familiar cornerstones of world history, visited by travelers
from across the globe. But what about the cities that have dropped off the map? That have been submerged under water, or
swallowed up by the sands of time? Where are they, and what can they tell us about our past?
"Lost Cities of the Ancient World" is compendium of forgotten cities wherein historian Philip Matyszak explores the trials,
tribulations, and triumphs these cities faced, revealing how people have embarked on the shared endeavor of living
together since we first settled down twelve thousand years ago.
Illustrated throughout with important artifacts, ruins, and maps, "Lost Cities of the Ancient World" brings to life the sites
and settlements across Europe, the Middle East, and beyond that time forgot and ranging from the sunken city of
Pavlopetri in the Mediterranean to the deep cave dwellings of Derinkuyu in Turkey. Four thousand years of human history
are covered in this history, offering unique insights into forgotten cities and ways of life.
With the publication of "Lost Cities of the Ancient World, Matyszak also reveals a dynamic network of peoples and
cultures who fought and traded between themselves, exchanging inventions, ideas, and philosophies, with the result that
people as far apart as Catalhoyukin Turkey and Skara Brae in Scotland's Orkney Islands shared a common heritage. By
examining the motivations that first drew populations to gather and settle together, as well as the challenges that led to
their cities' abandonment, this visually striking and often surprising book offers us a fresh perspective on our urban
origins.
Critique: Enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of 192 color illustrations, an informative Introduction (Ghosts of the
Past), an eleven page bibliography of Further Readings, a two page listing of Sources of Illustrations, and a four page
Index, "Lost Cities of the Ancient World" will prove of immense value for readers with an interest in ancient history and
civilizations. Thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "Lost Cities of the Ancient World" is also
available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $16.99), "Lost Cities of the Ancient World" will prove
to be a welcome and highly prized edition to community and college/university library Ancient History collections and
supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Philip Matyszak (https://www.matyszakbooks.com) has a doctorate in Roman history from St John's
College, Oxford. He is the author of numerous books on the ancient world, including Forgotten Peoples of the Ancient
World, The Greek and Roman Myths, The Gods and Goddesses of Greece and Rome, and Ancient Magic.
The Military History Shelf
The Savage Storm: The Battle for Italy 1943
James Holland
Atlantic Monthly Press
c/o Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
www.groveatlantic.com
9780802161604, $32.00, HC, 480pp
https://www.amazon.com/Savage-Storm-Battle-Italy-1943/dp/080216160X
Synopsis: Following victory in Sicily, and while the central command planned the spring 1944 invasion of France, Allied
troops crossed into southern Italy in September 1943, expecting to drive Axis forces north and liberate Rome by
Christmas. Italy quickly surrendered but German divisions fiercely resisted, and the hoped-for quick victory descended into
one of the most challenging and protracted battles of the entire war.
With the publication of "The Savage Storm: The Battle for Italy 1943", James Holland chronicles the dramatic opening
months of the Italian Campaign in unflinching and insightful detail. Unlike any campaign history yet written. Holland
narrates the war at ground level, and chronicles events almost entirely through the contemporary eyes of those who were
there on all sides and at all levels -- Allied, Axis, civilians alike.
Weaving together a wealth of letters, diaries, and other documents (from the likes of American General Mark Clark,
German battalion commander Georg Zellner, New Zealand lance-corporal Roger Smith, legendary war reporter Ernie Pyle,
and Italian politician Filippo Caracciolo) Holland traces the battles as they were experienced across plains, over mountains,
through shattered villages and cities, in intense heat and, towards the end of December 1943, frigid cold and relentless
rain.
Such close-up views have persuaded Holland to recast important aspects of the campaign, reappraising the reputation of
Mark Clark himself and other senior commanders of the U.S. Fifth and British Eighth armies. Given the shortage of Allied
shipping and materiel allocated to Italy because of the build-up for D-Day, more was expected of Allied troops in Italy than
anywhere else, and, as accounts at the time attest, a huge price was paid by everyone for each bloodily contested mile.
"The Savage Storm" puts the reader vividly in the moment as events unfolded, with characters made unforgettable by their
own words. Simply stated "The Savage Storm" is a defining account of the pivotal months leading to Monte Cassino, and a
landmark in the writing about war.
Critique: A massively detailed study, "The Savage Storm: The Battle for Italy 1943" is exceptionally well researched,
written, organized and presented -- making it an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to personal,
professional, community, and college/university World War II Military History collections and supplemental curriculum
studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, military history buffs, and non-specialist general readers with an
interest in the subject that "The Savage Storm: The Battle for Italy 1943" is also readily available in a digital book format
(Kindle, $16.99).
Editorial Note: James Holland is one of WWII's finest historians and the author of Brothers in Arms, Sicily '43, Normandy
'44, Big Week, The Rise of Germany and The Allies Strike Back in the War in the West trilogy, and Dam Busters. He has
written and presented the BAFTA short-listed documentaries Battle of Britain and Dam Busters for the BBC. His WWII
podcast is We Have Ways of Making You Talk. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Holland_(author)
Roman Conquests: Gaul
Michael M. Sage
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.penandswordbooks.com
9781399077323, $26.95, PB, 224pp
https://www.amazon.com/Roman-Conquests-Michael-M-Sage/dp/1399077325
Synopsis: "Roman Conquests: Gaul" by Michael M. Sage is newest addition to the Roman Conquests from Pen & Sword
Books. This is definitive series that deals with some of the best known Roman campaigns of all.
Indeed, due to the involvement of Julius Caesar in the Roman military campaigns agaist the Gauls, and the commentaries
he wrote upon them, these are some of the most studied of any ancient campaigns.
Before Caesar, however, Rome had already established a foothold across the Alps in Gaul (the Province, modern
Provence) and with "Roman Conquests: Gaul", historian Michael M Sage starts this historical study with these early
acquisitions which were largely reactive and defensive.
The Gauls were one of the great warrior societies of ancient Europe and some of Rome's heaviest defeats were suffered
here at the end of the second century BC. This context makes all the more remarkable the dazzling success of the
audacious campaigns, just half a century later, by which Caesar rapidly completed the initial conquest of the rest of
Gaul.
The subsequent revolts that soon occurred, culminating in the great unified rising under Vercingetorix, are also covered in
detail, with the epic siege of Alesia as the dramatic climax.
Michael Sage deftly narrates and analyzes all of these campaigns, revealing just how the Roman military war machine was
able ultimately able to overcome vastly superior numbers of Celtic warriors, ultimately resulting in the extension of
Rome's rule from the Mediterranean to the English Channel.
Critique: Enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of a section of color plates and maps, "Roman Conquests: Gaul" also
features a seven page Appendix (Development of the Roman Army of the First Century BC), nine pages of Notes, a nine
page Bibliography, and a five page Index. "Roman Conquests: Gaul" is fascinating, informative, deftly organized and
thoroughly 'reader friendly' in presentation. Originally published in hardcover in 2012, this new paperback edition is a
solidly recommended pick for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Roman History collections
and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers
with an interest in the subject that "Roman Conquests: Gaul" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Michael M Sage gained his doctorate in Classics from Toronto University in 1973. After a long teaching
career at the University of Cincinatti, Ohio, he is now Emeritus Professor of Classics. His previous works include Warfare
in Ancient Greece: A Sourcebook (1996) and The Republican Roman Army: A Sourcebook (2008).
Allied Victory Over Japan 1945
Jon Diamond
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.penandswordbooks.com
9781399042888, $28.95, PB, 232pp
https://www.amazon.com/Allied-Victory-Over-Japan-1945/dp/1399042882
Synopsis: In 1944 with the war in Europe turning in the Allies' favor, Japan still occupied vast swathes of South East Asia
and the Pacific.
In Burma, the seemly unstoppable Japanese advance was halted at Kohima and Imphal in June and July 1944. Six months
later the advances made by British-led forces enabled the re-opening of the supply routes from India to US forces in China.
It was not until Spring 1945 that British-led forces seized first Mandalay and then the port city of Rangoon after a year of
grueling fighting.
Admiral Nimitz's and General MacArthur's forces meanwhile were overcoming fanatical Japanese resistance as they
invaded Saipan, Guam, Tinian, Leyte and Luzon in late 1944. Iwo Jima and Okinawa fell to the Allies in early 1945. These
successes enabled USAAF Superfortresses to bomb mainland Japan. Late Spring/Early Summer 1945 saw the steady
recapture of the Northern Solomons and Brunei, Borneo and former Dutch colonies. The Soviets were advancing into
Manchuria and Korea.
The atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 finally forced the Japanese to surrender without the
inevitable carnage of an invasion of their mainland.
The tumultuous events of the final year of the Second World War in the Far East are brilliantly described in the pages of
"Allied Victory Over Japan 1945: Rare Photographs from Wartime Achieves by Jon Diamond who provides a wealth of
contemporary well captioned images supported by a succinct text.
Critique: The large format paperback edition of "Allied Victory Over Japan 1945: Rare Photographs from Wartime
Achieves) from Pen & Sword Books is a high value and unreservedly recommended contribution to personal, professional,
community, and college/university library Pacific Theatre World War II collections and supplemental curriculum studies
lists. It should be noted for students, academia, military history buffs, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in
the subject that "Allied Victory Over Japan 1945: Rare Photographs from Wartime Achieves" (a part of the Pen & Sword
'Images of War' series) is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).
Editorial Note: Jon Diamond MD is a kidney specialist in the USA with a deep interest in the Second World War. He is a
keen collector of photographs. His Stilwell and the Chindits, War in the South Pacific, Invasion of Sicily, Invasion of the
Italian Mainland: Salerno to Gustav Line, 1943-1944, Onto Rome 1944; Anzio and Victory at Cassino and Beyond Rome
to the Alps; Across the Arno and Gothic Line, 1944-1945 and Op Plunder The Rhine River Crossing are all published by
Pen and Sword in their Images of War series.
The Dieppe Raid
John Grehan, author
Alexander Nicoll, author
Frontline Books
c/o Casemate Publishers
www.casematepublishers.com
9781399067201, $34.95, PB, 192pp
https://www.amazon.com/Dieppe-Raid-Assault-Hitlers-Fortress/dp/1399067206
Synopsis: As dawn was breaking on the morning of 19 August 1942, Allied troops leapt ashore to the east and west of the
French port of Dieppe. These were British commandoes accompanied by U.S. Rangers, tasked to silence the German gun
batteries that flanked Dieppe. Other troops (the men of the 2nd Canadian Division) landed closer to Dieppe to capture the
German positions that overlooked the port while, minutes later, the main body of the predominantly Canadian assaulting
force began clambering from landing craft that had run onto the beach along Dieppe's seafront. This was the start of
Operation Jubilee, the Allies' most ambitious assault upon Hitler's so-called Fortress Europe that quickly became a
bloodbath.
The early months of 1942 had been difficult ones for Prime Minister Churchill. Stalin was demanding action in Western
Europe to lessen the pressure of the 280 German divisions that were bearing down upon Stalingrad. Roosevelt was
insisting that U.S. soldiers must start fighting the Germans in Europe, and Mackenzie King, the Canadian Prime Minister,
desperately needed Canadian troops to become involved in the war to keep his politically divided nation together.
Churchill's response to these measures was to authorize a 'super-raid' upon German-held territory, and the target selected
by the planners was Dieppe.
Apart from the notable success of No.4 Commando, the raid was a disaster with more than 50 per cent of the 6,086 men
who landed being killed, wounded, or taken prisoner, plus all the Churchill tanks landed in support of the infantry suffered
mechanical failure or were shelled into smoking wrecks. Yet amid the scenes slaughter, of confusion, and communication
breakdown, were acts of almost unimaginable heroism, ingenuity, determination, and self-sacrifice to which the awarding
of two Victoria Crosses paid a worthy tribute. There were also special missions associated with the raid, the details of
which remained a closely guarded secret until long after the war.
A part of the Frontline Books 'Images of War; series, "The Dieppe Raid: The Allies' Assault Upon Hitler's Fortress Europe,
August 1942" by co-authors John Grehan and Alexander Nicoll opens a window on Operation Jubilee, allowing the reader
a rare insight into the death and destruction inflicted upon the Allied force during just a few hours, and of the damage done
to Dieppe itself, with many of the photographs being taken by the victorious German defenders. The raid saw the heaviest
casualty figures experienced by Canadians in the Second World War, and the photographs in this book are a stark reminder
of that fateful day in late summer of 1942.
Critique: This large format (7.75 x 0.5 x 10 inches) paperback edition of "The Dieppe Raid: The Allies' Assault Upon
Hitler's Fortress Europe, August 1942" is a truly stunning collection of authentic historical B/W photos whose images and
captions provide rare insight into the death and destruction inflicted upon Allied forces during the Dieppe Raid. While
highly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university World War II collections and
supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be noted for students, academia, military history buffs, and non-specialist
general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Dieppe Raid: The Allies' Assault Upon Hitler's Fortress Europe,
August 1942" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99).
Editorial Note #1: John Grehan has written, edited or contributed to more than 300 books and magazine articles covering a
wide span of military history from the Iron Age to the recent conflict in Afghanistan. John has also appeared on local and
national radio and television to advise on military history topics. He was employed as the Assistant Editor of Britain at
War Magazine from its inception until 2014. John now devotes his time to writing and editing books.
Editorial Note #2: Alexander Nicoll has been involved in writing and publishing military history for thirty years. He began
his career with local history, and has since written numerous books and magazine articles, predominantly on subjects
relating to the two world wars.
Duel in the Deep
David Sears
Naval Institute Press
www.nip.org
9781682475607, $34.95, HC, 376pp
https://www.amazon.com/Duel-Deep-Hunters-Hunted-Finish/dp/1682475603
Synopsis: In Autumn 1943 the Battle of the Atlantic (World War II's longest seagoing campaign) reached a new crescendo.
Anti-submarine aircraft and ships using new tactics, technologies, and weaponry dominated a seascape where German
U-boats once ruled supreme. But then unexpectedly, in eerie, mid-ocean darkness, an elemental hull-to-deck,
sailor-to-submariner duel erupted.
On Halloween Eve, U.S. Navy destroyer Borie, an outmoded, thin-skinned "tin can" of World War I vintage, set out alone
to track down an elusive U-boat. Borie had thus far toiled in the war's backwaters, her crew of young reservists anxious to
prove its mettle.
When Borie trapped U-405 on the surface, that chance arrived. As Borie's deck guns unleashed withering fire and U-405's
skipper angled his submarine to launch torpedoes, Borie's young skipper (a salesman in civilian life) resorted to the
original (and the only) means of sinking a submarine: ramming, full speed ahead, consequences be damned.
Borie's slashing collision with U-405 ignited a swashbuckling, no-holds-barred brawl of cannons, machine guns, small
arms, and even knives and spent shell casings. In the wreckage-strewn aftermath, desperate sailors on both sides fought for
survival in a heaving, frigid, unforgiving sea.
"Duel in the Deep: The Hunters, the Hunted, and a High Seas Fight to the Finish" deftly weaves together high-stakes
strategy and lethal gamesmanship with poignant human backstories, pounding air/surface/subsurface action, epic heroism,
and wrenching sacrifice.
Critique: Rescuing from an undeserved obscurity one of the most dramatic and unique submarine battles during World
War II, "Duel in the Deep: The Hunters, the Hunted, and a High Seas Fight to the Finish" by military historian David Sears
is a simply riveting read and an unreservedly recommended pick for personal, professional, community, and
college/university library World War II U.S. Navel History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Informatively enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of Maps, a six page Glossary of Terms and Acronyms, thirty-six
pages of Notes, and a fifteen page Index, it should be noted that "Duel in the Deep" is also available in a digital book
format (Kindle, $19.22).
Editorial Note: David Sears (https://www.duelinthedeep.com) is a New Jersey-based author of four book-length military
history narratives: The Last Epic Naval Battle, At War with the Wind, Such Men as These, and Pacific Air. Sears is also a
frequent contributor to print publications focused on aviation history, naval history, military history, and veteran
affairs.
British Coastal Forces: Two World Wars and After
Norman Friedman
Sealforth Publishing
c/o Naval Institute Press
www.nip.org
9781399018586, $100.00, HC, 400pp
https://www.amazon.com/British-Coastal-Forces-World-After/dp/1399018582
Synopsis: With the publication of "British Coastal Forces: Two World Wars and After", military historian Norman
Friedman presents the first comprehensive study on Britain's coastal defences and forces during and after World Wars I &
II.
Using contemporary official material, much of which has not been used previously, and published memoirs, Friedman
connects the technical story of the coastal craft and their weapons and other innovations with the way they fought. In both
world wars much of the technology was at the edge of what was feasible at the time.
Boats incorporated considerable British innovation and benefited from important U.S. contributions, particularly in
supplying high-powered engines during World War II. In contrast with larger warships, British coastal forces craft were
essentially shaped by a few builders, and their part in the story is given full credit.
"British Coastal Forces" also contains all the sophisticated analysis for which Friedman is so well known as a military
historian, and a superb collection of illustrations is includes detailed plans by John Lambert. Like other books in the
Sealforth Publishing series, "British Coastal Forces is based very heavily on contemporary official material, much of which
has not been used previously -- like the extensive reports of U.S naval observers, who were allowed wide access to the
Royal Navy as early as 1940.
Critique: Profusely illustrated throughout, "British Coastal Forces: Two World Wars and After" is informatively enhanced
for the reader with the inclusion of a listing of Abbreviations, and Appendix (Air-Sea Rescue Boats), forty-three pages of
Notes, a two page Bibliography, a five page Coastal Forces Craft Data List, a twenty-four page List of Coastal Forces
Craft, and a five page Index. Extraordinary and exceptionally well written, impressively organized and presented, this large
format (9.76 x 1.18 x 11.42 inches, 4.81 pounds) hardcover edition of "British Coastal Forces" is a unique and
unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library 20th Century
British Naval & Maritime Military History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Norman Friedman (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Friedman) is a prominent international defense
analyst and historian specializing in the intersection between policy, strategy, and technology. He has published more than
forty books, including The Fifty-Year War, an award-winning history of the Cold War; a history of naval fighter aircraft;
and design histories of many U.S. and British warships.
Battle of the Cities
Anthony Tucker-Jones
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.penandswordbooks.com
9781399072007, $42.95, HC, 264pp
https://www.amazon.com/Battle-Cities-Urban-Warfare-Eastern/dp/1399072005
Synopsis: The Stalingrad battle and the Leningrad siege were just two of the brutal, devastating urban conflicts that marked
the awful struggle between Germany and the Soviet Union during the Second World War. The cities were strategic fixed
points in the sweeping advances and retreats of the opposing armies across eastern Europe. Yet no one has concentrated on
these city battles before or has sought to tell the story of the campaigns through the fighting that took place in and around
them. That is Anthony Tucker-Jones's purpose in publishing "Battle of the Cities: Urban Warfare on the Eastern Front ", a
concise and vivid history of the urban war on the Eastern Front.
Early in the war, during the Wehrmacht's crushing offensives of 1941 and 1942, the Red Army was forced out of a series
of key cities. Moscow was threatened, Leningrad surrounded. Then, after the climactic battle at Stalingrad, the Red Army
with increasing confidence, speed and power drove the Germans from the Soviet and East European capitals they had
occupied. The final urban battles were fought in Germany's cities, culminating in Berlin.
As he traces the course of the fighting for each city, Anthony Tucker-Jones also looks at the local circumstances, the
opposing forces, the strategic significance and the tactics employed. In "Battle of the Cities" he focuses not only on the
destruction and cruelty of such warfare, but on the heroism displayed on both sides and on the fate of the civilians who
found themselves on the front line.
Critique:"Battle of the Cities: Urban Warfare on the Eastern Front" is deftly organized into four major parts (The
Relentless Nazi Tide; Breakwater Cities; Lifting the Nazi Yoke; Final Agonies), and features two sections devoted to
historic B/W photos, two Appendices (German Siege Weapons; Soviet Siege Weapons), a five page Bibliography, and a
nine page Index. A seminal and groundbreaking study from start to finish, "Battle of the Cities" is an exceptional and
highly recommended pick for personal, community, and college/university library World War II (European Theatre)
history collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, military history
buffs, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Battle of the Cities" is also available in a
digital book format (Kindle, $22.49).
Editorial Note: Anthony Tucker-Jones (https://www.atuckerjones.com) is a former defense intelligence officer and a
widely published expert on regional conflicts, counter-terrorism and armored and aerial warfare. He is the author of over
thirty books, is security and terrorism correspondent for intersec - The Journal of International Security, and has freelanced
for Channel 4 News.
Air War Vietnam
Martin W. Bowman
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.penandswordbooks.com
9781526746276, $39.95, HC, 328pp
https://www.amazon.com/Air-War-Vietnam-Martin-Bowman/dp/1526746271
Synopsis: "Air War Vietnam" by Martin Bowman is a revealing narrative of the aerial conflict in South-East Asia,
1965-1972, which had its beginnings in 1 November 1955, engulfed Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia and only ended with
the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975 has resulted from decades of painstaking fact-finding as well as detailed
correspondence with surviving aircrew incorporating a wealth of first-hand accounts, some never told before, supported by
dozens of rare and unusual photographs. Collectively they describe in adrenalin-pumping accuracy the furious aerial battles
of a long suffering and bitter war in South-East Asia and in particular the frontline action in the skies over Vietnam that
will keep readers on the edge of their seats.
The readers will also acquire a new and useful perspective on a conflict that cost the Americans 58,022 dead and brought
the USA worldwide condemnation for its role in Southeast Asia. Nearly 2,500 Americans remained 'missing'.
"Air War Vietnam" also serves as a tribute to the courageous pilots who flew the F-104 Starfighter in the 'Widowmakers'
war and B-52 bomber crews on 'Arc Light' 'Linebacker II' strikes and the eleven days of Christmas which ultimately ended
the aerial campaign against North Vietnam. And as well, strike aircraft such as the USAF F-4 Phantom and the F-105
'Thud' and the US Navy carrier-borne jet and propeller-driven strike aircraft and the Americans' sworn enemy, the North
Vietnamese MiG fighters, feature large, from 'Rolling Thunder' onwards. Equally, the Hueys and Chinooks and other
notable work horses that participated on combat assaults or Ash & Trash missions and transports like the C-130
'Herky-Bird', C-123 Provider, Caribou and Vietnamese C-47 - the 'Haulers On Call' - that performed sterling service during
the grueling air campaign are not forgotten either.
Here presented, at first hand, are their stories which also include some of the less publicized American forces like the
pilots and crewmen who flew the Bird Dogs and all manner of helicopters as well as the largely forgotten Australian and
New Zealand Air Force units and the Anzac Battalions whose valuable contributions are too often overlooked. So too is
the cost in human misery, death and destruction.
Critique: Exceptionally well organized and presented, as well as impressively enhanced for the reader with a section of
historic B/W photos, "Air War Vietnam" is a seminal and critically important contribution to personal, community, and
college/university library Vietnam War history collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Martin Bowman is one of Britain's leading aviation authors and has written a great deal of books focusing
on aspects of Second World War aviation history. He is the author of many Pen and Sword Aviation titles, including all
releases in the exhaustive Air War D-Day and Air War Market Garden series.
(www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Martin-Bowman/a/164)
Belleau Wood and Vaux: 1 to 26 June & July 1918
Maarten Otte
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.penandswordbooks.com
9781526796219, $22.95, PB, 216pp
https://www.amazon.com/Belleau-Wood-Vaux-June-July/dp/152679621X
Synopsis: The Battle of Belleau Wood has a prominent place in the history of the United States Marine Corps. It took place
between 6 and 27 June 1918 (sometimes considered to be 1-26 June). However, when on 6 June 1918 the marines
launched their attack on the wood, the biggest German threat here was nearly over.
Its significance to the Corps is underlined by the presence not only of a monument to the 4th (Marine) Brigade of the US
2nd Division but also by a preserved part of the wood, which is situated to the rear of the Aisne-Marne American
Cemetery. The fighting here marks the first major battle by the USMC in Europe.
The battle came (although the participants were unaware of this) at the end of the the third great German offensive of
Spring 1918, the Blucher-York Offensive, also known as the 3rd Battle of the Aisne, which was launched on 27 May and
officially ended on 4 June. Like its predecessors that Spring, an offensive which had started with startling territorial gains
had almost ground to a halt by the time that the 2nd Division, and thus the marines, were called in to assist the French
Sixth Army in holding the line and in retaking, where possible, crucial positions.
What started out as preventing the Germans from breaking through the French lines and pushing on to Paris ended in a
three-weeks long slogging match in and around Belleau Wood. It was on French General Duchene's instigation that the
woods were attacked; but in reality the marines could have just held the line and been satisfied with that. As it was, they
were flung into action with little time to prepare.
The fighting in Belleau Wood was extremely brutal and involved several attacks and counter-attacks; neither side was
willing to yield an inch of the terrain of a feature that had local strategic significance, particularly to the Germans.
Although the offensive locally here came to an end and the initial German threat in the area was nearly overcome, the focal
point of the fighting moved to Villers Cotterets, twenty-five kilometres north-east of Belleau. The Americans were not
quite finished when Belleau Wood was finally captured, as the nearby village of Vaux was taken by an army brigade of the
2nd Division in a text book attack on 1 July.
The USMC has always had a good 'publicity machine' and Belleau Wood was certainly well known to the wider American
public in the war years, particularly as it was an early action by a formation of the AEF. Although largely forgotten since
the Second World War (the memory perhaps kept alive by the unusual preserved remnant of the battlefield), Belleau
Wood's reputation has been enhanced by increased interest in the war since the turn of the century.
Nowadays, the battle is sometimes called a 'pivotal event in the First World War and an iconic battle in US Marine Corps
history' by several American authors, which some of their European counterparts might regard as somewhat
exaggerated.
Although there have been several guide books on Belleau Wood published in recent years (a clear indication of American
interest in the battle today), what differs in the publication of "Belleau Wood and Vaux: 1 to 26 June & July 1918" by
Maarten Otte is the number of points to visit as well as the clear narrative that precedes the tours section. Not only are
many new points of interest explored in Belleau itself, but the surrounding countryside is not forgotten. Headquarters,
temporary burial sites and other features are included.
"Belleau Wood and Vaux" is profusely illustrated by contemporary photographs and numerous maps, the narrative
supplemented by a number of first hand accounts; the whole is supported by several walking and car tours.
"Belleau Wood and Vaux: 1 to 26 June & July 1918" is the latest in a series of Battleground books by Maarten Otte on the
American Expeditionary Forces, with several more in preparation. The AEF's performance in the war is relatively little
known, not least in the USA; Belleau Wood is one of the few engagements that still carries some resonance. It is fortunate
that so many of the AEF's actions took place in parts of France that have seen little development and are in agricultural or
wooded country, which means that traces of their fighting are relatively plentiful.
Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Belleau Wood and Vaux: 1 to 26 June & July 1918" is a
seminal and unreservedly recommended core contribution to personal, community, and college/university library World
War I military history collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Maarten Otte is a long time resident of the Argonne. Growing up in the Netherlands with a fascination with
the Great War, particularly the role of the United States. He has published books on Nantillois in 1918 and on US Medal of
Honor winners.
Hitler's Imperfect Victories
Rex Bashford
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.penandswordbooks.com
9781399070263, $42.95, HC, 272pp
https://www.amazon.com/Hitlers-Imperfect-Victories-Campaigns-1939-1941/dp/1399070266
Synopsis: There have been many books on Adolf Hitler, and specific military campaigns and battles during the time of the
Third Reich. However, there has never been a comprehensive analysis of Hitler's role as the supreme military leader of the
Third Reich across all the major campaigns until the publication of "Hitler's Imperfect Victories: Campaigns in Western
Europe 1939-1941" by Rex Bashford.
Hitler combined every senior position in government and the armed forces until he was at the same time Supreme
Commander of the Armed Forces, Chancellor, Minister of War and Commander-in-Chief of the Army. He was involved in
every aspect of the German war effort including new weapons development. How well did he perform these roles? He
called himself a genius and was described as "the greatest German military leader of all time" by one of his most senior
military leaders -- but was he? What does the evidence show?
"Hitler's Imperfect Victories" analyses each of the Third Reich's military campaigns paying special attention to Hitler's role
in them. This detailed study is based entirely on the evidence of the most senior military personnel who were there at the
time, from their contemporaneous diaries and subsequent writings. The sources used include the diaries and recollections
of three Chiefs of the Army General Staff, Field-Marshals Rommel, von Rundstedt, von Bock, von Kliest, von Manstein,
numerous other senior generals, Hitler's military adjutants, ministers of his government and evidence from the Trial of the
Major War Criminals at Nuremberg. The question answered is whether or not there is a consistent thread in this
evidence.
Critique: Featuring a seciton of historic B/W photos, "Hitler's Imperfect Victories: Campaigns in Western Europe
1939-1941" is a fascinating, detailed, informative, thoughtful and thought-provoking study that also includes a one page
bibliography of Suggestions for Further Reading, twelve pages of Notes, a two page Select Bibliography, and a nine page
Index. While also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.99), "Hitler's Imperfect
Victories: Campaigns in Western Europe 1939-1941" is a strongly recommended pick for both community and
college/univesity library World War II History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Rex Bashford has been an avid student of military history at all periods during the whole of his life. He has
collected an extensive library with many source materials on a wide variety of historical subjects, especially the military
history of WW1 and WW2. He was admitted the Supreme Court of NSW as a Barrister in 1985 and has practiced as a
consultant to many of the largest companies in Australia.
Fighting for the French Foreign Legion
Nils Elmark
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.penandswordbooks.com
9781399069151, $42.95, HC, 272pp
https://www.amazon.com/Fighting-French-Foreign-Legion-Americans/dp/1399069152
Synopsis: On 24 August 1914, forty-four Americans joined the Foreign Legion and "with a cowboy swing" marched
through Paris, wildly cheered by the crowd. They were Ivy League graduates, artists and dreamers and soldiers of fortune
starting on equal terms as recruits in the French Army. They were the first Americans in the Great War, driven by a love
for France and a thirst for adventure with no idea of the horrors awaiting them. "Fighting for the French Foreign Legion:
Americans who joined the First World War in 1914" by journalist Nils Elmark is the amazing story of these American
legionnaires told by three of the young volunteers:
David Wooster King - a 21-year-old dropout from Harvard, son of a rich businessman. King survived four years in the
trenches ending as an officer in the US Army chasing German spies in Switzerland. He became a modern global adventurer
and when the world went to war again David King was the first to volunteer for an even greater adventure in North
Africa.
Alan Seeger - a 26-year-old poet and dreamer from a New York family of intellectuals. Seeger was killed during the Battle
of the Somme on 4 July 1916. Six weeks earlier, he wrote the famous poem, 'I Have a Rendezvous with Death' which was
to become his legacy and the favorite poem of President Kennedy. It has inspired a line of American presidents during the
20th century and is an indestructible poetic lifeline linking France and the United States of America.
Eugene James Bullard - the last of the three legionnaires and a 19-year-old entertainer and boxer from Columbus, Georgia.
His father was born a slave, his mother was Creek Indian. Although wounded at Verdun and invalided out of the French
Army, Bullard became the world's first black aviator. After the war he settled in Paris and ran a bar in Montmartre before
going to war for France again in 1940.
The three men represent different pillars of the American soul, and their lives and dreams symbolize the story of how
America became modern and remind us of the strong historic ties between France and America. Most of all, "Fighting for
the French Foreign Legion: Americans who joined the First World War in 1914" is a fantastic saga of brave men, great
adventures and terrific sacrifices that bring hope and a new direction in a time of human division.
Critique: A seminal study and an absorbing read from start to finish, "Fighting for the French Foreign Legion: Americans
who joined the First World War in 1914" is a unique and highly recommended pick for personal, community, and
college/university library World War I history and military biography collections. An ideal pick for supplemental World
War I curriculum studies lists, it should be noted for students, academia, military history buffs, and non-specialist general
readers with an interest in the subject that "Fighting for the French Foreign Legion: Americans who joined the First World
War in 1914" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.99).
Editorial Note: Nils Elmark is a European journalist and non-fiction writer. He specializes in digging up near-forgotten
stories, and delights in revealing their exciting, hidden connections in modern history. With four books under his belt,
Fighting for the French Foreign Legion is his fifth book and second in English. Before becoming a reporter, he served in
the Danish Royal Guards.
Elite Bastards
Edward L. Dvorak
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.penandswordbooks.com
9781526789655, $37.95, HC, 296pp
https://www.amazon.com/Elite-Bastards-Missions-Company-Vietnam/dp/1526789655
Synopsis: "Elite Bastards: The Combat Missions of Company F, LRP Teams in Vietnam" by Edward L. Dvorak is an
extraordinary first-person combat memoir of a special forces soldier at war.
Edward Dvorak joined the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Vietnam in the summer of 1967. He then joined Company F, 51st
Infantry, Long Range Patrol, Airborne. For Dvorak and his buddies of Company F, LRP, their real training started with the
MACV (Military Assistant Command Vietnam) Recondo School at the 5th Special Forces Compound in Nha Trang, South
Vietnam. That training culminated with an actual Combat LRP mission.
If you lived through the patrol, you graduated.
Dvorak would remain with Company F for 19 months going on dozens of combat patrols deep behind enemy lines. "Elite
Bastards: The Combat Missions of Company F, LRP Teams in Vietnam" is his story.
Critique: Rightly noted as 'The quintessential first-person combat memoir of a special forces soldier fighting in the jungles
of Vietnam', "Elite Bastards: The Combat Missions of Company F, LRP Teams in Vietnam" is enhanced with the inclusion
of a section of full color historic photos. A compelling and memorable read from start to finish, "Elite Bastards" is a high
value, seminal, and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, community, and college/university library Vietnam
War collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted that "Elite Bastards: The Combat Missions of
Company F, LRP Teams in Vietnam" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.49).
Editorial Note: Edward Dvorak voluntarily enlisted on May 1, 1967, for a 3-year tour of active duty in the US Army. After
three months in Vietnam, he volunteered for Company F, 51st Infantry, Long Range Patrol, Airborne. Company F was
formed from volunteers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade and Company E from volunteers of the 101st Airborne Division.
The two LRP Companies eventually became the first two Long Range Patrol Companies of the 75th Ranger Regiment
when it was activated on 1 February 1969. He remained with Company F LRPs for 19 months and was promoted from a
Spec 4 to Staff Sergeant during that time period. He served in every position on a LRP Team, which culminated with his
promotion to the team leader (TL) for LRP Team 1-3. Among his many decorations, Dvorak earned the Combat Infantry
Badge (CIB), Silver Star, Bronze Star with "V" Device, and the Purple Heart with one Oak Leaf cluster (2 Purple
Hearts).
The Biography Shelf
Crusade to Heal America
Judith L. Pearson
Mayo Clinic Press
https://mcpress.mayoclinic.org
9798887701561, $27.99, HC, 336pp
https://www.amazon.com/Crusade-Heal-America-Remarkable-Lasker/dp/B0BRQTJRNR
Synopsis: "I am opposed to heart disease and cancer the way one is opposed to sin." With that as her battle cry, health
activist and philanthropist Mary Woodard Lasker had a singular goal: saving lives by increasing medical research.
Together with her husband, advertising genius Albert, they created the Lasker Foundation, bestowing the Lasker Awards.
Known as the "American Nobels," these became the most prestigious research awards in America. The Laskers' next step
was transforming the sleepy and ineffectual American Society for the Control of Cancer, reinventing it as the American
Cancer Society in 1944.
But the real increase in medical research funding occurred when Mary discovered a revolutionary source: the federal
government. "I'm just a catalytic agent," she would insist, while she tirelessly lobbied Congress and presidents alike. She
played a major role in expanding the National Institutes of Health from a single entity to the largest research facility in the
world.
A feminist who used her femininity wisely, Mary's ultimate victory was bringing together two political adversaries to help
launch the original cancer moonshot: the 1971 National Cancer Act.
"Crusade to Heal America: The Remarkable Life of Mary Lasker" by Judith L. Pearson is a deeply researched biography
that showcases the life and accomplishments of a woman who was savvy, steely, and deliberate.
Mary Lasker courageously positioned herself at the crossroads of politics, science, and medicine. At a time when women
in research laboratories and the halls of Congress were anomalies, she smashed stereotypes in the fashion of Jeannette
Rankin, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Shirley Chisholm. As eloquently described in this absorbing personal and professional
history, the country's march to conquer humanity's most feared maladies was well- fueled by its fearless and feisty crusader
-- Mary Lasker.
Critique: Informative, detailed, compelling, insightful, memorable and inspiring, "Crusade to Heal America: The
Remarkable Life of Mary Lasker" is an extraordinary and impressively well written biography that is especially and
unreservedly recommended for community and college/university library Women's Biography collections. It should be
noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, political activists, and non-specialist general readers with an
interest in the subject that 'Crusade to Heal America: The Remarkable Life of Mary Lasker" is also available in a digital
book format (Kindle, $11.99).
Editorial Note: Judith Pearson (https://judithlpearson.com) is the award-winning author of three previous books: The
Wolves at the Door, Belly of the Beast, and From Shadows to Life, which won the 2022 Nautilus Gold Award.
What Was Shakespeare Really Like?
Stanley Wells
Cambridge University Press
www.cambridge.org
9781009340373, $19.95, HC, 130pp
https://www.amazon.com/What-Was-Shakespeare-Really-Like/dp/1009340379
Synopsis: Sir Stanley Wells is one of the world's greatest authorities on William Shakespeare. With the publication of
"What Was Shakespeare Really Like?" from the Cambridge University Press, he brings a lifetime of learning and
reflection to bear on some of the most tantalizing questions about the poet and dramatist that there are.
How did he think, feel, and work? What were his relationships like? What did he believe about death? What made him
laugh? This freshly thought and immensely engaging study wrestles with fundamental debates concerning Shakespeare's
personality and life.
The mysteries of how Shakespeare lived, whom and how he loved, how he worked, how he produced some of the greatest
and most abidingly popular works in the history of world literature and drama, have fascinated readers for centuries. This
concise, crystalline biography conjures illuminating insights to reveal Shakespeare as he was. Wells brings the writer and
dramatist alive, in all his fascinating humanity, for a new generation of readers.
Critique: Inherently interesting, insightful, absorbing, eloquent, thoughtful and thought-provoking, "What Was
Shakespeare Really Like?" by Professor Stanley Wells is an unreservedly recommended pick for personal, professional,
community, and college/university library biography collections and supplemental William Shakespeare curriculum studies
lists. It should be noted for students, academia, dedicated Shakespeare enthusiasts, and non-specialist general readers that
"What Was Shakespeare Really Like?" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $16.99).
Editorial Note: Professor Sir Stanley Wells, CBE, FRSL, is Honorary President at The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. His
many successful books include Shakespeare: For All Time (2002), Looking for Sex in Shakespeare (2004), Shakespeare &
Co. (2006), Shakespeare, Sex, and Love (2010) and Great Shakespeare Actors (2015). He is co-editor of The Cambridge
Companion to Shakespeare on Stage (with Sarah Stanton, Cambridge University Press, 2002), The New Cambridge
Companion to Shakespeare (with Margreta de Grazia, Cambridge University Press, 2010), The Shakespeare Circle: An
Alternative Biography (with Paul Edmondson, Cambridge University Press, 2015) and All the Sonnets of Shakespeare
(also with Paul Edmondson, Cambridge University Press, 2020). He is also the General Editor of the Oxford and Penguin
editions of Shakespeare. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Wells)
Like a Fiery Meteor: The Life of Joseph F. Smith
Stephen C. Tayson
The University of Utah Press
www.uofupress.com
9781647691271, $95.00, HC, 469pp
https://www.amazon.com/Like-Fiery-Meteor-Joseph-Smith/dp/1647691273
Synopsis: Joseph F. Smith was born in 1838 to Hyrum Smith and Mary Fielding Smith. Six years later both his father and
his uncle, Joseph Smith Jr., the founding prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, were murdered in
Carthage, Illinois. The trauma of that event remained with Joseph F. for the rest of his life, affecting his personal behavior
and public tenure in the highest tiers of the LDS Church, including the post of president from 1901 until his death in
1918.
It was Joseph F. Smith who laid the theological groundwork for modern Mormonism, especially the emphasis on temple
work. This contribution was capped off by his "revelation on the redemption of the dead," a prophetic glimpse into the
afterlife.
With the publication of "Like a Fiery Meteor: The Life of Joseph F. Smith", Professor Stephen Taysom deftly traces the
roots of this vision, which reach far more deeply into Joseph F. Smith's life than other scholars and biographers have
previously identified.
"Like a Fiery Meteor: The Life of Joseph F. Smith" is the first cradle-to-grave biography of Joseph F. Smith and utilizes
previously unavailable primary source materials to craft a deeply detailed, insightful story of a prominent member of a
governing and influential Mormon family. Most importantly, Professor Taysom situates Smith within the historical
currents of American westward expansion, rapid industrialization, settler colonialism, regional and national politics,
changing ideas about family and masculinity, and more.
Though some writers tend to view the LDS Church and its leaders through a lens of political and religious separatism,
Professor Taysom does the opposite, pushing Joseph F. Smith and the LDS Church closer to the centers of power in
Washington, DC, and elsewhere.
Critique: A inherently fascinating and impressively informative read from start to finish, "Like a Fiery Meteor: The Life of
Joseph F. Smith" is further enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of 'A Note on Sources', an eight page Bibliography,
sixty-four pages of Notes, and a twelve page Index. An extraordinary work of meticulous scholarship, exceptionally well
written, organized and presented, "Like a Fiery Meteor: The Life of Joseph F. Smith" is especially and unreservedly
recommended for personal, community, and college/university library American Biography and Mormon History
collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students,
academia, members of the Mormon community, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Like
a Fiery Meteor: The Life of Joseph F. Smith" is also available in a paperback edition (9781647691288, $34.95) and in a
digital book format (Kindle, $20.99).
Editorial Note: Stephen C. Taysom is a professor of philosophy and comparative religion at Cleveland State University. He
is the author of Shakers, Mormons, and Religious Worlds and editor of Dimensions of Faith: A Mormon Studies Reader,
as well as of numerous articles in academic journals.
The Wisest Fool: The Lavish Life of James VI and I
Steven Veerapen
Birlinn
c/o Casemate Publishers
www.casematepublishers.com
9781780278162, $34.95, HC, 432pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-wisest-fool-steven-veerapen/1143241926
Synopsis: James VI and I was the first monarch to reign over Scotland, England and Ireland and has long endured a mixed
reputation. To many, he is simply the homosexual king, the inveterate witch-roaster, the smelly sovereign who never
washed, the colorless man behind the authorised Bible bearing his name, or the drooling fool whose speech could barely be
understood.
For too long, he has paled in comparison to his more celebrated Tudor and Stuart forebears. But who was he really? To
what extent have myth, anecdote, and rumour obscured him?
With the publication of "The Wisest Fool: The Lavish Life of James VI and I" by Steven Veerapen is a new and
ground-breaking biography in which King James's story is laid bare and a welter of scurrilous, outrageous assumptions
penned by his political opponents put to rest.
What emerges is a portrait of Elizabeth I's successor as his contemporaries knew him: a gregarious, idealistic man obsessed
with the idea of family, whose personal and political goals could never match up to reality. With reference to letters, libels
and state papers, this seminal study casts fresh light on the personal, domestic, international and sexual politics of this
misunderstood sovereign.
Critique: In new and inherently fascinating biography, the life, times, and accomplishments of James VI and I (James
Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 - 27 March 1625) is carefully laid out with an impressive degree of meticulous research and
corrects a traditional welter of scurrilous assumptions penned by his political opponents which are diligently put to rest.
Based on primary and printed sources, along with fourteen pages of Notes and featuring a seventeen page Index, this
hardcover edition of "The Wisest Fool: The Lavish Life of James VI and I" by Steven Veerapen is an impressive and
highly recommended addition to community and college/university library 16th & 17th English History and Royal
Biography collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of
students, academia, dedicated Anglophiles, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The
Wisest Fool" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.95).
Editorial Note: Steven Veerapen (https://www.stevenveerapen.com) was born in Glasgow to a Scottish mother and a
Mauritian father and raised in Paisley. Pursuing an interest in the sixteenth century, he was awarded a first-class Honours
degree in English, focussing his dissertation on representations of Henry VIII's six wives.
Connery, Sean Connery
Herbie J. Pilato
BearManor Media
www.bearmanormedia.com
9798887712642, $32.00, PB, 416pp
https://www.amazon.com/Connery-Sean-Before-During-Famous/dp/B0CHL3MGP5
Synopsis: Sir Thomas Sean Connery (25 August 1930 - 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to
portray fictional British secret agent James Bond on film, starring in seven Bond films between 1962 and 1983. Connery
originated the role in Dr. No (1962) and continued starring as Bond in the Eon Productions From Russia with Love (1963),
Goldfinger (1964), Thunderball (1965), You Only Live Twice (1967) and Diamonds Are Forever (1971). Connery made
his final appearance in the franchise in Never Say Never Again (1983), a non-Eon-produced Bond film.
With an in-depth perspective, "Connery, Sean Connery", biographer Herbie J. Pilato defines and distinguishes the iconic
star's life and career before, during, and after his most famous role. With a Foreword by Barbara Carrera (Sean Connery's
co-star from Never Say Never Again, his final film as everyone's favorite British super secret agent), and an Introduction
by Richard Demarco (Connery's lifelong friend), "Connery, Sean Connery" from BearManor Media also features exclusive
commentary from actors like Brendan Lynch (another of Connery's lifelong friends), Luciana Paluzzi (Thunderball), Tippi
Hedren (Marnie), and more.
Critique: Enhanced for the reader with the inclusion to two sections of B/W photos, chapter notes, a bibliography, a
selected timeline, and a useful index, "Connery, Sean Connery" is an absolute 'must' for the legions of Sean Connery fans
and unreservedly recommended for both community and college/university library Cinematic History/Biography
collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Herbie J Pilato (https://www.herbiejpilato.com) is a writer, producer, TV personality, singer/songwriter,
actor, and the author of over 14 media tie-in/popular culture/celebrity biographies.
Mary Pratt: A Love Affair with Vision
Anne Koval
Goose Lane Editions
www.gooselane.com
9781773101729, $45.00, HC, 320pp
https://www.amazon.com/Mary-Pratt-Love-Affair-Vision/dp/1773101722
Synopsis: As a Canadian artist, the work of Mary Pratt (March 15, 1935 - August 14, 2018) has captivated millions of
Canadians. Her luminescent paintings capture reality in a way that few artists have been able to achieve -- the chip in a
glass bowl, the play of light across a dish-strewn supper table, the vulnerability of a naked woman. Replete with
symbolism, Pratt's work elevates the traditional still life by transforming the everyday into the iconic.
Art historian Anne Koval wrote "Mary Pratt: A Love Affair with Vision" in close consultation with Pratt before she passed
away. Her biography is informed by extensive interviews with the artist, and her family, friends, and colleagues and by
unprecedented access to Pratt's archival holdings at Mount Allison University. This in-depth study of Pratt's life and work
explores the complex issues of gender, feminism, and realism in Canadian art, resulting in a richly layered biography of an
artist who redefined the visual culture of her period and whose art and life intersect in varied and surprising ways.
Critique: Illustrated throughout with full color imagery, "Mary Pratt: A Love Affair with Vision" is an extraordinarily
informative biography of an extraordinary artist and will be well received by her legions of fans. While especially and
unreservedly recommended for community and college/university Canadian Artist Biography/Memoir collections, it
should be noted for personal reading lists that "Mary Pratt: A Love Affair with Vision" is also readily available in a digital
book format (Kindle, $24.95).
Editorial Note: Anne Koval (https://www.writersunion.ca/member/anne-koval) is Professor of Art History, Museum and
Curatorial Studies at Mount Allison University. She is the author of Whistler in His Time, and the co-author of James
McNeill Whistler: Beyond the Myth. She has also written on Anna Torma for the Textile Museum of Canada and her
writing on contemporary art has appeared in several edited volumes, including Stitching the Self: Identity and the Needle
Arts, More Caught in the Act: An Anthology of Performance Art by Canadian Women, and The Radcliffe Line and Other
Geographies: Sarindar Dhaliwal, which includes a series of ekphrastic poems by Koval. She has curated exhibitions at the
Owens Art Gallery, the Mendel Art Gallery, the Banff Park Museum, and the Confederation Centre Art Gallery, which
included the work of Ed Pien, Merle McMaster, D'Arcy Wilson, Diana Thorneycroft, Aganetha Dyck, Barb Hunt, Jeannie
Thib, Janice Wright Cheney, Cindy Sherman, and Sylvia Plath.
Keith Urban
Jeff Apter
Citadel Press
c/o Kensington Publishing Corp.
www.kensingtonbooks.com
9780806542737, $28.00, HC, 464pp
https://www.amazon.com/Keith-Urban-Jeff-Apter/dp/080654273X
Synopsis: Keith Urban came from humble origins. His father worked at the local landfill and Keith was a high school
dropout. But Keith had a plan: conquer Nashville. "It's my destiny," he said. And Keith was hell-bent on scaling that
musical Everest. Whatever it took.
But it didn't come easy. Keith served his apprenticeship in the beer barns of Australia, and his early trips to America were
disastrous. But he never gave up, settling in Nashville in the 1990s and forming The Ranch. When the band fell apart, so
did Keith, ending up in rehab (not for the last time). But Keith did eventually reach the top, through a combination of
talent, charisma, sex appeal, dogged perseverance -- and skin thick enough for a rhino. And along the way he married
Nicole Kidman.
As Keith has said, "All those detours, the really dark ones, got me to where I am now. I would not want to change one leaf
on any tree in the whole journey."
Critique: Exceptionally well researched, written, organized and presented, "Keith Urban" by biographer Jeff Apter is the
definitive biography of an international music superstar. Inherently fascinating and impressively informative, "Keith
Urban" is a 'must' for the legions of his fans and an especially, unreservedly recommended pick for community and
college/university library Contemporary American Biography & Contemporary Music collections. It should be noted for
personal reading lists that "Keith Urban" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99).
Editorial Note: Jeff Apter (https://www.jeffapter.com.au) is the author of more than thirty books about music and
musicians. His subjects include AC/DC's Bon Scott and the Young brothers, Daniel Johns of Silverchair, the Red Hot Chili
Peppers, the Cure, Dave Grohl, Jeff Buckley, and many others. As a ghostwriter and co-author, he's worked with Kasey
Chambers, Mark Evans (of AC/DC) and Richard Clapton, and while on staff at Rolling Stone he wrote about legends such
as Aretha Franklin, Patti Smith, Robbie Robertson, Bob Dylan, Chrissie Hynde and Lucinda Williams.
The General Fiction Shelf
Good Taste: A Novel in Search of Great Food
Caroline Scott
William Morrow & Company
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
Blackstone Audiobooks
https://www.blackstonelibrary.com
9780063325814, $19.99, PB, 432pp
https://www.amazon.com/Good-Taste-Novel-Search-Great/dp/0063325810
Synopsis: England in 1932 is in the grip of the Great Depression. Stella Douglas, author of a much-loved but not very
successful biography, is a bit depressed herself. When she's summoned to see her editor in London, she expects her writing
career is over before it's even started.
But much to her surprise, she is being commissioned to write a history of English food. It's to be quintessentially English
and intended to lift the sprits of the nation. There's just one problem: a lot of English food is actually quite terrible (and
anything good is usually imported from elsewhere).
So Stella travels across England in hopes of discovering a hidden culinary gem. What she discovers is oatcakes and gravy
and lots and lots of potatoes. But when her car breaks down midjourney and the dashing and charismatic antiques dealer
Freddie springs to her rescue, she is led in a very different direction...
Full of wit, life, and (against all odds) delicious food, "Good Taste: A Novel in Search of Great Food" is a story of
discovery and one woman's desire to make her own way as a modern woman.
Critique: Ably showcasing author Caroline Scott's genuine flair as a novelist for originality, creating memorable
characters, and a narrative driven storytelling style that attracts and keeps the readers dedicated attention from start to
finish, "Good Taste: A Novel in Search of Great Food " is a welcome and unreservedly recommended pick for community
library Historical & Literary Fiction collections. it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Good Taste: A Novel in
Search of Great Food" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio
book (Blackstone Audio, 9798212700054, $41.99, CD).
Editorial Note: Caroline Scott is a freelance writer and historian specializing in WWI and women's history, with a PhD
from Durham University. Born in the UK, Caroline currently resides in France. Her novel, The Poppy Wife, is partially
inspired by her family history.
The Historical Fiction Shelf
The Stratford Devil
Claude Clayton Smith
Shanti Arts
https://shantiarts.co
9781962082068, $19.95, PB, 182pp
https://www.amazon.com/Stratford-Devil-Claude-Clayton-Smith/dp/1962082067
Synopsis: In the spring of 1651, nearly half a century before the infamous witch trials of Salem, Massachusetts, a woman
known as Goody Bassett was hanged for witchcraft in Stratford, Connecticut. In the spring of 2023, nearly four centuries
later, the State of Connecticut absolved all those accused of witchcraft, removing the stigma that their families have
needlessly borne.
Few facts are known about Goody Bassett and the events surrounding her persecution. "The Stratford Devil" by Claude
Clayton Smith is a haunting and moving historical novel, deftly crafted from those few facts (as well as detailed accounts
of Stratford's early history), is the story of young Ruth Paine (later known as Goodwife Bassett) and how her singular
experience beyond the confines of her Puritan world ultimately leads to her demise.
Rich in historical insight, "The Stratford Devil" gives a touching look into the isolated world of an independent woman as
she struggles to survive in circumstances beyond her control. With its focus on religion and terror, "The Stratford Devil" is
a parable for our time.
Critique: An inherently fascinating, riveting, and compelling work of fiction that is essentially inspired by historical fact,
"The Stratford Devil" will prove to be of immense attraction to readers with an interest in the 17th Century American
history with respect to witches, witchcraft, the gender-based role of women, and the cultural/religious beliefs of the
Puritans. While an especial and unreserved pick for community and college/university library Historical Fiction
collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Stratford Devil" is also readily available in a digital book
format (Kindle, $6.99).
Editorial Note: Claude Clayton Smith, (www.claudeclaytonsmith.wordpress.com) is Professor Emeritus of English, Ohio
Northern University, and the author of eight books and co-editor/translator of four. His own work has been translated into
five languages, including Russian and Chinese. This is his fourth book with Shanti Arts. He holds a DA from
Carnegie-Mellon, an MFA in fiction from the Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa, an MAT from Yale, and a BA
from Wesleyan. He was a finalist for the 2022 First Pages Prize and winner of the 2021 Great Midwest Fiction
Contest.
The Literary Fiction Shelf
The Tales of Villa Diodati
Mary Shelley, et al.
Dover Publications, Inc.
www.doverpublications.com
9780486851365, $14.95, PB, 256pp
https://www.amazon.com/Tales-Villa-Diodati-Origins-Science/dp/0486851362
Synopsis: In 1816, also known as "The Year Without a Summer", a group of pioneering writers gathered at Villa Diodati in
Lake Geneva, Switzerland, and, as a housebound pastime because of the inclement weather, wrote some of the most iconic
Gothic horror stories in English literature to pass the time.
Now from Dover Publications comes, "The Tales of Villa Diodati: The Origins of Iconic Science Fiction and Gothic
Horror", an anthology of original tales that arose from a legendary ghost story contest between friends confined indoors by
unseasonably dismal weather.
"We will each write a story", proposed Lord Byron. The challenge was the genesis of this blood-chilling anthology
blending the macabre, supernatural, and romance. The selections comprising "The Tales of Villa Diodati" include Mary
Shelley's Frankenstein (the first true science fiction novel), and John Polidori's "The Vampyre" (considered one of the
earliest examples of the romantic vampire genre). The story was inspired by Lord Byron's "A Fragment," which is also
included, as is Percy Bysshe Shelley's "Fragment of a Ghost Story." These spine-tingling tales have enthralled generations
of readers for centuries.
Critique: While very highly recommended as a core addition to personal, community, and college/university library 19th
Century Literary Fiction collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be noted for personal reading lists
that "The Tales of Villa Diodati: The Origins of Iconic Science Fiction and Gothic Horror" is also readily available from
Dover Publications in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.00).
The Lost Archive: Stories
Lynn C. Miller
University of Wisconsin Press
www.uwpress.wisc.edu
9780299342241, $17.95, PB, 176pp
https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Archive-Lynn-C-Miller/dp/0299342247
Synopsis: The various characters (young and old, queer and straight, contemporary and historical) who inhabit the Lynn C.
Miller's stories that comprise her short story anthology "The Lost Archive" often find themselves in defining moments and
crisis situations. As they search through the archives of memory, truth, and experience, they seek to understand not only
the past and present but themselves.
Stretching the definition of "archive", Miller builds interconnected webs that surprise, much like the seemingly random
papers collected in a box of materials. Fraught relationships, mistaken identities, mysterious disappearances, and the search
for love play out in these stories. Friendships are celebrated, ex-husbands cross the line, and Gertrude Stein attempts to
write her memoir.
Critique: "The Lost Archive" is a deftly crafted, uncommon. extraordinary, entertaining, and thought-provoking collection
of original stories by an impressively talented author and that will linger in the mind and memory of the reader long after it
is finished and set back upon the shelf. While especially recommended for community, college, and university library
Contemporary Literary Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Lost Archive" is also
readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $15.68).
Editorial Note: Lynn C. Miller (http://www.lynncmiller.com) is an award-winning author who leads writing retreats and
workshops, is the co-publisher of Bosque Press and the prose editor of the journal ABQ inPrint. She also co-hosts the
podcast "The Unruly Muse" and her plays have been produced in Austin, Tulsa, Albuquerque, Provincetown, Yaddo, and
elsewhere. She was a professor in theater and gender studies for 27 years.
The Custom of the Country
Edith Wharton
Scribner
c/o Simon & Schuster
https://www.simonandschusterpublishing.com/scribner
9780684825885, $19.99, Trade PB, 528pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/custom-of-the-country-edith-wharton/1100014022
Synopsis: First published in 1913 and regarded by many critics as author Edith Wharton's most substantial novel, "The
Custom of the Country" is a powerful saga about the beautiful, ruthless Undine Spragg. A woman of extraordinary
ambition and exuberant vitality, Undine is consigned by virtue of her sex to the shadow world of the drawing room and
boudoir. Marriage remains the one institution through which she can exercise her will as she entrances man after man,
marrying one after the other with protean facility and almost monstrous avidity.
A novel that ranges from New York to Paris, from Apex City, Kansas, to Reno, Nevada, "The Custom of the Country"
stands as a dark satire of American business, society, and the nouveau riche, and as Edith Wharton's contribution to the
tradition of the American epic.
Critique: A classic of American literature and now available to a new generation of appreciative readers (and an ideal
replacement for libraries with an aging, tattered, worn out edition of an earlier printing on their shelves), "The Custom of
the Country" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and college/university library Literary
Fiction collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Edith Wharton (January 24, 1862 - August 11, 1937) was an American writer and designer. Wharton drew
upon her insider's knowledge of the upper-class New York "aristocracy" to portray realistically the lives and morals of the
Gilded Age. In 1921, she became the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction, for her novel The Age of Innocence.
She was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1996. Among her other well known works are The House of
Mirth, the novella Ethan Frome, and several notable ghost stories.
The Romantic Fiction Shelf
Friends With Benefits
Laura Carter
Boldwood Books
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781785135507, $41.00, PB, Large Print, 232pp
https://www.amazon.com/Friends-Benefits-Laura-Carter/dp/1785135503
Synopsis: A high-flying investor, New Yorker Jake Harrington loves a lot of things about living in London: his lucrative
hedge fund job, the way British women melt at the sound of an American accent, being thousands of miles away from the
girl who betrayed him. And, oh yes, his just-sex arrangement with his gorgeous roommate, Jess.
Jess (his sexy British flatmate) has a deal with Jake suits her fine. No commitments, no risk of being hurt again, just fun
and friendship. And friends do each other favors, like agreeing to go on a trip to New York where Jake will have to face
his past.
The result is a vacation that will change everything. What friends shouldn't do? Suddenly find themselves feeling
something much more complicated than simple lust. When "no strings" is no longer enough, will Jake be willing to take
the ultimate gamble?
Critique: A deftly crafted and modern romance, "Friends With Benefits" by novelist Laura Carter is original, artfully
written, thought-provoking, daydream inducing, and thoroughly fun read from start to finish. This large print paperback
edition of "Friends With Benefits" from Boldwood Books is an unreservedly recommended pick for personal reading lists
and community library Contemporary Romance Fiction collections.
Editorial Note: Laura Carter (www.lauracarterauthor.com) writes romance and women's fiction with a romantic slant.
Exploring everyday relationships and getting under the skin of her characters is her passion. She takes inspiration from
everything she overhears in cafes, so be wary of that strange woman 'listening' to music next time you're chatting over
coffee. Laura lives with her family in Jersey, Channel Islands. Laura can be followed on Facebook
(https://www.facebook.com/lauracarterauthor), Twitter (@LCarterAuthor) and Instagram (@lauracarterauthor).
In The Greek Midwinter
Mandy Baggot
Boldwood Books
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781805493716, $41.00, Trade Paperback, Large Print, 530pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/in-the-greek-midwinter-mandy-baggot/1143755341
Synopsis: It was supposed to be a holiday of a lifetime. But when Jen's boyfriend David suddenly cancels their romantic
Paris trip, needing to urgently travel to Athens for work, it's best friend Bonnie who suggests they surprise him.
Having already booked the time off from her events company (Christmas Every Day) Jen decides an impromptu and
romantic gesture might be just what their relationship needs? Arriving in Greece and finding David is not there, Jen has a
lot of questions. And when she gets her answers she has a choice - should she go home or should she stay a while?
With the help of Astro, the handsome yet Christmas-hating waiter from the local bar, she sets about a little Greek
Christmas research. But what starts as a 'business trip' soon turns into something more!
Critique: A thoroughly fun read from start to finish, this large print, trade paperback edition from Boldwood Books of "In
the Greek Midwinter" by Mandy Baggot will have a very special appeal to readers with an interest in romantic comedy set
in modern day Greece. With a genuine flair for originality and a thorough mastery of the Rom-Com genre, author Mandy
Baggot's "In the Greek Midwinter" is particularly and enthusiastically recommended for both personal reading lists and
community library Contemporary Romance/Comedy collections.
Editorial Note: Mandy Baggot (www.mandybaggot.com) is best-known for her laugh-out-loud romantic comedies
featuring strong heroines, gorgeous heroes and always that happy-ever-after! The winner of the Innovation in Romantic
Fiction award at the UK's Festival of Romance, her novel, One Wish in Manhattan, was also shortlisted for the Romantic
Novelists' Association Romantic Comedy Novel of the Year award in 2016. Mandy's books have so far been translated into
Bulgarian, Czech, German, Hungarian and Italian. Mandy is a member of the Society of Authors and splits her time
between living in Wiltshire, UK and Corfu, Greece.
Christmas in Fortune's Cove
Victoria James
Alcove Press
www.alcovepress.com
9781639105038, $19.99, PB, 288pp
https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Fortunes-Cove-Victoria-James/dp/1639105034
Synopsis: Annie Hamilton is a single mother of two and veterinarian whose family is on the verge of falling apart. Her
husband has passed away, her teenage son is finding trouble at every turn, and she's desperately struggling to keep it all
together. When she decides to leave the city for Fortune's Cove in a last-ditch search for peace and togetherness, she's
welcomed by her late husband's best friend, Matt -- a friend who swore he'd always be there for them.
Surrounded by majestic ocean, the island's famous red sand dunes, and a glowing holiday spirit, Annie and her family are
embraced by a warm community more than willing to welcome them. As she joins Matt's veterinary practice and her son
begins to stabilize, Annie feels hopeful for the future, beginning to realize that true family is all about love and not just
about blood. Annie could never have imagined that a thousand hundred miles from the city could feel the closest to home
that she's ever been. But this cozy enclave harbors a trove of secrets that could undo the life of a vulnerable young
woman.
When the past threatens the family Annie is rebuilding, she finds the courage to fiercely protect all of them -- and discovers
just how far she'll go to save her family and herself.
Critique: As a novelist, Victoria James has a genuine flair for contemporary women's fiction and a distinctive, entertaining,
narrative driven storytelling style that fully engages and entertains the reader from start to finish, While also available for
personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99), "Christmas in Fortune's Cove" is highly recommended and
certain to be an enduringly popular pick for community library collections.
Editorial Note: Victoria James (http://www.victoriajames.ca) is the author of several contemporary romance novels.
Victoria always knew she wanted to be a writer and in grade five, she penned her first story, bound it (with staples and a
cardboard cover), and illustrated it herself. Luckily, this book will never see the light of day. After graduating University
with an English Literature degree, Victoria pursued a degree in Interior Design opening her own business. Victoria is a
hopeless romantic who is living her dream, penning happily-ever-after's for her characters in between managing kids and
the family business.
The Christmas Swap
Talia Samuels
Alcove Press
www.alcovepress.com
9781639106028, $18.99, PB, 328pp
https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Swap-Novel-Talia-Samuels/dp/1639106022
Synopsis: Margot Murray is a newly single, successful businesswoman with no interest in a cutesy seasonal romance after
her breakup with her long-term girlfriend.
Ben Gibson is an unlucky-in-love sweetheart in need of a woman to bring home for the holidays.
Together, they make a pact: Margot gets two blissful weeks away from London in a picture-perfect manor, and Ben gets a
fake girlfriend for his holiday at home with his family.
Upon arriving to the manor, Margot meets Ben's sister, Ellie, who is suspicious of the supposed relationship right from the
start. Ellie intends to get to the bottom of their relationship, not being able to see how the two of them work as a
couple.
As Ellie and Margot grow closer, will Ben and Margot be able to keep the charade up, or will Margot and Ellie risk the
chance at something real?
Critique: A fun read from start to finish, "The Christmas Swap" by Talia Samuels will hold a very special appeal to readers
with an interest in contemporary romance, holiday themed romance, and LGBTQ romance novels. Memorable characters,
compelling storylines, and an ultimate happy ending, "The Christmas Swap" is certain to be an immediate and enduringly
popular choice for personal reading lists and community library collections. It should be noted that "The Christmas Swap"
is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99).
Editorial Note: Talia Samuels entered the world of work at a busy London restaurant, before eventually starting her own
vegan catering business. Her dream of writing a book never left her mind. At 2am after a late kitchen shift, Talia started
writing and has hardly stopped since. She likes writing quirky modern rom-coms and laughing at her own jokes.
The Western Fiction Shelf
Fool's Gold
Eric Niven
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444850413, $24.50, PB, Large Print, 252pp
https://www.ulverscroft.com/store/uk/search/Fool's%20Gold
Synopsis: Trouble struck with the powerful boom from a large caliber rifle, the sound quickly evaporating like a rare
morning mist in the hot desert air. The Whip felt the passing of the heavy slug as it blasted a hole in his hat and then tore
off some wood molding on the back of the stagecoach before kicking up dust in the road. Whoever was shooting had just
barely missed him, and the Whip knew he was in serious trouble. He leaned over, creating a smaller profile, and began
yelling and snapping the reins on the rumps of his four-horse team in a desperate attempt to increase their pace.
Critique: The gun play action is fast and furious from start to finish in author Eric Niven's western novel "Fool's Gold".
First published in Great Britain in 2020, "Fool's Gold" is now readily available to American fans of the western genre with
the publication of a large print paperback edition from the Linford Western Library series. Original, well crafted,
memorable, and a fun read from cover to cover, "Fool's Gold" will be an immediate and enduringly popular pick for
personal reading lists and community library Western Fiction collections.
Editorial Note: Eric Niven lives and works in the actual area where his western books take place. Among his close friends
are cowboys, ranchers, farmers and even a competitive gun slinger. He lives with his wife Cathi on a ten acre spread at the
base of the Blue Mountains in rugged southeastern Utah. When he is not researching or writing, Eric is commonly found
jawing with friends at the local hardware store.
Where Guns Talk
Sheldon B. Cole
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444850406, $24.50, PB, Large Print, 198pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/where-guns-talk-sheldon-b-cole/1137640896
Synopsis: Ahead was a cold-blooded killer, and an innocent woman who wanted to believe he was no such thing. Behind
was a God-fearing tyrant by the name of Isaac Madie, and Madie's three sons, all of them with vengeance in mind. And
Blake Durant was caught smack in the middle. He wanted to rescue the woman and return a fortune in gold bullion to its
rightful owners. But Madie had other ideas. And if it came to that, so did Ringo Nyall, the killer who'd set his mind on the
gold...and the girl!
Critique: Non-stop action and a compelling western adventure, they just don't come better that "Where Guns Talk" by
Sheldon B. Cole. Originally published in 1967 and now readily available for personal reading lists and community library
Western Fiction collections in a large print paperback edition from the Linford Western Library series, "Where Guns Talk"
is a welcome and highly recommended read for all dedicated western fans.
Editorial Note: Editorial Note: Editorial Note: There is a comprehensive and available listing of Sheldon B. Cole's novels
at https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/19648928.Sheldon_B_Cole
Coyote Terror
James Clay
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444850475, $24.50, PB, Large Print, 264pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/coyote-terror-james-clay/1137640886
Synopsis: Range detective Rance Dehner arrives in Conrad, Texas for a few days of fishing, and finds himself in the midst
of trouble. Akando, who heads a band of Indian renegades, has demanded that the town bans Indian children from
attending its school. He threatens that if his orders are defied, Conrad will be attacked by Coyote, a mythical creature of
Indian lore. Schoolmarm Angie Knowland is determined to keep the school open to all children, and is supported by the
Wichita chief Sahale. But a series of gruesome murders terrifies the townspeople, and leads to explosions of violence and
the possible demise of Rance Dehner!
Critique: A deftly scripted and compelling read from beginning to end, "Coyote Terror" by western novelist James Clay is
now available and highly recommended in a large print paperback edition and an ideal pick for the personal reading lists of
dedicated western fans and community library Western Fiction collections.
Editorial Note: There is a complete listing of books by western author James Clay on GoodReads at
https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/201553.James_Clay
Only The Fastest
Adam Brady
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444850437, $24.50, PB, Large Print, 191pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/only-the-fastest-adam-brady/1137640889
Synopsis: Old Dick Clayton and his niece Hope were in big trouble. The local land baron, bully-boy Aldo Latimer, wanted
their ranch - at any cost. But what made the old Clayton place worth so much to him? Why was he willing to try every dirty
trick in the book to get it? All Dick and Hope knew was that they needed protection...and when Buck Halliday rode in, they
figured they'd found it. Buck wasn't looking for gun-work right then, but he liked the pair. So he signed on. But the stakes
were so high that soon he wasn't sure who he could really trust...
Critique: Adam Brady is a master of the action/adventure western genre and "Only The Fastest" is one of his very best. A
simply riveting read from start to finish, This large print paperback edition from the Linford Western Library series is a
welcome pick for both personal reading lists and community library Western Fiction collections.
Editorial Note: Editorial Note: There is a substantial listing of Adam Brady westerns available at:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/4832559.
The Mystery/Suspense Shelf
Hercule Poirot's Silent Night
Sophie Hannah
William Morrow & Company
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
Blackstone Audiobooks
https://www.blackstonelibrary.com
9780062991638, $30.00, HC, 384pp
https://www.amazon.com/Hercule-Poirots-Silent-Poirot-Mysteries/dp/0062991639
Synopsis: It's December 19, 1931. Hercule Poirot and Inspector Edward Catchpool are looking forward to a much-needed,
restful Christmas holiday, when they are called upon to investigate the murder of a man in a Norfolk hospital ward.
Cynthia Catchpool, Edward's mother, insists that Poirot stay with her in a crumbling mansion by the coast, so that they can
all be together for the festive period while he solves the case.
As Poirot digs into the mystery, he discovers that the murdered man was a retired post office master, and by all accounts
very well-liked. The local constabulary's investigation failed to uncover how someone could have entered a hospital room
and killed him under the noses of the staff. Cynthia's friend Arnold is soon to be admitted to that same hospital, and his
wife is convinced he will be the killer's next victim, though she refuses to explain why.
With no obvious motive or suspect, Poirot has less than a week to solve the crime and prevent more murders, if he is to
escape from this nightmare scenario and get home in time for Christmas. Meanwhile, someone else (someone utterly
ruthless) also has ideas about what ought to happen to Hercule Poirot.
Critique: Talented novelist Sophie Hannah brings back one of the legendary Agatha Christie's greatest detectives in a new
and baffling 'whodunnit' Christmas murder mystery with the publication of "Hercule Poirot's Silent Night". Exceptionally
well written and true to the original characterization of the Belgian detective, this new Hercule Poirot mystery will delight
the legions of Poirot fans and prove to be an immediately welcome and enduringly popular addition to community library
Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Hercule Poirto's Silent Majority" is also
available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio,
9798212699174, $41.99, CD).
Editorial Note: Sophie Hannah (www.sophiehannah.com) is an internationally bestselling crime fiction writer whose books
have sold millions of copies worldwide. Her crime novels have been translated into 49 languages and published in 51
countries. Her psychological thriller The Carrier won the Crime Thriller of the Year Award at the 2013 UK National Book
Awards. In 2014 and 2016, Sophie published The Monogram Murders and Closed Casket, the first new Hercule Poirot
mysteries since Agatha Christie's death, both of which were national and international bestsellers. She went on to publish a
third, The Mystery of Three Quarters in 2018 which was an instant bestseller, and her fourth Poirot novel, Sophie helped to
create a Master's Degree in Crime and Thriller Writing at the University of Cambridge, for which she is the main teacher
and Course Director. She is also the founder of the Dream Author Coaching Programme for writers which launched in
September 2019.
Rim of the Pit
Hake Talbot
American Mystery Classics
c/o Penzler Publishers
https://penzlerpublishers.com
9781613164655, $15.95, PB, 240pp
https://www.amazon.com/Rim-Pit-American-Mystery-Classic/dp/1613164653
Synopsis: "I came here to make a dead man change his mind."
So begins a creepy and unusual mystery celebrated to this day as one of the greatest "impossible crime" novels of all
time.
When a family's promise to protect the beloved pine grove of their dead father creates a financial strain, a seance is
suggested to summon the ghost of the late logger and ask its permission. A mixed group of skeptics and believers convene
at a snow-bound lodge to call the spirit with a group that includes a gambler, a businessman, a clairvoyant, a professor, and
a refugee, among others. With so many diverse interests at the table, the tensions run high -- but when one of the
participants ends up dead, there is reason to suspect that a nefarious spirit is to blame.
The body is discovered in a locked room, impenetrable from the outside -- just one of many bizarre and inexplicable
circumstances surrounding the scene of the crime. There is also the trail of footprints in the snow, beginning and ending
amid a field of untouched powder; another on the roof, with the tracks leading for a short distance before vanishing into
nothingness; and, there are fingerprints on a gun suspended at an unreachable height...
Supernatural undertones and eerie atmosphere clear away in the third act to present a logical conclusion to the case, teasing
out the clues and murder methods that unscrupulous readers may have missed. With its off-beat exposition, puzzling plot
and exceptional prose, "Rim of the Pit" is a cult classic of the Golden Age era deserving of a wide audience today.
Critique: Another time-lost treasure brought back into print by American Mystery Classics for a new generation of
appreciative readers, "Rim of the Pit" is an inherently fascinating, deftly crafted, and unreservedly recommended pick for
community and college/university library traditional detective and amateur sleuth 'whodunnit' murder mystery collections.
It should be noted for the personal reading lists of all dedicated mystery fans that "Rim of the Pit" is also available in a
digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Hake Talbot was the pen name of the American writer Henning Nelms (November 30, 1900 - May 1986).
Nelms reserved his real name for writing non-fiction about showmanship (his chief occupation was as a stage magician),
but wrote several mysteries and stories under the Talbot moniker.
Murder At The Abbey
Sue Cook
Linford Romance Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444851830, $24.50, PB, Large Print, 318pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/murder-at-the-abbey-sue-cook/1143941421
Synopsis: 1536. England. Abbey cook Agnes Morrow nurses a secret that she dares not let Abbot Mark de Winter discover
-- not yet, anyway. Not until she is sure he is ready for it. But then King Henry VIII's men come to strip the abbey of its
treasures, and two murders threaten to destroy all her hopes. Will her future happiness be torn asunder, or will her
long-cherished dreams come true?
Critique: First published in England in 2020 and now available to an American readership in a large print paperback
edition from Linford Romance Library, "Murder At The Abbey" is an original and creatively crafted historical novel of
romance and murder in the reign of King Henry VIII. A splendidly written and thoroughly fun read from first page to last,
this new edition of "Murder At The Abby" is an especially and unreservedly recommended pick for personal reading lists
as well as community library Historical Fiction collections.
Editorial Note: Sue Cook writes short and long stories for the women's fiction market. Her novels include contemporary or
historical romance sprinkled with crime, intrigue or suspense. You will find her short stories in The People's Friend and
My Weekly.She lives in a damp and windy corner of northwest England with her husband and five ducks. She finds
writing a marvelous antidote to the urge to do housework.
Death Washes Ashore
Patricia Skalka
University of Wisconsin Press
www.uwpress.wisc.edu
9780299328207, $24.95, HC, 240pp
https://www.amazon.com/Washes-Ashore-Cubiak-County-Mystery/dp/0299328201
Synopsis: In the wake of a brutal storm that lashed the Door County peninsula, Sheriff Dave Cubiak assesses the damage:
broken windows, downed trees, and piles of mysterious debris along the shoreline. He leaves the comfort of his home and
heads out into the aftermath, checking in with folks along the way to offer help. His assistant, marooned at the justice
center overnight, calls with an ominous message about a body discovered on the beach. When the medical examiner
discovers the man didn't simply drown during the storm, Cubiak searches for answers.
Chasing leads, the sheriff learns the victim directed a troupe of live-action role players living in an ersatz Camelot. In a
setting where pretense in the norm, Cubiak must determine if suspects are who they say they are or if their made-up
identities conceal a ruthless killer. As tensions escalate among neighbors unhappy about the noise and commotion, the
sheriff discovers that more than one person on the peninsula has a motive for murder.
Critique: The newest title in the 'Dave Cubiak Door County Mystery' series by novelist Patricia Skalka, "Death Washes
Ashore is another simply riveting read by an author with a complete master of the hard-boiled detective genre. Colorful
characters, deftly crafted plot twists, a memorable reveal, "Death Washes Ashore" is especially and unreservedly
recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of
dedicated mystery buffs that "Death Washes Ashore" is also available in a paperback editions (9780299328245, $16.95)
and in a digital book format (Kindle, $16.10).
Editorial Note: Patricia Skalka (http://www.patriciaskalka.com) is the author of Death Stalks Door County, Death at Gills
Rock, Death in Cold Water, Death Rides the Ferry, and Death by the Bay, the first five books in the popular Dave Cubiak
Door County Mystery series.
'Twas the Bite Before Christmas
David Rosenfelt
Minotaur Books
c/o St. Martin's Publishing Group
www.minotaurbooks.com
Macmillan Audio
www.macmillanaudio.com
9781250828842, $26.00, HC, 304pp
https://www.amazon.com/Twas-Bite-Before-Christmas-Carpenter/dp/1250828848
Synopsis: Ever the reluctant lawyer, Andy Carpenter is at the Tara Foundation's annual Christmas party. The dog rescue
organization has always been his true calling, and this is one holiday tradition he can get behind because every dog that's
come through the rescue (and their families) are invited to celebrate.
This year's party is no exception. But before the stockings can be hung by the chimney with care, homicide detectives ruin
the evening. Derek Moore, one of the foundation's best foster volunteers, is arrested for murder.
Andy discovers Derek (whose real name is Bobby) is in the witness protection program after giving evidence against his
former gang. The police believe Bobby murdered a member. But Bobby swears to Andy he didn't do this. He's built a new
life, a new business, has two new dogs after being a double foster-failure.
There isn't much Andy likes about this case, but he likes Bobby. If he's innocent, Andy wants to help. Before Andy can
settle down for his long winter's nap, he has a client's name to clear, a murderer to catch, and two new dogs to look after: a
golden and a Dalmatian. Andy's golden retriever, Tara, will have to adjust to not being the only golden at the house while
Andy gets to the bottom of this one.
Critique: One of the hallmarks of an Andy Carpenter mystery by novelist David Rosenfelt is an extraordinary number of
unexpected plot twists and turns. 'Twas The Bite Before Christmas is Rosenfelt at his storytelling best as the reader find
this to be riveting read from start to finish. While especially and unreservedly recommended for all community library
Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the personal lists of all dedicated 'whodunnit' murder mystery fans
that 'Twas The Bite Before Christmas is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99) and as a complete
and unabridged audio book (Macmillan Audio, 9781250909817, $29.99, CD).
Editorial Note: David Rosenfelt is the Edgar-nominated and Shamus Award-winning author of more than twenty Andy
Carpenter novels, including One Dog Night, Collared, and Deck the Hounds; its spinoff series, The K-Team; the Doug
Brock thriller series, which starts with Fade to Black; and stand-alone thrillers including Heart of a Killer and On
Borrowed Time.
Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord
Celeste Connally
Minotaur Books
c/o St. Martin's Publishing Group
www.minotaurbooks.com
9781250867551, $27.00, HC, 304pp
https://www.amazon.com/Like-Lady-Think-Petra-Inquires/dp/125086755X
Synopsis: London, 1815. Lady Petra Forsyth, daughter of the Earl of Holbrook, has made a shocking proclamation. After
losing her beloved fiance in an accident three years earlier, she announces in front of London's loosest lips that she will
never marry. A woman of independent means (and rather independent ways) Petra sees no reason to cede her wealth and
freedom to any man now that the love of her life is gone. Instead, she plans to continue enjoying the best of society without
any expectations.
But when ballroom gossip suggests that a longtime friend has died of a fit due to her "melancholia" while in the care of a
questionable physician, Petra vows to use her status to dig deeper -- uncovering a private asylum where men pay to have
their wives and daughters locked away, or worse. Just as Petra has reason to believe her friend is alive, a shocking murder
proves more danger is afoot than she thought. And the more determined Lady Petra becomes in uncovering the truth, the
more her own headstrong actions and desire for independence are used against her, putting her own freedom (and possibly
her life) in dire jeopardy.
Critique: What fans of the cozy mystery genre can only hope is the first in a long series of novels starring as an amateur
female sleuth Lady Petra Forsyth, "Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Lord" by Celeste Connally is a fun read from cover to
cover. Deftly crafted characters, unexpected plot twists, and set in the Regency era of early 19th Century London, "Act
Like A Lady, Think Like A Lord" is an especially and unreservedly recommended pick for personal reading lists and
community library Historical Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for dedicated cozy mystery fans that "Act
Like A Lady, Think Like A Lord" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99).
Editorial Note: Celeste Connally (https://celesteconnally.com) is an Agatha Award nominee, and a former freelance writer
and editor. A lifelong devotee of historical novels and adaptations fueled by her passion for history (plus weekly doses of
PBS Masterpiece) Celeste loves reading and writing about women from the past who didn't always do as they were
told.
The Lover of No Fixed Abode
Carlo Fruttero, author
Franco Lucentini, author
Gregory Dowling, translator
Bitter Lemon Press
www.bitterlemonpress.com
9781913394905, $16.95, PB, 320pp
https://www.amazon.com/Lover-No-Fixed-Abode/dp/1913394905
Synopsis: "The Lover of No Fixed Abode" is the story of a passionate affair set in Venice between a Roman princess
searching for undervalued paintings and a mysterious tour guide. Art shenanigans become unavoidable, but the guide's true
identity is the mystery that drives the story.
Their passion will last three days, long enough to be exposed to unscrupulous art dealers and scammers passing off
worthless paintings as part of a famous collection. She goes to cosmopolitan parties given by Venetian social and art
glitterati. Mr Silvera, a guide whose erudition and distinction sharply contrast with his beat-up suitcase and stain-spotted
raincoat, drags his shabby tourists from monument to monument.
Of special note are the canals and lagoons of Venice which, as a city, becomes a character in the novel in its own
right.
Critique: Co-authored by Carlo Fruttero and Franco Lucentini, and ably translated into English for an American readership
by Gregory Dowling, "The Lover of No Fixed Abode" is a riveting read of particular interest to fans of psychological
thrillers and romantic suspense novels. it is also an original work of mystery and intrigue that is raised to the level of true
literary excellence. While especially recommended for both community and college/university library Mystery/Suspense
collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Lover of No Fixed Abode" is also available in a digital
book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note #1: Carlo Fruttero (19 September 1926 - 15 January 2012) was an Italian writer, journalist, translator and
editor of anthologies. He is mostly known for his joint work with Franco Lucentini, especially as authors of crime novels.
The duo were also editors of the science-fiction series Urania from the 1960s to the 1980s, and of the comic-strip magazine
Il Mago.
Editorial Note #2: Franco Lucentini Franco Lucentini (24 December 1920 - 5 August 2002) was an Italian writer,
journalist, translator and editor of anthologies.
Editorial Note #3: Gregory Dowling is an author, translator, literary critic and Professor of Anglo-American Literature at
the Universita Ca' Foscari in Venice.
Bulletproof Barista
Cleo Coyle
Berkley Books
c/o Penguin/Random House
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com
9780593197592, $28.00, HC, 352pp
https://www.amazon.com/Bulletproof-Barista-Coffeehouse-Mystery-Coyle/dp/0593197593
Synopsis: Only Murders in Gotham, the smash-hit streaming program, is famous for filming in authentic New York
locations and using real New Yorkers as extras. For its second season, they've chosen to spotlight the century-old Village
Blend and its quirky crew of baristas. Shop manager and master roaster Clare Cosi is beyond thrilled, especially when her
superb bulletproof coffee lands her a craft services contract for the production.
Madame, the eccentric octogenarian owner of the landmark shop, reveals an old kinship with the star of the show,
comedian Jerry Sullivan. Now a Hollywood legend, Jerry frequented the Blend during his early years performing in
Greenwich Village comedy clubs. But the past may hold more than nostalgia for Jerry. Suspicious accidents begin plaguing
his shoot. Then a real bullet is fired from a stage gun, and Clare becomes convinced something sinister is afoot.
While Jerry's production moves to exciting new locations, Clare keeps the coffee flowing (and her investigation going)
even as a murderer lurks in the wings. But can she root out the rotten player in this Big Apple production before the lights
go out on her? Includes a stellar menu of surefire recipes.
Critique: A part of 'A Coffeehouse Mystery' series from Berkley, "Bulletproof Barista" by Cleo Coyle is another deftly
crafted and fun read from start to finish for dedicated fans of the cosy mystery genre. While also available for personal
reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99), "Bulletproof Barista is a very special and unreservedly
recommended introduction to this simply outstanding series and will prove a welcome and enduringly popular pick for
community library Mystery/Suspense collections.
Editorial Note: Cleo Coyle (https://cleocoylebooks.com) is the pseudonym of Alice Alfonsi who writes popular fiction in
collaboration with her husband, Marc Cerasini. With more than one million books sold, Alice and Marc are the authors of
two long-running, "relentlessly entertaining" (Criminal Element) mystery series: The Coffeehouse Mysteries and Haunted
Bookshop Mysteries. Cleo Coyle has been awarded starred reviews by Library Journal and Kirkus Reviews and honored
with Best of Year selections by multiple reviewers. In addition to their popular mysteries, Alice and Marc have written
many works of fiction and nonfiction for adults and children. They are also accomplished tie-in writers who have created
bestselling properties for Lucasfilm, NBC, Fox, Disney, Imagine, Toho, and MGM.
Sniffing Out Murder
Kallie E. Benjamin
Berkley Books
c/o Penguin/Random House
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com
9780593547359, $17.00, PB, 352pp
https://www.amazon.com/Sniffing-Murder-Bailey-Bloodhound-Mystery/dp/0593547357
Synopsis: After deciding that life as a teacher wasn't right for her, Priscilla found inspiration for her first children's book in
her three-year-old bloodhound's nose for truth, and so The Adventures of Bailey the Bloodhound was born. After the
book's massively pawsitive response led Pris to move back to her hometown of Crosbyville, Indiana, to continue the series,
she's surprised by how things have changed in the town, but even more so how they haven't.
Pris is frustrated to discover that newly elected school board trustee Whitney Kelley (a former high school mean girl) is
intent on making Crosbyville more competitive by eliminating "frivolous spending" on the arts and social programs,
including Pris and Bailey's beloved pet-assisted reading program. A minor altercation between them isn't anything unusual,
but after Bailey sniffs out Whitney's body in a bed of begonias, locals start hounding Pris and Bailey as suspects for the
crime.
With Bailey's sharp senses and Pris's hometown know-how, can they prove to the community that they're all barking up the
wrong tree?
Critique: An original and fun read from cover to cover, "Sniffing Out Murder" is another cosy mystery from the pen of
Kallie E. Benjamin and the newest addition to her 'A Bailey the Bloodhound Mystery Series'. Of very special interest to all
dedicated cozy mystery fans, "Sniffing Out Murder" will prove a prized and memorable pick for community library
Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for persona reading lists that "Sniffing Out Murder" is also available in a
digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).
Editorial Note: Kallie E. Benjamin (https://www.vmburns.com) is the pseudonym of novelist Valerie Burns who is the
author of three mystery series. She is also a mentor in the Master of Fine Arts program for writing popular fiction at Seton
Hill University in Greensburg, PA, where she earned her own MFA degree.
Viviana Valentine and the Ticking Clock
Emily J. Edwards
Crooked Lane Books
www.crookedlanebooks.com
9781639105229, $30.99, HC, 272pp
https://www.amazon.com/Viviana-Valentine-Ticking-Friday-Mystery/dp/1639105220
Synopsis: New York City, 1950. Viviana Valentine and Tommy Fortuna have a lot of resolutions for the new year --
whether it's continuing to build up their detective agency or planning their wedding, the two are looking forward to the
future. On their way to Times Square to celebrate, the two witness a brutal stabbing. When Tommy tries to chase down the
culprit, Viviana tries her best to save the man. She's unsuccessful, but Viviana hears his final words: a whispered apology
to an unknown friend.
Clues are hard to come by, with the only leads being the fraught last words and a few nondescript matchbooks in the
victim's overcoat. Their investigation is halted when Detective Jack Lawson of the New York Police Department arrives,
immediately ruffling Viviana's feathers and bumping chests with Tommy, who he nearly arrested for murder just months
earlier. The two know there's more to the story, but there are other pressing matters at hand.
Clients are clamoring to get the detectives to work on their cases: a man is being blackmailed by a criminal who only
writes in code, Tommy's old friend needs his fiancee tailed, and an investment banker has mysteriously vanished. To add
to their workload, Viviana knows something strange is happening at her boarding house. Will all of this (plus planning for
a wedding) be too much for one Girl Friday?
Critique: The third novel in author Emily J. Edwards' A Girl Friday mystery series, "Viviana Valentine and the Ticking
Clock" is a fun read from start to finish for fans of the cosy mystery genre featuring amateur female sleuths dealing with
'whodunnit' murder mysteries. Like in the two previous novels ("Viviana Valentine and the Ticking Clock" and "Viviana
Valentine Goes Up the River", the action is near non-stop, replete with unexpected plot twists and unique storylines.
"Viviana Valentine and the Ticking Clock" is a deftly scripted and highly recommended pick for personal and community
library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for all dedicated cozy mystery fans that "Viviana Valentine and
the Ticking Clock" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.99).
Editorial Note: Emily J. Edwards (https://www.msemilyedwards.com) earned her degree in writing, literature, and
publishing from Emerson College and took the long road to becoming an author, working for over a decade as a wine and
spirits journalist, radio producer, and podcaster. She currently resides in Connecticut with her husband and several
quadrupeds.
Cry Wolf
Lark O. Jensen
Crooked Lane Books
www.crookedlanebooks.com
9781639104550, $31.99, HC, 272pp
https://www.amazon.com/Cry-Wolf-Alaska-Untamed-Mystery/dp/1639104550
Synopsis: With boat tours off the coast of Alaska shut down for the winter, tour guide Stacie Calder is joining the
dedicated team at the Juneau Wildlife World, a wild animal sanctuary. Along with Sasha, her husky companion, she's
prepared to spend the long season in the scenic park. But not everyone is so chipper about the newcomers -- least of all,
Stacie's new manager, Oliver Brownling. He constantly gives Stacie a hard time, specifically because she brought Sasha
along with her. That is, until his mauled body is found in a remote part of the sanctuary containing wolves.
When it becomes clear that a human was responsible for the brutal murder, all eyes are on Stacie. Encouraged by her
friend, Officer Liam Amaruq of the Alaskan State Troopers, Stacie is resolved to find the murderer but knows that her
investigation will be difficult with the long suspect list she's made. Did the sanctuary director plot to get rid of Oliver? Or
maybe it was one of Oliver's coworkers, upset over a missed promotion? Stacie wonders about some of the newer
employees, especially since Oliver's personality made it easy to make enemies.
With the weather worsening, Stacie and Sasha are forced to stay at the sanctuary with the wolves -- and her colleagues. As
the storm gets worse, it's clear that this killer has a taste for blood and may strike again. Will Stacie be able to find the
murderer, or will the hunter become the hunted?
Critique: A deftly written and riveting read from first page to last, "Cry Wolf" is an Alaskan Untamed Mystery novel by
Lark O. Jensen and will be of very special interest to dog story enthusiasts and dedicated fans of the cozy mystery genre.
Engaging dialogue, memorable characters, unexpected plot twists, and a dramatic 'whodunnit' finale, all combine to a
solidly entertaining novel that is especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense
collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Cry Wolf" is also readily available in a digital book format
(Kindle, $19.99).
Editorial Note: Lark O. Jensen, a former lawyer who is now a full-time writer, has published 53 books so far, including
mysteries and romantic novels. She has written several cozy mystery series including the Barkery & Biscuits Mysteries and
Superstition Mysteries for Midnight Ink, and the Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter Mysteries and Pet Rescue Mysteries for
Berkley Prime Crime. She also writes romances for Harlequin, including Harlequin Romantic Suspense. Her latest release
is Colton First Responder, for Harlequin Romantic Suspense. Nearly all of Lark's current stories involve dogs!
The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf
All the Hidden Paths
Foz Meadows
Tor Books
c/o Tor/Forge Books
www.tor-forge.com
9781250829306, $29.99, HC, 528pp
https://www.amazon.com/All-Hidden-Paths-Tithenai-Chronicles/dp/1250829305
Synopsis: With the plot against them foiled and the city of Qi-Katai in safe hands, newlywed and tentative lovers Velasin
and Caethari have just begun to test the waters of their relationship. But the wider political ramifications of their marriage
are still playing out across two nations, and all too soon, they're summoned north to Tithena's capital city, Qi-Xihan, to
present themselves to its monarch.
With Caethari newly invested as his grandmother's heir and Velasin's old ghosts gnawing at his heels, what little peace
they've managed to find is swiftly put to the test. Cae's recent losses have left him racked with grief and guilt, while Vel
struggles with the disconnect between instincts that have kept him safe in secrecy and what an open life requires of him
now. Pursued by unknown assailants and with Qi-Xihan's court factions jockeying for power, Vel and Cae must use all the
skills at their disposal to not only survive, but thrive.
Because there's more than one way to end an alliance, and more than one person who wants to see them fail -- and they
will resort to murder if needed.
Critique: The sequel to Foz Meadows's "A Strange and Stubborn Endurance" and the second volume in the author's
Tithenai Chronicles series, "All the Hidden Paths" is a sultry, political and romantic fantasy that explores gender, sexuality,
identity, and self-worth. While also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99) and
strongly recommended as an addition to community library Fantasy Fiction collections, "All The Hidden Paths" will have a
very special appeal to readers with an interest in action, adventure, romance, fantasy, and LGBTQ fiction.
Editorial Note: Foz Meadows (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foz_Meadows) is a queer Australian author, essayist,
reviewer and poet. They have won two Best Fan Writer awards (a Hugo Award in 2019 and a Ditmar Award in 2017) for
yelling on the internet, and have also received the Norma K. Hemming Award in 2018 for their queer Shakespearean
novella, Coral Bones. Their essays, reviews, poetry and short fiction have appeared in various venues, including Uncanny,
Apex Magazine, Goblin Fruit, HuffPost, and Strange Horizons.
Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for My Retirement 1
Story by FUNA
Art by Touzai
Translated by Lukas Ruphys and revised by Kodansha USA
Kodansha
www.kodansha.com
9781647292102, $19.95 pbk / $7.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Saving-Another-World-Retirement-light/dp/1647292107
Synopsis: Mitsuha is your average teenage orphan - until one day she falls off a cliff, and finds herself in another world
strangely akin to medieval Europe! Beset by wolves, she discovers she has the ability to travel freely between the two
worlds, and decides to make a life for herself in both. Now all she needs to do is save up 80,000 gold coins for a
comfortable retirement... Piece of cake, right?!
No matter how out of control things get, Mitsuha keeps her cool, turning every hurdle into a business opportunity. From
shopkeeper to war hero to viscountess, her meteoric rise seems unstoppable - but with each success comes new obligations
and new costs. Does every step up just take her further from her goal?
Critique: Adroitly translated into English, Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for My Retirement 1 is the first volume in
a Japanese fantasy series about Mitsuha, a teenaged orphan who discovers that she has the power to travel freely between
two worlds - the modern-day present, and a mysterious land that resembles medieval Europe. Mitsuha decides to make a
good life for herself in both worlds, and sets the goal of saving 80,000 gold coins for a comfortable retirement - but one
challenge after another disrupts her plans! She steadily gains status as a shopkeeper, a war hero, and a viscountess, but
each rise comes with greater obligations and expenses! Will Mitsuha ever achieve her dream of long-term financial
stability? A lighthearted adventure enriched with a handful of black-and-white, manga-style illustrations, Saving 80,000
Gold in Another World for My Retirement 1 is a tongue-in-cheek take on the "isekai" ("ordinary person in another world")
genre and just plain fun to read. Highly recommended! It should be noted for personal reading lists that Saving 80,000
Gold in Another World for My Retirement 1 is also available in a Kindle edition ($7.99).
The Bootlegger's Dance
Rosemary Jones
Aconyte Books
https://aconytebooks.com
c/o Simon & Schuster
https://www.simonandschuster.com
9781839082511, $16.95, PB, 352pp
https://www.amazon.com/Bootleggers-Dance-Arkham-Horror-Novel/dp/1839082518
Synopsis: Raquel Malone Gutierrez is running away, although she won't admit that to herself. Suffering from hearing loss
after an illness, the former music teacher wants to find a way to retain her independence, but only a wealthy relative offers
any hope of that.
Put to work in her aunt Nova's Kingsport dance hall, Raquel stumbles upon a mystery when her new hearing aids begin
picking up conversations that no one else can hear. As Christmas draws closer, Raquel realizes the voice comes from a
hunted man lost in time. Now she must do everything she can to free him before the monsters chasing him can catch up
and break through.
Critique: A deftly blending of dark fantasy and historical mystery, "The Bootlegger's Dance" by Rosemary Jones is a
simply riveting read from first page to last. A part of the Arkham Horror series from Aconyte Books, "The Bootlegger's
Dance" is a welcome and recommended addition to personal and community library Fantasy/Horror collections. It should
be noted for personal reading lists that "The Bootlegger's Dance" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$9.95).
Editorial Note: Rosemary Jones (https://aconytebooks.com/?authors=rosemary-jones) is an ardent collector of children's
books, and a fan of talkies and silent movies. She is also the author of three bestselling novels in Dungeons & Dragons'
Forgotten Realms setting, numerous novellas, short stories, and collaborations.
Assassin's Creed Mirage: Daughter of No One
Maria Lewis
Aconyte Books
https://aconytebooks.com
c/o Simon & Schuster
https://www.simonandschuster.com
9781839082801, $16.95, PB, 320pp
https://www.amazon.com/Assassins-Creed-Mirage-Daughter-One/dp/1839082801
Synopsis: Cairo, 824 - In the bowels of prison, escape is out of the question. The best Roshan can hope for is a quick death.
She certainly doesn't expect a second chance offered by a cloaked stranger who says Roshan is exactly what they need:
Someone who can disappear, who will do what needs to be done, someone expendable.
Granted her freedom, Roshan joins a crew of shady figures assembled to steal a mysterious object being transported along
the Silk Road towards Persia. Roshan's otherworldly intuition proves vital as she fights to stay one step ahead of her
backstabbing gang and survive the mission. For her employer holds the key to a world she can't begin to fathom: a world
she might have been destined for all along.
Critique: All of the Assassin's Creed novels feature a fabulous mix of historical and fantasy action adventure. The latest
addition to this simply outstanding series from Aconyte Books is "Assassin's Creed Mirage: Daughter of No One" by
Maria Lewis. When Master Assassin Roshan's past is revealed, she joins a hunt along the Silk Road for a powerful lost
artifact. A 'must' for the growing legions of Assassin's Creed fans in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.95), "Assassin's
Creed Mirage: Daughter of No One"" will prove an immediate and enduringly popular pick for personal reading lists and
community library collections.
Editorial Note: Maria Lewis is an award-winning screenwriter, best-selling author and pop culture etymologist. She is the
author of the internationally published Supernatural Sisters series of eight novels, which includes the Aurealis
Award-winning The Witch Who Courted Death (Best Fantasy Novel), along with titles for Marvel (Mockingbird: Strike
Out), Angry Robot (The Graveyard Shift) and Assassin's Creed (Mirage: Daughter Of No One). As a screenwriter, she has
worked on projects for Netflix, AMC, Ubisoft, DC Comics, SBS, Nickelodeon, ABC and many more. She's the producer,
host and writer of audio AWGIE and Aurealis Award-winning documentaries The Phantom Never Dies (about the first
superhero) and Josie and the Podcats - about the 2001 cult film. Her directorial debut The House That Hungers premiered
in 2023, based on her award-winning short story of the same name.
A Market of Dreams and Destiny
Trip Galley
Titan Books
https://titanbooks.com
9781803363684, $16.95, PB, 432pp
https://www.amazon.com/Market-Dreams-Destiny-Trip-Galey/dp/1803363681
Synopsis: Below Covent Garden lies the Untermarkt, where anything and everything has a price: a lover's first blush, a
month of honesty, a wisp of fortune. As a child, Deri was sold to one of the Market's most powerful merchants. Now, after
years of watchful servitude, Deri finally spots a chance to buy not only his freedom but also his place amongst the Market's
elite when he stumbles into the path of a runaway princess desperate to sell her royal destiny.
But news of the missing princess and her wayward destiny spreads. Royal enforcers and Master Merchants alike are after
it. Out maneuvering them all would all be hard enough had Deri not just also met the love of his life, a young man called
Owain, whose employers are using the Market for their own nefarious schemes.
Deri soon finds that the price of selling the royal destiny, making a name for himself, and saving the man he loves is dear.
The cost of it all might just change the destiny of London forever..
Critique: Original, deftly crafted, compelling, and a fun read from start to finish, "A Market of Dreams and Destiny" will
prove to be of special interest to fans of LGBTQ romance fantasy, action and adventure. Appropriate and highly
recommended for community library Fantasy & LGBTQ Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists
that "A Market of Dreams and Destiny" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.99).
Editorial Note: Trip Galey's interactive novel, Faerie's Bargain, was published in 2021 and is set in the same world as "A
Market of Dreams and Desinty". Trip has degrees in English and Theatre, Shakespeare, Acting and Creative Writing. He
works as a lecturer and was published in the Lambda, Ignyte and Locus award-nominated Glitter + Ashes: Queer Tales of
A World That Wouldn't Die. He lives in London and can be found digitally at linktr.ee/tripgaley
The Silent Hand
Michael Mersault
Baen Books
www.baen.com
9781982192952, $18.00
https://www.amazon.com/Silent-Hand-Michael-Mersault/dp/198219295X
Fans of epic sci-fi such as Dune who eschew the length and depth of such writings, but celebrate their energy and
complexity, will welcome the more succinct but equally vivid The Silence Hand. This is space adventure and
world-building at its best as Michael Mersault creates a story of interstellar war, a street urchin who comes of age to
become a lethal combat force, and a military confrontation that unleashes unexpected new powers that place Inga in the
vortex of universe-altering events. The result is an epic story worthy of attention by any who look for vivid, immersive
plots.
The City of Marble and Blood
Howard Andrew Jones
Baen Books
www.baen.com
9781982192945, $26.00
https://www.amazon.com/City-Marble-Blood-Chronicles-Hanuvar/dp/1982192941
The City of Marble and Blood by Howard Andrew Jones is the second epic production in the Chronicles of Hanuvar and is
especially highly recommended for prior fans of the setting developed by Jones. Hanuvar is searching for the last of his
people, who are scattered and in slavery. His solo quest to rescue them is accompanied by a range of old friends and
resources, unlikely allies, and a formidable army of opposers to his journey that drives him into new avenues of
confrontation and purpose in this story. Magic and military might clash as the army rises in this engrossing story.
More Than Honor
David Weber, David Drake, and S.M. Stirling, authors
David Weber, editor
Baen Books
www.baen.com
9781982192884, $26.00
https://www.amazon.com/More-Than-Honor-Worlds-Weber/dp/1982192887
David Weber works with David Drake and S.M. Stirling in More Than Honor which reissues the first book in the
'Honorverse' series, Worlds of Honor. Prior fans and newcomers alike will appreciate having this 24th anniversary edition
which introduced the series, featuring stories set in the Honorverse and authored by a capable set of familiar names.
Appearing for the first time in hardcover, this keepsake edition is an attractive recommendation.
The Graphic Novel Shelf
Erdogan: A Graphic Biography
Can Dundar, author
Anwar, illustrator
L.L. Kreider, translator
Arsenal Pulp Press
www.arsenalpulp.com
9781551529219, $24.95, PB, 336pp
https://www.amazon.com/Erdo%C4%9Fan-Graphic-Biography-Turkeys-Autocrat/dp/1551529211
Synopsis: One of the world's most divisive and controversial leaders, Recep Tayyip Erdogan has ruled over Turkey as
either prime minister or president since 2003. "Erdogan: A Graphic Biography: The Rise of Turkey's Modern Autocrat" by
Can Dundar is a graphic biography that sheds light on the origins of Turkey's most powerful man, from his youth as a
budding soccer player to his years spent navigating Turkey's political landscape, including the founding of the ruling
Justice and Development Party (AKP) in 2001.
Situated at the crossroads between Europe and Asia with a population of 84 million, Turkey is a growing economic
powerhouse with a geopolitically strategic location. As its leader, the Islamic, conservative Erdogan has had a polarizing
effect on the country's populace; some applaud his economic and political reforms, while others decry his autocratic,
iron-fisted rule which has included the jailing of opponents, the crushing of free speech and the rights of LGBTQ+ people
and others, and an ongoing war waged against the country's Kurdish minority.
Critique: Exceptionally well written and featuring compelling illustrations by Egyptian-Sudanese comic artist Anwar, and
ably translated into English by L.L. Kreider, "Erdogan: A Graphic Biography: The Rise of Turkey's Modern Autocrat"
provides a critical and dramatic context for understanding Erdogan's convictions and contradictions as a demagogue for
whom democracy has been merely a means to power. Also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format
(Kindle, $11.99), "Erdogan: A Graphic Biography: The Rise of Turkey's Modern Autocrat" is a highly recommended pick
for both community and college/university library Contemporary Biography collections.
Editorial Note: Author Can Dundar, a Turkish journalist and contributor to the Washington Post now living in exile in
Germany, spent several years researching "Erdogan: A Graphic Biography: The Rise of Turkey's Modern Autocrat".
I'm Giving the Disgraced Noble Lady I Rescued a Crash Course in Naughtiness 1
Story by Fukada Sametarou
Art by Ichiho Katsura
Translated by Jan Cash
Kodansha
www.kodansha.com
9781647292799, $12.95 pbk / $10.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Giving-Disgraced-Rescued-Course-Naughtiness-ebook/dp/B0BXNKDJ14
Synopsis: Allen, a powerful sorcerer feared as the "Demon Lord" by all in town, wants nothing more than to enjoy his
solitary existence deep in the forest - that is, until the day he discovers a young woman lying unconscious in his neck of the
woods and saves her from a band of knights. He soon learns the girl, Charlotte, once betrothed to the prince of the
neighboring kingdom, was framed by her fianc for vicious crimes and forced to flee her home. Moved by her pitiful
plight, Allen stakes his own life on a promise: to give Charlotte a crash course in all that is naughty, and make her the
happiest woman in the world!
Critique: I'm Giving the Disgraced Noble Lady I Rescued a Crash Course in Naughtiness: I'll Spoil Her with Delicacies
and Style to Make Her the Happiest Woman in the World 1 begins a lightly suggestive manga (Japanese graphic novel)
series. The black-and-white artwork (read right-to-left in the style of the original manga) and superb English translation
bring to life the tale of a powerful, reclusive sorcerer named Allen, who rescues a young noblewoman named Charlotte.
When Allen learns that Charlotte has been unjustly framed, he resolves to take her in - and promises to give her a "crash
course" in all that is "naughty"! (Despite occasional slightly lewd moments, this fantasy-romance-comedy-drama is not
explicit, and is suitable for both teen and adult readers.) A deft balance of humor, heartthrob emotion, and serious
moments as well as playful antics, I'm Giving the Disgraced Noble Lady I Rescued a Crash Course in Naughtiness 1 is a
delightful read from cover to cover, enhanced with a very short bonus text story by the author. It should be noted for
personal reading lists that I'm Giving the Disgraced Noble Lady I Rescued a Crash Course in Naughtiness 1 is also
available in a Kindle edition ($10.99).
40 Men and 12 Rifles: Indochina 1954
Marcelino Truong, author
David Hornel, translator
Arsenal Pulp Press
www.arsenalpulp.com
9781551529233, $29.95, PB, 295pp
https://www.amazon.com/40-Men-12-Rifles-Indochina/dp/1551529238
Synopsis: "40 Men and 12 Rifles: Indochina 1954" is an expansive and gripping graphic novel set in Indochina in the year
leading up to 1954, when the French-held garrison at Dien Bien Phu fell after a fifty-five-day battle, which lead to the end
of the first Indochina war opposing both French and Nationalist Vietnamese forces to Ho Chi Minh's National-Communist
underground state.
Minh (no relation to Ho) is a young man from Hanoi, an aspiring painter who dreams of experiencing la vie de boheme in
Paris's Latin Quarter. To dissuade him from pursuing an artistic life, his father sends him into the countryside to tend to the
family holdings. He is soon pressed into serving with the Ho Chi Minh People's Army, where he becomes a soldier, and is
co-opted by his leaders to the Communist propaganda machine, despite repeatedly defying his cadres (ideological
Communist commanders with whom he disagrees) becoming both hero and anti-hero in the process.
"40 Men and 12 Rifles: Indochina 1954" is a moving and beautifully illustrated book about the human and artistic spirit of
the Indochinese people, who persevered in the face of warfare and suffering.
Critique: With the publication of "40 Men and 12 Rifles: Indochina 1954" by Arsenal Pulp Press, and ably translated into
English by David Homel, author, storyteller and artist Marcelino Truong follows his original graphic novel style memoir
"Such a Lovely Little War". Once again we are treated to an absolutely fascinating, thought-provoking, and memorable
read from start to finish -- making "40 Men and 12 Rifles: Indochina 1954" yet another highly recommended acquisition
for community and college/university library Graphic Novel collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that
"40 Men and 12 Rifles: Indochina 1954" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99) as well.
Editorial Note: There is an informative interview with Marcelino Truong by Hilli Levin on-line at
https://www.bookpage.com/interviews/21792-marcelino-truong-biography-memoir
The Audiobook Shelf
The Witch's Lens
Luanne G. Smith, author
Gail Shalan, narrator
Brilliance Audio
https://audiobookstore.com/publishers/brilliance-audio
9798400147807, $19.99, MP3-CD (8 Hours 41 Minutes)
https://www.amazon.com/Witchs-Lens-Novel-Order-Seven/dp/B0BTPN3J27
Synopsis: With her husband off fighting at World War I's eastern front, Petra Kurkova embraces her fleeting freedom,
roaming the city at night with her camera. A born witch, she's discovered that she can capture the souls of the dead on
film.
Her supernatural skills don't go unnoticed by the enigmatic Josef Svoboda. He's recruiting a team of sorcerers to infiltrate
the front lines, where the bloodshed of combat has resurrected foul creatures. Petra's unique abilities will be needed against
the most dangerous enemies of all -- those ever present, undead, and unseen.
Deep in the cursed Carpathian Mountains, the ragtag team meets with an emissary of an ancient organization founded to
maintain balance between worlds. Photographing the escalating horrors is beyond anything Petra imagined. So are the
secrets among her fellow witches. But Petra can't turn back. Not before she discovers her husband's fate and the myriad
ways her magic is manifesting.
To defeat an occult foe, Petra must release the power she's been concealing for so long, or risk damning a war-torn world
to ashes.
Critique: Of particular interest to fans of dark fantasy set in the era of World War I, author Luanne G. Smith's novel, "The
Witch's Lens" is vividly, expressively, and brilliantly performed by the impressive storytelling talents of professional
narrator Gail Shalan. The result is a complete and unabridged audio book production from Brilliance Audio that will prove
to be an outstanding addition to personal and community library Science Fiction & Fantasy audio book collections.
Editorial Note #1: Luanne G. Smith (www.luannegsmith.com) is also the author of The Raven Spell, The Vine Witch, The
Glamourist, and The Conjurer.
Editorial Note #2: Gail Shalan (https://www.gailshalan.com) has worked with Shakespeare and Company, Williamstown
Theatre Festival, Berkshire Theatre Festival, and others before her passion for storytelling propelled her to Boston, New
York, Rome, London, and Bristol, earning her MFA in Acting at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, and performing at
renowned venues such as The Bristol Old Vic, Edinburgh Fringe, Cherry Lane, and St. Ann's Warehouse. She brings her
diverse background of experience in performance and training to all of her work.
Tempted: A Masters and Mercenaries Novella
Lexi Blake, author
Ryan West, narrator
Brilliance Audio
https://audiobookstore.com/publishers/brilliance-audio
9781501207785, $9.99, MP3-CD (5 Hours 51 Minutes)
https://www.amazon.com/Tempted-Masters-Mercenaries-Novella-Nights/dp/1501207784
Synopsis: When West Rycroft left his family's ranch to work in the big city, he never dreamed he would find himself
surrounded by celebrities and politicians. Working at McKay-Taggart as a bodyguard and security expert quickly taught
him how to navigate the sometimes shark-infested waters of the elite. While some would come to love that world, West
has seen enough to know it's not for him, preferring to keep his distance from his clients -- until the day he meets Ally
Pearson.
Growing up in the entertainment world, Ally was always in the shadow of others, but now she has broken out from behind
the scenes for her own day in the spotlight. The paparazzi isn't fun, but she knows all too well that it's part of the gig. She
has a good life and lots of fans, but someone has been getting too close for comfort and making threats. To be safe, she
hires her own personal knight in shining armor, a cowboy hottie by the name of West. They clash in the beginning, but the
minute they fall into bed together something magical happens.
Just as everything seems too good to be true, they are both reminded that there was a reason Ally needed a bodyguard. Her
problems have found her again, and this time West will have to put his life on the line or lose everything they've
found.
Critique: Deftly and expertly narrated by the rather impressive storytelling talents of Ryan Wess, the novella, and
flawlessly produced by Brilliance Audio, "Tempted" by author Lexi Blake is certain to be an enduringly appreciated,
complete and unabridged addition to both personal and community library Contemporary Romance audio book
collections.
Editorial Note #1: Lexi Blake (http://www.lexiblake.net) began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and
journalism. It wasn't until she started writing romance and urban fantasy that she found the stories of her heart. She likes to
find humor in the strangest places and believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome, or foursome
may seem.
Editorial Note #2: Ryan West (https://podiumaudio.com/performer/ryan-west) is the proud narrator of nearly 200 titles
written by numerous New York Times bestselling authors around the country and around the world. He lives in Brooklyn,
NY and is eternally grateful for the romance audiobook fan community -- the most loyal and passionate fans in the
world.
Darkest Need: A Dark Ones Novella
Rachel Van Dyken, author
Aiden Snow, Tamika Katon-Donegal, and Oliver Clarke, narrators
Brilliance Audio
https://audiobookstore.com/publishers/brilliance-audio
9781501208201, $14.99, MP3-CD (3 Hours 26 Minutes)
https://www.amazon.com/Darkest-Need-Dark-Novella-Nights/dp/1501208209
Synopsis: I see everything. I feel everything. I watch people fall in love. I watch them burn with hate, anger, rage, and I see
the cycle repeat over and over again. I take it on every night I work at Timber, aka Anubis's bar in downtown Seattle, and
then I help the rest of the immortals keep the very intense balance between Heaven and Earth.
I see everyone's future but mine, and when I try to look, all I see is darkness, despair, need... Until she walks into my bar
with bruises on her face, getting pulled by one of the lesser demons. I do what any good bartender would do. I beat him
within an inch of his life and turn my eyes to her.
By then, it's too late. She already has me in her grasp. A succubus that has no other plan than to suck me clean of every
inch of power that's been bestowed on me by the Heavens.
I never thought my future involved getting kidnapped and tied up or that I'd die by way of sex -- then again, maybe that's
for the best. Dying at the hands of my enemy rather than being one more burden to my already mated friends. After all,
giving into one last need before death, while selfish, may be exactly what my darkness means.
My need is great. -- And she's about to find out just how much!
Critique: Original, fascinating, riveting, and a distinct treat for fans of dark fantasy stories and a highly recommended pick
for community library Science Fiction & Fantasy audio book collections, this complete and unabridged Brilliance Audio
edition of author Rachoel Van Dyken's novella, "Darkest Need" is brought vividly to life in a true theatre of the mind
experinece by the collaborative storytelling talents of co-narrators Aiden Snow, Tamika Katon-Donegal, and Oliver
Clarke.
Editorial Note: Rachel Van Dyken (https://rachelvandykenauthor.com/about) is the author of over 90 books ranging from
contemporary romance to paranormal. Her books have been translated in more than 15 countries. She was one of the first
romance authors to have a Kindle in Motion book through Amazon publishing and continues to strive to be on the cutting
edge of the reader experience.
Straw Dogs of the Universe
Ye Chun, author
Nancy Wu, narrator
Brilliance Audio
https://audiobookstore.com/publishers/brilliance-audio
9781501219337, $29.99, MP3-CD (11 Hours 56 Minutes)
https://www.amazon.com/Straw-Dogs-Universe-Ye-Chun/dp/1501219332
Synopsis: A sweeping historical novel of the American West from the little-seen perspective of those who helped to build
it, "Straw Dogs of the Universe" by Ye Chun traces the story of one Chinese father and his young daughter, desperate to
find him against all odds.
After her village is devastated by famine, 10-year-old Sixiang is sold to a human trafficker for a bag of rice and six silver
coins. Her mother is reluctant to let her go, but the promise of a better life for her beloved daughter ultimately sways her.
Arriving in America with the profits from her sale and a single photograph of Guifeng, her absent father, Sixiang journeys
across an unfamiliar American landscape in the hopes of reuniting her family.
As she makes her way through an unforgiving new world, her father, a railroad worker in California, finds his attempts to
build a life for himself both upended and defined by along-lost love and the seemingly inescapable violence of the
American West. A generational saga ranging from the villages of China to the establishment of the transcontinental
railroad and the anti-Chinese movement in California, Straw Dogs of the Universe considers the tenacity of family ties and
the courage it takes to survive in a country that rejects you, even as it relies upon your labor.
Critique: With a particular appeal for fans American western historical fiction from an Asian immigrant perspective, this
complete and unabridged Brilliance Audio edition of Ye Chun's "Straw Dogs of the Universe" as expertly and effectively
performed by professional narrator Nancy Wu is an extraordinary and welcome pick for both personal and community
library Historical Fiction audio book collections.
Editorial Note #1: Ye Chun (https://www.yechunauthor.com) is a bilingual Chinese American writer and literary translator.
Her debut story collection, Hao, was longlisted for the 2022 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction. She is also
the author of two books of poetry, Travel Over Water and Lantern Puzzle; a novel in Chinese, Peach Tree in the Sea; and
four volumes of translations. A recipient of an NEA Literature Fellowship, a Sustainable Arts Foundation Award, and
three Pushcart Prizes, she teaches at Providence College and lives in Providence, Rhode Island.
Editorial Note #2: Nancy Wu (https://nancywuvoice.com) is an award-winning audiobook narrator who specializes in
emotive storytelling, wild and wacky characters, and difficult accents. She is known for magically bringing stories to life.
Her work is consistently featured in AudioFile Magazine, The New York Times, and other top publications.
A Fire in the Flesh
Jennifer L. Armentrout, author
Stina Nielsen, narrator
Brilliance Audio
https://audiobookstore.com/publishers/brilliance-audio
9781978699755, $34.99, MP3-CD (24 Hours 4 Minutes)
https://www.amazon.com/Fire-Flesh/dp/1978699751
Synopsis: After a startling betrayal ends with both Sera and the dangerously seductive ruler of the Shadowlands she has
fallen madly in love with being held captive by the false King of the Gods, there is only one thing that can free Nyktos and
prevent the forces of the Shadowlands from invading Dalos and igniting a War of Primals.
Convincing Kolis won't be easy, though -- not even with a lifetime of training. While his most favored Revenant is
insistent that she is nothing more than a lie, Kolis's erratic nature and twisted sense of honor leave her shaken to the core,
and nothing could've prepared her for the cruelty of his Court or the shocking truths revealed. The revelations not only
upend what she has understood about her duty and the very creation of the realms but also draw into question exactly what
the true threat is.
However, surviving Kolis is only one part of the battle. The Ascension is upon her, and Sera is out of time.
But Nyktos will do anything to keep Sera alive and give her the life she deserves. He'll even risk the utter destruction of the
realms, and that's exactly what will happen if he doesn't Ascend as the Primal of Life. Yet despite his desperate
determination, their destinies may be out of their hands.
But there is that foreseen unexpected thread -- the unpredictable, unknown, and unwritten. The only thing more powerful
than the Fates!
Critique: This complete and unabridged Brilliance Audio edition of "Fire in the Flesh" by Jennifer L. Armentrout, is a
compelling dark fantasy novel that is brilliantly narrated by Stina Nielsen and will prove to be an immediate and
enduringly popular addition to personal and community library Science Fiction/Fantasy audio book collections.
Editorial Note #1: Jennifer L. Armentrout (https://jenniferlarmentrout.com) is an accomplished novelist who also writes
under the name J. Lynn.
Editorial Note #2: Stina Nielsen (https://stinanielsen.com) is a New York based actress who has performed in Film, TV,
Broadway, London's West End, and at many American Regional Theaters. She has recorded over 250 audiobooks and her
work has been recognized with numerous awards.
Deadlands
Victoria Miluch
Brilliance Audio
https://audiobookstore.com/publishers/brilliance-audio
9798400132544, $19.99, MP3-CD (9 Hours 24 Minutes)
https://www.amazon.com/Deadlands-Novel-Victoria-Miluch/dp/B0BN8PZHCF
Synopsis: Only the most hardened survivalists can endure living in the scorched deadlands of the former state of Arizona.
Among them is nineteen-year-old Georgia Reno, who lives in an isolated desert settlement with her father and younger
brother. Roads don't exist here; visitors are more dark fairy tale than reality.
But when two mysterious strangers arrive on their land, Georgia begins to question her sheltered existence. Soon, her
tentative curiosity blooms into a fledgling desire to leave the settlement, even if it means venturing into a world her father
has only ever warned against.
As their tenuous situation deteriorates, Georgia uncovers secrets about the visitors that could threaten her family's fragile
existence in the desert. But to leave the newcomers at the hands of her father could put everyone's lives at risk -- and force
Georgia into an impossible decision.
Critique: With the publication of Victoria Miluch's debut novel, "Deadlines", this complete and unabridged audio book
edition effectively and vividly narrated by Laura Jennings will have a very special attraction for listeners with an interest in
Dystopian Fiction and is a welcome addition to personal and community library audio book collections.
Editorial Note #1: Victoria Miluch (https://www.victoriamiluch.com) is a fiction writer and translator whose work has
appeared in journals such as Passages North, Southeast Review, Asymptote, and Arkansas International. She is the
recipient of a Fulbright fellowship and has served as a Peace Corps volunteer.
Editorial Note #2: Laura Jennings (https://www.laurajenningsnarrates.com) is an Earphones Award Winning and holds a
Masters Degree in Fine Arts in Creative Writing, Laura has an intrinsic appreciation of the mechanisms and techniques
which comprise the art of the tale. She's able to analyze the underlying moods and currents of a book and bring these into
her interpretation of the author's work. Her character work has listeners rechecking audible making sure there is only one
narrator. She has narrated titles for major publishers but is just as proud of her work with independent authors.
Bluebeard's Castle
Anna Biller, author
Samantha Hydeson, narrator
Brilliance Audio
https://audiobookstore.com/publishers/brilliance-audio
9798400124204, $19.99, MP3-CD (10 Hours 34 Minutes)
https://www.amazon.com/Bluebeards-Castle-Novel-Anna-Biller/dp/B0BSNKRDFM
Synopsis: When the successful British mystery writer Judith Moore meets Gavin, a handsome and charming baron, at a
birthday party on the Cornish coast, his love transforms her from a bitter, lonely young woman into a romance heroine
overnight. After a whirlwind honeymoon in Paris, he whisks her away to a secluded Gothic castle. But soon she finds
herself trapped in a nightmare, as her husband's mysterious nature and his alternation between charm and violence become
increasingly frightening.
As Judith battles both internal and external demons, including sexual ambivalence, psychological self-torture, gaslighting,
family neglect, alcoholism, and domestic abuse, she becomes increasingly addicted to her wild beast of a husband. Why do
women stay in abusive relationships? The answer can be found in the tortured mind of the protagonist, whose richly
layered fantasy life parallels that of the female Gothic romance reader. Filled with dark humor and evocative imagery,
Bluebeard's Castle is a subversive take on modern romance and Gothic erotica.
Critique: Impressively original, inherently fascinating and vividly brought to life with the narrative storytelling skills of
Samantha Hydeson in this complete and unabridged audio book edition of Anna Biller's debut novel, "Bluebeard's Castle",
will prove a highly prized pick for personal and community library Gothic/Psychological Thriller Fiction audio book
collections.
Editorial Note #1: Anna Biller (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Biller) is an independent filmmaker. The New York
Times called her film The Love Witch "a hothouse filled with deadly and seductive blooms;" Indiewire called it "a
spellbinding feminist delight;" and Rotten Tomatoes listed her as one of "The 21 Masters of Horror Shaping the Genre
Right Now." The hashtag #thelovewitch has gone viral on Tiktok, with over 72 million views to date. She is a member of
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the writer's branch, and is represented for her film work by
WME.
Editorial Note #2: Samantha Hydeson (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6245227) is a young actress and screenwriter
originally from Northern California. She started acting in elementary school and has studied classical drama, Shakespeare,
screen acting, and voiceover. After performing lead roles in multiple short films and making it to the second round of the
Sundance Screenwriters Lab, Samantha signed with KMR & Associates.
Exorcism
Han Song, author
Kenneth Lee, narrator
Brilliance Audio
https://audiobookstore.com/publishers/brilliance-audio
9798400144844, $19.99, MP3-CD (15 Hours 28 Minutes)
https://www.amazon.com/Exorcism-Hospital-2-Han-Song/dp/B0BSQGXS9V
Synopsis: Yang Wei wakes to find himself still a patient at the hospital. Somehow, he's aged decades overnight and is
confined to the geriatric ward on a massive Hospital ship as it floats along a blood red sea full of unsightly things. But
human remains and sea nymphs are perhaps nothing compared to the goings-on belowdecks.
The doctors are nowhere to be found, replaced by a procession of medical robots from whom, of course, no information
can be gleaned. So Yang Wei, along with a small group of patients (all just as aged as he is) venture out to explore the
uncharted depths of the ship and the answers that are surely hidden within.
As they delve deeper into both the ship and why they're on it, every uncovered secret comes with its own questions. The
only thing Yang Wei can be sure of is that the more he learns, the less he understands... and the less he truly wants to
know.
Critique: An original, exceptional, and deftly crafted science fiction mystery that is a highly recommended as a very special
addition for both personal and community library audio book collections, Han Song's "Exorcism" is narrated with a
riveting performance by Kenneth Lee in this complete and unabridged MP3-CD edition from Brilliance Audio.
Editorial Note #1: Han Song is a journalist with Xinhua News Agency and one of China's leading science fiction writers. A
native of Chongqing, Han earned an MA in journalism from Wuhan University; he began writing in 1982 and has
published numerous volumes of fiction and essays. His novels include The Red Sea, Red Star over America, the Rails
trilogy (Subway, High-Speed Rail, and Orbits), and the Hospital trilogy (Hospital, Exorcism, and Dead Souls), which has
been described as a new landmark in dystopian fiction. Han is a six-time winner of the Chinese Galaxy Award for fiction
and a repeat recipient of the Xingyun Award. His short fiction has appeared in the collections Broken Stars and The
Reincarnated Giant and the anthology Exploring Dark Short Fiction: A Primer to Han Song.
Editorial Note #2: Kenneth Lee (http://www.ikennethlee.com) is an actor, director, writer, and thinker.
The Dissent
Leah Vernon, author
Alaska Jackson, et al., narrators
Brilliance Audio
https://audiobookstore.com/publishers/brilliance-audio
9798400124228, $19.99, MP3-CD (13 Hours 39 Minutes)
https://www.amazon.com/Dissent-Union-Leah-Vernon/dp/B0BS1VV51H
Synopsis: A thousand years into the future, a Black elite class reigns while the underclass toils at their feet. With her
society's future hanging in the balance, young Avi Jore enters into an arranged marriage. But the ceremony turns violent
when the servants rebel and kill Avi's father.
In the aftermath of General Jore's death, Avi and her sister Jade vie for power in a vicious contest. As the rightful heir, Avi
has no choice but to defend what's hers -- at any cost. With her loyalties tested and her enemies closing in, Avi must rely
on her sister Saige, who searches for allies outside the Union's walls.
As Avi and Saige navigate threats and betrayals in the wake of worsening unrest, they forge a path forward that could
forever change their turbulent world.
Critique: This complete and unabridged MP3-CD audio book edition Leah Vernon's dystopian novel, "The Dissent" is
expertly narrated by the vocal acting talents of co-narrators Alaska Jackson, Sisi Aisha Johnson, and Kirby Heyborne. Of
special and particular interest to science fiction fans, "The Dissent" will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular
addition to personal and community library audio book collections.
Editorial Note: Leah Vernon is an author, a body-positivity activist, and the first international plus-size hijabi model.
During her double master's program, she started a blog about being a fat Black Muslim in Detroit and experiencing
everything from eating disorders to anti-Blackness. She's been featured in ads from Target to Dove, and she even made it
to the New York Times and HuffPost. She currently resides in New York City. She can be connect with her on Instagram,
@lvernon2000, and on her website, www.leahvernon.com
Consort of Fire
Kit Rocha, author
Caitlin Elizabeth, et al., narrators
Brilliance Audio
https://audiobookstore.com/publishers/brilliance-audio
9781491594698, $19.99, MP3-CD (12 Hours 32 Minutes)
https://www.amazon.com/Consort-Fire-Bound-Steel/dp/1491594691
Synopsis: For three thousand years, an ancient dragon god has protected the borders of the Sheltered Lands. In return, he
makes only one demand: every one hundred years, the mortal ruler must send their heir to serve as his consort... for as long
as they can survive.
Sachielle of House Roquebarre is the thirty-first consort to be sacrificed to the monster who guards the mountain passes.
She is young, beautiful -- and she has three secrets.
First: she's a disposable orphan trained in seduction.
Second: her handmaid, Zanya, is an assassin and the only person she has ever loved.
Third (and most dangerous) she is cursed.
Sachi and Zanya have five weeks to murder the Dragon in his bed. If they fail, the mortal king's curse will steal not just
Sachi's life, but her very soul.
The Dragon has only one secret: he is nothing like what they have been told. And he will do whatever it takes to possess
them both.
Critique: Original and of particular interest to fans of fantasy and dragons, and unreservedly recommended for personal
and community library audio book collectoins, "Consort of Fire" by novelist Kit Rocha is brilliantly performed in a true
'theatre of the mind' experience by co-narrators Catelin Elizabeth, Victoria Mei, Will Thorne, and Adenerele is this
complete and unabridged MP3-CD audio book edition from Brilliance Audio.
Editorial Note: Kit Rocha (www.kitrocha.com( is the pseudonym for cowriting team Donna Herren and Bree Bridges.
After penning dozens of paranormal novels, novellas, and stories as Moira Rogers, they reinvented themselves by writing
the nine-book multiple-award-winning (and extremely steamy) Beyond series, which became an instant cult favorite. They
followed it up with two spin-off series, including the popular Mercenary Librarians trilogy published by Tor. Now they're
leaping into sexy epic fantasy with happily ever afters. Their favorite stories are about messy worlds, strong women, and
falling in love with the people who love you just the way you are. When they're not writing, they can be found crafting
handmade jewelry, caring too much about video games, or freaking out about their favorite books or TV shows, all of
which are chronicled on their various social media accounts.
1001 Dark Nights: Christmas in Cape May
Jennifer Probst, author
Alexander Cendese, narrator
Lynn Wright, narrator
Brilliance Audio
https://audiobookstore.com/publishers/brilliance-audio
9781501208263. $14.99, MP3-CD (4 Hours 3 Minutes)
https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Cape-May-Sunshine-Sisters/dp/1501208268
Synopsis: Devon Pratt loves many things in life. The beauty of flowers. The yin and yang of energy. The power of
positivity in people. And everything to do with the Christmas season.
As a floral shop owner in the beach town of Cape May, she looks forward to decorating both the town and running the
annual holiday party to benefit the local animal shelter. Too bad the new owner of her favorite venue is more like the
Grinch than Santa. Working with him will be a challenge, but she's too full of seasonal cheer to let him annoy her,
right?
Jameson Franklin hates many things in life. Crowds. Fake cheer. Ostentatious decor. And especially Christmas. The season
is full of things he'd rather avoid, but since taking over the popular restaurant Vintage temporarily for his cousin as a favor,
he's trying to play nice with the locals. Too bad the florist is insisting on overrunning his sacred space with blooms, dogs,
and an endless positive persistence that pushes all of his buttons.
But when too many heated confrontations lead to heated encounters, he begins to wonder what it would be like to love not
only Christmas, but Devon Pratt. -- Let the festivities begin!
Critique: A truly memorable, entertaining, and very highly recommended pick for personal and community library
collections, the talented storytelling skills of co-narrators Alexander Cendese and Lynn Wright bring author Jennifer
Probst's "Christmas in Cape May" to life in this complete and unabridged MP3-CD audio book edition as part of the
Brilliance Aujdio '1001 Dark Nights' series.
Editorial Note #1: Jennifer Probst (www.jenniferprobst.com) is the author of eight series, including The Sunshine Sisters,
Stay, The Billionaire Builders, Searching For... , Marriage to a Billionaire, The Steele Brothers, Sex on the Beach, and
Twist of Fate.
Editorial Note #2: Alexander Cendese (https://tantor.com/narrator/alexander-cendese.html) is a New York - based
actor/narrator whose credits include roles on and Off-Broadway, in films, and on popular television shows, including Law
& Order: SVU and All My Children. He holds a BFA from the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama.
Editorial Note #3: There is a listing of the audio books narrated by Lynn Wright at the Audible Amazon website at:
https://www.audible.com/search?searchNarrator=Lynn+Wright
All The Little Truths
Debra Webb, author
Megan Tusing, narrator
Brilliance Audio
https://audiobookstore.com/publishers/brilliance-audio
9798400116322, $19.99, MP3-CD (11 Hours 7 Minutes)
https://www.amazon.com/All-Little-Truths-Finley-OSullivan/dp/B0BRXMHC19
Synopsis: Legal investigator Finley O'Sullivan has dealt with her share of shady characters, but the firm's latest client has
an even darker past than most. In fact, Nashville Metro Police seems to think he's a murderer.
Finley isn't so sure. Her investigation into Ray Johnson's history focuses on the unsolved murder of a teenager who died
thirteen years earlier. The case went cold, but questions remain. After the girl's death, people close to her started
disappearing -- Ray's brother first, then the girl's mother. But why?
As Finley races to solve a decade-old murder, she uncovers new clues and long-buried secrets that could blow the case
wide open. But whoever killed the girl all those years ago may still be a threat -- and now the chase is on!
Critique: Of special and particular interest to fans of cold case murder mysteries, author Debra Webb's compelling novel,
"All The Little Truths" is exceptionally well narrated by the vocal storytelling talents of Megan Tusing. This complete and
unabridged MP3-CD audiobook edition from Brilliance Audio is an especially recommended pick for both personal and
community library Mystery/Suspense audio book collections.
Editorial Note #1: Debra Webb (www.debrawebb.com) is the author of more than 170 novels. She is the recipient of the
prestigious Romantic Times Career Achievement Award for Romantic Suspense as well as numerous Reviewers' Choice
Awards. In 2012, Webb was honored as the first recipient of the esteemed L. A. Banks Warrior Woman Award for her
courage, strength, and grace in the face of adversity. Webb was also awarded the distinguished Centennial Award for
having published her hundredth novel. She has more than four million books in print in many languages and
countries.
Editorial Note #2: Megan Tusing (https://www.megantusing.com) is an actor and an award-winning audiobook narrator.
She developed a love of storytelling and a passion for language at a young age when first introduced to William
Shakespeare, which eventually led her to pursue a career in acting. She has recorded over 300 audiobooks, most from her
home studio, with such publishers as Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, Harper Collins, and
Macmillian, as well as indie authors.
Flop Dead Gorgeous
David Rosenfelt, author
Grover Gardner, narrator
Macmillan Audio
www.macmillanaudio.com
9781250325303, $29.99, CD
https://www.amazon.com/Flop-Dead-Gorgeous-Carpenter-Mystery/dp/1250325307
Synopsis: Trying to be retired lawyer Andy Carpenter remembers every dog that's come through the Tara Foundation's
doors, but the most well-known alum of the dog rescue organization that Andy founded in Paterson, New Jersey, may be
Mamie. Adopted by famous actress Jenny Nichols (Andy's high school girlfriend) the miniature French poodle is now
practically a starlet in her own right.
Andy doesn't hold it against his friend. In fact, he and his wife, Laurie, have dinner with Jenny while she's in town filming
her next big hit. But after an eventful meal, there's a plot twist the next morning that none of them see coming: Jenny's
costar is found dead, a knife in his back. It's not long before Jenny is arrested for the murder and finds herself in need of
Andy's legal services.
While Mamie becomes reacquainted with Tara, Andy's golden retriever, Andy digs into the lives of the rich and
famous.
Critique: A fun and funny cozy mystery written by one of the best in the business today, author David Rosenfelt's "Flop
Dead Gorgeous" is brilliantly narrated by the impressive vocal storytelling talents of Grover Gardner. Still another in the
extended 'Andy Carpenter Mystery series, the complete and unabridged CD audio book edition from Macmillan Audio is
unreservedly recommended for both personal and community library Mystery/Suspense audio book collections.
Editorial Note #1: David Rosenfelt is the Edgar-nominated and Shamus Award-winning author of more than twenty Andy
Carpenter novels, including One Dog Night, Collared, and Deck the Hounds; its spinoff series, The K-Team; the Doug
Brock thriller series, which starts with Fade to Black; and stand-alone thrillers including Heart of a Killer and On
Borrowed Time.
Editorial Note #2: Grover Gardner (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grover_Gardner#Biography) is an American narrator of
audiobooks. As of May 2018, he has narrated over 1,200 books. He was the Publishers Weekly "Audiobook Narrator of
the Year" (2005) and is among AudioFile magazine's "Best Voices of the Century".
The Library CD Shelf
Welcome Winter
Bryan Lubeck
www.bryanlubeck.com
Vineyard Music Productions
$10.98 CD / $9.49 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/Welcome-Winter-Bryan-Lubeck/dp/B0CJK1MNYN
Welcome Winter is an album of classic Christmas and winter songs performed by the talented Bryan Lubeck on the
Spanish guitar, supported by an acoustic ensemble including violins, cellos, dulcimer, melodica, percussion, vibraphones,
and more. The masterful performances are a joyful celebration of the spirit of Christmas. A wonderful way to set the mood
for the holidays, Welcome Winter is highly recommended especially for Christmas parties and public library music
collections. The tracks are Deck the Halls, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Welcome Winter, The Christmas Song, Jingle
Bells, What Child is This, Mary Did You Know, and Carol of the Bells.
Nighttime Creatures
The Angelica Sanchez Nonet
angelicasanchez.com
Pyroclastic Records
pyroclasticrecords.com
$18.00 CD / $12.00 digital
https://angelicasanchezpyroclastic.bandcamp.com/album/nighttime-creatures
Nighttime Creatures is the instrumental debut album of the Angelica Sanchez Nonet. All songs are composed by Angelica
Sanchez, who performs on the piano; the other members are Michael Attias on alto saxophone, Ben Goldberg on contra
alto clarinet, John Hebert on bass, Thomas Heberer on quarter-tone trumpet, Sam Ospovat on drums, Chris Speed on tenor
saxophone and clarinet, Omar Tamez on guitar, and Kenny Warren on cornet. Inspired by Sanchez's time living in a
secluded cabin while teaching in upstate New York, the beautiful music of Nighttime Creatures evokes hidden mysteries of
a natural ecosystem after dark. An evocative balance of ensemble harmony and individual flourishes, Nighttime Creatures
is an extraordinary collaboration and highly recommended for both personal and public library music collections. The
tracks are Nighttime Creatures, C.B. the Time Traveler, Cloud House, Astral Light of Alarid, Lady of the Lavender Mist,
Land Here, Ringleader, Big Weirdo, Wrong Door for Rocket Fuel, Tristeza, and Run.
Love Letter
Vocals and piano by Casey MacGill
Compositions by Cornet
caseymacgill.com
Privately Published
$30.00 CD
https://www.caseymacgill.com/product-page/love-letter-casey-macgill-original-music-2-volume-cd-set-1
Superbly sung and performed by talented vocalist and piano maestro Casey MacGill, Love Letter is a 2-CD set of cabaret
jazz songs composed over the last 50 years, and freshly recorded between 2019 and 2022. Although a few of the songs
have previously been released, most have been confined to cabinets, sheets, or reels of tape for decades. Featuring songs
ranging from old time pop to big band swing, Latin jazz, bossa nova, funky soul and more, Love Letter is a treasure for
jazz connoisseurs and highly recommended. The tracks are Noctunre, Who's Gonna Buy You Drinks Tonight, So Far So
Good, Summer Shade, Hold the Phone, Nocturne in D flat, Funk University, The Camel's Hump, Swingin' in the Rain, Pan
Dulce, Love Letter, and You Always Want the Thang You Can't Have on disc 1, and Late Night Swing, Are You Fats
Enough, He Makes the Blues Come Out of His Horn, San Gabriel, On a Summer Night, Postcard From Jelly, Barrelhouse,
Head in the Clouds, Love Ain't Nothn' But the Blues, Rhythm, Front Porch Rockin', and It's Gonna Be a Long Long Time
on disc 2.
Between the Stars
Ann Licater
annlicater.com
Cul de Sac Mystic Productions
$15.00 CD / $9.00 digital
https://annlicater.bandcamp.com/album/between-the-stars
Award-winning recording artist and world-class flutist Ann Licater presents Between the Stars: Flute Passages for
Meditation and Inspiration, a breathtakingly beautiful New Age album. Licater's devotion to the flute includes both years
of classical flute training at the MacPhail Center for Music, and study with master Native American flutist R. Carlos Nakai.
Licater personally composed all the tracks of Between the Stars. The songs showcase Licater's talented performance on
eleven types of flute including folk, alto, ocarina, Native American-style, Mayan-style Drone, silver C-flute and more.
Although Between the Stars is a solo album, Licater has mixed some tracks with her own performance on grand piano or
singing bowls to create the effect of a duo. Between the Stars is a treasure for New Age connoisseurs and an ideal audio
complement to meditation, yoga, creativity, study, or relaxation. Highly recommended! The tracks are Divine Skies,
Ancient Traveler, Between the Stars, Sunbirds, Luminous Waters, Dream Passages, Distant Realm, Angelic Echoes, Moon
Garden, Whispering Light, Timeless Voices, Circling Star, and Starlight Lullaby.
Distancia
Solidaridad
solidaridadtango.ca
3AM Fish Records
$20.00 CAD CD / $35.00 CAD vinyl / $7.00 CAD digital
https://solidaridad.bandcamp.com/album/distancia
Distancia is an original tango album by the all-female group Solidaridad: Valeria Matzner on vocals, Aparna Halpe on
violin, Suhashini Arulanandam on violin, Esme Allen-Creighton on viola, Sybil Shanahan on cello, Shannon Wojewoda
on bass, Elizabeth Acker on piano, and Eva Wolff on bandoneon (a traditional tango instrument resembling an accordion).
The songs refer to modern-day social issues including homelessness, anti-Indigenous discrimination, the dark toll of the
COVID-19 pandemic (the title "Distancia" is the Spanish word for "distance") and more. Love, loss, and emotional
connections are universal themes that resonate in this unforgettable treasure especially recommended for connoisseurs of
tango music. The tracks are Winter's Coming, Deriva, Pompeya, Variacion, And I Have Been Looking, The Corner,
Fujimos, If Not Today, YYZ, El Adios, Charrua, and The Dance.
Confluence
Philippe Cote & Francois Bourassa
philippecote.com
francoisbourassa.com
Odd Sound
oddsoundmusique.com
$TBA CD / $11.49 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CL5D8CFW
Confluence is a two-man contemporary jazz album featuring Philippe Cote on tenor and soprano saxophones as well as
piano, and Francois Bourassa on piano. The instrumental creations range from tributes to inspiration to emotional songs
that evoke an air of mystery. Confluence is a jazz experience that defies expected norms and boundaries, at time eschewing
the traditional piano-saxophone duo for duo piano or the use of prepared piano for the sake of timbral variation. Highly
recommended for connoisseurs of standout original music! The tracks are Tour 1 (Bourassa), 1190 Chemin de la Montagne
(Cote), Muted Song (Cote), The Forks (Cote), When Blue Meets White (Cote), Ganges-Purification (Cote), Rideau Falls
(Cote), Archipel d'Hochelaga (Cote), Chire (Bourassa), Truc (Bourassa), On Duty (Bourassa), Hushed Song (Cote) and
Tour 2 (Bourassa).
Fire Within
Rich Halley, Matthew Shipp, Michael Bisio, and Newman Taylor Baker
www.richhalley.com
Pine Eagle Records
$20.00 CD / $9.00 digital
https://richhalley.bandcamp.com/album/fire-within
Fire Within is the latest instrumental jazz album by Rich Halley, featuring Rich Halley on tenor saxophone, Matthew
Shipp on piano, Michael Bisio on bass and Newman Taylor Baker on drums. The quartet balances collaborative chemistry
with captivating improvisations, in this exciting and adventurous performance. Although there are only five songs, Fire
Within is a full-length album; individual songs take the listener on an extraordinary thrill ride that can last up to fifteen
minutes! Fire Within lives up to its metaphorical title! Highly recommended, especially for jazz connoisseurs. The tracks
are Fire Within (12:50), Inferred (14:12), Angular Logic (7:08), Through Still Air (4:33), and Following the Stream
(15:48).
It Comes in Waves
Denin Slage-Koch
www.deninkochmusic.com
Slage-Koch Records
$15.00 CD / $12.00 digital
https://deninkoch.bandcamp.com/album/it-comes-in-waves
Guitarist and composer Denin Slage-Koch presents the jazz album It Comes in Waves. All songs are Denin's creations
except for Denin's arrangement of "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", a song originally by Tears for Fears. To
transform his compositions into musical performance, Denin assembled the talented international team of Ryan Keberle on
trombone, Jared Cathey on clarinet, Shane Endsley on trumpet and flugelhorn, Gavin Allen-Dunn on keyboards, Seth
Lewis on bass, and Bobby Wiens on drums and percussion. Denin plays both acoustic and electric guitar in this resonant
and inspirational album. It Comes in Waves was partially funded by the Pathways to Jazz grant, and the listening
experience is thoroughly worthy of the patronage. The tracks are It Comes in Waves, The Road Home, One for Honey, The
Cost of Apathy, Everybody Wants to Rule the World, Continue, Signal Fires, The Philosopher (for Wayne Shorter), and
Quiet Year.
Spheres
Scott Emmerman
Also featuring Marty Zevin
Privately Published
$TBA CD / $7.00 digital
https://scottemmerman.bandcamp.com/album/spheres
Spheres is an instrumental jazz album featuring Scott Emmerman on guitar, keyboards, bass, and drum programming;
Marty Zevin on drums and percussion; and Larry Nelson on piano (for "Roanoke"). All compositions are the original
creations by Scott Emmerman, except for "Judgement Day" which was co-written by Scott Emmerman and Marty Zevin,
and "Yearning for Your Love" which was written by Oliver Scott and Ronnie Wilson. Spheres experiments with a variety
of jazz styles from funky grooves, to swing, to jazz fusion, and leads the listener on a grand tour of the genre at its finest.
Highly recommended! The tracks are Spheres, Roanoke, Steppin in It, Kc Blues, Return to Rogers Park, Emerald Isle,
California Roll, Judgement Day, Winning Time, and Yearning for Your Love.
Heart Mind and Soul
Randy Bernsen
https://randybernsen.com
Jericho Jams
$TBA CD / $5.94 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C1HW4G1V
Heart Mind and Soul is a new jazz album by fusion guitar icon Randy Bernsen, with bandmates saxophonist Bob Mintzer,
saxophonist Bob Franceschini, bassist Jimmy Haslip, trumpeter Dan Davis, keyboardist George Whitty, keyboardist Uzi
Nizri, and drummer David Nizri. Randy Bernsen composed the six tracks, which resonate with emotion. Randy Bernsen's
devout Christian faith underpins Heart Mind and Soul; for example, the first track "With you Always" is inspired by Jesus
Christ's biblical words "I am with you always". Heart Mind and Soul is highly recommended especially for connoisseurs of
modern Christian music, and for church music library collections. The tracks are With you Always (4:58), Prodigal Son
(4:37), Shepherd's Heart (5:27), Billy Gate Blues (6:43), Abba Father (3:11), and Chant 881 (7:50).
Hibiki
Trio San
https://satokofujii.com/wp_site
taikosaito.net
http://yukooshima.com
Jazzdor Series
https://jazzdor.com/en/jazzdor-series
15 Euro CD / 10 Euro digital
https://jazzdorseries.bandcamp.com/album/hibiki
Trio San consists of pianist/composer Satoko Fuji, vibraphonist/composer Taiko Saito, and drummer/composer Yuko
Oshima. Hibiki is Trio San's debut jazz album, showcasing their collective talent - all three of them created and discussed
musical compositions, before they had the opportunity to work together in person. Hibiki is from the third of four concerts
the trio performed. An extraordinary, eye-opening journey into countless musical possibilities, Hibiki is a treasury of
experimental jazz with a Japanese flair, highly recommended especially for connoisseurs! The tracks are Hibiki (12:53),
Soba (9:47), Yozakura (10:24), What You See (10:04), Wa (4:29) and Ichigo (6:41).
The Depths of Memory
Kevin Sun
Endectomorph Music
endectomorph.com
$20.00 CD / $20.00 digital
https://thekevinsun.bandcamp.com/album/the-depths-of-memory
Saxophonist and composer Kevin Sun presents The Depths of Memory, a 2-CD album of instrumental jazz music created
and collaborated upon during the COVID-19 pandemic. Kevin Sun plays the tenor saxophone; the talented contributing
musicians are trumpeter Adam O'Farrill, pianist Dana Saul, bassist Walter Stinson, drummer Matt Honor, bassist Simon
Willson, and drummer Dayeon Seok. The Depths of Memory is an epic listening experience, with two long tracks on one
disc and a musical odyssey upon the second disc. The Depths of Memory is extraordinary, inspiring, and highly
recommended. The tracks are From All This Stillness (20:54) and Eponymous Cycle (24:28) on disc 1, and The Depths in
Slow Motion (37:04) on disc 2.
The Library DVD Shelf
A Towering Task: The Story of the Peace Corps
Alana DeJoseph, director
Jimmy Carter, actor
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, actor
First Run Features
www.firstrunfeatures.com
B0CLZ3H3D3, $24.99, DVD (113 Minutes)
https://firstrunfeatures.com/toweringtaskvod.html
https://www.amazon.com/Towering-Task-Story-Peace-Corps/dp/B0CLZ3H3D3
Synopsis: In 1961, President John F. Kennedy gave Americans a new way to serve their country and called it the Peace
Corps. In its 60-year history, some 200,000+ volunteers have traveled to more than 140 countries to carry out the
organization's mission of world peace and friendship - a towering task, indeed. Through interviews with Corps volunteers,
Heads-of-State, scholars, journalists, and host country nationals, "A Towering Task: The Story of the Peace Corps" is a
documentary film that fully explores how this uniquely American government agency has attempted to answer Kennedy's
call: "My fellow citizens of the world, ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom
of man."
Critique: Exceptionally well produced and presented, and unreservedly recommended for personal, community,
highschool, and college/university library DVD collections, "A Towering Task: The Story of the Peace Corps" will prove
of immense value to viewers with an interest in the Peace Corp and its history.
Editorial Note: First Run Features (www.firstrunfeatures.com) is a theatrical and home video distributor that has released
independent, documentary and foreign films in the United States since 1979.
The Life and Times of Allen Ginsberg
Jerry Aronson, director
First Run Features
www.firstrunfeatures.com
UPC 720229918305, $24.95 List, $17.99 Amazon, DVD
https://firstrunfeatures.com/lifeandtimesofallenginsbergvod.html
Synopsis: Visionary, radical, spiritual seeker, renowned poet, founding member of a major literary movement, champion of
human rights, Buddhist, political activist and teacher - Allen Ginsberg's remarkable life shaped the very soul of American
counterculture.
For 25 years, Academy Award-nominated director Jerry Aronson accumulated more than 60 hours of film on Allen
Ginsberg, resulting in this comprehensive portrait of one of America's greatest poets, author of "Howl" and other
groundbreaking poems. The DVD includes exclusive and revealing interviews with his friends, family and contemporaries
as well as never-before-seen materials made public because of the warm friendship that developed between subject and
director.
"The Life and Times of Allen Ginsberg" reveals the last 70 years of American culture beginning with the Beat era in the
post-war Forties and Fifties, continuing through the revolutionary Sixties and concluding with the uncertainty and
possibility of current times.
"The Life and Times of Allen Ginsberg" features 6 hours of Bonus Material that includes: Exclusive Interviews; A
Featurette: "The Making of the Life and Times of Allen Ginsberg"; Ginsberg reading selected poems; Bob Dylan and Allen
Ginsberg at Jack Kerouac's grave; William Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg at Naropa University; Neal Cassady and Allen
Ginsberg at City Lights bookstore; The Making of the Music Video "A Ballad of the Skeletons"; Ginsberg guiding us
through an exhibition of his photographs; Excerpts from "Allen's Last Three Days on Earth as a Spirit" by Jonas Mekas;
and a Memorial for Allen Ginsberg.
Critique: An absolute 'must' for the legions of Allen Ginsberg fans, "The Life and Times of Allen Ginsberg" is especially
and unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and college/university library American Biography/Documentary
DVD collections.
Editorial Note: First Run Features is a theatrical and home video distributor that has released independent, documentary
and foreign films in the United States since 1979. To hear about new releases, special offers, contests, screening events and
more they have an informative website at http://www.firstrunfeatures.com
Muzzle
Aaron Eckhart, actor
Stephen Lang, actor
John Stalberg Jr., director
Image Entertainment
c/o RLJ Entertainment
www.us.RLJEntertainment.com
www.acornonline.com
B0CGMH1856, $12.96, DVD, (1 Hour 40 Minutes)
https://www.amazon.com/Muzzle-DVD-Aaron-Eckhart/dp/B0CGMH1856
Synopsis: After his dog is killed in Skid Row, Jake Rosser (Aaron Eckhart) plummets deep into a sinister underworld to
uncover the truth about who may be responsible.
Critique: An action-adventure suspense thriller at its entertaining best, this DVD edition of "Muzzle" also features a
Director's Commentary and Deleted Scenes from the theatrical release making it an extraordinary and recommended
addition to personal and community library DVD movie collections.
Sympathy for the Devil
Nicolas Cage, actor
Joel Kinnaman, actor
Yuval Adler, director
Image Entertainment
c/o RLJ Entertainment
www.us.RLJEntertainment.com
www.acornonline.com
B0C8VGQFMP, $32.96, DVD (1 Hour 30 Minutes)
https://www.amazon.com/Sympathy-Devil-Steelbook-4K-UHD/dp/B0C8VGQFMP
Synopsis: After being forced to drive a mysterious passenger at gunpoint, a man finds himself in a high-stakes game of cat
and mouse where it becomes clear that not everything is as it seems. Nicolas Cage is 'The Passenger', while Joel Kinnaman
is "The Driver".
Critique: An inherently riveting movie from start to finish, "Sympathy for the Devil" is a 'must see' for the legions of
Nicholas Cage fans. Highly recommended for personal and community library DVD Movie collections, it should be noted
that "Sympathy for the Devil" is also available in a Blue-Ray format ($14.96, Amazon).
The Chelsea Detective: Series 2
Adrian Scarborough, actor
Sonita Henry, actor
Richard Signy, director
Acorn
c/o RLJ Entertainment
www.us.RLJEntertainment.com
www.acornonline.com
B0CGMHQJF8, $24.98, DVD (3 Hours)
https://www.amazon.com/Chelsea-Detective-2-DVD/dp/B0CGMHQJF8
Synopsis: Even a suburb as posh and outwardly serene as London's Chelsea district has it's share of unsavory doings
beneath the surface-and they were more than enough to keep DI Max Arnold (Adrian Scarborough) busy. When not
working his caseload with DC Priya Shamsie (Sonita Henry), he'd be striving to get out of his Cheyne Walk houseboat and
back in the good graces of estranged art dealer wife Astrid (Anamaria Marinca). Lucy Phelps, Peter Bankole, Sophie Stone
also star.
Critique: The second year series of a terrifically entertaining and highly popular British television mystery series, "The
Chelsea Detective" DVD from Acorn features 4 episodes on 2 discs and is certain to be a welcome addition to both
personal and community library DVD collections.
The Business Shelf
Social Media Strategy
Julie Atherton
Kogan Page Inc.
www.koganpage.com
9781398610019, $131.00, HC, 296pp
https://www.amazon.com/Social-Media-Strategy-Practical-Engagement/dp/1398610011
Synopsis: Integrated marketing and PR strategies are a requirement for all businesses but with the explosion of social
media and content marketing many organizations still struggle to know which channels to invest in and how to maximize
their impact. Now in an updated and expanded second edition, "Social Media Strategy: A Practical Guide to Social Media
Marketing and Customer Engagement" by Julie Atherton gives clear guidance with a simple structured approach to
executing campaigns that work.
"Social Media Strategy" provides a blueprint for planning, delivering and measuring social media's contribution to your
business through: Identifying and targeting audience segments; Maximizing social search; Enhanced reputation
management; Managing a diversified influencer portfolio; Selecting the right channels for organic and paid social;
Creating a process and structure to improve efficiencies; Using appropriate technology including AI.
With explanations of best-practice tools and practical downloadable templates, this new and expanded second edition
includes new and updated interviews and case studies from industry leaders, influencers and brands including TUI, Greggs,
Lego, Ryan Air, National Geographic and others. "Social Media Strategy" delivers a long-term solution for maximizing
social media-led business development.
The business world has progressed to the point that no company or corporate executive can ignore the value and necessity
of employing social media in their marketing. Social Media is no longer an optional 'take-it-or-leave-it proposition for
anyone engaging in direct marketing, on-line marketing, or national/international commerce. It is a survival-as-a-business
necessity.
Critique: "Social Media Strategy: A Practical Guide to Social Media Marketing and Customer Engagement" is a complete
course of DIY instruction that unpacks the winning formula for effective social media marketing complete with
comprehensive updates and all the latest developments. While especially and unreservedly recommended for corporate,
community, and college/university library Business Management & Marketing collections and supplemental MBA
curriculum studies lists, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of corporate executives, business managers,
marketing directors, entrepreneurs, MBA students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the
subject that "Social Media Strategy" is also available in a paperback edition (9781398609990, $35.99) and in a digital
book format (Kindle, $28.79).
Editorial Note: Julie Atherton, based in Bristol, UK, founder of Small Wonder is a business leader, public speaker,
consultant and strategist with 30 years' experience gained working with global brands including Nissan, ITV, Deloitte
Digital, Asos and St John Ambulance. Awarded IDM Educator of the Year in 2018, she trains marketing professionals and
business leaders in digital, brand, social media and content marketing. Previous chair of the DMA Social Media Council,
she is also an experienced trustee and non-executive director for a range of organizations including the IDM Qualifications
Advisory Board and Union of Brunel Students. (https://www.koganpage.com/authors/julie-atherton)
Managing Conflict: A Practical Guide to Resolution in the Workplace, second edition
David Liddle
Kogan Page Inc.
www.koganpage.com
9781398609471, $131.00, HC, 320pp
https://www.amazon.com/Managing-Conflict-Practical-Resolution-Workplace/dp/1398609471
Synopsis: Now in an updated and expanded second edition, with the publication of "Managing Conflict: A Practical Guide
to Resolution in the Workplace", author David Liddle shows HR professionals how to tackle these office and workplace
personnel problems by not only resolving current issues, but also preventing future instances of conflict.
Included are the latest research and case studies showing how conflict management has been impacted by hybrid working
models and digitalization. There are also updates to reflect how resolution is a driver of trust in organizations, enabling
people to disagree more constructively in a safe environment.
"Managing Conflict" also covers the causes and costs of conflict, the impact of the psychological contract and the legal
framework for managing workplace disputes both in the UK and internationally. It shows how to design a conflict
management strategy, develop a formal resolution process and engage stakeholders and training managers in resolution and
mediation skills.
Packed with best practice examples from organizations such as Tesco, Burberry and Nationwide Building Society as well
as conflict resolution resources and toolkits, "Managing Conflict is essential reading for all HR professionals looking to
resolve conflict in the workplace.
Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, and of special relevance to readers with an interest in
workplace conflict resolution and mediation, this new second edition of "Managing Conflict: A Practical Guide to
Resolution in the Workplace" is an ideal resource for in-service training programs in conflict management and mediation.
While highly recommended as a core addition to corporate and college/university library Business Management collections
and supplemental MBA curriculum studies lists, it should be noted for personnel managers, MBA students, entrepreneurs,
and corporate policy makers that "Managing Conflict" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9781398609457,
$35.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $34.19).
Editorial Note: David Liddle is the CEO of the TCM Group and president of the People and Culture Association. David is
a recognized leader in the areas of conflict resolution, cultural change, and transformational leadership. For over twenty
years, David Liddle and his team have been delivering award winning conflict resolution, leadership development, and
cultural change programmes for organizations across the globe. Based in London, UK, in 2021 he was named as one of the
Most Influential HR Thinkers by HR Magazine and has been featured on the Thinkers50 Radar for 2022.
Negotiation Made Simple
John Lowry
HarperCollins Leadership
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
9781400336326, $24.99, HC, 240pp
https://www.amazon.com/Negotiation-Made-Simple-Relationships-Delivering/dp/1400336325
Synopsis: Business and organizational leaders spend well over half of their professional time engaged in the process of
negotiation. It's the way they do deals, lead employees, and manage relationships. Most leaders learn to negotiate on the
job through a long process of trial and error. In today's competitive marketplace, there is no time for experimentation, nor
room to make mistakes.
The good news is by mastering negotiation, the next level of success is actually closer than it appears. The actionable
advice and practical guidance offered in "Negotiation Made Simple: A Practical Guide for Solving Problems, Building
Relationships, and Delivering the Deal" by John Lowry give a roadmap for every type of negotiation.
Through case studies, illustrations, exercises, and personal stories, Lowry shows how to: Make strategic decisions (move
from doing what is comfortable to doing what is most strategic); Manage the process (carefully balance the urge to
compete with the need to collaborate); Deliver the deal (fine-tune the negotiation process to achieve the desired
outcome).
"Negotiation Made Simple" makes it easy to join the ranks of leaders who have experienced unprecedented success by
making negotiation effectively simple.
Critique: With the publication of "Negotiation Made Simple: A Practical Guide for Solving Problems, Building
Relationships, and Delivering the Deal" by John Lowry, the reader is provided with a useful and comprehensive approach
to negotiation that can springboard a career or a company, one deal at a time. Exceptionally well written, and thoroughly
'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "Negotiation Made Simple" is highly recommended as a core and
fundamental addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library Business Marketing/Selling
collections and supplemental MBA curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for MBA students, academia, corporate
executives, sales personnel, entrepreneurs, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that
"Negotiation Made Simple" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).
Editorial Note: Dr. John Lowry (https://lowrygroup.net/about-us/john-lowry) is a recognized authority on negotiation
through his experience as a lawyer, business consultant, entrepreneur, negotiation coach, and university administrator. His
results-focused, systematic approach to negotiation has been successfully implemented by thousands of professionals
across the United States. Dr. Lowry teaches negotiation at the top-ranked Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at
Pepperdine University School of Law and in Vanderbilt University's Master's in Management in Health Care program. Dr.
Lowry also serves as president of The Lowry Group, LLC ("TLG"). At TLG, he provides negotiation training and coaching
for governmental entities, major insurance companies, health care organizations, and other businesses.
Strategic
Rich Horwath
Wiley
c/o Wiley Professional Trade Group
www.wiley.com
9781394215331, $27.99, HC, 304pp
https://www.amazon.com/Strategic-Direction-Advantage-Executive-Excellence/dp/1394215339
Synopsis: There are four disciplines of strategic fitness essential to executive performance.
With the publication of "Strategic: The Skill to Set Direction, Create Advantage, and Achieve Executive Excellence"
author Rich Horwath delivers an incisive roadmap to help leaders at all levels think, plan, and act strategically to navigate
every business challenge they face.
"Strategic" offers business leaders a proven framework (the Strategic Fitness System) containing dozens of tools,
techniques, and checklists to confidently master every area of the business, from designing market-winning strategies to
shaping the organization's culture.
The practical content will help executives in any industry improve what research has shown to be the most important
leadership factor to an organization's future success (strategic competence) and use this skill to transform complexity to
clarity in charting their strategic direction.
"Strategic" features: A common language for strategy and business planning; Practical tools for developing the four
dimensions of executive fitness key to advancing the company's growth: strategy, leadership, organization, and
communication; Techniques for designing enduring competitive advantage and frameworks for creating innovative new
value for customers; Methods for evolving the business model to transform the trajectory of the business; The Strategic
Quotient (SQ) -- a validated assessment of an executive's strategic thinking, planning, and execution.
With practical tools and dozens of real-world examples, readers of "Strategic" will immediately be able to set direction,
create advantage, and achieve executive excellence. Be more than tactical, be Strategic!
Critique: Extraordinary, eloquent, exceptional, impressive, comprehensive, "Strategic: The Skill to Set Direction, Create
Advantage, and Achieve Executive Excellence" is thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, making it a
very desirable, practical, and useful pick for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Business
Planning and Leadership collections, and supplemental MBA curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students,
academia, corporate executives, entrepreneurs, and business managers that "Strategic" is also readily available in a digital
book format (Kindle, $17.00).
Editorial Note: Rich Horwath is founder and CEO of the Strategic Thinking Institute where he is a strategy facilitator,
advisor, and coach to executive leadership teams. He is the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of
eight books on strategic thinking and rated the number one keynote speaker on strategy at national events such as the
Society for Human Resource Management Strategy Conference. Rich has helped more than a quarter million people
develop their strategic thinking and planning skills over the past two decades in pursuit of his vision to teach the world to
be strategic. (www.strategyskills.com/about/about-rich-horwath)
The Library Science Shelf
Hopeful Visions, Practical Actions
Sarah R. Kostelecky, editor
Lori Townsend, editor
David A. Hurley, editor
ALA Editions
www.alastore.ala.org
9780838938300, $54.99, PB, 264pp
https://www.amazon.com/Hopeful-Visions-Practical-Actions-Cultural/dp/0838938302
Synopsis: Cultural humility offers a renewing and transformative framework for navigating interpersonal interactions in
libraries, whether between patrons and staff or staff members with one another. It foregrounds a practice of critical
self-reflection and commitment to recognizing and redressing structural inequities and problematic power imbalances.
The collection of the contributors to "Hopeful Visions, Practical Actions: Cultural Humility in Library Work" have create
the first book-length treatment of this approach in libraries. Contributors from across the field were selected to demonstrate
how cultural humility can change the way we work and make lasting impacts on diversity, equity, and inclusion in
libraries.
"Hopeful Visions, Practical Actions: Cultural Humility in Library Work" collectively explores such topics as: How
Indigenous adages can be tools for reflection and guidance in developing cultural humility; The experiences of two Black
librarians who are using cultural humility to change the profession; New perspectives on core concepts of customer
service; rethinking policies and practices in libraries both large and small; Using cultural humility in approaching
collection development and creating resource guides; What cultural humility can look like for a tribal librarian working in
a tribal college library; And reflecting on cultural humility itself and where it is going.
Critique: Featuring a complete listing of the contributors and their credentials, "Hopeful Visions, Practical Actions:
Cultural Humility in Library Work" is a uniquely ideal and exceptionally well written and organized textbook for library
in-service training sessions, for inclusion in supplemental Library Science curriculum studies lists, as well as for personal,
profession, community, college, and university library collections dealing with General Library & Information
Services.
Editorial Note #1: Sarah R. Kostelecky is the Director of Digital Initiatives and Scholarly Communication (DISC) for
University of New Mexico Libraries. Her research focuses on outreach efforts to underrepresented communities, diversity
in academic libraries and library collections, and Native American language resources. Previously at UNM, Sarah has
served as the Education Librarian and Access Services Librarian in the Indigenous Nations Library Program (INLP). She
earned both her MA in Information Resources and Library Science and BA in Sociology from the University of Arizona.
Prior to working at UNM Libraries, Sarah was the Library Director at the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) in Santa
Fe, NM, the premiere educational institution for contemporary Native American arts and cultures.
Editorial Note #2: Lori Townsend is the Learning Services Coordinator and Engineering Librarian for the University of
New Mexico Libraries. Her research interests include threshold concepts and information literacy, academic librarians of
color and cultural humility. Lori holds a BA in history from the University of New Mexico and an MLIS from San Jose
State University. Before coming to UNM, she worked as the Electronic Collections Librarian at California State
University, East Bay from 2005-2010. She is co-author, along with Amy R. Hofer and Silvia Lin Hanick, of the book
Transforming Information Literacy Instruction: Threshold Concepts in Theory and Practice (Libraries Unlimited, 2018);
she and Silvia Lin Hanick are Series Editors for the just-launched Libraries Unlimited Series on Teaching Information
Literacy.
Editorial Note #3: David A. Hurley is the Web and Discovery Librarian for the University Libraries. In addition to cultural
humility, he writes and presents on search, reference services, and information literacy. He was previously the director of
the Dine College libraries on the Navajo Nation, chief of the library development bureau at the New Mexico State Library,
and branch and digital services manager for the public library of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County.
The Theatre/Cinema/TV Shelf
Making The Best Years of Our Lives
Alison Macor
University of Texas Press
https://utpress.utexas.edu
9781477318911, $45.00, HC, 208pp
https://www.amazon.com/Making-Best-Years-Our-Lives/dp/1477318917
Synopsis: Released in 1946, The Best Years of Our Lives became an immediate success. Life magazine called it "the first
big, good movie of the post-war era" to tackle the "veterans problem." Today we call that problem PTSD, but in the initial
aftermath of World War II, the modern language of war trauma did not exist.
The film earned the producer Samuel Goldwyn his only Best Picture Academy Award. It offered the injured director,
William Wyler, a triumphant postwar return to Hollywood. And for Harold Russell, a WWII double amputee who co-
starred with Fredric March and Dana Andrews, the film provided a surprising second act.
With the publication of "Making The Best Years of Our Lives: The Hollywood Classic That Inspired a Nation" film critic
and historian Alison Macor illuminates the film's journey from script to screen and describes how this authentic motion
picture moved audiences worldwide. The film's nuanced critique of American ideals also made it a target, and the picture
and its creators were swept up in the anti-Communist witch hunts of the late 1940s. In this authoritative history, Macor
chronicles the making and meaning of a film that changed America.
Critique: A seminal and detailed study of extraordinarily impressive film, "Making The Best Years of Our Lives: The
Hollywood Classic That Inspired a Nation" will have a very special interest to fans of one of Hollywood's most iconic and
influential films of the 20th Century. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, and enhanced with the inclusion
of a section of historic B/W photos, "Making The Best Years of Our Lives: The Hollywood Classic That Inspired a
Nation" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library
American Film History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia,
film buffs, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Making The Best Years of Our Lives:
The Hollywood Classic That Inspired a Nation" is also available in a paperback edition (9781477328330, $29.95) and in a
digital book format (Kindle, $22.49).
Editorial Note: Alison Macor (http://alisonmacor.com) received a Public Scholars grant from the National Endowment for
the Humanities for her book "Making The Best Years of Our Lives: The Hollywood Classic That Inspired a Nation"
(University of Texas Press, 2022). She is also the author of "Rewrite Man: The Life and Career of Screenwriter Warren
Skaaren" (UT Press, 2017) and "Chainsaws, Slackers, and Spy Kids: Thirty Years of Filmmaking in Austin, Texas", which
won the 2012 Peter C. Rollins Book of the Year Award. She holds a PhD in film history and taught for more than 20 years
at the University of Texas at Austin, Texas State University, Austin Community College and the Austin Museum of
Art.
Cultural Theory in the Films of Alfred Hitchcock
Gary McCarron
Anthem Press
www.anthempress.com
9781839988462, $110.00, HC, 240pp
https://www.amazon.com/Cultural-Theory-Films-Alfred-Hitchcock/dp/1839988460
Synopsis: "Cultural Theory in the Films of Alfred Hitchcock" by Professor Gary McCarron is neither a biography nor a
conventional film critique. Rather, the text explores aspects of Hitchcock's work in relation to theories drawn from the
social sciences and philosophy.
The various chapters focus not on specific films, but on broader ideas central to Hitchcock's work. There is, for instance, a
chapter on his idea of the MacGuffin in which Professor McCarron uses Ernesto Laclau's theories of equivalent
substitution to explain how the MacGuffin functions in Hitchcock's works.
There is also a chapter on his notion of 'pure cinema' which moves from the idea of purity as an anthropological concept to
consider purity in relation to current debates regarding so-called hybrid media, and Hitchcock's relevance to these issues in
respect of his dissatisfaction with the advent of sound to the cinema world.
With the publication of "Cultural Theory in the Films of Alfred Hitchcock", Professor McCarron utilizes the films of
Alfred Hitchcock to illustrate ideas in the social sciences and philosophy and applies those same ideas to illustrate aspects
of Hitchcock's films.
Critique: A seminal and ground-breaking work of original scholarship, "Cultural Theory in the Films of Alfred Hitchcock"
by Professor Gary McCarron will hold a very special appeal to readers with an interest in film criticism in general, and an
analysis of Alfred Hitchcock's cinematic philosophy in particular. Exceptional, informative, thought-provoking, and
unique, "Cultural Theory in the Films of Alfred Hitchcock" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal,
professional, community, film school, and college/university library Cinematic Studies collections and supplemental
curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Gary McCarron (https://www.sfu.ca/~gmccarro) is an associate professor in the School of Communication
at Simon Fraser University. He is also the Graduate Chair of Simon Fraser University's program for Graduate Liberal
Studies.
Classic TV Icons: Action & Drama
Edward Gross
BearManor Media
www.bearmanormedia.com
9798887712697, $42.00, HC, 386pp
https://www.amazon.com/Classic-TV-Icons-Action-Drama/dp/B0CHL8ZG3X
Synopsis: " Classic TV Icons: Action & Drama" from BearManor Media is the first in a series of books profiling actors
and shows making up our collective television nostalgia. It's written by veteran entertainment journalist Edward Gross,
who has been on the editorial staff of a wide variety of film and TV magazines. He is also the author of more than a dozen
books, including oral histories on Star Trek and Superman (the two-volume The Fifty-Year Mission and Voices from
Krypton, respectively) and Above & Below: The Unofficial 35th Anniversary Beauty and the Beast Companion -- all of
which are available from Bearmanor Media.
Critique: Illustrated with B/W photos, "Classic TV Icons: Action & Drama" will prove to be a highly prized addition to
personal, professional, community, and college/university library Television History/Criticism collections and
supplemental curriculum studies lists. Impressively comprehensive, exceptionally 'reader friendly' in organization and
presentaton, "Classic TV Icons: Action & Drama" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9798887712680,
$32.00) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.95).
Editorial Note: Edward Gross (https://us.macmillan.com/author/edwardgross) is an entertainment journalist who has
covered film and television for a wide variety of publications, including Geek, SciFi Now, CFQ, SFX, Starlog, Cinescape
and many others. Additionally he's written a number of non-fiction "making of" books, including this year's two-volume
Fifty-Year Mission: the Complete Oral History of Star Trek (co-written with Mark A. Altman) for St. Martin's Press.
Save Me a Seat!: A Life with Movies
Rick Winston
Rootstock Pubishing
https://www.rootstockpublishing.com
9781578691289, $18.99, PB, 262pp
https://www.amazon.com/Save-Me-Seat-Life-Movies/dp/1578691281
Synopsis: Rick Winston's lifelong love of movies led to the creation of one of Vermont's leading cultural institutions, the
Savoy Theater in Montpelier, Vermont. With humor, heart, and the publication of "Save Me a Seat!: A Life with Movies"
he takes us behind the scenes of the hard and rewarding work of building a film venue over decades in a grateful
community.
"Save Me a Seat!" is the story of how a vibrant film culture took root in unlikely surroundings, as well as the story of how
a boy from the New York City suburbs landed in Vermont and became a preeminent film programmer and historian in the
Green Mountain State.
Critique: Illustrated throughout with B/W images, "Save Me a Seat!: A Life with Movies" is an inherently fascinating and
impressively informative memoir that will prove to be of immense interest to readers concerned with cinema history,
criticism, and movie theatres. An extraordinary memoir of an extraordinary man, "Save Me a Seat!: A Life with Movies" is
an unreservedly recommended pick for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Contemporary
American Biography/Memoir collections and supplemental Cinematic History curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Rick Winston (http://rickwinston.org) grew up in Yonkers, New York, and became hooked watching old
films on TV at a young age. He went to Columbia College and University of California, Berkeley, where there were many
opportunities to catch up on films while putting off writing English Literature papers. He co-founded the Savoy Theater in
Montpelier, Vermont in 1981, and was co-owner until he and his wife Andrea Serota sold it in 2009. Winston's previous
book, "Red Scare in the Green Mountains" (Rootstock, 2018) won the 2019 Richard O. Hathaway Award from the
Vermont Historical Society for "Outstanding Contribution to Vermont History." He currently teaches film history
throughout Vermont.
Withnail and I: From Cult to Classic
Toby Benjamin
Titan Books
https://titanbooks.com
9781803362397, $50.00, HC, 144pp
https://www.amazon.com/Withnail-I-Classic-Toby-Benjamin/dp/1803362391
Synopsis: Authorized by author and director Bruce Robinson, "Withnail & I: From Cult to Classic" by Toby Benjamin
charts the extraordinary journey of a beloved cult film from being 'just thoughts really' to becoming a permanent feature in
any list of the Best British Films ever made.
For the first time all of the surviving players have been interviewed for this definitive study about their parts in the making
of the movie, and the lasting effect it had on their lives. Bruce Robinson offers detailed insights into his creative process
and influences, while new interviews with the film's stars Richard E Grant and Paul McGann provide personal insights into
the impact that making and living with Withnail & I had.
Illustrated throughout with never-before-seen photography and archive material, and featuring contributions from famous
fans like Sam Bain, Margaret Cho and Charlie Higson, this is the definitive publication on the now legendary British film -
- Withnail & I.
Critique: This large format (10.36 x 0.7 x 12.28 inches, 2.73 pounds) hardcover edition of "Withnail and I: From Cult to
Classic" from Titan Books is a definitive, in-depth exploration of the creation and legacy of the cult classic British Film
Withnail & I. The featured interviews, essays, photos, and fascinating archive materials are deftly organized and presented
making this an ideal template for treating the histories of other seminal British films. As fascinating as it is informative,
"Withnail and I: From Cult to Classic" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community,
and college/university library Cinematic History and Movie Direction/Production collections.
Editorial Note: Toby Benjamin has originated and co-authored The Spirit of Talk Talk (Rocket 88 Books, three editions
2012- 2020) and My Eyes Have Seen The Glory (Mooney and Lambert, 2021). Toby's writing focuses on his great
passions: music, football and film, in the pursuit of anecdotes with a background of authenticity. He lives in Brighton,
UK.
The Archaeology Shelf
Sourcing Archeological Lithic Assemblages
Chales Speer, editor
Ryan M. Parish, editor
Gustavo Barrientos, editor
The University of Utah Press
www.uofupress.com
9781647691080, $80.00, HC, 242pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sourcing-archeological-lithic-assemblages-charles-speer/1141581091
Synopsis: For most of our existence, we humans have manipulated stone into tools that were essential for the survival of
our species.
Generally resistant to degradation, stone tools comprise a large portion of the material culture found at archaeological sites
worldwide. Recovery of stone tools during archaeological excavation indicates the location where they were discarded,
often tied to where they were used.
"Sourcing" refers to attempts to determine the origin of the raw materials used to produce these tools. Knowing the
beginning and end points of a tool's use-life, as well as the likely paths it took between those two locations, can offer
insight into trade and procurement patterns.
Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by Charles A. Peer, Ryan M. Parish, and Gustavo Barrietos, the contributors to
"Sourcing Archeological Lithic Assemblages: New Perspectives and Integrated Approaches" employ a variety of unique
approaches to real-life contexts in multiple geographic regions. These diverse studies collectively illustrate the numerous,
robust options available to archaeologists and researchers today, as well as the problems that must be faced and
resolved.
Part 1 of "Sourcing Archeological Lithic Assemblages" explores technological approaches to sourcing in conjunction with
innovative survey strategies. The chapters describe a particular method while often offering suggestions for improving the
chemical analysis.
Part 2 of "Sourcing Archeological Lithic Assemblages" focuses on region-specific and methodological sourcing
applications. In a concluding review, Michael D. Glascock critiques each of the chapters and presents his views, developed
across 40 years of work in the field, on sourcing raw materials.
Broadly, all of these contributions demonstrate how knowledge of lithic sources, geologic processes, the nature of
variation, and regional availability can provide a more thorough understanding of past peoples.
The contributors to "Sourcing Archeological Lithic Assemblages: New Perspectives and Integrated Approaches" include:
Agustin Agnolin, Pedro Andrade, Hassan Aouraghe, Said Bengamra, Alfonso Benito-Calvo, Cesar Borie, Adam Burke,
Adrian Burke, Gisela Cassiodoro, Luciana Catella, M. Gema Chacon, Gabriela Coelho dos Santos, Josefina Flores Coni,
Kane Ditchfield, Trudy Doelman, Stephan Dubernet, Analia Castro Esnal, Silvana Espinosa, Carola Flores, Bretton Giles,
Michael Glascock, Rafael Goni, Bernard Gratuze, Hamid Haddoumi, Jillian Huntley, Rebekah Kurpiel, Juan Ignacio
Morales, Khori Newlander, Laura Olguin, Fernando Oliva, Cesar Parcero-Oubina, Cecilia. Perez de Micou, Ximena
Power, Robert Sala-Ramos, Diego Salazar, Marta Sanchez de la Torre, Morgan Smith, Maria Soto, Mohamed Souhir,
Charles Stern, Andoni Tarrino, Norberto Uriz, Ingrid Ward, John Webb, and Francois Xavier Le Bourdonnec.
Critique: Enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of Figures, Tables, fifty pages of References, and a five page Index,
"Sourcing Archeological Lithic Assemblages: New Perspectives and Integrated Approaches" is a seminal and substantial
contribution to professional, college, and university library Paleolithic and Neolithic archeology collections and
supplemental curriculum studies lists. Exceptionally well organized and presented, it should be noted for the personal
reading lists of students, academia, field archaeologists, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject
that "Sourcing Archeological Lithic Assemblages: New Perspectives and Integrated Approaches" is also available in a
digital book format (Kindle, $64.00).
Editorial Note #1: Charles A. Speer is the Associate Professor of Anthropology at Idaho State University and the Curator
of Anthropology at Idaho Museum of Natural History.
Editorial Note: Ryan M. Parish is an Associate Professor of Archaeology at the University of Memphis.
Editorial Note #3: Gustavo Barrientos is a Professor of Archaeology at the National University of La Plata and Principal
Researcher of the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Argentina.
The Pets/Wildlife Shelf
Wildlife Ethics
Clare Palmer, et al.
Wiley-Blackwell
www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell
9781119611219, $140.00, PB, 304pp
https://www.amazon.com/Wildlife-Ethics-Management-Conservation-Welfare/dp/1119611210
Synopsis: Co-authored by the team of Clare Palmer, Bob Fischer, Christian Gamborg, Jordan Hampton, and Peter Sandee,
"Wildlife Ethics: The Ethics of Wildlife Management and Conservation" is the first systematic, book-length discussion of
the ethics of wildlife conservation and management, and examines the key ethical questions and controversies.
Tackling both theory and practice, the text is divided into two parts. The first describes key concepts, ethical theories, and
management models relating to wildlife; the second puts these concepts, theories, and models to work, illustrating their
significance through detailed case studies on controversies in wildlife management and conservation.
"Wildlife Ethics" explores pressing topics including human responsibilities due to climate change, tradeoffs when
managing zoonotic disease risks, the ethics of the wildlife trade, culling non-native species, indigenous wildlife use, and
zoo-based conservation programs. Readers are encouraged to explore different ways of valuing wild animals and their
practical implications.
Essential reading, "Wildlife Ethics": Explains and explores relationships between valuing biodiversity, human utility,
ecosystems, species, and animal welfare; Describes established approaches to wildlife management, such as sustainable
use, and emerging concepts, such as compassionate conservation; Discusses key ethical theories, including utilitarianism,
ecocentrism, and animal rights; Offers a practical model of how to analyze ethical issues in wildlife management and
conservation.
Critique: A systematic account of the ethical issues related to wildlife management and conservation, "Wildlife Ethics: The
Ethics of Wildlife Management and Conservation: is an informative introduction to complex ethical issues, making it
significant resource for students and practitioners in fields such diverse fields as conservation biology, ecology,
environmental science and policy, game management, public health and veterinary medicine. It will also be an invaluable
tool for wildlife managers, conservationists, One Health practitioners, practicing veterinarians and animal rehabilitation
staff, contemporary wildlife professionals and other stakeholders. "Wildlife Ethics" is an exceptional and unreservedly
recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library Wildlife Biology and
Management collections and supplemental Veterinary Medicine curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students,
academia, zoologists, animal rights activists, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that
"Wildlife Ethics" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $112.00).
Editorial Note #1: Clare Palmer is the George T. and Gladys H. Abell Professor of Liberal Arts & Professor of Philosophy
in the Department of Philosophy at Texas A&M University in the USA.
Editorial Note #2: Bob Fischer is Associate Professor of Philosophy in the Department of Philosophy at Texas State
University in the USA.
Editorial Note #3: Christian Gamborg is Associate Professor in the Department of Food and Resource Economics at
University of Copenhagen in Denmark.
Editorial Note #4: Jordan Hampton is a Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne, an Adjunct Lecturer at Murdoch
University, and a Consultant Veterinarian for Ecotone Wildlife, all in Australia.
Editorial Note #5: Peter Sand e is Professor of Bioethics at the Department of Food and Resource Economics and
Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen in Denmark.
The Art Shelf
Art Unpacked: 50 Works of Art: Uncovered, Explored, Explained
Matthew Wilson
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500025673, $39.95, HC, 240pp
https://www.amazon.com/Art-Unpacked-Uncovered-Explored-Explained/dp/0500025673
Synopsis: For beginners, art history might seem a daunting subject with complex rules and impenetrable technical
language. Even for more seasoned art lovers the question of how to think about art is a perennial riddle. With the
publication of "Art Unpacked: 50 Works of Art: Uncovered, Explored, Explained", art historian Matthew Wilson has
created the perfect resource for both audiences: an engaging, visual primer for the general reader and educators. Designed
like an instruction manual, fifty key artworks from around the world are deconstructed with explanations, diagrams, and
close-ups in order to reveal the elements that comprise a masterpiece.
Dating from the earliest times to the present, the artworks under analysis are drawn from many cultures and cover all forms
of visual media, including drawing, illustration, photography, prints, and sculpture. Wilson's simple approach, using
established art historical methods, enables the reader to discover the fundamentals of art history, from considerations of
function, historical context, iconography, and artists' experience to broader issues of identity, including feminism, gender,
and postcolonialism.
Whether it's the mask of Tutankhamun or Dorothea Lange's photograph Migrant Mother, Katsushika Hokusai's GreatWave
or Kara Walker's Gone, each image is dissected on the page in a no-nonsense style, with explanatory notes detailing artists'
sources of inspiration, associated styles and movements, plus any relevant quotes, related visuals, and other contextual and
issue-led information with keywords for handy cross-referencing. The resulting book is a dynamic visual resource that will
inspire and spark enjoyment of art in all its forms.
Critique: Visually enhanced with some 850 color illustrations, "Art Unpacked: 50 Works of Art: Uncovered, Explored,
Explained" this a large format (9.2 x 1 x 10.8 inches) hard cover edition from Thames & Huson also features an
Introduction (How Art Works), a two page listing of the Illustrations, a two page index of Artists, and two pages of Notes.
Exceptionally well written and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentations, "Art Unpacked: 50 Works of
Art: Uncovered, Explored, Explained" is a complete studies course in one magnificent volume, making it especially and
unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Art Appreciation &
History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Matthew Wilson (https://www.matthewwilson.uk) is an art historian, educator, and writer. He has written
for numerous publications and media on art and culture and is an examination specialist in art history. He is also the author
of "Symbols in Art and The Hidden Language of Symbols".
Abstract Painting: Contemporary Painters
Amber Creswell Bell
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9781760763633, $50.00, HC, 272pp
https://www.amazon.com/Abstract-Painting-Amber-Creswell-Bell/dp/1760763632
Synopsis: There is no single neat definition of abstract art. It makes no attempt to represent reality; instead, it has its own
ever evolving visual language using shape, color, and form with no rules. An explosion of creative expression and gestural
force, "Abstract Painting: Contemporary Painters" by Amber Creswell Bell informatively explores the constantly evolving
genre and how it offers unparalleled artistic freedom, inviting deeply personal connection and interpretation from both
artist and viewer. Works often straddle a midpoint between recognition and the sensed experience through the materiality
of paint encompassing a pastiche of styles.
Drawing on extensive interviews, "Abstract Painting: Contemporary Painters" examines the diverse practices of more than
forty contemporary abstract painters, documenting a repertoire of styles, subjects, visions, and philosophies. Some
compare abstract art to music, particularly jazz; others are inspired by nature, science, and geometry; and some simply
relish the opportunity to express complex emotions in a way words cannot. What unites these extraordinary artists,
however, is the conviction that this form of expression chose them.
Critique: This large format (9.3 x 1.2 x 11.6 inches, $3.9 pounds) hardcover edition of "Abstract Painting: Contemporary
Painters" from Thames & Hudson is impressively and visually enhanced with 233 color illustrations and images of the
artists and their artworks. Exceptional in both organized and presentation, this impressive volume of instruction, insight,
and information by Amber Creswell Bell is ideal as a Memorial Fund acquisition and recommended for personal,
professional, community, and college/university library Art History collections and supplemental curriculum studies
lists.
Editorial Note: Amber Creswell Bell (https://www.ambercreswell.com) is a Sydney-based arts, design, and lifestyle writer
and curator. With a passion for art, Amber champions emerging and unrepresented artists, curating exhibitions both
independently and in collaboration with well-established commercial galleries. She is currently the director of emerging art
for Michael Reid galleries. Her previous books include Clay and Still Life.
Art in Detail: 100 Masterpieces
Susie Hodge
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500296417, $34.95, PB, 432pp
https://www.amazon.com/Art-in-Detail/dp/0500296413
Synopsis: Great paintings cannot be fully understood in a single encounter; there is always more to be derived from them.
Art lovers may revisit and reconsider the masterpieces throughout their lives, but a deeper understanding can only be
gained by analyzing the painting in detail, be it the placement of the subject, the lighting, the style of brushstrokes, or the
themes.
With the publication of "Art in Detail: 100 Masterpieces" art historian and journalist Susie Hodge examines one hundred
iconic paintings from the Western canon and spotlights the finer points a quick glance will almost certainly fail to reveal.
These include subtle internal details, such as hidden symbols and artistic tricks employed by the painter to achieve
particular effects.
In addition, Hodge writes intelligently about external influences on the artist -- everything from the socioeconomic context
in which he or she flourished, to smaller local difficulties, such as the level of air pollution at the time the painting was
created. And she treats each of her subjects not only, to quote the English poet Matthew Arnold, "as in itself it really is,"
but also as part of a tradition that links the oldest painting to the most recent, as artists pass a metaphorical baton down
through the ages.
Critique: This large format ( 8.7 x 1.4 x 9.3 inches, 3.57 pounds) paperback edition of "Art in Detail: 100 Masterpieces"
from Thames & Hudson is visually enhanced for the reader with 700 color illustrations. Impressively informative,
exceptionally well organized and presented, "Art in Detail: 100 Masterpieces" is an ideal, fascinating, instructive, thought-
provoking, and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Art
History & Criticism collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Susie Hodge (https://www.susiehodge.com) is an art historian, author, artist, and journalist with more than
one hundred books to her name. She has an MA in the history of art from Birkbeck, University of London, and is a fellow
of the RSA. She has twice been named the No. 1 art writer by the Independent.
The Sporting Art of C. D. Clarke
C. D. Clarke, author
Stackpole Books
www.stackpolebooks.com
9780811772440, $85.00, HC, 232pp
https://www.amazon.com/Sporting-Art-C-D-Clarke/dp/0811772446
Synopsis: C. D. Clarke maintains that he was born to paint and fish and hunt. He has done just that over the course of his
lifetime, capturing images of memorable times on the water and in the field on canvas with an artist's eye -- and finessing
that passion and pastime into a laudable career, inspired by the work of wildlife artists Ogden Pleissner, Chet Reneson,
Thomas Aquinas Daly, and John Swan
"The Sporting Art of C. D. Clarke" is magnificently presented volume of his work and features nearly 200 paintings,
tableaux of color, light, motion, and possibility, created over the course of forty years fishing and hunting in the world's
most coveted destinations. Clarke prefers to work "en plein air" where he paints studies and fills sketchbooks with scenes
that inspire the oils and watercolors he later refines in his New Jersey Highlands studio.
Clarke's work is frequently exhibited at the most prestigious wildlife art shows and festivals and is regularly featured in top
wildlife and sporting publications.
Critique: Comprised of beautifully with rendered full page, fully colored copies of his work, "The Sporting Art of C. D.
Clarke" offers an inherently fascinating and informatively captioned tour of truly memorable paintings that will hold
intense interest for fans of landscape, seascape, plant and animal painted and museum quality art. Simply stated, a 'must'
for the legions of C.D. Clarke fans, "The Sporting Art of C. D. Clarke" is a welcome and unreservedly recommended pick
for personal, professional, community, college, and university library Contemporary American Art collections.
Editorial Note: C. D. Clarke has maintained a lifelong, continuous global sporting and painting tour - traveling the world
with clients, friends, and alone to fish, hunt, and paint in destinations the rest of us dream about: Alaska, the Bahamas,
Britain's chalk streams, Scotland, the Seychelles, Tierra del Fuego, the Andes, Labrador, Cuba, British Columbia, Iceland,
and all over the U.S. from Georgia to Montana and Texas to New England. His work has been shown in the most
prestigious galleries, shows, and museums, including the American Museum of Fly Fishing, the Leigh Yawkey Woodson
Birds in Art Show, the Thomasville Wildlife Arts Festival (for twenty-three years), the Easton Waterfowl Festival, and the
National Sporting Library and Museum.
The Literary Studies Shelf
Doyle's World - Lost & Found
Daniel L. Friedman, author
Eugene Friedman, author
Square One Publishers
www.squareonepublishers.com
9780757004483, $29.95, HC, 344pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/doyles-world-lost-found-daniel-friedman-md/1142314640
Synopsis: "Doyle's World - Lost & Found: The Unknown Histories of Sherlock Holmes and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle" is no
ordinary biography about one of the world's most influential writers. It is instead a work that deciphers in particular the
cryptic origins and actual scientific methods used by fiction's most famous consulting detective Sherlock Holmes -- and a
work that provides a detailed look into the psyche and working life of Holmes' creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
"Doyle's World - Lost & Found" is unique study that follows Conan Doyle's entire illustrious literary career, with emphasis
on the Sherlock Holmes mysteries as they evolved from the late 1880s to the early 1900s. Revealed here for the first time
by the son and father writing team of Daniel Friedman, MD, and Eugene Friedman, MD, are the many inspirations behind
the physical, emotional, and intellectual characteristics that Doyle wove together so deftly to bring his legendary sleuth to
life. Readers are in for many surprises as the Friedmans bring forth tantalizing parallels between the literary realm of both
Sherlock Holmes - along with his various other fiction and nonfiction works - and the actual events from Doyle's
childhood and early adulthood that served as frequent inspiration.
"Doyle's World - Lost & Found" offer answers to long-debated and mysterious questions, such as: From whom did
Sherlock Holmes actually learn the art of detective work?; Why did Doyle kill off Sherlock Holmes (and how did the
country of Japan inspire how he brought his famous detective back to life after nearly a decade?); What story elements did
Doyle borrow from Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island?; How did Doyle apply his fervent belief in Spiritualism to a
variety of Holmes stories?; Who inspired Doyle to write about civil rights after a steamship journey in 1882?; How did the
women in Doyle's life come to influence the relationships with women that both Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson have
across sixty written adventures?
"Doyle's World - Lost & Found" is divided into three sections. The first is dedicated to the elements (both good and bad)
that comprised Doyle's childhood and early adult years, and how an assemblage of persons and places and things from his
life found their way into his literature.
The second section emphasizes the highly complex themes and plots present in the Sherlock Holmes adventures, while it
also thoroughly examines some of Doyle's strengths (and weaknesses) as a public figure of his time. The Friedmans also
reveal how Doyle was able to subtly incorporate his own political, social, and religious views (in particular, his passionate
and often bewildering embrace of Spiritualism) into the Holmes stories.
In the third section, the authors offer two "lost" stories they uncovered that were written by Doyle under a pseudonym --
accompanied by textual analysis with which they make their case.
"Doyle's World - Lost & Found" is a work of rich detail and in-depth scholarship that should win over both established
fans of Doyle and devoted "Sherlockians" everywhere -- and that will engage, and entertain, all others who enter this
intriguing hall of literary mirrors.
Critique: Unique, informative, fascinating, iconoclastic, and a 'must' for the legions of Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock
Holmes fans, "Doyle's World - Lost & Found: The Unknown Histories of Sherlock Holmes and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle"
is very highly recommended for community and college/university library Literary Studies collections. It should be noted
for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in Literary Criticism
and Author Biographies, that "Doyle's World--Lost & Found" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$11.99).
Editorial Note #1: Daniel L. Friedman, MD, received his BA from Stony Brook University, and his medical degree from
St. George's School of Medicine. He is currently a practicing pediatrician in Floral Park, New York, and is also an active
member of the Cohen Children's Medical Center, where he sits on the voluntary staff advisory committee. Dr. Friedman's
prize-winning articles on Doyle and Holmes have appeared in numerous national and international journals. He and Dr.
Eugene Friedman are also the authors of the book, The Strange Case of Doctor Doyle. Dr. Friedman resides in Long
Island, New York with his wife, Elena, and their three children.
Editorial Note #2: Eugene Friedman, MD, received his BA from New York University, and his medical degree from New
York Medical College. He was Chief Resident in Pediatrics at New York Medical College and later served as Assistant
Chief of Pediatrics at Martin Army Hospital at Fort Benning, Georgia. Dr. Friedman has been in private practice with his
son, Daniel, for over twenty years.. He has held multiple leadership positions in organized medicine and has devoted
himself to the education of future physicians. He and his wife, Sheryl, live in Long Island, New York and have five
children and fifteen grandchildren.
The Parenting Shelf
Childhood Narcissism
Mary Ann Little, Ph.D
Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
www.rowman.com
9781538182161, $34.00, HC, 310pp
https://www.amazon.com/Childhood-Narcissism-Strategies-Unentitled-Empathetic/dp/1538182165
Synopsis: It is vital that parents notice the signs of narcissism in their child and act to curb them before it's too late. Raising
empathetic and unselfish young people in today's "all about me" world might seem impossible, but parents can take
meaningful action to protect children from these harmful influences.
Written by Mary Ann Little (a licensed psychologist with decades of clinical experience), "Childhood Narcissism:
Strategies to Raise Unselfish, Unentitled, and Empathetic Children" explains how selfish, entitled behavior can take root in
a child and shows parents how to stop it before it's too late. "Childhood Narcissism" identifies the early warning signs that
can result in a full-blown narcissistic disorder in adulthood and explores what nurtures a child's healthy, realistic
self-concept and provides a positive model of love and relationships.
Based on the latest research and theory, "Childhood Narcissism" also identifies four parent types that promote narcissistic
development. By recognizing these traits in themselves, parents can work on their own shortcomings to build a stronger
family and raise caring, empathetic children.
Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Childhood Narcissism: Strategies to Raise Unselfish,
Unentitled, and Empathetic Children" is ideal and instructive reading for parents, non-specialist general reader with an
interest in the subject, and professional family counselors. While strongly recommended for community and academic
library Parenting and Child Psychology collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be noted for
parents, caregivers, teachers, counselors, students, and academia that "Childhood Narcissism: Strategies to Raise
Unselfish, Unentitled, and Empathetic Children" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $32.00).
Editorial Note: Mary Ann Little (www.drmaryannlittle.com) is a clinical psychologist who has been in private practice for
over four decades. She is currently an adjunct professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas
and has served as an adjunct professor in the departments of psychology and special education at the University of Texas at
Dallas. Little authored Loving Your Children Better: Matching Parenting Styles to the Age and Stage of Your Children,
Cooperation Station, an educational toy for kids and families, and the Competent Kids Series. She has been a consultant to
numerous educational and psychiatric facilities and frequently lectures to both lay and professional audiences.
The Computer Shelf
Practical Julia
Lee Phillips
No Starch Press
www.nostarch.com
9781718502765, $59.99, PB, 528pp
https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Julia-Lee-Phillips/dp/1718502761
Synopsis: Julia is a computer programming language that is currently acclaimed in scientific circles for its unparalleled
ease, interactivity, and speed. "Practical Julia: A Hands-On Introduction for Scientific Minds" by Lee Phillips is a
comprehensive introduction to the language, making it accessible even if you're new to programming.
Dive in with a thorough guide to Julia's syntax, data types, and best practices, then transition to craft solutions for
challenges in physics, statistics, biology, mathematics, scientific machine learning, and more. Whether you are solving
computational problems, visualizing data, writing simulations, or developing specialized tools, With the publication of
"Practical Julia", Phillips will show you how to:
Use comprehensions and generators, higher-level functions, array initialization and manipulation, and perform operations
on Unicode text
Create new syntax and generate code with metaprogramming and macros, and control the error system to manipulate
program execution
Visualize everything from mathematical constructs and experimental designs to algorithm flowcharts
Elevate performance using Julia's unique type system with multiple dispatch
Delve into scientific packages tailored for diverse fields like fluid dynamics, agent-based modeling, and image
processing
Whether your interest is in scientific research, statistics, mathematics, or just the fun of programming with Julia, "Practical
Julia: will have you writing high-performance code that can do real work in no time.
Critique: Impressively comprehensive, exceptionally well written, thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and
presentation, "Practical Julia: A Hands-On Introduction for Scientific Minds" is a complete course of DIY instruction for
any programmer who is aspiring to take full advantage of Julia in developing algorithms. While especially and
unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Computer Programming
Language collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be noted that this edition of "Practical Julia: A
Hands-On Introduction for Scientific Minds" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $35.99).
Editorial Note: Lee Phillips was a theoretical and computational physicist at the Naval Research Laboratory for 21 years.
He has presented his research in numerous scientific papers and international conferences. He has also written many
popular articles on science and its history, and on the use of computers in research. He's involved with science education
and outreach, including serving on the Board of Directors of the Friends of Arlington's Planetarium and maintaining their
website.
The Agriculture Shelf
The Lean Micro Farm
Ben Hartmann
Chelsea Green Publishing Company
www.chelseagreen.com
9781645022046, $34.95, PB, 272pp
https://www.amazon.com/Lean-Micro-Farm-Embrace-Better/dp/1645022048
Synopsis: In the early 1970s, US Agriculture Secretary Earl Butz infamously commanded farmers to "get big or get out."
But with the publication of "The Lean Micro Farm: How to Get Small, Embrace Local, Live Better, and Work Less",
author and micro farmer Ben Hartman rejects that disastrous suggestion and instead takes up the charge of the late agrarian
thinker Gene Logsdon: "Get small and stay in."
Taking inspiration from the groundbreaking ideas of E. F. Schumacher and Mahatma Gandhi, "The Lean Micro Farm"
shows how small, hyperlocal farms can be both ecologically and economically superior to industrial-scale operations
geared toward export and commodity markets.
"The Lean Micro Farm" also details the author's remarkable journey to downsize his farm from one acre to a third of an
acre in an effort to prioritize family and community over work, all without taking a pay cut. In addition, Hartman profiles
six innovative farmers from across the globe who embody this "get small" mindset. These pioneering farmers show all of
us a path toward resilience in the face of supply chain disruption, globalization, and climate change. They model a gentler,
more ecological approach to farming that produces less waste and uses less plastic, petroleum, and fertilizer.
Like his previous two books, "The Lean Farm" and "The Lean Farm Guide to Growing Vegetables", Hartman's "The Lean
Micro Farm" doesn't just explain why smaller is better, it shows readers exactly how it can be done with step-by-step
guides on how to turn a profit from a tiny, but productive, parcel of farmland.
Readers will find not just philosophical justifications for a minimalist approach to agriculture but also actionable
information for starting your own profitable micro farm, including: A description of the "deep mulch" method for building
fertility; Instructions on two-step bed flipping to increase production on a small footprint; A guide for choosing essential
tools and technologies "with a human face"; An easy-to-follow process for making your micro farm lean and efficient; A
detailed plan for selling $20,000 worth of produce from your backyard.
In "The Lean Micro Farm", Hartman makes clear how to pivot to a new kind of farming -- one that builds upon ancestral
knowledge, nourishes communities, and puts human joy, and not just technology, at its center.
Critique: Profusely illustrated with full color photos throughout, "The Lean Micro Farm: How to Get Small, Embrace
Local, Live Better, and Work Less" is thoroughly 'user friendly' in style, organization and presentation. An ideal and DIY
'how-to' instruction manual and guide, "The Lean Micro Farm" is a 'must' for anyone with a personal or professional
interest in sustainable agriculture, organic gardening and horticulture. While a core addition for personal, professional,
community, agricultural college, and university library Contemporary Agricultural Studies collections and supplemental
curriculum studies lists, it should be noted that "The Lean Micro Farm" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$26.49).
Editorial Note: Ben Hartman (www.claybottomfarm.com) grew up on a corn and soybean farm in Indiana and graduated
college with degrees in English and philosophy. Ben and his wife, Rachel Hershberger, own and operate Clay Bottom
Farm in Goshen, Indiana, where they make their living growing and selling specialty crops on less than one acre. The farm
has twice won Edible Michiana's Reader's Choice award. The Lean Farm, Ben's first book, won the Shingo Institute's
prestigious Publication Award. In 2017 Ben was named one of Grist's fifty emerging green leaders in the United States.
Clay Bottom Farm has also developed an online course in lean farming.
The Christian Studies Shelf
Facing the Last Enemy: Death and the Christian
Guy Prentiss Waters
Ligonier Ministries
www.ligonier.org
9781642894349, $18.00, HC, 157pp
https://www.amazon.com/Facing-Last-Enemy-Death-Christian/dp/1642894346
Synopsis: When we're standing at the gravesite, death gives little closure and leaves many questions unanswered. Despite
the common claim that "dying is just a natural part of life", people seem to avoid this unsettling subject more than ever.
Yet the Bible doesn't shy away from the reality of death. God's Word has the answers we need to face the grave with
confidence in our risen Redeemer.
With the publication of "Facing the Last Enemy: Death and the Christian" by Ligonier Ministries, Dr. Guy Waters provides
the Bible's answers to essential questions about death, dying, and what comes after this life. Here is balm for the grieving,
counsel for caretakers, and guidance to help God's people rest in Christ's victory as we come to life's final battle.
Critique: Inspired and inspiring, "Facing the Last Enemy: Death and the Christian" is especially and unreservedly
recommended reading for any member of the Christian community, regardless of their denominational affiliation, who is
affected by and having to deal with the death of a loved one or of anyone else. While also readily available in a digital
book format (Kindle, $8.99), "Facing the Last Enemy: Death and the Christian" is appropriate for church, seminary,
community, and college/university library Christian Theology and Death/Dying collections and supplemental curriculum
studies lists.
Editorial Note: Dr. Guy Prentiss Waters (https://rts.edu/people/dr-guy-waters) is the James M. Baird Jr. Professor of New
Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS) in Jackson, Miss. Dr. Waters studied at the University of
Pennsylvania (B.A.), Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia (M.Div.), and Duke University (Ph.D.). His
research and writing particularly focus on the letters and theology of Paul, the use of Scripture in the New Testament, and
the Synoptic Gospels. Before accepting the call to RTS, he taught at Duke Divinity School and Belhaven College.
A Different Kind of Fast: Feeding Our True Hungers in Lent
Christine Valters Paintner, author
Kreg Yingst, illustrator
Broadleaf Books
www.broadleafbooks.com
9781506492117, $19.99, PB, 237pp
https://www.amazon.com/Different-Kind-Fast-Feeding-Hungers/dp/1506492118
Synopsis: Fasting is not just the physical practice of giving up food. Fasting can also be a way to combat our culture of
endless distractions and busyness. Fasting is an act of letting go, of making more internal space to listen to the sacred
whispers of our lives.
With the publication of "A Different Kind of Fast: Feeding Our True Hungers in Lent", the reader can join Christine
Valters Paintner (online abbess of Abbey of the Arts), on a spiritual journey through seven different kinds of fasts,
including fasting from control, from our attachments, from our grasping, and more. When we practice these fasts, we can
discover unexpected spiritual gifts, as well as answers to deeper questions, leading us to ask: "What is my true
hunger?"
Perfect for Lent, or any period when a deeper intention to clarify your true hunger is needed, "A Different Kind of Fast"
helps us enter our hearts, stripping away old patterns and habits. Featuring striking woodcuts from artist Kreg Yingst, "A
Different Kind of Fast" draws on the wisdom of the desert elders, while Christine Paintner offers practical contemplative
practices like lectio divina, breath prayer, visio divina, meditation with desert wisdom, contemplative walks, and creative
rituals.
As we fast from rushing, planning, being strong, holding it all together, seeking certainty, and control, we can softly
reorient ourselves toward that which nourishes and fulfills us, for the reflective Lenten season and beyond.
Critique: Inherently interesting, inspired and inspiring, "A Different Kind of Fast: Feeding Our True Hungers in Lent" is an
extraordinary contribution to the Christian community and an unreservedly recommended pick for church and seminary
library collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of clergy, seminary students, and lay members of the
Christian community that "A Different Kind of Fast: Feeding Our True Hungers in Lent" is also readily available in a
digital book format (Kindle, $18.99).
Editorial Note #1: Christine Valters Paintner (https://abbeyofthearts.com) is the online abbess at Abbey of the Arts, a
virtual global monastery without walls, offering retreats, classes, books, and resources to nurture contemplative practice
and creative expression. A writer, artist, spiritual director, retreat facilitator, and teacher, she earned her PhD in Christian
spirituality from the Graduate Theological Union at Berkeley and is a Registered Expressive Arts Consultant and Educator
(REACE). Paintner is the author of many books, including The Artist's Rule and Breath Prayer. She and her husband, John,
live on the west coast of Ireland.
Editorial Note #2: Kreg Yingst (http://sacredartpilgrim.com/collection/view/143) is an illustrator with a focus on block
printing, with original works created from carved blocks of wood, linoleum, or other materials, and printed onto paper or
other media. He received his BA from Trinity University in San Antonio and his MA in painting from Eastern Illinois
University. His work can be found in numerous international public and private collections, including Purdue University,
Indiana and the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art, Charleston, South Carolina. He lives in Pensacola, Florida.
The Father's House: Discovering Our Home in the Trinity
James Dominic OP
Pauline Books & Media
www.pauline.org
9780819827593, $21.95, PB, 176pp
https://www.amazon.com/Fathers-House-Discovering-Home-Trinity/dp/0819827592
Synopsis: What is the purpose of life? Who am I? How do I find love?
With the publication of "The Father's House: Discovering Our Home in the Trinity", Father James Brent, O.P., shows how
friendship with Jesus Christ answers these burning questions. This approachable guide to the spiritual life explains how to
live a transformative friendship with Christ that leads us to the fullness of life "in the Father's house"
Readers of "The Father's House" will learn how to effectively navigate the conflicting thoughts and desires that afflict the
human heart and discover their true selves in God.
Critique: Of particular and special interest to young adults struggling to deal with the most fundamental questions of
identity, purpose, and their relationship to Jesus Christ and the Church, "The Father's House: Discovering Our Home in the
Trinity" is as informative as it is inspiring. While highly recommended for church and seminary collections, it should be
noted for the personal reading lists of clergy, seminary students, and all members of the Christian community that "The
Father's House" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).
Editorial Note: Father James Dominic Brent, O.P., teaches at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C. He
regularly lectures for the Thomistic Institute and Aquinas 101, contributes to SpiritualDirection.com, and preaches retreats
to college students and young adults.
The Needlecraft Shelf
Simply Knitted Socks
Christine Boggis
The GMC Group
www.gmcbooks.com
9781784946708, $24.99, PB, 128pp
https://www.amazon.com/Simply-Knitted-Socks-Beautiful-Patterns/dp/1784946702
Synopsis: With the publication of "Simply Knitted Socks: 25 Beautiful Patterns to Create", knitting expert Christine
Boggis (who is also the editor of Knitting magazine and author of "JOMO Knits: 21 Projects to Celebrate the Joy"
introduces needlecrafters to a dynamic assortment of DIY knitting styles from baby booties perfect for beginners, to twisty
rib socks for more experienced knitters.
Whether your interest is in creating unique socks to wear or to present to friends and family "Simply Knitted Socks: 25
Beautiful Patterns to Create" promises hours of stress-free creative fun and relaxation for knitters everywhere.
Critique: Featuring beautiful color photography throughout, along with step-by-step illustrated guides, measurement
diagrams and useful tips, easy-to-follow instructions, and an impressive variety of knitted sock styles, "Simply Knitted
Socks: 25 Beautiful Patterns to Create" is enthusiastically recommended for personal, professional, and community library
Needlecraft/Knitting instructional reference collections.
Adorable Houseplants to Crochet
Marie Clesse, author
Fabrice Besse, photographer
Dover Publications, Inc.
www.doverpublications.com
9780486851150, $14.95, PB, 64pp
https://www.amazon.com/Adorable-Houseplants-Crochet-Marie-Clesse/dp/048685115X
Synopsis: "Adorable Houseplants to Crochet" by Marie Clesse (a knitting and crochet designer who specializes in original
mini-designs) is a charming DIY needlecraft collection that showcases the perfect houseplants to crochet and display!
Suitable for chrocet enthusiasts at all skill levels, these 14 adorable projects include a eucalyptus wreath, a framed fern,
creeping vines, stylish succulents, several kinds of flowering cacti, and other beautiful blooms.
Each individual pattern includes detailed instructions for crochet and assembly, a full-color photo of the finished project,
and estimates for how long each takes to complete. Of special note is the introductory section that includes techniques and
diagrams, as well as practical recommendations for yarns, stuffings, hooks, pots and planters, and other tools and
materials.
Beginners and experts alike will have everything they need to "grow" their own unique indoor garden or create sweet and
unique gifts for friends and family.
Critique: Impressively 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Adorable Houseplants to Crochet" from the 'Dover
Crafts' series will prove a welcome and fun pick for personal, professional, and community library 'how-to' instructional
guides for crochet based gift giving projects.
Quick & Easy Macrame
Tansy Wilson, author
Sian Hamilton, author
The GMC Group
www.gmcbooks.com
9781784946722, $19.99, PB, 104pp
https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Easy-Macrame-Stylish-Projects/dp/1784946729
Synopsis: With the publication of "Quick & Easy Macrame: Simple and Stylish Small Projects", macrame experts and co-
authors Tansy Wilson and Sian Hamilton introduce the art of macrame with projects ranging from home decor to fashion
items that make learning macrame quick and stress free!
The featured projects range from a cute and simple pencil case that's great for a beginner, to beautifully designed animal
wall hangings, that are ideal for any children's bedroom for the more advanced crafter. "Quick & Easy Macrame: Simple
and Stylish Small Projects" will provide hours of creative fun and relaxation.
Critique: The latest title in the popular GMC Group Macrame series, "Quick & Easy Macrame: Simple and Stylish Small
Projects" features 12 macrame projects for the complete beginner; Illustrated techniques section explaining each type of
knot; Along with step-by-step instructions and beautiful photography throughout. This large format paperback edition of
"Quick & Easy Macrame: Simple and Stylish Small Projects" is an extraordinarily 'user friendly' and highly recommended
addition to personal, professional, and community library Needlecraft collections.
Editorial Note #1: Sian and Tansy met at University doing a BA in 3D design and they have both now been in the design
industry for over 25 years. Sian and Tansy have worked together on many magazine and book projects for the craft sector.
They like to combine their creative ideas to bring a range of simple craft skills to a wider audience. Tansy has written a
number of jewellery and craft books, she lives in Somerset. Together they wrote Macrame: Techniques and Projects for the
Complete Beginner & Macrame: Contemporary Projects for the Home (both published by GMC Publications).
The Woodworking Shelf
Turning Decorative Bowls
Richard Findley
The GMC Group
www.gmcbooks.com
9781784946739, $29.99, PB, 144pp
https://www.amazon.com/Turning-Decorative-Bowls-Richard-Findley/dp/1784946737
Synopsis: With the publication of "Turning Decorative Bowls", Richard Findley shows the reader how to master new and
innovative bowl turning techniques. Richard also shares how he tackled each challenge from start to finish. His stories will
inspire novice and experienced turners alike.
Some of the bowls are turned from constructed pieces such as one made from boards, open segmented turning and a staved
bowl. Others showcase techniques such as thread chasing and turning a bowl with handles, as well the fun and unusual
shapes of a Christmas star and a jigsaw of turned pieces.
Critique: Profusely illustrated throughout and thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Turning
Decorative Bowls" is a compendium of 16 DIY projects in increasing complexity, is immensely suitable for both beginner
and more experienced woodturners alike, with each individual project comprised of easy-to-follow instructions supported
by step-by-step 'how-to' photography. "Turning Decorative Bowls" is a very special and recommended pick for personal,
professional, community, art school, and college/university library DIY woodworking crafts/hobbies collections.
Editorial Note: Richard Findley (https://turnersworkshop.co.uk) is a full-time production turner based in Leicestershire in
the UK. His background is in woodwork, having trained as a joiner and worked in the family joinery business. He comes
from a long line of woodworkers going back at least five generations. While his work is mainly based in the UK, his
reputation for making the highest quality turned work has earned him commissions for items that have gone to the US,
Canada and Australia. He has written articles for 'Woodturning Magazine' in the UK since 2010 and has a large following
on Instagram.
The Gardening Shelf
The Preserving Garden
Jo Turner
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9781760763824, $29.95, HC, 208pp
https://www.amazon.com/Preserving-Garden-Jo-Turner/dp/1760763829
Synopsis: With the publication of "The Preserving Garden", gardening expert Jo Turner has created a stylishly illustrated
guide on how to create a garden that will provide food all year round. Featuring forty-three plant profiles with growing
notes for starting or improving your garden, "The Preserving Garden" provides advice on where to begin, when to plant,
and how to care for your garden.
Each plant profile is accompanied by easy-to-follow recipes that allow you to make the most of your homegrown produce
throughout the year. Including scalable recipes and techniques for chutneys, relishes, jams, jellies, marmalades, bottling,
and drying, preserve your garden bounty by pureeing tomatoes for sauces, fermenting your cabbage for sauerkraut, drying
your cherries to use in muffins, and much more.
Growing a preserving garden is an investment in your food future. When you are using fruit or vegetables grown in your
own yard you are reducing food miles, waste, and plastic use and reclaiming control over what goes into the food you eat.
Offering a joyful reinterpretation of cooking illustration, this book is an inspiring and practical gift for the food enthusiast,
whether they live in the northern or southern hemisphere.
Critique: Beautifully enhanced for the aspiring gardener with some 150 color illustrations, "The Preserving Garden" also
features four pages of Notes and a three page Index. Thoroughly 'user friendly' in tone, informative content, organization
and presentation, "The Preserving Garden" is an invaluable and inspiring pick for personal, professional, community, and
college/university library Vegetable Gardening, Canning and Preservation collections.
Editorial Note: Jo Turner is the great granddaughter of a gardener from East Sussex, U.K., the granddaughter of a woman
who grew and preserved fruit and vegetables to feed her large family, and the daughter of a passionate flower gardener and
jam maker. She lives on fifty acres of native bush in Australia and battles the heat of long summers growing fruit and
vegetables.
The Fashion Shelf
Field, Fork, Fashion
Alice V. Robinson
Chelsea Green Publishing Company
www.chelseagreen.com
9780874411935, $34.95, HC, 160pp
https://www.amazon.com/Field-Fork-Fashion-Bullock-Designers/dp/164502119X
Synopsis: As a fashion student, Alice Robinson started to question the material she worked with. Leather is universally
acknowledged as a luxury material, from which desirable bags, shoes and clothing are made. But how much do we know
about where it comes from?
Alice's questions led back to her childhood home in rural Shropshire, England, where she decided to buy Bullock 374 and
follow its journey from a local farm to the abattoir, then to the butchery and finally to the tannery. The journey culminates
with Alice's own design practice as she creates a collection based on this single hide.
In doing so, Alice would begin to see the bigger picture -- and connect farm, food and fashion for the first time to
understand the true meaning of provenance, value and beauty.
Critique: Inherently fascinating, impressively informative, profusely illustrated, exceptionally well written, organized and
presented, "Field, Fork, Fashion: Bullock 374 and a Designer's Journey to Find a Future for Leather" is further enhanced
for the reader with the inclusion of a two page listing of References, a one page listing of Resources, and a six page Index.
While also available to readers in a digital book format (Kindle, $26.49), "Field, Fork, Fashion" is particularly
recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Leathercrafting & Fashion collections,
as well as supplemental Textile curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Alice V. Robinson (https://www.chelseagreen.com/writer/alice-v-robinson) explores the relationship
between food and fashion by connecting farming to the design of products and revealing the story behind leather. Alice
was trained as an accessory designer and is an Alumna of the Royal College of Art. Her work has been shown at the
London Design Festival, Victoria and Albert Museum and MAD, Brussels; her collection '11458' was acquired by the
V&A in 2020. Alice co-founded Grady + Robinson in 2020 with collaborator Sara Grady to create British Pasture Leather,
the first supply of leather made from animals raised on regenerative farms in the UK. Inspired by a belief that regenerative
agricultural practices are a crucial solution in renewing soils, stewarding land and reforming food and fashion systems,
Grady + Robinson are linking leather with exemplary agriculture and forging new connections between farming, food and
material culture. Grady + Robinson were named Sustainability Thought Leaders for the Vogue Business 100 Innovators
List - 2023.
Gary Cooper: Enduring Style
G. Bruce Boyer
powerHouse Books
https://powerhousebooks.com
9781648230356, $50.00, HC, 200pp
https://www.amazon.com/Gary-Cooper-Enduring-Bruce-Boyer/dp/1648230350
Synopsis: Dressed up like a million-dollar trouper
Tryin' hard to look like Gary Cooper
Super duper
- "Puttin' on the Ritz," Irving Berlin (revised lyrics, 1946)
1940s heartthrob Gary Cooper never goes out of style (just ask your mother or your grandmother). He's got that
straightforward, honest, effortless handsomeness. No matter the costume he donned, he owned it. The camera loved him,
and so did the box office.
Compiled by G. Bruce Boyer, "Gary Cooper: Enduring Style" is a collection of images, taken from his personal scrapbook,
that confirms that the Gary Cooper we knew and loved on the silver screen was as much a style icon off the red carpet as
he was on.
He perfected his own debonair style by combining a perfectly tailored European wardrobe with all-American casual
sportswear to produce the first (and arguably still finest) example of elegant, international, masculine style of the
"American Everyman" ideal. From the most laid-back activewear to the most ceremonious of coat and tails, Cooper carried
himself with uncontrived conviction.
An inspiration to the likes of Ralph Lauren, Cooper was casual and put together, rugged and classic, and altogether
timeless. And when you look at these photos, you can't even hate him for it, because what shines through more than any
amount of star power is his unequivocal authenticity.
"Gary Cooper: Enduring Style" gives readers a look at a larger-than-life leading man and the real life he led. The photos
you'll see were taken primarily by his wife, Rocky, and include snapshots of his home life, his easy style, and time spent
with his friends (which, of course, include artist archetypes Cary Grant and Ernest Hemingway, among others).
Regardless of place or present company, Cooper had the model outfit for every occasion, embodying a type of refined
masculinity rarely seen (though always in high demand) to this very day.
Critique: This large format (10 x 0.9 x 7.5 inches, 7.9 pounds) hardcover edition from PowerHouse Books is an
astonishing and inherently fascinating compilation of historic photos supported by informative captions and commentary.
With a unique appeal to readers with an interest in fashion design/history, photography, and a 'must' for the legions of Gary
Cooper fans, "Gary Cooper: Enduring Style" is especially and unreservedly recommended contribution to personal,
professional, community, and college/university library collections.
Editorial Note: G. Bruce Boyer (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G._Bruce_Boyer) has been a noted fashion writer and editor
for more than 35 years. He was associated with Town & Country magazine as men's fashion editor for 15 years. His
articles have also appeared in Esquire, Harper's Bazaar, The New York Times, The New Yorker, and many other
publications. He is the author of multiple books on the subject of men's fashion and has also worked in advertising, PR,
and media consulting for companies such as Nordstrom, Polo/Ralph Lauren, Southwick, Bergdorf Goodman, and Gant
among others.
The Photography Shelf
Photo Camp Stories
National Geographic
National Geographic Press
www.nationalgeographic.com
9781426223679, $45.00, HC, 304pp
https://www.amazon.com/Photo-Camp-Stories-Through-Photographers/dp/1426223676
Synopsis: For 20 years, National Geographic Photo Camps have brought together teens and young adults to experience a
week of photography while being mentored by some of the most celebrated National Geographic Explorers and
photographers in the world. With coaching and community-building, students gain confidence in their individual voices,
articulating their dreams for the future and the challenges they face in stunningly expressive photographs and deeply
candid writing.
"Photo Camp Stories: Our World Through the Lens of Young Photographers" is an inspiring compendium of photography
that unfolds as a series of topical chapters, organized around themes such as community, identity, growth, inspiration, and
hope. With arresting visual content and poignant storytelling, it delivers an authentic portrait of how large numbers of
young people around the world see themselves and what matters most to them.
Filled with more than 250 memorable images that span 20 years and more than 35 countries, as well as alumni profiles and
essays, "Photo Camp Stories" is a compelling volume that conveys the raw yearnings of youth -- and imparts enduring
lessons for the future.
Critique: This large format (10.16 x 0.98 x 10.16 inches, 3.21 pounds) hardcover edition of "Photo Camp Stories: Our
World Through the Lens of Young Photographers" from the editorial staff of the National Geographic is a unique,
fascinating, inspiring, and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and
college/university library Contemporary Photography collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: The National Geographic Society is a global nonprofit organization that uses the power of science,
exploration, education, and storytelling to illuminate and protect the wonder of our world. Since 1888, National
Geographic has pushed the boundaries of exploration, investing in bold people and transformative ideas, providing more
than 15,000 grants for work across all seven continents, reaching 3 million students each year through education offerings,
and engaging audiences around the globe through signature experiences, stories, and content.
The Travel Shelf
Spain: The Monocle Handbook
Tyler Brule, author
Andrew Tuck, author
Joe Pickard, author
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500978672, $50.00, HC, 224pp
https://www.amazon.com/Spain-Monocle-Handbook-Tyler-Br%C3%BBl%C3%A9/dp/0500978670
Synopsis: "Spain: The Monocle Handbook" by co-authors Tyler Brule (editorial director and chairman of Monocle),
Andrew Tuck (Monocle's editor-in-chief), and Joe Pickard (head of book publishing for Monocle", has as its focus sunny
Spain. A practical travel guide, "Spain: The Monocle Handbook" will steer you from the streets of Seville to the mountains
of Mallorca, introducing favorite, exciting, and memorable places to stay, eat, shop, and visit across the country.
Armchair readers and on-site visitors will discover the sleekest beachside boltholes in the Costa Brava, the family-run
restaurants plating up the tastiest tapas in Andalucia, and the buzziest bars in Barcelona before getting your cultural fix in
Valencia, Bilbao, or Madrid. Visitikng travelers will meet the Spaniards making waves in the fashion industry, visit the
artisans turning out beautiful contemporary designs, and hear from the chefs shaking up the country's food scene. And of
course you'll find out about the finest stretches of sand on which to lay down your towel.
For those looking to put down roots in Spain, this information packed travel guide also profiles the cities, towns, and
neighborhoods worth investing in, the architects and designers to commission, and even some interior design inspiration
for your apartment or holiday home.
Critique: Whether putting together an itinerary for a sun-soaked weekend, or planning to stay a little longer (or
indefinitely), "Spain: The Monocle Handbook" is the ideal resource for getting the most out of your vacation or business
trip. Beautifully illustrated throughout with full color illustrations and images, "Spain: The Monocle Handbook" is an
exceptional and highly recommended addition to personal, professional, and community library Travel Guide
collections.
National Geographic Traveler: Iceland
National Geographic
National Geographic Press
www.nationalgeographic.com
9788854419711, $21.99, PB, 336pp
https://www.amazon.com/National-Geographic-Traveler-Iceland/dp/8854419710
Synopsis: "National Geographic Traveler: Iceland" is a compact paperback travel guide stuffed with useable information
for on-site visitors who do not want to miss anything of the unique and incredible atmosphere, from the northern lights to
the capital, Reykjavik, which comes to life in the long summer nights of the Arctic Circle.
"National Geographic Traveler: Iceland" is ideal for planning itineraries for enjoying the fishing ports of the southern
peninsula; admiring the volcanoes, glaciers, and waterfalls of the south; exploring the mysterious eastern lands; being
fascinated by the rich wild nature up north; or venturing among the spectacular bird-populated cliffs and glaciers of the
Westfjords.
Critique: Compact, portable, 'user friendly' in organization/presentation, beautifully and profusely illustrated with color
photography, offering a wealth of useable information with respect to routes and all the sectors that comprise Iceland,
"National Geographic Traveler: Iceland" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional,
community, and college/university library International Travel Guide collections in general, and Icelandic travel guide for
armchair travelers and on-site visitors in particular.
Editorial Note: National Geographic Traveler guidebooks are focused on experiential travel. Each book provides inspiring
photography, insider tips, and expert advice for a more authentic, enriching experience of the destination. These books
serve a readership of active, discerning travelers and supply information, historical context, and cultural interpretation not
available on the Internet.
Soul of Marrakesh
Zohar Benjelloun, author
Fabrice Nadjari, author
Jonglez Publishing
9782361954659, $14.95, PB, 144pp
https://www.amazon.com/Soul-Marrakech-guide-exceptional-experiences/dp/2361954656
Synopsis: Marrakesh is the fourth largest city in Morocco. Historically, it is one of the four imperial Islamic cities of
Morocco and the capital of the Marrakesh - Safi region. It is west of the foothills of the Atlas Mountains.
With the publication of "Soul of Marrakesh: A guide to 30 exceptional experiences" by co-authors Zohar Benjelloun and
Fabrice Nadjari, the armchair traveler and on-site visitor cn step inside Yves St Laurent's private library, drink the best
orange juice in the legendary Jamaa el-Fna square, stay with some renowned traditional gnawa musicians, feast on the
medina's most eco-friendly tagine, while away a few days in a hotel hidden in a palm grove that's also a rare bird sanctuary,
discover the secret museum where everything is for sale, a a great deal more.
The co-authors of "Soul of Marrakesh", Zohar Benjelloun and Fabrice Nadjari, are passionate about Morocco. They have
explored every corner of the fascinating city of Marrakesh to provide their readers with the most exciting and unexpected
experiences.
Critique: A part of The 'Soul of' collection from Jonglez Publishing, "Soul of Marakesh offers a new approach to the art of
travel that consists of vagabonding around, chance encounters and unforgettable experiences. Informatively illustrated and
exceptionally 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Soul of Marakesh" is an ideal guidebooks for itinerary
planning and one that unlock the hidden doors of a city, capture its essence and delve into every last nook and cranny to
uncover its soul. While highly recommended for community and college/university library Travel Guide collections, it
should be noted for personal use that "Soul of Marakesh" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$7.95).
Editorial Note: Each guide in the 'Soul of' series includes: The 30 best experiences a city has to offer; Interviews with those
who give the city its spirit; and Original illustrations that capture the city's soul.
The Money/Finance Shelf
Mindful Investing
Jonathan K. DeYoe
New World Library
www.newworldlibrary.com
9781608688760, $19.95
https://www.amazon.com/Mindful-Investing-Outcome-Greater-Well-Being/dp/1608688763
Mindful Investing: Right Focus, Better Outcome, Greater Well-Being represents decades of collected wisdom that builds
on concepts in Jonathan K. DeYoe's initial Mindful Money book, linking mindfulness concepts to investment strategies
and showing how the union of these seemingly disparate approaches have led to better outcomes in the author's own life.
It's no easy task to link emotions and values-oriented approaches to life with business objectives, but DeYoe does so in a
pragmatic yet idealistic manner that achieves its goal by demonstrating new age thinking in action, at its best. Ideals about
money, its acquisition, its distribution and its management provide new and purposeful insights highly recommended for
new age and business readers alike.
The Philosophy Shelf
Warren Zevon and Philosophy
John E. MacKinnon, Editor
Open Universe
www.carusbooks.com
9781637700280, $24.95
https://www.amazon.com/Warren-Zevon-Philosophy-John-MacKinnon/dp/1637700288
Warren Zevon and Philosophy: Beyond Reptile Wisdom blends philosophy with pop culture music in an inviting manner
that considers Warren Zevon's lasting impact, songs, and career. Underlying his music are the philosophical and social
references and links essential to understanding his life perspective. These provide thought-provoking food for thought for
modern young philosophers, who will find debatable material on everything from "sentimental hygiene" to sonic tonality
and beyond. The intersection of music and the mind never sounded so good.
The Metaphysical Studies Shelf
Crow Tarot Pocket Edition
M. J. Cullinane
U.S. Games Systems, Inc.
www.usgamesinc.com
9781646711390, $22.95, Tarot Deck (78 Cards)
https://www.usgamesinc.com/pocket-crow-tarot
Synopsis: Paying homage to the mystical energy of crows and ravens, "Crow Tarot" by M. J. Cullinane invites us to fly
through the veil and connect with our intuitive powers. This pocket- sized 78-card deck is infused with the familiar
symbolism of the traditional Rider-Waite(R) Tarot, making it ideal for both beginners and professional readers alike. The
128-page guidebook presents upright and reversed meanings and includes a custom Crow Tarot Spread.
Critique: Comprised of a deck of 78 cards and a 128-page illustrated guidebook, this "Crow Tarot Pocket Edition from U.
S. Games Systems is impressively portable and will prove a welcome addition to personal and professional tarot readers at
all levels of ability and experience.
Editorial Note: Margaux Jones Cullinane (https://mjcullinaneart.com) is a Seattle-based artist, writer, mother, and lover of
all things magical, especially crows. She attended Parson's School of Design yet her unique technique of telling stories
through digital collage is self-taught and has been her passion for over 10 years. Nature and its creatures are a familiar
theme in MJ's work, however, having grown up south of Boston her collages are heavily influenced by the energy of the
city.
Black & White Rider-Waite(R) Tarot Deck
Jody Boginski Barbessi, author
Pamela Colman Smith, illustrator
U.S. Games Systems, Inc.
www.usgamesinc.com
9781646711604, $24.95, Tarot Deck (78 Cards)
https://www.usgamesinc.com/black-and-white-rider-waite-tarot-deck
Synopsis: :The Black & White Rider-Waite Tarot" is a very special tarot deck that features the B/W line artwork and
hand-drawn titles originally created in 1909 by Pamela Colman Smith. The 78-card borderless deck has special black foil
gilded edges, and is accompanied by a 54-page guidebook with upright and reversed meanings and ideas for tarot
spreads.
Critique: A tarot art 'time lost' treasure has been brought back into print from U.S. Games Systems, this new edition of
Jody Boginski Barbessi's "Black & White Rider-Waite(R) Tarot Deck" is a classic edition featuring the B/W images of
artist Pamela Colman Smith. Simploy stated, "Black & White Rider-Waite(R) Tarot Deck" is especially and unreservedly
recommended for both novice students and experienced practitioners of Taro.
Editorial Note #1: Jody Boginski Barbessi is an artist and graphic designer. She studied fine arts at the Pratt Institute in
Brooklyn, NY, the school Pamela Colman Smith attended before illustrating the Rider-Waite Tarot deck. Jody is also is the
creator of Influence of the Angels Tarot.
Editorial Note #2: Pamela Colman Smith was born in Middlesex, England on February 16, 1878 to American parents. Her
early years were spent in New York City and Kingston, Jamaica where she became proficient in folk storytelling. She
studied for two years at the Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York.
Crystals & Chakeras
Luca Apicella, author
Alessandra De Cristofaro, illustrator
U.S. Games Systems, Inc.
www.usgamesinc.com
9781646711475, $23.95, Oracle Deck (50 Cards)
https://www.usgamesinc.com/crystals-and-chakras-an-oracle-deck-for-inner-balance
Synopsis: All dedicated metaphysical students know that crystals have been used since ancient times to heal physical and
emotional problems. Working with gemstones restores a balanced frequency to our chakras, the wheels of energy in certain
body parts, so they can return to healthy functioning. Based on the powers and vibrations of the crystals, the colorful cards
and guidebook comprising "Crystals & Chakras: An Oracle Deck for Inner Balance" provide messages to help us address
issues that come up on our healing journey.
Critique: Featuring the charming artwork of illustrator Alessandra De Cristofaro, "Crystals & Chakras: An Oracle Deck for
Inner Balance" by naturopath Luca Apicella (and readily available from U.S. Games Systems) includes 37 crystal cards, 7
chakra cards, and 6 helper cards, along with a 64-page illustrated guidebook. The result is a festive, inspiring, and
motivating oracle deck that is a highly commended addition for personal and professional collections.
Editorial Note #1: Luca Apicella is a naturopath with 20 years of experience in teaching Crystal Therapy (Crystallogy). He
founded Le Porte di Atlantide and the cultural association ATLAS. He is an expert in chakra and psychophysical
rebalancing, phytotherapy and flower therapy, Tarots, symbolic medicine, Chinese medicine, and foot reflexology.
Currently, he organizes courses and seminars for both groups and individuals.
Editorial Note #2: Alessandra De Cristofaro (https://alessandradecristofaro.com) is an Italian illustrator working for
international magazines, publishing houses and advertising. Luca Apicella is a naturopath with 20 years of experience in
teaching Crystal Therapy (Crystallogy). He founded Le Porte di Atlantide and the cultural association ATLAS. He is an
expert in chakra and psychophysical rebalancing, phytotherapy and flower therapy, Tarots, symbolic medicine, Chinese
medicine, and foot reflexology. Currently, he organizes courses and seminars for both groups and individuals.
Tree Keepers Oracle
Angi Sullins, author
Stephanie Law, illustrator
U.S. Games Systems, Inc.
www.usgamesinc.com
9781646711543, $26.95, Oracle Deck (44 Cards)
https://www.usgamesinc.com/tree-keepers-oracle
Synopsis: Long ago, before trees were used for their pulp and fiber to bind our stories, they were story protectors of a
different kind. As legend and druids can tell you, there are places on the planet where the veil between worlds is thin, and
the trees were guardians of these sacred spaces. During that age, if one was lucky, one might encounter a door in the trunk
of a tree, known as a duirwaigh, a portal between magical worlds. The contents of this oracle were entrusted to Angi
Sullins from a Tree Keeper in Lapland who guarded the ancient groves. The Tree Keeper gifted her a legacy book. The
cards comprising "Tree Keepers Oracle" are derived from that tome.
Critique: The "Tree Keepers Oracle" is the collabortive work of author/storyteller Angi Sullins and artist/illustrated
Stephanie Law and is comprised of 44 gold* gilt-edged cards, a 108-page lushly illustrated guidebook, and an organza
drawstring pouch. Spiritual, metaphysical, beautiful, exquisite, "Tree Keepers Oracle" from U.S. Games Systems is an
extraordinary and highly recommended pick for personal, professional, and community library Metaphysical Studies
collections.
Editorial Note #1: Angi Sullins is the author of books, card decks, workshops, one-on-one mentorship, and on tours
traveling around the world as she takes women on journeys of self-discovery.
Editorial Note #2: Stephanie Law (https://shadowscapes.com) is the creator of images that trace the boundary between
dream and reality. She delves into the pictorial language of allegory, explores mythology in new contexts, chases tiny
worlds of wonder from an insect's viewpoint, and highlights the beauty of growth and decay found in nature. She
interweaves texture, watercolor, gold and silver leaf, ink, and creates intricate layered pieces with resin and custom
designed frames. In a meld of organic patterns and familiar archetypes, her paintings pose a question on the nature of
perception and beauty, and it is against this backdrop that the ephemeral guides and strange creatures dance and beckon the
viewer to follow through her various series.
Unlocking The Secret Garden Oracle
Angi Sullins, author
Jena DellaGrottaglia, illustrator
U.S. Games Systems, Inc.
www.usgamesinc.com
9781646711499, $26.95, Oracle Deck (44 Cards)
https://www.usgamesinc.com/unlocking-the-secret-garden-oracle
Synopsis: There is a secret garden inside you, fortified by stone walls old enough to remember the moon's first name. In
this magic garden, every plant, flower, insect and animal is a portal, a passageway to secret knowledge and illuminated
wisdom. You already have the keys to open each portal.
"Unlocking The Secret Garden Oracle" is intended to accompany your own intuition as you navigate your way through the
garden. Question-keys and answer-locks, when fitted together, open ancient passageways and doorways of opportunity,
where you will discover wisdom treasure. Visit the garden to unlock the secrets still tucked away in your own
potential.
"Unlocking The Secret Garden Oracle" includes 44 gold gilt-edged cards, 108-page lushly illustrated guidebook and
organza drawstring pouch. It is packaged in a foil accented, magnetic hinged box.
Critique: Inherently fascinating, exotic in its truly exceptional artwork, and the collaborative efforts of author Angi Sullins
and illustrator Jena DellaGrottaglia "Unlocking The Secret Garden Oracle" from U.S. Games Systems will prove a high
value and prized addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library Metaphysical/Oracle Studies
collections.
Editorial Note #1: Angi Sullins is the author of books, card decks, workshops, one-on-one mentorship, and on tours
traveling around the world as she takes women on journeys of self-discovery.
Editorial Note #2: Jena DellaGrottaglia (https://www.autumnsgoddess.com/home) never had any formal art training
besides your basic high school art classes. After working in many, many mediums, Jena found that she especially loved
creating digital art. -- Her words: I find in the world of Photoshop there is very little you can do wrong and when you do..
the medium is very forgiving!
Tarot Of A Moon Garden
Karen Marie Sweikhardt, illustrator
U.S. Games Systems, Inc.
www.usgamesinc.com
9781646711383, $31.95, Tarot Deck, (78 Cards/192pp Booklet)
https://www.usgamesinc.com/borderless-tarot-of-a-moon-garden
Synopsis: With hauntingly beautiful artwork, "Tarot of a Moon Garden" delivers its arcane secrets on the wings of
dragonflies, butterflies, angels and fairies. Unicorns and dolphins bring insightful messages in this borderless tarot deck
that deftly weaves together tarot symbolism, mythic expression, elemental magic, and the reflective phases of lunar
energy.
In the 192-page full-color illustrated companion book, Karen Marie Sweikhardt presents meditations, readings, and rituals
along with descriptions of each tarot card to augment their symbolic meanings. "Tarot of a Moon Garden is comprised of
78 purple gilt-edged cards, and a 192-page, full-color illustrated guidebook, and a custom spreadsheet.
Critique: Featuring the museum quality artwork and imageries of Karen Marie Sweikhardt, "Tarot of a Moon Garden"
from U.S. Games Systems is a truly ethereal, unique, and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional,
community, and college/university library Tarot collections.
The 2024 Calendar Shelf
Workman Publishing Company
www.workman.com
A premier publisher of calendars, the Workman Publishing Company now has a new and impressive roster of both desk
calendars and wall calendars for 2024.
https://www.amazon.com/Route-66-Wall-Calendar-2024/dp/1523520353
"Route 66 Wall Calendar 2024: Get Your Kicks on America's Greatest Road Trip" (9781523520350, $15.99, Wall
Calendar, 28pp) Known as America's main street, with this calendar you can imagine packing up the car and take a road
trip down Route 66. Once dubbed the "Mother Road" by John Steinbeck, the iconic highway still looms large as a mythic
route traveled by pioneers, risk-takers, and wandering spirits. This calendar celebrates classic Americana and scenery all
along the route, with a dozen destinations beautifully photographed in full color. From where it all begins, in Chicago, to
its terminus at the Santa Monica Pier (the perfect spot to look out over the ocean and dream of future adventures) 2024 will
be a year of pure nostalgia and inspiration.
https://www.amazon.com/Maia-Tolls-Wild-Wisdom-Calendar/dp/1523518952
"Maia Toll's Wild Wisdom Wall Calendar 2024: Connect to the Mystical Rhythms of the Natural World"
(9781523518951, $15.99, Wall Calendar 2024, 28pp) Cultivate the sacred every day, looking to nature and the seasons to
be your guides. Adapted from Maia Toll's series of books on the occult, nature, and personal transformation, this calendar
celebrates the powerful wisdom that's found when we open ourselves to the cycles of life. Reflect on the Womb, floating in
the void of deep winter, itself a kind of cosmic crossroads where anything and everything can come into being. Or the
Traveler, in the height of summer, discovering new ideas that disrupt the ordinary. Then take comfort in the Hearth,
drawing you back to the center of your life and home. Kate O'Hara's beautiful, intricate illustrations complement the rich
and spiritual text.
https://www.amazon.com/Audubon-Arctic-Wall-Calendar-2024/dp/1523519169
"Audubon Arctic Wall Calendar 2024: A Year of Stunning Polar Nature" (9781523519163, $15.99, Wall Calendar, 28pp)
The subject is the Arctic: The aurora borealis infusing a white snowscape with brilliant color. Dall Sheep resting on a
rocky mountainside. A Tufted Puffin coming in for a watery landing. Featuring a year of exquisite, full-color photographs,
this calendar showcases one of the most beautiful, fascinating, and fragile ecosystems in the world. Each image is
accompanied by a detailed caption with information about the region and its wildlife.
https://www.amazon.com/Hawaii-Dreaming-Wall-Calendar-2024/dp/1523521791
"Hawai'i Dreaming Wall Calendar 2024: A Year of Natural Wonders" (9781523521791, $15.99, Wall Calendar, 28pp) A
necklace of verdant jewels in the middle of the Pacific, Hawai'i enchants with its sun, water, and cooling breezes, lush
forests and endless beaches. Pictorial scenes beauty at every turn: Towering emerald cliffs over the Napali coastline in
Kauai. The raw evidence of its volcanic origins, like a crimson river of lava on the Big Island or the otherworldly
Haleakala Crater in Maui, red and vast as a desert. And that magical glow of a sunset over Po'olenalena Beach. It's a
paragon of beauty.
https://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Weather-Page-Day-Calendar/dp/1523520884
"Extreme Weather Page-A-Day Calendar 2024: A Year of Fire Tornadoes, Atmospheric Rivers, and Other Wild Weather
Events" (9781523520886, $16.99, Desk Calendar, 640pp) For amateur forecasters and causal climatologists, 2024 will be
a year for fascinating facts, unforgettable storms, and the science behind them. The Extreme Events include Tropical Storm
Denise deluged Reunion Island with 71.85 inches of rain in 24 hours, or the 8 inches of snow that fell in Laramie,
Wyoming, in the middle of the summer. Extreme Places: Mecca, Saudi Arabia, is considered the hottest city on Earth, with
average June high temps of 111 degrees. Plus the strongest tornadoes in history and Did You Know facts and terms such as
a "bolt from the blue" -- when lightning strikes as far as 20 miles or more from the actual storm.
https://www.amazon.com/Cats-Page-Day-Calendar-2024/dp/1523518685
"365 Cats Page-A-Day Calendar 2024: The World's Favorite Cat Calendar" (9781523518685, $16.99, Desk Calendar,
640pp) For cat lovers, there's no such thing as too many cats. And this is the calendar that proves the point, starring the
hundreds of winners of the 2023 Cat Calendar Contest showing off their sweet and adorable antics. Like a fluffy Maine
Coon perched on a snowbank. A tabby studying herself in a mirror. A sassy black cat tickling the ivories with gusto. Plus
personable Siamese, distinctively patterned calicos, elegant Abyssinians, and innocent yet mischievous little kittens. The
beautiful full-color photographs are accompanied by relatable cat quotes, care tips, and surprising cat facts. Did you know
that not all cats have the same number of bones? (The number can vary depending on the length of the tail.)
https://www.amazon.com/Dogs-Page-Day-Calendar-2024/dp/1523519290
"365 Dogs Page-A-Day Calendar 2024: The World's Favorite Dog Calendar" (9781523519293, $16.99, Desk Calendar,
640pp) An athletic Golden posing on a snowy mountaintop. A sweet mixed-breed pooch snuggling with the cat of the
house. Plus, energetic Border Collies, playful puppies of all stripes, and a stout Dogue de Bordeaux -- originally bred to
guard the vineyards of France. These are the lovable and huggable contest winners, celebrated with full-color photographs
and text that highlights everything we love about man's best friend. Featuring doggy profiles, Funny Bones, quotes,
Pawverbs to live by (Those who wander with dogs are never lost), and fascinating facts: Dogs may be able to perceive time
of day with their sense of smell.
All of these Workman Publishing Company calendars are printed on responsibly sourced paper and are unreservedly
recommended for personal, family, and library calender needs.
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
www.midwestbookreview.com
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