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Volume 22, Number 11 November 2012 Home | IBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Political Science Shelf Mystery/Suspense Shelf
Fiction Shelf Hunting/Fishing Shelf LGBT Shelf
Theatre/Cinema/TV Shelf Christian Studies Shelf Islamic Studies Shelf
Religion/Spirituality Shelf Metaphysical Studies Shelf Antiques/Collectibles Shelf
Criminology Shelf Photography Shelf Automotive Shelf
Pets/Wildlife Shelf Technology Shelf Memoir Shelf
Travel Shelf Poetry Shelf Marriage Shelf
Self-Help Shelf Business Shelf Health/Medicine Shelf
Hobby Shelf Fashion Shelf Relationship Shelf
Sports Shelf Biography Shelf Comix/Graphic Novel Shelf
Audiobook Shelf Library CD Shelf Library DVD Shelf
Parenting Shelf Fantasy/SciFi Shelf Humor Shelf
Cookbook Shelf American History Shelf World History Shelf
Music Shelf Jewelry Shelf Philosophy Shelf
Civil War Shelf Woodworking Shelf Literary Studies Shelf
Gaming Shelf Science Shelf Psychology Shelf
Military Shelf Writing/Publishing Shelf Needlecraft Shelf
Education Shelf Art Shelf Computer Shelf
Crafts Shelf Agriculture Shelf Economic Studies Shelf
Jobs/Career Shelf Large Print Shelf Martial Arts Shelf
Library Science Shelf Language Studies Shelf Environmental Studies Shelf
Genealogy Shelf International Studies Shelf Native American Studies Shelf


Reviewer's Choice

Armed
Bruce N. Eimer
Gun Digest Books
c/o F+W Media
4700 East Galbraith Road
Cincinnati, OH 45236
www.fwmedia.com/catalog
9781440230004, $24.99, www.amazon.com

In 2012 Wisconsin's state legislature passed into law, and Wisconsin's governor signed into law, a bill allowing Wisconsin citizens to carry guns concealed upon their person from public view. That's the principle reason why it is no hyperbolic statement that "Armed: The Essential Guide to Concealed Carry" by Bruce N. Eimer should be a part of every Wisconsin community and university library reference collection, as well as mandatory reading for every Wisconsin citizen exercising their legal right to carry a concealed hand gun. From an informative explanation as to the advisability of carrying a concealed weapon for personal safety; to the psychological perspectives of anti-gun forces; to rules of engagement for the justifiable use of force; to dealing with trauma arising from a shooting incident; to firing drills; weapon retention; avoiding the 'Hero Syndrome'; comprehensive overview of weapons gear; and common sense based solution to common personal security issues, "Armed" is exceptionally informed, informative, practical, thoughtful, and thought-provoking from beginning to end.

Unlearn, Rewild
Miles Olson
New Society Publishers
PO Box 189
Gabriola Island, BC, Canada, V0R 1X0
9780865717213, $15.95, www.newsociety.com

For some, a better society combines the knowledge of today with the harmony of the past. "Unlearn, Rewild" is a future primitive ideal guide from Miles Olson as he discusses these ideals and how they could work for our future of sustainability, and building skills that could make such things possible on many levels. "Unlearn, Rewild" is an intriguing twist with plenty to ponder for our future, very much recommended reading. Also from New Society Publishers is "Life Rules: Nature's Blueprint for Surviving Economic and Environmental Collapse" (9780865717268, $18.95), exploring the ideas of self-reliance and the natural laws that humans can adapt for survival even if the world around them collapses.

Echoes From Home
Jim Carey
Orange Hat Publishing
6204 Cart Path Road, Sheboygan, WI 53081
9781937165062, $12.99, www.orangehatpublishing.com

Youths were often conscripted before they were even fully grown in the age of the Civil War. "Echoes From Home" is a coming of age tale of the Civil War, in which Joshua Miller and his friend Monte join an Alabaman cavalry unit during the height of the conflict. War forces him to grow up quickly, and he starts to wonder if he will ever see his sweetheart when he gets back home. "Echoes from Home" is a fine pick for those who enjoy historical fiction based on the American Civil War.

Death of a Pirate
Adrian Johns
W. W. Norton & Company
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
9780393341805, $16.95, www.wwnorton.com

DEATH OF A PIRATE: BRITISH RADIO AND THE MAKING OF THE INFORMATION AGE comes from a leading authority on piracy and intellectual property and uses a killing in the English countryside to consider the stormy world of 1960s pirate radio. Britain's radio pirates changed media history as they worked to undermine the BBC radio monopoly and worked for independent broadcasting rights. This is both a history of the BBC's monopoly and stranglehold on broadcasting and a documentation of grassroots struggles against it: as such, DEATH OF A PIRATE will appeal to a range of holdings, from media studies history to British social history and general collections interested in freedom of speech and civil rights histories.

Paris: A Love Story
Kati Marton
Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas, 14th fl.
New York, NY 10020
9781451691542, $24.00, www.simonandschuster.com

Paris: A Love Story comes from an award-winning journalist and author who offers a love letter to Paris, the loves of her life (newsman Peter Jennings and diplomat Richard Holbrooke), and her family, and offers insights based on her years in Paris where her personal life blends with history and culture. It begins with the sudden death of her husband Ambassador Richard Holbrooke in 2010, prompting her to return to Paris where they fell in love seventeen years earlier. Chapters offer insights into romance, recovery, and Parisian influence in a fine and romantic account recommended for any general lending library.

Roadmap to Resilience
Donald Meichenbaum
Crown House Publishing
6 Trowbridge Drive Suite 5
Bethel, CT 06801
9780969884026, $35.00, www.crownhousepublishing.com

There are many terrible things to see in a combat situation, and few truly know how to fully cope. "Roadmap to Resilience: A Guide for Military, Trauma Victims, and Their Families" is a guide to help those who have faced traumatic situations and how to foster the principle of resiliency - the ability to function and live life in spite of awfulness. Donald Meichenbaum presents suggestions for physicians and psychologists encourage many finesses out of people and how to foster better life. "Roadmap to Resilience" is a strong pick for anyone catering to the military, their families, or anyone else who often is coping with PTSD.


The Political Science Shelf

Billionaires & Ballot Bandits
Greg Palast
With comics by Ted Rall
Seven Stories Press
140 Watts Street, New York, NY 10013
www.ballotbandits.org
9781609804787 $14.95 www.sevenstories.com

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. provides the introduction ("A Hostile Takeover of Our Country") to Billionaires & Ballot Bandits: How to Steal and Election in 9 Easy Steps, a reader-friendly and nastily funny indictment of recent and ongoing ballot tampering and election fraud in the United States. Despite the humor - accentuated by the 48-page insert of black-and-white cartoons by Ted Rall summarizing the hard-hitting highlights - Billionaires & Ballot Bandits is a meticulously researched and thoroughly grounded laundry list of horrendous crimes against American democracy. Author and journalist Greg Palast berates Democrats as well as Republicans for documented instances of vote theft. Dirty tricks range from purely computerized voting systems with no paper trail (manipulating these is as easy as unplugging the computer), to secretly striking citizens from voter rolls for "no address" when their homes are foreclosed upon, disenfranchising innocent voters who happen to have a similar name to a convicted felon, not letting ex-cons know that it is legal for them to vote after their sentences have been fully served (in the majority of cases and nearly all states), the Orwellian-named, ballot-obstructing abomination that is the "Help America Vote Act", and much more. Who is behind this fraud? Mostly big money individuals and interests, looking to make their money even bigger; prime offenders include Karl Rove, the Koch brothers, Harold "Ice Man" Simmons, and Paul "Vulture" Singer. How can ordinary Americans fight back? Recommendations include "don't go postal" (i.e. don't mail an absentee ballot if possible - last election, half a million of them were never counted, often on flimsy excuses), vote early (this will give you more time to respond if you have been unjustly purged from the voter rolls), and resisting provisional ballots. "...don't accept a provisional ballot that likely won't get counted... Demand adjudication on the spot of your right to a real no-BS ballot from poll judges. Or demand a call to the supervisor of elections; or return with acceptable ID if that's the problem. And be a champ; defend the rights of others. If you've taken Step 1 above and voted early, you have Election Day free to be a poll watcher." Worthy of the highest recommendation, Billionaires & Ballot Bandits could not be more timely, and deserves to be required reading for every American citizen!

We Are Many
Kate Khatib, Margaret Killjoy, and Mike McGuire, editors
AK Press
3500 Parkdale Avenue, Building 1, #A28
Baltimore, MD 21211
9781849351164, $21.00, www.akpress.org

Oppression cannot last forever when the oppressed know the truth and are willing to fight back. "We Are Many: Reflections on Movement Strategy From Occupation to Liberation" is a collection of essays from many individuals who have come together to discuss the Occupy movement and other recent social movements that are presenting their own brand of revolution against the status quo. "We Are Many" is strongly recommended for political science and social issues collections and for those who want more perspective on these controversial movements.

America's Unwritten Constitution
Akhil Reed Amar
Basic Books
c/o Perseus Books Group
11 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142
www.perseusbooksgroup.com
9780465025957, $29.99, www.basicbooks.com

America's Unwritten Constitution covers the basic principles, common practices and more that make up our unwritten Constitution, showing how written and unwritten Constitutions fit together and offering a focus on the little-covered 'unwritten' concept. America's unwritten Constitution fills in gaps and keeps it a living, changing document, and this book comes from an expert witness in Congressional hearings who is respected by politicians on all sides. From the Constitution's insights on the presidential election process to the future of the Constitution and possible amendments, this is a fine history that belongs in any American history or Political Science holding!

Political Theory After Deleuze
Nathan Widder
Continuum International Publishing Group
80 Maiden Lane, Suite 704, NY, NY 10038
www.continuumbooks.com www.amazon.com
9781441150882, $29.95, paperback
9781441197955, $100.00, hardcover

Gilles Deleuze (18 January 1925 - 4 November 1995) was a French philosopher who, from the early 1960s until his death, wrote influentially on philosophy, literature, film, and fine art. His most popular works were the two volumes of Capitalism and Schizophrenia: Anti-Oedipus (1972) and A Thousand Plateaus (1980), both co-written with Felix Guattari. His metaphysical treatise Difference and Repetition (1968) is considered by some scholars to be his magnum opus. "Political Theory After Deleuze" by Nathan Widder (Reader in Political Theory, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK) is a 216 page compendium providing the reader with a thoroughly accessible account of why Deleuze continues to be significant with respect to the philosophical underpinnings of contemporary political thought and to rank in importance along side such iconic figures as Nietzsche, Lacan and Foucault. An impressive work of scholarship, enhanced with the extensive inclusion of notes, a bibliography, and a comprehensive index, "Political Theory After Deleuze" is a strongly recommended addition to academic library Political Science reference collections and supplemental reading lists.


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

The Rendition
Albert Ashforth
Oceanview Publishing
595 Bay Isles Road, 120-G
Longboat Key, FL 34228
9781608090594, $25.95, www.oceanviewpub.com

War can often happen with the world entirely ignorant of the conflict. "The Rendition" is a novel of the Serbian-Kosovo war set among the United States' involvement in this conflict and struggle from freedom. Alex Klear, an intelligence offer delving into the conflict, and seeing that his missteps might make the United States catch international heat. With plenty of twists, turns, and betrayals at every turn, "The Rendition" is a strong pick for those who enjoy international espionage thrillers, highly recommended.

Hot Rocks
Randy Rawls
Midnight Ink
2143 Wooddale Drive
Woodbury, MN 55125-2989
9780738734132, $14.99, www.midnightinkbooks.com

No one likes being accused, and when you bring murder into it, it can get personal. "Hot Rocks" is a mystery following Beth Bowman, private investigator, as she realizes she has been set up as a murder suspect in a recent crime. Finding a chance at romance, she finds that the people who don't like her might be numerous and might not stop at simply seeing her in prison. "Hot Rocks" is a fine collection, not to be overlooked for general fiction and mystery collections.

The Hanging
Wendy Hornsby
Perseverance Press
c/o Daniel & Daniel Publishers
PO Box 2790, McKinleyville, CA 95519
9781564745262, $15.95, www.danielpublishing.com

THE HANGING provides a fine Maggie MacGowen mystery and is a solid pick for any mystery library as it tells of filmmaker Maggie, on sabbatical from TV when she finds herself stuck in the middle of a power struggle that results in the hanging of the college president. The event indicts her and her friend in an investigation and so it falls to Maggie to discover the truth behind the event. Her search for justice involves her in the world of art, business, and art forgery alike in a fast-paced, gripping saga perfect for mystery readers.

The Ninth Step
Grant Jerkins
Berkeley Prime Crime
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
375 Hudson Street, 4th floor
New York, NY 10014
9780425255988, $15.00, www.penguin.com

THE NINTH STEP is a thriller recommended for any crime fiction library and tells of Helen, involved in a twelve-step recovery program to make amends for a hit and run crime that killed Edgar's wife. When she finally meets Edgar to atone for her crime she falls into a lie that only deepens as she falls in love with him and faces a mysterious blackmailer who seems to know too much of the lie she is caught in. A fine mystery evolves.

Palmetto Blood
Reed Bunzel
Ingalls Publishing Group, Inc.
PO Box 2500, Banner Elk, NC 28604
9781932158441, $16.95, www.ingallspublishinggroup.com

What can invoke murder upon someone? "Palmetto Blood" is a novel from Reed Bunzel following Jack Connor, an officer with connections to the recently deceased TV reporter. Wondering on how an old love could have invoked such a response, Connor seeks the truth and finds roots deep in the South Carolina underground. "Palmetto Blood" is well worth considering for those seeking a mystery with a bit of southern flavor.


The Fiction Shelf

Emerson's Brother
Philip Lee Williams
Mercer University Press
1400 Coleman Avenue
Macon, GA 31207-0001
9780881462746, $20.00, www.mupress.org

Ralph Waldo Emerson was one of the most celebrated writers of the nineteenth century. "Emerson's Brother" examines the relationship between Ralph and his mentally challenged brother Bulkeley, as author Philip Lee Williams presents a work of historical fiction to detail the ideas of family life and the struggles of the mentally challenged in this era, as well as other aspect of Emerson's life. "Emerson's Brother" is an insightful and much recommended addition to historical fiction collections with a focus on literary figures.

Napi's Dance
Alanda Greene
Second Story Press
20 Maud Street, Suite 401
Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5V 2M5
9781926920870, $19.95, www.secondstorypress.on.ca

There are things we hold dear more than our own lives. "Napi's Dance" is a historical novel in which a white and a Native American woman come together in the ongoing thing out to settle and exploit the prairie they hold dear. Eleanor and Snake Woman, a Blackfoot Blood tribeswoman both hold the prairie dear, and despite their origins, they join to resist the oncoming changes that would irrevocably take from them. "Napi's Dance" is a unique historical novel with plenty of twists and turns, set amid the West's natural beauty.

The Shelter of Neighbors
Eilis Ni Dhuibhne
Black Staff Press
c/o DuFour Press
PO Box 7
Chester Springs, PA 19425-0007
9780856408861, $26.95, www.blackstaffpress.com

The moment in our lives where our decision will change everything. "The Shelter of Neighbors" is a collection of short fiction from Irish writer Eilis Ni Dhuibhne as he presents a collection of short stories surrounding people at moments of crisis, moments that they make choices, and moments that those choices have created. A fine addition to any international literature collection, "The Shelter of Neighbors" is enthusiastically recommended, a thought provoking insightful work.

A Place in Time
Wendell Berry
Counterpoint Press
1919 Fifth Street
Berkeley, CA 94710-1916
9781619020498, $26.00, www.counterpointpress.com

As the Civil War looms, there are many simply trying to live their lives. "A Place in Time: Twenty Stories of the Port William Membership" is a collection of short fiction from Wendell Berry. The stories are set in Port William, a small town on the Kentucky River in the Antebellum south, and center around a very different time with problems still relevant in the modern day. "A Place in Time" is a treasure for those who enjoy historical fiction from the pre-Civil War era, highly recommended.

Coleman Springs
Glenn Dromgoole
Abilene Christian University Press
1626 Campus Court, Abilene, TX 79601
9780891123194, $12.99, www.acupressbooks.com

The small towns of America hold a flavor unlike anywhere else. "Coleman Springs" is a novel from Glenn Dromgoole set in the idyllic small town of Coleman Springs, telling the story of an upcoming Ice Cream Festival, and the events surrounding it that bring their own taste of Americana. "Coleman Springs" is worth considering for those looking for tales of small town life, recommended.

Curiosity Killed the Sphinx and Other Stories
Katherine L. Holmes
The Institute for the Study of American Popular Culture
7095-1240 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood, CA 90028
9780982955833, $15.00, www.americanpopularculture.com

Everyone always has questions for themselves, and the search for answers is never ending. "Curiosity Killed the Sphinx and Other Stories" is a collection of short fiction from Katherine L. Holmes, winner of Prize Americana, who explores that concept of people who face questions and come to answers that are not always desirable. "Curiosity Killed the Sphinx" is a fine collection that gives readers much to think about.

The Big Exit
David Carnoy
The Overlook Press
141 Wooster Street
New York, NY 10012
9781590205150, $25.95, www.overlookpress.com

One bad move and you suddenly have a murder wrap on your shoulders. "The Big Exit" is a novel from David Carnoy following confused Richie Forman, a man trying to put his life back together after a stay in prison. As his life gets back on track, a friend is murdered and he's left as the main suspect. On the run now, he has to absolve himself in a novel that draws on its Silicon Valley setting strongly. "The Big Exit" is a riveting read that should prove hard to put down for those seeking a modern read, highly recommended.

The Immanence of God in the Tropics
George Rosen
Leapfrog Press
PO Box 2110
Teaticket, MA 02536
9781935248316, $15.95, www.leapfrogpress.com

Far from our safety nets, we discover whole new things we never knew existed. "The Immanence of God in the Tropics" is a collection of short fiction from George Rosen, as he presents people far from home faced with questions about their lives, the questions of life, what's important to them, and of faith. "The Immanence of God in the Tropics" is an intriguing and riveting assortment, very much recommended reading.

The Memory Jar
Tricia Goyer
Zondervan Publishing House
5300 Patterson Avenue, S.E.
Grand Rapids, MI 49530
9780310335108, $14.99, www.zondervan.com

Tragedy can make us lock ourselves away, but occasionally someone shows up with the key. "The Memory Jar: Seven Brides for Seven Bachelors" is an Amish romance surrounding Sarah Shelter, a woman plagued by the loss of her best friend, and about to write off the chance of ever finding love. But when this season's bout of hunters comes in, she may find someone to finally free her from her rut. "The Memory Jar" is a charming and faith-driven romance, a treasure not to be overlooked.

Accidentally Amish
Olivia Newport
Barbour Publishing
P.O. Box 719
Uhrichsville, OH 44683
9781616267124, $14.99, www.barbourbooks.com

Into the deep end of Amish culture, Annie will learn much of faith and love. "Accidentally Amish" is the first entry into Olivia Newport's Valley of Choice series, in which Annie flees the pressures of the workplace to an Amish community in the San Luis Valley. Finding an attraction with the man who takes her under his wing in the community, she finds herself split between her successful career and the man she may love. "Accidentally Amish" is a strong pick for those seeking Christian romance, highly recommended.

Under the Mound
Cynthia Heinrichs
Simply Read Books
501-5525 West Boulevard
Vancouver, BC Canada V6M 3W6
9781897476628, $17.95, www.simplyreadbooks.com

In a darker era, uncertainty was the only thing that was certain. "Under the Mound" is a historical novel from Cynthia Heinrichs, a dramatization of the Orneyinga Saga where a snowstorm leads to madness and tragedy. Setting the story behind Malcolm, an unwarlike individual in a time of war, sees much of the world in this oft forgotten era. "Under the Mountain" is a choice pick for fans of historical fiction, highly recommended.

The Celestial Sea
Marina De Nadous
Matador
c/o Troubadour
9781780882116, $17.95, www.troubadour.co.uk

We may be satisfied by our life, but something may shake what we think is the good life. "The Celestial Sea: A Sacred Romance and Moral Quest" is a novel about an English housewife who finds herself uplifted and changed forever as she meets a Kiwi man and their life spills over into something between reality and fantasy. "The Celestial Sea" is a literary romance that explores the reality of life and what we seek it to be, and how love can ultimately change it all, highly recommended.

The Visionary
Pamela S. Thibodeaux
Gale
c/o Cengage Learning, Inc.
200 First Stamford Place
Stamford, CT 06902
9781432825492, $25.95, www.cengage.com

With unique talents, Taylor Forrestier is challenged with using them. "The Visionary" is a novel from Pamela S. Thibodeaux, following the unusually gifted Taylor as she turns to faith in what to do with her abilities, and healing God's call to heal, Taylor must face not only her own darkness, but the darkness of those around her. "The Visionary" is a riveting work of literary fiction, and a core addition to any contemporary collection.

Godsent
Richard Burton
Arcade Publishing
c/o Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor
New York, NY 10018
9781611457063, $24.95, www.skyhorsepublishing.com

The power to help also comes with the power to harm. "Godsent" is a religious thriller, as Kate Skylar, a seventeen year old virgin, becomes pregnant with what many believe may be the second coming...and others believe may be the Antichrist. Ethan, her son, grows up in a world where his true nature is unknown. As he learns of it, and those out to end him, the decisions he make hold the fate of the world in his hands. "Godsent" is a riveting read that will prove hard to put down, highly recommended.


The Hunting/Fishing Shelf

Records Of North American Whitetail Deer
Boone and Crockett Club Collection
250 Station Drive, Missoula, MT 59801
www.booneandcrockettclub.com
9780940864849, $34.95, www.amazon.com

The white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), also known as the Virginia deer or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized deer native to the United States (all but five of the states), Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru. In North America, the species is most common east of the Rocky Mountains, and is absent from much of the western United States, including Nevada, Utah, California, Hawaii, and Alaska (though its close relatives, the black-tailed or mule deer Odocoileus hemionus, can be found there). It is also found in aspen parklands and deciduous river bottomlands within the central and northern Great Plains, and in mixed deciduous riparian corridors, river valley bottomlands, and lower foothills of the northern Rocky Mountain regions from South Dakota and Wyoming to southeastern British Columbia, including the Montana Valley and Foothill grasslands. The conversion of land adjacent to the northern Rockies into agriculture use and partial clear-cutting of coniferous trees (resulting in widespread deciduous vegetation) has been favorable to the white-tailed deer and has pushed its distribution to as far north as Prince George, British Columbia. Populations of deer around the Great Lakes have also expanded their range northwards, due to conversion of land to agricultural uses favoring more deciduous vegetation, and local caribou and moose populations. The white-tailed deer is well-suited for its environment and is a prized prey each autumn for some 13 million hunters throughout North America. A 384 page compendium, "Records of North American Whitetail Deer: Decades of Trophy Listings for Wild, Free-Ranging Whitetails" is authoritatively compiled by the Boone and Crockett Club and offers a detailed tabular listing of 12,254 whitetail trophics ranked according to their all-time Boone and Crocket scores. Comprised of 4,692 entries, "Records of North American Whitetail Deer: Decades of Trophy Listings for Wild, Free-Ranging Whitetails" is informed, informative, definitive, comprehensive, illustrated, clearly delineated, and a core addition to professional and academic library reference collections.

Pacific Salmon Flies
Cecilia "Pudge" Kleinkauf
Frank Amato Publications
PO Box 82113, Portland, OR 97282
9781571884893, $19.95, www.amatobooks.com

The Pacific Salmon is the staple of any northwestern fisherman. "Pacific Salmon Flies: New Ties & Old Standbys" is a guide to capturing the attention of the salmon to help fly fishers catch bigger and more fish as they wade out into the lake. Discussing many fly designs and how to get the most out of them, each entry is accompanied by many full color photos. "Pacific Salmon Flies" not to be missed by any enthusiastic fly fisher.

The Gun Book for Boys
Silvio Calabi, Steve Helsley, & Roger Sanger
Shooting Sportsman Book
c/o Down East Books
PO Box 679
Camden, ME 04843
9781608931996, $24.95, www.downeastbooks.com

For some, hunting is a rite of passage. "The Gun Book for Boys" is a hunting guide for those who embrace the sport of hunting, outlining the game and the tools of their destruction. With a bit of history surrounding the creation of guns through history, their advancement, the essential gear of history, and much more. "The Gun Book for Boys" is a fun and practical read with plenty of references and black and white photography throughout, highly recommended.


The LGBT Shelf

Coming Around
Anne Dohrenwend, PhD
New Horizon Press
PO Box 669
Far Hills, NJ 07931
9780882823935, $14.95, www.newhorizonpressbooks.com

A child's revelation of sexuality can be devastating to many parents. "Coming Around: Parenting Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Kids" is a guide for parents who have experienced this revelation, and how to be a better parent in what may be a tough time for both parent and child. From dealing with religious prejudices, homophobia, and remembering to still be a parent through it all, "Coming Around" is a strongly recommended pick for parents who are struggling to cope during tough times.


The Theatre/Cinema/TV Shelf

London Stage In The Nineteenth Century
Robert Tanitch
Carnegie Publishing Ltd.
c/o International Publishers Marketing
22841 Quicksilver Drive, Dulles, VA 20166
www.internationalpubmarket.com
9781859362082, $38.95, www.amazon.com

From the era of Shakespear down to the present day, London has been a center for theatrical innovation and excellence. Superbly illustrated throughout with historical images of actors, productions, theatre buildings, and playbills, "London Stage in the Nineteenth Century" by playwright, author, critic, and theatre historian Robert Tanitch is a 348 page compendium providing a fascinatingly detailed decade by decade history of London's theatrical productions including actors, major premiers, revivals, and more. Of special note are the acerbic quotes from contemporary critics! Informed, informative, and a sheer pleasure to simply browse through, "London Stage in the Nineteenth Century" is a seminal work of impressive scholarship and very strong recommended for academic library Theatrical History reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Hollywood Myths
Joe Williams
Voyageur Press
c/o Quayside Publishing Group
400 First Avenue North, Suite 300
Minneapolis, MN 55401
9780760342411, $21.99, www.voyageurpress.com

Hollywood has only been in existence for a hundred years or so, but it has created thousands of years worth of scandal. "Hollywood Myths: The Shocking Truths Behind Film's Most Incredible Secrets and Scandals" explores the history of Hollywood and the conflicts and scandals throughout history, touching on conspiracy, curse, theft, and everything else. With plenty of black and white and color photos all throughout, critic Joe Williams presents a debunking of act and fiction, making "Hollywood Myths" is a must for anyone intrigued by Hollywood's seedy underworld.

Comediennes
Darryl & Tuezdae Littleton
Applause Books
c/o Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group
19 West 21st Street, Suite 201
New York, NY 10010
9781557838421, $19.99, www.halleonard.com

With the advent of the television, comedy has taken hold in culture, and women are right there beside men making their presence felt. "Comediennes: Laugh Be a Lady" is an analysis of the iconic women comedians throughout the past fifty years from legends Lucille Ball to more modern masters such as Sarah Silverman, and everyone in between, providing an intriguing chronicle that touches on all genres from stand up to acting, improv, and everything else. "Comediennes: Laugh Be a Lady" is a must for anyone who seeks a bit of comedy history, highly recommended.

50 Monologues for Student Actors
Mary Depner
Meriwether Publishing
PO Box 7710
Colorado Springs, CO 80933-7710
9781566081887, $16.95, www.meriwether.com

Monologues are excellent practice for aspiring actors. "50 Monologues for Student Actors II: 100 More Monologues for Guys and Girls" is an expanded collection of theatrical practice monologues from Mary Depner and Meriwether Publishing, presenting scenes to act out alone and in front of the class to help their furthered education. "50 Monologues for Student Actors II" is an excellent pick for theatre and acting collections, not to be missed.


The Christian Studies Shelf

Honoring God in Red or Blue
Dr. Amy E. Black
Moody Publishers
820 N. LaSalle Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60610
9780802404879, $13.99, www.moody.edu

Faith has no political affiliation. "Honoring God in Red or Blue: Approaching Politics with Humility, Grace, and Reason" is a guide to harmonious relationships with Christians across the political aisle, where discussions occasionally might get more turbulent and cause social rifts. Dr. Amy E. Black advocates how to bridge the political gap with faith and following politics in honor of God and treating faith as a conscience to politics. "Honoring God in Red or Blue" is worth considering for any politically charged Christian who is often at odds with other Christians.

The Revelation To John
Stephen S. Smalley
InterVarsity Press
Box 1400, Downers Grove, IL 605151426
www.ivpress.com
9780830829248, $40.00, www.amazon.com

'Apocalypse' translated literally from Greek refers to a revelation of something hidden, although this sense did not enter English until the 14th century. In the contexts of Christian Theology, Apocalypse is a prophecy of hidden meaning found in the Revelation of John, the last book of the New Testament. This apocalyptic revelation which John received describes the ultimate victory of good over evil and the end of the present age. Today, it is commonly used in reference to any prophetic revelation or so-called End Time scenario, or to the end of the world in general. "The Revelation to John: A Commentary on the Greek Text of the Apocalypse" by Stephen S. Smalley (Johannine scholar and Dean Emeritus of Chester Cathedral, England) is a 651 page compendium offering a detailed commentary on the imagery and historical context of the Johannine community which gave rise to the Gospel of John, several of the New Testament Epistles, and the Book of Revelation. An erudite and comprehensive work of truly impressive biblical scholarship, "The Revelation to John: A Commentary on the Greek Text of the Apocalypse" is a highly recommended core addition to personal, academic, and seminarian New Testament Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Jonathan Edwards And The Gospel Of Love
Ronald Story
University of Massachusetts Press
PO Box 429, Amherst, MA 01004
www.umass.edu/umpress
9781558499836, $22.95, www.amazon.com

Jonathan Edwards (October 5, 1703 - March 22, 1758) was a Christian preacher and theologian who is widely acknowledged to be America's most important and original philosophical theologian. Edwards's theological work is broad in scope, but he is often associated with Reformed theology, the metaphysics of theological determinism, and the Puritan heritage. Recent studies have emphasized how thoroughly Edwards grounded his life's work on conceptions of beauty, harmony, and ethical fittingness, and how central The Enlightenment was to his mindset. Edwards played a critical role in shaping the First Great Awakening, and oversaw some of the first revivals in 1733 - 35 at his church in Northampton, Massachusetts. One of the latest of these studies is "Jonathan Edwards And The Gospel Of Love" by Ronald Story (Professor of History Emeritus, University of Massachusetts - Amherst), a 176 page compendium drawing upon Edwards' sermons and personal notebooks that showcases him as a profoundly social minister who preached a Christian gospel of charity and a Christian community bound by love. Deftly written and superbly presented, enhanced with a list of abbreviations, notations, an index of Edward's writings, and a comprehensive general index, "Jonathan Edwards And The Gospel Of Love" is a seminal work of outstanding scholarship and a highly recommended addition to seminary, church, and academic library Christian Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Peaceful Meditations
Rev. Warren J. Sacage & Mary Ann McSweeny
Liguori
1 Liguori Drive, Liguori, MO 63057-9999
9780764821424, $8.99, www.liguori.org

A time of peace can clear much in one's soul. "Peaceful Meditations for Every Day in Ordinary Time" is a collection of musings on spirituality and life from Warren J. Sacage & Mary Ann McSweeny as they present their collection of scripture driven thoughts on meditation and better becoming the bringer of God's joy and peace through their lives "Peaceful Meditations for Every Day in Ordinary Time" is a strong addition to Christian and spirituality collections.

The Way Opened Up By Jesus
Jose A. Pagola
Convivium Press
7661 N. W. 68th Street, Suite 108, Miami, FL 33166
9781934996287, $36.99, www.conviviumpress.com

Jesus cared little for the established religion, and instead sought to encourage people to follow his path. "The Way Opened Up by Jesus: A Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew" discusses the tale of Christ's life, and Matthew's Chronicle of Christ's journey and the people he inspired and led throughout this tumultuous period. With much to ponder from Christian thinkers, "The Way Opened Up by Jesus" is a must for Christian studies collections, a core addition to those focusing on commentary and new opinions.

Bless These Lips
Sharla Fritz
Concordia Publishing House
3558 South Jefferson Avenue
Saint Louis, MO 63118-3968
9780758638083, $12.99, www.cph.org

Our biggest sinner is often the same thing we use to praise the lord. "Bless These Lips: 40 Days of Spiritual Renewal" is a guide to improving our interpersonal relationships, designed for study among a small women's Bible study group. Drawing much on faith, Sharla Fitz advises readers to take scripture into mind and keep it there. "Bless These Lips" is a strong addition to spirituality and Christian studies collections, much recommended.

Dust & Breath
Kendra G. Hotz
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
2140 Oak Industrial Drive, NE
Grand Rapids, MI 49505
9780802867797, $14.99, www.eerdmans.com

A healthy body needs a healthy mind. "Dust & Breath: Faith, Health, and Why the Church Should Care About Both" is a guide to Christian ministry from Kendra G. Hotz as she advises pastors on how to embrace good health and wellness as part of their church's doctrine, exploring the concept of the faith based health organization. Exploring real life examples of ministers who have taken the initiative, "Dust & Breath" is well worth considering for ministers who want to take another step for improving their community, highly recommended.

Unabashedly Episcopalian
Andrew Doyle
Morehouse Publishing
c/o Church Publishing Incorporated
1637 Beechwood Ave #1
Louisville KY 40204
9780819228086, $16.00, www.churchpublishing.org

Faith should be something you love, not dread. "Unabashedly Episcopalian: Proclaiming the Good News of the Episcopal Church" is an advocacy and call to love for Episcopalians to further embrace the faith of their lives with love, and spread that love to others, embracing the Church's gifts, its story, and how to share it all. "Unabashedly Episcopalian" has a strong message that is strongly recommended and not to be overlooked for Christian readers.

Loving Work
Mike Hayes
Orbis Books
PO Box 308
Maryknoll, NY 10545-0308
9781570759888, $16.00, www.orbisbooks.com

Happiness in life is rarely found when you despise eight hours of each day. "Loving Work: A Spiritual Guide to Finding the Work We Love and Bringing Love to the Work We Do" is an inspirational guide from Mike Hayes as he brings faith to the workplace, and encourages readers to remember God when their looking for purpose in their daily work, and using that knowledge to find their meaning in what they may think is a dreadful career. "Loving Work" is a strong addition to spirituality and Christian faith collections, not to be overlooked.

Which Bible Translation Should I Use?
Andreas J. Kostenberger & David A. Croteau
B&H Publishing Group
127 Ninth Avenue North
Nashville, TN 37234-0143
9781433676488, $14.99, www.bhpublishinggroup.com

Translation isn't a perfect science by any interpretation. "Which Bible Translation Should I Use?: A Comparison of 4 Major Recent Versions" is a study of recent translations of the two thousand year old originally in Aramaic book, as four individuals make their cases for four recent translations, their uses, accuracy, and their applications to faith and Bible studies in general.

How to Deal with Difficult Relationships
June Hunt
Harvest House Publishers
990 Owen Loop North
Eugene, Oregon 97402-9173
9780736928168, $14.99, www.harvesthousepublishers.com

There are many things that divide us, and breaking those divisions can lead to more harmonious relationships. "How to Deal with Difficult Relationships: Bridging the Gaps That Separate People" is a Christian self-help guide as June Hunt advises readers on how to best piece together their lives when faced with tough times in their family, friendships, and other interpersonal issues. With much to consider driven from faith and spirituality, "How to Deal with Difficult Relationships" shouldn't be overlooked for those who want to keep that bond strong.

How to Pray the Dominican Way
Angelo Stagnaro
Paraclete Press
PO Box 1568
Orleans, MA 02653
9781612611655, $16.99, www.paracletepress.com

We seek faith in many ways, but there are teachings to help us find our way. "How to Pray the Dominican Way: Ten Postures, Prayers, & Practices That Lead Us to God" is a Catholic faith guide to following the ways of St. Dominic, and taking his cues of spiritual tradition to bring oneself closer to God's mercy. "How to Pray the Dominican Way" is a strong addition to any Christian spirituality collection with a focusing on Catholic ritual.

24/6
Matthew Sleeth
Tyndale House Publishers
351 Executive Drive
Carol Stream, IL 60188
9781414372280, $12.99, www.tyndale.com

Rest is this strange concept where one doesn't do anything and lets their body and mind recover. "24/6: A Prescription for a Happier, Healthier Life" is an inspirational Christian read as Matthew Sleeth, MD, suggests people once again achieve rest by fully embracing the Sabbath, and allowing themselves some down time instead of going full force 24/7. "24/6" is a wise and recommended read for Christian and inspirational collections, not to be missed.

Growing Into God
John R. Marby
Quest Books
c/o The Theosophical Publishing House
PO Box 270
Wheaton, IL 60189-0270
9780835609012, $17.95, www.questbooks.net

Their is a mysticism to Christianity that is often unstated. "Growing Into God: A Beginner's Guide to Christian Mysticism" is an introduction to Christian mysticism and how to better understand this rarely discussed topic. From the long standing traditions, understanding them, as well as thoughts from followers of modern mysticism, "Growing Into God" is a strong pick for those who want to study further into the Christian traditions, very much recommended.

Angels All Around Us
Anthony DeStefano
Image
c/o The Random House Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, 17th floor
New York, NY 10019
9780385522229, $14.99, www.randomhouse.com

For one to fully believe in Christ, you must also believe the denizens of the heavens and the hells. "Angels All Around Us: A Sightseeing Guide to the Invisible World" is an exploration of the angels and demons throughout Christian canon as Anthony DeStefano presents an intriguing breakdown of these aspects of faith usually forgotten. "Angels All Around Us" is well worth considering for Christian Studies collections, not to be overlooked for those who want to learn more about the angels.

Lessons Learned
John M. Duffey
Wipf and Stock Publishers
199 West 8th Avenue, Suite 3, Eugene, OR 97401
9781608996643, $27.00, www.wipfandstock.com

Exorcism has faded into ridicule for some, but for others it is a very real memory. "Lessons Learned: The Anneliese Michel Exorcism" delves into the recent history surrounding this 1976 true story of a troubled girl with mental and physical illness as two priests tried to use faith to heal her condition, a black mark on modern Christianity. An intriguing study of the modern implications of exorcism and the reflections of history, Revered Father John Duffey offers an educated look at this ethical issue. "Lessons Learned" is a strong addition to any Christian Studies collection, highly recommended.

Trophy Child
Ted Cunningham
David C. Cook
4050 Lee Vance View
Colorado Springs, CO 80918
9780781407632, $14.95, www.davidccook.com

A child's life is there own, and too many parents tend to try to live vicariously through others. In "Trophy Child", author Ted Cunningham advises parents on how to avoid the sin of vanity parent, and offers Christian parenting advice on how to overcome the impulse to try to force their child into their image instead of God's image for them. With sage advice on being a leader for your children without trying to turn them into you, "Trophy Child" is a strong pick for parenting and Christian life collections.

2013: A Book of Grace-Filled Days
Elizabeth M. Briel
Loyola Press
3441 North Ashland Avenue
Chicago, IL 60657
9780829436259, $11.95, www.LoyolaBooks.org

Everyday, a bit of thought can clear the mind. "2013: A Book of Grace-Filled Days" is a daily devotional calendar book, as Elizabeth M. Briel compiles scripture passages as well as a bit of thought to ponder along with the passage. Geared towards Catholics, there is something to consider for anyone who calls themselves a Christian. "2013" is a strong pick for Christian devotional collections, highly recommended.

Acceptable Words
Gary D. Schmidt and Elizabeth Stickney, editors
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
2140 Oak Industrial Drive, NE
Grand Rapids, MI 49505
9780802868794, $16.00, www.eerdmans.com

ACCEPTABLE WORDS: PRAYERS FOR THE WRITER provides a fine survey of prayers for different stages in a writer's work, and is a pick for any Christian collection interested in inspirations for authors. Writers receive ancient and contemporary poems and prayers that link writing to spiritual reflections, providing moving quotes perfect for spiritual thinkers. While this would seem a pick for literary holdings, its audience will be spiritual thinkers seeking reflections blending inspiration with religious insights.


The Islamic Studies Shelf

The Triumph Of Mercy
Mohammed Rustom
State University of New York Press
State University Plaza, Albany, NY 12246-0001
www.sunypress.edu
9781438443416, $80.00, www.amazon.com

S.adr ad-Di-n Muh.ammad Shi-ra-zi-, also called Mulla Sadra (c. 1572 - 1640), was an Iranian Shia Islamic philosopher, theologian and 'A-lim who led the Iranian cultural renaissance in the 17th century. According to Oliver Leaman, Mulla Sadra is arguably the single most important and influential philosopher in the Muslim world in the last four hundred years. Though not its founder, he is considered the master of the Illuminationist, or (Ishraghi or Ishraqi) school of Philosophy, a seminal figure who synthesized the many tracts of the Islamic Golden Age, and Andalusian, philosophies into what he called the Transcendent Theosophy or al-hikmah al-muta'liyah. Mulla Sadra brought "a new philosophical insight in dealing with the nature of reality" and created "a major transition from essentialism to existentialism" in Islamic philosophy,[3] although his existentialism should not be too readily compared to Western existentialism. His was a question of existentialist cosmology as it pertained to Allah, and thus differs considerably from the individual, moral, and/or social, questions at the heart of Russian, French, German, or American Existentialism. "The Triumph of Mercy: Philosophy and Scripture in Mulla Sadra" by Mohammed Rustom (Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada) is a 243 page compendium focusing upon Mulla Sadra's philosophy, scriptural exegesis, and mysticism which ultimately posited the salvation of all men and women in the afterlife. Informed, informative, and a superb example of seminal scholarship, "The Triumph Of Mercy" is a highly recommended and core addition to academic library Islamic Studies and Philosophy Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.


The Religion/Spirituality Shelf

The Apocrypha: The Lutheran Edition With Notes
Edward Engelbrecht, general editor
Concordia Publishing House
3558 South Jefferson Avenue
Saint Louis, MO 63118-3968
www.cph.org
9780758625472, $39.99, www.amazon.com

The Biblical apocrypha (from the Greek word apokruphos, meaning "hidden") denotes the collection of ancient books found, in some editions of the Bible, in a separate section between the Old and New Testaments or as an appendix after the New Testament. Although the term apocrypha had been in use since the 5th century, it was in Luther's Bible of 1534 that the Apocrypha was first published as a separate intertestamental section. Luther was making a polemical point about the canonicity of these books. As an authority for this division, he cited St. Jerome, who in the early 5th century distinguished the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments, stating that books not found in the Hebrew were not received as canonical. Although his statement was controversial in his day, Jerome was later titled a Doctor of the Church and his authority was also cited in the Anglican statement in 1571 of the Thirty-Nine Articles. "The Apocrypha: The Lutheran Edition With Notes" is a 544 page compendium providing the Christian community with an English Standard Version translation and includes the books of the Apocrypha appearing in the German Luther bible, Lutheran Editions of the Vulgate, and the King James Tradition. In addition to the apocryphal books themselves, "The Apocrypha: The Lutheran Edition With Notes" is enhanced with an outstanding and detailed introduction, ten appendices, and an extensive and extended reference guide. An outstanding contribution to Christian Studies reference collections, "The Apocrypha: The Lutheran Edition With Notes" is especially recommended for inclusion into personal, seminary, church, community, and academic library collections.

Love Story
Nichole Nordeman
Worthy Publishing
134 Franklin Road, Suite 200, Brentwood, TN 37027
9781617950513, $16.99, www.worthypublishing.com

LOVE STORY: THE HAND THAT HOLDS US FROM THE GARDEN TO THE GATES provides a powerful story of faith and conviction and is a pick for any spirituality collection. It provides a collection of reflections based on the best-selling The Story and blends personal insights with modern explorations of the Bible's characters, with a focus on God's love and its evidence in daily lives. The result is a powerful survey filled with inspiration and insight: a top pick for any spirituality collection!

The Heart-Mind Matrix
Joseph Chilton Pearce
Park Street Press
c/o Inner Traditions International, Ltd.
One Park Street
Rochester, VT 05767
9781594774881, $16.95, www.innertraditions.com

We can live by our minds, and our hearts. "The Heart-Mind Matrix: How the Heart Can Teach the Mind New Ways to Think" is a spirituality guide from Joseph Chilton Pearce as he presents a new age spiritual guide to living our lives and finding greater understanding of ourselves. Key concepts include exploring where we came from, and discerning a better place for ourselves and our descendants in the future. "The Heart-Mind Matrix" shows plenty to ponder on spiritual evolution, highly recommended.


The Metaphysical Studies Shelf

Impossible Realities
Maureen Caudill
Hampton Roads Publishing Company
65 Parker St., Ste. 7
Newburyport, MA 01950
9781571746634, $18.95, www.hrpub.com

What may be unbelievable may be truer than we think. "Impossible Realities: The Science Behind Energy Healing, Telepathy, Reincarnation, Precognition, and Other Phenomena" is Maureen Caudill's personal evidence on the realities of paranormal topics, and what she believes is evidence of their existence, discussing many events, and why she holds them to be true events. "Impossible Realities" is a worthy consideration for those who want to believe there is something more to the world than simply the mundane.

American Vampires
Dr. Bob Curran
New Page Books
c/o Career Press Inc.
220 West Parkway, Unit 12
Pompton Plains, NJ 07444
9781601632296, $15.99, www.newpagebooks.com

The legend of vampires fascinates us like no other, of monsters that are people, until the truth of their atrocity comes to light. "American Vampires: Their True Bloody History from New York to California" is an exploration of American supernatural folklore, as Dr. Bob Curran presents a picture of American vampire mythology, showing the many shapes and sizes of vampires that exist throughout the country, be they in reality or simply imagination. A riveting read, "American Vampires" is not to be overlooked and is much recommended.

Beyond the Source
Guy Steven Needler
Ozark Mountain Publishing, Inc.
PO Box 754
Huntsville, AR 72740
9781886940338, $17.00, www.ozarkmt.com 1-800-935-0045

To some, there are many more things to our world than simply science and God. "Beyond the Source" is a deeply metaphysical read from Guy Steven Needler as he presents his own takes on the new age spirituality, exploring God and the multiverse and trying to bring it all together for ourselves to have a better understanding through it all. With plenty to ponder on the nature of the universe and energy and what lies beyond our sight, "Beyond the Source" is worth considering for metaphysical individuals, recommended.


The Antiques/Collectibles Shelf

Vintage Football Cards
Krause Publications
c/o F+W Media
4700 East Galbraith Road
Cincinnati, OH 45236
9781440232893, $27.99, www.krausebooks.com

Collectibles and history often go together well. "Standard Catalog of Vintage Football Cards: The World's Biggest and Best Price Guide" is a comprehensive guide to the legendary football cards throughout the game's history from 1894 up to 1991, covering each entry with values for most cards throughout the history, with black and white photography for easier identification of each card. A choice reference for those who enjoy collecting, "Standard Catalog of Vintage Football Cards" is an excellent pick that should not be overlooked.

Collectible Movie Posters
Jim Halperin & Hector Cantu, editors
Whitman Publishing, LLC
3101 Clairmont Road, Suite C, Atlanta, GA 30329
9780794831424, $19.95, www.whitmanbooks.com

The pulpy movie posters of the past are ideal collectors pieces. "Collectible Move Posters" delves into the hobby of movie poster collecting, as Jim Halperin & Hector Cantu compile a collection of the rarest posters throughout the 30s, 40s, and 50s in particular, showing the unique art of the many posters of the era, ranked in rarity, discussing their prices and what they were auctioned off for in recent history, be they from classic horror films, the animated features of the era, or otherwise. "Collectible Movie Posters" is presented in full color and is highly recommended for the driven collector.


The Criminology Shelf

Dear Dawn
Lisa Kester & Daphne Gottlieb
Soft Skull Press
1919 - 5th Street, Berkeley, CA 94710-1916
www.softskull.com
9781593762902, $16.95, www.amazon.com

Aileen Carol Wuornos (February 29, 1956 - October 9, 2002) was an American serial killer who killed seven men in Florida in 1989 and 1990. Wuornos claimed that her victims had either raped or attempted to rape her while she was working as a prostitute, and that all of the killings were committed in self-defense. She was convicted and sentenced to death for seven of the murders and was executed by the State of Florida by lethal injection on October 9, 2002. A movie was made of her life and death. "Dear Dawn" is her autobiography largely in the form of personal correspondence with her childhood friend Dawn Botkins. Now published by Soft Skull Press with the editorial assistance of Lisa Kester and Daphne Gottlieb, "Dear Dawn" is a compelling and informative read which is highly recommended for the personal reading lists of anyone with an interest in the life story of Aileen Carol Wuornos, and a unique contribution to academic library 20th Century American Criminology reference collections.


The Photography Shelf

Mastering the Nikon D800
Darrell Young
Rocky Nook
802 East Cota Street, 3rd Floor
Santa Barbara, CA 93103
9781937538057, $39.95, www.rockynook.com

Mastering the Nikon D800 is a 'must have' reference for any owner of the new D800 camera, and explores its many features using color screen shots and photos on nearly every page. It uses a step-by-step process for setting adjustments, color and more, and provides keys to understanding just when these adjustments are ready. Chapters not only cover every button and option on the camera, they provide accompanying details on successful applications and things to watch out for. The result is a top-notch pick for any owner of the camera new to its many options.

The Jungle At The Door
Joan Myers
George F. Thompson Publishing
c/o International Publishers Marketing
22841 Quicksilver Drive, Dulles, VA 20166
www.internationalpubmarket.com
9781938086069, $45.00, www.amazon.com

Send a master photographer like Joan Myers into the jungles of the Indian subcontinent and you will be treated to superbly crafted images of a vanishing wilderness and the wealth of live it gave support to. Enhanced with an informative essay by William deBuys, "The Jungle At The Door" is a 96 page, hardcover, coffee table book showcasing full color photographs of wild places that will be forever lost when the jungle is no more due to the encroachments of human activity -- including climate change -- upon wildlife habitats. A beautifully composed and superbly presented collection, "The Jungle At The Door" is a highly recommended addition to personal, community, and academic library photography reference collections.

Imagining Winnipeg
Esyllt W. Jones
University of Manitoba Press
301 St. John's College
Winnipeg, MB, Canada, R3T 2M5
www.uofmpress.ca
9780887557354, $44.95, www.amazon.com

Lewis Benjamin Foote (February 6, 1873 - April 22, 1957) was a Canadian photographer, best known for his black-and-white photographs of early Winnipeg, including royal visits, the Winnipeg General Strike, and slums. He was born in 1873 in Foote's Cove, Newfoundland and worked on the Summerside Journal where he first became a photographer. He moved to Winnipeg in 1902, where he became the city's best known commercial photographer. For more half a century his photographs chronicled the development of the city. He is most well known for his photographs of the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike and was active until 1947. "Imagining Winnipeg: History through the Photographs of L.B. Foote" by Esyllt W. Jones (a history teacher at the University of Manitoba) is 168 page compendium showcasing the historical photos Lewis Foote took of the citizenry of early twentieth century Winnipeg. Enhanced with an extensively informed and informative introduction by Esyllt Jones, "Imagining Winnipeg" is an impressive collection of Foote's photography and highly recommended for personal and academic library 20th Century Canadian Photography reference collections.

Shooting in Sh*tty Light
Linsay Adler & Erik Valind
Peachpit Press
c/o Pearson Technology Group
801 East 96th Street, #300
Indianapolis, IN 46240-3759
9780321862693, $34.99, www.peachpit.com

Perfect situations for photography rarely exist, more often, you're left with chances for everything to go wrong. "Shooting in Sh*tty Light: The Top Ten Worst Photography Lighting Situations and How to Conquer Them" is a photography instructional guide as Lindsay Adler and Erik Valind advise readers on how to best piece together the best out of bad photography situations, from almost no light, inconsistent lighting, choosing the right equipment, and using the lighting you do have to its best effect. "Shooting in Sh*tty Light" is a full color manual, and a must for anyone who wants to get more involved with the field of photography, highly recommended.

Georgia Unforgettable
Robb Helfrick & James Randklev
Farcountry Press
PO Box 5630
Helena, MT 59604
9781560375418, $32.95, www.farcountrypress.com

The beauty of Georgia is all too often understated by many. "Georgia Unforgettable" is a collection of high quality photography in coffee table book form from Robb Helfrick and James Randklev as they seek to share well over one hundred photographs of Georgia's beauty both natural and man made, including its forests, historic sights, modern cities, and much more. In brilliant full color, each entry is described by a note on the nature of the photo. For anyone who enjoys Georgia as a patriot, or simply enjoys excellent landscape photography, "Georgia Unforgettable" is a must, enthusiastically recommended.


The Automotive Shelf

Chevelle Performance Projects
Cole Quinnell
CarTech
39966 Grand Avenue, North Branch, MN 55056
9781934709795, $29.95, www.cartechbooks.com

Keeping a classic car going requires a bit of expertise. "Chevelle Performance Projects: 1964-1972" is an auto care project guide from Cole Quinnell as he advises readers on improving the performance of the classic muscle car in order to keep it running as it passes its fortieth birthday. With plenty of technical know how to help readers push themselves and their vehicle further, "Chevelle Performance Projects" is presented in full color, and shouldn't be overlooked by those who love their Chevelle.


The Pets/Wildlife Shelf

Smithers' Mammals Of Southern Africa, updated edition
Petter Apps
Struik Nature
c/o International Publishers Marketing
22841 Quicksilver Drive, Dulles, VA 20166
www.internationalpubmarket.com
9781770079137, $31.00, www.amazon.com

Southern Africa is home to a wide and profuse diversity of animal life. Now in a newly updated and expanded edition by Peter Apps, "Smithers' Mammals of Southern Africa: A Field Guide" is a 364 page, superbly illustrated compendium showcasing more than 220 land and nine marine mammal species. In addition to full color and line drawings for each species, "Smithers' Mammals of Southern Africa: A Field Guide" also features a full description of each animal that includes not only its physical characteristics and life history, but also behavior, field signs and even its conservation status. Of special note is the inclusion of up-to-date animal distribution maps, spoor illustrations. Enhanced with symbols showing conservation status, time of activity, and other significant data, the text commentary is thoroughly accessible by the non-specialist general reader and ideal as an identification reference for tourists, wildlife enthusiasts, and sportsmen.

The Human Half of Dog Training
Rise Vanfleet
Dogwise Publishing
403 South Mission Street
Wenatchee WA 98801
9781617811036, $17.95, www.dogwisepublishing.com

It takes a certain type of person to be a successful dog trainer, especially when you bring business into it. "The Human Half of Dog Training: Collaborating with Clients to Get Results" analyzes how to better communicate with dog trainers and vice versa. From forming a better understanding of what you want out of a trainer, dealing with conflicting opinions, and much more, "The Human Half of Dog Trainer" is a must for anyone who wants to hire a dog trainer and get more effective results.

The Truth About Wolves & Dogs
Toni Shelbourne
Hubble & Hattie
9781845844271, $24.95, www.hubbleandhattie.com

The same methods of learning don't work on every human, so why do we expect as such for the canine world? "The Truth About Wolves & Dogs: Dispelling the Myths of Dog Training" is a dog training guide from Toni Shelbourne, who argues that the traditional method of training dogs is outdated and founded on ancient research that has been superseded by modern studies of canine psychology. Presenting ideas about wolves and dogs, their differences, and how this applies to modern dog training and realizing that not every dog desires to be an alpha, "The Truth About Wolves & Dogs" is a strong addition to pet training collections, complete with full color photography all throughout.

Heaven Bound
Paraclete Press
P.O. Box 1568, Orleans, MA 02653
9781612612447 $15.99 www.paracletepress.com

"Heaven Bound: Creating a Funeral or Memorial Service for Your Pet" is a gentle guidebook for those who mourn a deceased beloved pet. Filled with quiet suggestions for ways to honor your pet, share memories, create a meaningful ritual, and express feelings. Relevant quotations, a simple order of service, and encouraging quotations from Bible scriptures are included, along with practical suggestions for the bereaved. "Heaven Bound" is meant for compassionate animal owners who seek to deal with their grief over the loss of a beloved animal companion. It will leave the reader with a feeling of calm and a sense of restored order, without negating the deep pain of breaking the life bond with a beloved pet.

Top-Bar Beekeeping
Les Crowder and Heather Harrell
Chelsea Green Publishing Company
85 North Main Street, Suite 120
White River Junction, VT 05001
9781603584614, $24.95, www.chelseagreen.com

Top-Bar Beekeeping: Organic Practices for Honeybee Health provides a key reference offering an innovative approach to top-bar beehives, a new hive being used to raise bees successfully without antibiotics or chemicals. It comes from an author with over thirty years experience raising bees naturally and outlines low-stress methods for hobbyist keepers who want to raise bees holistically. Chapters cover everything from combining hives and the pros and cons of feeding to honey varieties and handling bears. Any home and garden, home reference or nature holding will find this an invaluable alternative approach.

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

Linda Merrill, LVT, VTS (SAIM, CP), editor's SMALL ANIMAL INTERNAL MEDICINE FOR VETERINARY TECHNICIANS AND NURSES (9780813821641, $79.99) is the first detailed resource on internal medicine written for the veterinary technician and is arranged by body system, with each chapter covering clinical signs, testing, treatment options and more. Chapters are arranged to cover specific nursing subjects and offer a complete reference, including a companion website with videos, quizzes, and images and detailed explanations of internal medicine. From diagnostic tests and results to monitoring, clinical signs, nursing requirements, and treatments, this packs in important keys to understanding the routines and applications of small animal nursing and is especially recommended for veterinary technicians and students. Kathleen A. Cooney, et.al.'s VETERINARY EUTHANASIA TECHNIQUES: A PRACTICAL GUIDE (9780470959183, $59.99) provides detailed guidance on euthanasia procedures in a variety of species including dogs, cats, horses and production animals, and is based on the latest AVMA guidelines. Step-by-step descriptions of recommended methods of euthanasia provides all the details needed to help students, technicians and vets understand all the options and how euthanasia is administered. The book can be used as a manual covering step-by-step techniques or as a starting point for discussing options with clients. No vet's library should be without this manual! Vets and students will also find essential Christopher L. Norkus' VETERINARY TECHNICIAN'S MANUAL FOR SMALL ANIMAL EMERGENCY AND CRITICAL CARE (9780813810577, $59.99), a comprehensive reference on emergency and critical are for vet technicians. From patient triage to stabilization and monitoring, this offers recommended best practices, techniques, case studies, and plenty of supportive illustration to provide a fine review of the most common emergencies experienced in hospitals and clinics. Mary Anna Thrall, et.al.'s VETERINARY HEMATOLOGY AND CLINICAL CHEMISTRY (9780813810270, $51.95) appears in its second updated edition to provide a clear reference to veterinary laboratory diagnostics, covering hematology and clinical chemistry for dogs, cats, birds, reptiles and even fish. The basic procedures and principles of laboratory testing are covered in a title that includes new chapter on molecular diagnostics, extensively revised information to reflect the latest laboratory diagnosis processes, and more. It's a powerful reference packed with practical applications and should be considered a 'must' for any veterinary reference library.


The Technology Shelf

The Vacuum Cleaner
Caroll Gantz
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611
Jefferson NC 28640
9780786465521, $45.00, www.mcfarlandpub.com

When cleaning became easier, the world changed ever so slightly. "The Vacuum Cleaner: A History" explores this quiet revolution of the household, as Caroll Gantz tells the story of how the physical labor of house cleaner was improved by technology, following the progression of technology from the broom to the top of the line vacuum cleaners of the modern day. An intriguing look into the cultural changes with this device, "The Vacuum Cleaner: A History" is complete with black and white photography throughout, very much recommended reading.

Moving Data
Pelle Snickars and Patrick Vonderau, editors
Columbia University Press
61 West 62nd Street
New York, NY 10023-7015
9780231157391, $29.50, www.cup.columbia.edu

MOVING DATA: THE IPHONE AND THE FUTURE OF MEDIA provides a fine pick analyzing the iPhone and how it's changed the nature of daily life, allowing people to personalize media as they move. Original essays consider the iPhone as a technological prototype and lifestyle gadget, offering media experts and scholars insights on the device's revolutionary fetures and how they are changing the idea of digital accessibility and use. Essays link the design of participatory media to the iPhone's features and sharing processes and consider how these processes are changing the nature of media and personal interactions alike!

Google for Seniors
Visual Steps
Visual Steps Publishing
9789059052369, $22.95, www.visualsteps.com

Of ongoing recommendation for any collection catering to seniors who want to get a handle on new technology is Google for Seniors: Get Acquainted with Free Google Applications: Google Earth, Maps, Reader, Docs, Sites, Chrome, a guide packed with large-size, clear screenshots in color, larger-size print, and easy step-by-step directions that assume no prior computer savvy on the part of seniors. From building a free website to web browsing, sharing albums and using various options available through Google, GOOGLE FOR SENIORS provides a specific set of introductions seniors will find easy to comprehend.

Integrated Microwave Front-Ends with Avionics Applications
Leo G. Maloratsky
Artech House
685 Canton Street, Norwood, MA 02062
9781608072057, $159.00, www.artechhouse.com

Integrated Microwave Front-Ends with Avionics Applications refers to the components in the receiver that process the signal at the original incoming frequency. Engineers will find this a fine detailed survey of circuit integration covering component miniaturization, hybrid and monolithic integrated circuits, and much more, with chapters surveying different avionic systems and the integration of passive and active antenna models. Also included are new approaches for front-end design, all packed with illustrations and over 160 equations. Any engineering collection will find this a specific, key reference.

RFID Design Principles, second edition
Harvey Lehpamer
Artech House
685 Canton Street, Norwood, MA 02062
9781608074709, $129.00, www.artechhouse.com

The second updated edition of RFID Design Principles continues to prove a highly recommended pick for any professional needing a thorough survey of RFID design basics and applications. It compares RFID with other technologies and comes from a recognized expert in radio-frequency identification, and provides technical communications reference collections with a completely revised edition packing in numerous updates and the latest new and expanded material on topics. The result is a survey highly recommended for any college-level and advanced communications library.


The Memoir Shelf

My Life Has a Price
Tina Okpara
Amalion Publishing
c/o International Specialized Book Services
920 Northeast 58th Avenue, Suite 300
Portland, OR 97213
9782359260168, $19.95, www.isbs.com

A chance at a better life should never be overlooked, but occasionally something foul lurks under opportunity. "My Life Has a Price: A Memoir of Survival and Freedom" is a memoir from Tina Okpara, a Nigerian teenager who gained the chance to go to France to attend to school, an opportunity she had high hopes for, but when she arrived, she found something very different. She shares her horrific tale, and presents much to consider, making "My Life Has a Price" a read to be very much considered for international memoir collections.

The Knock At The Door
Margaret Ajemian Ahnert
Beaufort Books
27 West 20th Street, Suite 1102
New York, NY 10011
9780825306839, $15.95, www.beaufortbooks.com

Genocide is terrifying, to be marked for death for who you are above all else. "The Knock At the Door: A Mother's Story of Surviving the Armenian Genocide" is a memoir from Margaret Ajemian Ahnert's story of her own mother facing the terror of the genocide in Turkey in 1915, and how it steeled her for the rest of her life and her flight from the Middle East to America. A poignant take on this tragic tale, "The Knock At the Door" is a strong addition to historical memoir collections.

One Day I Will Write About This Place
Binyavanga Wainaina
Graywolf Press
250 Third Avenue North, Suite 600
Minneapolis, MN 55401
9781555976248, $15.00, www.graywolfpress.org

We remember our youths, be it fondly or with dread, we remember them. "One Day I Will Write About This Place" is a memoir from Kenyan writer Binyavanga Wainaina, as he shares his memories of his youth and of his life throughout Africa, bringing light to the modernized African upbringing, he also speaks on serious issues that the Kenyan nation faces and its future. "One Day I Will Write About This Place" has plenty to ponder the world international, highly recommended reading.


The Travel Shelf

Mexico
Lonely Planet Publications
150 Linden Street
Oakland CA 94607
9781742200163, $26.99, www.lonelyplanet.com

Mexico is rich with culture and sights, one would be overwhelmed trying to find the best of it alone. "Mexico" is a Lonely Planet travel guide, an up-to-date edition of the best selling series for those who want to see anything and everything throughout the country, from its history to its modern culture, and embracing the true tastes of Mexico. With a pull out map of Mexico City, "Mexico" is a strong pick for anyone who wants to get the most out of their south of the border visit.

Thailand
Suzanne Nam
Moon Publications
1700 - 4th Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
9781598809695, $21.99, www.moon.com

Any independent traveler planning a sojourn to Thailand must have the Moon handbook as both a pre-trip planner and a take-along tote. It's packed with recommendations for accommodations, restaurants and attractions, offers itineraries for everything from the country-wide 'best' to local hot spots, and packs in some forty detailed, easily-used maps to round out the firsthand experiences of the author. The result is a 'must' for any traveling to the country!

Lonely Planet Publications
150 Linden Street
Oakland CA 94607
www.lonelyplanet.com

Regis St. Louis's ECUADOR & THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS (9781741798098, $24.99) covers everything from traditional arts to natural history and covers cloud forests, Andean peaks, and the Amazon rainforest as well as the Galapagos Islands. Sidebars of information on how to travel through the country's many regions accompany a fine survey highly recommended for any who plan on visiting and traveling through Ecuador. Another top pick is Brandon Presser, et.al.'s THAILAND'S ISLANDS & BEACHES (9781741799644, $22.99) packed with pages of information specific to Thailand's coastal areas. From eating, drinking and entertainment to accommodations from bungalows to resorts and specifics on island life, this is a 'must' for any interested in Thailand's beach opportunities. NEW ZEALAND (9781742200170, $26.99) by Charles Rawlings-Way, et.al. is also a fine guide packed with insights from five authors who share nearly a month's worth of firsthand research and experiences traveling the country. Over a hundred small maps and details on urban and rural delights alike make for an exceptional presentation. John Noble, et.al.'s MEXICO (9781742200163, $26.99) appears in its 30th anniversary edition to celebrate all things Mexican, from pre-Hispanic ruins and offbeat sightseeing opportunities to food and crafts markets, fairs, and more. It's a top take-along tote as well as a handy advance travel planner for any destination-oriented visitor.


The Poetry Shelf

Prayers Of A Young Poet
Rainer Maria Rilke
Paraclete Press
PO Box 1568, Orleans, MA 02653
www.paracletepress.com
9781612610764, $22.99, www.amazon.com

Rene Karl Wilhelm Johann Josef Maria Rilke (4 December 1875 - 29 December 1926), better known as Rainer Maria Rilke, was a Bohemian-Austrian poet. He is considered one of the most significant poets in the German language. His haunting images focus on the difficulty of communion with the ineffable in an age of disbelief, solitude, and profound anxiety: themes that tend to position him as a transitional figure between the traditional and the modernist poets.
He wrote in both verse and a highly lyrical prose. Among English-language readers, his best-known work is the Duino Elegies; his two most famous prose works are the Letters to a Young Poet and the semi-autobiographical Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge. He also wrote more than 400 poems in French, dedicated to his homeland of choice, the canton of Valais in Switzerland. Ably translated into English by Mark S. Burrow, "Prayers of a Young Poet" is a 96 page compendium showcasing what are arguably Rilke's 'prayer poems'. Of special note is the 'Afterword' commentary 'On Reading and Translating Rilke. Enhanced with endnotes, "Prayers of a Young Poet" is highly recommended reading and a core addition to academic library Literary Studies and Poetry Studies reference collections.

Collected Verse Of John Shaw Neilson
Margaret Roberts, editor
UWA Publishing
c/o International Specialized Book Services
920 Northeast 58th Avenue, Suite 300
Portland, OR 97213
www.isbs.com
9781742584454, $39.95, www.amazon.com

John Shaw Neilson (22 February 1872 - 12 May 1942), was an Australian poet. Slightly built, for most of his life John Shaw Neilson worked as a labourer, fruit-picking, clearing scrub, navying and working in quarries, and, after 1928, working as a messenger with the Country Roads Board in Melbourne. Largely untrained and only basically educated, Neilson became known as one of Australia's finest lyric poets, who wrote a great deal about the natural world, and the beauty in it. Deftly compiled, edited, and offering an informative introduction on the life and accomplishments of John Shaw Neilson by Margaret Roberts, "Collected Verse of John Shaw Neilson" is a 538 page compendium of his poetry from 1890 to 1942. Most are organized into four chronological periods, with the remaining verses divided into two sections: those that cannot be assigned a date and those of 'doubtful attribution'. Enhanced with note son the poems, editorial emendations and conjectural readings, appendices, verses listed within periods, a chronology, and an index of titles, "Collected Verse of John Shaw Neilson" is an impressive anthology and highly recommended for academic library Poetry collections and personal reading lists.

A Penance
CJ Evans
Western Michigan University
c/o New Issues Poetry & Prose
1903 W. Michigan Ave., Kalamazoo, MI 49008-5463
9781936970100, $15.00, www.wmich.edu

The world is not so simple for many of us. "A Penance" is the debut collection of poetry from CJ Evans as he presents the insight of a man who seen many stages of the world and presents his own attempts to understand it all. "A Penance" is a strong pick for poetry collections, highly recommended. "Trespass": Wrapped up in lace, the edges/recede from me. It's striking/how much dark there is//in this world that houses/diamonds and rivers./I only see the cellars, ovens//and stormdrains as the days/die younger and younger./Come back home.//October is here once again/and the dates on the stone/are hidden by drifted leaves.

Charms Against Lightning
James Arthur
Copper Canyon Press
PO Box 271
Port Townsend, WA 98368
9781556593871, $16.00, www.coppercanyonpress.org

What we don't understand often frightens us, but just as may entice us. "Charms Against Lightning" is a collection of poetry from James Arthur as he seeks the spirit of the world through his own experiences and ponders the many topics that unite us all in our searches for knowledge. "Charms Against Lightning" is an excellent work to add to any contemporary poetry collection. "Oysterville": Beside your trinket house/the garden gathered rain./I pulled pears/from the pear tree, and saw a few things/grow (the wise, dumb pumpkins/engorged below the gate...)./I split a stump, wrote letters, gathered/oysters, ate the rain.

Down in the Bottom of the Bottom of the Box
Jonarno Lawson
The Porcupine's Quill
68 Main St., PO Box 160
Erin, ON Canada N0B 1T0
9780889843547, $16.95, www.porcupinesquill.ca

By throwing everything out of whack, everything can be much easier to understand. "Down in the Bottom of the Bottom of the Box" is a collection of offbeat poetry from Jonarno Lawson, who presents his own take on the world, skewing life as we know it, and shoving it out under a different lens of the world. "Down in the Bottom of the Bottom of the Box" is an excellent work of poetry to consider, and is not to be missed. "The Human Being": Bombard its brain with cosmic rays./redden its eyes with Mars --/set its tiny heart ablaze/upon a heap of stars.

Blokelore & Blokesongs
Robert Conquest
The Wayweiser Press
c/o Dufour Editions, Inc.
PO Box 7
Chester Springs, PA 19425-0007
9781904130482, $18.95, www.dufoureditions.com

We share a conversation with our elders, and what comes may as well be poetry. "Blokelore & Blokesongs" is a collection of poetry from Robert Conquest as he explores the ideas of life and learning he picked up from his conversations with 'Old Fred', as he explores the ancient battle of the sexes with new perspectives. "Blokelore & Blokesongs" is an enticing addition to any international poetry collection. "Fred for the Defence": My wife's a bourgeois philistine,"/A lefty said to Fred,/Fred stopped him: chaps who take this line/Make him see fairly red.//This was a girl it chanced he knew/No lowbrow Tory but/Bohemian, intellectual too,/ and merely not a slut.

The Malarkey
Helen Dunmore
Bloodaxe Books
c/o Dufour Editions, Inc.
PO Box 7
Chester Springs, PA 19425-0007
9781852249403, $21.95, www.dufoureditions.com

Our mistakes haunt us, even if they aren't truly there. "The Malarkey" is a collection of poetry from Helen Dunmore who presents a collection of poetry that explores the ideas of the past, our memories, and how they impact us, with a unique and captivating style that makes it hard to put down. "The Malarkey" is a strong addition to any contemporary poetry collection, recommended. "Pianist, 103,": looks at the morning/where she will play/from nine to one/and says how beautiful/each note, each sun.//Such scales of suffering -/no one can weigh them,/she says how beautiful each smile, each footfall/each startled face/in the heat of love--

Song & Spectacle
Rachel Rose
Harbour Publishing
PO Box 219
Madeira Park, BC, Canada, V0N 2H0
9781550175851, $18.95, www.harbourpublishing.com

We live, we love, with lose, we look for something to live for once more. "Song & Spectacle" is a collection of poetry from Rachel Rose as she ponders this aspect of life, and how to piece it all together and make life all the more worth living and enjoying. With plenty to ponder and seek to love, "Song & Spectacle" is a much recommended addition to modern poetry collections. "What the Universe Perhaps Heard": Beluga banter, tongue of stars/white noise: wonder what we are.//No atmosphere, clouds undone,/the fire-pop plasma of newborn suns.//Silent vacuum, blush of snow/hush now, thrum light undertow.

Tremolo
Alice Derry
Red Hen Press
PO Box 3537
Granada Hills, CA 91394
9781597092326, $17.95, www.redhen.org

We are but one aspect of the portrait of life, and understanding beauty is understanding it all. "Tremolo" is a collection of poetry from Alice Derry, who explores her own life, as well as the lives of others to gain a greater picture of the human condition with her work. "Tremolo" is a fine collection, a top pick for modern poetry collections. "Nootka": I'm learning to balance/on the roadside bank,/teetering at the edge/where the bramble sprawls,/and the full force/of the roses' scent/can reach me.//After I'm quiet enough,/the swallows -- gray, blue, gold --/resume their swoop and dive for insects.//One petal near me loosens to fall: in the thick of bloom, one bud unfolds.//I'm suspended/as neither bird nor flower/seems to be.


The Marriage Shelf

Catholic & Newly Married
Kathy and Steve Beirne
ACTA Publications
4848 North Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60640
9780879464936, $6.95, www.actapublications.com

New marriage is the start of the rest of your life if you wish it to be. "Catholic & Newly Married: 5 Challenges & 5 Opportunities" is a guide to forging a marriage of a lifetime between couples, Catholics in particular, as Kathy and Steve Beirne draw from their own experiences in life and how to create a more effective partnership and family, by realizing what's in your way and what's there to help you along. "Catholic & Newly Married" is a fine addition for newlywed Catholic couples who want their faith to carry them to decades of happiness.


The Self-Help Shelf

Get What You Want
Tony Burroughs
Viva Editions
2246 Sixth Street
Berkeley, CA 94710-2219
9781936740208, $16.95, www.vivaeditions.com

Knowing what you want is harder than most really understand. "Get What You Want: The Art of Making and Manifesting Your Intentions" discusses how to personally find one's own intentions, as Tony Burroughs provides a motivational guide to find one's direction, realizing it, and understanding that pursuing that goal freely brings one closer to the idea of good. "Get What You Want" is a strong addition to inspirational and personal growth collections, for those who want help in finding what will truly bring them happiness.

The Nature of Risk
David X. Martin
KHP Books
9781475184396, $14.95, www.davidxmartin.com

THE NATURE OF RISK: AN EASY-TO-UNDERSTAND INTRODUCTION TO MANAGING RISK has no spine lettering, which will make shelving a challenge for this standard-sized paperback. It comes from an internationally recognized risk management expert who provides an easy primer on assessing risk management, and provides a light survey illustrating different approaches to risk management. Set in a forest with animals and natural attributes, this provides a gentle parable recommended for business and self-help readers alike.


The Business Shelf

How to Say Anything to Anyone
Shari Harley
Greenleaf Book Group Press
PO Box 91869
Austin, TX 78709
9781608324095 $19.95 www.greenleafbookgroup.com

How to Say Anything to Anyone: A Guide to Building Business Relationships that Really Work lives up to its title as a user-friendly, step-by-step guide to communicating well, building trust, obtaining honest feedback on one's performance in the workplace, and much more. Especially valuable for its phrasing recommendations that emphasize politeness, confidence, and respect, How to Say Anything to Anyone is also extraordinarily useful as a self-help book to improve one's relationships outside of the business sphere. "...my recommended answer to feedback is 'Thank you,' even if you think the person has no idea what he is talking about and is dead wrong. How accurate he is doesn't matter. What matters it that you find out how you and your department are being perceived. Once you receive and digest that information, you can figure out how to respond. But during the initial conversation, 'Thank you' is the right answer." From how to respond if one is suddenly promoted and put in charge of one's former peers, to dealing with chronically absent bosses, or even what to say to a co-worker who cc's every emailed request she makes to the whole team, How to Say Anything to Anyone is packed with indispensable tips, tricks, techniques, and suggestions from cover to cover. Highly recommended.

Face 2 Face
David Lee King
Cyber Age Books
c/o Information Today, Inc.
143 Old Marlton Pike
Medford, NJ 08055-8750
9780910965996, $24.95, www.infotoday.com

Social media presents an enticing opportunity for many businesses. "Face 2 Face: Using Facebook, Twitter, and Other Social Media Tools to Create Great Customer Connections" is a business guide for forging relationships with customers with social media, keeping customers informed, building brand loyalty, and how to avoid the minefields and backlash that come with it all. "Face 2 Face" is sage business advice not to be overlooked for those who want their business to build a better internet presence.

Marketplace Lifestyles in an Age of Social Media
Lynn R. Kahle & Pierre Valette-Florence
M.E. Sharpe
80 Business Park Drive, Armonk, NY 10504
9780765624618, $74.95, www.mesharpe.com

Lifestyles develop and change throughout history. "Marketplace Lifestyles in an Age of Social Media: Theory and Methods" is a scholarly study on the changes time and how they are reflecting trends in marketing. Marketing professors Lynn R. Kahle & Pierre Valette-Florence provide a scholarly break down of how the internet, in particular, social media, is revolutionizing people's habits and lifestyles. A fascinating breakdown on the priorities of human nature as a sociology view, the goal of the authors is provide a marketing driven breakdown to understand the future of advertising and how to reach people and their shifting natures. "Marketplace Lifestyle in an Age of Social Media" is a core addition to any reference collection for business and marketing collections.

Bankruptcy Not Bailout
Kenneth E. Scott & John B. Taylor
Hoover Institution Press
434 Galvez Mall
Stanford, CA 94305
9780817915148, $19.95, www.stanford.edu

Too Big To Fail has many bizarre connotations. "Bankruptcy Not Bailout: A Special Chapter 14" discusses said problem of major financial institutions that make the economy face serious issues if they were to declare bankruptcy. Kenneth E. Scott & John B. Taylor head a collection of economic thinkers as they present Chapter 14, an unused Chapter in the Bankruptcy code for a special method of allowing these companies to face bankruptcy without immense damage to the economy, allowing them to be on the same playing field as smaller businesses. "Bankruptcy Not Bailout" is a strong addition to any economics discussion collection as well as financial law assortments.

The Moonlight Effect
Simon Moss, John Callanan, & Samuel Wilson
Tilde University Press
c/o International Publishers Marketing
PO Box 605, Herndon, VA 20172-0605
9780734611024, $24.95, www.tup.net

A bad decision in business can have a snowball effect. "The Moonlight Effect: Debunking Business Myths to Improve Wellbeing" discusses what the authors describe as the Moonlight Effect, where reverence of senior leaders and other long tenured individuals can actually be harmful to the business by creating complacency, inequality of employees, imbalanced performance measurements, and many other problems. Advising how to break this poisonous culture, "The Moonlight Effect" is a strong addition to any business collection focusing on improving business success and its culture.

SAP ERP Financials Quick Reference Guide
Surya Padhi
Mercury Books
c/o International Publishers Marketing
22841 Quicksilver Drive
Dulles, VA 20166
9781936420315, $49.95, www.internationalpubmarket.com

Finances are often difficult things to fully understand. "SAP ERP Financials Quick Reference Guide" is a business finance guide in which Surya Padhi provides his expertise with as an accountant of nearly two decades of experience, providing a comprehensive guide book to fully understanding the methods of the SAP ERP. Chapters cover managing accounts in both direction, dealing with assets, calculating profits, foreign currencies, and much more. "SAP ERP Financials Quick Reference Guide" is a must, enhanced with graphs and additional information all throughout for anyone dealing with these programs and wants to optimize their understanding.

Think Like a Furturist
Cecily Sommers
Jossey-Bass/Wiley
989 Market Street, 5th floor
San Francisco, CA 94103-1741
978118147825, $27.95, www.josseybass.com

A good business person doesn't just follow the crowd, they anticipate it, and potentially forget the whole thing. "Think Like A Futurist: Know What Changes, What Doesn't, and What's Next" is a business advisory from Cecily Sommers advises how futurist ideas and philosophy can be wisely applied to the business world. With ideas to revolutionize the approach to business, break the boom and bust cycle, establish a permanent present, and much more, "Think Like a Futurist" is an insightful and scholarly take on the advancement of business management and why it may be different than anything else before it, much recommended.

No More Pointless Meetings
Martin Murphy
Amacom Books
1601 Broadway
New York, NY 10019
9780814431689, $17.95, www.amacombooks.org

No one likes meetings. So why do we have them? "No More Pointless Meetings: Breakthrough Sessions That Will Revolutionize the Way You Work" is a business management advisory from Martin Murphy who advises how to improve business communication without employing the dreaded meeting that kills productivity and no one truly enjoys. Murphy outlines the purpose of meetings and suggests solutions that improve relations within the office as well as organization. "No More Pointless Meetings" is an important addition to general business management collections, highly recommended.

Iconic Packaging: The Fruittella Roll
Marcel Verhaaf
BIS Publishing
Het Sieraad, Postjesweg 1
1057 DT Amsterdam, The Netherlands
www.amazon.com
9789063693039, $17.00, www.bispublishers.nl

Iconic Packaging: The Fruittella Roll tells the history of fruittella and provides the second installment in BIS's 'iconic packaging' series providing a history of the brand and the company. It shows how the fruittella packaging icon came about, how it was marketed, and provides a fine survey from an author with some 20 years' experience in packaging design, and is a fun and revealing pick for any business collection strong in marketing and packaging process or company histories.

Kogan Page USA
1518 Walnut Street, Suite 1100
Philadelphia, PA 19102
www.koganpage.com

Elizabeth Christopher's International Management: Explorations Across Cultures (9780749465285, $60.00) is a college-level text exploring management opportunities in encounters across the world between national, political and social cultures. It uses a multidisciplinary approach to consider the major leadership styles that characterize individuals and communities, offering keys to negotiating a puzzling array of cultural encounters and providing students and business readers with ideas for cross-cultural management processes. From forming and managing international networks and alliances to handling new technology and global connectivity, this is a powerful pick for any global business collection! Steven Van Belleghem's The Conversation Company: Boost Your Business Through Culture, People and Social Media (9780749464738, $26.95) entreats organizations to adjust their structures to become business entities where people are the key drivers of growth, progress and company culture. Interviews and case studies of companies from Kodak to Zappos and Microsoft accompany chapters that tell companies how to define company values and image to make the most of a people-driven culture. Business collections catering to managers will find this of particular interest.

Usable Usability
Eric Reiss
Wiley
c/o Wiley Professional Trade Group
111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
9781118185476, $39.99, www.wiley.com

USABLE USABILITY offers a fine key to making a project or service work for its user - and is a top pick for businesses, manufacturers, and any who would understand how to improve a product's usability appeal. From having clear goals for end results to learning what makes users happy and putting logical reasoning to work, this is packed with guidelines and ideas for creating useful products and services that match consumer needs. Businesses and any streamlining inventions, products or services will find this a 'must'.

The Rebel's Guide to Email Marketing
D.J. Waldow and Jason Falls
QUE
c/o Pearson Technology Group
801 East 96th Street, #300
Indianapolis, IN 46240-3759
9780789749697, $24.99, www.quepublishing.com

The Rebel's Guide to Email Marketing is a pick for any marketing collection interested in the specifics of email applications and mobile email opportunities. Chapters discuss how the arena of email users has changed, teach keys to understanding which email marketing rules are obsolete and which work, and provide notes on how to encourage opt-in email to best advantage. From technical to social marketing decision-making processes, this is a pick for computer and business holdings alike.

Getting More
Stuart Diamond
Three Rivers Press
c/o The Random House Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, 17th floor, New York, NY 10019
9780307716903, $15.00, www.threeriverspress.com

GETTING MORE: HOW YOU CAN NEGOTIATE TO SUCCEED IN WORK AND LIFE shows how to locate and value the other party's emotions and perceptions, and provides a set of patterns key to gaining more value from negotiation processes. Understanding the underlying perceptions of others offers a key to getting what you want, and learning how to work with these perceptions and boundaries goes beyond pop psychology to enter the realm of personal and business strategy. From identifying and valuing the perceptions of others to understanding the role emotions play in a business transaction, this is packed with specific examples any negotiator will find essential to success. Business as well as personal collections need this!


The Health/Medicine Shelf

Accelerating Progress In Obesity Prevention
Institute of Medicine
National Academies Press
500 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001
www.nap.edu
9780309221542, $49.00, www.amazon.com

Obesity continues to increase in America's adult population. But what is truly alarming is the rapid rate of increase in childhood obesity among American children. In addition to its detrimental impact on personal health, obesity is also becoming a huge financial drain on the American economy in the form of increasing health care costs. "Accelerating Progress in Obesity Prevention: Solving the Weight of the Nation" is a major, 462 page report by the Institute of Medicine's Committee on Accelerating Progress in Obesity Prevention. Organized into ten major sections with entries ranging from an 'Overview of the Report'; 'Obesity Prevalence and Trends'; and 'Practical and Policy Considerations'. With the inclusion of four appendices, "Accelerating Progress In Obesity Prevention" is a seminal body of meticulous work and highly recommended for professional, governmental, and academic library Health & Medicine reference collections and Contemporary American Obesity Studies supplemental reading lists.

The Complete Arthritis Health, Diet Guide and Cookbook
Kim Arrey & Michael R. Starr
Robert Rose Inc.
120 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 800
Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M4P 1E2
www.robertrose.ca
9780778804192, $24.95, www.amazon.com

It has been long noted that an appropriate diet, along with medication, can have a tremendously beneficial impact upon the condition of rheumatoid arthritis. "The Complete Arthritis Health, Diet Guide and Cookbook" by consulting dietitian who draws upon her more than twenty years of experience and expertise to create a 352 page compendium organized into two major sections. The first part focuses upon the symptoms, causes and diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis with special attention to the nature of join and muscle inflammation. The second part showcases foods known to help reduce inflammation, 125 recipes, sample menus, all combining to provide nutrients and energy for physical peak performance. Of special note is the chart offering a quick guide to the diverse forms of arthritis. Informed, informative, thoroughly 'user friendly, "The Complete Arthritis Health, Diet Guide and Cookbook" is detailed, definitive, and highly recommended for personal, community, and academic library Health & Medicine reference collections.

The Healthcare Handbook
Elisabeth Askin & Nathan Moore
Washington University in St. Louis
660 South Euclid Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110-1093
9780615650937, $15.99, www.healthcarehandbook.com

The American Healthcare system can potentially deliver great quality care, if you can navigate the bureaucratic jungle. "The Healthcare Handbook: A Clear and Concise Guide to the United States Healt Care System" is a guide to more efficiently traversing the difficult and confusing American healthcare system surrounding the numbers behind insurance, buying medication, recent developments, and much more. "The Healthcare Handbook" is a strong addition to general health studies collections, not to be missed.

What You Must Know About Dialysis
Rich Snyder
Square One Publishers
115 Herricks Road
Garden City Park, NY 11040
9780757003493, $17.95, www.squareonepublishers.com

Dialysis can be very trying for one's health. "What You Must Know About Dialysis: The Secrets to Surviving and Thriving on Dialysis" explains the dialysis process, a life saving process for those with serious kidney problems. Rich Snyder advises readers on how to best cope with the process and health, and how to increase one's general well-being for the long term. "What You Must Know About Dialysis" is a strong pick for health and wellness collections, especially for those who are facing dialysis or have a loved one fearing it.

Human Caring Science, second edition
Jean Watson
Jones & Bartlett Publishers
40 Tall Pine Drive, Sudbury, MA 01776
9781449628109, $49.95, www.jblearning.com

The second updated edition of Human Caring Science: A Theory of Nursing comes from a renowned nurse theorist who here discusses the balance between science and caring that lies at the heart of a nurse's profession. Her Theory of Human caring uses Western and Eastern philosophy, science, and analysis of the lives of patients and the clinical processes of nursing, making this a fine recommendation for any college-level collection strong in nurse practitioner philosophy and applications.

Believable Hope
Michael Cartwright
Health Communications, Inc.
3201 S.W. 15th Street
Deerfield Beach, FL 33442-8190
9780757317309, $14.95, www.hcibooks.com

Addiction is most firmly rooted in the mind. "Believable Hope: Five Essential Elements to beat Any Addiction" is an inspirational guide for greater health as Michael Cartwright and Ken Abraham advise readers on how to battle their addictions through his five step program that is approaching almost two decades of success. With plenty of resources to help one pull themselves out of life's hole, "Believable Hope" is a strong addition to general health and wellness collections, especially those with a focus on addiction and related ailments.

The Cure for Alcoholism
Roy Eskapa
BenBella Books
10300 N. Central Expressway, STE 400
Dallas, TX 75204
9781937856137, $16.95, www.benbellabooks.com

Alcoholism is a serious problem that destroys families. "The Cure for Alcoholism: The Medically Proven Way to Eliminate Alcohol Addiction" is an advisory guide for those who want to better control the problems surrounding this plague on many people. Dr. Roy Eskapa elaborates on this method which has a high success rate in helping people conquer their addiction on many levels, rewiring the brain and enabling people to reclaim their lives. "The Cure for Alcoholism" is very much recommended for those who want to purge the poison from their life.


The Hobby Shelf

Modeling Airliners
Aaron Skinner
Kalmbach Publishing Company
21027 Crossroads Circle
Waukesha, WI 53186
9780890248447, $19.95, www.kalmbachbooks.com

Airplanes have soared across the sky for the past century, and many have looked on with wonder for the whole time. "Modeling Airlines" is a guide for model plane hobby enthusiasts as Aaron Skinner walks readers through on how to embrace the latest happenings in the field and how to embrace it, and create things beyond simply what is contained a prebought kit. From construction to painting to making models last a life time, "Modeling Airlines" is presented in full color, a strong pick for those who want to take their model aircraft further.


The Fashion Shelf

Wear This Now
Michelle Madhok and Eileen Conlan
Harlequin Books
225 Duncan Mill Road
Don Mills, Ontario, Canada, M3B 3K9
9780373892594, $16.95, www.eHarlequin.com

WEAR THIS NOW: YOUR STYLE SOLUTION FOR EVERY SEASON AND ANY OCCASION pairs four-color illustrations with step-by-step advice on how to put together hundreds of chic outfits in no time. From understanding a fashion formula for appropriate purchasing and strategic shopping routines to building a foolproof wardrobe and locating the best deals, this covers year-round fashion basics, what to wear on different occasions, and how to assemble a basic wardrobe filled with mix-and-match possibilities for any fashion statement. A fine pick for any basic collection where fashion is of interest.

The King of Style
Michael Bush
Insight Editions
PO Box 3088
San Rafael, CA 94912
9781608871513, $45.00, www.insighteditions.com

Michael Jackson was never one for subtlety. "The King of Style: Dressing Michael Jackson" is a fashion chronicle of Michael Bush as he tells the story of he and partner Dennis Tompkins as they were charged with helping the King of Pop put together his eye-catching outfits for his videos and live performances across the world. The styles took many common outfits and elaborated on them exponentially, turning simple leather jackets into stunning things that only Jackson could pull off. With full color photography of Jackson's many outfits throughout, "The King of Style" is a choice pick for fans of Michael Jackson's music and coffee table fashion collections in general.


The Relationship Shelf

Dating and the Single Parent
Ron L. Deal
Bethany House
c/o Baker Publishing Group
6030 E Fulton
Ada, MI 49301
9780764206979, $15.99, www.bakerpublishinggroup.com

If a relationship doesn't work, or worse, tragedy strikes, one is sentenced to life alone with their kids. "Dating and the Single Parent" is a guide for those single parents who want to restore their family to a more complete state, facing the fears behind dating while being a parent and how to adapt to the looming threat of a stepfamily. With advice for those dating single parents as well, "Dating and the Single Parent" is a strong pick for relationship collections, highly recommended.


The Sports Shelf

Jaw Dropping Hockey Trivia
Don Weekes
Greystone Books
c/o Douglas & McIntyre Publishing Group
2323 Quebec Street, Suite 201
Vancouver, BC, Canada, V5T 4S7
9781926812984, $12.95, www.douglas-mcintyre.com

Ice, punching, and loss of teeth are only some of the aspects of the beloved sport of Hockey. "Jaw Dropping Hockey Trivia" is an activity and trivia book aimed at those who love hockey and everything else surrounding the game. Fuel for fun for any dedicated hockey enthusiast and their peers, the trivia is reinforced with game ideas and much more. "Jaw Dropping Hockey Trivia" is a must for sports enthusiasts, highly recommended.


The Biography Shelf

Jefferson In His Own Time
Kevin J. Hayes, editor
University of Iowa Press
119 West Park Road
Iowa City, IA 52242-1000
www.uiowapress.org
9781609381202, $32.50, www.amazon.com

Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 - July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Father, the principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776) and the third President of the United States (1801 - 1809). At the beginning of the American Revolution, he served in the Continental Congress, representing Virginia and then served as a wartime Governor of Virginia (1779 - 1781). Just after the war ended, from mid-1784 Jefferson served as a diplomat, stationed in Paris. In May 1785, he became the United States Minister to France. Jefferson was the first United States Secretary of State (1790 - 1793) serving under President George Washington. With his close friend James Madison he organized the Democratic-Republican Party, and subsequently resigned from Washington's cabinet. Elected Vice President in 1796, when he came in second to John Adams of the Federalists, Jefferson opposed Adams and with Madison secretly wrote the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions, which attempted to nullify the Alien and Sedition Acts. Compiled and edited by Keven J. Hayes (Professor of English, University of Central Oklahoma), "Jefferson in His Own Time: A Biographical Chronicle of His Life, Drawn from Recollections, Interviews, and Memoirs by Family, Friends, and Associates" is a 254 page compendium based upon thirty personal accounts of Jefferson by his granddaughters, fellow politicians, visiting dignitaries, neighbors and friends. The result is a seminal picture of Thomas Jefferson as a family man, a public servant, an intellectual, and a builder of enduring institutions. Enhanced with a bibliography and a comprehensive index, "Jefferson in His Own Time" is a unique and seminal contribution to the growing body of literature concerning the life, times, achievements, and legacy of Thomas Jefferson.

Called To Justice
Warren K. Urbom
Bison Books
c/o University of Nebraska Press
233 North 8th Street
Lincoln, Nebraska, 68588-0255
www.nebraskapress.unl.edu
9780803239838, $36.95, www.amazon.com

Warren Keith Urbom (DOB: December 17, 1925) is a United States federal judge. Born in Atlanta, Nebraska, Urbom was a Technical Sergeant in the United States Army during World War II, from 1944 to 1946. He received an A.B. from Nebraska Wesleyan University in 1950 and a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School in 1953. He was in private practice in Lincoln, Nebraska from 1953 to 1970. On March 11, 1970, Urbom was nominated by President Richard Nixon to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska vacated by Robert Van Pelt. Urbom was confirmed by the United States Senate on April 23, 1970, and received his commission on April 24, 1970. He served as chief judge from 1972-1986. He was also an adjunct instructor at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln College of Law from 1979 to 1990. He assumed senior status on December 31, 1990. "Called to Justice: The Life of a Federal Trial Judge" is Judge Urborn's 384 page illustrated memoir that provides significant insights into the role and responsibilities of the federal judicial system in general, and Judge Urborn's experiences and rendered judgements in particular. Informed and informative, enhanced with extensive notations and an appendix, "Called to Justice: The Life of a Federal Trial Judge" is a unique, impressively written, and highly recommended addition to academic library Judicial Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

The Collected Letters Of Jane Morris
Frank C. Sharp & Jan Marsh
Boydell Press
c/o Boydell & Brewer Inc
668 Mount Hope Avenue
Rochester, NY 14620-2731
www.boydellandbrewer.com
9781843836766, $165.00, www.amazon.com

Jane Burden Morris (19 October 1839 - 26 January 1914) was an English artists' model who embodied the Pre-Raphaelite ideal of beauty. She was a model and muse to the artists William Morris, whom she married, and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, with whom she had an extended affair, along with other romantic liaisons such as her relationship withWilfrid Scwen Blunt. Compiled and deftly edited by the team of Victorian Studies scholar Frank C. Sharp and Pre-Raphaelite expert Jan Marsh, "The Collected Letters of Jane Morris" is a 528 page compendium organizing the personal correspondence of Jane Morris into five section: 1869-79 (Jane Burden becomes Jane Morris); 1880-89 (her political years); 1890-96 (William Morris's last years); 1897-1903 (the Morris heritage); and 1904-14 (the last decade of her life). Enhanced with lists of illustrations, abbreviations, locations of manuscript sources, a bibliography, frequently cited sources, a chronology, an editorial statement, 'The Times Obituary', and index of correspondents, and a General Index, "The Collected Letters of Jane Morris" is an impressive undertaking and will prove to be a welcome addition to academic library collections.

Edward Hunter Snow
Thomas G. Alexander
The Arthur H. Clark Company
c/o University of Oklahoma Press
2800 Venture Drive, Norman, OK 73069
www.ahclark.com
9780870624155, $34.95, www.amazon.com

Born in St. George, Utah, to Julia Spencer and Mormon apostle Erastus Snow, Edward Hunter Snow (1865 - 1932), was a second-generation leader in Mormon Utah. Edward Hunter Snow was instrumental both in the development of southern Utah and in the growth of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during a period of rapid change. "Edward Hunter Snow: Pioneer-Educator-Statesman" by Thomas G. Alexander is a definitive 432 page biography that reveals Snow as a devoted family man, an active member of his church, a capable politician, and a key influence on the development of St. George from a small colony engaged in the production of cotton to a thriving city. A seminal work of impressive biographical scholarship, "Edward Hunter Snow" is highly recommended for academic library American Biography and Utah History reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

The Saint That Would be Santa Claus
Adam C. English
Baylor University Press
One Bear Place, #97363
Waco, TX 76798-7363
9781602586345, $24.95, www.baylorpress.com

Santa Claus has more history than a guy in a garish red suit. "The Saint Who Would be Santa Claus: The True Life and Trials of Nicholas of Myra" delves into deep history behind the story of Saint Nicholas, a bishop who in the future area of Turkey, escalated to be revered a s a saint through his deeds and words. Taking notes from history both secular and Christian in origin, the account is highly researched and proves to be highly educational to readers of any faith. "The Saint Who Would be Santa Claus" is a strong pick for biography and history collections.

Twitch Upon a Star
Herbie J. Pilato
Taylor Trade Publishing
c/o Rowman
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200
Lanham, MD 20706
9781589797499, $24.95, www.rowman.com

Life's journey is never simple. "Twitch Upon a Star: The Bewitched Life and Career of Elizabeth Montgomery" is a biography from Herbie J. Pilato as he tells the Bewitched star's life story that spanned much of Hollywood, forming friendships, romances, enemies, and everything in between. An advocate with her own problems, her story is one of who tried to make a difference with her stardom. "Twitch Upon a Star" is a strongly recommended addition to Hollywood and television history biography collections, highly recommended.

Hello Goodbye Hello
Craig Brown
Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas, 14th fl.
New York, NY 10020
9781451683608, $26.95, www.simonandschuster.com

HELLO GOODBYE HELLO: A CIRCLE OF 101 REMARKABLE MEETINGS offers up the witty British writer's collection of strange yet true stories of encounters between the rich and famous in a fine collection of strange celebrity meetings; from George Bernard Shaw's encounter with Harpo Marx in the nude to the Duchess of Windsor's tea with Hitler at Berchtesgaden. Each of the 101 encounters is described in exactly 1001 words, offering biographical sketches that link handily together as two famous people meet, then the second person in each meeting becomes the first in the next encounter. A fun compendium of chance and unique associations makes this a winner!

The Reverend Jacob Bailey
James S. Leamon
University of Massachusetts Press
PO Box 429, Amherst, MA 01004
www.umass.edu/umpress
9781558499423, $27.95, www.amazon.com

Jacob Bailey, (16 April 1731 - 26 July 1808), a Church of England clergyman and author, was born in the United States and was married with at least six children. He started his career in the ministry as a Congregational preacher in New Hampshire but converted and became an Anglican clergyman in 1760. Bailey moved to Nova Scotia in 1779 because the political unrest in the colonies was spilling over to the Church of England. He served in the parish of Cornwallis for a period and then moved to Annapolis Royal where he remained for the rest of his life. It is through his writings that Bailey's place in Canadian history was assured. His poetry was widely known and his verse satire was considered to be styled like that of the English poet, Samuel Butler. He wrote a considerable amount of prose as well and much of this can contribute to historians studies of those times. "The Reverend Jacob Bailey, Maine Loyalist: For God, King, Country, and for Self" by academician and historian James S. Leamon (Professor of History Emeritus, Bates College), is a 296 page study of Reverend Jacob Bailey as an example of the complex and complicated nature of political loyalty and personal sacrifice in the Revolutionary War era from a Tory perspective. "The Reverend Jacob Bailey, Maine Loyalist: For God, King, Country, and for Self" is an impressive work of seminal scholarship and a very highly recommended addition to academic library American Revolutionary Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

The Boy Governor
Don Faber
University of Michigan Press
839 Greene Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48104-3209
9780472051588 $26.95 www.press.umich.edu

Don Faber, winner of the 2009 Michigan Notable Book Award, presents The Boy Governor: Stevens T. Mason and the Birth of Michigan Politics, a thoughtful biography of the youngest chief executive in any American state's history. Stevens T. Mason was appointed Secretary of the Michigan Territory at the tender age of 19, two years before he could vote, and did everything in his ability to advance his territory's case for statehood, even without congressional authorization. He also strongly supported the Michigan Territory's expansion via its annexation of the Upper Peninsula, prior his official election as Michigan's first governor at age 24. The Boy Governor reveals Mason's upbringing, his identity and strong sense of patriotism, his desires, and his role in Jackson-era political wrangling. Notes and an index round out this excellent addition to American political biography shelves.

Antony Bashir: Metropolitan & Missionary
Constantine Nasr
St. Vladimir's Seminary Press
575 Scarsdale, Road
Crestwood, NY 10707-1699
www.svspress.com
9780881414066, $20.00, www.amazon.com

American Orthodox bishops are men serving as bishops in some capacity, whether with dioceses or exercising authority of some kind in the United States and Canada. Antony Bashir was a devout man of action and vision with the Orthodox Christian community who, in addition to opening churches, was a primary force in establishing the framework for the expansion and growth of today's Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese. "Antony Bashir: Metropolitan & Missionary" by Constantine Nasr is a 210 page biography providing interested readers with an informed and informative 'window' into an critically important period of history in the establishment of the Orthodox faith in America. Beginning with a brief overview of early Arab Christians in America, this superbly written biography covers Bashir's early life, arrival in the United States, becoming a parish priest, his election to a metropolitan bishopric, his career within the Orthodox Christian Church, and his unexpected and untimely demise. Of special note is the concluding section of personal remembrances by those who knew him best and commentary on his enduring legacy. Enhanced with the inclusion of a selected bibliography, "Antony Bashir: Metropolitan & Missionary" is an impressive and highly recommended reading for any and all members of the Orthodox Christian community.


The Comix/Graphic Novel Shelf

The Complete Guide to Figure Drawing for Comics and Graphic Novels
Daniel Cooney
Barron's
250 Wireless Boulevard
Hauppauge, NY 11788
9781438000985, $24.99, www.barronseduc.com

Comic drawing requires a solid knowledge on composing the human form. "The Complete Guide to Figure Drawing for Comics and Graphic Novels" is a guide for more effectively drawing people, from body composition to facial construction, and everything else about the scene that can really make comic art come together for the better. With plenty of full color example work within on how the details can bring a work together, "The Complete Guide to Figure Drawing for Comics and Graphic Novels" is a must for artistry, comic and graphic novels collections.

Siri & Me: A Modern Love Story
David Milgrim
Blue Rider Press
c/o The Penguin Publishing Group
375 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10014
sirianddave.com
9780399161599 $15.95 http://us.penguingroup.com

Siri & Me: A Modern Love Story is a graphic novel featuring alternating pages of brief text followed by minimalist cartoons to tell a most atypical love story for the twenty-first century. Dave is a fairly ordinary man, perhaps a little obsessed with technology and awkward around the opposite sex. But when he meets the smartphone Siri, he falls head over heels in love - with the AI of his own mobile device! "'All that stuff on your blog about being in love with your phone is really funny. It's so deadpan!' 'No, not anymore. I don't love her anymore - not for 6 hours and 14 minutes....'" At times whimsical, at times heartrendingly sympathetic to the lovelorn ("...what is up with Valentine's Day? Whose brilliant idea was it to make a special day just to mock those of us who don't have a sweetheart?") Siri & Me perfectly the technology-driven postmodern era, but also offers a ray of hope that perhaps humans everywhere aren't destined to forsake other humans for devices and gadgets, at least in the long term. At times so funny it hurts, Siri & Me is highly recommended especially as a giftbook for technology-savvy friends with a keen sense of humor!


The Audiobook Shelf

Measure for Measure
William Shakespeare
Blackstone Audiobooks
PO Box 969
Ashland, OR 97520
9781455137527 $24.95 www.BlackstoneAudio.com

Based on the 2011 stage production directed by Bill Rauch, Measure for Measure is the audiobook adaptation of William Shakespeare's classic play about sex, religion, politics, and morality. Angelo, the authoritarian deputy of the duke, is adamantly cracking down on all real and perceived moral decay, reviving drastic, outdated laws with brutal punishments. He even sentences to death a young man whose fiancee is pregnant. It seems that nothing can give pause to his campaign, until he encounters the religious novice Isabela, whose beauty stirs buried passions within him. Live music from the mariachi band Las Colibri enhances this timeless and engaging blend of tragedy and comedy, highly recommended especially for public library audiobook collections and the personal listening libraries of Shakespeare fans everywhere. 2 CDs, 2 1/2 hours.

The Time Keeper
Mitch Albom, author
Dan Stevens, narrator
Hyperion Audio
77 West 66th Street
New York, NY 10023-6298
9781401326340 $25.99 www.hyperionbooks.com

The Time Keeper is the unabridged audiobook adaptation of Mitch Albom's novel of the man destined to become Father Time. A brilliant inventor, creator of the world's first clock, suffers a terrible punishment for daring to measure God's ineffable gift of Time: banishment to a lonely cave, where for centuries he hears the longings of all who seek more days and years of Time to themselves. Then Father Time gets a precious chance at freedom, with the mission to teach two mortals about the true meaning of time. A fable of not only human pride and fallability, but also about the essence of Time itself and its true, enduring value, The Time Keeper is both wonderful and memorable, highly recommended. 4 CDs, 4 hours.

Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet
Darynda Jones, author
Lorelei King, narrator
Macmillan Audio
175 Fifth Avenue, Suite 315
New York, NY 10010
www.daryndajones.com
9781427225948 $39.99 www.macmillanaudio.com

Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet is the unabridged audiobook adaptation of bestselling author Darynda Jones' novel about an ordinary women tasked with the extraordinary - and stressful! - job of being a grim reaper. When Charley Davison takes couple months off from her dark job to recover from the shock of her last case, a woman in terror for her life suddenly appears on Charley's doorstep. Everyone who knows the woman is convinced that she is insane, but the more Charley learns, the more she believes that the threat is real. At times suspenseful, at times hilarious, Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet continues the series' blend of the wry and the macabre. 9 CDs, 10.5 hours.

Riders Of The Silences
Max Brand
Brilliance Corporation
PO Box 887 Grand Haven, MI 49417
www.brillianceaudio.com
9781441804570, $19.99, www.amazon.com

Along with Zane Grey and Louis Lamour, Max Brand continues to be one of the most popular authors of western adventure novels. Superbly narrated by Dick Hill, "Riders Of The Silences" is a complete and unabridged audio book production from Brilliance Corporation that enjoys flawless technical production values. This is the story of Red Pierre, a man dedicated to avenging the death of his outlaw father. Circumstances find him riding with an outlaw gang for six years while seeking the target of his vengeance. Both blessed and cursed by a cross he wears around his neck, Pierre's draw is lightening fast. There is an outlaw's daughter and an honest woman involved in and complicating his life. The action is fast, the complications unexpected, and the conclusion a real cliff hanger. "Riders Of The Silences" is classic Max Brand and highly entertaining listening for anyone who enjoys a great western action/adventure yarn.

Ruby Nine
ZBS Foundation
174 North River Road, Fort Edward, NJ 12828
www.zbs.org
1931654557, $22.50, www.amazon.com

Ruby the 'Intergalactic Detective' is back in "Ruby Nine: Masque Of The Red Moon". A two CD disk, 2.5 hour, audio book that offers the listener a fabulous 'theatre of the mind' science fiction adventure experience. Superbly enhanced with music and special sound effects, the story finds Ruby hired out to investigate a plague inflicted upon the city of Aberdeen Dundee on Victoria Moon. She rounds up the usual crew of Teru, Rodant Kappor, and other family voices to follow a complex story of surprises and extraordinary adventure. "Ruby Nine: Masque Of The Red Moon" is a 'must' for the legions of Ruby fans who will welcome still another unique adventure brought to life by truly talented vocal actors and the fertile imagination of author Meatball Fulton!

The Dive Bomber
L. Ron Hubbard
Galaxy Press
7051 Hollywood Boulevard, Suite 200
Hollywood, CA 90028
www.galaxypress.com
9781592122301, $9.95, www.amazon.com

"The Dive Bomber" by that master storyteller L. Ron Hubbard first saw print in the July 1937 issue of pulp magazine 'Five-Novels Monthly'. Now it has been brought to life as a complete and unabridged, 2 CD, 2 hour audio book production by Galaxy Press. This technically flawless production includes a superb multicast performance enhanced with music and sound effects throughout. The story is an action/adventure yarn set in the early days of aviation when Lucky Martin, a daredevil test pilot, finds himself struggling to build a new and improved dive bomber plane. His foe is a man intending to sell Martin's dive bomber to foreign powers in direct violation of U. S. law and determined to kill anyone, including Martin's fiancee, who gets in the way of his nefarious plans. With thrills a plenty, "The Dive Bomber" is a riveting 'theater of the mind' experience that does full justice to the literary skills of L. Ron Hubbard and is whole heartedly recommended to anyone who enjoys action/adventure stories at their very best.

Dream More
Dolly Parton
Penguin Audio
c/o The Penguin Publishing Group
375 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10014
9781611761542 $19.95 http://us.penguingroup.com

Legendary celebrity and philanthropist Dolly Parton presents Dream More, the unabridged audiobook version of her uplifting self-help guide. Drawing upon her own life from her childhood in the hills of Tennessee to her work as a singer, songwriter, and performer today in order to generate examples, Dream More focuses upon the importance of expanding one's boundaries and reaching for the stars. The central tenet is to dream more, care more, learn more, and be more. A work of inspiration enlivened with original music, Dream More is an excellent and motivational read especially recommended for fans of Dolly Parton's work and legacy. 2 CDs, 1 1/2 hours.

Return of the Thin Man
Dashiell Hammett, author
Peter Ganim, Nicola Barber, Scott Brick, et. al, performers
Highbridge Audio Books
201 Sixth Street SE, Suite 220
Minneapolis, MN 55414
9781611749090 $34.95 www.highbridgeaudio.com

Return of the Thin Man is the unabridged audiobook rendition of two never-before-published "Thin Man" novellas from hard-boiled mystery master Dashiell Hammett. Both novellas were originally written as screen stories for the popular sequel films "After the Thin Man" and "Another Thin Man". Return of the Then Man brings back the lush ex-detective Nick Charles and his ex-debutante wife Nora, in a gritty world filled with crime, punishment, thugs and con artists. Caustic dialogue, shocking plot twists, and edge-of-one's-seat suspense characterize these masterpieces of crime fiction, brought vividly to life with a stellar full-cast performance. Return of the Thin Man is an absolute "must-have" for fans of Hammett's work. 6 CDs, 7 1/4 hours.

Hidden
P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast, authors
Caitlin Davies, narrator
Macmillan Audio
175 Fifth Avenue, Suite 315
New York, NY 10010
9781427226433 $39.99 www.macmillanaudio.com

Award-winning author P.C Cast and her daughter Kristin Cast team up to present Hidden, the unabridged audiobook adaptation of a tense installment in chilling and sultry House of Night dark fantasy series. Set in world haunted by a vampire society, Hidden follows the consequences of Zoey's quest to expose the evil of Neferet. The High Council no longer support Neferet, but a fire of unknown origins devastates the stables, and Neferet still has a deadly card to play. Zoey and her friends' efforts to contain the spread of Darkness strains their friendships as never before, in this taut saga of disguised machinations and power struggles under a pale moon. Highly recommended especially for fans of vampire stories! 9 CDs, 11 1/2 hours.

Hand Me Down World
Lloyd Jones, author
Humphrey Bower, narrator
Bolinda Publishing
186 S Long Swamp Rd
Jackson, ME 04921
9781742149264 $93.95 www.bolinda.com

Hand Me Down World is the unabridged audiobook rendition of a North African woman's determined search for her son, whose father spirited him away to Berlin when he was just an infant. Upon reaching Sicily, she proceeds her search with the aid of strangers - some kind and generous, some manipulative and exploitive. Each has their own perspective to tell of the mysterious, quiet woman in a blue coat, with little more than a maid's uniform and a stashed knife to her name. Not all of the narrators are fully reliable; the truth can have a hundred shades, but the overall story of a mother's resolute courage shines strongly through. Brought to life by the narrative performance Audie Award-winning actor Humphrey Bower (who is especially talented at speaking in a wide variety of accents), Hand Me Down World is highly recommended. 9 CDs, 10 hours 20 min, bookmarking tracks every 3 min.

Live by Night
Dennis Lehane, author
Jim Frangione, narrator
HarperCollins Publishers
10 East 53rd Street
New York, NY 10022-5299
9780062204790 $39.99 www.harpercollins.com

Set in Boston during the roaring 20's, when Prohibition fueled immense corruption through gang alcohol sales, Live by Night is the unabridged audiobook adaptation of Dennis Lehane's novel about a police captain's son gone down a criminal path. From childhood petty theft to an adult mob career, Joe Coughlin makes the most of being an outlaw - but for all his power and notoriety, he is still subject to betrayal, the pains of love, and the brutality of revenge. An exciting saga of one man's willful determination to blaze his own path, laws and consequences be damned, Live by Night is thrilling to the very end. 12 CDs, 14 3/4 hours.

Call for the Dead
John le Carre, author
Michael Jayston, narrator
Penguin Audio
c/o The Penguin Publishing Group
375 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10014
9781611760972 $29.95 http://us.penguingroup.com

The internationally renowned author of "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" John le Carre presents Call for the Dead: A George Smiley Novel, now as an unabridged audiobook featuring actor Michael Jayston's enthralling performance. Call for the Dead follows the innocuous George Smiley's investigation of a man from the Foreign Office who appears to have shot himself in the head, only hours after a routine security interview. Set amid a tense interplay of cold tensions between hardened human beings, Call for the Dead is a keenly suspenseful masterwork to the very end. 4 CDs, 5 hours.

The Cocktail Waitress
James M. Cain, author
Amy Rubinate, narrator
Harper Audio
10 East 53rd Street
New York, NY 10022-5299
9780062209061 $39.99 www.harpercollins.com

The Cocktail Waitress is the unabridged audiobook adaptation of the late James M. Cain's long-lost final novel. Joan Medford has the misfortune of becoming a widow all too soon, and must work as a cocktail waitress to support herself and her child. A beautiful and passionate woman, Joan becomes romantically entangled with two enormously different men - a handsome yet duplicitous young man whose touch excites her, and a wealthy older man whose touch she can barely endure (yet the lure of being comfortable for life nonetheless makes him a tempting catch). As the lustful love triangle deepens, the power of human emotions unleashed threaten bloodshed - but will the guilty or the innocent suffer the most? Highly recommended for fans of erotically charged suspense! 8 CDs, 9 hours.

Blackberry Winter
Sarah Jio, author
Tara Sands, narrator
Brilliance Corporation
PO Box 887
Grand Haven, MI 49417
9781469217352 $19.99 www.brillianceaudio.com

Blackberry Winter is the unabridged audiobook version of an emotionally moving novel by Sarah Jio. In 1933, Vera Ray struggles to make ends meet by working the night shift. While she is away at her job, her three-year old son Daniel disappears during a freak "blackberry winter" snowstorm - all she has left of him is his teddy bear left face down in the snow. The police conclude that he ran away. Decades later, in present-day Seattle, reporter Claire Aldridge is assigned to cover another freak "blackberry winter" snowstorm; as she researches the previous storm, she learns of Daniel's unsolved abduction, and discovers that she has an uncanny connection to Vera. At times heartbreaking, at times involved and intriguing, Blackberry Winter is a poignant and unforgettable testimony to a mother's love. 9 CDs, 10 hours 6 min.

Founders: A Novel of the Coming Collapse
James Wesley Rawles, author
Phil Gigante, narrator
Brilliance Audio
PO Box 887
Grand Haven, MI 49417
9781455847082 $29.99 www.brillianceaudio.com

Former U.S. Army intelligence officer James Wesley Rawles presents Founders: A Novel of the Coming Collapse, unabridged audiobook adaptation of a near-future dystopia in which hyperinflation, government corruption, and crumbling infrastructure bring about the end of America as we know it. Following nonlinear threads of time, Founders reveals not only the seeds of the darkness, but also the machinations of a silent coup leaving America run by a false government, and the struggles of brave individuals caught in the middle. Only a few of stout heart and strong spirit dare to fight back, attempting to return America to a land its founders could once again be proud of. Superbly performed by Phil Gigante, Founders is an excellent addition to Rawles' all too real and all too chilling series, highly recommended. 8 CDs, 8 hours 52 min.

Mortal (The Books of Mortals)
Ted Dekker, et.al.
Hachette Audio
237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017-0010
9781619692411, $19.98, www.hachetteaudio.com

Mortal (The Books of Mortals) is the second novel in the saga: fans of the prior book Forbidden will find this audio bursting with life as it continues the story of Rom Sebastian, who discovered that every human on the planet has actually been long dead, stripped of their genetic humanity by benevolent aliens who have eliminated war, strife and hatred from the planet. Only Rom is human, having ingested blood to bring himself back to life, and he works with a secret faction of followers who have also taken the blood and are struggling to regain humanity. A powerful saga, this will appeal to any collection that already has the prior audio.


The Library CD Shelf

A Celebration of Diz and Miles
The Mike Longo Trio
Consolidated Artists Productions
290 Riverside Drive, Suite 11-D, New York, NY 10025
c/o The Creative Service Company
4360 Emerald Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80918
www.thecreativeservicecompany.com
$12.97 cdbaby.com

A Celebration of Diz and Miles is the second live album of The Mike Longo Trio, consisting of jazz pianist Mike Longo, bass player Paul West, and drummer Ray Mosca. Created to honor Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis, two of the most renowned jazz trumpet masters in human history, A Celebration of Diz and Miles features highlights from two different sets performed on June 26, 2012 to an excited crowd (virtually every song is followed by a few seconds of exuberant audio reaction). A grand tribute two music world legends, and a wonderful exultation of the jazz art form itself, A Celebration of Diz and Miles is highly recommended. The tracks are "All Blues" (8:29), "Con Alma" (6:54), "Milestones" (6:29), "Ow" (8:43), "Freddie Freeloader" (7:24), "Here Tiz" (6:37), "Summertime" (6:37), "Tour de Force" (6:15), "You Don't Know What Love Is" (6:06), "So What" (4:56), and "A Night in Tunisia" (7:25).

Once Upon a Time
Musaner
Lucent Music
c/o FlipSwitch (publicity)
PO Box 2207, Bloomington, IN 47404-2207
$20.09 CD / $8.99 MP3 www.amazon.com

The band Musaner blends traditional Armenian music with jazz-style musical storytelling in their album Once Upon a Time, a collection of works composed and arranged by classical pianist Ara Sarkissian. A wondrous excursion into Armenian culture, Once Upon a Time embraces singsong tale-weaving alongside the harmonious fluidity of its cultural rhythms, resulting in an unforgettable listening experience. Once Upon a Time is enthusiastically recommended for international or public library music CD collections. The tracks are "A Ride Through the Mountains" (5:42), "All in a Day" (6:31), "Once Upon a Time" (9:13), "Jetsetter" (5:35), "Strewn by the Wind" (5:16), "Circle Dance at Midnight" (5:02), "Memory Box" (4:24), "Two Way Ticket Across the Black Sea" (5:30), "Overnight Train" (2:55), and "Goodnight Datevik" (2:54).

Tremor Fantasma
DeLeon
www.ilovedeleon.com
Privately Published
c/o FlipSwitch (publicity)
PO Box 2207, Bloomington, IN 47404-2207
$TBA CD / $8.99 MP3 www.amazon.com

Tremor Fantasma is an album in which the popular band DeLeon transforms the genre of Sephardic folk music. DeLeon asked a broad cross-section of international fans of Sephardic folk music to recommend their favorite songs to be given the band's signature style treatment. The result is a re-imagining of beloved classic favorites of Jewish music, performed with vivacious energy. Tremor Fantasma is an excellent pick for international music collections, highly recommended. The tracks are "Ya Ribon Alam", "Bre Sarika", "La Muerte Chiquita", "Hamavdil", "Los Bilbilicos", "Buena Semana", "Lamma Bada", "Ansi Dize La Novia", "Para Que Quero", "Barminan", "A La Nana", and "Uskudara".

Tromper le Temps
Le Vent du Nord
leventdunord.com
Borealis Records
c/o Rock Paper Scissors (publicity)
511 West 4th Street, Suite 2
Bloomington, IN 47404
$11.70 CD / $6.99 MP3 www.rockpaperscissors.biz

Quebec's four-man band Le Vent du Nord ("The North Wind") presents Tromper le Temps ("Fooling Time"), a music album that blends fluid French lyrics with lively ballad-style music. The result is brimming with passion for Quebec's storied culture, as it draws upon both old and modern conundrums to weave modern fables into the stongs. A proud celebration of Francophone culture, Tromper le Temps is an excellent addition to both public library and private international music collections. The tracks are "Lettre a Durham" (5:13), "Le Dragon de Chimay" (4:39), "Toujours Amants" (3:30), "Le Winnebago" (3:09), "Le Souhait" (4:07), "Manteau D'Hiver" (4:08), "Adieu Marie" (3:26), "Le Coeur de Ma Mere / Le Reve D'Adrien" (4:50), "Le Vigneron" (4:05), "Le Diable et le Fermier" (3:39), "Dans les Cachots" (4:23), "La Soiree du Hockey" (5:06), and "Souffle D'Ange" (3:03).

Ya Amar
The Egyptian Project
Six Degrees Records
PO Box 411347, San Francisco, CA 94141-1347
Press Junkie PR (publicity)
www.togezerproductions.com
$12.16 CD / $8.99 MP3 www.amazon.com

Three years in the recording, Ya Amar is the debut album of The Egyptian Project, a group whose signature style is a blend of Egyptian music with electronic music, hip hop, and even classical music. Ya Amar is not about forcing one type of music into the mold of another, but rather finding just the right counterbalance of harmony. Ya Amar is also about venerating tradition and sharing the storied cultural legacy of Egyptian music, as well as experiencing its sounds in new ways. The result is an exceptional pick for international music shelves and public library CD collections. The tracks are "Takasim Salama" (2:01), "Ya Amar" (3:38), "Anta Ana" (3:58), "Besharis" (3:48), "Kawala Time" (2:26), "Ya Sahbi" (4:36), "Soufi" (3:49), "Nessma" (1:51), "Menen Aguibak" (5:57), and "Rouhi (live)" (4:46).

Eleven Drops
Paz del Castillo
Oniria International
c/o The Creative Service Company (publicity)
4360 Emerald Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80918
www.thecreativeservicecompany.com
$22.15 CD / $8.99 MP3 www.pazdelcastillo.com

Spanish solo pianist Paz del Castillo presents Eleven Drops, a beautiful music CD featuring a variety of melodies reflecting the myriad aspects of Castillo's life and personality. The sweeping waves of mellifluous sound bring to mind the cycles of nature, in this wondrous listening experience highly recommended especialy for aficionados of great piano performances. The tracks are "Latiendo" (4:48), "El abrazo del mar" (4:07), "From the beginning" (5:58), "Cafe Espana" (3:16), "Improvisacion sobre las aguas tranquilas" (4:29), "Lost in you" (4:18), "Por encima de los acantilados" (3:35), "Nana para Luis" (3:30), "Mientras duermes" (4:15), "Life goes on" (3:45), and "Lo que siento" (2:16).

Tales of a Gypsy
Johannes Linstead, guitar
Special guests Nicholas Gunn, Gisele Fredette, and Vasyl Popadiouk
Earthscape Media
c/o The Creative Service Company (publicity)
4360 Emerald Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80918
www.thecreativeservicecompany.com
$13.99 www.johanneslinstead.com

Award-winning Latin guitar master Johannes Linstead presents Tales of a Gypsy, an anthology of original guitar compositions that draw upon worldwide influences, including jazz, new age, and the traditions of a multitude of cultures. Special Nicholas Gunn (pan pipes), Gisele Fredette (vocals), and Vasyl Popadiouk (violin) lend their talents to a select few tracks, further enhancing his sensual and uplifting album. A lasting treasure, Tales of a Gypsy is worthy of the highest recommendation for devotees of quality guitar music. The tracks are "Jungle Love" (3:58), "Noche de la Juerga" (3:35), "Swaying Palms" (3:44), "September Remembered" (3:28), "La Lunada" (4:02), "Vagabond Stomp" (4:27), "Bella! Bella!" (3:11), "Sosua Bay Sunset" (4:03), "Tales of a Gypsy" (6:41), "Flows Like Water" (7:08), and "Caravan of Desire" (4:12).

Somewhere is Here!
Isra-Alien
Privately Published
c/o Rock Paper Scissors (publicity)
511 West 4th Street, Suite 2
Bloomington, IN 47404
www.rockpaperscissors.biz
$TBA CD / $8.91 MP3 www.amazon.com

Somewhere is Here! is a high-energy fusion of Israeli music, rock, jazz, and Balkan rhythm. Performed by the eclectic band Isra-Alien, Somewhere is Here! transforms klezmer songs into fluid guitar. The result is klezmer like you've never heard it before, celebrating Israeli musical traditions in a refreshing and energized new way. Highly recommended especially for international music collections. The tracks are "Schuna" (4:22), "Reah Tapuach" (2:47), "Eishes Chayil" (4:40), "Valentine" (5:19), "Tavas Hazahav" (2:13), "Pney Hayam" (8:32), "Horah-Alien" (2:45), "Brogez Sholem" (6:58), and "Isra-Freilach" (4:46).

Smile
Andrea Marcovicci
Andreasong Recordings
c/o Miller Wright & Associates (publicity)
1650 Broadway, Suite 1210
New York, NY 10019
www.millerwright.com
$19.99 www.marcovicci.com www.cdbaby.com

Andrea Marcovicci, acclaimed as "The Queen of Cabaret", presents Smile, her first CD of new material in five years. A captivating, easy-on-the-ears album in which Marcovicci's melodious voice is supported by a medley of guest performers' masterful talent with the guitar, cello, saxophones, and much more, Smile lives up to its title by prompting strong feelings of warmth and joy in the listener. Smile is "must-have" for fans of cabaret music, highly recommended. The tracks are "It's Only A Paper Moon" (2:37), "Life Is Just A Bowl Of Cherries Are You Havin' Any Fun?" (3:15), "Ain't We Got Fun" (2:56), "12th Street Rag" (1:56), "Umbrella Man" (2:40), "Isn't This A Lovely Day? Pick Yourself Up" (3:20), "Zing A Little Zong Mairzy Doats" (3:22), "Beyond Compare" (2:57), "If I Had You It Had To Be You" (5:11), "(I Asked) The Moon Sometimes I'm Happy It All Depends On You" (5:04), "Shakespeare Lied" (2:59), "Look At Those Eyes" (2:50), "Glitter In The Air" (3:38), "You Make Me Feel So Young" (2:50), and "Smile" (3:13).

Seinn
Mary Jane Lamond & Wendy MacIsaac
Privately Published
c/o Hearth Music (publicity)
maryjaneandwendy.com
$15.99 CD / $8.99 MP3 www.amazon.com

Gaelic vocalist Mary Jane Lamond and expert fiddle player Wendy MacIsaac present Seinn, an album reflecting their love of Celtic music, Nova Scotia tradition, and Cape Breton's cultural legacy. The rich and wondrous traditions of Highland art are given a new and original vibrancy in this superb two-woman performance that revels in the beauty of Gaelic lyrics and the high emotion of the fiddle. Highly recommended. The tracks are "Yellow Coat" (4:24), "It Is The Lad That I Love" (4:57), "The Soldier's Song" (4:28), "Keeping Up With Calum" (2:59), "I Travelled More Than Nine Miles" (3:23), "Angus Blaise" (5:57), "Hoireann o Rathill iu o" (4:26), "Jewels Of The Ocean" (5:27), "The Thief's Song" (4:37), "Boise Monsters" (3:14), "The Blue Mountain's Lullaby" (6:20), and "If You Were Mine" (3:27).


The Library DVD Shelf

Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie
A film by Sturla Gunnarsson
Bullfrog Films, Inc.
PO Box 149
Oley, PA 19547
1937772349 $295.00 www.bullfrogfilms.com

Part biographical documentary, part dire foreshadowing of the peril humanity as a whole is in, Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie focuses on the ideas, discoveries, and warnings of Canadian scientist, educator, and activist David Suzuki. Blending scenes from the locations and events that shaped Suzuki's life with his Last Lecture, which he considered to be a fine distillation of the most vital culmination of his life's wisdom that he wished to communicate, Force of Nature reveals how precarious humanity's current situation is. Human beings have become so numerous and so consumptive that they are putting immense pressure on the biosphere, prompting mass extinctions of unnatural proportions, and exhausting resources of fresh water and fertile farmland. Change will be absolutely necessary if humanity is to survive and maintain a standard of life worth living; to these ends, Suzuki offers several blueprints to promote long-term sustainability. A film licensed for (and deserving of) public performance, Force of Nautre is worthy of the highest recommendation especially for public and school library DVD collections. 93 min., closed captioned.

Cornwall with Caroline Quentin
Athena
c/o Acorn Media Group
8515 Georgia Avenue, Suite 620
Silver Spring, MD 20910-3403
www.acornonline.com
9781598288452 $39.99 http://athenalearning.com

Award-winning actress Caroline Quentin hosts Cornwall with Caroline Quentin, a simply gorgeous eight-episode documentary on DVD that guides the viewer on a wonderful summer vacation in the coastal British county of Cornwall, a land well-known for its hospitality and strong tourism trade. Episodes feature everything from the daily life of hardworking locals who catch and cook seafood delicacies, to regatta composed of "creative" (rather than emphatically seaworthy) vessels, to the daily work put in by a husband, wife, and son team of award-winning winemakers, to centuries-old manors that aristocrats used to call home. A small town's participation in the "Cornwall in Bloom" flower-growing contest, and even a supremely challenging annual iron-swim at a remote island enliven this warm, engaging show. Bonus features include a 12-page viewer's guide with articles on the storied history of Cornwall and recent efforts to preserve the Cornish language, and photo galleries. Cornwall with Caroline Quentin is the next best thing to personally taking a summer vacation in Cornwall! 176 min., SDH subtitles, widescreen.

Bringing Up Bobby
Written & directed by Famke Janssen
Monterey Media Inc.
566 St. Charles Drive
Thousand Oaks, CA 91360-3901
www.bringingupbobbyfilm.com
$26.95 www.montereymedia.com

Bringing Up Bobby is a thought-provoking movie about parenting, with a twist - single mother Olive (played by Milla Jovovich) has a felonious past as a European con artist, but now she is simply trying to be a good mother to her 10-year-old American-born son Bobby (Spencer List) in a conservative Oklahoma neighborhood. But Bobby acts out in ways that prompt her concern, and after he has a bad encounter with local wealthy businessman Kent (Bill Pullman), Olive can no longer hide from her own criminal past. A dramatic movie of hard choices and life-changing consequences, Bringing Up Bobby is an excellent choice for both personal and public library movie collections. 95 minutes, rated PG-13.

Creating Still Lifes
Peggy Flores
Crystal Productions
PO Box 2159
Glenview, IL 60025-6159
9781562906894 $29.95 www.crystalproductions.com

Creating Still Lifes is a user-friendly DVD guide to drawing striking still life pictures, and transforming pencil sketches into vibrant displays through the use of watercolor, tempera, markers, or colored pencils. Flores demonstrates basic still life drawing techniques with a variety of subjects, including a coffee pot, tea pot, vases, candlesticks, bottles, and fruit, with tips on displaying ordinary items for optimal perspective. An excellent "hands-on" how-to guide, Creating Still Lifes is a choice pick especially for aspiring artists. Also highly recommended is Flores' instructional DVD "Creating Circular Art" (9781562906887, $29.95), which walks the viewer through creating a circle with a protractor, and applying paper arrow templates for distinctive results; mandala art and intertwined circles in the style of Celtic design are also covered.

Canyon Ranch: Yoga for Strength & Energy
Acacia
8515 Georgia Avenue, Suite 650
Silver Spring, MD 20910
$16.99 www.acacialifestyle.com

Canyon Ranch: Yoga for Strength & Energy is the second fitness DVD from the award-winning resort of Canyon Ranch, offering two 20-minute yoga routines designed to promote muscle tone and flexibility. Led by a professional Canyon Ranch instructor, these user-friendly workouts are an excellent way to burn calories, boost muscle conditioning, release tension, and invigorate the body as a whole. Three bonus segments hosted by Canyon Ranch health experts suggest healthier ways to prepare the foods of one's diet, tips and techniques for more restful sleep habits, and more. Canyon Ranch: Yoga for Strength & Energy lives up to its title and is a choice pick for fitness DVD collections; either of its 20-minute routines can also double as a solid warm-up or cool-down for an aerobic workout. 57 min. plus bonus, widescreen.

Sparkpeople Total Body Sculpting with Coach Nicole
c/o Acacia
8515 Georgia Avenue, Suite 650
Silver Spring, MD 20910
www.acacialifestyle.com
9781598287653 $16.99 SparkPeople.com

Sparkpeople Total Body Sculpting with Coach Nicole is a well-rounded DVD workout, performed by three trainers who demonstrate beginner, intermediate, and advanced versions. A high-aerobic experience, Total Body Sculpting includes a ballet-inspired barre routine (done with an ordinary chair), an energetic cardio blast, and an invigorating dumbbell workout. The only equipment needed to fully enjoy the entire experience are light hand weights, a mat, and a simple chair. Bonus features include leg toning exercises one can do anytime (even at work!), select recipes from The SparkPeople Cookbook, and more. An excellent pick for fitness enthusiasts! 69 min., widescreen.

Dance Off the Inches Latin Cardio Party
Anchor Bay Entertainment
2401 West Big Beaver Road, Suite 200
Troy, MI 48084-3304
$14.98 www.anchorbayentertainment.com

Dance Off the Inches Latin Cardio Party is a user-friendly DVD that helps make getting fit into pure fun. Anyone can follow the "Dance Off the Inches Step Guide", which breaks down the ten different steps and mini combinations needed to enjoy the entire program. Samba, Cumbia and Reggaeton rhythms make Latin Cardio Party live up to its title and then some! The result is an invigorating, high-energy workout, enthusiastically recommended especially for anyone who loves Latin music. 44 min. workout program plus 21 min. step guide, closed captioned, widescreen.

Ultimate Kettlebell Workouts for Beginners
Paul Katami, instructor
Acacia
8515 Georgia Avenue, Suite 650
Silver Spring, MD 20910
9781598289497 $16.99 www.acacialifestyle.com

Veteran fitness professional Paul Katami (certified by the American Council on Exercise and other organizations) hosts Ultimate Kettlebell Workouts for Beginners, a fitness DVD that lives up to its title. Ultimate Kettlebell Workouts for Beginners features three 25-minute workouts, which require one fitness kettlebell as their only equipment. The first workout has a tutorial emphasizing the proper technique for performing a kettlebell workout; the second is packed with easy-to-follow drills and combinations; and the third focuses upon core strength. A solid blend of muscle strength and aerobic endurance training accessible to fitness buffs of all experience levels, Ultimate Kettlebell Workouts for Beginners is a great choice for learning firsthand the benefits of this excellent and inexpensive fitness tool. 79 min., widescreen.

10 Minute Solution series
Anchor Bay Entertainment
2401 West Big Beaver Road, Suite 200
Troy, MI 48084-3304
www.anchorbayentertainment.com

Two new fitness DVDs in the "10 Minute Solution" series are perfect picks for women (and men!) who need to fit exercise into their busy schedules. "10 Minute Solution Tighten & Tone Pilates" (57 min., $16.98) includes a resistance band along with five complete, ten-minute workouts that can be rearranged to one's tastes. Instructor and Pilates Method Alliance Gold-Certified Pilates expert Lara Hudson guides the viewer through these mix-and-match segments: "Tightened & Toned Core", "Defined Arms & Shoulders", "Trim & Slim Lower Body", "Total Body Toner", and "Long & Lean Stretch". For those seeking a schedule-friendly workout that concentrates on vigorous cardio, "10 Minute Solution Cardio Hip Hop" (55 min., $14.98) delivers the punch! Professional dancer Heather Graham leads the viewer through five different and solidly fun segments: "Hip Hop 101", "House Party", "Signature Moves", "Hip Hop Jam", and "Street Style". Both DVDs come with the ability to program their five segments in any desired order, and both are excellent choices for keeping fit no matter how hectic one's day has been. Closed captioned, widescreen.

inControl Pelvic Exercise for Women, revised edition
Karen Armstrong
Cricket Productions
c/o 411 Video Information (publicity)
PO Box 1223
Pebble Beach, CA 93953
www.incontrolworkout.com
www.collegevideo.com
$19.95 www.411videoinfo.com

Created and developed by Karen Armstrong, inControl Pelvic Exercise for Women is a women's DVD guide to strengthening the pelvic floor muscles. Pilates routines and therapeutic exercise form the core of these simple routines ideal for enhancing muscle strength, as well as the physical control to isolate specific muscles as needed. A seven-minute introduction with graphics followed by two different exercise routines with verbal and visual instructions make this resource easy to follow. inControl Pelvic Exercise for Women is indispensable for women who are pregnant or contemplating having a child, but women who do not plan to have children in the near future can also benefit greatly from improved pelvic health, which is solidly linked to greater sexual health and enjoyment. Highly recommended. 30 min.

Qigong for Women
Lisa B. O'Shea
YMAA Publications
PO Box 480
Wolfeboro, NH 03894-0480
9781594392566 $29.95 www.ymaa.com

Certified qigong master, qigong therapist, reiki practitioner and hypnotherapist Lisa B. O'Shea presents Qigong for Women, a DVD guide designed to help women engage in the healthful Chinese practice of qigong ("energy work"). It should be noted that Qigong for Women is not an aerobic workout; the program can be practiced while seated, as its emphasis is upon energy flow rather than vigorous exercise. Part one covers the five elements theory of traditional Chinese Medicine; part two guides the viewer through basic energy cultivation, with particular emphases on health issues pertaining to women (PMS and menopause, sex drive, bone density, etc.), and part three covers yin essence meditation for longevity and improved well-being. Thoroughly accessible to women of all ages and backgrounds, Qigong for Women is an excellent way to become acquainted with this centuries-old practice for improving one's health. 217 minutes.


The Parenting Shelf

Bottled Up
Suzanne Barston
University of California Press
2120 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, CA 94720
www.ucpress.edu
9780520270237, $29.95, www.amazon.com

Before the last half of the 20th century, if a woman was not able to breast feed her infant, then she had to secure the services of a wet nurse or watch the baby die. Then came the industrial revolution and the advances in post-natal care that included the invention of baby formulas so that infants could be bottle feed as an alternative to breast feeding. This in turn became so popular that it created a cultural backlash in the mid-20th century with advocacy of breast feeding over formula based bottle-feeding. Unfortunately this advocacy all to often led to women who were medically unable to breast feed to be stigmatized by their peers. That's why "Bottled Up: How the Way We Feed Babies Has Come to Define Motherhood, and Why It Shouldn't" by Suzanne Barston is such a timely and much needed contribution to the national discussion of breast feeding vs. bottle feeding. Informed, informative, articulate, and personal, "Bottled Up" is a blend of social commentary, health-based infant nutritional science, and autobiography. Exceptionally well written, "Bottled Up" is critically important reading for women on both sides of the issue philosophically, but especially recommended for any mother who finds breast feeding her infant problematical. Simply stated, "Bottled Up" is a unique contribution to this social and medical issues that is thoroughly 'reader friendly' and should be a part of every academic and community library Health & Medicine reference collection.

Family Science Night
Shelley Connell
Eye On Education
6 Depot Way West
Larchmont, NY 10538
9781596672222, $29.95, www.eyeoneducation.com

Learning can be fun in itself, so it can be fun to do with others. "Family Science Night: Fun Tips, Activities, and Ideas" is a guide for parents who want to make the family get togethers more educational for all those involved, as Shelley Connell advises parents on how to come together for everyone. With plenty of ideas for fun for the whole family, how to make it fun with step by step instructions and more, "Family Science Night" is an educational activity book that any science-encouraging parent shouldn't overlook, highly recommended.

Your Family Compass
Jenny Hanlon
Beaver's Pond Press
7108 Ohms Lane
Edina, MN 55439
9781592984893, $19.95, www.BeaversPondPress.com

Parenting is a very tough task that many often underestimate. "Your Family Compass: A Parenting Guide for the Journey" is a guide for parents in the modern day and help them cope with the modern day for all the efforts and struggles that can come with raising children. Encouraging a healthy relationship that builds through the life, Jenny Hanlon takes her expertise in child psychology, "Your Family Compass" has plenty of sage advice for life, well worth considering and highly recommended.

Straight Talk With Your Kids About Sex
Josh & Dottie McDowell
Harvest House Publishers
990 Owen Loop North
Eugene, Oregon 97402-9173
9780736949927 $11.99 www.harvesthousepublishers.com

Straight Talk With Your Kids About Sex is a Christian parenting guide offering practical, level-headed advice for teaching children what they need to know about human sexuality. In congruence with Christian practices, Straight Talk With Your Kids About Sex emphasizes the importance of teaching young people that sex is a gift from God, meant to be shared within a loving marital relationship. Topics covered include "Doesn't Talking About It Encourage It?" (the authors stress that real-world experience proves that no, it doesn't), "How Often Should I Talk to My Kids About Sex?", "What Sexual Rules or Boundaries Do I Set for My Child?", "What About 'Sexting,' and What Can I Do About It?", "How Does a Sexually Active Young Person Find a Clean Heart for a New Start?", "Most Kids Don't Believe Oral Sex Is Having Sex. How Do I Correct Their Misconception?", and much more. "...the truth is kids who feel their parents speak openly about sex and listen to them carefully are less likely to engage in high-risk behaviors. So it really comes down to your kids getting the right information about sex from you or misinformation from others." Although Straight Talk With Your Kids About Sex is written especially for Christian parents, its practical wisdom about a difficult subject can prove valuable to parents of all faiths; just about the only subject not significantly covered is homosexuality. Highly recommended.

Top Drawer Dads
Dr. Thomas F. Mahan and Marjie Aldom Smith
Westbow Press
c/o Thomas Nelson Publishers
PO Box 141000
Nashville, TN 37214
www.topdrawerdads.com
9781449743147 $29.95 www.westbowpress.com

Although Top Drawer Dads may appear to be a picturebook at first glance, it is actually an all-ages celebration of the positive side of fatherhood, emphasizing the joys, rewards, accomplishments and generational legacy of loving and dedicated fathers. Full color photographs on practically every page illustrate anecdotes about fathers as protectors, teachers, and role models. Parents and children may enjoy sharing Top Drawer Dads; it also makes an excellent giftbook for brand new dads or anxious fathers-to-be! Highly recommended.


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

Tolkien's World
Gareth Hanrahan and Peter McKinstry
Insight Editions
PO Box 3088
San Rafael, CA 94912
9781608871803 $24.99 www.insighteditions.com

Tolkien's World: A Guide to the People and Places of Middle-earth is an unofficial and unauthorized yet spectacularly beautiful coffee table book filled with artistic imagining of the wondrous creatures, mortals, and civilizations of Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy world. Every two-page spread features captivating original art, some in black and white but most in vivid color, accompanied by brief captions placing the image in Middle-earth's narrative context. Any fan of Tolkien's fantasy novels will find Tolkien's World an immersive and captivating visual reminder of the highlights from his classic stories. Highly recommended, especially as a giftbook for Tolkien fans.


The Humor Shelf

Scribbles at an Exhibition
Rick Kirkman & Jerry Scott
Andrews & McMeel
1130 Walnut Street
Kansas City, MO 64106-2109
9781449409722 $12.99 www.andrewsmcmeel.com

The twenty-ninth "scrapbook" of the widely popular Baby Blues cartoon strip, Scribbles at an Exhibition continues the series' tradition of laugh-out-loud funny humor based on the joys, trials, and tribulations of raising young children. Two harried parents have their hands full with a daughter who thinks she knows everything, a rambunctious boy, and infant baby girl. "'Please, Mom? Please?' 'No! We are not shopping for flesh-eating garden gnomes, if there even were such things! Honestly! That's the most disgusting thing I've ever heard!' 'Really? I guess you haven't spent much time on elementary school playgrounds, have you?'" Reproduced in black-and-white with color Sunday strips, Scribbles at an Exhibition is exuberantly funny from cover to cover, and an excellent giftbook to brighten any beleaguered parent's day.


The Cookbook Shelf

1,000 Low-Calorie Recipes
Jackie Newgent, RD
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
c/o Wiley Professional Trade Group
111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
9780470902578 $35.00 www.wiley.com

"1,000 Low Calorie Recipes" is an informed collection of healthful, low-calorie recipes that can sustain a determined dieter's efforts at weight management through many perils and pitfalls. Showing an emphasis on use of fresh, natural, organic ingredients, the recipes represent both vegetarian and "flexitarian" choices for preferred lifestyle diets. A plethora of menus, helps, suggestions, and categories of recipes are presented, with flexible options for adaptation. Categories of recipes include Breakfasts and Brunches, Small Plates, Dips, Salads, Soups and Stews, Main Dishes: Vegetarian and Flexitarian, Main Dishes: Poultry, Meat and Game, Main Dishes: Fish and Shellfish, Sandwiches, Pizzas, Sides, Desserts, Beverages, and Cocktails. A perfect description of "1,000 Low-Calorie Recipes" is presented in the introduction, under "following the recipes:" "...I aim for the perfect balance of lusciousness and calorie friendliness to keep your palate pleased and your body healthy...The goal is to provide recipes that are lower in calories than you might expect while focusing on flavor and nutritional richness (p. xxxiv)." Delicious recipes are included for Curry Lentil Stew with Spinach (labeled F for 5 g dietary fiber or more per serving) (p. 240), Shrimp Pad Thai Noodles (F) (p.368), Wild Yellowfin Salad Nicoise (F) (p. 194), Ancho Chili Barbecue Sauce (p. 105), Lime Peanut Zucchini Noodles (F) (p. 261), and Springtime Strawberry-Rhubarb Angel Food Shortcake (labeled S for 250 mg. sodium or less per serving) (p.509). In short, "1,000 Low Calorie Recipes" is the new and improved "Joy of Cooking" for modern, health conscious cooks. A handy definition is included of flexitarians, vegetarians, vegans and ecotarians on pp. xxxv-xxxvi of the Introduction.

Theo & Co.: Take 2
Theo Kalogeacos
UWA Publishing
c/o International Specialized Book Services
920 Northeast 58th Avenue, Suite 300
Portland, OR 97213
www.isbs.com
9781742583532, $34.95, www.amazon.com

Pizza is an oven-baked, flat, round bread typically topped with a tomato sauce, cheese and various toppings. Pizza was originally invented in Naples, Italy, and the dish has since become popular in many parts of the world. An establishment that makes and sells pizzas is called a "pizzeria". Many varieties of pizza exist worldwide, along with several dish variants based upon pizza. In 2009, upon Italy's request, Neapolitan pizza was safeguarded in the European Union as a Traditional Specialty Guaranteed dish. Some mass produced pizzas by food chains have been criticized as having an unhealthy balance of ingredients. Some studies have linked consumption of the antioxidant lycopene, which exists in tomato products that are often used on pizza, as having a beneficial health effect. "Theo & Co. Take 2: The Search for the Perfect Pizza Continues" by pizza connoisseur and expert Theo Kalogeacos is a pizza themed combination cookbook and travel guide. Organized into three major sections covering how to properly make and bake a pizza; regional pizzerias and pizzas in Las Vegas, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Chicago; and pizzas recommendations for breakfast, or as starters, made with meat, seafood, or veggies, and even pizza as a dessert, "Theo & Co. Take 2: The Search for the Perfect Pizza Continues" is superbly enhanced with the full color photography of Craig Kinder, making it a very highly recommended and enduringly popular addition to family, community library, and pizza lover cookbook collections.

Viva La Cucina Italiana
Joe Famularo & Christopher Laus
CreateSpace
100 Enterprise Way, Suite A200
Scotts Valley, CA 95066
www.createspace.com
9781470170431, $22.95, www.amazon.com

"Viva La Cucina Italiana: Long Live the Italian Cooking! Over 300 Wonderful Recipes from the North, Central, and South of Italy" is a 414-page compendium of authentic Italian dishes that would grace any dinner table and satisfy any appetite. The recipes range from Peppers with Almonds, Basilicata Style; Risotto, the Milan Way; and Grilled Swordfish with White Wine and Sage; to Braised Pork Tenderloin with Marsala Sauce; Cheese Tray with Mostardo, Parmigiano-Reggiano, smoked Mozzerella, and Robiola; Broccoli Rape and Goat Cheese Pizza; and Tiramisu with Amaretto from Caffe Poliziano in Montepulciano. Enhanced with short succinct instructions on basic preparations such as making a basic meat and poultry broth, or cleaning a whole fish, and a concluding chapter on 'Basics' including the art of a homemade cappuccion or the creation of a fruit vinegar, "Viva La Cucina Italiana" will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to personal, family, and community library ethnic cookbook collections!

Chef Michael Smith's Kitchen
Michael Smith
Pintail
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
375 Hudson Street, 4th floor
New York, NY 10014
9780670066919, $25.00, www.penguin.com

Cooking isn't some daunting task that takes years to get something good out of. "Chef Michael Smith's Kitchen: 100 of My Favorite Easy Recipes" is a cookbook from famed Chef Michael Smith, who advises readers on how to get good recipes everyday, without taking hours and an encyclopedic knowledge to complete. With recipes for every type of dish and full color photographs for each entry, "Chef Michael Smith's Kitchen" is a fine compendium of starter knowledge to ensure anyone gets something good out of the kitchen.

Simply Lebanese
Ina'am Atalia
Garnet Publishing
c/o International Publishers Marketing
22841 Quicksilver Drive, Dulles, VA 20166
www.internationalpubmarket.com
9781859642870, $14.95, www.amazon.com

Drawing upon her many years of experience and expertise as the Head Chef of the successful Simply Lebanese restaurant in London, Ina'am Atlaia has compiled a culinary wealth of recipes showcasing authentic Lebanese cuisines in this thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' collection. Nicely illustrated, "Simply Lebanese" is enhanced with the inclusion of Conversion Tables; 'A-Z of Tools and Equipment'; 'A-Z of Essential Ingredients'; 'Preparing the Basics'; and a comprehensive Index. The recipes include those for soups, starters, savory snacks, pastries, meat dishes, fish, rice, grills, drinks, cakes, desserts cakes, bread and pizzas. A truly impressive collection, "Simply Lebanese" is highly recommended for personal, family, and community library Ethnic Cookbook collections.

Super Snacks for Super Kids
Sarah Fox MD and Julie Stephenson, authors
Lesley Stephenson, illustrator
Little Creek Press
5341 Sunny Ridge Road, Mineral Point, WI 53565
9780984924554 $18.95 www.littlecreekpress.com

"Super Snacks for Super Kids" is an enlightened cookbook for making healthy snacks for kids, to help them learn, grow and enjoy living. Filled with easy to prepare snacks that can be made by children age 6 and up (with minimal supervision), "Super Snacks for Super Kids" teaches that the best foods are unprocessed, fresh foods, presented in six color photo-illustrated chapters, including super snacks for focus, after school, play, after play, and for a crowd. Ending with a chapter titled Super Staples, this fine collection of healthy snacks suggestions for kids is a sure crowd pleaser appealing to both young and mature audiences. Some tasty snack preparation suggestions and recipes include Maple Nut Granola, Fruit Salsa, Asian Peanut Dip, Hummus, Extra Special Egg Salad, Banana Strawberry Freezies, Apple Oat Bars, Kohlrabi Rounds, Creamy Fruit salad, Peanut Butter Pita Pockets and more. Recipes begin with a short list of ingredients followed by simple, easy to understand instructions for preparation. In addition, information about food allergies, recipe modifications, and special diets is included at the end of the book. 100% of the profits from "Super Snacks for Super Kids" will be donated to fund wellness projects in the Mineral Point School District. To maximize children's learning abilities and increase their overall health profile, invest in "Super Snacks for Super Kids" and learn how easy it can be to encourage healthy snacking.

The Lazy Gourmet
Robin Donovan & Juliana Gallin
Viva Editions
2246 Sixth Street
Berkeley, CA 94710-2219
9781573446532 $15.95 www.vivaeditions.com

The Lazy Gourmet: Magnificent Meals Made Easy is exactly what its title suggests - a resource packed with recipes to satisfy a connoisseur's palate, yet which require a minimum of preparation time. An introductory section filled with practical cooking advice for aspiring time-strapped gourmets enhances this user-friendly culinary resource. "...you don't need to follow any recipe (except when you're baking) precisely as written. If a recipe calls for three dried herbs and you've only got two of them, you don't need to run out to the market for those you don't have on hand. Just use what you have, increasing their quantities to make up for the missing flavors. You can even swap one dried herb for another - just sniff around your spice rack until your nose finds a good substitute." Written to appeal to busy cooks of all skill and experience levels, The Lazy Gourmet is highly recommended, especially for anyone newly tasked with cooking duties (whether for themselves, for roommates, or for family).

The Picky Palate Cookbook
Jenny Flake
Wiley Professional Trade Group
111 River Street
Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
picky-palate.com
9781118095126 $24.99 www.wiley.com

A spiral-bound hardcover designed to lay flay for easy reference, The Picky Palate Cookbook lives up to its title as a one-stop-shop reference and resource for busy moms (and dads!) trying to get their families to eat nutritious meals. Grounded in the popular "Picky Palate" blog by busy mother Jenny Flake, all the dishes are family-tested for approval! Full color photographs pepper the simple, easy-to-follow recipes for delicious creations such as Crispy Buttermilk Parmesan Chicken Tenders, Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps, Shrimp Linguini in Tomato Cream Sauce, Black Bean Guacamole Burgers, Cinnamon Swirl Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce, and much more. Highly recommended.

Tomatoes
Hatherleigh Press
c/o The Hatherleigh Foundation
5-22 46th Ave, Ste 200
Long Island City, NY 11101
www.hatherleighpress.com
9781578264117, $5.95, www.amazon.com

The tomato has become a staple of both American and European cuisines since the original explorers first discovered them in the New World and brought them back as culinary curiosities to the Old World kingdoms. Part of the simply outstanding 'Farmstand Favorites" cookbook series from Hatherleigh Press, "Tomatoes: Over 75 Farm Fresh Recipes" showcase a wonderfully delicious variety of 'kitchen cook friendly' recipes for healthy dishes that are guaranteed to please any palate and satisfy any appetite. These tomato-centric recipes range from Tomato, Cheddar, and Mushroom Breakfast Squares; Fire-Roasted Mussels with Fresh Tomato Salsa; and Best Chicken Salad Stuffed Tomato Crowns; to Pasta with Tomato Meat Sauce; Summer Tomato Pie; and Warm Roasted Tomato Bruschetta. "Tomatoes" is an ideal and strongly recommended addition to any and all personal, family, and community library cookbook collections. Also very highly recommended from the Hatherleigh Press 'Farmstand Favorites' cook collections is "The Complete Home Guide to Canning & Preserving" (9781578264155, $5.95) which features more than seventy-five simple and easy recipes for home-made jams, jellies, pickles, sauces and more!

Chaga: King of the Medicinal Mushrooms
David Wolfe
North Atlantic Books
2526 Martin Luther King Jr. Way
Berkeley, CA 94704-2607
9781583944998 $15.95 www.northatlanticbooks.com

Chaga: King of the Medicinal Mushrooms features a range of tasty recipes using these healthful edible mushrooms, as well as a wealth of information about their history, their uses, how to properly prepare and store them, and their nourishing benefits. Herbalist David Wolfe touts this value of this wonderful "superfood" that can be used in teas, tortes, or even exfoliating body scrubs! A handful of color illustrations pepper this excellent guide. Although Chaga: King of the Medicinal Mushrooms is more devoted to spreading the good word about chaga than listing recipes, anyone who wants to add this nutritious food to their diet will find it absolutely invaluable for its cooking advice.

Healing Foods
Margaret Roberts
Briza Publications
c/o International Publishers Marketing
22841 Quicksilver Drive, Dulles, VA 20166
www.internationalpubmarket.com
9781875093861, $39.95, www.amazon.com

Throughout the history of the human race, plants have been a source of preventative and applied medicinal treatments for illnesses and injuries. Drawing upon her many years of experience and expertise, South African organic farmer, physiotherapist, herbalist, and author Margaret Roberts, has written "Healing Foods", profusely and superbly illustrated, 272 page compendium showcasing more than 150 common and lesser-known vegetables, fruits, herbs, spices, and other food plants that are especially beneficial for human health and well-being. Each plant's origin and history is covered, including instructions on growing the plant, its medicinal uses and major nutrients, suggestions on including the plant in our diet (including recipes), as well as ancillary uses such as cosmetics and household cleaning. Informed, informative, and thoroughly 'user friendly' from beginning to end, "Healing Foods" is strongly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library Holistic Health & Medicine Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

You Won't Believe It's Salt Free!
Robyn Webb
Da Capo Press
c/o Perseus Books Group
11 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142
www.perseusbooksgroup.com
9780738215563, $17.99, www.dacapopress.com

YOU WON'T BELIEVE IT'S SALT-FREE! 125 HEALTHY, LOW-SODIUM AND NO-SODIUM RECIPES USING FLAVORFUL SPICE BLENDS uses spices, herb blends, and salt-free marinades to provide high-flavor dishes, packing details on these blends with recipes that pack in flavor and no salt. Nutritional values for dishes such as Lemon Pepper Turkey Burgers, Vidalia Onion Soup, and Champagne Mango Salsa are included along with quick and easy preparation instructions and meal ideas. If it's the flavor in salt that you crave, this cookbook is the item of choice and offers fine alternatives for any looking at a salt-free diet.

Quick Family Cookbook
America's Test Kitchen
9781933615998, $34.95, www.cookscountry.com

THE AMERICA'S TEST KITCHEN QUICK FAMILY COOKBOOK comes from the hit TV show and offers a faster method of cooking: all recipes take 45 minutes or less. With this approach in mind, anticipate a fine gathering of some 750 recipes in a hard binder format complete with spine lettering for easy location on a shelf, and handy lay-flat binding. These are quick recipes that pack a punch in flavor and provide step-by-step photos for foolproof results. Not a good match for library lending, with its removable pages - but perfect for any home cook looking for tested fail-safe dishes!

Part of a Complete Breakfast
Tim Hollis
University Press of Florida
15 Northwest 15th Street
Gainesville, FL 32611-2079
9780813041490, $26.95, www.upf.com

Part of a Complete Breakfast: Cereal Characters of the Baby Boom Era focuses on early cereal advertising successes, and while it's likely to become a part of many a business library strong in advertising history, it is also strongly recommended for food history holdings. Chapters discuss cereal advertising characters and their origins and evolution, focusing on the industry's heyday from 1950-1979 when children's TV programming came into its own. Tom Hollis' personal collection of pop and cereal memorabilia lend to a fine survey which includes broadcast TV transitions as well. Film, business and food libraries will all find it a popular pick, appealing across genres and even into the general reading world.

India: A Culinary Journey
Prem Kishore
Hippocrene Books
171 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016
9780781812634, $29.95, www.hippocrenebooks.com

INDIA: A CULINARY JOURNEY covers the extent of Indian fare, from street food to festivals, and provides a fine collection of recipes from all over India paired with culinary facts and history. Over 100 recipes are all adapted for the North American kitchen and provide a fine survey of India's regional dishes and how to make the most of them, from Punjabi cornmeal breads to the gravies of Mughlai cuisine. It's the blend of recipes with cultural background, myths and culinary lore that set this apart from other Indian cookbooks.


The American History Shelf

The Cuban Missile Crisis In American Memory
Sheldon M. Stern
Stanford University Press
1450 Page Mill Road, Palo Alto, CA 94304-1124
www.sup.org
9780804783774, $24.95, www.amazon.com

The Cuban missile was a 13-day confrontation occurring in October 1962 between the Soviet Union and Cuba on one side and the United States on the other. In August 1962, after some unsuccessful operations by the US to overthrow the Cuban regime (Bay of Pigs, Operation Mongoose), the Cuban and Soviet governments secretly began to build bases in Cuba for a number of medium-range and intermediate-range ballistic nuclear missiles with the ability to strike most of the continental United States. One of the most dangerous incidents during the 'Cold War' competition between the United States and the Soviet Union, this crisis had reverberations that would have an ultimate impact upon the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War era. The latest addition to the outstanding Stanford Nuclear Age series, "The Cuban Missile Crisis in American Memory: Myths versus Reality" by historian Sheldon M. Stern is a 208 page compendium revealing in detail the misconceptions, half-truths, exaggerations, lies, and myths of the Kennedy Administrations role and performance during the two weeks of secret Cuban missile crisis deliberations with Premier Krushev and draws upon the White House tape recordings made during the event. Informed and informative, "The Cuban Missile Crisis in American Memory: Myths versus Reality" is a seminal work of impressive scholarship and a highly recommended addition to academic library 20th Century American History reference collections in general, and "U.S. - Soviet Union Cold War Studies" supplemental reading lists in particular.

Custer, The Seventh Cavalry, And The Little Big Horn
Michael O'Keefe
The Arthur H. Clark Company
c/o University of Oklahoma Press (distributor)
2800 Venture Drive, Norman, OK 73069
www.oupress.com www.ahclark.com
9780870624049, $125.00, www.amazon.com

George Armstrong Custer (December 5, 1839 - June 25, 1876) was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. Raised in Michigan and Ohio, Custer was admitted to West Point in 1858, where he graduated last in his class. However, with the outbreak of the Civil War, all potential officers were needed, and Custer was called to serve with the Union Army. Custer developed a strong reputation during the Civil War. He fought in the first major engagement, the First Battle of Bull Run. His association with several important officers helped his career, as did his success as a highly effective cavalry commander. Custer was eventually promoted to the temporary rank (brevet) of major general. (At war's end, he reverted to his permanent rank of captain.) At the conclusion of the Appomattox Campaign, in which he and his troops played a decisive role, Custer was on hand at General Robert E. Lee's surrender. After the Civil War, Custer was dispatched to the west to fight in the Indian Wars. His disastrous final battle overshadowed his prior achievements. Custer and all the men with him were killed at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876, fighting against a coalition of Native American tribes in a battle that has come to be popularly known in American history as "Custer's Last Stand". "Custer, the Seventh Cavalry, and the Little Big Horn: A Bibliography" compiled by Michael O'Keefe (President of the Custer Battlefield Historical & Museum Association" is a two volume, 720 page compendium of entries for approximately 3,000 books and 7,000 articles and pamphlets making it an impressive work of seminal scholarship and an extraordinary contribution to personal and academic library 19th Century Western American History reference collections.

The Early Resorts Of Minnesota
Ren Holland
Beaver's Pond Press
7108 Ohms Lane, Edina, MN 55439
www.BeaversPondPress.com
9781592984374, $34.95, www.amazon.com

From the days of the French fur trappers down to the present day, Minnesota reputation as a land of ten thousand lakes has drawn visitor seeking to enjoy the simple outdoor pleasures and adventures that are offered. Superbly illustrated with historic photography throughout, "The Early Resorts of Minnesota: Tourism in the Land of 10,000 Lakes" by Minnesota native son Ren Holland is a 480 page compendium showcasing the history of Minnesota's famed resorts including the earliest family resorts that were the beginnings of a robust tourist industry for the state. Of special note is the inclusion of a web site that will enable the reader to explore in even more comprehensive detail the history of what Minnesota has offered in the past -- and continues to afford today's visitors. Informed, informative, and enhanced with the inclusion of two appendices ('Minnesota's Scenic Byways' and 'Hospitality Hall of Fame and Resorter of the Year Awards'); an Index of Web Maps; and a comprehensive index, "The Early Resorts of Minnesota - Tourism in the Land of 10,000 Lakes" is a seminal work that should not only be a part of every Minnesota community and university library collection, but would also serve as an admirable template or example of what could be done to create similar resort histories for other states.

Killing Kennedy
Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
Henry Holt & Company
175 Fifth Avenue, Suite 400
New York, NY 10010-7725
9780805096668 $28.00 www.henryholt.com

Celebrated pundit of "The O'Reilly Factor" Bill O'Reilly and bestselling author Martin Dugard present Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot, a reader-friendly tell-all of the shocking events, aftermath, and legacy of President John F. Kennedy's assassination. Black-and-white photographs illustrate this meticulous account that is firmly grounded in historical fact, yet flows as fluidly as a novel. An index allows for quick and easy cross-referencing. Written primarily in the present tense (which heightens its strong sense of immediacy), Killing Kennedy makes a dark moment in America's history accessible to readers of all backgrounds, and is an excellent pick especially for public library collections. Also highly recommended is O'Reilly's previous nonfiction narrative, "Killing Lincoln" (9780805093070, $28.00).


The World History Shelf

A History Of Malawi: 1859-1966
John McCracken
James Currey
c/o Boydell & Brewer Inc
668 Mount Hope Avenue
Rochester, NY 14620-2731
www.boydellandbrewer.com
9781847010506, $99.00, www.amazon.com

Malawi (officially the Republic of Malawi), is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Malawi is over 118,000 km2 (45,560 sq mi) with an estimated population of more than 13,900,000. Its capital is Lilongwe, which is also Malawi's largest city; the second largest is Blantyre and the third is Mzuzu. The name Malawi comes from the Maravi, an old name of the Nyanja people that inhabit the area. The area of Africa now known as Malawi was colonized by migrating tribes of Bantu around the 10th century. In 1891 the area was colonized again, this time by the British. In 1953 Malawi, then known as Nyasaland, became part of the semi-independent Central African Federation (CAF). The Federation was dissolved in 1963 and in 1964, Nyasaland gained full independence and was renamed Malawi. Upon gaining independence it became a single-party state under the presidency of Hastings Banda, who remained president until 1994, when he was ousted from power. Joyce Banda (no relation) is the current president, raised to that position after president Bingu Mutharika died in 2012. She is the first female leader in Malawi. Malawi has a democratic, multi-party government. Malawi has a small military force that includes an army, a navy and an air wing. Malawi's foreign policy is pro-Western and includes positive diplomatic relations with most countries and participation in several international organizations. Malawi has a culture combining native and colonial aspects, including sports, art, dance and music. "A History of Malawi: 1859-1966" by John McCracken (Honorary Senior Research Fellow, Stirling University, Scotland) is a 526 page compendium providing an historical overview of the land, people, commerce, colonial experience, religion, culture, society, and politics of this African nation from its inception in 1859 down through its emancipation and governance in 1966. Enhanced with an extensive bibliography and a comprehensive index, "A History of Malawi: 1859-1966" is an impressive work of detailed scholarship and a highly recommended addition to academic library International Studies and African History reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Remembering the Forgotten War
Michael Scott Van Wagenen
University of Massachusetts Press
PO Box 429
Amherst, MA 01004
9781558499300 $28.95 www.umass.edu/umpress

Remembering the Forgotten War: The Enduring Legacies of the U.S.-Mexican War is a close examination of not only the history of the U.S.-Mexican War - a conflict that resulted in the U.S. claiming approximately half of Mexico's territory - but also how both nations have remembered that conflict in over 150 years since. In America, the U.S.-Mexican War was overshadowed by the bloodshed of the Civil War, and has since been all but forgotten; but in Mexico, the war has remained a bitter and antagonistic cultural memory for generations, up to the present day. Why is this war so shunned by American cultural consciousness, yet embraced by that of Mexico? Even today, in an era of global free trade when America and Mexico are more dependent on each other for survival than ever, competing memories of the war threaten a rift in international diplomacy. Remembering the Forgotten War treats a potentially thorny subject with an evenhanded, scholarly approach, and offers a valuable lesson on how the needs of present-day culture tend to shape that culture's views of history. A handful of black-and-white photographs illustrate this excellent study and analysis, highly recommended especially for public and college library world history collections.

Modern Japan, fifth edition
Mikiso Hane & Louis G. Perez
Westview Press
c/o Perseus
2465 Central Avenue
Boulder, CO 80301
9780813346946, $50.00, www.westviewpress.com

Japan has evolved much in the past fifty years. "Modern Japan: A Historical Survey" is a scholarly analysis of the development of the modern Japanese people, culture, politics, and more, from the Tokugawa Shogunate to World War II, to its recent emergence as a technological juggernaut. The fifth updated edition covers the post 9/11 period, and the recent natural disasters and nuclear problems provide an up to date context for those who want to understand the most recent overview of Japan. Enhanced with indexes covering useful information such of heads of state, political information, and much more, "Modern Japan" is a core addition to cultural and modern history collections, not to be overlooked.

Assassins of the Turquoise Palace
Roya Hakakian
Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
841 Broadway, 4th floor
New York, NY 10003
9780802145970, $16.00, www.groveatlantic.com

Murder across international lines is still murder. "Assassins of the Turquoise Palace" tells the history behind the brutal 1992 slaying of Iranian and Kurdish exiles in Berlin, and how the pursuit of justice by German prosecutors brought new challenges to the country's criminal law, and the scope of federal law as it applies to international affairs. Author Roya Hakakian presents an important tale of European history, and makes "Assassins of the Turquoise Palace" a strongly recommended pick for history and law collections.

Wartime In West Suffolk
Robert Malcolmson & Peter Searby, eds.
Suffolk Records Society
c/o Boydell & Brewer Inc
668 Mount Hope Avenue
Rochester, NY 14620-2731
www.boydellandbrewer.com
9781843837022, $60.00, www.amazon.com

Winifred Challis (1896-1990) was active during the early years of World War II (1942-1943) with the bury St. Edmunds for the Public Assistance Committee and kept a daily dairy for Mass Observation, a social research organization. Her entries produced descriptive and perceptive observations of daily life around her. The result is an informed, informative, absorbing, and often insightful record. The collaborative editorial work of Robert Malcolmson (Professor Emeritus of History, queen's University, Kingston, Ontario) and Peter Searby (Former Fellow at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge), "Wartime in West Suffolk: The Diary of Winifred Challis, 1942" is a 256 page compendium of Winifred Challis' two year diary. Enhanced with footnotes, an Afterword, three appendices, a People & Places index, and a Subjects index, "Wartime in West Suffolk" is a very highly recommended addition to mid-20th Century English History reference collections and supplemental reading lists.


The Music Shelf

The Real Toscanini
Cesare Civetta
Amadeus Press
c/o Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group
19 West 21st Street, Suite 201, NY, NY 10010
www.halleonard.com
9781574672411, $22.99, www.amazon.com

Arturo Toscanini (Italian pronunciation: (March 25, 1867 - January 16, 1957) was an Italian conductor. He was one of the most acclaimed musicians of the late 19th and 20th century, renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orchestral detail and sonority, and his photographic memory. He was at various times the music director of La Scala Milan, the Metropolitan Opera in New York, and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. Later in his career he was appointed the first music director of the NBC Symphony Orchestra (1937-54), and this led to his becoming a household name (especially in the United States) through his radio and television broadcasts and many recordings of the operatic and symphonic repertoire. Compiled from interviews by orchestra conductor Cesare Civetta with some fifty musicians and colleagues who worked with Toscanini, "The Real Toscanini: Musicians Reveal the Maestro" is a 256 page compendium that bring forth first-hand observations of a man tormented by the emotions of anger and depression, but who sought to overcome his personal demons to achieve the widely acknowledged status of a true master of his art and craft. "The Real Toscanini" is a seminal work that is strongly recommended addition to academic library Music History reference collections and the personal reading lists for anyone who has admired Toscanini's performances and career.

The Disney Song Encyclopedia
Thomas S. Hischak & Mark A. Robinson
Taylor Trade Publishing
c/o Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200
Lanham, MD 20706
www.rowman.com
9781589797130, $18.95, www.amazon.com

From Walt Disney's first animated production 'Steamboat Willie", to today's Disney Studios productions both live action and animated, original music has been a hallmark of every theatrical work however large or small. The collaborative work of Thomas S. Hischak and Mark A. Robinson, "The Disney Song Encyclopedia" is a 400 page encyclopedic compendium showcasing succinct descriptions of more than 900 Disney film associated songs -- many of which made significant popular cultural impacts in their day. Enhanced with an introduction offering a brief history of Disney music; as well as appendices comprised of a list of alternate song titles; a songwriters directory; a guide to recordings, videos, and DVDs; academy awards for Disney songs and scores; a glossary of song terms; a bibliography, and a comprehensive index, "The Disney Song Encyclopedia" is a unique and highly recommended addition to personal, professional, and academic library Music History and Disney Studies reference collections.

Not Only Women Bleed
Dick Wagner
Desert Dreams Productions
10645 North Tatum Boulevard, Suite 200
Phoenix, AZ 85028
www.desertdreamsllc.com
9780985684303, $29.95, www.amazon.com

Dick Wagner (born December 14, 1942, in Oelwein, Iowa) is an American rock music guitarist, songwriter and author best known for his work with Alice Cooper, Lou Reed and KISS. "Not Only Women Bleed: Vignettes from the Heart of a Rock Musician" is a 281 page compendium of Dick Wagner's often colorful life experiences as a working musician and performer. Readers will learn of his encounters with such music legends as Little Richard, Roy Orbison, BB King, Les Hall, and a great many others. Informed, informative, entertaining, and candid, "Not Only Women Bleed" is highly recommended for personal and community library collections in general, and a 'must read' to the legions of Dick Wagner fans with an interest in his life and times!

Punk Rock: An Oral History
John Robb
PM Press
PO Box 23912, Oakland, CA 94623
9781604860054, $19.95, www.pmpress.org

Punk Rock: An Oral History provides interviews which many musicians who were at the forefront of the punk rock movement, from Chrissie Hynde and Siouxsie Sioux to Hernry Rollins, and offers a fine oral history of the UK punk rock movement of the 70s which will prove key to any modern music history collection. From discussions of the genre's 60s roots and influences to the cultural and fashion icons it created for a new generation, PUNK ROCK is packed with insights from the movement's originators and early influencers, and is a top recommendation for any rock music holding.


The Jewelry Shelf

Push Jewelry
Arthur Hash
Lark Books
387 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10016
www.larkcrafts.com
9781454703686, $24.95, www.amazon.com

The 'Push' series from Lark Books is unique as they showcase works from cutting-edge artists from around the world. One of the newest titles in this outstanding and elegant series is PUSH Jewelry: 30 Artists Explore the Boundaries of Jewelry" by Arthur Hash. This superbly illustrated, 176-page provides a full color photograph of each distinctive work of jewelry, along with informative commentary by the artist of the work. Also very highly recommended for personal, community, and academic library reference collections are "PUSH Print: 30+ Artists Explore the Boundaries of Printmaking" (9781454703280, $19.95) by Jamie Berger; "PUSH Paper: 30 Artists Explore the Boundaries of Paper Art" (9781600597886, $19.95) and "PUSH Stitchery: 30 Artists Explore the Boundaries of Stitched Art" (9781600597879, $19.95) by Jamie Chalmers.


The Philosophy Shelf

Starting With Kant
Andrew Ward
Continuum International Publishing Group
80 Maiden Lane, Suite 704, NY, NY 10038
www.continuumbooks.com
9781847061850, $19.95, www.amazon.com

Immanuel Kant (22 April 1724 - 12 February 1804) was a German philosopher from K”nigsberg in Prussia (today Kaliningrad, Russia) who researched, lectured and wrote on philosophy and anthropology during the Enlightenment at the end of the 18th century. Kant's major work, the Critique of Pure Reason (1781), aimed to unite reason with experience to move beyond what he took to be failures of traditional philosophy and metaphysics. He hoped to end an age of speculation where objects outside experience were used to support what he saw as futile theories, while opposing the skepticism of thinkers such as Berkeley and Hume. "Starting With Kant" by Andrew Ward (Lecturer in Philosophy, University of York, United Kingdom) is a 192 page, non-technical introduction and overview to Kant's principle philosophical contribution to moral philosophy. Thoroughly 'reader friendly', enhanced with Endnotes, and extended Bibliography, and a comprehensive index, "Starting With Kant" is an especially recommended addition to school, community, and academic library Philosophy reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Pessimism Of The Intellect, Optimism Of The Will
David Rondel & Alex Sager, editors
University of Calgary Press
2500 University Drive, N.W.
Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 1N4
www.uofcpress.com
9781552385302, $34.95, www.amazon.com

Kai Nielsen (born 1926) is adjunct professor of philosophy at Concordia University in Montreal and professor emeritus of philosophy at the University of Calgary. Before moving to Canada, Nielsen taught at New York University (NYU). He specializes in metaphilosophy, ethics, and social and political philosophy. Nielsen has also written about philosophy of religion, and is an advocate of contemporary atheism. He is also known for his defense of utilitarianism, writing in response to Bernard Williams's criticism of it. Nielsen got his B.A. at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and his Ph.D. at Duke University. He is the author of some 32 books and 415 articles. Member of the Royal Society of Canada, and past president of the Canadian Philosophical Association. Nielsen is also one of the founding members of the Canadian Journal of Philosophy. The collaborative editorial work of David Rondel (Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Ryerson University) and Alex Sager (Assistant Professor of Philosophy and University Studies, Portland State University), "Pessimism of the Intellect, Optimism of the Will: The Political Philosophy of Kai Nielsen" is a 350 page compendium composed of thirteen Kai Nielsen essays organized into three major sections: Metaphilosophy: Critical Theory and Wide-Reflective Equilibrium; Egalitarianism and Socialism; Cosmopolitanism, Nationalism, and Global Justice. Enhanced with an informative Introduction, an Afterword (in the form of an interview with Kai Nielsen on Political Philosophy), a list of selected writings by Kai Nielsen; an extensive bibliography, and a comprehensive index, "Pessimism of the Intellect, Optimism of the Will: The Political Philosophy of Kai Nielsen" is a highly recommended acquisition for academic library Philosophy and Political Science reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Jeopardy! and Philosophy
Shaun P. Young, editor
Open Court Publishing Company
70 East Lake Street, Suite 300
Chicago, IL 60601
9780812697995, $19.95, www.opencourtbooks.com

The quiz show has allowed knowledge its own pedestal in popular culture. "Jeopardy! and Philosophy" is a philosophical analysis of the famed decades long running game show, taking note of the show's staying power, the place of the quiz show in American culture, and the questions it asks us beyond finding the answer for the Potpourri Question for $400. "Jeopardy! and Philosophy" is well worth considering for modern philosophy collections, a fine addition to Open Court's long running Pop Culture and Philosophy Series.

Curb Your Enthusiasm and Philosophy
Mark Ralkowski, Editor
Open Court Publishing Company
70 East Lake Street, Suite 300, Chicago, IL 60601
9780812697667, $19.95, www.opencourtbooks.com

Curb Your Enthusiasm and Philosophy: Awaken the Social Assassin Within is for philosophy, modern culture and TV and film collections alike, and links the popular icon of Larry David to the realms of philosophy. Chapters use Larry David's dialogues as a source for ethical, psychological and philosophical insights, from Judaism and religious fervor to the perils of authenticity. Larry David can serve as a guide through social values, ethical changes, and philosophical conundrums: Curb Your Enthusiasm and Philosophy documents these moments and employs astute psychological analysis for its considerations. Any college-level film and television or philosophy holding needs this collection!

The Greek Search for Wisdom
Michael K. Kellogg
Prometheus Books
59 John Glenn Drive, Amherst, NY 14228-2197
9781616145750, $28.00, www.prometheusbooks.com

THE GREEK SEARCH FOR WISDOM comes from an author educated in philosophy and law who considers our Greek intellectual heritage and provides ten examples of Greek wisdom, from the poets and dramatists to historians and philosophers. In each case he considers what each Greek philosopher has to say about the world and our place in it, arguing that Greek history and the classics make much more sense when viewed in the light of Greek philosophical perspective. It's a solid discussion for philosophy and ancient history holdings, offering strong connections between Greek perspectives and our times.


The Civil War Shelf

The Great Hanging at Gainesville, 1862
Thomas Barrett and George Washington Diamond, authors
Richard B. McCaslin, introduction
L.D. Clark, afterword
Texas State Historical Association
1155 Union Circle #311580
Denton, TX 76203-5017
9780876112557 $34.95 www.TSHAonline.org

The Great Hanging at Gainesville, 1862: The Accounts of Thomas Barrett and George Washington Diamond presents two primary sources of a horrific mob massacre in Texas, carried out with the blessing of Confederate Army Colonel James Bourland, during the American Civil War. The Cooke County community of Gainesville, Texas was sharply divided between slaveholders and Confederacy supporters, as opposed to those who were indifferent or hostile to the Confederacy. Eventually these tensions broke out into a mass roundup of 150 suspected Unionists, who were arrested and given a sham trial before a "citizen's court" of twelve jurors, at least seven of whom were cherry-picked. The masses were assigned flimsy charges of "conspiracy" and forty of them were hanged. None of the perpetrators of the hanging were ever punished after the Civil War or during reconciliation. The Great Hanging at Gainesville, 1862 gathers the memoir writings of Minister Thomas C. Barrett, who served on the jury and struggled to calm the bloodthirst of his neighbors, and an account based on court records by George Washington Diamond, whose brother helped to organize the trial. An introduction and an afterword by two learned historians helps set in perspective the biases and quirks of the original authors, and numerous footnotes clarify details for the modern-day reader in this sobering and highly recommended contribution to public and college library American History and Civil War reference shelves.

No Cause of Offence
Lewis F. Fisher
Maverick Publishing Company
PO Box 6355, San Antonio, TX 78209
9781893271616 $24.95 www.maverickpub.com

No Cause of Offence: A Virginia Family of Union Loyalists Confronts the Civil War tells the exceptional true story of a Southern family in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, who believed firmly in the Union, and managed to peacefully (if uneasily) coexist with their Confederate neighbors. Although they adopted a practical-minded policy of "no cause of offence by overt act or anything of the sort," they did not hide their convictions, which were plainly apparent to Confederate General Stonewall Jackson when he used their home as his headquarters. In 1862, the Battle of Port Republic forced them to flee from their homes, and afterward, they tended to wounded Union soldiers even as their neighbors aided wounded Confederates. After the war's end, they were a voice for compromise, and worked to help Virginia resume its former place in the Union; family members earned the high ranks of lieutenant governor, chief justice of Virginia's Supreme Court, U.S. minister to Portugal, and U.S. senator. A wealth of notes and an index round out this engaging history of a politically savvy and socially skilled family that used their leadership and influence to push for unity, both during and after the devastating war. Highly recommended, especially for Civil War history collections.

Louis Trezevant Wigfall
Edward S. Cooper
Fairleigh Dickinson University Press
The Gatehouse M010C
285 Madison Avenue, Madison, NJ 07940
www.rowman.com
9781611475647, $70.00, www.amazon.com

Louis Trezevant Wigfall (April 21, 1816 - February 18, 1874) was an American politician from Texas who served as a member of the Texas Legislature, United States Senate, and Confederate Senate. Wigfall was among a group of leading secessionists known as Fire-Eaters, advocating the preservation and expansion of an aristocratic agricultural society based on slave labor. He briefly served as a Confederate Brigadier General of the Texas Brigade at the outset of the American Civil War before taking his seat in the Confederate Senate. Wigfall's reputation for oratory and hard-drinking, along with a combative nature and high-minded sense of personal honor, made him one of the more imposing political figures of his time. "Louis Trezevant Wigfall: The Disintegration of the Union and Collapse of the Confederacy" by independent scholar and biographer Edward S. Cooper is a detailed, 212 page biography showcasing the colorful life of a man who was instrumental in the eventual collapse of the Confederacy. A masterful work of seminal scholarship, "Louis Trezevant Wigfall: The Disintegration of the Union and Collapse of the Confederacy" is enhanced with the inclusion of an extensive bibliography and a comprehensive index making it a very highly recommended contribution to academic library Civil War Studies and 19th Century American History reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

The Untried Life
James T. Fritsch
Swallow Press
c/o Ohio University Press
The Ridges, Building 19, Athens, OH 45701
www.ohioswallow.com
9780804011396, $34.95, www.amazon.com

With the onset of the American Civil War, the Twenty-Ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry was founded by radical abolitionist Congressman J. R. Giddings. The enlisted men were picked to especially ensure each solider of the 29th OVI strongly held anti-slavery beliefs. "The Untried Life: The Twenty-Ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War" by James T. Fritsch is the cumulative result of some fifteen years of research. The result is a 512 page, detailed history of what it was like to live and fight as a member of the 29th OVI. Replete with vividly described individuals and events, "The Untried Life" is an impressive work of considerable scholarship. Enhanced with the inclusion of an extensive bibliography, a profusion of footnote documentation, an index roster of the 29th OVI, and a comprehensive general index, "The Untried Life: The Twenty-Ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War" is a welcome and seminal addition to the growing library of Civil War literature. Highly recommended for academic library Civil War Studies" reference collections and Civil War enthusiasts supplemental reading lists.


The Woodworking Shelf

Turning Wood with Carbide Tools
John English
Linden Publishing
2006 South Mary, Fresno, CA 93721-9875
9781610350549, $21.95, www.woodworkerslibrary.com

Turning Wood with Carbide Tools: Techniques and Projects for Every Skill Level is the first in-depth guide to using carbide tools to handle woodturning projects at all levels and outlines the techniques that carbide tools offer and differ from traditional woodturning cutters and scrapers. Such tools don't need sharpening, for example, and are nearly catch-free. This book explains carbide tool technology, various grades of tungsten carbide and cutting tips and shafts, and explains the cutters. Color photos throughout make this a winning guide recommended for any woodworker's library.

The Village Carpenter
Walter Rose
Linden Publishing
2006 South Mary, Fresno, CA 93721-9875
9781610350518, $15.95, www.woodworkerslibrary.com

THE VILLAGE CARPENTER: THE CLASSIC MEMOIR OF THE LIFE OF A VICTORIAN CRAFTSMAN was first published in 1937 and became a classic survey of a time before power tools and mass-produced furniture. Its reprint of a personal and craftsman's memoir returns a classic about Victorian England master carpentry to the shelves of any woodworking or crafts library, providing one man's intimate portrait of his crafting world and describing the working conditions and typical tasks of a nineteenth-century woodworker.

Turning Modified Slimline Pens
Don Ward
Schiffer Publishing Ltd.
4880 Lower Valley Road, Atglen, PA 19310
www.schifferbooks.com
9780764341694, $19.99, www.amazon.com

Turned wooden pens have been available to the general public for decades and are especially valued in calligraphy and other forms of creative art work. Currently these pens are available in a wide diversity of technological forms from simple pencils, to ballpoints, roller balls, and fountain pens. In "Turning Modified Slimline Pens: Beyond the Basics", Don Ward draws upon his many years of experience and expertise to create a superbly illustrated, 96 page, step-by-step instructional compendium on how to make beautiful, functional, elegant pens. Of special note is the informed and informative introduction, as well as the pictorial gallery of pens. Thoroughly 'user friendly' and superbly presented, "Turning Modified Slimline Pens: Beyond the Basics" is a very highly recommended instructional reference.


The Literary Studies Shelf

Literary Studies And The Pursuits of Reading
Erick Downing, et al.
Camden House
668 Mt. Hope Avenue, Rochester, NY 14620-2731
www.camden-house.com www.boydellandbrewer.com
9781571134318, $75.00, www.amazon.com

The collaborative editorial project of Eric Downing (Hanes Distinguished Term Professor of German, English, and Comparative Literature, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), Jonathan M. Hess (Professor of German and Moses M. and hannah L. Malkin Distinquished Term Professor of Jewish History and Culture, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), and Richard V. Benson (Visiting Professor of German, Valparaiso University), "Literary Studies and the Pursuits of Reading" is a 192 page compendium comprised of thirteen erudite and learned articles contributed by expert academicians in their fields. Deftly organized into four major sections: Medieval and Early Modern Practices of Reading; Reading, Secularization, and Transcendence in the Long Nineteenth Century; Theories and Practices of Reading in the Twentieth Century and Beyond; and Postscript: The Ends of Reading. Enhanced with a bibliography of 'Works Cited', extensive notes on the contributors, and a comprehensive index, "Literary Studies and the Pursuits of Reading" is an anthology of seminal works and consistently impressive scholarship, rendering it strongly recommended for academic library Literary Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Dickens And Modernity
Juliet John, editor
D.S. Brewer
c/o Boydell & Brewer Inc
668 Mount Hope Avenue
Rochester, NY 14620-2731
www.boydellandbrewer.com
9781843843269, $50.00, www.amazon.com

Charles John Huffam Dickens (7 February 1812 - 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic who is generally regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian period and the creator of some of the world's most memorable fictional characters. During his lifetime Dickens's works enjoyed unprecedented popularity and fame, and by the twentieth century his literary genius was fully recognized by critics and scholars. His novels and short stories continue to enjoy an enduring popularity among the general reading public. Knowledgeably compiled and deftly edited by academician Juliet John (Hildred Carlile Chair of English Literature, Royal Holloway, University of London), "Dickes And Modernity" is a 208 page compendium of literary essays and studies of Dickens as an icon of both English literature and Victorian era culture. The nine essays range from Jay Clayton's 'The Dickens Tape: Affect and Sound Reproduction'; to Michael Hollington's 'Dickens and the Circus of Modernity'; to Dominic Ramsford's Out of Place: David Copperfield's Irresolvable Geographies'. Of special note is the concluding contribution of Florian Schweizer's 'Afterword: The 2012 Bicentenary'. Enhanced with a comprehensive index, "Dickens And Modernity" is a seminal body of outstanding scholarship and a welcome, highly recommended addition to academic library 19th Century English Literary Studies collections in general, and Charles Dickens Literary Studies supplemental reading lists in particular.

Must Read
Sarah Churchwell & Thomas Ruys Smith, editors
Continuum International Publishing Group
80 Maiden Lane, Suite 704
New York, NY 10038
9781441162168, $29.95, www.continuumbooks.com

Every country has its classics, and America is no exception. "Must Read: Rediscovering American Bestsellers" explores the American literary classics and the books hat make it up, focusing on the books that have flourished outside of their short popularity and have become literary classics worthy of being the icons of American fiction, as well as a scholarly analysis of literature, what makes up the American bestseller, and how the bestsellers have shaped America right back. "Must Read" is a strong addition to any literary studies collection, highly recommended.

The Red Flare
Marcus Tullius Cicero, author
G. B. Cobbold, translator
Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers
1570 Baskin Road, Mundelein, IL 60060
www.bolchazy.com
9780865167827, $15.00, www.amazon.com

Marcus Tullius Cicero (January 3, 106 BC - December 7, 43 BC) was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, orator, political theorist, consul and constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the equestrian order, and is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists. His influence on the Latin language was so immense that the subsequent history of prose in not only Latin but European languages up to the 19th century was said to be either a reaction against or a return to his style. Cicero introduced the Romans to the chief schools of Greek philosophy and created a Latin philosophical vocabulary (with neologisms such as humanitas, qualitas, quantitas, and essentia) distinguishing himself as a linguist, translator, and philosopher. "The Red Flare: Cicero's on Old Age", translated into English by G. B. Cobbold (Assistant headmaster of the Classics Department, Tabor Academy, Marion, Massachusetts) is a 92 page compendium that begins with an introduction that includes a brief framework of Cicero's importance in history, his literary work 'On Old Age', and a note on the translation for an English language readership. This is followed by the translated work itself. Enhanced with the inclusion of a glossary of names, places, and technical terms; memorable passages quoted by Cicero in this work; and 'Old Age in Literature', "The Red Flare: Cicero's on Old Age" is a seminal work of impeccable scholarship, and a strongly recommended addition to academic library Classical Studies reference collections in general, and Cicero Studies supplemental reading lists in particular.

Ink Trails
Dave Dempsey & Jack Dempsey
Michigan State University Press
1405 South Harrison Road, Suite 25
East Lansing, MI 48823-5245
www.msupress.msu.edu
9781611860603, $19.95, www.amazon.com

The state of Michigan has long been home to an impressive roster of nationally prominent novelists, poets, essayists, and writers. The collaborative work of Dave and Jack Dempsey, "Ink Trails: Michigan's Famous and Forgotten Authors" is a 200 page compendium showcasing an imposing list of seventeen writers deftly organized regionally within the states and range from Southeast Michigan's George Matthew Adams (Today's Talk); to Central/South Central Michigan's William McKendree Carleton (Verse Virtuoso); to Southwest Michigan's Liberty Hyde Bailey (A Bountiful Life); to Southern Lower Michigan's Charles Bruce Catton (American's Civil War Storyteller); to the Upper Peninsula's Caroll Walker Rankin (Northern Lights). Of special note is the chapter dedicated to Carl Sandburg (Sandman). Highly recommended for personal, community, and academic library American Literary Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists, "Ink Trails" would also serve quite well as a model for other state-wide collections honoring native sons and daughters of significant literary accomplishment.


The Gaming Shelf

Internet Hold'em Poker
Avery Cardoza
Cardoza Publishing
5473 South Eastern Avenue
Las Vegas, NV 89119
www.cardozapub.com
9781580422161, $9.95, www.amazon.com

The growth and expansion of online poker has been nothing short of phenomenal. "Internet Hold'em Poker: Plus 7-Card Stud, Omaha, and Other Games" by poker expert, author, and publisher Avery Cardoza is a 176 page instructional compendium of on-line poker oriented strategies that will enable even the most novice of players to get started and play smarter. Deftly organized into six major sections, aspiring players are provided at the beginning with an overview of online poker that includes security issues and choosing the right site. The next two sections provide basic instruction on playing different types of on-line poker as well as tournament play. The fourth section is devoted game play strategies for both Limit and No-Limit Texas Hold'em, Seven-Card Stud and Five-Card Stud, Omaha Hig Low 8-or-Better. Also included are strategies for Sit-and-Go games and for Multi-Table Tournaments. The fifth section showcases twenty-five on-line poker tells and strategies. Of special note is the final section of 'Extras' which includes money management, bankrolling, a poker glossary, and internet poker acronyms. Informed, informative, thoroughly 'user friendly', and replete with seasoned, professional insights, "Internet Hold'em Poker: Plus 7-Card Stud, Omaha, and Other Games" should be considered absolutely mandatory reading for beginners, and will prove an enduringly valuable reference for even the more experienced online poker players.

Street Fighter x Tekken Artworks
UDON Entertainment Corp.
118 Tower Hill Road, C1, PO Box 20008
Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada L4K 0K0
9781926778518 $39.99 www.UDONentertainment.com

Street Fighter x Tekken Artworks continues UDON Entertainment's glorious tradition of bringing high-quality, full-color, superbly translated Japanese video game artbooks to American shores. In addition to striking water-themed character portraits capturing dynamic moments of intense action, Street Fighter x Tekken Artworks is filled with comments and interviews with the designers, animators, and artists who helped bring this dream-crossover fighting game to life. The artworks prominently feature every Street Fighter x Tekken character (except for DLC-only characters), including pictures from the prologues and ending sequences of each, costume swap art, and early concept art! It should be noted that Street Fighter x Tekken Artworks is not a gameplay or strategy guide, but rather a collector's showcase and behind-the-scenes look, sure to delight fans of the characters from both the Street Fighter and the Tekken fighting game series. Also highly recommended for video game (and comic book!) art connoisseurs is UDON's "Marvel vs. Capcom: Official Complete Works" (9781926778495, $44.99), a gigantic collection of art by the creators of the immensely popular Marvel vs. Capcom series and related video games.


The Science Shelf

Non-Stationary Electromagnetics
Alexander Nerukh, Nataliya Sakhnenko, Trevor Benson, & Phillip Sewell
Pan Stanford Publishing
c/o Taylor & Francis Group
270 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10016
www.garlandscience.com
9789814316446 $149.95 www.panstanford.com

Non-Stationary Electromagnetics compiles the exhaustive research by four electromagnetic and radioelectronic experts concerning non-stationary electromagnetic processes, with a particular spotlight on the Volterra integral equation. A highly technical and mathematical work, Non-Stationary Electromagnetics is a source of cutting edge findings ideal for graduate and post-graduate students, field professionals, and university science libraries. Sections such as "Non-Stationary Electromagnetic Processes in Time-Varying Dielectric Waveguides" discuss how different types of moving boundaries or changing time parameters affect electromagnetic fields in fine detail, supported by a wealth of calculus equations and the occasional graph. "This book systematises and collects almost all results obtained by the authors since the 1970s. Some of these results were published in Russian, and some were not published at all but may be interesting for [the] wider electromagnetic community." A handful of appendices, color inserts of graphs, and an index round out this excellent contribution to electromagnetic science and reference shelves.

Evolution's Purpose
Steve McIntosh
Select Books
1 Union Square West, Suite 909
New York City, NY 10003
9781590792209, $24.95, www.selectbooks.com

Evolution has brought many concepts to the thought of the world beyond the ideas of biology. "Evolution's Purpose: An Integral Interpretation of the Scientific Story of Our Origins" presents an intriguing take on the ideas of evolution, as he takes the concept of random and accidental and how evolution presents a progressive ideal of an advancement to something better in our life, how science's selection has led to a unique beauty of the world. "Evolution's Purpose" presents powerful and optimistic take on the often considered sterile and faithless concept of Darwin's theories.

From Genes to Genomes, third edition
Jeremy W. Dale, Malcolm Von Schantz, Nick Plant
Wiley-Blackwell
350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148
9780470683866, $149.95, www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell

The third updated edition of From Genes to Genomes: Concepts and Applications of DNA Technology provides a fine textbook recommended for college-level students of gene sequencing. It represents a major revision of an introductory text and students of intermediate molecular genetics, researchers and teachers will find it provides all the latest advancements in genome sequencing and transgenetics. The explanations are technical but clear, the illustrations supportive and precise, and the entire effect is perfect for any student of genetic research.

Prometheus Books
59 John Glenn Drive
Amherst, NY 14228-2197
www.prometheusbooks.com

Joe Nickell's THE SCIENCE OF GHOSTS: SEARCHING FOR SPIRITS OF THE DEAD (9781616145859, $18.00) will find a home in science and new age collections alike, and considers the actual evidence surrounding psychic contacts with 'the other side'. Numerous case studies offer serious analysis, expose common hoaxes, and considers the scientific aspects of ghosts and hauntings. The author is a paranormal investigator who blends PI work, forensic evidence, and folklore in a balanced assessment of the evidence for ghosts and hauntings. Arthur W. Staats' THE MARVELOUS LEARNING ANIMAL: WHAT MAKES HUMAN NATURE UNIQUE (9781616145972, $27.00) asks the question what makes us human - and considers the inherent tendencies and traits that explain and create human behavior. What stands out in our species is the ability to learn, and this analysis of how complex repertories lead to advancement unprecedented in the animal kingdom makes THE MARVELOUS LEARNING ANIMAL a fine survey of human evolution and learning.

W. W. Norton & Company
500 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10110
www.wwnorton.com

David K. Randall's DREAMLAND: ADVENTURES IN THE STRANGE SCIENCE OF SLEEP (9780393080209, $25.95) probes the science and nature of sleep disorders - considering the fact that there are over seventy documented types of sleep disorders, and telling the author's own story of various disorders from sleepwalking to nightly performances of talking, laughing, singing, and more. DREAMLAND introduces a range of people experimenting with sleep, offering a survey of new scientific discoveries, common questions about slumber, and the effects of sleep conditions on all. Any science or health collection will find this a lively discussion. David R. Montgomery's THE ROCKS DON'T LIE: A GEOLOGIST INVESTIGATES NOAH'S FLOOD (9780393082395, $26.95) considers evidence surrounding the biblical story of Noah's Ark, using years of field experience to show links between folk stories and the latest geological evidence. His probe of Noah's Flood moves from Tibet to a creationist museum in Kentucky and considers how ancient stories should be read. The works of theologians, naturalists and others blend in a fine survey holding many surprises: among them the fact that the first theologians were in fact geologists. Science and religious collections alike will find this fine reading. Frances Ashcroft's THE SPARK OF LIFE: ELECTRICITY IN THE HUMAN BODY (9780393078039, $28.95) considers how electricity works in the human body, showing how electrical signals control our movements, thoughts, and even heart rates. Chapters offer a history of discoveries about electricity over the decades, then move to modern times and the latest experiments surrounding mind, body and electrical connections. From how nerve fibers carry electrical signals to how some toxins interfere with ion channels, this is a pick for health and science libraries alike.


The Psychology Shelf

The Self Under Siege
Robert Firestone, et al.
Routledge
711 - 3rd Avenue, Floor 8, NY, NY 10017-9209
www.routledge.com
9780415520331, $40.95, www.amazon.com

The psychological concept of 'self' or personal identity is key to understanding human behavior. Our identity in this modern age is under stress from several diverse sources including the impact of rejection and emotional pain in developmental years, relationship problems throughout out lives, 'detrimental societal forces', and universal existential realities that impinge upon our personal circumstances. The collaborative work of clinical psychologists Robert W. Firestone Lisa Firestone, in cooperation with author and lecturer Joyce Catlett, "The Self Under Siege: A Therapeutic Model for Differentiation" is a 296 page compendium that draws upon a number of case studies and personal stories revealed through a 35 year observational study illustrating how 'voice therapy' is utilized in psychological counseling. The theory presented in "The Self Under Siege" offers practitioners and counselors a new perspective in their work, and will prove to be of immense interest in non-specialist general readers with an interest in their own personal psychological development. An impressive and seminal work, "The Self Under Siege" is an especially recommended addition to professional and academic library Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy instructional reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Internships in Psychology, updated edition
Carol Williams-Nickelson, Mitchell J. Prinstein, and W. Gregory Keilin
American Psychological Association
750 First Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002-4242
9781433812101, $27.95, www.apa.org/books

Psychology is not a profession to be learned through reading alone. "Internships in Psychology: The APAGs Workbook for Writing Successful Applications and Finding the Right Fit" is a guide to the internship phase of the education, including this updated edition covering changes to the application phase. For both interns and those who are charged with training them during this important process, "Internships in Psychology" is a strong pick for everyone involved in the training process, a wise and thorough reference, highly recommended.

Bipolar Disorder
Janelle M. Caponigro & Sheri L. Johnson
New Harbinger Press
5674 Shattuck Avenue
Oakland, CA 94609
9781608821815, $15.95, www.newharbinger.com

A diagnosis of bipolar disorder can be very confusing for those who don't fully understand what it implies. "Bipolar Disorder: A Guide for the Newly Diagnosed" is a guide for those who have received this diagnosis. James M. Caponigro & Sheri L. Johnson, experts in their psychological fields, offer advice for those who want to better cope with the disorder and live their life to the fullest in spite of the diagnoses. From dealing with the episodes and keeping the symptoms under control, "Bipolar Disorder" is a sage resource with plenty to consider, very much recommended reading.

Monkey Mind
Daniel Smith
Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas, 12th floor
New York, NY 10020
9781439177303, $25.00, www.simonandschuster.com

MONKEY MIND: A MEMOIR OF ANXIETY belongs in any psychology or mental health collection and in any general lending library where self-help is of interest, and documents the author's struggles and experiences with anxiety. It follows the course of a condition that once severely limited Daniel Smith's life, ruining his relationships and threatening his sanity, and tells what it's like to live with ongoing anxiety. Humor blends with psychological insights to examine the roots of anxiety and how it can be tamed, making for a fine read for any concerned about the daily effects of anxiety.

The Ravenous Brain
Daniel Bor
Basic Books
c/o Perseus Books Group
11 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142
www.perseusbooksgroup.com
9780465020478, $27.99, www.basicbooks.com

THE RAVENOUS BRAIN: HOW THE NEW SCIENCE OF CONSCIOUSNESS EXPLAINS OUR INSATIABLE SEARCH FOR MEANING offers original research blended with personal insights to consider what it means to be conscious. Consciousness is a mental space dedicated to the combination of ideas and solutions: this study uses solid reproducible evidence across various disciplines and the latest brain research to explore a new theory of consciousness: one developed by evolution and based on tested facts. The result is a top recommendation for science, health and philosophy collections alike.


The Military Shelf

Dog Company
Patrick K. O'Donnell
Da Capo Press
c/o Perseus Books Group
11 Cambridge Center
Cambridge, MA 02142
9780306820298 $26.00 www.perseusbooksgroup.com

Dog Company is the heroic true story of the sixty-eight soldiers of the U.S. Army's 2nd Ranger Battalion, D Company ("Dog Company") and their profound contributions to battles in World War II. From scaling ninety-foot cliffs to protect Allied landings from German guns atop Pointe du Hoc, to engaging in a risky bayonet charge across an open field to capture a critical hill in Germany's Hurtgen Forest, Dog Company proved their valor and toughness over and over. Notes and an index round out this excellent contribution to military history shelves, thoroughly accessible to scholars and lay readers alike.

Unflinching Zeal
Robin Higham
Naval Institute Press
291 Wood Road
Annapolis, MD 21402
9781612511115, $39.95, www.navalinstitute.org

The military blitz of the Luftwaffe frightened Britain and France with its ferocity. "Unflinching Zeal" is a look back at the chronicle of these conflicts, the Battles of France and Britain to maintain the control of their skies from their would be conquerors. Author and historian Robin Higham breaks down the campaigns on both ends, looking at the mindsets and tactics, and commentary on what ultimately led to the victory, stalemate, and comeback. "Unflinching Zeal" is a very much recommended who seek in-depth history surrounding early World War II.

The Great Bicycle Experiment
Kay Moore
Mountain Press Publishing Company
PO Box 2399
Missoula, MT 59806
9780878425938, $12.00, www.mountain-press.com

Across the country before such a thing was commonplace. "The Great Bicycle Experiment: The Army's Historic Black Bicycle Corps, 1896-97" seeks to tell the story of this regiment of black soldiers who traveled across the country from Montana to Missouri and testing the potential that bicycles, a recent invention in the late nineteenth century, and what it could hold for military purposes as a potential replacement for the horse. Exploring military history and black history in an unsung way, "The Great Bicycle Experiment" is a strong addition to any American military history collection.

Osprey Publishing
4402 - 23rd Street, Suite 219
Long Island City, NY 11101-5058
www.ospreypublishing.com

Mark Lardas's BONHOMME RICHARD VS. SERAPIS: FLAMBOROUGH HEAD 1779 (9781849087858, $18.95) documents the clash between the American Bonhomme Richard and the British HMS Serapis during the revolutionary war: a battle where two similar ships struggled and created naval heroes that many know to this day. Any military collection strong in maritime history will find this filled with color artwork, in-depth detail on ships and strategies, history and illustrations and analysis of action. Col. (Ret.) Gaillard R. Peck, Jr.'s AMERICA'S SECRET MIG SQUADRON: THE RED EAGLES OF PROJECT CONSTANT PEG (9781849089760, $25.95) tells the story of a group of brave military pioneers who establish a training program that would prepare the US Air Force for a potential Cold War battle with Soviet aircraft, and comes from an F-4 Phantom II pilot in Vietnam who helped develop the Constant Peg program that trained men to fly and maintain covertly obtained MiGs. Chapters pack in a history of the pilots, the missions, and the military concepts behind them, making this a fine survey of the little-known Red Eagles project recommended for any military holding. Steven J. Zaloga's US AMPHIBIOUS TANKS OF WORLD WAR II (9781849086363, $17.95) offers a fine survey of tanks developed to be deployed from further off-shore during battle. In Europe the US Army introduced the Duplex Drive tank based on the British design, used on D-Day and again during the Rhine crossings. The Marines developed their own versions of the deep-wading system. This review of US amphibious tanks covers design, deployment, amphibious strategies, and more, and makes for a powerful survey for any World War II collection strong in equipment analysis. Robert Forsyth works with Eddie J. Creek on ME 262 BOMBER AND RECONNAISSANCE UNITS (9781849087490, $22.95), a fine guide to the combat aircraft that first appeared in late 1944, representing a new era in aeronautical development. Nothing in the Allied arsenal of aerial fighters could compare, and the ME 262s conducted campaigns that proved an overwhelming success. This follows the creation, deployment, strategies and makeup of this unique bomber, and is a solid pick for any World War II collection. Pier Paolo Battistelli's ALBERT KESSELRING (9781849087353, $18.95) provides a fine biography of field marshal Albert Kesselring, a key figure during the Italian campaign of 1943-45. His efforts stalled superior Allied efforts for months: he was responsible for the killing of Italian civilians in German-occupied Italy and he led many campaigns in different countries. This survey marks him as one of the most notable German commanders of World War II, and provides a vivid biography recommended for any World War II collection. Duncan B. Campbell's SPARTAN WARRIOR 735-331 BC (9781849087001, $18.95) offers a fine survey of the Spartans, who achieved lasting recognition for their unique society and focus on warfare. Forbidden from any form of manual labor, Spartan warriors were trained in brutality, warfare and discipline and withstood all kinds of challenges and hardships: this describes a typical warrior's life and provides a fine history of the early Greek, Persian and Peloponnesian wars. Color photos of their relics compliment a fine history suitable for any ancient history library. Paul Eaglestone's A WORLD AFLAME (9781849086820, $17.95) recounts the period between 1918 and 1939, when conflicting politics and military tactics sparked conflicts that led to World War II. This provides wargamers with an interesting set of rules along with 'what if' options, using a 10-man squad as the core unit, and games can be played at company, battalion or brigade level and at any figure scale. Players interested in wargames for this period will find this a fine mix of rules and strategy. Michael & Gladys Green's PANTHER: GERMANY'S QUEST FOR COMBAT DOMINANCE (9781849088411, $24.95) recounts the German Panther, one of the most striking tanks of World War II, and is a top recommendation for any collection strong in World War II equipment. It considers how the Panther tank evolved, its encounters throughout the war, and how the German Amy's encounter with the Russians provided knowledge for designing the next generation of Panzers. Vintage images abound in a fine history of the Panther's evolution and influence. Ian Senior's HOME BEFORE THE LEAVES FALL: A NEW HISTORY OF THE GERMAN INVASION OF 1914 (9781849088435, $24.95) blends strategic analysis with diary entries, eyewitness stories, and interview transcripts from soldiers of the times to provide an unprecedented new history that focuses on the experiences of French and German troops in 1914. it documents strategic failures, changed invasion plans, and soldier strategy that rested on a rapid victory over the French, but in fact evolved to become a long session of defensive trench-based warfare. The result is a highly recommended, striking history. Robert Maze's THE WEBLEY SERVICE REVOLVER (9781849088039, $18.95) covers a gun introduced in 1887: a service revolver which was perfected in 1915 ad served for some sixty years. Its reliability and handling made it the favored firearm of classic British soldiers and this book provides a fine history that incorporates basic firearms design and the evolution of pistol use. A special pick for military or firearms collectors alike. Yuriy Rybin's SOVIET HURRICANE ACES OF WORLD WAR 2 (9781849087414, $22.95) joins others in Osprey's 'Aircraft of the Aces' series and provides a fine comprehensive history of the Hurricanes that would be given to the Soviet Union by the British in late 1941. These planes saw action and proved easy to master, allowing them to form ne fighter regiments in the polar area and providing cover for other aircraft more equipped for different kinds of battle. The Hurricane was considered obsolete by the time it was supplied to the USSR, but despite this it performed admirably and made an immense difference in the war. Steve Blake's P-38 LIGHTNING ACES OF THE 82ND FIGHTER GROUP (9781849087438, $22.95) is another fine addition to the series and tells of one of the most successful USAAF fighter units of the war. It pairs detailed histories of the elite fighter pilots with discussions of their aircraft and first-hand accounts by the combat veterans themselves, adding specially commissioned original color artwork, new scale plans, and fine archival photos. The result is a top pick highly recommended for any military aircraft collection! FALLUJAH: IRAQ 2004 (9781849087711, $24.95) covers two operations - Vigilant Resolve and Phantom Fury - to take and hold the city of Fallujah, considered the most dangerous carried out by Coalition forces during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and is a fine pick for any Force on Force player. Wargamers will find the battle lines drawn and alive in a volume packed with scenarios and information perfect for re-enacting their Iraq battle wargames in a pick Force on Force players MUST have!


The Writing/Publishing Shelf

The Columbia Guide To Social Work Writing
Warren Green & Barbara levy Simon, editors
Columbia University Press
61 West 62nd Street, NY, NY 10023-7015
http://cup.columbia.edu
9780231142953, $34.50, www.amazon.com

The writing of reports and the recording of records is a vital part of the daily responsibilities of practicing social workers. Researching in an academic setting or applying for grants in a community service organizational setting are just two of the major areas where good writing skills within the conditions, confines, and standards of the social work profession are absolute necessities for success. The collaboratively editorial work of Warren Green (founder of the Writing Center at Columbia university School of Social Work) and Barbara Levy Simon (Associate Professor of Social Work, Columbia University School of Social Work), "The Columbia Guide To Social Work Writing" is a 336 page compendium designed to ensure that students in social work curriculums, practicing social workers in the field, and social work administrators both in government and in the private sector, adhere to the highest standards and make their writing as effective as possible. Fifteen articles contributed by experienced professionals are deftly organized into three major sections: The Foundations of Good Writing; Applied Professional Writing; and Writing in Distinct Fields of Practice. Enhanced with an informative introduction, copious notations, and a comprehensive index, "The Columbia Guide To Social Work Writing" is a seminal contribution and highly recommended addition to professional and academic library Writing Skills Studies in general, and Social Work Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists in particular.

Writers' & Artists' Guide To How To Write
Harry Bingham
Bloomsbury Press
175 Fifth Avenue, Suite 315, NY, NY 10010
www.bloomsbury.com
9781408157176, $22.95, www.amazon.com

Writing novels and non-fiction for publication is competitive, hard work, and requires a certain amount of talent combined with practical skill. Simply stated, "The Writers' and Artists' Guide to How to Write" by Harry Bingham (founder of the Writer's Workshop and the author of six successful novels) is an essential, practical, instructive, and thoroughly 'user friendly' guide for aspiring authors wanting to become good enough that their work will be published and their readership satisfied. Novice authors will learn the core skills necessary for effective storytelling including the creation of characters, prose style choices, and all of the diverse tools that can come into play with writing fiction and non-fiction. Of special note is the section on manuscript editing and getting help when needed. Practical, realistic, informed and informative, "The Writers' and Artists' Guide to How to Write" is especially recommended for novice writers, but will also prove an enduringly invaluable reference for even the more experienced author.

Elements of Fiction Writing: Conflict and Suspense
James Scott Bell
Writer's Digest Books
c/o F+W Media
4700 East Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236
9781599632735, $16.99, www.writersdigest.com

Elements of Fiction Writing: Conflict and Suspense teaches from the examples of successful novels and movies and offers keys to building tension and keeping readers involved in a plot. Writers will learn everything needed to spice a story, keep a plot vivid and engrossing, and come from a thriller author and writing instructor who teaches the basics of creating compelling scenes and characters and developing story lines that harness elements of conflict and suspense. No literary collection should be without this!

Shaping Text
Jan Middendrop
BIS Publishers
Het Sieraad, Postjesweg 1
1057 DT Amsterdam, The Netherlands
www.amazon.com
9789063692230, $39.00, www.bispublishers.nl

SHAPING TEXT is a key acquisition for any working with text in either electronic or print form: it gathers the works and approaches of an international team of designers and features work by Luca Barcellona, Blotto, Gray 318, Klaus Hesse and many more. Chapters cover the basics, from how we read and what fonts are eye-catching to type design, type modifications for the web, design strategies, and more. Designers, authors, publishers and any who use typography in their work receive in-depth surveys on how content is processed and how typeface selection affects readers in this highly recommended pick.

The Columbia Guide to Social Work Writing
Warren Green and Barbara Levy Simon
Columbia University Press
61 West 62nd Street
New York, NY 10023-7015
9780231142953, $34.50, www.cup.columbia.edu

The Columbia Guide to Social Work Writing is a pick for social workers and writing collections alike, offering a unique narrowed guide written by top scholars and educators on the topic of social work writing requirements. From a history of social work writing from the 1880s to modern times to strategies for academic papers and social work journals and research endeavors alike, this is packed with keys geared to specific fields of practice and blends observations on real-world experiences with clear assessments of the nature and effectiveness of social work writing.


The Needlecraft Shelf

First-Time Quiltmaking
Editorial Staff
Landauer Corporation
3100 NW 101st Street, Suite A
Urbandale, Iowa 50322
www.landauercorp.com
9781935726234, $21.95, www.amazon.com

Quilt making is one of the oldest needlecraft skills known, often producing coverings that were as practical as they were beautiful. In previous eras it was a skill passed down from mothers to their daughters, and even took place as a group activity by a community of women. In today's culture all too often those quilt making skills once enjoyed by former generations failed to make the transition to the present generation. That's way "First-Time Quiltmaking: Learning to Quilt in Six Easy Lessons" is such a valued and valuable instruction guide for the novice quilting student. Superbly illustrated throughout, the lessons include 'beginning basics', preparing the fabric, sewing accurate seams, assembling the quilt top, making the quilt sandwich, and finishing the quilt. Complete, accurate, 'user friendly', informed and informative, "First-Time Quiltmaking: Learning to Quilt in Six Easy Lessons" is highly recommended for personal and community library needlecraft reference collections.

Martingale
19021 Avenue NE
Bothell, WA 98011
www.shopmartingale.com

Linda Lum DeBono's SEW MERRY AND BRIGHT (9781604681802, $24.99) packs in over twenty festive holiday patterns from a popular designer and provides a handmade holiday collection with a host of ideas, from bright fireplace stockings and table runners to pillows and more. Any needleworker interested in brightening the home for the holidays will find this packed with lovely and fun projects perfect for all kinds of festive decor, and will appreciate the attention to weaving holiday themes into all kinds of seasonal celebrations. A pick for any needleworker looking for seasonal decoration ideas! Eva A. Larkin's EASY AND FUN FREE-MOTION QUILTING (9781604681840, $26.99) provides a fine guide to quilting with one block or area at a time, showing how to create eye-catching free-motion quilting. Six different frame styles that can be stitched in any quilt-block size without resizing are provided in a fine survey that teaches how to use frame designs alone and how to outline the frame or filler with stitching. With its patterns and keys to combining elements, this is a stop recommendation for any collection strong in quilting explorations. KNITTING THE CHILL AWAY (9781604680836, $26.99) packs in nearly forty knitting patterns for the entire family and covers everything from ponchos and socks to cardigans, classic yarns, and more. The focus on warm clothing for cold weather for the entire family allows knitters to craft a wide array of sweaters, hats and more, all in an array of appealing styles for men, women and child alike.


The Education Shelf

The Global School
William Kist
Solution Tree
555 North Morton Street
Bloomington, IN 47404
www.solution-tree.com
9781935543695, $24.95, www.amazon.com

Not only is the world is growing increasingly diverse, it is also increasingly interconnected thanks to continued advances in computer science and electronic communications. It is clear that if this and future generations of American students are to be able to compete in a globalized economy and interconnected political, cultural, and social environment, they will need to become proficient in dealing with an internationalized world. That's why "The Global School: Connecting Classrooms and Students Around the World" by academician and literacy educator William Kist is so timely. Teachers will be able to adapt and adopt curriculums that explore innovative ways to embrace globalization and connect K-12 classrooms and learners worldwide, understand the significant impact of the Common Core State Standards on instruction for 21st century skills, and identify applicable projects, strategies, and assessments to shift traditional classrooms into global education centers. Enhanced with the inclusion of a glossary of specialized terms, an extensive listing of references and resources, as well as a comprehensive index, "The Global School: Connecting Classrooms and Students Around the World" will prove an invaluable and appreciated addition to personal, professional, school academic library Education Resources collections and supplemental reading lists.

Getting to Graduation
Andrew P. Kelly & Mark Schnieder
The Johns Hopkins University Press
2715 North Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21218-4363
9781421406220, $45.00, www.press.jhu.edu

Completing education can often seem like quite the daunting task. "Getting to Graduation: The Completion Agenda in Higher Education" explores the completion agenda, the proposal laid out by President Obama as he seeks to drive the United States to become the most educated nation in the world by 2020, encouraging higher education. This endeavor holds many implications on the economic and political front, as well as the methods of post-secondary education. Andrew P. Kelly & Mark Schneider present a scholarly look at the educational future of America in these pursuits. "Getting to Graduation" is a must for educational studies collection or public policy discussion, enthusiastically recommended.

Try Reading Again
DeAnna Horstmeier
Woodbine House
6510 Bells Mill Road
Bethesda, MD 20817
9781606130285, $24.95, www.woodbinehouse.com

A love of reading is best begun early, but one can be turned off early too. "Try Reading Again: How to Motivate and Teach Older Beginners, Age 10 and Up" is a guide to encouraging young people to read when they have already given up on their own literacy, due to it being too hard or other distractions, struggles with language, learning disabilities, or otherwise. "Try Reading Again" is filled with activities and advice to help get through to potential readers to embrace it at any stage of their young lives, complete with expanded learning resources.

Dual-Language Learners
Angele Sancho Passe
Redleaf Press
10 Yorkton Court
St. Paul, MN 55117-1065
9781605541013, $24.95, www.redleafpress.org

Learning in two languages can be beneficial, but one must have a mastery over both. "Dual-Language Learners: Strategies for Teaching English" is an early childhood education advisory from Angele Sancho Passe, as she advises how youth educators can best provide for their students who are learning English along with the normal curriculum. With tips and wisdom on facing the challenges that come with such a child and plenty of activity ideas, "Dual-Language Learners" is a strong addition to education and teacher's reference collections.

Digital Connections with the Classroom
David Marcovitz
International Society for Technology in Education
180 West 8th Avenue, Suite 300
Eugene, OR 97401-2916
9781564843166, $31.95, www.iste.org

The internet has become vital to education. "Digital Connections with the Classroom" is a guide for educators and education professionals is better implementing digital connections within the classroom to better implement internet use, social media, Wikipedia, and other modern internet topics for use in the traditional educational process that will teach curriculum while promoting information literacy. "Digital Connections with the Classroom" is a strong addition to education and technology collections, especially those that seek to better integrate both with one another.

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

Marcia L. Tate's "SIT & GET" WON'T GROW DENDRITES (9781412999342, $34.95) appears in its second updated edition to provide professional learning strategies that engage adult learners. Here are twenty proven techniques in over a hundred professional learning activities that encourage educator participation and provide new findings on learning styles and adult learning. Samples of professional designs and job-embedded practices accompany sections on movement, storytelling approaches, peer coaching and strategic teaching techniques in a compendium recommended for any adult education holding. Laura Greenstein's ASSESSING 21ST CENTURY SKILLS: A GUIDE TO EVALUATING MASTERY AND AUTHENTIC LEARNING (9781452218014, $39.95) covers the Common Core Standards and how teachers can measure student skills such as creativity, problem solving and technology usage. It shows how teachers can teach and assess these skills and mixes in case studies combined with the best practices of education experts, producing a key to developing thinking and living skills in student publications. From rubrics and checklists to models for developing classroom assessments, this is a top pick for any educator's library. Joan Franklin Smutny, et.al.'s DISCOVERING AND DEVELOPING TALENTS IN SPANISH-SPEAKING STUDENTS (9781412996365, $36.95) provides teachers and leaders with the skills needed to uncover a Spanish-speaking child's abilities. Strategies for not only identifying talents but adapting tools to meet learning needs and connecting with parents make this a fine survey that also includes case histories from students and teachers alike, examples of communications with parents, and more. A 'must' for any teacher or school concerned with educating Spanish-speaking students. John Robert Browne II's WALKING THE EQUITY TALK: A GUIDE FOR CULTURALLY COURAGEOUS LEADERSHIP IN SCHOOL COMMUNITIES (9781412997812, $35.96) identifies a plan of action called Culturally Courageous Leadership and tells how it can help achieve equitable opportunities and outcomes for all students. From examples of what it takes to empower staff to tips on handling the politics when addressing issues of race, identity, poverty and more, this focus on equitable learning opportunities for all and common barriers to achieving them makes for an outstanding guide for any interested in the larger issues of the education process and community interactions. Teaching Matters Most: A School Leader's Guide to Improving Classroom Instruction by Thomas M. McCann, et.al. (9781452205106, $34.95) provides a three-step process that helps identify the elements of great teaching, provides tools for measuring instruction results against these elements, and offers further keys to achieving exceptional results in the classroom. Teachers will find this a fine tool for identifying classroom management techniques that will lead to success! Rekha S. Rajan's INTEGRATING THE PERFORMING ARTS IN GRADES K-5 (9781452203959, $34.95) provides a fine account linking classroom performance and aptitude to the performing arts, making a case for retaining the arts in an era of cost-cutting moves that would eliminate them. From how to connect the performing arts to all aspects of the curriculum to a host of activities that can be implemented immediately and easily in K-5 classrooms, this is packed with detailed lesson plans lined to the National Standards for Arts Education, and is a solid winner!


The Art Shelf

Wari: Lords of the Ancient Andes
Susan E. Bergh
Thames & Hudson
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500516560 $60.00 www.amazon.com

"Wari, Lords of the Ancient Andes" is a magnificent scholarly work published in conjunction with an exhibition organized by the Cleveland Museum of Art of 170 objects representative of the elite art accomplishment of the Wari, a pre-Columbian indigenous empire in south Central Peru that existed from AD 600 to AD 1000. The Wari are regarded as the first empire in the Andes, although much remains to be uncovered about their history. Essays by 13 eminent art historians and curators are included in "Wari, Lords of the Ancient Andes," as well as over 275 color and black and white illustrations of the many art objects, including tapestry-like textiles, elaborate, ornate ceramics and carved wooden containers, and stone, pottery and other media creations. Because the Wari did not leave a written legacy, their artistic creations of valuable art objects were crucial to preserve and communicate important or sacred cultural information. The Wari are regarded as important ancestors of the later Incas, and as such their influence and culture is of great significance to future understanding of this great regional cultural legacy. "Wari, Lords of the Ancient Andes" is also a tribute to the massive effort to organize the featured exhibit, containing items from collections in Canada, Europe, Peru, and the United States. "Wari, Lords of the Ancient Andes" is an important document, sampling the collected knowledge that underlies this fascinating exhibition.

Seekers and Travellers
Gary Wyatt, author
Douglas & McIntyre
2323 Quebec Street, Suite 201
Vancouver, BC, Canada V5T 4S7
University of Washington Press
P.O. Box 50096, Seattle, WA 98145
www.douglas-mcintyre.com www.washington.edu/uwpress
9780295992372 $29.95, www.amazon.com

"Seekers and Travellers: Contemporary Art of the Pacific Northwest Coast" is a stunning collection studies of contemporary art works by Northwest indigenous artists, mostly from western coastal parts of British Columbia, Canada. Impeccably presented, each photograph is displayed against a black background on one page, while the facing page displays the title of the work, name of the artist, tribal origin, complete with media and dimensions description. The artist composed a further description of the origin and significance of the art work, with additional native traditional tales, stories or cultural thoughts. The artworks are grouped into Traditional, Cross-cultural, and Contemporary categories and chapters. At the end are artist biographies of 35 selected artists represented in "Seekers and Travellers." The beauty of this sensitive and expressive collection of contemporary indigenous art is not only its authenticity of origin and design but also its representation of outside interaction and cross cultural stimulation derived from (global) awareness of other indigenous groups and traditions. In the informative introduction, aboriginal art is defined as follows: "Arguably, aboriginal art is defined as a continuous representation of a place and history, and these artistic forms might be viewed as a new way to document tribal history. There is no agreement, however, on how to preserve these cultural traditions: some believe individual groups should remain separate (from each other and from non-aboriginals) to preserve their uniqueness, whereas others believe it is important to stay current and modern by embracing all new ideas...Thanks to new technologies, artists can be based in their home communities and still keep up with trends and ideas, galleries and collectors in urban centres around the world (p. 6)." Further discussion reveals common themes in contemporary First Nations art, such as respect for and interaction with the environment and representation of modern environmental protection issues, plus use of more modern materials including metals, glass, and others, and finally the use of formline design, including ovoids, U and split-U forms, T-forms and S forms (skeletal or muscular derivative). Thus this collection represents a vanguard of artistic interpretations using traditionally sourced cultural interpretations and ideas in formline design with contemporary emphasis on issues, mediums, and expressions, including a melding of influences. "Seekers and Travellers" is a fabulous contemporary art collection book, filled with rich contributions of art creations and their descriptions by a talented trove of First Nations artists. Some of the artists whose works are represented in "Seekers and Travellers" include, Richard Adkins, Eugene Alfred, Joe David, Chuck Heit (Ya Ya), Richard, Shawn, and Tom Hunt, Isabel Rorick, Teri Rofkar, Dempsey Bob, Susan Point and Tim Paul. One of the striking artworks represented is the Chilkat Moon, 2006, by Wayne Alfred; a carved, painted wooden mask in alder and acrylic paint, commonly danced as of the ancestor Emos, who observes family relationships and approves ceremonies and watches information transmitted from one generation to the next (p.52-53).

The Early Durer
Daniel Hess & Thomas Eser
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, NY, NY 10110-0017
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500970379, $65.00, www.amazon.com

Albrecht Durer (21 May 1471 - 6 April 1528) was a German painter, printmaker, mathematician, and theorist from Nuremberg. His prints established his reputation across Europe when he was still in his twenties, and he has been conventionally regarded as the greatest artist of the Northern Renaissance ever since. His vast body of work includes altarpieces and religious works, numerous portraits and self-portraits, and copper engravings. His woodcuts, such as the Apocalypse series (1498), retain a more Gothic flavour than the rest of his work. His well-known works include the Knight, Death, and the Devil (1513), Saint Jerome in his Study (1514) and Melencolia I (1514), which has been the subject of extensive analysis and interpretation. His watercolours mark him as one of the first European landscape artists, while his ambitious woodcuts revolutionized the potential of that medium. Durer's introduction of classical motifs into Northern art, through his knowledge of Italian artists and German humanists, has secured his reputation as one of the most important figures of the Northern Renaissance. This is reinforced by his theoretical treatises, which involve principles of mathematics, perspective and ideal proportions. "The Early Durer" is a superbly illustrated, 656 page compendium compiled and organized by Germanisches Nationalmuseum curators Daniel Hess and Thomas Eser that showcases the artistic genius of Albrecht Durer. Featuring no less than eighteen informed and informative essays by experts in their fields, as well as appendices including 'Materials for a Durer matrix from 1471 to 1505' by Thomas Eser, an extensive bibliography, a roster of primary sources, a listing of works by Albrecht Durer, an index of persons and another of places, and Sebastian Gulden's article 'Durer's Neighborhood", making "The Early Durer" a seminal work of impressive scholarship and a very highly recommended addition to personal, community, and academic library Art History reference collections.

Into the Light: The Healing Art of Kalman Aron
Susan Beilby Magee
Hudson Hills Press
PO Box 205, Manchester, VT 05254
9781555953850, $50.00, www.hudsonhills.com

Into the Light: The Healing Art of Kalman Aron profiles the works of an artist who has been highly collected around the world, and comes from a Holocaust survivor who works in varied media to produce all kinds of images, from portraits and drawings of children to abstracts. This gathers his images and provides a powerful testimony to artistic survival in the face of catastrophe, and will prove an outstanding survey for any arts collection; especially collections strong in Holocaust survivor achievement.


The Computer Shelf

Addison-Wesley/Pearson
c/o Pearson Technology Group
801 East 96th Street, #300
Indianapolis, IN 46240-3759
www.informit.com/aw

Kenneth S. Rubin's ESSENTIAL SCRUM: A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO THE MOST POPULAR AGILE PROCESS (9780137043293, $44.99) provides a fine single-source reference and comes from a leading Scrum coach and trainer who illuminates the values and practices of Scrum. It uses Rubin's experience helping hundreds of organizations succeed with Scrum and provides managers and team members alike a working knowledge of Scrum and keys to applying it to common business pursuits. Any software engineering collection will find this a fine pick! Suzanne Robertson and James Robertson's third updated edition of MASTERING THE REQUIREMENTS PROCESS: GETTING REQUIREMENTS RIGHT (9780432815743, $64.99) offers up one of the best books on requirements in print, offering a detailed, industry-proven process for verifying requirements no matter what the project. From the Volere requirements process and a specification template that can be used for fine-tuning requirements specs to checklists to help identify stakeholders and users, this new edition also includes strategy guides for implementing requirements and outsourcing, the Brown Cow model for clarifying viewpoints, using story cards as requirements, and much more. Any software reference or business holding will find this a key acquisition!

Maintainable Javascript
Nicholas C. Zakas
O'Reilly & Associates, Inc.
1005 Gravenstein, Hwy N.
Sebastopol, CA 95472-2811
9781449327682, $34.99, www.oreilly.com

Maintainable Javascript: Writing Readable Code is a pick for any Javascript or web development collection and provides a strong collection of best practices from a tech leader at Yahoo! Chapters provide techniques to help teams function at a higher level by establishing specific code conversions, using tools to keep a team on track, using a range of utilities, and more, and offer an array of techniques for writing maintainable code that can be easily adapted. The result is a 'must' for any Javascript reference library looking to improve coding.

Que
c/o Pearson Technology Group
801 East 96th Street, #300
Indianapolis, IN 46240-3759
www.quepublishing.com

Steve Johnson's ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR CS6 ON DEMAND (9780789749352, $34.99) includes online workshops, over 500 key Illustrator CS6 tasks, full-color screenshots and demos, and step-by-step keys to using Illustrator CS6, from editing gradients and setting live paint bucket tool options to changing fonts, editing graphic styles, and creating merging paths with the brush tool. This collection of advanced processes proves relatively simple and straightforward using this handbook, which is a 'must' for any new to Adobe Illustrator CS6 who wants to make the most of the program. The same successful formula applies to Steve Johnson's ADOBE INDESIGN CS6 ON DEMAND (9780789749345, $34.99), a guide packed with online workshops, resources for the certified exam, over 500 inDesign CS6 common applications and issues, and more. Chapters pack in details designed for quick reference and offer a step-by-step reference packed with all the basics, moving to advanced functions that will prove easy to handle with the wealth of background lessons applied here. Steve Johnson's OSX MOUNTAIN LION ON DEMAND, 2ND EDITION (9780789749901, $34.99) provides a fine visual step-by-step format filled with color illustrations and easy directions, and teaches all the basics behind the OS X Mountain Lion user interface. From using the App Store and talking online to managing schedules, posting content to various popular networks, and using Windows along with Mountain Lion, this comes packed with color screen shots and step-by-step 'how to' directions and is a 'must'.


The Crafts Shelf

The Spirit of Bead Embroidery
Heidi Kummli
Kalmbach Publishing Company
21027 Crossroads Circle, Waukesha, WI 53186
9780871164384, $21.95, www.kalmbachbooks.com

The Spirit of Bead Embroidery offers techniques and insights into an approach to beaded embroidery and considers the symbolic meaning of animal totems, colors and gemstones in the process. Some thirteen lovely projects range from necklaces to earrings and rings, with a gallery of work by some 19 bead embroidery artists providing inspiration. Any collection strong in jewelry-making in general and beading in particular will find this an outstanding guide.


The Agriculture Shelf

The Global Farms Race
Michael Kugelman & Susan L. Levenstein
Island Press
1718 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 300
Washington, DC 20009-1148
9781610911870, $25.00, www.islandpress.org

Food is an incredibly important resource that is often all too underrated when discussing global politics. "The Global Farms Race: Land Grabs, Agricultural Investment, and the Scramble for Food Security" discusses the place that food and agriculture have when discussing worldwide current events. Michael Kugelman & Susan L. Levenstein edit a gathering of many writers offering scholarly opinion on these ideals, presenting a history of food's impact, the environment, and how the world can move to a more harmonious decision for the world. "The Global Farms Race" is a must for environmental studies and international studies collections, highly recommended.

Innovation in Healthy and Functional Foods
Dilip Ghosh, et al.
CRC Press
6000 NW Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300
Boca Raton, FL 33487
www.crcpress.com
9781439862674, $139.95, www.amazon.com

Over the past few decades there has been a decided shift of emphasis from improving food safety and enhancing food taste to the provision of healthy and functional foods for today's consumers. The demand is for foods that include not only basic nutrition, but also will promote better health and even prevent or ameliorate disease. The editorial collaboration of Dilip Ghosh, Shantanu Das, Debasis Bagchi, and R.B. Smarta, "Innovation in Healthy and Functional Foods" is a 616 page compendium thirty-four major articles by experts in the diverse fields providing insight and overviews of developments in the international food industry ranging from food safety and regulation innovations, to marketing trends, consumer perspectives and reactions, technological developments in food production and preservation, advances in functional food ingredients, and more. Of special note is the extended section on 'Future Trends' ranging from food tourism, to nanotechnologies, to the environmental sustainability of local food production. Informed and informative, enhanced with a comprehensive index, and a collective example of impressive, seminal scholarship, "Innovation in Healthy and Functional Foods" is strongly recommended as an essential, core addition to professional, governmental, corporate, and academic library Food Product Development reference collections and supplemental reading lists.


The Economic Studies Shelf

The Endless Crisis
John Bellamy Foster & Robert W. McChesney
Monthly Review Press
146 West 29th Street, Suite 6W
New York, NY 10001
9781583673133, $24.95, www.monthlyreview.org

The business of money has some very fierce problems it creates. "The Endless Crisis: How Monopoly-Finance Capital Produces Stagnation and Upheaval from the USA to China" discusses the financial industry and its effects on the economy as a whole. Defining the problem, the monopoly that has risen, political pressures, and with a focus on the big role that America and China play in the global economies future. "The Endless Crisis" is written by professors of sociology and communications, offering important insights on this conflict and its weight on the future of our world, and proves to be very much enthusiastically recommended reading for economics and international issues collections.


The Jobs/Career Shelf

The Safe Hiring Manual
Lester S. Rosen
Facts On Demand, Inc.
c/o Infobase Publishing
132 West 31st Street, 17th Floor
New York, NY 10001
9781889150598, $24.95, www.factsonfile.com

Hiring an employee is inviting them into your business, and implies a certain level of trust. "The Safe Hiring Manual: The Complete Guide to Employment Screening Background Checks for Employers, Recruiters, and Jobseekers" is a reference guide for employers on how to more effectively scan their potential employees for problems, such as finding up to date criminal records, background checks, and optimizing the hiring process in general. A core and highly useful resource, "The Safe Hiring Manual" is a strong addition to business management collections.


The Large Print Shelf

Snuff
Terry Pratchett
F.A. Thorpe Publishing
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230
West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
9781444811599 $35.50 www.ulverscroftusa.com

Now available in an excellent hardbound, large print edition perfect for public libraries or nearsighted individuals, Snuff is Terry Pratchett's latest novel set in the chaotic Discworld, a fantastic land "at the far end of the probability curve." Following the stalwart Commander Sam Vimes of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch during his countryside vacation, Snuff takes a dark turn as the bodies of victims abruptly turn up - en masse. Vimes must confront a horrendous ancient crime worse than murder, but no matter how far he may be over his head, Vimes is relentless in his pursuit of justice. If his wits, his jurisdiction, and his bacon sandwich rations fail him, he still has his predatory sense of cunning, an indispensable asset in a world where humans are only one of many predators! As engaging, witty, and caustically sardonic as the rest of the Discworld novels, as well as carrying on the series' trademark of high accessibility (Discworld novels tend to be relatively independent stories, and readers who are new to the series can begin with any book and not feel lost or confused), Snuff is highly recommended and thoroughly worthy of Pratchett's worldwide popularity!

The Street
Kay Brellend
Magna
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230
West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
9780750535786, $35.50, www.ulverscroftusa.com

We can only hurt the ones we love so much until they hurt us back. "The Street" is a family drama from Kay Brellend, as she tells the story of troubled Alice Keiver as she tries to make a better life for herself and her siblings under an abusive mother and uncle. But she has a breaking point, and when it's reached, the Keiver family will never be the same. Presented in large print for those with sight difficulties, "The Street" is a riveting read that won't be easy to put down, much recommended.


The Martial Arts Shelf

Scaling Force
Rory Miller & Lawrence A. Kane
YMAA Publications
PO Box 480
Wolfeboro, NH 03894-0480
9781504302504, $18.95, www.ymaa.com

It's not wise to respond to an insult with a bullet. "Scaling Force: Dynamic Decision-Making Under Threat of Violence" is a martial arts and self-defense guide from Rory Miller & Lawrence A. Kane as they offer advisory on better dealing with hostile situations we often run into, and suggesting how to best measure the situation and responding accordingly. "Scaling Force" is strongly recommended for anyone whose life commonly takes them into difficult situations where important decisions must be made, from body language to when deadly force is necessary.


The Library Science Shelf

Grassroots Library Advocacy
Lauren Comito, et al.
ALA Editions
c/o American Library Association
50 East Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611
www.alastore.ala.org
9780838911341, $40.00, www.amazon.com

Libraries, be they school libraries, public libraries, or university libraries, are the cornerstones of an informed public and a vital necessity for the cultural, educational, and economic advancement of the communities they serve. All too often libraries are the first victims when hard times reduce their revenues or social/cultural conflicts break out. Any library's first line of defense are the men and women who recognize the importance and value of the library. Whether as interested individuals or members of a 'Friends of the Library' group, or a library staff member with the responsibility of marshaling community support, "Grassroots Library Advocacy" by the team of Lauren Comito, Aliqae Geraci, and Christian Zabriskie, will prove to be a valued source of instructive information and examples covering everything from starting a library support movement from scratch, to effective messaging and raising a library's profile, to the 'nuts & bolts' of advocacy. Informed, informative, and thoroughly 'user friendly', "Grassroots Library Advocacy" should be in the reference collection of every library in every community, school, or university in the country.

The Tibrarian Handbook
Christine Varachi
Upstart Books
PO Box 14410
Madison, WI 53708-0410
9781602130630, $17.95, www.highsmith.com

A library is just another place to learn for many young people. "The Tibrarian Handbook: A Teacher-Librarian's Guide to Transforming the Library into a Center of Learning" is a guide for librarians who want to follow the path of the teaching librarian as she suggests how to advise students to foster their own love of learning with the help of the books and newer library resources that have come to light in recent years. With plenty of advice for librarians to enhance the learning experience libraries can provide, "The Tibrarian Handbook" is a must for library science and education collections, highly recommended.


The Language Studies Shelf

Grammar in Plain English, fifth edition
Harriet Diamond, M.A. and Phyllis Dutwin, M.A.
Barron's
250 Wireless Boulevard
Hauppauge, NY 11788
9780764147869 $14.99 www.barronseduc.com

Now in an expanded fifth edition, Grammar in Plain English is an easy-to-follow, user-friendly instructional manual, especially ideal for adults preparing themselves for the GED, students learning English as a second language, and as a classroom text for remedial English courses. The twenty-two lessons cover the parts of the sentence, descriptive phrases, pronouns and punctuation, capitalization and spelling, basic writing skills for essays, and much more. Each lesson has pages of practice exercises and an answer key. An index rounds out this extremely helpful "hands-on" reference and resource.


The Environmental Studies Shelf

Land Of Extremes
Alex Huryn & John Hobbie
Snowy Owl Books
c/o University of Alaska Press
PO Box 756240, Fairbanks, AK 99775-6240
www.uaf.edu/uapress
9781602231818, $29.95, www.amazon.com

The only arctic tundra in the United States is the North Slope of Alaska. The collaborative work of Professor Alex Huryn (Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama - Tuscaloosa) and academician John Hobbie (Senior Scholar at the Ecosystems Center, marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Massachusetts), "Land of Extremes: A Natural History of the Arctic North Slope of Alaska" is a 356 page compendium covering the geological history, flora, and fauna of this arctic region from the Pleistocene era through the mid-twentieth century. Of special note is an appendix providing the reader with a framework for a tour of North Slope natural history features along the Dalton Highway running between the Brooks Range with Prudhoe Bay and the Arctic Ocean. Superbly illustrated with color photography throughout, "Land of Extremes: A Natural History of the Arctic North Slope of Alaska" is informed, informative, a seminal work of impressive scope and scholarship, and a core addition to professional and academic library Environmental Studies reference collections in general, and North Slope Alaskan Studies supplemental reading lists in particular.

Major Soil Groups
Jean-Paul Legros
CRC Press
6000 NW Broken Sound Parkway NW, #300
Boca Raton, FL 33487
www.crcpress.com
9781578087839, $139.95, www.amazon.com

Ably translated from French by V.A.K. Sarma, "Major Soil Groups of the World: Ecology, Genesis, Properties and Classification" by agricultural scientist and academician Jean-Paul Legros is a 478 page compendium descriptively and analytically surveying all of the principle categories of planetary soil. Profusely illustrated throughout with photos and diagrams, "Major Soil Groups" is exhaustively comprehensive, informed, informative, superbly organized and a model of seminal scholarship making it ideal as a curriculum textbook and highly recommended for professional academic library Agricultural Science and Environmental Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.


The Genealogy Shelf

Jamestown People To 1800
Martha W. McCartney
Genealogical Publishing Company
3600 Clipper Mill Road, Suite 260
Baltimore, MD 21211
www.genealogical.com
9780806318721, $39.95, www.amazon.com

Jamestown was a settlement in the Colony of Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in the Americas. Established by the Virginia Company of London as "James Fort" on May 14, 1607 (O.S., May 24, 1607 N.S.), it followed several earlier failed attempts, including the Lost Colony of Roanoke. Jamestown served as the capital of the colony for 83 years (from 1616 until 1699). The settlement was located within the territory of a political entity known as Tsenacommacah, the state of the Powhatan Confederacy, with around 14,000 native inhabitants, and specifically was in part of the subdivision known as the Paspahegh tribe. The natives initially welcomed the colonists with dancing, feasting and tobacco ceremonies, and they provided crucial provisions and support for the survival of the colonists, who were not agriculturally inclined, although relations with the newcomers also soured fairly early on, leading to the total annihilation of the Paspahegh in warfare within 3 years. Within a year of Jamestown's founding, the Virginia Company brought Polish and Dutch colonists to help improve the settlement. In 1619, the first documented Africans were brought to Jamestown, though the modern conception of slavery in the future United States did not begin in Virginia until 1660. When the colony was subdivided into the original eight shires of Virginia in 1634, the town became located in the eponymous James City Shire. In 1699, the capital was relocated from Jamestown to what is today Williamsburg, after which Jamestown ceased to exist as a settlement, existing today only as an archaeological site. "Jamestown People to 1800: Landowners, Public Officials, Minorities, and Native Leaders" by author and Jamestown expert Martha W. McCartney is a 556 page compendium providing succinct one-paragraph biographies of key members of the Jamestown population, including landowners, public officials, African-Americans, and Native Americans. An impressive and seminal work of research and scholarship, "Jamestown People to 1800: Landowners, Public Officials, Minorities, and Native Leaders" is recommended as a core addition to academic library Virginia History studies in general, and Jamestown Genealogical resource collections in particular.


The International Studies Shelf

International Studies
Sheldon Anderson, et al.
Westview Press
c/o Pegasus Book Group
2465 Central Avenue, Boulder, CO 80301
www.westviewpress.com
9780813345888, $55.00. www.amazon.com

The collaborative effort of Sheldon Anderson (Professor of History and International Studies, Miami University), Jeanne A.K. Hey (Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, University of New England), Mark Allen Peterson (Professor of Anthropology and International Studies, Miami University), and Stanley W. Toops (Associate Professor of Geography and International Studies, Miami University), "International Studies: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Global Issues" is a 488 page compendium comprising a seminal and interdisciplinary approach to the global issues within the global context of today's 'networked world'. Now in a thoroughly updated and significantly expanded second edition, "International Studies" includes significant events of the past four years (including the global financial crisis), new coverage of South Asia, a perspective on the Sudan, and new information on global population. A seminal work of simply outstanding scholarship, "International Studies" is strongly recommended for professional, governmental, and academic library Contemporary International Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Ethnicity In Zimbabwe
Enocent Msindo
University of Rochester Press
668 Mt. Hope Avenue, Rochester, NY 14472
www.urpress.com
9781580464185, $99.00, www.amazon.com

Zimbabwe (officially the Republic of Zimbabwe) is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest (making this area a quadripoint) and Mozambique to the east. The capital is Harare. Zimbabwe achieved recognized independence from Britain in April 1980, following a 14-year period as an unrecognized state under the predominantly white minority government of Rhodesia, which unilaterally declared independence in 1965. Rhodesia briefly reconstituted itself as black-majority ruled Zimbabwe Rhodesia in 1979, but this order failed to gain international acceptance. Zimbabwe has three official languages: English, Shona and Ndebele. The country today equivalent to Zimbabwe was first demarcated by the British South Africa Company in the late 19th century; it became the self-governing colony of Southern Rhodesia in 1923. President Robert Mugabe is the head of State and Commander in Chief of the armed forces. Morgan Tsvangirai is the Prime Minister. Mugabe has been in power since the country's internationally recognized independence in 1980. The newest addition to the outstanding 'Rochester Studies in African History and the Diaspora" series from University of Rochester Press, "Ethnicity in Zimbabwe: Transformations in Kalanga and Ndebele Societies, 1860-1990" by Enocent Msindo (Senior Lecturer in History, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa) is a 374 page comparative study of two large Zimbabwian ethnic groups beginning with the establishment of the Inyati mission station in what was then the Ndebele Kingdom, down to the late 20th Century post-colonial period. A seminal work of impressive investigative scholarship, "Ethnicity in Zimbabwe" is a critically important and highly recommended addition to academic library African History Studies reference collections in general, and Zimbabwe History supplemental reading lists in particular.


The Native American Studies Shelf

The Mankato Reconciliation Powwow
Loren Dean Boutin
North Star Press of St. Cloud, Inc.
P.O. Box 451, St. Cloud, MN 56302
9780878396290 $19.95 www.northstarpress.com

"The Mankato Reconciliation Powwow" is a complete gathering of accurate information about the cause for and formation of the tradition of the Mankato reconciliation powwow, begun in 1972 to begin to help heal some of the wounds caused by the U. S. government hanging execution of 38 Dakota warriors in August of 1862. Filled with color photos of founders and dancers, participants from the last 40 years, "The Mankato Reconciliation Powwow" presents a respectful but powerful case for continuing the effort of reconciliation between the dominant culture and First Nation Dakota descendants. A brief summary from the Epilogue continues: "...Where there is grief and loss, there is also room for strength and healing...The wrongs committed in 1862 before, during, and after the War were committed by both sides of the War and have not been completely corrected. They cannot be, but the genocidal acts of the United States against the American Indians and the slaughter of the settlers are history and must be put behind us. They should not be forgotten, but they must not be allowed to continue to cause pain (p.112)." The author continues to explain that the present goal and challenge for descendants of both races and sides of the conflict is to eliminate hatred, bigotry and turmoil, and also to make peace within ourselves. This begins with acknowledging terrible errors of the past and present, and proceeding to learn to live in harmony. "The Mankato Reconciliation Powwow" is an exceptional documenting of the ongoing effort to celebrate this need for acknowledgement and healing that is celebrated at this annual event, taking place in the community where the original executions occurred. Many of the influential founders of the original Powwow of 1972 are now retiring (including Bud Lawrence and Jim Buckley), so this book also serves as a memorial to their and others' valuable contributions and efforts at creating harmony, peace, understanding, and forgiveness.


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Diane C. Donovan, Editor
Midwest Book Review
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Oregon, WI 53575-1129
phone: 1-608-835-7937
e-mail: mbr@execpc.com
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