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Table of Contents
Reviewer's Choice
Resurgence of Global Populism
Karyne E. Messina, EdD
Routledge
https://www.routledge.com
9781032064512, $39.95 (softcover)
https://www.amazon.com/Resurgence-Global-Populism-Psychoanalytic-Identification/dp/103206451X
Resurgence of Global Populism: A Psychoanalytic Study of Projective Identification, Blame-Shifting and the Corruption
of Democracy will engage college students and adults interested in the connections between political and psychological
processes, and is recommended both for individual study and classroom assignment for standout discussion.
Author Karyne E. Messina considers the driving forces for the emergence and propagation of populism, closely examining
the logic from which corrupt systems evolve and are promoted and fostered. Her examination moves from country to
country as it considers the circumstances, appearance, and propagation of populism in Asia, Europe, and the U.S., drawing
important connections and comparisons between the politics and people of different nations of the world. This approach
allows for an analysis that juxtaposes cultural and social influences on political processes, following how the psyches of
nations and individuals are influenced by populist thinking.
Important connections are drawn between the emergence of repressive laws and the underlying intentions and perceptions
of the politicians and lawmakers involved. One such case cited is Austria's banning of headscarves in the name of
protection and altruistic perceptions. These types of laws, whether well-meaning or stemming from ignorance, hold
wide-ranging ramifications. Messina's attention to defining and identifying circumstances of populist behavior in various
world communities and populations moves between legal and political choices and their impacts, drawing connections that
help readers understand how the hearts and minds of the public are affected.
While Trump's actions and representations are a primary focus, she places his politics and brand of beliefs within larger
perspective, exploring his psychological manipulations and approaches and their impact on the world.
From national histories of democratic efforts and struggles to individual responses and choices, Messina goes beyond
identifying problems -- by providing possible solutions concerned readers can undertake to address the effects populist
trends have on their own mental health. One such opportunity lies in fine-tuning the pervasive influence of social media.
Messina's ability to move from bigger-picture and global thinking to individual choice in reactions and actions offers hope.
It ultimately empowers readers to not just better understand the methodology and circumstances of populist influences and
efforts, but to identify and mitigate these effects.
In essence, Messina advocates for readers to cultivate a sense of resilience, whether when dealing with an authoritarian
ruler or negotiating social media minefields. The result is a powerful blend of history, social and political inspection, and
psychological investigation that operate on both a global and individual level to provide readers with food for thought and
tools for response.
Much more than a Trump-centric analysis, it places this man's influence and the wellsprings of his approaches into a larger
picture of threat readers would do well to better understand. While college-level library collections strong in social,
psychological and political issues will be the target audience of this book, ideally it will not reside idly on a library's shelf,
but will be chosen for classroom assignment and by discussion groups interested in considering and debating the forces of
global populism's rise and effects on society and individuals alike.
The Weekly War
Chris Dubbs, author
Carolyn Edy, author
University of North Texas Press
1155 Union Circle #311336, Denton, TX 76203-5017
www.untpress.unt.edu
9781574418927, $34.95, HC, 336pp
https://www.amazon.com/Weekly-War-Saturday-Evening-Reported/dp/1574418920
Synopsis: An elite team of reporters brought the Great War home each week to ten million readers of the Saturday Evening
Post. As America's largest circulation magazine of the era, the Post hired the nation's best-known and best-paid writers to
cover World War I.
With the publication of "The Weekly War: How the Saturday Evening Post Reported World War I" co-authors and
historians Chris Dubbs and Carolyn Edy provide a history of the unique record Post storytellers created of World War I,
the distinct imprint the Post made on the field of war reporting, and the ways in which Americans witnessed their first
world war.
"The Weekly War" includes representative articles from across the span of the conflict, with Professors Chris Dubbs and
Carolyn Edy complementing these works with essays about the history and significance of the magazine, the war, and the
writers.
By the start of the Great War, the Saturday Evening Post had become the most successful and influential magazine in the
United States, a source of entertainment, instruction, and news, as well as a shared experience. World War I served as a
four-year experiment in how to report a modern war. The news-gathering strategies and news-controlling practices
developed in this war were largely duplicated in World War II and later wars.
Over the course of some thousand articles by some of the most prolific writers of the era, the Saturday Evening Post played
an important role in the evolution of war reporting during World War I.
Critique: A fascinating and seminal study, "The Weekly War: How the Saturday Evening Post Reported World War I" is
informative enhanced with numerous illustrations, fourteen pages of Endnotes, a twelve page Selected Bibliography, and
an eight page Index. While also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $27.96), "The Weekly
War: How the Saturday Evening Post Reported World War I" is a singularly unique and very strongly recommended
addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library 20th Century Journalism History and World War I
collections, as well as college and university supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Chris Dubbs (https://untpress.unt.edu/authors/dubbs-chris) is editor of American Women Report World
War I and co-editor of The AEF in Print: An Anthology of American Journalism in World War I.
Editorial Note #2: Carolyn Edy (https://untpress.unt.edu/authors/edy-carolyn) is the author of The Woman Correspondent,
the U.S. Military, and the Press, 1846-1947. She is an associate professor of journalism at Appalachian State
University.
Using Computers Effectively
Debojit Acharjee
Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
4501 Forbes Blvd., Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
www.rowman.com
9781475868791, $90.00, HC, 168pp
https://www.amazon.com/Using-Computers-Effectively-Teachers-Knowledge/dp/1475868790
Synopsis: What we can do today with computers was not possible just a couple of decades ago. As the price versus
computing power of desktop computers became increasingly reasonable, using a desktop computer for everyday use has
become possible for everyone. There was a time when there wasn't much internet speed and computing power to do much
like HD gaming and video streaming, which have become as easy as pie these days.
That's why "Using Computers Effectively: How Teachers and Students Can Improve Their Knowledge and Practice" by
Debojit Acharjee was written, organized and presented in such a way that it will give overall knowledge about today's
computer technology and how it can be used for education .
"Using Computers Effectively" contains all the fundamentals related to computer hardware and software that could be
useful for almost anyone who is interested in learning computers. However, the last chapter of this instructional guide and
reference is mainly for students and teachers. Of special note is the final chapter with information about using various
types of apps and internet resources for doing homework and teaching.
Critique: Comprehensive, informative and thoroughly 'user friendly', "Using Computers Effectively: How Teachers and
Students Can Improve Their Knowledge and Practice" is the ideal DIY 'how to' introduction to utilizing the computer
today and is especially recommended textbook for highschool, community, and college Introduction to Computing
curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the
subject that "Using Computers Effectively" is also available in a paperback edition (9781475868807, $35.00) and in a
digital book format (Kindle, $33.25).
Editorial Note: Debojit Acharjee (https://muckrack.com/debojit-acharjee) is a computer professional and enthusiast. He is
also a writer and has written many articles on computer technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), blockchain, DevOps,
Python, etc. He can be followed on Twitter @debojitacharjee
The Writing/Publishing Shelf
Get Your Book Seen and Sold
Claudine Wolk, author
Julie Murkette, author
Lost Valley Press
http://lostvalleypress.com
9781935874447, $14.99, PB, 122pp
https://www.amazon.com/Get-Your-Book-Seen-Sold/dp/1935874446
Synopsis: With modern computer software it is easier than ever to publish a book, but many authors find out too late about
the actual work that book marketing required by the author to be done in order to achieve sizable (and profitable) book
sales. Instead of embracing the opportunities to promote their books, many authors are intimidated and simply shut
down.
But with the publication of "Get Your Book Seen and Sold: The Essential Book Marketing and Publishing Guide" by co-
authors and book marketing specialists Claudine Wolk and Julie Murkette those days are over! This is the combination
instructional guide and 'how-to' many that novice authors must utilize in order to give their books the best chance to be
seen and sold in a highly competitive marketplace.
An essential, easy-to-understand guide offering graphs, examples and exercises to learn, "Get Your Book Seen And Sold"
covers: The fundamentals of book marketing: Message, Audience, and Hook; The breadth of book marketing options and
how they work, presented with examples; How to create a list of media contacts and develop a pitch that will reach them;
How to develop a doable book marketing plan; How to develop media kit items for their book publicity efforts: Press
Release, Author Bio, Sell Sheet, etc.; The types of book reviews and how to get them; The best social media channels for
promoting books; The best places to spend book promotion dollars; Why book distribution is a crucial part of book
marketing -- and so much more!
Critique: Informative, comprehensive, and thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presented, "Get Your Book Seen
and Sold: The Essential Book Marketing and Publishing Guide" is an ideal and invaluable resource for aspiring, published
authors who are new to the publishing industry and the effective promotion, publicity, marketing, and selling of books to
their intended readerships, as well as bookstore placements and library acquisitions. With a great deal of value as a
refresher resource for even the more experience author, "Get Your Book Seen and Sold" is a critically important and highly
recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, university Writing/Publishing collections and
supplemental Writer's Workshop curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note #1: Claudine Wolk (www.ClaudineWolk.com) is a published author, journalist, podcast host and book
marketing coach. Her first book, "It Gets Easier and Other Lies We Tell New Mothers", (Harper Collins) is translated into
three languages and was released as an audio book in November 2022.
Editorial Note #2: Julie Murkette (https://www.juliemurkette.com) is passionate about words and the ways they can be
combined to transmit complex transformative ideas. She began her career while still in college as the founder of
Womanchild Press, publishing chapbooks and an annual poetry magazine using a 19th century treadle-operated letterpress.
Later, she established Satya House Publications, which has published numerous fiction and non-fiction trade books, as
well as the award-winning series of bilingual picture books.Julie also provides a range of creative services to writers and
small publishers.
The One-Idea Rule
Mark Rennella
Matt Holt Books
c/o BenBella Books
www.benbellabooks.com
9781637743980, $19.95, PB, 208pp
https://www.amazon.com/One-Idea-Rule-Efficient-Improve-Writing/dp/163774398X
Synopsis: Focused on a simple principle and designed to bolster writers' confidence and skills, writing coach at Harvard
Business School, with the publication of "The One-Idea Rule: An Efficient Way to Improve Your Writing at School and
Work", Mark Rennella offers practical advice for students, novice writers, and aspiring authors -- with the specific goal of
leveling the playing field between beginners and those with more experience.
After a 30-year career as a writer, instructor, and editor, Mark Rennella has crafted a battle-tested method to help students
and young professionals who want to improve their writing. It called the One-Idea Rule and is anchored on the assertion
that every component of a successful piece of writing should express only one idea.
With "The One-Idea Rule", readers embarking on their adult lives and professional journeys as writers will have a reliable
methodology they can easily remember and count on for all of their writing tasks, as well as increased confidence about the
cogency of their writing and its potential for impact in the public sphere.
Most advice about writing looks like a long laundry list of dos and don'ts. For those already accomplished as writers, these
lists can be a helpful addition to an already-developed communication style. But for teens and young adults starting
college, as well as young professionals entering the workforce, it can be challenging to wield such complex advice to
tackle increasingly demanding writing assignments.
Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "The One-Idea Rule" is an ideal, effective, and thoroughly
'user friendly' how-to writing primer aligned and empathetic with any new or experienced writer's needs. While especially
and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, college, or university library Writing/Publishing
instructional reference collections and Writer's Workshop curriculum studies lists. It should be noted that "The One-Idea
Rule: An Efficient Way to Improve Your Writing at School and Work" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$11.99).
Editorial Note: Mark Rennella is a respected author, teacher, and scholar with a gift for storytelling. He has taught writing
and composition throughout his career, including his current role as writing coach for MBA students. His publications
include Entrepreneurs, Managers, and Leaders: What the Airline Industry Can Teach Us About Leadership, co-authored
with Nitin Nohria. Mark earned a Ph.D. in American history from Brandeis University and has taught literature and
American history at Harvard University, the University of Miami and the University of Tours (France).
Launch Pad: The Countdown to Marketing Your Book
Mary Helen Sheriff, author
Grace Sammon, author
Red Penguin Books
https://redpenguinbooks.com
9781637773789, $12.99, PB, 266pp
https://www.amazon.com/Launch-Pad-Countdown-Marketing-Your/dp/1637773781
Synopsis: Your book is now written, and published. Now you discover that, as a self-published author the burden of
marketing, publicizing, promoting, and bringing to the attention your potential readers, booksellers, librarians, and
reviewers rested entirely on you. Even if your have become a mid-list published author with a large and well known
publisher with publicity/promotion directs and managers, marketing will still falls principally on your shoulders.
That's why co-authors and book marketing experts Mary Helen Sheriff and Grace Sammon have published "Launch Pad:
The Countdown to Marketing Your Book".
From Dan Blank's marketing mindset guidance to practical tips on leveraging social media, book clubs, reviews, and so
much more, "Launch Pad" (the third in a series of three on writing, publishing, and marketing your book) will help you get
it done! Each focused chapter engages you in a process that will raise your marketing IQ, build your skill set, and set you
on a path for a successful book launch and marketing plan. Replete with countdown tips, ways to connect directly to the
authors, and bonus downloadable planning sheets, "Launch Pad" delivers a marketing book that speaks right to you.
Critique: A complete and comprehensive instructional guide and 'how-to' DIY manual comprised of fourteen major
contributions by experts in the field, and with immense and practical value for novice authors (and novice publishers as
well), "Launch Pad: The Countdown to Marketing Your Book" is amazingly 'user friendly' in commentary style,
organization, and presentation. Of special note is the inclusion of several '10 Point' countdowns on such specialized
subjects as Book Getting Reviews, Networking, Social Media, and so much more! While also available for personal
reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99), "Launch Pad: The Countdown to Marketing Your Book" is an
essential and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, university, and writer
workshop Writing/Publishing collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note #1: Mary Helen Sheriff (https://maryhelensheriff.com) is the author of Boop and Eve's Road Trip, which
won the American Fiction Award for Coming-of-Age books in 2020, as well as co-author (with Grace Sammon) of
"Launch Pad: The Countdown to Writing Your Book" and "Launch Pad: The Countdown to Publishing Your Book".
Editorial Note #2: Grace Sammon (https://www.gracesammon.net) is an entrepreneur, educator, speaker, radio show host,
and an author. She has started and managed two for-profit and two not-for-profit companies, and she has travelled to 35
states and 8 foreign countries.
How to Create a Million Dollar Speech
Judith Briles
MileHigh Press
http://www.milehighpress.com
9781885331953, $20.00, PB, 294pp
https://www.amazon.com/How-Create-Million-Dollar-Speech/dp/1885331959
Synopsis: These are the core reasons for a published author to also become a skilled public speaker: To change lives, sell
truckloads of books, make money from speaker fees, go places you never thought you would, make a difference, and to
have fun!
For authors, public speaking is the #1 way to sell thousands of books. As an author you have written a book, you know the
content of that book, and you are passionate about that book's topic and message. Now it's up to you to share it -- especially
to potential buyers of that book.
With the publication of " How to Create a Million Dollar Speech", Julie Briles (also widely known as 'The Book
Shepherd', shows you: How to pitch to the decision-maker; How to move from "free" to "fee"; How to identify your key
points and create stories to engage your audience.; How to hook an audience within the first few minutes of your
presentation; How to create a closing that delivers the "buzz" factor; How to discover sponsors and secure them; How to
market your speech to meeting planners.
Critique: Giving public speeches on the subject matter, genre, or information thematically relevant to their book is an often
overlooked or under-appreciated source of revenue for self-published authors. For those authors (and any others) who feel
they don't have the skills or expertise to speak publically I would bring "How to Create a Million Dollar Speech" by book
marketing expert Judith Briles to their attention. Comprehensive and exceptionally 'user friendly' in organization and
presentation, this effective combination of instructional reference and 'how-to' manual will help the inexperienced public
speaker to talk in front of an audience of any size from a handful in a bookstore signing event to an fully populated
auditorium assembled for a convention or a regional event with poise, interest, and persuasion. While motivational,
inspiring, and very highly recommended as essential for personal, professional, community, college, and university library
Public Speaking and Writing/Publishing collections, it should be noted that "How to Create a Million Dollar Speech" is
also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.99).
Editorial Note: Dr. Judith Briles (https://thebookshepherd.com) is the founder of AuthorYOU.org and AuthorU.org, a
membership organization designed for aspiring writers who want to be seriously successful. She is also the founder of the
Colorado Authors Hall of Fame, a 501c3 that is dedicated to ensuring the legacies of Colorado connected authors.
The Environmental Studies Shelf
Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet
Ben Goldfarb
W. W. Norton & Company
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
www.wwnorton.com
9781324005896, $30.00, HC, 384pp
https://www.amazon.com/Crossings-Ecology-Shaping-Future-Planet/dp/1324005890
Synopsis: Some 40 million miles of roadways encircle the earth, yet we tend to regard them only as infrastructure for
human convenience. While roads are so ubiquitous they're practically invisible to us, wild animals experience them as
entirely alien forces of death and disruption.
With the publication of "Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet", environmental journalist Ben
Goldfarb travels throughout the United States and around the world to investigate how roads have transformed our
planet.
A million animals are killed by cars each day in the U.S. alone, but as the new science of road ecology shows, the harms of
highways extend far beyond roadkill. Creatures from antelope to salmon are losing their ability to migrate in search of food
and mates; invasive plants hitch rides in tire treads; road salt contaminates lakes and rivers; and the very noise of traffic
chases songbirds from vast swaths of habitat.
Yet road ecologists are also seeking to blunt the destruction through innovative solutions. Goldfarb meets with
conservationists building bridges for California's mountain lions and tunnels for English toads, engineers deconstructing
the labyrinth of logging roads that web national forests, animal rehabbers caring for Tasmania's car-orphaned wallabies,
and community organizers working to undo the havoc highways have wreaked upon American cities.
Today, as our planet's road network continues to grow exponentially, the science of road ecology has become increasingly
vital. Written with passion and curiosity, "Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet" is a
sweeping, spirited, and timely investigation into how humans have altered the natural world -- and how we can create a
better future for all living beings.
Critique: Of special and particular interest to readers concerned with the biology of wildlife, ecology, and
environmentalism, "Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet" is a seminal work and ground-
breaking study of one of the often overlooked elements in the environmental degradation of our world that is a significant
factor in the current mass extinctions and climate changes taking place. While also available in a digital book format
(Kindle, $14.99), "Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet" is an emphatically recommended
and critically important additions to personal, professional, community, college, and university library Environmental
collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Ben Goldfarb (https://www.bengoldfarb.com) is the author of Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of
Beavers and Why They Matter, winner of the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award. His writings have
appeared in the Atlantic, National Geographic, the New York Times, and many other publications, and have been
anthologized in The Best American Science and Nature Writing. He is a recipient of fellowships from the Alicia Patterson
Foundation and the Whiting Foundation.
Aquatic and Wetland Plants of Northeastern North America, second edition
Garrett E. Crow, author
C. Barre Hellquist, author
University of Wisconsin Press
728 State Street, Suite 443, Madison, WI 53706-1418
www.uwpress.wisc.edu
9780299343002, $99.95, HC, 736pp
https://www.amazon.com/Aquatic-Wetland-Plants-Northeastern-America/dp/0299343006
Synopsis: Now in a newly updated and expanded second edition, "Aquatic and Wetland Plants of Northeastern North
America" by the team of Garrett E. Crow (Professor of Botany at the University of New Hampshire) and C. Barre Hellquist
(Professor of Biology at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts) is arguably by far the best and most comprehensive
manual and illustrated guide to native and naturalized vascular plants (ferns, conifers, and flowering plants) growing in
aquatic and wetland habitats in northeastern North America, from Newfoundland west to Minnesota and south to Virginia
and Missouri.
This long-awaited work completely revises and greatly expands Norman Fassett's 1940 classic "A Manual of Aquatic
Plants", yet retains the features that made Fassett's book so useful.
"Aquatic and Wetland Plants of Northeastern North America" features: Coverage of 1139 plant species, 1186 taxa, 295
genera, 109 families; More than 600 pages of illustrations, and illustrations for more than 90% of the taxa; Keys for each
species include references to corresponding illustrations; Habitat information, geographical ranges, and synonomy; A
specific chapter on nuisance aquatic weeds; Glossaries of botanical and habitat terms; A full index.
Critique: This large format hardcover edition (8.5 x 1.9 x 11 inches, 5.27 pounds) of "Aquatic and Wetland Plants of
Northeastern North America" will have a very special and enduring value for wetland ecologists, botanists, resource
managers, public naturalists, environmentalists, and environmental activists concerned with the preservation of wetland
areas, which are increasingly threatened, will welcome this clear, workable, and comprehensive guide. Impressively
comprehensive, exceptionally well written, profusely illustrated throughout with b/w line drawn illustrations, and a
thoroughly 'user friendly' reference in both organization and presentation, "Aquatic and Wetland Plants of Northeastern
North America" is an essential and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, and
university library Plant Biology & Botany collections and supplemental Aquatic & Wetlands curriculum studies lists.
The Pets/Wildlife Shelf
Rare Air: Endangered Birds, Bats, Butterflies, & Bees
Sarah Kaizar, author/illustrator
A. Scott Meiser, author
Mountaineers Books
1001 SW Klickitat Way, Suite 201, Seattle, WA 98134-1161
www.mountaineersbooks.org
9781680515510, $21.95, HC, 152pp
https://www.amazon.com/Rare-Air-Endangered-Birds-Butterflies/dp/1680515519
Synopsis: "Rare Air: Endangered Birds, Bats, Butterflies, & Bees" is the culmination of artist Sarah Kaizar's dedication to
illustrating endangered fauna. It features 66 endangered species of flight (33 birds, 5 bats, 12 bees, and 16 butterflies)
presented in her scientifically accurate and utterly engaging pen-and-ink style.
Complementing the art are informative and story-driven natural histories of each species by A. Scott Meiser, as well as
interviews with biologists who are working to sustain some of the same species.
An informative introduction highlights how Kaizar developed this project, while the "How to Get Involved" appendix
provides helpful tips on actions readers can take to help these creatures.
Kaizar's work informs readers about the world around them in a way that is beautiful and engaging, while also examining
the environmental conditions that put these species at risk. "Rare Air" broadens the conversation about environmental
study and inspires readers across the country to care for our winged creatures.
Critique: With its profusion of breathtakingly beautiful illustrations and their accompanying informative commentaries,
"Rare Air: Endangered Birds, Bats, Butterflies, & Bees" is a treasure to simply page through one memorable page at a
time. Of special appeal and value for readers with an interest in the butterfly biology, bird field guides, as well as plant and
animal art, "Rare Air: Endangered Birds, Bats, Butterflies, & Bees" is especially and unreservedly recommended as a core
addition to personal, professional, community, highschool, college, and university library Wildlife collections and
supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note #1: Sarah Kaizar (https://sarahkaizar.com) is the author of Hiker Trash: Notes, Sketches & Others Detritus
on the Appalachian Trail, and her illustration work has been seen in galleries and museums including the Woodmere Art
Museum, Delaware Contemporary, and the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education.
Editorial Note #2: A. Scott Meiser (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ascottmeiser) is a high school English teacher who lives
with his wife. Though he is not a classic outdoorsman, Meiser's rural roots have taught him an attentiveness and
appreciation for the natural world.
The Health/Medicine Shelf
Maybe It's Your Medications
Dr. Hedva Barenholtz Levy, pharmacist
Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018
www.skyhorsepublishing.com
9781510774834, $28.99, HC, 360pp
https://www.amazon.com/Maybe-Its-Your-Medications-Unnecessary/dp/1510774831
Synopsis: There is a serious medication problem in America. It is marked not only by excessive use of medications, but by
errors in how they are prescribed, monitored, and taken. An estimated nineteen million adults age sixty-five and older take
five or more medications daily. These individuals and family caregivers know the frustrations of lengthy medication lists,
high drug costs, and frequent questions about the need and value of those medications. All too often, an unrecognized
adverse drug effect is mistaken for a new medical condition, or worse, a symptom of getting older. But who stops to
question the medications?
"Maybe It's Your Medications: How to Avoid Unnecessary Drug Therapy and Adverse Drug Reactions" by professional
pharmacist Dr. Hedva Barenholtz Levey tackles these problems by providing information, insider tips, and strategies that
empower patients and caregivers to have important conversations about their prescription and nonprescription drugs.
"Maybe It's Your Medications" deftly addresses the questions consumers want to ask about their medications and brings to
light other questions they should be asking but may not know how. It is everyone's go-to guide on how to use medications
safely on the journey to healthy aging.
Criteria: Dr. Hedva Barenholtz Levy is an educator and leader in geriatric pharmacy and a dual board-certified specialist.
With the publication of "Maybe It's Your Medications: How to Avoid Unnecessary Drug Therapy and Adverse Drug
Reactions" she applies her decades of experience to guide the non-specialist general reader in how to become an active
participant on their healthcare team and prevent unintended errors and medication-related problems. Impressively
comprehensive, organized, and presented, "Maybe It's Your Medications" is thoroughly 'user friendly', informative, and
recommended for personal, professional, community, health clinic, college, and university library Health/Medicine
collections and supplemental Pharmacy curriculum studies lists. It should be noted that "Maybe It's Your Medications" is
also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.99).
Editorial Note: Dr. Hedva Barenholtz Levy, PharmD. (https://www.barenholtzlevy.com) is the founder of a
community-based senior care pharmacy practice. A geriatric pharmacy specialist and educator, Dr. Levy has published
numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters focusing on optimizing drug therapy in older adults.
The Education Shelf
Build Reading Fluency, second edition
Timothy Rasinski, author
Chase Young, author
Shell Education Publishing
c/o Teacher Created Materials
https://www.teachercreatedmaterials.com
9798765903216, $39.99, PB, 164pp
https://www.amazon.com/Build-Reading-Fluency-Practice-Performance/dp/B0BXTS89DM
Synopsis: With the publication of "Build Reading Fluency: Practice and Performance with Reader's Theater and More" by
Timothy Rasinski and Chase Young, classroom teachers and home schooling parents will discoveriscover innovative ways
to incorporate fluency practice into reading instruction!
This professional resource provides teachers and parents with engaging and practical strategies for bringing fluency
instruction into daily reading routines. Written by fluency expert Timothy Rasinski and literacy and reader's theater expert
Chase Young, "Build Reader Fluency" offers instructional strategies to help teachers and parents understand fluency and
how to teach it.
With step-by-step strategies, detailed lessons, and ideas for improving fluency, this meaningful guide allows teachers and
parents to provide purposeful reading opportunities for their students.
Now classroom teachers and home schooling parents can help every student become a confident and fluent reader with this
professional, accessible resource!
Critique: Expertly written, impressively organized, and thoroughly 'user friendly' in presentation, "Build Reading Fluency:
Practice and Performance with Reader's Theater and More" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal,
professional, community, school district, and academic library Reading Skill Development instructional resource
collections.
Editorial Note #1: Timothy Rasinski,(http://timrasinski.com) is the author of numerous best-selling books, articles, and
curriculum programs on literacy education. He is a professor of literacy education at Kent State University where he
previously directed the university's award-winning reading clinic (Camp Read-A-Lot). A former elementary and middle
school classroom teacher and reading specialist, Dr. Rasinski is well known for his work on word study and reading
fluency.
Editorial Note #2: Chase Young, PhD, former elementary teacher and literacy coach and co-author of Artfully Teaching
the Science of Reading. He is a professor in the School of Teaching and Learning at Sam Houston State University. He is
also an editor of Literacy Research and Instruction, a founding editor of the Journal of Teacher Action Research, and
formerly the Silverman Endowed Chair in Literacy at Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi where he was selected as
one of Corpus Christi's 40 Under 40 for his work with young readers in the community.
(http://www.thebestclass.org/professional-development.html)
50 Strategies for Integrating AI into the Classroom
Donnie Piercey
Shell Education Publishing
c/o Teacher Created Materials
https://www.teachercreatedmaterials.com
9798765947104, $21.99, PB, 96pp
https://www.amazon.com/50-Strategies-Integrating-into-Classroom/dp/B0C5G74W4N
Synopsis: With the publication of "50 Strategies for Integrating AI into the Classroom" by AI education specialist Donnie
Piercey, teachers can learn how to harness the power of AI in their classroom! This professional resource includes 50
easy-to-implement strategies for using AI technology as a tool for teaching.
"50 Strategies for Integrating AI into the Classroom" will save teachers valuable time with activities that boost literacy,
content knowledge, and student engagement using AI tools. Written by a teacher who specializes in using technology in his
own classroom, this is a professional instructional reference and curriculum builder that introduces artificial intelligence
and the many ways it can help educators.
These quick, accessible strategies for using AI academically and creatively can be used in any K-12 classroom. From
sample prompts for AI to activities that support community building and fun, help teachers save valuable time and
implement creative strategies with the tools in this unique resource!
Critique: Given the attention currently being focused on Artificial Intelligence (AI), "50 Strategies for Integrating AI into
the Classroom" is informative, timely, accessibly organized and thoroughly 'teacher friendly' in presentation. While also
available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.19), "50 Strategies for Integrating AI into the Classroom" is a unique and
highly recommended addition to personal, professional, school district, college and university library Artificial Intelligence
& Education collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Donnie Piercey (https://resources.mrpiercey.com/bio) is the 2021 Kentucky Teacher of the Year and
teaches fifth grade in Lexington, Kentucky. After graduating from Asbury College and earning his master's from Auburn
Montgomery, he has been teaching in Kentucky since 2007. Donnie specializes in using technology to promote student
inquiry, learning, and engagement.
A Research Agenda for Leadership Learning and Development through Higher Education
Susan R. Kornives & Julie E. Owen, editors
Edward Elgar Publishing
9 Dewey Court, Northampton, MA 01060-3815
www.e-elgar.com
9781800887770, $170.00 HC / $40.00 ebook, 334pp
https://www.amazon.com/Research-Leadership-Learning-Development-Education/dp/1800887779
Synopsis: Bringing together enlightening contributions from experienced scholars of leadership education along with a
team of early career critical scholars, "A Research Agenda for Leadership Learning and Development through Higher
Education" examines essential dimensions of leadership education processes and outcomes and interrogates the knowledge
bases that shape these dimensions. It explores higher educational contexts, different types of leadership learners, key
program design elements and pedagogies, and classic and critical research methodologies.
Each chapter adopts a critical analysis approach to scrutinize existing research and identify key challenges, gaps, and
tensions in the field of leadership learning and development. Providing a rationale for centering the future of leadership
education in social justice, the book ultimately challenges the reader to prioritize innovation, inclusion, and equity in their
research and practice going forward.
"A Research Agenda for Leadership Learning and Development through Higher Education" will prove to be an essential
resource for leadership educators and practitioners interested in advancing equity and social justice outcomes in their
program delivery. Its overview of the cutting edge of research will also be foundational in introductory graduate leadership
education programs.
Critique: Informatively enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of a complete listing of the contributors and their
credentials, tables, and an index, "A Research Agenda for Leadership Learning and Development through Higher
Education" is expertly co-edited by academicians Susan R. Kornives and Julie E. Owen. The fourteen articles comprising
"A Research Agenda for Leadership Learning and Development through Higher Education" are deftly organized into four
major sections: Context & Framing; Leader & Leadership Development; Leadership Education; Call to Action for Critical
& Innovative Research. This seminal compendium is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional,
college, and university library Education Research collections and supplemental Education Administration curriculum
studies lists. The eBook version is priced $40.00; both the eBook and print versions can be ordered from the Edward Elgar Publishing website.
Editorial Note #1: Elgar Research Agendas outline the future of research in a given area. Leading scholars are given the
space to explore their subject in provocative ways, and map out the potential directions of travel. They are relevant but also
visionary. Adopting a multilevel perspective, this innovative Research Agenda offers a comprehensive and critical
overview of research on all aspects of contemporary leadership education.
Editorial Note #2: Susan R. Komives (https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Susan-Komives) is Professor Emerita,
Department of Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education, College of Education, University of Maryland.
Editorial Note #3: Julie E. Owen (https://integrative.gmu.edu/people/jowen4) is the Associate Professor of Leadership
Studies, School of Integrative Studies, George Mason University, USA.
UDL Now!: A Teacher's Guide to Applying Universal Design for Learning, third edition
Katie Novak
Cast, Inc.
https://www.cast.org
9781930583825, $29.99, PB, 196pp
https://www.amazon.com/UDL-Now-Teachers-Applying-Universal/dp/1930583826
Synopsis: Now in an expanded and updated third edition of "UDL Now!: A Teacher's Guide to Applying Universal Design
for Learning", Katie Novak (education consultant, an author, an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania)
provides practical insights and savvy strategies for helping all learners succeed in a post-pandemic world using the
principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL).
This powerful guide for educators covers timely topics including: Supporting UDL within multi-tiered systems of support
(MTSS); UDL in the service of equity; Recruiting and engaging learners as UDL partners; How UDL and Differentiated
Instruction (DI) work together; The role of student choice and voice; What learning expertise really means; Preparing for
standardized assessments the UDL way.
In this third edition of "UDL Now!", Novak presents examples throughout in order to make the content relevant and
digestible. She then concludes each individual chapter with reflection questions to help classroom teachers apply key
concepts to their work. "UDL Now!" is a fun and effective playbook for great teaching.
Critique: Exceptionally well written, impressively 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, offering a complete
course of instruction in a single 196 page volume, this new third edition of "UDL Now!: A Teacher's Guide to Applying
Universal Design for Learning" will have a very special appeal and value to anyone with an interest in Special Education
and Inclusive Education. While especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, school district,
college, and university library Education Administration collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be
noted that "UDL Now!" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $22.49).
Editorial Note: Katie Novak (www.novakeducation.com), is the founder and director of Novak Education. She is an
internationally renowned education consultant, an author, an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania, and a
former assistant superintendent of schools in Massachusetts. Katie has two decades of experience in teaching and
administration, has an earned doctorate in curriculum and teaching from Boston University, and has authored or
coauthored 10 published books, including Equity by Design: Delivering on the Power and Promise of UDL, and UDL and
Blended Learning: Thriving in Flexible Learning Landscapes, Innovate Inside the Box: Empowering Learners Through
UDL and the Innovator's Mindset, and UDL Playbook for School and District Leaders. Follow her on Twitter
@KatieNovakUDL
The Jobs/Careers Shelf
The Insider's Secrets to Getting Your School Leadership Job
Dr. Larry Aronstein
First Hill Books
c/o Anthem Press
www.anthempress.com
9781839988950, $24.95, PB, 102pp
https://www.amazon.com/Insiders-Secrets-Getting-School-Leadership/dp/1839988959
Synopsis: What separates "The Insider's Secrets to Getting Your School Leadership Job" by Dr. Larry Aronstein from all
the other books on this topic is that the author is the ultimate insider.
Dr. Aronstein knows how the hiring process works from the inside. In "The Insider's Secrets to Getting Your School
Leadership Job" he vividly and simply de-mystifies the inner dynamics of the job search process in schools.
As an experienced one-on-one coach, Larry's strategies are practical, teachable, and most importantly, they work. Larry's
clients are more than competitive -- they give interviews and get the job!
Critique: A slender but comprehensive DIY instructional guide and 'how-to' manual, "The Insider's Secrets to Getting Your
School Leadership Job" is exceptional 'user friendly' and effective in organization and presentation. While readily available
for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99), "The Insider's Secrets to Getting Your School
Leadership Job" is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, school district, college, and university library
Academic Career Development collections and supplemental Education Administration/Vocational Guidance curriculum
studies lists.
Editorial Note: Laurence 'Larry' Aronstein is a leader among leaders and a consummate professional educator. He has
coached or mentored hundreds of school leaders across the world.
(https://www.linkedin.com/in/larryaronstein?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fduckduckgo.com%2F)
The Economic Studies Shelf
An Updated Measure of Poverty: (Re)Drawing the Line
Medicine National Academies of Sciences, Engineering
The National Academies Press
500 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001
www.nap.edu
9780309697392, $25.00, PB, 150pp
https://www.amazon.com/Updated-Measure-Poverty-Drawing-Line/dp/0309697395
Synopsis: An accurate measure of poverty is necessary to fully understand how the economy is performing across all
segments of the population and to assess the effects of government policies on communities and families. In addition,
poverty statistics are essential in determining the size and composition of the population whose basic needs are going
unmet and to help society target resources to address those needs.
"An Updated Measure of Poverty: (Re)Drawing the Line" from The National Academies Press recommends updating the
methodology used by the Census Bureau to calculate the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) to reflect household basic
needs. This report recommends that the more comprehensive SPM replace the current Official Poverty Measure as the
primary statistical measure of poverty the Census Bureau uses.
The report also assesses the strengths and weaknesses of the SPM and provides needed recommendations for updating its
methodology and expanding its use in recognition of the needs of most American families such as medical care, childcare,
and housing costs.
Critique: Timely, informative, and reliable, "An Updated Measure of Poverty: (Re)Drawing the Line" is a very strongly
recommended and core addition to personal, professional, community, academic, and governmental library Contemporary
Economics & Policy Planning collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: The National Academies Press (https://nap.nationalacademies.org) publishes the publications of the
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. It publishes more than 200 publications per year on a wide
range of topics in science, engineering, and medicine, providing authoritative, independently researched information on
important matters in science and health policy.
Mighty Microeconomics
Michihiro Kandori
Cambridge University Press
One Liberty Plaza, Fl. 20, New York, NY 10006
www.cambridge.org
9781009161077, $120.00, HC, 500pp
https://www.amazon.com/Mighty-Microeconomics-Guide-Thinking-Economist/dp/1009161075
Synopsis: Economics is a social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.
Economics helps us to understand that certain slick mechanisms are operating beyond what we see in our daily economic
lives. To fully understand and appreciate these mechanisms, we need to master the core mathematical theories, some of
which are highly advanced and typically covered in a graduate course.
An introductory textbook, "Mighty Microeconomics: A Guide to Thinking Like An Economist" presents those theories
without compromising rigor, but, at the same time, economics professor Michihiro Kandori offers a number of innovative
pedagogical twists that make the difficult materials completely accessible to undergraduate students, and even to general
readers.
Written in a conversational, colloquial style, Professor Kandori explains basic messages and core insights that are usually
hidden between the lines. The usefulness of these theories is shown through a number of real-life examples, and, in the
end, the readers can see that the mathematical models provide deep insights into social justice and philosophy. Simply
stated, "Mighty Microeconomics" will help its readers to think like economists.
Critique: Featuring a one page listing of Case Studies, four Appendices, and a six page Index, "Mighty Microeconomics: A
Guide to Thinking Like An Economist" is comprehensive as well as thoroughly and impressively 'reader friendly' in both
style, organization and presentation. While an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended textbook for supplemental
Economics curriculum studies lists, it should be noted for students, academia, economists, and non-specialist general
readers with an interest in the subject that "Mighty Microeconomics: A Guide to Thinking Like An Economist" is also
available in a paperback edition (9781009161084, $44.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $42.74).
Editorial Note: Michihiro Kandori (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michihiro_Kandori) is the Professor of Economics at the
University of Tokyo. He was former Assistant Professor at the University of Pennsylvania and Princeton University, and
Taussig Visiting Professor at Harvard University. He is the president of the Game Theory Society (2022-2024) and was a
former associate editor of Econometrica, and fellow of the Econometric Society. He has published numerous articles in
high-impact journals. He received his PhD from Stanford University under the supervision of Nobel laureate, Paul
Milgrom. He has consistently received high ratings for his 'Welcome to Game Theory' course on Coursera (more than
85,000 learners since 2015).
The Cookbook Shelf
Mildreds Easy Vegan: Exciting Food, Simply Cooked
Mildreds
Hamlyn
c/o Octopus Books
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9780600638056, $32.99, HC, 256pp
https://www.amazon.com/Mildreds-Easy-Vegan-Exciting-simply/dp/0600638057
Synopsis: Bringing the Mildreds restaurant's most delicious vegan dishes to the menu repertoire of the family kitchen cook,
"Mildreds Easy Vegan: Exciting Food, Simply Cooked" is packed from cover to cover with recipes for vegan dishes with
punchy flavors and that will satisfy even the most ardent meat eater as well!
Specifically designed for seasoned vegans and novices alike, "Mildreds Easy Vegan: Exciting Food, Simply Cooked "
showcases more than 115 simple recipes -- as well as tips for how best to cook with plants!
Critique: With beautifully illustrated and kitchen cook friendly vegan recipes for every dining occasion and ranging from
Barbecue Sweet Corn Ribs; Singapore Noodles; Spinach & Pine Nut Filo Pie; and Shirazi Salad; to Rocket & Hazelnut
Presto; Peach Melba Parfait; and Pink Rose Lemonade, "Mildreds Easy Vegan: Exciting Food, Simply Cooked" will prove
to be a popular and enduringly appreciated pick for personal, professional, and community library Vegan Cookbook
collections. It should be noted for family chefs that "Mildreds Easy Vegan: Exciting Food, Simply Cooked" is also
available in a digital book format (Kindle, $15.99).
Editorial Note: Mildreds Restaurant (https://www.mildreds.co.uk) is a mecca for all food lovers that has been offering
exciting, affordable vegetarian and vegan food from its original restaurant, in London's Soho, since 1988. It now has four
more branches in King's Cross, Covent Garden, Dalston and Camden, and is hugely popular, both for its food and its vibe,
with musicians, comedians and other celebrities.
More Daily Veg
Joe Woodhouse
Kyle Books
c/o Octopus Books
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9781804190845, $26.99, HC, 192pp
https://www.amazon.com/More-Daily-Veg-frills-vegetarian/dp/1804190845
Synopsis: A new collection of palate pleasen and appetite satisfying vegetarian recipes (and a companion volume to the
highly acclaimed "Your Daily Veg", cookbook author Joe Woodhouse takes his culinary inspiration from countries as
varied as Vietnam, Spain, Morocco and Greece. He offers modern updates of traditional vegetarian dishes so they are
healthier and more modern in their approach, as well as recipes with easy ways to approach sometimes less familiar but
still straightforward dishes that always deliver on flavour and satisfaction.
Grouped together by ingredient, the recipes follow a simple format of short ingredients lists and easy-to-follow instructions
for making the most delicious food that just happens to have no meat or fish in it.
Critique: From Warm Potato Salad with Szechuan Pepper; Pumpkin & Ginger Rice with Coriander & Jalapenos; Green
Peppers, Potatoes & Eggs; Paprika Deviled Eggs; and Fennel Baked with Cherry Tomatoes & Red Onion; to Bobby Beans
with Lemon Ricotta & Basil; Roast Cauliflower Tacos; Pickled Carrots & Daikon; Silken Tofu Dressed in Szechuan
Vinegar Sauce; and Chickpeas in Tomato Pulp Dressing, Thick Yogurt & Marjorman, "More Daily Veg" truly lives up to
the promise of Joe Woodhouse that there would be no fuss nor frills -- just great vegetarian food with each thoroughly
'kitchen cook friendly' recipe. Very strongly recommended for personal, professional, and community library Vegetarian
Cookbook Collections, it should be note that "More Dailey Veg" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$12.99).
Editorial Note: Joe Woodhouse (https://www.joewoodhouse.com) has been vegetarian since the age of 10, teaching
himself how to cook. He later trained as a chef and spent years working in kitchens such as Vanilla Black and the Towpath
Cafe, as well as contributing to events with restaurants such as the Quality Chop house. He can be followed on Instagram:
@joe_woodhouse
The Cook's Book
Bri McKoy
Fleming H. Revell Company
c/o Baker Publishing Group
6030 East Fulton, Ada, MI 49301
www.revellbooks.com
9780800742942, $34.99, HC, 304pp
https://www.amazon.com/Cooks-Book-Essential-Techniques-Everyday/dp/080074294X
Synopsis: Beautifully illustrated throughout, "The Cook's Book: Recipes for Keeps & Essential Techniques to Master
Everyday Cooking" by Bri McKoy is a foolproof, upbeat kitchen companion that will help the most novice of home cooks
to go far beyond simple recipe reading by giving them the skills they need to master the art of confident cooking.
Critique: An ideal textbook for highschool Home Ec classes, an impressive DIY instruction program for the newly
married, an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to community library cookbook collections, "The Cook's
Book: Recipes for Keeps & Essential Techniques to Master Everyday Cooking" is thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' in
organization and presentation. From a kitchen that works for you, to adding flavor like a pro, to everyday food pairings
with wine, to the culinary art of soup, to 'The Beginner's Bar Cart', and more, "The Cook's Book" is also readily available
in a digital book format (Kindle, $25.99).
Editorial Note: Bri McKoy (https://brimckoy.com) is a self-described accidental home cook. She is also the author of
Come & Eat, and a lover of gathering people around her everyday table. Additionally, she is the creator of The Everyday
Kitchen Masterclass, a five-week online course that teaches people how to become more confident home cooks. You can
find stories and recipes on her food blog at www.OurSavoryLife.com or watch her videos with recipe tips and tricks and
read her reflections on Instagram @brimckoy
The American History Shelf
Frontier Teachers, second edition
Chris Enss
TwoDot Books
c/o Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
4501 Forbes Blvd., Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
www.rowman.com
9781493064779, $22.95, PB, 218pp
https://www.amazon.com/Frontier-Teachers-Stories-Heroic-Women/dp/1493064770
Synopsis: If countless books and movies are to be believed, America's Wild West was, at heart, a world of cowboys and
Indians, sheriffs and gunslingers, scruffy settlers and mountain men -- a man's world.
But with the publication of a newly revised and expanded second edition of "Frontier Teachers" author and historian Chris
Enss takes on this stereotype by telling the stories of twelve courageous women who faced down schoolrooms full of
children on the open prairies and in the mining towns of the Old West. Now with five new teachers covered and a new
chapter, this new and expanded second edition of "Frontier Teachers" brings these important stories to light.
Between 1847 and 1858, more than 600 women teachers traveled across the untamed frontier to provide youngsters with
an education, and the numbers grew rapidly in the decades to come, as women took advantage of one of the few career
opportunities for respectable work for the ladies of the era.
Enduring hardship, the dozen women whose stories are movingly told in the pages of this new edition "Frontier Teachers"
demonstrated the utmost dedication and sacrifice necessary to bring formal education to the Wild West. As immortalized
in works of art and literature, for many students their women teachers were heroic figures who introduced them to a world
of possibilities -- and by doing so, changed America forever.
Critique: Enhanced for the reader with the addition of a ten page Bibliography and an eight page Index, this new and
expanded second edition of "Frontier Teachers" by Chris Enss is a welcome and unreservedly recommended addition to
personal, professional, community, and academic library American History and Women's History collections and
supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, historians, and non-specialist general
readers with an interest in the subject that this new edition of "Frontier Teachers" from the University of Michigan Press is
also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $17.99).
Editorial Note: Chris Enss (https://chrisenss.com) has been writing about women of the Old West for more than thirty
years. She has penned more than fifty published books on the subject. Her work has been honored with nine Will Rogers
Medallion Awards, two Elmer Kelton Book Awards, an Oklahoma Center for the Book Award, three Foreword Review
Magazine Book Awards, and two Western Writers of America Spur Finalist Awards. Enss's most recent works are The
Widowed Ones: Beyond the Battle of the Little Bighorn, Iron Women: The Ladies Who Helped Build the Railroad, and
The Lady and the Mountain Man: Isabella Bird, Mountain Man Jim Nugent, and their Unlikely Friendship.
The Federalist Frontier
Kristopher Maulden
University of Missouri Press
113 Heinkel Bldg., 201 S. 7th Street, Columbia, MO 65211
https://upress.missouri.edu
9780826221964, $45.00, HC, 280pp
https://www.amazon.com/Federalist-Frontier-Northwest-1783-1840-Constitutional/dp/0826221963
Synopsis: With the publication of "The Federalist Frontier: Settler Politics in the Old Northwest, 1783-1840" historian and
academician Kristopher Maulden deftly traces the development of Federalist policies and the Federalist Party in the first
three states of the Northwest Territory (Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois) from the nation's first years until the rise of the Second
Party System in the 1820s and 1830s.
Relying on government records, private correspondence, and newspapers, Maulden argues that Federalists originated many
of the policies and institutions that helped the young United States government take a leading role in the American people's
expansion and settlement westward across the Appalachians. It was primarily they who placed the U.S. Army at the fore of
the white westward movement, created and executed the institutions to survey and sell public lands, and advocated for
transportation projects to aid commerce and further migration into the region.
Ultimately, the relationship between government and settlers evolved as citizens raised their expectations of what the
federal government should provide, and the region embraced transportation infrastructure and innovation in public
education.
Historians of early American politics will now have a chance to read about Federalists in the Northwest, and see the early
American state in action in fighting Indians, shaping settler understandings of space and social advancement, and
influencing political ideals among the citizens. For historians of the early American West, Maulden's work demonstrates
that the origins of state-led expansion reach much further back in time than generally understood.
Critique: Featuring a number of Illustrations, forty pages of Notes, a twenty-two page Bibliography, and a six page Index,
"The Federalist Frontier: Settler Politics in the Old Northwest, 1783-1840" is an impressively informative and seminal
contribution to personal, professional, community, college, and university library Early American History collections and
supplemental Constitutional Democracy studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general
readers with an interest in the subject that "The Federalist Frontier" is also available in a paperback edition
(9780826222855, $26.00) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $24.70).
Editor's Note: Kristopher Maulden, PhD, teaches high school history. (https://www.bibliovault.org/BV.book.epl?ISBN=9780826274397)
The World History Shelf
Before Scotland: A Prehistory
Alistair Moffat
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110-0017
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500297254, $18.95, PB, 400pp
https://www.amazon.com/Before-Scotland-Prehistory-Alistair-Moffat/dp/0500297258
Synopsis: The story of the land that became Scotland is one of dramatic geological events and impressive human endeavor.
In "Before Scotland: A Prehistory", author Alistair Moffat's gripping narrative ranges from the great thaw at the end of the
Ice Age, which was instrumental in shaping Scotland's magnificent landscape; through the megalith builders, the Celts, and
the Picts; to the ascension of King Constantine II.
As a writer and historian, Moffat deploys his knowledge with wit and deftness, interweaving the story with numerous
special features on topics as diverse as cave drawings of dancing girls, natural birth control, the myth of Atlantis, and the
Zoroastrian Towers of Silence -- all of them valuable, sometimes quirky, additions to the whole picture.
Erudite and entertaining, Before Scotland transforms our understanding of a neglected period and is essential reading for
anyone interested in the people, events, and monuments that make up Scotland's captivating past.
Critique: As inherently fascinating as it is impressively informative, "Before Scotland: A Prehistory" is an exceptionally
well written, organized and presented historical study that is enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of a section of 22
color illustrations. A welcome, unreservedly recommended pick for personal, professional, community, college, and
university library Scotland history collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be noted for students,
academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Before Scotland: A Prehistory" is also
available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Alistair Moffat (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alistair_Moffat) was born in Kelso, Scotland. He is an
award-winning writer and historian, was director of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and is former rector of the University of
St. Andrews. He is also the founder of the Borders Book Festival and co-chairman of the Great Tapestry of Scotland. His
many books include The Highland Clans and Scotland's Forgotten Past.
The Vanished Settlers of Greenland
Robert W. Rix
Cambridge University Press
One Liberty Plaza, Fl. 20, New York, NY 10006
www.cambridge.org
9781009359474, $39.99, HC, 217pp
https://www.amazon.com/Vanished-Settlers-Greenland-Search-Legend/dp/1009359479
Synopsis: For four hundred years, Norse settlers battled to make southern Greenland a sustainable home for themselves.
They strove against gales and winter cold, food shortages and in the end, a shifting climate.
The remnants they left behind speak of their determination to wrest an existence at the foot of this vast, icy and challenging
wilderness. Yet finally, seemingly suddenly, they vanished; and their mysterious disappearance in the fifteenth century has
posed a riddle to scholars ever since.
What happened to the lost Viking colonists? For centuries people assumed their descendants could still be living, so
expeditions went to find them: to no avail.
With the publication of "The Vanished Settlers of Greenland: In Search of a Legend and Its Legacy" Robert Rix tells the
gripping story of the missing pioneers, placing their poignant history in the context of cultural discourse and imperial
politics. Ranging across fiction, poetry, navigation, reception and tales of exploration, he expertly delves into one of the
most contested questions in the annals of colonization.
Critique: A seminal and groundbreaking study, "The Vanished Settlers of Greenland: In Search of a Legend and Its
Legacy" by Professor Robert Rix is a model of exhaustive research and meticulous scholarship. Informatively enhanced for
the reader with the inclusion of a forty-six page Bibliography, thirty-nine pages of Notes, and a six page Index, "The
Vanished Settlers of Greenland: In Search of a Legend and Its Legacy" will have an immense appeal and value for readers
with an interest in Scandinavian history and European Literature. While also available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$29.99), "The Vanished Settlers of Greenland: In Search of a Legend and Its Legacy" is especially and unreservedly
recommended for personal, professional, community, college, and university library European History collections and
Greenlnd History curriculums in particular.
Editorial Note: Robert W. Rix (https://engerom.ku.dk/english/staff/?pure=en/persons/51467) is Associate Professor and
Director of Research at the University of Copenhagen. He is widely known for his prolific publication profile in
eighteenth- and nineteenth-century studies. This includes areas such as politics, religion, language, nationalism, and print
culture. Rix has also published on earlier periods, for example The Barbarian North in Medieval Imagination Ethnicity,
Legend, and Literature (2014).
The Talavera Campaign 1809
Tim Saunders
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.penandswordbooks.com
9781399040037, $54.95, HC, 272pp
https://www.amazon.com/Talavera-Campaign-1809-Tim-Saunders/dp/1399040030
Synopsis: Lieutenant General Sir Arthur Wellesley returned to the Peninsular in 1809 convinced that the country could be
held against the French. His audacious crossing of the Duoro and speedy victory at Oporto in May, followed by the
deceptively easy ejection of Marshal Soult's corps, confirmed this view, giving him the confidence to plan a campaign with
General Cuesta's Army of Extremadura to advance on French-held Madrid via the Tagus Valley.
From the outset relations between the two allied generals were poor, not to mention the divisions and enmity within the
Spanish juntas and army. Matters only got worse once Wellesley's army entered Spain, thanks to a failure to provide
supplies and missed opportunities. Finally, the French army, with King Joseph at its head, marched to confront the allies at
Talavera.
The fighting did not start well for the British, who were taken by surprise and had to fight hard to extricate themselves
from trouble, before inexperienced staff officers and commanders mis-deployed divisions and brigades, nearly resulting in
disaster for the Allies when Marshal Victor launched a night attack. The Peninsular Army still had much to learn.
The following day, the French attacked again with the full force of a Napoleonic army infantry, cavalry and artillery, but
the two-deep British line held and with their confidence shattered, the French withdrew. It was a hard-fought victory for
the British commander, who was soon to be ennobled as the Duke of Wellington.
Critique: An exemplary historical study, "The Talavera Campaign 1809" by Tim Saunders is a simply fascinating and
impressively informative work of meticulous research resulting in a detailed examination of a key event in early 19th
Century British Military history. Profusely illustrated throughout with b/w illustrations, as well as featuring two
Appendices (An Example of Wellesley's General Orders; Orders of Battle), six pages of Notes, and a three page Index,
"The Talavera Campaign 1809" is a core addition to personal, professional, community, college and university library
British Military History collections and curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, historians, and
non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Talavera Campaign 1809" is also available in a
digital book format (Kindle, $22.49).
Editorial Note: Tim Saunders served as an infantry officer with the British Army for thirty years, during which time he
took the opportunity to visit campaigns far and wide, from ancient to modern. Since leaving the Army he has become a full
time military historian, with this being his sixteenth book, has made nearly fifty full documentary films with Battlefield
History and Pen & Sword. He is an active guide and Accredited Member of the Guild of Battlefield Guides.
(https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Major-Tim-Saunders/a/227)
1066: The Lost Hastings Battlefield
David John Barnby, author
John Leftwich, author
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.penandswordbooks.com
9781399049054, $42.95, HC, 224pp
https://www.amazon.com/1066-Battlefield-David-John-Barnby/dp/1399049054
Synopsis: The year 1066 is a date in English history that changed the way people lived and were governed, as well as
transforming the language of the land. Astonishingly, the research reported in "1066: The Lost Hastings Battlefield" by co-
authors David Barnby and John Leftwich finds the traditional site attracting many thousands of visitors each year is not
where the battle was actually fought!
The death of King Edward the Confessor in January 1066 set off competing claims for the English throne by Norwegian
King Harald Hardrada, Duke William of Normandy and the English magnate, Harold Godwinson; contentions finally
settled at the epic Battle of Hastings later that year.
"1066: The Lost Hastings Battlefield" tells a compelling story, beginning with the Norman duke's crossing with an army,
that included a large cavalry contingent, in a fleet of Viking looking longboats from St Valery on the French coast, to the
final battle, the Battle of Hastings, on Blackhorse Hill on the high ridge some two miles east of the traditional site at Battle
Abbey. It was there that King Harold met his end when surrounded and attacked by Norman knights in the closing stages
of the battle. In addition, the story from the Viking invasion of Lindisfarne until William's crossing of the Channel and
events leading up to William's death have been included to provide context to our main story.
The sequence of events told here relies upon the several historic accounts and the placing of events, carefully matching
them to the terrain described there with the topography of the area, a painstaking process of trial and error, to accurately
place the battle site on Blackhorse Hill. The author has made use of satellite imagery, not previously available to earlier
authors on the battle, to confirm the location of the old Cinque port of Hastings (first proposed by Nick Austin in his
Secrets of the Norman Invasion), the site of Duke Williams's pre-battle camp. The author has analyzed the relative
distances from the old port to the Battle Abbey site and the Blackhorse Hill site to eliminate the former and confirm the
latter.
As far as is known, no-one has ever considered the Blackhorse Hill site before and it is hoped that this will inspire
researchers to expand upon these findings.
Critique: An original, iconoclastic, significant, and invaluable contribution to the history of 1066 AD and the Norman
invasion of England, "1066: The Lost Hastings Battlefield" is enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of a two page
listing of Bibliography Resources, ten pages of Notes, and a five page Index. While with the highest recommendation
possible for personal, professional, community, college and university library English Military History collections and
supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be noted that "1066: The Lost Hastings Battlefield" is also available in a
digital book format (Kindle, $22.49).
Editorial Note #1: David Barnby graduated from what is now known as the City University, London in electrical
engineering and following a long career in telecommunications engineering, turned to writing and produced several books.
His book, Life and Times of Nicolas Forget follows the life of the mid-17th century French Canadian explore and fur
trader, who was the previously unidentified traveling companion of Des Grossellier. With a life-long interest in history and
analytical skills gained during his working life, it was an easy transition for him to researching and writing "1066: The Lost
Hastings Battlefield".
Editorial Note #2: John Leftwich is the model maker extraordinaire who constructed a model of the Hastings Battlefield
for the better understanding of the battlefield topography. He also drew the maps and diagrams for the book and advised on
technical issues. He has a long career in the graphic arts industry producing both technical and figurative illustrations, and
later graphic designs for print.
Anne Boleyn & Elizabeth I
Tracy Borman
Atlantic Monthly Press
c/o Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
www.groveatlantic.com
9780802162069, $29.00, HC, 320pp
https://www.amazon.com/Anne-Boleyn-Elizabeth-Daughter-Forever/dp/0802162061
Synopsis: Much of the fascination with Britain's legendary Tudors centers around the dramas surrounding Henry VIII and
his six wives and Elizabeth I's rumored liaisons. Yet the most fascinating relationship in that historic era may well be that
between the mother and daughter who, individually and collectively, changed the course of British history.
The future Queen Elizabeth was not yet three when her mother, Anne Boleyn, was beheaded on May 19, 1536, on Henry's
order, incensed that she had not given him a son and tired of her contentious nature. Elizabeth had been raised away from
court, rarely even seeing Anne; and after her death, Henry tried in every way to erase Anne's presence and memory. At that
moment in history, few could have predicted that mother and daughter would each leave enduring, and interlocked,
legacies.
Yet as Tracy Borman reveals with the publication of "Anne Boleyn & Elizabeth I: The Mother and Daughter Who Forever
Changed British History" (the first-ever joint portrait), both women broke the mold for British queens and for women in
general at the time.
Anne was instrumental in reforming and reshaping forever Britain's religious traditions, and her years of wielding power
over a male-dominated court provided an inspiring role model for Elizabeth's glittering, groundbreaking 45-year reign.
Indeed, Borman shows how much Elizabeth (most visibly by refusing to ever marry, but in many other more subtle ways
that defined her court) was influenced by her mother's legacy.
In its originality, "Anne Boleyn & Elizabeth I" sheds new light on two of history's most famous women, including the
private desires, hopes, and fears that lay behind their dazzling public personas, and the surprising influence each had on the
other during and after their lifetimes. In the process, Tracy Borman reframes our understanding of the entire Tudor
era.
Critique: A seminal and ground breaking work of meticulous, extraordinary, and detailed scholarship, "Anne Boleyn &
Elizabeth I: The Mother and Daughter Who Forever Changed British History" is a significant, welcome, and unreservedly
recommended addition to personal, community, college, and university library British Royal History/Biography collections
and supplemental Tudor Era curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general
readers with an interest in the subject that "Anne Boleyn & Elizabeth I: The Mother and Daughter Who Forever Changed
British History" is also available in a paperback edition (9781399705073, $26.69, Amazon.com) and in a digital book
format (Kindle, $9.24).
Editorial Note: Tracy Borman (https://www.hrp.org.uk/tracy-borman) is England's joint Chief Curator of Historic Royal
Palaces, Chief Executive of the Heritage Education Trust, and Chancellor of Bishop Grosseteste University, Lincoln. She
is the author of many highly acclaimed books, including Crown & Sceptre: A New History of the British Monarchy from
William the Conqueror to Charles III; Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him; The Private Lives of the Tudors:
Uncovering the Secrets of Britain's Greatest Dynasty; Thomas Cromwell: The Untold Story of Henry VIII's Most Faithful
Servant; Queen of the Conqueror: The Life of Matilda, Wife of William I; Elizabeth's Women: Friends, Rivals, and Foes
Who Shaped the Virgin Queen; Witches: A Tale of Sorcery, Scandal and Seduction; as well as the trilogy of novels The
King's Witch, The Devil's Slave, and The Fallen Angel. Borman is also a regular broadcaster and accomplished public
speaker.
The Civil War Shelf
The Big Book of Civil War Sites
Eric Ethier, author
Cynthia Parzych, editor
The Lyons Press
www.lyonspress.com
c/o The Globe Pequot Press
www.globepequot.com
9781493072026, $34.95, PB, 432pp
https://www.amazon.com/Big-Book-Civil-Sites-Personalities/dp/1493072021
Synopsis: Originally published in hardcover in February 2011, "The Big Book of Civil War Sites" by Professor Eric Ethier
is now available for a new generation of Civil War history students and non-specialist general readers in a new paperback
edition from the Lyons Press. This detailed history and survey of American Civil War sites is the consummate travel
reference for all America's Civil War battlefields. Whether exploring the Southern states or the Eastern theater,
history-focused travelers and Civil War buffs finally have ready access to in-depth and thorough listings of all major sites,
including historical background information, travel options, museums, and events.
Critique: Now in a newly updated and expanded paperback edition, "The Big Book of Civil War Sites: From Fort Sumter
to Appomattox, a Visitor's Guide to the History, Personalities, and Places of America's Battlefields" must be considered an
essential and core addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library American Civil War
collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. Comprehensive, illustrated, and thoroughly 'user friendly' in
organization and presentation, "The Big Book of Civil War Sites: From Fort Sumter to Appomattox, a Visitor's Guide to
the History, Personalities, and Places of America's Battlefields" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$19.99).
Editorial Note: James C. Bradford (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_C._Bradford), is an Associate Professor of History
at Texas A&M University. He is also the editor of numerous books, including A Companion to American Military History
and Atlas of American Military History.
Force of a Cyclone
Caroline Ann Davis, author
Robert M. Dunkerly, editor
Savas Beatie LLC
989 Governor Drive, Ste. 102, El Dorado Hills, CA 95762
www.savasbeatie.com
9781611216394, $16.95, PB, 192pp
https://www.amazon.com/Force-Cyclone-December-1862-January-Emerging/dp/1611216397
Synopsis: All of Middle Tennessee held its breath when the new year dawned in 1863. One day earlier on December 31,
Braxton Bragg's Confederate Army of Tennessee faced off against William Rosecrans's Federal Army of the Cumberland
just outside Murfreesboro along Stones River. The commanders, who led armies nearly equal in size, had prepared
identical attack plans, but Bragg struck first. His morning attack bent the Federal line back upon itself.
The desperate fighting seesawed throughout the day amid rocky outcroppings and cedar groves. The Federals managed to
avoid a crushing defeat and hold on until dark as the last hours of the old year slipped away. The cold and exhausted
soldiers rang in the New Year surrounded by the pitiful cries of the wounded punctuated by cracks of skirmish fire while
the opposing generals contemplated their next moves.
With the fate of Middle Tennessee yet to be determined, President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation went
into effect on January 1, 1863. The president had signed the proclamation back in September of 1862, but he needed
battlefield victories to bolster its authority. The stakes being gambled outside Murfreesboro were enormous. Determined to
win the battle outright, Bragg launched another large-scale assault on January 2. The fate of the Army of the Cumberland
and the impact of the Emancipation Proclamation hung in the balance.
President Lincoln himself would often look back on that fragile New Year's Day and ponder all that was at stake. "I can
never forget whilst I remember anything," he told Federal commander Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans, "that about the end
of last year and the beginning of this, you gave us a hard-earned victory, which, had there been a defeat instead the nation
could scarcely have lived over."
Critique: With the publication of "Force of a Cyclone: The Battle of Stones River, December 31, 1862 - January 2, 1863",
co-authors Caroline Davis and Robert Dunkerly explore a significant turning point of the Civil War, and one that had the
highest percentage of casualties on both sides of any Civil War battle. Enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of
numerous b/w illustrations, maps, and a 'Stones River Driving Tour', "Force of a Cyclone" is part of the Savas Beatie
'Emerging Civil War Series" and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library
American Civil War History collections. It should be noted for students, academia, dedicated Civil War History buffs and
non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Forces of a Cyclone" is also available in a digital book
format (Kindle, $8.99).
Editorial Note #1: Caroline Ann Davis studied American History at Ball State University in Muncie, IN, and historical
preservation with a concentration on public history at Georgia State University in Atlanta, GA. In 2015, she worked at the
Stones River National Battlefield through the Student Conservation Association. During her summer there, she began
researching the battle and the surrounding area's history and led tours of the battlefield. This is her first book in the
Emerging Civil War Series from Savas Beatie.
Editorial Note #2: Robert M. (Bert) Dunkerly studied history at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA, and historic
preservation at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, TN. He led tours of the battlefield and researched its
history, preservation, and its National Cemetery. Bert is the author of three other books in the Emerging Civil War Series
and is active in historic preservation and research. (https://emergingcivilwar.com/contributor/robert-m-dunkerly)
The Military Shelf
The New Age of Naval Power in the Indo-Pacific
Catherine L. Grant, et al.
Georgetown University Press
3240 Prospect Street, NW, Washington, DC 20007
www.press.georgetown.edu
9781647123383, $137.95, HC, 240pp
https://www.amazon.com/New-Age-Naval-Power-Indo-Pacific/dp/1647123380
Synopsis: Competition at sea is once again a central issue of international security. Nowhere is the urgency to address
state-on-state competition at sea more strongly felt than in the Indo-Pacific region, where freedom of navigation is
challenged by regional states' continuous investments in naval power, and the renewed political will to use it to undermine
its principles.
"The New Age of Naval Power in the Indo-Pacific: Strategy, Order, and Regional Security" provides an original
framework in which five "factors of influence" explain how and why naval power matters in this pivotal part of the
world.
An international group of contributors make the case that these five factors draw upon a longstanding influence of naval
power on regional dynamics and impact the extent to which different states in the region use naval power: the capacity to
exert control over sea-lanes, the capacity to deploy a nuclear deterrent at sea, the capacity to implement the law of the sea
in an advantageous way, the ability to control marine resources, and the capacity for technological innovation.
"The New Age of Naval Power in the Indo-Pacific" offers a fresh approach for academics and policy makers seeking to
navigate the complexity of maritime security and regional affairs.
Critique: An impressively timely contribution to our military strategy debates with respect to dealing with Chinese naval
aggression in the Indo-Pacific, " A new framework contextualizes crucial international security issues at sea in the
Indo-Pacific "The New Age of Naval Power in the Indo-Pacific: Strategy, Order, and Regional Security" will have a
special relevance and value for readers with an interest in Asian and American political and military issues of naval
confrontations and competing interests. While also available in a paperback edition (9781647123390, $45.95) and in a
digital book format (Kindle, $43.95), "The New Age of Naval Power in the Indo-Pacific" must be considered a basic and
unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, governmental, college, and university library
Indo-Pacific political and military strategy/policy collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note #1: Catherine L. Grant is a former research associate at the Naval Postgraduate School and a graduate of the
master's program at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies.
(https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Catherine-Grant-2)
Editorial Note #2: Alessio Patalano is a professor in the Department of War Studies at King's College London.
(https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/dr-alessio-patalano)
Editorial Note #3: James A. Russell is an associate professor in the Department of National Security Affairs at the Naval
Postgraduate School.
(https://www.nps.edu/web/nsa/faculty/-/asset_publisher/eHb4tK5KXorI/content/james-russell-ph-d-)
Sailing Upwind
Admiral Sandy Winnefeld
Naval Institute Press
291 Wood Road, Annapolis, MD 21402
www.nip.org
9781682478745, $32.95, HC, 352pp
https://www.amazon.com/Sailing-Upwind-Leadership-Innovation-Situation/dp/1682478742
Synopsis: "Sailing Upwind: Leadership and Risk from TopGun to the Situation Room" is more than just another memoir
of a distinguished former naval officer s highly diverse career. This personal life story by Admiral James "Sandy"
Winnefeld is also intended to offer useful reflections regarding how he accepted and managed risk along the way, as well
as a concise description of the qualities one must develop to become a successful leader. Winnefeld began his career as an
F-14 fighter pilot and TOPGUN instructor, commanded an aircraft carrier, and then served in a variety of flag officer
billets on the way to becoming the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
In an entertaining and humble manner, "Sailing Upwind" describes how that journey unfolded and the lessons he attaches
to it. The reader will learn what it is like to become a Navy fighter pilot, and to fly, fight, and takeoff and land from an
aircraft carrier - including a harrowing description of ejecting from an F-14 at night far from land.
Winnefeld also describes the culture of excellence at the real TOPGUN and the Navy's nuclear propulsion program. He
recounts how he learned to lead the men and women who operate at every level of Navy operational command, from
squadron to ship to fleet.
Finally, Winnefeld presents a behind-the-scenes look at how military decisions are made at the highest levels of
government regarding whether and how those forces will be used, and how they are acquired. In the process, Winnefeld
also provides descriptions of how, by challenging existing assumptions and processes and through relentless creativity, he
was able to lead change.
He reflects on how the risk associated with such changes should be accepted and managed. The title Sailing Upwind (in
which a sailboat must be operated against a prevailing force field to make progress in the right direction) is an apt
metaphor for the bent for pushing against the system as Winnefeld describes throughout his military memoir.
Critique: An inherently fascinating, exceptionally well written, and amazingly informative read from first page to last,
"Sailing Upwind: Leadership and Risk from TopGun to the Situation Room" by Admiral Sandy Winnefeld is an
extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library
Contemporary American Military History/Biography/Memoir collections. It should be noted that "Sailing Upwind" is also
readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.12).
Editorial Note: Sandy Winnefeld (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_A._Winnefeld_Jr.) grew up in a Navy family. After
commissioning from the NROTC program, he flew the F-14 Tomcat and served as a TOPGUN instructor. He subsequently
held command at every level in the military. With the rank of Admiral, he culminated his service as the ninth Vice
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The Art Shelf
Van Gogh in Auvers-sur-Oise: His Final Months
Nienke Bakker, et al.
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110-0017
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500026731, $60.00, HC, 288pp
https://www.amazon.com/Van-Gogh-Auvers-sur-Oise-Final-Months/dp/0500026734
Synopsis: A seminal, groundbreaking, impressive work of collaborative scholarship, "Van Gogh in Auvers-sur-Oise: His
Final Months" offers a unique and impressive overview of the paintings and drawings that Vincent van Gogh created
during the last seventy days of his life.
He produced no fewer than seventy-four paintings and over thirty drawings in the course of the intense, productive period
leading up to his self-inflicted death on July 29, 1890. While the Portrait of Dr Gachet, The Church at Auvers, and
Wheatfield with Crows are numbered among his greatest masterpieces, this part of his oeuvre is otherwise less known
(unfairly so) than the sunny landscapes he painted in the south of France.
This large format volume (9.7 x 1.2 x 12 inches, 3.7 pounds) follows the artist from his arrival in Auvers-sur-Oise, where
he set to work full of hope and with fresh ambitions, through to his final weeks. Essays by leading Van Gogh specialists
highlight his artistic ambitions and mental state during this final phase, his exploration of the Auvers landscape, the flower
still lifes, the portraits, and the panoramic landscapes he painted there, the role played by his drawings, and his artistic
reputation at the time of his death and in the years immediately afterward.
In addition to the Auvers paintings, "Van Gogh in Auvers-sur-Oise: His Final Months" is richly illustrated throughout with
drawings, sketches, historical photographs, and detailed maps of the places Van Gogh worked. Also featured are related
works by contemporaries and predecessors whom he admired.
Editorial Note: Enriched with the inclusion of 220 color illustrations enhancing insightful and informative commentaries
by the contributors, "Van Gogh in Auvers-sur-Oise: His Final Months" is a welcome, unreservedly recommended, and
essential contribution to personal, professional, community, college, and university library European Art History
collections in general, and supplemental Van Gogh curriculum studies lists in particular.
Editorial Note: Nienke Bakker is senior curator at the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam. Louis van Tilborgh is senior
researcher at the Van Gogh Museum. Emmanuel Coquery is senior curator
and associate deputy director of collections at the Musee d'Orsay, Paris. Teio Meedendorp is senior researcher at the Van
Gogh Museum. Bregje Gerritse is a researcher at the Van Gogh Museum.
The Visionary Art of Nicholas Roerich
Jacqueline Decter
Park Street Press
c/o Inner Traditions International, Ltd.
One Park Street, Rochester, VT 05767
www.innertraditions.com
9781644117972, $60.00, HC, 224pp
https://www.amazon.com/Visionary-Art-Nicholas-Roerich-Messenger/dp/1644117975
Synopsis: Nicholas Roerich (1874-1947) was a Russian artist, writer, archaeologist, explorer, mystic, theosophist, and
peacemaker who left a rich legacy of nearly 7,000 visionary paintings and 30 books on the mystic East.
Twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize due to the Roerich Peace Pact (a remarkable treaty signed by President
Roosevelt that sought to preserve cultural monuments during times of war) Roerich had a profound love for folk traditions
of Russia, India, and Tibet, especially legends of lost cities and paradise. Together with his wife and two sons, from the
1890s into the 1930s, Roerich embarked on a number of spiritual quests through India, the Gobi Desert, the Altai and
Kunlun Mountains, Mongolia, and Tibet, crisscrossing the Himalayan Mountains many times before settling in Kulu,
India, in the shadows of the great mountain range.
Through his explorations throughout the world and the immersive art he created during those travels, he was seeking the
grains of spiritual truth behind the legends of paradise lost, including during his pilgrimages in search of Shambala.
Revealing the mystical world of Nicholas Roerich in stunning full color, with the publication of "The Visionary Art of
Nicholas Roerich: A Messenger of Beauty", Jacqueline Decter invites us to witness Roerich's far-reaching vision and
dedication to beauty across the full scope of his inspiring life and artistic career.
This new hardcover edition from Park Street Press features Decter's translations of many Russian texts into English as well
as 88 color plates showcasing the variety of Roerich's artistic talent, from breathtaking Himalayan landscapes and spiritual
themes to set and costume designs, most notably for Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring.
A celebration of Roerich as both visionary artist and visionary explorer, this fully illustrated biography illuminates a man
whose life and work significantly influenced the development of modern art and culture.
Critique: Beautifully illustrated and informative throughout, this large format hardcover (8 x 0.9 x 10 inches, 2.16 pounds)
edition of "The Visionary Art of Nicholas Roerich: A Messenger of Beauty" will have a lasting and appreciative value for
readers with an interest in New Age Mysticism art and photography. While a highly recommended addition to personal,
professional, community, and academic library Metaphysical Studies and Art collections, it should be noted that "The
Visionary Art of Nicholas Roerich: A Messenger of Beauty" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$40.99).
Editorial Note: Jacqueline Decter, Ph.D., is a scholar of Russian literature with a doctorate in Slavic languages from the
University of Michigan. She is also a former editor in chief at Doubleday Entertainment.
(https://www.innertraditions.com/author/jacqueline-decter)
Drawing Digital
Lisa Bardot
Walter Foster Publishing
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
100 Cummings Center, Suite 265D, Beverly, MA 01915
www.quartoknows.com
9780760385326, $24.99, PB, 160pp
https://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Digital-complete-guide-learning/dp/0760385327
Synopsis: With the publication of "Drawing Digital: The Complete Guide for Learning to Draw & Paint on Your iPad",
digital artist and teacher Lisa Bardot (the expert behind @BardotBrush), introduces the art of digital drawing. Using your
tablet and Procreate, or another favorite drawing app, you can leave behind your pencil and paper and make art anywhere
and at any time.
Lisa gets you started with a range of easy-to-follow projects ranging from A still life, Cacti in the desert, Flowers,
Self-portraits, City scenes, and more! Accompanying each project are complete step-by-step instructions and Lisa Bardot's
signature, vibrant artwork.
"Drawing Digital" also features: Tips for finding creative inspiration; Information on tools; App basics; How to draw and
paint lines and shapes; Instructions for layering, duplicating, exporting, and more; A review that promises to help you draw
anything.
Lisa works in Procreate; however, her instructions apply to any digital drawing app, so you can use whatever you have on
hand. The projects, tips, and techniques offer the ideal starting point if you're a beginner to digital drawing, but if you're an
expert, you're sure to learn plenty from Lisa's expert advice, as well.
Lisa finds great joy in creating, and soon you will too, wherever and whenever you like to draw.
Critique: Allowing and enabling even the most novice of aspiring iPad artists to start their artistic creativity and learn to
draw on a tablet, "Drawing Digital: The Complete Guide for Learning to Draw & Paint on Your iPad" is impressively 'user
friendly' in instruction, organization, and presentation. While very highly recommended for personal, professional,
community, and art school instructional reference collections, it should be noted that "Drawing Digital" is also readily
available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).
Editorial Note: Lisa Bardot (https://bardotbrush.com/about-lisa-bardot) is an illustration artist, a teacher, and an all-around
creative person based in California. With the iPad and Procreate as her tools of choice, she creates educational tutorials,
industry-leading digital brushes, and art-making resources to help beginners and experienced artists alike find joy in
creating. Her educational videos about drawing and illustration have been viewed millions of times, and she receives high
praise for her thorough, concise, and fun teaching style. Additionally, she runs the Making Art Everyday artistic prompt
challenge, followed by thousands of participants worldwide. You can check out more of Lisa's work on Instagram at
@lisabardot, @bardotbrush, or on the Bardot Brush YouTube channel.
Drawing the Natural World
Tim Pond
The GMC Group
www.gmcbooks.com
9781784946388, $24.99, PB, 144pp
https://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Natural-World-Pond/dp/1784946389
Synopsis: "Drawing the Natural World" by Tim Pond is a practical and inspirational guide for artists of all abilities and at
all levels of experience. It is divided into the fundamental concepts of art -- color and tone, pattern, texture, line, shape,
form and space to introduce the essential techniques and demonstrate how they can be used in drawing the natural world
through practical projects.
Background information about the featured animals and plants will broaden the aspiring artist's awareness of and
connection with the natural world. Further chapters cover the anatomy of animals to ensure posture and gait can be
accurately captured, and the fundamentals of composition.
In this accessible DIY instructional guide, seasoned artist Tim Pond deftly blends natural history and science with art to
help the aspiring artist understand the critical roles that animals and plants play in life
"Drawing the Natural World" features: An introduction to drawing materials and equipment; Is packed full of the author's
beautiful, inspirational drawings; provides easy-to-follow step-by-step tutorials; and includes numerous tips and techniques
to improve the aspiring artist's observational and drawing skills
Critique: Profusely illustrated with an informative commentary and step-by-step instructions, "Drawing the Natural World"
is thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, making it a welcome, instructive, and highly recommended
pick for personal, professional, community library and art school Drawing/Painting instruction collections.
Editorial Note: The career of Tim Pond (https://www.timpond.me) spans three decades of working in various media and
for various clients, including books, magazines, newspapers, and film. Passionate about the natural world and education,
Tim has attracted worldwide critical acclaim for his artwork of animals, landscape and plants. His artwork has taken him
worldwide, from working as the expedition artist with Raleigh International in Alaska to sketching leaves in Mexico's
tropical forest. Tim is proud of his affiliations with the Zoological Society of London, The Royal Veterinary College
(where he is a guest lecturer on animal movement) and The Royal Society of Biology, where he is on a panel of judges for
the Nancy Rothwell Award. He also offers independent art classes where live animals are the life models, often on farms
or with owls in museums and at science festivals. His previous books are Watercolour the Natural World, published by
GMC Publications and The Field Guide to Drawing & Sketching Animals (Search Press).
Special Effects Lettering and Calligraphy
Grace Frosen
Quarry Books
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
100 Cummings Center, Suite 265D, Beverly, MA 01915
www.quartoknows.com
9780760380543, $22.99, PB, 144pp
https://www.amazon.com/Special-Effects-Lettering-Calligraphy-Step/dp/0760380546
Synopsis: With the publication of "Special Effects Lettering and Calligraphy: A Beginner's Step-by-Step Guide to Creating
Amazing Lettered Art - Explore New Styles, Colors, and Mediums", lettering artist and accomplished calligrapher Grace
Frosen has created a fun, colorful, and inspiring guide for lettering enthusiasts at all levels of experience.
With respect to aspiring lettering artists and calligraphers, "Special Effects Lettering and Calligraphy" covers: Getting
Started (experimenting with pens, paper, and other essential art materials; Creative Lettering for Beginners (warm-up
exercises, hand-lettering basics, and alphabet guides); Adding Extra Sparkle (developing your own style and add various
special effects and techniques to make your lettering pop); Colors and Blending (blending colors and learning to work with
metallics and other glittering mediums; Oodles of Doodles (adding illustrations, flourishes, and embellishments to your
lettering pieces; Putting It All Together (creating well-composed art pieces that combine different styles in beautiful
layouts).
Critique: Profusely and informatively illustrated throughout with examples and exercises, "Special Effects Lettering and
Calligraphy: A Beginner's Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Amazing Lettered Art - Explore New Styles, Colors, and
Mediums" is an ideal instructional reference that explores a wide range of mediums and styles, including dazzling special
effects, stunning color combinations, and impressive embellishments. While highly recommended for art school
curriculums and DIY calligraphy instruction collections, it should be noted that "Special Effects Lettering and Calligraphy"
is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).
Editorial Note: Grace Frosen is a lettering artist and illustrator with a popular following on Instagram @gracecallidesigns.
In addition to selling her doodle and lettering workbooks on her Etsy site GraceCalliStudios, Grace teaches a creative
lettering class on the online teaching platform Domestika.
The Money/Finance Shelf
Retirement Guardrails
Ian Ayres, author
Quinn Curtis, author
Cambridge University Press
One Liberty Plaza, Fl. 20, New York, NY 10006
www.cambridge.org
9781316518632, $110.00, HC, 180pp
https://www.amazon.com/Retirement-Guardrails-Proactive-Fiduciaries-Outcomes/dp/1316518639
Synopsis: In the world of finance, scores of lawsuits have pushed retirement plan sponsors to shorter, easier-to-navigate
menus, but - as co-authors and academicians Ian Ayres and Quinn Curtis argue in "Retirement Guardrails: How Proactive
Fiduciaries Can Improve Plan Outcomes" - we have only scratched the surface of retirement plan design.
Using participant-level plan data and straightforward tests, Professors Ayres and Curtis show how plan sponsors can
monitor plans for likely allocation mistakes and adapt menus to encourage success.
Beginning with an overview of the problem of high costs and the first empirical evidence on retirement plan fee lawsuits,
they offer an overview of the current plan landscape. They then show, based on reforms to a real plan, how streamlining
menus, eliminating pitfalls, and adopting static and dynamic limits on participant allocations to certain risky assets or
'guardrails' can reduce mistakes and lead to better retirement outcomes.
Focusing on plausible, easy-to-implement interventions, "Retirement Guardrails" shows that fiduciaries need not be
limited to screening out funds but can design menus to actively promote good choices.
Critique: A masterpiece of meticulous and exhaustive research, "Retirement Guardrails: How Proactive Fiduciaries Can
Improve Plan Outcomes" is an insightfully informative, thoughtful, thought-provoking, and highly recommended
contribution to personal, professional, college, and university library Contemporary Economics and Money/Finance
Studies collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, economists, tax
advisors, and non-specialist general readers with an interest Banking & Taxation Law that "Retirement Guardrails: How
Proactive Fiduciaries Can Improve Plan Outcomes" is also available in a paperback edition (9781009009843, $34.99) and
in a digital book format (Kindle, $33.24).
Editorial Note #1: Ian Ayres is a lawyer and economist. He is Deputy Dean and the Oscar M. Ruebhausen Professor at
Yale Law School and a Professor at Yale's School of Management.
Editorial Note #2: Quinn Curtis is Professor of Law and an Economist at the University of Virginia School of Law. His
work focuses on the regulation of retirement plans and investments.
The Theatre/Cinema/TV Shelf
John Wayne B-Westerns 1932-1939
James L. Neibaur
BearManor Media
www.bearmanormedia.com
9798887712390, $28.00, HC, 280pp
https://www.amazon.com/Wayne-B-Westerns-1932-1939-James-Neibaur/dp/B0CC4GGKXX
Synopsis: John Wayne is a true cinema icon, but the B-westerns he made in the 1930s after The Big Trail and before
Stagecoach are often overlooked. With the publication of "John Wayne B-Westerns 1932-1939", film historian James L.
Neibaur focuses on them specifically, film-by-film, and presents how they show the development of Wayne as both an
actor and an image. These are the films that maintained his popularity throughout the 1930s until he was cast by John Ford
in Stagecoach and his career quickly advanced. These B-westerns are an important part of The Duke's movie history.
Critique: Simply stated, unreservedly recommended for personal, community, college, and university library American
20th Century Cinematic History collections, "John Wayne B-Westerns 1932-1939" is a 'must read' selection for the legions
of John Wayne fans. Information packed and illustrated throughout with b/w historical photos, "John Wayne B-Westerns
1932-1939" is also readily available from BearManor Media in a paperback edition (9798887712383, $28.00).
Editorial Note: James L. Neibaur is a film historian and scholar who has authored over thirty books on various aspects of
cinema's history, as well as hundreds of articles for Cineaste, Senses of Cinema, Filmfax, Film Quarterly, Films in Review,
Classic Images, and the Encyclopaedia Britannica.
(https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/neibaur-james-l-1958)
Louis Joseph Vance and the Adventures of the Lone Wolf
Ian Dickerson
BearManor Media
www.bearmanormedia.com
9798887711959, $38.00, HC, 284pp
https://www.amazon.com/Louis-Joseph-Vance-Adventures-Lone/dp/B0C9SFXCQS
Synopsis: From his debut in a 1914 novel by Louis Joseph Vance, the adventures of Michael Lanyard, aka the Lone Wolf,
have thrilled millions around the world. Lanyard was a reformed crook turned gentleman detective turned hard-boiled
trouble-shooter and something of a private eye (depending on which incarnation you're familiar with) and his adventures
were documented in nine books, twenty-four films, thirty-nine half hour television episodes, and a radio show.
Alongside a biography of his creator "Louis Joseph Vance and the Adventures of the Lone Wolf" by Ian Dickerson is a
comprehensive look at the career of the Lone Wolf including details of the character's birth in print, his debut in silent
movies as well as a full and detailed history of his subsequent film career, and an extensive history of the TV series that
starred Louis Hayward.
Critique: Featuring a section of b/w historical illustrations, "Louis Joseph Vance and the Adventures of the Lone Wolf" is
an impressively informative, exhaustively researched, and deftly organized/presented history of a popular literary,
cinematic, and television series character that is a 'must' for the legions of Lone Wolf fans. While an original and very
highly recommended pick for personal, professional, community, college, and university library collections, it should be
noted that "Louis Joseph Vance and the Adventures of the Lone Wolf" is also readily available in a paperback edition
(9798887711942, $28.00) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.95).
Editorial Note: Ian Dickerson is best known for his association with the adventures of The Saint. Dickerson has written
books and articles on subjects as diverse as satellite links, mashed potatoes and Lord Grade. He was co-producer on the
2017 TV movie of The Saint and has written and directed a number of documentaries on the making of the 1960s and 70s
TV shows that share the name. His books cover subjects such as The Falcon and Sherlock Holmes as well as various
aspects of the work of Simon Templar and the adventures of Leslie Charteris.
(https://app.thestorygraph.com/authors/571959ae-3b11-4856-a2f5-4b729973dd8d)
Stooges Among Us
Lon Davis, author
Debra Davis, author
BearManor Media
www.bearmanormedia.com
9781593939502, $19.95, PB, 224pp
https://www.amazon.com/Stooges-Among-Us-Lon-Davis/dp/1593939507
Synopsis: In this paparazzi-inundated world, it's hard to imagine that there was a time when genuine movie stars were
accessible to ordinary members of the public. That was certainly the case in the 1970s with surviving members of the
Three Stooges comedy team. Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly-Joe DeRita and Joe Besser routinely corresponded with their
young admirers, invited them into their homes, and forged genuine friendships.
"Stooges Among Us" by Lon and Debra Davis is a record of these unique relationships told in the words of the fans
themselves.
Also sharing their insights are Stooges' family members, colleagues and close personal friends. Leonard Maltin, the
renowned film critic and historian, provides the foreword to this often candid, always affectionate tribute.
"Stooges Among Us" is a kind of back-stage pass to vaudeville theatres, movie sets, television studios and even a high
school auditorium which featured performances by "The Boys." You will be there for touching, personal moments, as well
as hilarious antics in which life mirrors the on-screen Stooge personas.
Critique: Featuring never-before published photographs and interviews with the Stooges, "Stooges Among Us" is
impressively informative and essential reading for their legions of fans, as well as a core addition to personal, professional,
community, college, and university library American Cinematic History & Biography collection and supplemental
curriculum studies lists. It should be noted that "Stooges Among Us" is also readily available in a digital book format
(Kindle, $9.95).
Editorial Note: Lon & Debra Davis have been collaborating on writing projects since they first met in college in 1978.
Their first major endeavor was penning King of the Movies, the authorized biography of silent screen legend Francis X.
Bushman, which was published to critical acclaim in 2009. Their other book collaborations include Silent Lives: 100
Biographies of the Silent Film Era (2008), Stooges Among Us (2008), CHASE! A Tribute to the Keystone Cops (2020),
and Ma and Pa Kettle on Film (2021). In 2021, their documentary film This is Francis X. Bushman was released on
Blu-ray by Flicker Alley.
Bits and Pieces: Screening Animal Life and Death
Sarah O'Brien
University of Michigan Press
839 Greene Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48104-3209
www.press.umich.edu
9780472076253, $75.00, HC, 210pp
https://www.amazon.com/Bits-Pieces-Screening-Animal-Death/dp/0472076256
Synopsis: "Bits and Pieces: Screening Animal Life and Death" by Sarah O'Brien gathers pivotal and more mundane
moments, dispersed across a predominantly Western history of moving images, in which animals materialize in movies
and TV shows, from iconic scenes of cattle slaughter in early Soviet montage to quandaries over hunting trophies in recent
home-renovation reality TV series, to animals in Black horror films.
Sarah O'Brien carefully views these fragments in dialogue with germinal texts at the intersection of animal studies, film
and television studies, and cultural studies. She explores the capacity of moving images to unsettle the ways in which
audiences have become habituated to viewing animal life and death on screens, and, more importantly, to understanding
these images as more and less connected to the "production for consumption" of animals that is specific to modern
industrialization.
By looking back at films and TV series in which the places and practices of killing or keeping animals enter, occupy, or
slip from the foreground, "Bits and Pieces: Screening Animal Life and Death" takes seriously the idea that cinema and
television have the capacity not only to catch but to challenge and change viewers' regard for animals.
Critique: A seminal, original, and groundbreaking study, "Bits and Pieces: Screening Animal Life and Death" by Sarah
O'Brien will have a special value for readers with an interest in how the cinematic and televised portrayal of animal life has
impacted public perception. Exceptionally well written, organized, and presented, "Bits and Pieces: Screening Animal Life
and Death" is unreservedly recommended as a unique addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library
Cinematic & Television History collections and supplemental Performing Arts curriculum studies lists. It should be noted
for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Bits and Pieces: Screening
Animal Life and Death" is also available in a paperback edition (9780472056255, $24.95).
Editorial Note: Sarah O'Brien (https://www.sarahobrienediting.com) is an academic editor.
As Deep As It Gets: Movies and Metaphysics
Randall E. Auxier
Open Universe
c/o Carus Books
www.carusbooks.com
9781637700082, $19.95
https://www.amazon.com/As-Deep-Gets-Movies-Metaphysics/dp/1637700083
As Deep As It Gets: Movies and Metaphysics belongs not just in media studies libraries and classrooms, but in collections
strong in modern philosophy, using popular current movies and TV shows to explore philosophical insights. Auxier's
discussion of moves goes beyond plot and character outlines to consider the deeper meanings and inspections in essays
which go beyond education to invite discussion and debate. From political metaphors in movies to enlightening surveys of
ethics, religion, and connections between modern media and ancient philosophers, Auxier draws seemingly disparate
subjects together in a moving survey that is surprisingly lively for its title and subject. This will make As Deep As It Gets
attractive to much more than a singular audience of modern-day philosophy students.
The Philosophy Shelf
The Godfather and Philosophy
Joshua Heter, editor
Richard Greene, editor
Open Universe
c/o Carus Books
315 Fifth Street, Peru, IL 81334
www.carusbooks.com
9781637700372, $24.95, PB, 306pp
https://www.amazon.com/Godfather-Philosophy-Joshua-Heter/dp/1637700377
Synopsis: Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by Joshua Heter and Richard Greene "The Godfather and Philosophy:
An Argument You Cant Refute" is comprised of twenty-eight chapters by philosophers, who reflect upon the ethical and
metaphysical issues raised in The Godfather novels and movies, beginning with the 1969 novel by Mario Puzo and the
1972 movie by Francis Ford Coppola.
"The Godfather" saga has had a profound impact on American cinema, storytelling, thinking about crime, and popular
culture. Aimed at thoughtful fans of The Godfather franchise, among the questions tackled in these provocative
philosophical chapters are the immigrant experience in America, the relation between ethics and the law, the nature of
moral corruption, private justice and vigilantism, organized crime and the American Dream, betrayal and forgiveness,
religion and family values, the difficulties of breaking out of a dysfunctional way of life, and the uncertain consequences of
vice laws.
Critique: A fascinating, thought provoking, and fun read from cover to cover, "The Godfather and Philosophy: An
Argument You Cant Refute" will have an enormous appeal to Godfather fans and readers with an interest in popular
culture, social science, and philosophy. While especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional,
community, college, and university library Philosophy & Popular Culture collections and supplemental curriculum studies
lists, it should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The
Godfather and Philosophy" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.99).
Editorial Note #1: Joshua Heter (https://philpeople.org/profiles/joshua-heter) teaches philosophy at Jefferson College,
Missouri. He co-edited Punk Rock and Philosophy (2022).
Editorial Note #2: Richard Greene (https://www.weber.edu/rgreene/default.html) teaches philosophy at Weber State
University, Utah. He wrote the definitive and highly acclaimed book, Spoiler Alert! (It's a Book about the Philosophy of
Spoilers) (2019).
Joshua Heter teaches philosophy at Jefferson College, Missouri. He co-edited Punk Rock and Philosophy (2022).
Richard Greene teaches philosophy at Weber State University, Utah. He wrote the definitive and highly acclaimed book,
Spoiler Alert! (It's a Book about the Philosophy of Spoilers).
Better Call Saul and Philosophy
Joshua Heter and Brett Coppenger, Editors
Open Universe
c/o Carus Books
www.carusbooks.com
9781637700266, $24.95
https://www.amazon.com/Better-Call-Saul-Philosophy-Culture/dp/1637700261
Better Call Saul and Philosophy: I Think Therefore I Scam belongs in any media studies collection strong in analyzing
television and films. Its subject goes beyond plot and character study, however, to delve into the moral and ethical
dilemmas presented in Better Call Saul, requiring that readers have a basic familiarity with the subject in order to apply the
philosophical reflections here. Joshua Heter and Brett Coppenger gather essays that are candid, contemporary, and often
push the common scholarly tone boundaries of philosophical inspection. One such example is Joshua Luczak's "Saul's
Bullshit's Not All Good, Man." Its inspection of truth, lies, and what occurs between them provides not just food for
thought, but ideally discussion material highly recommended for any viewer of Better Call Saul, or for modern young
philosophers who would more closely examine the connections and approaches of modern philosophy to movies and
media.
The Biography Shelf
Say Anarcha
J. C. Hallman
Henry Holt & Company
www.henryholt.com
9781250868466, $29.99, HC, 448pp
https://www.amazon.com/Say-Anarcha-Devious-Surgeon-Harrowing/dp/1250868467
Synopsis: For more than a century, Dr. J. Marion Sims was hailed as the "father of modern gynecology". He founded a
hospital in New York City and had a profitable career treating gentry and royalty in Europe, becoming one of the world's
first celebrity surgeons. Statues were built in his honor -- but he wasn't the hero he had made himself appear to be.
Sims's greatest medical claim was the result of several years of experimental surgeries (without anesthesia) on a young
enslaved woman known as Anarcha; his so-called cure for obstetric fistula forever altered the path of women's health.
One medical text after another hailed Anarcha as the embodiment of the pivotal role that Sims played in the history of
surgery. Decades later, a groundswell of women objected to Sims's legacy celebrated Anarcha as the "mother of
gynecology". Little was known about the woman herself. The written record would have us believe Anarcha disappeared --
but she did not.
Through tenacious research, author J. C. Hallman has unearthed the first evidence of Anarcha's life that did not come from
Sims's suspect reports. Hallman reveals that after helping to spark a patient-centered model of care that continues to
improve women's lives today, Anarcha lived on as a midwife, nurse, and "doctor woman".
"Say Anarcha" excavates history, deconstructing the biographical smoke screen of a surgeon who has falsely been
enshrined as a medical pioneer and bringing forth a heroic Black woman to her rightful place at the center of the creation
story of modern women's health care.
Critique: A seminal contribution to the history of women's medicine, "Say Anarcha: A Young Woman, a Devious Surgeon,
and the Harrowing Birth of Modern Women's Health" by J. C. Hallman must be considered an essential, core addition to
personal, professional, community, college, university, and medical school Women's Health History/Biography collections
and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for medical students, academia, women's health advocates,
and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Say Anarcha: A Young Woman, a Devious Surgeon,
and the Harrowing Birth of Modern Women's Health" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).
Editorial Note: J. C. Hallman (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._C._Hallman) is the author of five previous works of
nonfiction and a book of short stories. His previous work on Anarcha has appeared in Harper's Magazine,the Forum (of the
African American Policy Forum), the Baffler, Montgomery Advertiser, and Urology. He had been a recipient of
fellowships from the McKnight Foundation and the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, in the general
nonfiction category.
Son of Southern Illinois
Carl Walworth, author
Glenn Pushard, author
Southern Illinois University Press
www.siupress.com
9780809339181, $28.95, PB, 340pp
https://www.amazon.com/Son-Southern-Illinois-Poshards-Education/dp/0809339188
Synopsis: With the publication of "Son of Southern Illinois: Glenn Poshard's Life in Politics and Education", co-authors
Carl Walworth and Glenn Pushard have collaboratively written the first biography of Glenn Poshard and have traced the
life of a young man who rose from rural poverty in Southern Illinois to become a United States congressman and president
of the Southern Illinois University system. This profound portrait unveils a life and career dedicated to making higher
education affordable and improving the quality of life for the community of Southern Illinois.
Beginning with his childhood in a two-room home near Herald, Illinois and the early, tragic loss of his sister, this
biography navigates Poshard's service in the military, his time as a state senator and United States congressman, his run for
governor, his years at Southern Illinois University, and the establishment of the Poshard Foundation for Abused
Children.
Intimacies of his personal life are disclosed, such as his struggles with and treatment for depression, his passion for
education, and the lasting bonds he formed with his teachers. His unpopular decision to refuse PAC donations is also
highlighted, along with the work that went into sponsoring the Illinois Wilderness Act, and his relationship with civil
rights activist John Lewis. Glenn Poshard's efforts for the Wilderness Act designated Southern Illinois's famous Garden of
the Gods as a National Wilderness Preservation System, which continues to attract visitors from around the world.
Poshard's path from poverty was riddled with hardship, but his perseverance and family values ultimately allowed for
longstanding personal and civic growth. From an admirable work ethic to a steadfast commitment to problem-solving, this
biography illuminates the life and accomplishments of an impressive and generous leader.
Critique: Featuring B/W illustrations, "Son of Southern Illinois: Glenn Poshard's Life in Politics and Education" is a
seminal study of the life and accomplishments of a truly remarkable man who overcame numerous adversities yet made a
lasting impact on the state of Illinois that still resonates today. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Son
of Southern Illinois" is a confidently recommended and important pick for personal, community, and academic library
American Political Biography/Memoir collections.
Editorial Note #1: Carl Walworth (https://www.carlwalworth.com) worked for thirty-one years as a reporter, editor and
later publisher in the newspaper industry in Illinois. He currently is the library director at the Mattoon Public Library. He is
the author of The Mayor of Moultrie Avenue and a researcher for Lake Sara, the Hidden Jewel in America's Heartland.
Walworth has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Illinois in Urbana and an MBA from Nova
Southeastern University.
Editorial Note #2: Glenn Poshard (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenn_Poshard) has been at the forefront of educational
and economic development initiatives at the regional, state, and national level for more than five decades. His lengthy
service-oriented career has included time as a soldier, teacher, Illinois state senator, a member of the U.S. Congress,
chairman of the Southern Illinois University Board of Trustees, and President of the SIU system. The Poshard Foundation
for Abused Children, a volunteer organization founded by Poshard and his wife, Jo, has served the needs of vulnerable
children in Southern Illinois for nearly 25 years.
Garland: That's Beyond Entertainment - Reflections on Judy Garland
Lawrence Schulman, author
James Fisher, contributor
John H. Haley, foreword
BearManor Media
www.bearmanormedia.com
9798887711850, $38.00, HC, 294pp
https://www.amazon.com/Garland-Thats-Beyond-Entertainment-Reflections/dp/B0C9SDN1K5
Synopsis: Differing from other biographies and studies devoted to the life and accomplishments of American actress,
singer, dancer and vaudevillian, Judy Garland (June 10, 1922 - June 22, 1969) is that "Garland: That's Beyond
Entertainment - Reflections on Judy Garland" by Lawrence Schulman isn't a traditional birth-to-death biography. Rather, it
aims to remove her from the simplistic realm of such epithets as "world's greatest entertainer" and "Miss Show Business"
and reconsider her as one of the greatest singers of the 20th century's Great American Songbook, as someone who took us
beyond entertainment to a level of artistry unique in classic American popular music.
The importance of Judy Garland is amply highlighted in this detailed and richly-illustrated study covering Schulman's
writings on Garland between 1993 and 2023 that concentrate on her recordings, and not all the hoopla, hagiography, and
tragedy usually attached to her short 47-year life.
Utilizing published articles, reviews, liner notes, interviews, program notes, talks, and prefaces, the Schulman opus (which
includes a Foreword by John H. Haley and an Afterword by James Fisher), took thirty years to write, and revolutionizes the
trite take on Garland as having had just "a talent to amuse." A seminal study which meticulously includes all the facts but
does not exclude amusing anecdotes and unsettling stories that shed light on this complicated artist, "Garland: That's
Beyond Entertainment - Reflections on Judy Garland" resembles Garland in that it is indeed entertaining, but it also
spotlights an artist whose frightening talent takes us over the rainbow to a reality in song that is devoid of complaisance or
artifice.
Critique: An absolute 'must read' for the legions of Judy Garland fans, "Garland: That's Beyond Entertainment -
Reflections on Judy Garland" is exceptionally informative, insightful, groundbreaking, well written biography that features
B/W illustrations throughout. Throughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "Garland: That's Beyond
Entertainment - Reflections on Judy Garland" will prove an immediately welcome and enduringly popular addition to
personal, community, and academic library 20th Century American Entertainer Biography/Memoir collections and
supplemental American 20th Century Popular Culture curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for Judy Garland fans
that "Garland: That's Beyond Entertainment - Reflections on Judy Garland" is also available in a paperback edition
(9798887711843, $28.00) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.95).
Editorial Note: Founded in 2001 by Publisher Ben Ohmart, BearManor Media is known for publishing books on Movies,
Television, Old Time Radio, Theater, Animation, Circus Performing Arts and previously unpublished scripts. The
BearManor Media catalog now features more than 900 outstanding subjects from the obscure to the eminent. BearManor
Media is also considered a leader and innovator in publishing rare autobiographies and biographies of African-American
show business legends, famous voice actors, well-known sitcom stars, and celebrated producers, directors, and
screenwriters.
Onward & Upward
Michael Wiese
Michael Wiese Productions
www.mwp.com
9781615931392, $26.95
https://www.amazon.com/Onward-Upward-Reflections-Joyful-Life/dp/1615931392
Synopsis: From his humble beginnings in a small Midwestern town to becoming an integral part of the underground film
scene of San Francisco in the '60s.
From studying with Balinese shadow puppet masters to presenting documentary screenings for the Dalai Lama.
From producing the best parody ever of Star Wars to documenting the spiritual healing powers of Ayahuasca in the
Peruvian jungle.
From the hustle and bustle of film production in Hollywood to running the biggest "how-to" film making publisher in the
world.
Michael Wiese has lived a life accompanied by countless paradigm thinkers such as Buckminster Fuller and Salvador
Dali.
With the publication of his memoir, "Onward & Upward: Reflections of a Joyful Life", Michael candidly shares with his
reader what his personal journey to true success (on every level of life) looks like.
Critique: "Onward & Upward: Reflections of a Joyful Life" by Michael Wiese provides readers with a thoughtful and
memorable memoir from a publisher who founded Michael Wiese Productions and how he came to publish more books on
film than anyone else. His extensive, informative, and inherently interesting memoir is an essential, core addition for
personal, community, and academic library film and biography holdings alike, documenting both his rising influence in the
film industry and his travels around the world in search of meaning. Originally published in
While "Onward & Upward: Reflections of a Joyful Life " candidly offers his personal revelations and insights as a book
publisher and working in the film industry. Originally published in June 2013, "Onward & Upward" continues to be an
especially and unreservedly recommended pick for personal, community, and academic library Contemporary American
Biography/Memoir collections. It should be noted that "Onward & Upward" is also now readily available in a digital book
format (Kindle, $25.60).
Editorial Note: Michael Wiese (https://mwp.com), is the founder of Michael Wiese Productions (MWP) with more than
200 published books on filmmaking. Director, author, producer and publisher, Michael has been instrumental in
supporting the work of talented authors who bring to life unforgettable classics and have touched the hearts of audiences
worldwide. His unwavering dedication to making life easier and better for independent filmmakers and creative minds
worldwide, has earned him a reputation as a true champion of the arts.
Brass & Unity
Kelsi Sheren
https://brassandunity.com
Knox Press
c/o Permuted Press
https://permutedpress.com/knox-press
9781637588918, $28.99, HC, 304pp
https://www.amazon.com/Brass-Unity-Journey-Through-Afghanistan/dp/1637588917
Synopsis: Fresh out of high school, Kelsi Sheren, a diminutive nineteen-year-old woman, sought to join the military to help
liberate those oppressed by the Taliban in Afghanistan. While she was often the smallest person in basic training, she
proved she had the biggest heart and often the most energy.
She made it to Afghanistan and joined a British military unit for house-to-house insurgent patrol. What she saw there was
unimaginable death and destruction -- including the killing of a brother-in-arms. Devastated, Kelsi was sent home to get
her head straight, but even therapy and medication couldn't clear her mind -- or let her sleep.
When two others who served with her later took their own lives, she feared that was the only way out. But clinging to life
and the love of her husband and child, she knew she wasn't ready to give in. Finding respite in a jewelry business that
utilized spent shell casings, and with the help of innovative grief therapy, Kelsi not only survived but continues to thrive --
and works tirelessly to spread the word and help others.
Critique: A compelling, candid, and ultimately inspiring true life story of struggle and survival, "Brass & Unity: One
Woman's Journey Through the Hell of Afghanistan and Back" is a memorable and inspiring read from cover to cover.
While especially and unreservedly recommended for community and academic library Military History/Biography/Memoir
and Canadian Biography/Memoir collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "brass & Unity) is also
available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).
Editorial Note: Kelsi Sheren is a combat veteran and artillery gunner in the Canadian military who served in Afghanistan
in 2009 with the Canadian, American, and British armed forces. After deploying to Afghanistan at nineteen, Kelsi was
diagnosed with PTSD and sent home only to begin a new war -- the war with herself. When her therapist recommended art
therapy, Kelsi started making jewelry out of spent shell casings. She began with a warrior bracelet that led to the creation
of a successful jewelry and eyewear brand, Brass & Unity. Twenty percent of net profits go toward helping veterans who
are suffering from PTSD, depression, anxiety, and suicide.
Wandering through Life: A Memoir
Donna Leon
Atlantic Monthly Press
c/o Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
www.groveatlantic.com
9780802161581, $26.00, HC, 208pp
https://www.amazon.com/Wandering-through-Life-Donna-Leon/dp/0802161588
Synopsis: "Wandering through Life: A Memoir" by Donna Leon is a series of vignettes filled with affection, irony, and
good humor, as she narrates a remarkable life that she feels has rather more happened to her than had been planned.
Following a childhood in the company of her New Jersey family, with frequent visits to her grandfather's farm and its
beloved animals, and summers spent selling homegrown tomatoes by the roadside, Leon got her first taste of the classical
music and opera that would enrich her life.
She also developed a yen for adventure. In 1976, she made the spontaneous decision to teach English in Iran, before
finding herself swept up in the early days of the 1979 Revolution. After teaching stints in China and Saudi Arabia, she
finally landed in Venice. Leon vividly animates her decades-long love affair with Italy, from her first magical dinner when
serving as a chaperone to a friend, to the hunt for the perfect cappuccino, to the warfare tactics of grandmothers doing their
grocery shopping at the Rialto Market.
Some things remain constant throughout the decades: her adoration of opera, especially Handel's vocal music, and her
advocacy for the environment, embodied in her passion for bees -- which informs the surprising crux of the Brunetti
mystery Earthly Remains. Even as mass tourism takes its toll on the patience of residents, Leon's passion for Venice
remains unchanged: its outrageous beauty and magic still captivate her.
Having recently celebrated her eightieth birthday, Leon poignantly confronts the dual challenges and pleasures of aging.
Complete with a brief letter dissuading those hoping to meet Guido Brunetti at the Questura, and always suffused with
music, food, and her sharp sense of humor, "Wandering through Life" offers Donna Leon at her most personal.
Critique: A remarkable life story by a remarkable woman, "Wandering through Life: A Memoir" is an impressively written
memoir laced with keen observation and humor. An inherently fascinating and memorable read from start to finish,
"Wandering through Life: A Memoir" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary
American Women's Biography/Memoir collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Wandering through
Life: A Memoir" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).
Editorial Note: Donna Leon (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donna_Leon) was born in New Jersey in 1942. She has worked
as a travel guide in Rome and as a copywriter in London. She taught literature in universities in Iran, China, and Saudi
Arabia. Commissario Brunetti made her books world-famous.
Free Spirit
Tanya Same
Mitchell Beazley
c/o Octopus Books
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9781784728465, $26.99, HC, 352pp
https://www.amazon.com/Free-Spirit-barefoot-catwalks-fabulous/dp/1784728462
Synopsis: "Free Spirit" is the personal life story of Tanya Same, from barefoot childhood in Brazil. to her years as a top
fashion model on the catwalks of New York. From busking with Andrew Loog Oldham before he managed the Rolling
Stones to being invited to stay with Sharon Tate the night of the Manson murders, Tanya was (and is) one of those people
who seems to have fitted more into one life than most of us would fit into nine. But above all, she is also modern day
phenomena -- a female entrepreneur who has achieved true global success with the fashion brand of the 1990s, Ghost,
solely as a result of her own hard work and talent and entirely on her own terms.
Critique: "Free Spirit" is an inherently fascinating and candidly informative memoir of the extraordinary life of a
remarkable and talented woman. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Free Spirit" and will have a very
special appeal to readers with an interest in the world of High Fashion Modeling. "Free Spirit" is a very special and
recommended addition to personal, professional, and community library Contemporary Biography/Memoir
collections.
Editorial Note: Born in 1945 as an only child to refugee parents, Tanya Sarne spent the first two years of her life in a
children's home while her parents searched for suitable accommodation. After leaving Sussex University in 1967 with a
degree in History, early career choices included a stint as an actress, work as a fashion model and a script reader for
Universal Films. In the mid-1970s, when her first marriage collapsed, she started selling alpaca jumpers from Peru to
support her children. Thus began her involvement with fashion. She launched Ghost in 1984 and it became the 1990s'
biggest independent fashion brand, famous for its outrageous parties and clothes that made women feel confident about
themselves. The brand is now owned by Touker Suleyman.
The Long Field
Pamela Petro
Arcade Publishing
www.arcadepub.com
c/o Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018
www.skyhorsepublishing.com
9781956763676, $27.99, HC, 356pp
https://www.amazon.com/Long-Field-Presence-Absence-Memoir/dp/1956763678
Synopsis: Hiraeth is a Welsh word that's famously hard to translate. Literally, it can mean "long field" but generally
translates into English, inadequately, as "homesickness." At heart, hiraeth suggests something like a bone-deep longing for
an irretrievable place, person, or time -- an acute awareness of the presence of absence.
With the publication of "The Long Field: Wales and the Presence of Absence, a Memoir", Pamela Petro braids essential
hiraeth stories of Wales with tales from her own life -- as an American who found an ancient home in Wales, as a gay
woman, as the survivor of a terrible AMTRAK train crash, and as the daughter of a parent with dementia.
Through the pull and tangle of these true life stories and her travels throughout Wales, hiraeth takes on radical new
meanings. There is traditional hiraeth of place and home, but also queer hiraeth; and hiraeth triggered by technology,
immigration, ecological crises, and our new divisive politics. On this journey, the notion begins to morph from a uniquely
Welsh experience to a universal human condition, from deep longing to the creative responses to loss that Petro sees as the
genius of Welsh culture. It becomes a tool to understand ourselves in our time.
Critique: Deftly crafted, candid, inherently fascinating, exceptional, memorable, "The Long Field: Wales and the Presence
of Absence, a Memoir" is a compelling, eloquent, and innately interesting life story told against a Welch backdrop.
Especially and unreservedly recommended for community and academic library LGBTQ and Contemporary
Biography/Memoir collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Long Field" is also readily available
in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.99).
Editorial Note: Pamela Petro (https://pamelapetro.com) is a writer, artist, and educator and the author of four books,
including Sitting Up with the Dead: A Storied Journey through the American South (published by Arcade) and Travels in
an Old Tongue: Touring the World Speaking Welsh. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, Atlantic, Granta,
Guernica, Paris Review, and others. Pamela teaches creative writing at Smith College and in Lesley University's MFA
Program, and is codirector of the Dylan Thomas Summer School at the University of Wales, where she is a fellow. Pamela
is also a visual artist.
Unmasking the Klansman
Dan T. Carter
NewSouth Books
105 South Court Street, Montgomery, AL 36104
www.newsouthbooks.com
9781588384812, $28.95, HC, 400pp
https://www.amazon.com/Confederate-Ghost-Dancer-Carter-America/dp/1588384810
Synopsis: "Unmasking the Klansman: The Double Life of Asa and Forrest Carter" by Dan Carter may read like a work of
fiction but it is actually the true life biography of Asa Carter, one of the South's most notorious white supremacists (and
secret Klansman).
During the 1950s, this North Alabama political firebrand became known across the region for his right-wing radio
broadcasts and leadership in the white Citizens' Council movement. Combining racism and thinly-concealed
anti-Semitism, he created a secret Klan strike force that engaged in a series of brutal assaults, including an attack on jazz
singer Nat King Cole as well as militant civil rights activists. "Unmasking the Klansman" explores the life of Asa Carter
during these years and offers new insights into the legal maneuvers as well as the violence used by white Southern
segregationists to derail the civil rights movement in the region.
In the early 1960s Carter became a secret adviser to George Wallace and wrote the Alabama governor's infamous 1963
inauguration speech vowing "segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever".
When Carter disappeared from Alabama in 1972, few knew that he had assumed a new identity in Abilene, Texas,
masquerading as a Cherokee American novelist. Using the name "Forrest" Carter, he published three successful Western
novels, including The Rebel Outlaw: Josey Wales, which Clint Eastwood made into a widely acclaimed 1976 movie. His
last book, The Education of Little Tree (a fake biography of his supposed Indian childhood) posthumously became a
number one best-seller in 1991.
Author Dan T. Carter uncovered "Forrest" Carter's true identity while researching his biography of Georgia Wallace and in
a New York Times' op-ed he exposed Carter's deception. Although the difficulties of uncovering the full story of the
secretive Carter initially led him to abandon the project, in 2018 he gained access to more than two hundred interviews by
the late Anniston newsman, Fred Burger. These recordings and his two decades of exhaustive research finally brought Asa
Carter's story into focus. "Unmasking the Klansman" is the result.
Critique: An inherently fascinating read from start to finish, "Unmasking the Klansman: The Double Life of Asa and
Forrest Carter" is a eloquent study in evil and a part of the 20th Century history of the American South that a new
generation of white supremist political leaders is currently trying to erase from school history books and college history
courses. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Unmasking the Klansman" is impressive informative and
engaging life story of a man who strove to stop the long arc of history towards ending segregation -- a conflict that still
goes on today. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library 20th
Century American History & Biography collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Unmasking the
Klansman" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $16.38).
Editorial Note: Dan T. Carter (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_T._Carter) is the University of South Carolina
Educational Foundation Professor Emeritus. The author and editor of more than forty scholarly articles and seven books,
including Scottsboro: A Tragedy of the American South and The Politics of Rage: George Wallace, The Origins of the
New Conservatism and the Transformation of American Politics. Carter has received eight major literary prizes including
the Lillian Smith, Bancroft, and Robert Kennedy awards as well as a special citation in nonfiction from the Mystery
Writers of America.
The General Fiction Shelf
Banyan Moon
Thao Thai
Mariner Books
www.marinerbooks.com
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
Blackstone Audiobooks
https://www.blackstonelibrary.com
9780063267107, $30.00, HC, 336pp
https://www.amazon.com/Banyan-Moon-Novel-Thao-Thai/dp/0063267101
Synopsis: When Ann Tran gets the call that her fiercely beloved grandmother, Minh, has passed away, her life is already at
a crossroads. In the years since she's last seen Minh, Ann has built a seemingly perfect life (a beautiful lake house, a
charming professor boyfriend, and invites to elegant parties that bubble over with champagne and good taste) but it all
crumbles with one positive pregnancy test. With both her relationship and carefully planned future now in question, Ann
returns home to Florida to face her estranged mother, Huong.
Back in Florida, Huong is simultaneously mourning her mother and resenting her for having the relationship with Ann that
she never did. Then Ann and Huong learn that Minh has left them both the Banyan House, the crumbling old manor that
was Ann's childhood home, in all its strange, Gothic glory. Under the same roof for the first time in years, mother and
daughter must face the simmering questions of their past and their uncertain futures, while trying to rebuild their
relationship without the one person who's always held them together.
Running parallel to this is Minh's story, as she goes from a love struck teenager living in the shadow of the Vietnam War to
a determined young mother immigrating to America in search of a better life for her children. And when Ann makes a
shocking discovery in the Banyan House's attic, long-buried secrets come to light as it becomes clear how decisions Minh
made in her youth affected the rest of her life -- and beyond.
Spanning decades and continents, from 1960s Vietnam to the wild swamplands of the Florida coast, "Banyan Moon" is a
stunning and deeply moving story of mothers and daughters, the things we inherit, and the lives we choose to make out of
that inheritance.
Critique: A carefully crafted and simply riveting read from beginning to end, "Banyan Moon" by novelist Thao Thai will
hold a particular interest to fans of women's family life fiction. Entertaining, thought-provoking, and truly memorable,
"Banyan Moon" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists and community library
Contemporary Literary Fiction collections. It should be noted that "Banyan Moon" is also available in a digital book format
(Kindle, $14.99). Librarians should be ware that there is a large print paperback edition of "Banyan Moon"
(9780063345089, $34.00, 512pp) and a complete and unabridged audio book edition (Blackstone Audio, 9798212709934,
$41.99, CD).
Editorial Note: Thao Thai (https://thaowrites.com) is a writer living in Ohio with her husband and daughter. Her work
engages with tangled family relationships and the intersections of motherhood and identity. She's been published in Cup of
Jo, Eater, Catapult, Sunday Long Read, and more. A recipient of the Barbara Deming Memorial Fund, she has also been
nominated for multiple Pushcart Prizes and earned fellowships in creative writing. She received her MFA from The Ohio
State University and her MA from The University of Chicago.
This Time Could Be Different
Khristin Wierman
www.khristinwierman.com
SparkPress
c/o Spark Point Studio
www.gosparkpress.com
9781684632169, $17.95, PB, 400pp
https://www.amazon.com/This-Time-Could-Be-Different/dp/1684632161
Synopsis: A compulsive overachiever, Madeline lives by the credo that easy is synonymous with mediocre. Which is why,
at forty-nine, she's a senior vice president at a prominent bank, frantically adheres to a five-step nightly face cream
regimen, and panics anytime she's a foot away from her phone.
Madeline works alongside her best friend, Emma -- a master juggler of her own career, marriage, and motherhood to a
fourteen-year-old daughter who speaks only in baffling acronyms. The path ahead for both women is brimming with
opportunity.
There's only one problem: Madeline is miserable.
Seeking purpose in her life while trying to unravel the source of habits she wants to change, Madeline reluctantly agrees to
try yoga, meditation, and other wacky suggestions her new-agey therapist tosses her way. She feels as if she's risking
everything -- but in doing so, she just might unlock a world more fulfilling than she ever could have imagined.
Critique: Funny, poignant, original, and memorable, "This Time Could Be Different" by novelist Khristin Wierman will
have a special affinity for readers who are fans of deftly crafted women's friendship themed stories laced throughout with
humor. While a highly recommended pick for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections, it should be
noted for personal reading lists that "This Time Could Be Different" is also readily available in a digital book format
(Kindle, $9.49).
Editorial Note: Khristin Wierman (www.khristinwierman.com) spent twenty years rising through the marketing ranks of
Fortune 500 companies, building a career that was lucrative, ego boosting, and a little bit soul crushing. So she quit -- and
writing novels ensued.
A Storm of Infinite Beauty
Julianne MacLean
Lake Union Publishing
https://amazonpublishing.amazon.com/lake-union-publishing.html
Brilliance Audio
9781542036726, $16.99, PB, 300pp
https://www.amazon.com/Storm-Infinite-Beauty-Novel/dp/1542036720
Synopsis: A singer, actress, and beloved fashion icon, Scarlett Fontaine is a true Hollywood legen. But Scarlett dies
tragically at just thirty-six years old, leaving behind no children. Or so the story goes...
Gwen Hollingsworth is the curator at a museum dedicated to Scarlett's life. She's also sole heir to Scarlett's fortune as a
descendant of the star. But all is not well in Gwen's world. She's dealing with a messy marital separation and is struggling
to move forward. So when Peter Miller, a biographer and photojournalist, comes to the museum with shocking claims
about Scarlett (a life of exile in Alaska, a baby born in secret) Gwen's whole world is turned upside down. Again.
Determined to uncover the truth, Gwen and Peter set out for Alaska together but soon find themselves on a path toward
something far deeper and more meaningful than either of them ever expected.
With the publication of "A Storm of Infinite Beauty", novelist and master storyteller Julianne MacLean offers her readers a
truly fascinating and entertaining journey that ranges from a lush vineyard in Nova Scotia to a rustic lodge in Alaska where
old family secrets are revealed and the quest for true happiness begins. Deftly crafted, impressively original, "A Storm of
Infinite Beauty" will especially appeal to readers with an interest in Family Life and Women's Domestic fiction. While a
highly recommended pick for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal
reading lists that "A Storm of Infinite Beauty" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99) and as a complete
and unabridged audio book (Brilliance Audio, 9798400147760, $19.99, MP3-CD).
Editorial Note: Julianne MacLean (http://www.juliannemaclean.com) is the author of more than thirty novels, including
the popular Color of Heaven series. MacLean is also a four-time Romance Writers of America RITA finalist and has won
numerous awards, including the Booksellers' Best Award and a Reviewers' Choice Award from the Romantic Times. Her
novels have sold millions of copies worldwide and have been translated into more than a dozen languages.
One Friday in Napa
Jennifer Hamm
She Writes Press
www.shewritespress.com
9781647425296, $17.95, PB, 248pp
https://www.amazon.com/One-Friday-Napa-Jennifer-Hamm/dp/1647425298
Synopsis: Vene feels like she and her mother have always been at odds - since she was a child, the first word she used to
describe Olivia was "cold." When news of her mother's imminent death comes, Vene returns to her family's home in Napa
to see if their strained relationship can be mended, only to find Olivia as harsh as ever and their reconciliation seemingly
unreachable.
But when Vene stumbles upon Olivia's old cookbook, she discovers a passion within her mother she didn't know existed.
The clipped tone and quick judgments of her dying mother don't match the young woman whose voice she finds between
the pages - one that tells a story of romance, longing, duty, and aching heartbreak. Curiosity consumes Vene, and she
embarks on an intimate journey to learn about the Olivia she never got to meet - before it's too late.
A captivating story told in alternating perspectives a half-century apart, "One Friday in Napa" explores the pains and joys
of devotion as two women learn the price of loyalty, the power of secrets, and the meaning of sacrifice.
Critique: "One Friday in Napa" is all the more impressive when considering that it is author Jennifer Hamm's debut as a
novelist. Original, deftly written, and thoroughly 'reader engaging' from start to finish, "One Friday in Napa" will hold a
special appeal to readers with an interest in stories of family dramas and a woman's complicated relationship issues with
another woman. While highly recommended for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections, it should be
noted for personal reading lists that "One Friday in Napa" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.49).
Editorial Note: Born and raised in Los Angeles, Jennifer Hamm graduated with a BA in English at UCLA and began her
writing career developing screenplays for movies and television. As a travel writer, she has covered the globe on
assignment for various magazines and brands. She also writes It's Only for A Year, a long-running blog chronicling her
adventures raising her four boys in two countries. Hamm currently splits her time between London and Los Angeles.
(https://shewritespress.com/portfolio/jennifer-hamm)
And This Shall Be My Dancing Day
Jennifer Kavanagh
https://www.jenniferkavanagh.co.uk
Roundfire Books
c/o Collective Ink Books
https://www.collectiveinkbooks.com
9781803412450, $16.95, PB, 192pp
https://www.amazon.com/This-Shall-Be-Dancing-Day/dp/1803412453
Synopsis: What is the mystery of the dying flowers in a dark doorway with an ever-open door? And why does it matter so
much? In "And This Shall Be My Dancing Day", novelist Jennifer Kavanagh presents two very different women who are
brought together by love, loss and their struggles with very modern moral choices -- whether to act against injustice, and
just how far to go.
Critique: With the publication of "And This Shall Be My Dancing Day", author Jennifer Kavanagh has a genuine flair for
eloquent, engaging, entertaining, and narrative driven storytelling. Original and a fun read from start to finish, "And This
Shall Be My Dancing Day" is an easy and memorable read, and one that is unreservedly recommended for community
library Contemporary General Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "And This Shall Be My
Dancing Day" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.49).
Editorial Note: Jennifer Kavanagh (https://www.jenniferkavanagh.co.uk) gave up her career as a literary agent to work in
the community in London's East End. She is a speaker and prolific writer on the Spirit-led life and an Associate Tutor at
Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre.
Secret Agent Gals
Richard Gid Powers
Livingston Press
https://livingstonpress.uwa.edu
9781604893397, $21.95, PB, 420pp
https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Agent-Gals-Richard-Powers/dp/1604893397
Synopsis: Who are the Secret Agent Gals, Hilla Rebay and Peggy Guggenheim? Just two beautiful real-life socialite art
collectors, who later founded the Guggenheim Museum, but eventually answered the call of duty, joined the FBI, and who
pretty much won World War II all by themselves.
They won the war by stealing Hitler's and Stalin's mojos and used a secret weapon brewed in St. Louis. Also, they save J.
Edgar Hoover and his handsome sidekick Clyde Tolson from treasonous agents and The Pigeon who wants to take over all
the Post Toasties' Junior G-Men,Clubs.
The Gals team up with many other characters, including Secret Agent X-9, Presidential Agent 103, James Bonds' father
Jonquil "Junk" Bond, the Alabama Jamma of the Brooklyn Girls Roller Derby Team, the King and Queen of England and
their Corgis, along with the FBI's bevy of beautiful Secret Agents to uncover a secret so awful, so terrible, it can't even be
hinted at on the back cover of a book, for it is not suitable material for anyone who hasn't read Secret Agent Gals or at least
bought it.
This satire of the FBI's intelligence machine during World War II (believe it or not), is in part based on historical fact:
Peggy Guggenheim and Baroness Von Rebay did render intelligence on the German machine that was so infatuated with,
yes, art!
Critique: Satirical fiction at its very best, "Secret Agent Gals" is deftly crafted, compulsively compelling, impressively
original, laugh-out-loud funny, and an unreservedly recommended pick for community library World War II Alternate
History Fiction collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists for readers with an interest in satire, and a bit
of science fiction in their action/adventure historical novels that "Secret Agent Gals" is also readily available in a digital
book format (Kindle, $9.95).
The Historical Fiction Shelf
The Stockwell Letters
Jacqueline Friedland
https://jacquelinefriedland.com
SparkPress
c/o Spark Point Studio
www.gosparkpress.com
9781684632145, $17.95, PB, 328pp
https://www.amazon.com/Stockwell-Letters-Novel-Jacqueline-Friedland/dp/1684632145
Synopsis: A passionate advocate for the abolition of the slave trade from her earliest years, Ann's activism was derailed
just before her twenty-fourth birthday, when she fell sick with a mysterious illness. In order to protect her fragile health,
her husband, the famous abolitionist Wendell Phillips, forbade her from joining any further anti-slavery outings. Even so,
when fugitive slave Anthony Burns is apprehended in Boston, Ann is determined to help him, no matter what it costs
her.
Critique: A deftly crafted historical novel by Jacqueline Friedland, "The Stockwell Letters" accurately portrays the social
and political restrictions upon those nineteenth-century women who sought to effect positive changes such as the freeing of
the slaves and the ending of the slave trade in America. "The Stockwell Letters" give contemporary readers an accurate
accounting of the truly horrific conditions of the antebellum South and the obstacles faced by abolitionists who fought
tirelessly to eradicate slavery. Informative and inherently fascinating from first page to last, "The Stockwell Letters" is
especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Historical Fiction collections. It should be noted for
personal reading lists that "The Stockwell Letters" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.49).
Editorial Note: Jacqueline Friedland (https://jacquelinefriedland.com) is the author of He Gets That From Me, That's Not a
Thing, and Trouble the Water. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and NYU Law School, she practiced briefly as
a commercial litigator in Manhattan and taught Legal Writing and Lawyering Skills at the Benjamin Cardozo School of
Law. She returned to school after not too long in the legal world, earning her Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
from Sarah Lawrence College. Jacqueline regularly reviews fiction for trade publications and appears as a guest
lecturer.
A Bakery in Paris
Aimie K. Runyan
William Morrow & Company
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
Blackstone Audiobooks
https://www.blackstonelibrary.com
9780063247710, $18.99, PB, 384pp
https://www.amazon.com/Bakery-Paris-Aimie-K-Runyan/dp/0063247712
Synopsis: 1870: The Prussians are at the city gates, intent to starve Paris into submission. Lisette Vigneau (headstrong,
willful, and often ignored by her wealthy parents) awaits the outcome of the war from her parents' grand home in the Place
Royale in the very heart of the city.
When an excursion throws her into the path of a revolutionary National Guardsman, Theodore Fournier, her destiny is
forever changed. She gives up her life of luxury to join in the fight for a Paris of the People. She opens a small bakery with
the hopes of being a vital boon to the impoverished neighborhood in its hour of need. When the city falls into famine, and
then rebellion, her resolve to give up the comforts of her past life is sorely tested.
1946: Nineteen-year-old Micheline Chartier is coping with the loss of her father and the disappearance of her mother
during the war. In their absence, she is charged with the raising of her two younger sisters.
At the hand of a well-meaning neighbor, Micheline finds herself enrolled in a prestigious baking academy with her entire
life mapped out for her. Feeling trapped and desperately unequal to the task of raising two young girls, she becomes
obsessed with finding her mother. Her classmate at the academy, Laurent Tanet, may be the only one capable of helping
Micheline move on from the past and begin creating a future for herself.
Both women must grapple with loss, learn to accept love, and face impossible choices armed with little more than their
courage and a belief that a bit of flour, yeast, sugar, and love can bring about a revolution of their own.
Critique: An inherently fascinating and skillfully written historical novel by author Aimie K. Runyan, "A Bakery In Paris"
will have a very special appeal for fans of family life fiction and historical fiction. While also available for personal
reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99) as well as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone
Audio, 9798212693066, $41.99, MP3-CD), "A Bakery In Paris" is an original and unreservedly recommended addition for
community library Historical Fiction collections.
Editorial Note: Aimie K. Runyan (https://aimiekrunyan.com) is an author of historical fiction. She has been nominated for
a Rocky Mountain Fiction Writer of the Year award and two Colorado Book Awards.
A Beautiful Rival
Gill Paul
William Morrow & Company
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
Blackstone Audiobooks
https://www.blackstonelibrary.com
9780063245112, $18.99, PB, 384pp
https://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Rival-Helena-Rubinstein-Elizabeth/dp/0063245116
Synopsis: They could have been allies: two self-made millionaires who invented a global industry, in an era when wife and
mother were supposed to be the highest goals for their sex. Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein each founded empires
built on grit and determination --and yet they became locked in a feud spanning three continents, two world wars, and the
Great Depression.
Brought up in poverty, Canadian-born Elizabeth Arden changed popular opinion, persuading women from all walks of life
to buy skincare products that promised them youth and beauty. Helena Rubinstein left her native Poland, and launched her
company with scientific claims about her miracle creams made with anti-ageing herbs.
And when it came to business, nothing was off-limits: poaching each other's employees, copying each other's products,
planting spies, hiring ex-husbands, and one-upping each other every chance they had. This was a rivalry from which there
was no surrender! And through it all were two women, bold, brazen, and determined to succeed -- no matter the personal
cost.
"A Beautiful Rival" by Gill Paul is a sweeping historical novel about two larger than life fashion icons embedded with all
their passion, bitterness, and ambition as they each tried to create the American dream for themselves.
Critique: A deftly crafted work of fiction based on the lives of two very real and iconic women, Gill Paul's historical novel
"A Beautiful Rival" is a fun, fascinating, and informative read from cover to cover. While also available for personal
reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio,
9798212694865, $41.99, CD), "A Beautiful Rival" is a very strongly recommended pick for community library Historical
Fiction collections.
Editorial Note: The novels of Gill Paul (http://gillpaul.com/author) include "The Secret Wife", "Women and Children
First", "The Affair", "No Place for a Lady". Her nonfiction includes "A History of Medicine in 50 Objects", "World War I
Love Stories", and "Royal Love Stories". Gill's expertise is often called upon for talks on historical subjects, including the
sinking of the Titanic.
The Last Masterpiece
Laura Morelli
William Morrow & Company
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
Blackstone Audiobooks
https://www.blackstonelibrary.com
9780063205987, $18.99, PB, 416pp
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Masterpiece-Novel-World-Italy/dp/006320598X
Synopsis: In the summer of 1943, Eva Brunner is taking photographs of Nazi-looted art hidden in the salt mines of the
Austrian hinterland. Across the ocean in Connecticut, Josephine Evans is working as a humble typist at the Yale Art
Gallery.
When both women are called to Italy to contribute to the war effort, neither imagines she will hold the fate of some of the
world's greatest masterpieces torn from the Uffizi Galleries and other Florentine art collections in her hands.
But as Italy turns from ally to enemy and Hitler's plan to destroy irreplaceable monuments and works of art becomes
frighteningly clear, each woman's race against the clock (and against one another) might demand more than they were
prepared to give.
With the publication of "The Last Masterpiece", novelist Laura Morelli takes her readers on a heart-pumping adventure up
the Italian peninsula, where nothing is as it seems and some of the greatest works of art and human achievement are at
stake. Who might steal and who might save a work of art -- and at what cost?
Inspired by the incredible true story of the Monuments Women, the Fifth Army WACs, and the looted Florentine art
collections during World War II, "The Last Masterpiece" plunges readers into the heart of war-torn Italy.
Critique: A work of fiction that is based on historical facts with respect to the Nazi attempt to acquire and then hide some
of the most famous art pieces in European history, "The Last Masterpiece" is itself a masterpiece of storytelling set in the
Italian theater of World War II. Original, riveting, knowledgeable, memorable, and solidly entertaining from first page to
last, "The Last Masterpiece" by Laura Morelli is unreservedly recommended for community library World War II
Historical Fiction collections. It should be noted for the growing legions of Laura Morelli fans that "The Last Masterpiece"
is also available for their personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99) and as a complete and unabridged
audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9798212693189, $41.99, CD).
Editorial Note: Laura Morelli (https://lauramorelli.com) holds a Ph.D. in art history from Yale University and is an
award-winning historical novelist. Laura has taught college students in the U.S. and in Italy. She has covered art and
authentic travel for TED-Ed, National Geographic Traveler, Italy Magazine, CNN Radio, and other media. Laura is the
author of the popular Authentic Arts guidebook series that includes Made in Italy. Her historical novels, including The
Night Portrait and The Gondola Maker, bring the stories of art history to life.
A Council of Dolls
Mona Susan Power
Mariner Books
www.marinerbooks.com
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
Blackstone Audiobooks
https://www.blackstonelibrary.com
9780063281097, $30.00, HC, 304pp
https://www.amazon.com/Council-Dolls-Mona-Susan-Power/dp/0063281090
Synopsis: From the mid-century metropolis of Chicago to the windswept ancestral lands of the Dakota people, to the bleak
and brutal Indian boarding schools, "A Council of Dolls" by novelist Mona Susan Power is the story of three women, told
in part through the stories of the dolls they carried.
Sissy, born 1961: Sissy's relationship with her beautiful and volatile mother is difficult, even dangerous, but her life is also
filled with beautiful things, including a new Christmas present, a doll called Ethel. Ethel whispers advice and kindness in
Sissy's ear, and in one especially terrifying moment, maybe even saves Sissy's life.
Lillian, born 1925: Born in her ancestral lands in a time of terrible change, Lillian clings to her sister, Blanche, and her
doll, Mae. When the sisters are forced to attend an "Indian school" far from their home, Blanche refuses to be cowed by the
school's abusive nuns. But when tragedy strikes the sisters, the doll Mae finds her way to defend the girls.
Cora, born 1888: Though she was born into the brutal legacy of the "Indian Wars," Cora isn't afraid of the white men who
remove her to a school across the country to be "civilized." When teachers burn her beloved buckskin and beaded doll
Winona, Cora discovers that the spirit of Winona may not be entirely lost...
Critique: "A Council of Dolls" by author Mona Susan Power is thought-provoking, quietly devastating, reader engaging,
and ultimately hopeful novel of healing and love by a gifted novelist who has chosen to focus on the echoing damage
wrought by Indian boarding schools that still resonants today, as well as the historical massacres of Indigenous people. A
masterpiece of literary elegance and emotional eloquence, "A Council of Dolls" is unreservedly recommended for
personal, community, and academic library Contemporary American Literature collections. It should be noted that "A
Council of Dolls" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book
(Blackstone Audio, 9798212693660, $41.99, CD).
Editorial Note: Mona Susan Powers (https://www.monasusanpower.com) is the award winning author of four books of
fiction, including The Grass Dancer (a National Bestseller awarded a PEN/Hemingway Prize), Roofwalker (a collection of
stories and essays awarded the Milkweed National Fiction Prize), Sacred Wilderness (a novel which received the Electa
Quinney Award), and A Council of Dolls, forthcoming from Mariner/HarperCollins in August 2023. Mona is also an
enrolled member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe (Iha kt u wa na Dakhota), born and raised in Chicago. During her
childhood she was a member of the Chicago Indian Village movement, a group organized to protest the conditions of
Native people lured to urban areas with promises of secure jobs and good housing, that seldom materialized.
Voice of the Ancient
Connilyn Cossette
Bethany House Publishers
c/o Baker Publishing Group
6030 East Fulton Road, Ada, MI 49301
www.bethanyhouse.com
9780764241314, $29.99, HC, 352pp
https://www.amazon.com/Voice-Ancient-Kings-Connilyn-Cossette/dp/0764241311
Synopsis: When a nearby city is attacked, Avidan fights for the newly crowned King Saul. When one of his cousins goes
missing during the battle, he searches for him and instead stumbles across Keziah -- the daughter of a powerful man.
Traveling together, they must rely on each other to stay alive and learn to trust the King of Israel to guide their every
step.
Critique: A blending of romance with action/adventure and taking place in ancient Israel during the reign of King Saul,
"Voice of the Ancient" by novelist Connilyn Cossette is a deftly crafted, riveting, and simply fun read that will have a very
special and particular appeal to fans of Biblical Fiction and Historical Romance Fiction. While highly recommended as a
pick for community library historical fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Voice of the
Ancient" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9780764238918, $16.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle,
$12.99).
Editorial Note: Connilyn Cossette (www.connilyncossette.com)is a Christy Award and Carol Award-winning author
whose books have been found on ECPA and CBA bestseller lists.
The Keeper of Hidden Books
Madeline Martin
Hanover Square Press
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
Blackstone Audiobooks
https://www.blackstonelibrary.com
9781335005779, $30.00, HC, 416pp
https://www.amazon.com/Keeper-Hidden-Books-Novel/dp/1335005773
Synopsis: All her life, Zofia has found comfort in two things: books and her best friend, Janina. But no one could have
imagined the horrors of the Nazi occupation in Warsaw. As the bombs rain down and Hitler's forces loot and destroy the
city, Zofia finds that now books are also in need of saving.
With the death count rising, Zofia jumps to action to save her friend and salvage whatever books she can from the
wreckage, hiding them away and even starting a clandestine book club. She and her dearest friend never surrender their
love of reading, even when Janina is forced into the newly formed ghetto.
As Warsaw creeps closer toward liberation, Zofia must fight to save her friend and preserve her culture and community
using the only weapon they have left: literature.
Critique: With a very special appeal to readers with an interest in World War II novels, "The Keeper of Hidden Books" by
novelist Madeline Martin is an original, compelling, and memorable read from start to finish. Exceptionally well written
with distinctive characters and unexpected plot twists and a dramatic conclusion, "The Keeper of Hidden Books" is a
celebration of the power of literature, reading, and the human spirit in a time of unimaginable horror and destruction.
While a strongly recommended pick for community library Literary Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal
reading lists that "The Keeper of Hidden Books" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9781335455024, $18.99),
in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99), and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio,
9798212658775, $41.99, CD).
Editorial Note: Madeline Martin (https://madelinemartin.com) is the award winning author of historical fiction and
historical romance with books that have been translated into over twenty different languages.
The LGBTQ Fiction Shelf
Lovesick Blossoms
Julia Watts
Three Rooms Press
www.threeroomspress.com
9781953103420, $17.00, PB, 360pp
https://www.amazon.com/Lovesick-Blossoms-Julia-Watts/dp/1953103421
Synopsis: In a small Kentucky college town in 1953, two married women desperately fall in love with each other, until a
moment of indiscretion threatens to destroy both their lives.
Colleagues and neighbors of Samuel and Boots are more than willing to accept their married status, even though Samuel
"dresses like a boy" and the pair's relationship is one of convenience that will never be consummated. But when Samuel
meets a new professor's wife, Frances, at a faculty party, she soon falls in love, and learns the difficulty of discretion in a
small town -- with tragic consequences.
Critique: "Lovesick Blossoms" by adult novel, award-winning author Julia Watts is her latest LGBTQ themed novel and
creates an original, deftly scripted, compelling, emotional, heartfelt, and ultimately hopeful story of power and passion.
While highly recommended for community and academic library LGBTQ literary fiction collections, it should be noted for
personal reading lists that "Lovesick Blossoms" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.49).
Editorial Note: Julia Watts (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Watts) is the author of fourteen novels and several short
story collections in the genres of young adult fiction and lesbian fiction/erotica. Her books, set in Appalachia, often depict
the lives of LGBTQ people in the Bible Belt. Her novel Needlework was selected as Tennessee's youth selection for the
"Great Reads from Great Places" by the Library of Congress, and won Honorable Mention for Best YA novel of the year in
the Foreword INDIES awards. Her novel Finding H.F. (Alyson Press) won the Lambda Literary Award in the
children/young adult category. Her novel, Quiver, set in rural Tennessee, received a rare "Perfect 10 Rating" from VOYA
Magazine, and was selected for the American Library Association's Rainbow List. Her novel Secret City (Bella Books)
was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award and a winner of a Golden Crown Literary Award. In 2020 Watts was given
the Tennessee Library Association's Intellectual Freedom Award.
The Literary Fiction Shelf
The Brothers Karamazov: A New Translation
Fyodor Dostoevsky, author
Michael R. Katz, translator
Liveright
c/o W. W. Norton & Company
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
www.wwnorton.com
9781631498190, $36.00, HC, 928pp
https://www.amazon.com/Brothers-Karamazov-Translation-Michael-Katz/dp/1631498193
Synopsis: Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky's final and arguably greatest novel, "The Brothers Karamazov", paints a
complex and richly detailed portrait of a family tormented by its extraordinarily cruel patriarch, Fyodor Pavlovich, whose
callous decisions slowly decimate the lives of his sons (the eponymous brothers Karamazov) and lead to his violent
murder. In the aftermath of the killing, the brothers contend with dilemmas of honor, faith, and reason as the community
closes in on the murderer in their midst.
Critique: With this new edition published Liveright and distributed for an American readership by W.W. Norton,
acclaimed translator and academic Professor Michael R. Katz, renders this literary masterpiece's nuanced and evocative
storytelling in a vibrant, signature prose style that captures all the power of Dostoevsky's original, including the clever
humor, the rich emotion, the passion and the turmoil. This newly translated edition of "The Brothers Karamazov" will
captivate (and unsettle) a new generation of readers. Also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $26.99), this massive
saga is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, community, college, and university library Russian/English
literary studies collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note #1: Fyodor Dostoevsky (11 November 1821 - 9 February 1881) is a Russian writer who wrote The Brothers
Karamazov, Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, and many other novels.
Editorial Note #2: Michael R. Katz (https://lithub.com/author/michaelrkatz) is C. V. Starr Professor Emeritus of Russian
and East European Studies at Middlebury College. He has published translations of more than fifteen Russian novels,
including Crime and Punishment and Notes from Underground.
How Love Came to Professor Guildea and Other Uncanny Tales
Robert Hichens
Stark House Press
www.starkhousepress.com
9798886010510, $15.95, PB, 250pp
https://www.amazon.com/Professor-Guildea-Other-Uncanny-Tales/dp/B0BSHG1846
Synopsis: "How Love Came to Professor Guildea and Other Uncanny Tales" is comprised of seven classic short stories of
occult fiction and supernatural mysteries by Robert Hichens including:
"How Love Came to Professor Guildea": Professor Guildea is an extremely unsentimental man - he doesn't need nor want
anyone's affection. He has his work, and that is enough. Until one evening when he sees a figure in the park, and crosses
the street to investigate. No one is there, and yet Guildea is convinced that someone follows him back into his house... a
strange presence with a curious and very irritating attraction to him.
"A Tribute of Souls": Alistair Ralston, the young Laird of Carlounie, has a feeble soul matched to his pinched and pallid
body. But his desires are Gargantuan, as is his hate for those more fortunate. And so one day he takes a book of magical
incantations into the woods and makes a pact with the grey traveller: three souls to Satan in exchange for a renewed body.
He is brought back to Carlounie in a fever. When he recovers, he is a new man - powerful, driven. It is time to use this
power...
"The Lost Faith": Olivia has known most of her life that she has the power to heal. It all comes down to faith. After she
heals young Fernol West - victim of a head injury - her fame spreads to England, where she and Fernol are hosted by the
noted eccentric, Lord Sandring. When Olivia meets Sir Hector and is asked to cure his skeptical sister of her blinding
headaches, her real test of faith begins.
These three (plus four more) original short stories are weird tales of the unexpected and introduce a whole new generation
of appreciative readers to time-lost, long out of print literary treasures by a gifted 19th Century author.
Critique: Enhanced for readers with an informative Introduction by S. T. Joshi and a one page Robert Hichens
Bibliography, "How Love Came to Professor Guildea and Other Uncanny Tales" is part of the Stark House Supernatural
Classics series and an unreservedly recommended addition to personal, community, and academic library Literary Fiction
collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "How Love Came to Professor Guildea and Other Uncanny
Tales" is also now available in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.99).
Editorial Note: Robert Smythe Hichens was born on November 14, 1864, the son of a clergyman and his wife. As a teen he
showed aptitude as a pianist and enrolled at the Royal College of Music, which he abandoned for the London School of
Journalism. During this time he also published his first novel, The Coastguard's Secret, a story of murder, romance and the
supernatural. In his late 20s he suffered a bout of poisoning, and decided to recuperate in Cairo. While there, he made
several literary friends and was introduced to Oscar Wilde, who inspired his quintessential London fin-de-siecle satire, The
Green Carnation. Hichens went on to write over fifty novels (exotic melodramas, mystery, romance) as well as nine story
collections and several works of non-fiction on the Near East. Many of his novels were staged or turned into films,
including The Paradine Case directed by Alfred Hitchcock. He died on July 20, 1959, in Switzerland, where he had moved
for his health.
The Romantic Fiction Shelf
The Long Game
Elena Armas
Atria Books
c/o Simon & Schuster
www.simonandschuster.com
Blackstone Audiobooks
https://www.blackstonelibrary.com
9781668011300, $18.99, PB, 384pp
https://www.amazon.com/Long-Game-Novel-Elena-Armas/dp/1668011301
Synopsis: Adalyn Reyes has spent years perfecting her daily routine: wake up at dawn, drive to the Miami Flames FC
offices, try her hardest to leave a mark, go home, and repeat.
But her routine is disrupted when a video of her in an altercation with the team's mascot goes viral. Rather than fire her, the
team's owner (who happens to be her father) sends Adalyn to middle-of-nowhere North Carolina, where she's tasked with
turning around the struggling local soccer team, the Green Warriors, as a way to redeem herself. Her plans crumble upon
discovering that the players wear tutus to practice (impractical), keep pet goats (messy), and are terrified of Adalyn
(counterproductive), -- and are nine-year-old kids.
To make things worse, also in town is Cameron Caldani, goal keeping prodigy whose presence is somewhat of a mystery.
Cam is the perfect candidate to help Adalyn, but after one very unfortunate first encounter involving a rooster, Cam's leg,
and Adalyn's bumper, he's also set on running her out of town.
But banishment is not an option for Adalyn. Not again. Helping this ragtag children's team is her road to redemption, and
she is playing the long game. With or without Cam's help.
Critique: A clear candidate for being turned into a Halllmark Rom-Com movie, "The Long Game" by novelist Elena
Armas is a fun read from cover to cover. Original, deftly crafted characters, memorable plot twists, "The Long Game" will
have a very special appeal to readers with an interest in contemporary romance laced with genuine humor and a 'happy ever
after' finale. While highly recommended for personal reading lists and community library Contemporary Romance
collections, it should be noted that "The Long Game" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99) and as a
complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9781797164311, $42.74, CD).
Editorial Note: Elena Armas (www.authorelenaarmas.com) is a Spanish writer, a self confessed hopeless romantic, and a
proud book hoarder. She hopes her stories make your heart skip a beat or two, your palms a little sweaty, and your cheeks
flush in that rosy pink that makes other people want to peek at the page you are reading.
A Beautiful Disguise
Roseanna M. White
Bethany House Publishers
c/o Baker Publishing Group
6030 East Fulton Road, Ada, MI 49301
www.bethanyhouse.com
9780764241819, $29.99, HC, 368pp
https://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Disguise-Imposters-Roseanna-White/dp/0764241818
Synopsis: Sir Merritt Livingstone has spent a decade serving the monarch in the field, but when pneumonia lands him
behind a desk in the War Office Intelligence Division just as they're creating a new secret intelligence branch, he's intent
on showing his worth. He suspects an aristocrat of leaking information to Germany as tensions mount between the two
countries, but he needs someone to help him prove it, so he turns to The Imposters, Ltd. No one knows who they are, but
their results are beyond compare.
Left with an estate on the brink of bankruptcy after their father's death, Lady Marigold Fairfax and her brother open a
private investigation firm for the elite to spy on the elite. Dubbed The Imposters, Ltd., their anonymous group soon
becomes the go-to for the creme of society who want answers delivered surreptitiously. But the many secrets Marigold
learns about her peers pale in comparison to her shock when she and her brother are hired to investigate her best friend's
father as a potential traitor.
Lady Marigold is determined to discover the truth for her friend's sake, and she's more determined still to keep her heart
from getting involved with this enigmatic new client -- a man who simply cannot possibly be as noble as he seems.
Critique: Deftly combining romance, history and mystery, "A Beautiful Disguise" by novelist Roseanna M. White launches
'The Imposters' -- a new historical romance series starring private investigators and set in an Edwardian era England. An
original and fun read from start to finish, "A Beautiful Disguise" will be of special interest to fans of 20th Century
historical Christian romance novels. While highly recommended, especially for community library Historical Romance
Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "A Beautiful Disguise" is also readily available in a
paperback edition (9780764240928, $17.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).
Editorial Note: Roseanna M. White (www.roseannamwhite.com) is a Christy Award winning author of numerous novels,
ranging from biblical fiction to American-set romances to her new Edwardian British series.
Someone Just Like You
Meredith Schorr
Forever
c/o Hachette Book Group
www.hachettebookgroup.com
9781538754801, $16.99, PB, 352pp
https://www.amazon.com/Someone-Just-Like-Meredith-Schorr/dp/1538754800
Synopsis: New Yorker Molly Blum knows everything about her lifelong nemesis, Jude Stark. With their families so close,
they should have been best friends. Instead, she thinks he's a too-charming slacker, and he thinks she's allergic to fun. After
years of one-upping each other's pranks (chocolate-dipped cat treats are not as delicious as they appear), one high school
joke went too far, and they stopped speaking completely. But now that they're supposed to help plan a massive party for
their parents together -- and there's no better time to resume their personal war.
And it is on. Only somewhere between all the sniping and harmless hijinks, a reluctant friendship develops, along with an
unexpected spark of sexual tension. It might have to do with the fact that she's been dating Jude-lookalikes and he's been
dating Molly doppelgangers. Or the fact that neither of them is nearly as horrible as they thought. All Molly and Jude know
is that they've mastered the art of hating each other.
Falling in love, on the other hand, is a whole new battlefield.
Critique: An original, extraordinary, and simply fun read from beginning to end, "Someone Just Like You" by novelist
Meredith Schorr is the kind of romance that Hallmark Channel Rom-Com Movies are made. While also available for
personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.99), "Someone Just Like You" will prove to be an immediate
and enduringly popular addition to community library Contemporary Romance Fiction collections.
Editorial Note: Meredith Schorr (https://meredithschorr.com) is a born and bred New Yorker and lifelong daydreamer who
fueled her passion for writing everything from restaurant reviews, original birthday cards, and even work-related emails
into a career penning romantic comedies.
The Western Fiction Shelf
Comanche Territory
Cole Shelton
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444850284, $24.50, PB, Large Print, 270pp
Synopsis: Chief Red Claw's Comanche renegades, supplied with Springfield rifles by a greedy gunrunning outfit, are
terrorizing settlers, burning, looting and killing. In desperation, the army rehires former trail scout Clay Coleman, a man
they once booted out.
On the trail, Clay rescues a mail order bride from a Comanche war party, then catches up with his old saddle partner
Shoshone Sam. Together, the two scouts match their wits and guns against Comanche warriors and ruthless
gunrunners.
With the odds stacked against them, can they bring peace to the frontier again? And can Clay survive to win the woman he
loves?
Critique: An original, carefully crafted, and simply gripping story that will have a very special appeal to fans of non-stop
action/adventure westerns, this large print paperback edition of "Comanche Territory" by Cole Shelton will prove to be a
welcome pick for personal reading lists of dedicated fans and the Western Fiction collections of community libraries.
Editorial Note: Cole Shelton (Roger Norris-Green), has written 137 published westerns under 6 pen names plus 2 under his
own name. Some of his westerns have received "Best Western of the Month" awards.
Backlash
Dale Graham
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444850307, $24.50, PB, Large Print, 234pp
Synopsis: Fed up with driving an old mud wagon to deliver mail in Arizona, young Jeff Hayden is eager for change. But
his boss reckons he doesn't have the experience to handle the more prestigious Concord stagecoaches. However, when a
special delivery of gold to Gila Bend is lacking a suitable driver, Jeff's hero Trace Wildeblood suggests he is more than
capable of handling a full team.
But when the stagecoach is held up and robbed by Squint Rizzo and his gang, Trace's sweetheart Sophie Dexter is killed.
Blamed for neglecting to get the coach to safety, Jeff joins the posse to bring Squint to grime justice.
Critique: A fun, original, and thrilling read from start to finish, this large print paperback edition from Linford Western
Library of "Backlash" by western novelist Dale Graham will have a very special appeal to dedicated fans of deftly crafted
western novels and is an unhesitatingly recommended addition to personal reading lists and community library Western
Fiction collections.
Editorial Note: Dale Graham is a pen name for Graham Dugdale, who writes westerns and previously worked as a teacher
in New Mexico. He also compiles crossword puzzles for a weekly country sports newspaper and has produced eleven
highly successful walking guides all based in the north of England. He is also the author of "Death Rides Alone" and "Hell
Bound for Spindriff".
One Grave Too Many
Matt Cole
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444850208, $24.50, PB, Large Print, 294pp
Synopsis: Ross Chisenhall lies defenseless and defeated. Four riders have viciously killed his only son and left him for
dead. In time he recuperates from his wounds, and is left with not only a scar on his face, but a darkness inside that cannot
be quenched until his child's death is avenged. Under an assumed name he escapes to the town of Mesilla, where he soon
discovers that he can be as cruel and brutal as the most savage gunman.
Critique: A simply riveting revenge themed action/adventure western, "One Grave Too Many" by Matt Cole is a
compelling and compulsive page turner of a read from beginning to end. This large print paperback edition of "One Grave
Too Many" is a highly recommended pick for personal reading lists and community library Western Fiction
collections.
Editorial Note: Matt Cole (https://www.facebook.com/mattcoleauthor) is an author, comic book writer, children's book
author, and writing teacher/ lecturer. He is the author of over thirty books, in numerous genres from nonfiction, children's,
fantasy, detective, historical, crime, and Western.
Desperadoes On The Loose
E. Jefferson Clay
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444850291, $24.50, PB, Large Print, 222pp
Synopsis: There was trouble in Fortitude Valley. Someone had set up a lumber camp smack in the middle of cattle country.
And to make matters worse, the lumbermen drafted in to work the axes and saws, and float the timber down to the
sawmill, were paroled convicts!
If they made a go of the chance they'd been given, they could win their freedom.
But the Cattlemen's Association had other ideas about that. So the Fortitude Valley Lumber Company hired Hank Brazos
and Duke Benedict as security men to keep the peace -- but that was easier said than done!
Critique: Another deftly crafted and western action/adventure showcases the further adventures of former Confederate
Sergeant Hank Brazos and former Union Captain Duke Benedict. As an author, E. Jefferson Clay is a master of the western
genre and this large print paperback edition "Desperadoes on The Loose" from the Linford Western Library series is a fun
and highly recommended for both personal reading lists and community library Western Fiction collections.
Editorial Note: E. Jefferson Clay (https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/e-jefferson-clay) is one of the many pseudonyms for
legendary Australian author, comic book writer and illustrator, Paul Wheelahan.
The Mystery/Suspense Shelf
A Fatal Illusion
Anna Lee Huber
Berkley Books
c/o Penguin/Random House
https://www.penguin.com/berkley-overview
9780593198483, $17.00, PB, 368pp
https://www.amazon.com/Fatal-Illusion-Lady-Darby-Mystery/dp/0593198484
Synopsis: Yorkshire, England. August 1832. Relations between Sebastian Gage and his father have never been easy,
especially since the discovery that Lord Gage has been concealing the existence of an illegitimate son. But when Lord
Gage is nearly fatally attacked on a journey to Scotland, Sebastian and Kiera race to his side. Given the tumult over the
recent passage of the Reform Bill and the Anatomy Act, in which Lord Gage played a part, Sebastian wonders if the attack
could be politically motivated.
But something suspicious is afoot in the sleepy village where Lord Gage is being cared for. The townspeople treat
Sebastian and Kiera with hostility when it becomes clear they intend to investigate, and rumors of mysterious
disappearances and highway robberies plague the area. Lord Gage's survival is far from assured, and Sebastian and Kiera
must scramble to make the pieces fit before a second attempt at murder is more successful than the first.
Critique: A wonderfully entertaining and carefully crafted historical mystery, "A Fatal Illusion" is a pare of novelist Anna
Lee Huber's 'Lord Darby Mystery' series. Especially appropriate and appreciated by readers with an interest in historical
mysteries featuring women sleuths and a bit of romance in their mysteries, "A Fatal Illustration" is especially commended
as a pick for personal reading lists and community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted that "A Fatal
Illusion" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).
Editorial Note: Anna Lee Huber (https://www.annaleehuber.com) is the Daphne Award-winning author of the popular
Lady Darby Mysteries and the Verity Kent Mysteries. She is a summa cum laude graduate of Lipscomb University in
Nashville, Tennessee, where she majored in music and minored in psychology. She currently resides with her family and is
hard at work on her next novel.
A Killing at Smugglers Cove
Michelle Salter
Boldwood Books
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781837510672, $32.99, HC, 248pp
https://www.amazon.com/Killing-at-Smugglers-Cove/dp/1837510687
Synopsis: July 1923 - Iris Woodmore travels to Devon with her friends Percy Baverstock and Millicent Nightingale for her
father's wedding to Katherine Keats.
But when Millicent uncovers skeletal remains hidden on the private beach of Katherine's former home, Iris begins to
suspect her future stepmother is not what she seems.
The police reveal the dead man is a smuggler who went missing in 1918, and when a new murder occurs, they realize a
killer is in their midst. The link between both murders is Katherine. Could Iris's own father be in danger?
Critique: A riveting and fun read that will have a special attraction for dedicated 'whodunnit' murder mystery fans of
amateur female sleuths and unexpected plot twists, "A Killing at Smugglers Cove" is an Iris Woodmore Mystery from the
pen of Michelle Salter. A simply riveting novel from start to finish, this hardcover edition from Boldwood Books is an
extraordinary and unreservedly recommended pick for community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted
for the personal reading lists of mystery buffs and Michelle Salter fans that "A Killing at Smuggler's Cove" is also readily
available in a large print paperback edition (9781837510689, $17.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $3.99).
Editorial Note: Michelle Salter (https://www.michellesalter.com) is a historical crime fiction writer based in Hampshire,
United Kingdom. Many of her books are set in the area where she lives and are inspired by real-life events in 1920s
Britain. She also has connections to Devon, and her latest novel, A Killing at Smugglers Cove, is set in Dawlish and
Exeter. Michelle brings a love of social history to her novels, which reflect how issues of 100 years ago are not so different
from the challenges we face today.
Birder, She Wrote
Donna Andrews
Minotaur Books
c/o St. Martin's Publishing Group
www.minotaurbooks.com
9781250760241, $28.00, HC, 304pp
https://www.amazon.com/Birder-She-Wrote-Langslow-Mysteries/dp/1250760240
Synopsis: Meg Langslow is relaxing in the hammock, taste-testing Michael's latest batch of Arnold Palmers and watching
the hummingbirds at their feeders when her hopes for a relaxing early summer morning are dashed.
First her father recruits her to help him install a new batch of bees in the hive in her backyard. Then Mayor Shiffley
recruits her to placate the NIMBYs (Not In My Backyard), with respect to a group of newcomers to Caerphilly who have
built McMansions next door to working farms and then do their best to make life miserable for the farmers. And finally
Meg's grandmother, shows up, trailed by a nosy reporter who is writing a feature on her for a genteel Southern ladies'
magazine.
Cordelia drafts Meg to accompany her and Deacon Washington of the New Life Baptist Church (and the reporter, alas!) in
their search for a long-lost African-American cemetery. Unfortunately what they discover is not an ancient cemetery but a
fresh corpse. Can Meg protect her grandmother (and Caerphilly) from the reporter who seems to see the worst in
everything -- and help crack the case before the killer finds another victim?
Critique: A 'must read' for the legions of cozy mystery enthusiasts in general, and novelist Donna Andrews fans in
particular, "Birder, She Wrote" is the 33rd entry to the veritable library of Meg Langslow Mysteries. Laced with humor,
and starring one of the most popular armature female sleuths in the cosy mystery genre, "Birder, She Wrote" is an original
and fun read from cover to cover. While with the highest recommendation for inclusion into community library
Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Birder, She Wrote" is also readily
available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).
Editorial Note: Donna Andrews (http://www.donnaandrews.com) has won the Agatha, Anthony, and Barry Awards, an RT
Book Reviews Award for best first novel, and four Lefty and two Toby Bromberg Awards for funniest mystery. She is a
member of the Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and Novelists, Inc. She has written over 30 books in the Meg
Langslow mystery series.
The Trade Off
Sandie Jones
Minotaur Books
c/o St. Martin's Publishing Group
www.minotaurbooks.com
9781250836939, $29.00, HC, 304pp
https://www.amazon.com/Trade-Off-Sandie-Jones/dp/125083693X
Synopsis: For Stella, deputy editor of The Globe, the choice has always been clear. It doesn't matter how low she has to
stoop -- getting the best story is what she's built her reputation on.
For Jess, The Globe's rookie reporter, the story stops when the truth does. But she knows that the dirty tricks of the tabloids
will be hard to overturn.
And when a celebrity is hounded by The Globe and pays the ultimate price, Jess wonders just how much Stella and the
paper are responsible.
Determined to show the world what the tabloid is capable of, Jess will do whatever it takes to uncover the truth, but she
needs to watch her back, because someone else is prepared to kill to bury it.
Critique: Because novelist Sandie Jones can draw upon her more than twenty years as a practicing journalist she is able to
bring a very special authenticity to her newest novel, "The Trade Off". Original, entertaining, compelling, "The Trade Off"
is a riveting read and highly recommended for community library Domestic/Psychological suspense thriller collections. It
should be noted that "The Trade Off" is also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle,
$14.99).
Editorial Note: Sandie Jones (https://sandiejones.com/about) has worked as a freelance journalist for more than twenty
years and has written for publications including The Sunday Times, Woman's Weekly, and Hello magazine. She lives with
her husband and three children. She is the author of The Other Woman, a Reese's Book Club x Hello Sunshine pick.
The Velvet Fleece
Lois Eby, author
John C. Fleming, author
Stark House Press
www.starkhousepress.com
9798886010312, $15.95, PB, 174pp
https://www.amazon.com/Velvet-Fleece-Lois-Eby/dp/B0C4XVL2TJ
Synopsis: When their mark in a Miami con drops dead, Silky figures it's time to head West to Hart City on the California
coast. And since Rick is their point man, he gets the job of setting up the fix. It looks like a piece of cake, ripe for the
serving. All he has to do is pose as the best friend of a rich young war widow's dead husband, and he's in. With the rubes in
this town, Rick figures it's a cinch.
Of course, there's Silky's girlfriend, Tory, who's bored with the boss and only has eyes for Rick. She's supposed to be in
Havana, but Tory is no fool. She's followed Rick out west. And how he's got his hands full trying to keep the widow and
Tory apart, while working a con of his own, only this time he's going to try to con Silky!
Critique: Originally published in hardcover in January 1941, "The Velvet Fleece" by co-authors Lois Eby and John C.
Fleming has now been published in paperback for a new generation of 'hard-boiled' mystery fans who appreciate the art of
the con and the complications of a femme fatale. This new edition features an informative introduction by Curtis Evans to
the book and its genre. While also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.99), this 'Time
Lost Treasure' of a read is a highly recommended pick for community library Mystery/Suspense collections.
Editorial Note: The novel, "The Velvet Fleece" was filmed as the movie "Larceny" in 1948 starring John Payne, Joan
Caulfield and Dan Duryea.
Thicker Than Water
Megan Collins
Atria Books
c/o Simon & Schuster
www.simonandschuster.com
Blackstone Audiobooks
https://www.blackstonelibrary.com
9781982196240, $27.99, HC, 320pp
https://www.amazon.com/Thicker-Than-Water-Megan-Collins/dp/1982196246
Synopsis: Julia and Sienna Larkin are sisters-in-law, connected by Julia's husband and Sienna's brother, Jason. More than
that, the two are devoted best friends and business partners, believing that theirs is a uniquely unbreakable bond. To
Sienna, her protective brother can do no wrong, and although Julia knows he's not perfect, they've built a comfortable life
and family together. Recently, Jason has been putting in long hours to secure a promotion at work, so when his boss is
found brutally murdered (and with his lips sewn shut) the Larkins are shocked and unsettled, especially as local gossip
swirls.
A few days later, Julia and Sienna's lives are upended when Jason gets into a car accident and is placed in a medically
induced coma. Worse, the police arrive with news that he's the prime suspect in the murder investigation. With Jason
unable to respond (and with Julia and Sienna working to clear his name) the two women find their friendship threatened
for the first time: Sienna staunchly maintains her brother's innocence, but as their investigation uncovers a complicated
web of secrets, Julia is less sure she's willing to defend her husband.
Critique: A finely crafted, richly textured, original and simply compelling read from start to finish, "Thicker Than Water"
by gifted novelist Megan Collins will have a special and consummate appeal to readers with an interest in psychologically
suspenseful murder mysteries featuring amateur women sleuthing and more plot twists and turns than an Oklahoma
tornado. While highly recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the
growing legions of Megan Collins fans that "Thicker Than Water" is also available in a paperback edition
(9781982196257, $17.99), in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99), and as a complete and unabridged audio book
(Blackstone Audio, 9781797159607, $39.99, CD).
Editorial Note: Megan Collins (https://www.megancollins.com) is the author of "The Family Plot", "Behind The Read
Door", and "The Winter Sister". She taught creative writing for many years at both the high school and college level and is
the managing editor of 3Elements Review.
Murders in Silk
Asa Bordages (writing as Mike Teagle)
Stark House Press
www.starkhousepress.com
9798886010268, $11.99, PB, 218pp
https://www.amazon.com/Murders-Silk-Asa-Bordages/dp/B0BWL8RZFY
Synopsis: Tie Bixby spots the woman with the red hat getting on the train. But the guy she's trying not to be seen talking to
is strictly a lug. After she comes out of the ladies' room and announces that there is a man with his throat cut inside (that
same lug) Tie figures she's up to her neck in trouble. That night, while visiting Pa, there is an explosion next door. An
inventor is burned to death in the fire -- and Tie sees the woman in the red hat fleeing the scene.
He could tell the cops about her, but he decides to not to. He decides to play it cagey for awhile, and help her out. There is
definitely a mystery here. Why does the inventor's daughter hate him so much? And why is a gangster's lawyer hanging
around the scene of the crime? And who is the guy who was murdered on the train? Most importantly of all, what does the
woman with the red hat have to do with all of it?
Critique: A classic novel of the hard-boiled murder mystery genre, "Murders in Silk" by Asa Bordages (writing under the
pen name of Mike Teagle) is still another 'time lost' literary treasure original published in 1938 now brought back into print
for the benefit of a new general of readers. This Black Gat Books paperback edition from Stark House Press has a classic
1930's style cover art. A fun 'whodunnit' read from start to finish, "Murders in Silk" is strongly recommended for
community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated hard-boiled
mystery fans that "Murders in Silk" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99).
Editorial Note: Asa Cyril Bordages was born on March 2, 1906, in Beaumont, Texas. He lived in Houston, Texas in the
1920s and moved to New York in 1932, where he became a feature writer for the New York World Telegram, marrying
actress Gertrude Flynn in 1933. In 1941 Bordages authored a play, Brooklyn, USA, with screenwriter John Bright,
featuring characters based on Murder, Inc. gangsters. It ran for 47 performances, and was revived in Hollywood in 2010.
Bordages wrote two novels under his real name, and two more as Mike Teagle. He died on December 9, 1986, in
Columbia, Knowlton Township, New Jersey, at the age of 80.
How Can I Help You
Laura Sims
G. P. Putnam's Sons
c/o Penguin Group
www.penguin.com
9780593543702, $27.00, HC, 256pp
https://www.amazon.com/How-Can-I-Help-You/dp/059354370X
Synopsis: No one knows Margo's real name. Her colleagues and patrons at a small-town public library only know her
middle-aged normalcy, congeniality, and charm. They have no reason to suspect that she is, in fact, a former nurse with a
trail of countless premature deaths in her wake. She has turned a new page, so to speak, and the library is her sanctuary, a
place to quell old urges.
That is, at least, until Patricia, a recent graduate and failed novelist, joins the library staff. Patricia quickly notices Margo's
subtly sinister edge, and watches her carefully. When a patron's death in the library bathroom gives her a hint of Margo's
mysterious past, Patricia can't resist digging deeper -- even as this new fixation becomes all-consuming!
Critique: A deftly scripted suspense thriller of a read from cover to cover, "How Can I Help You" by novelist Laura Sims
is especially recommended to fans of psychological suspense stories that will linger in the mind and memory long after the
book has been finished and set back upon the shelf. While an especially commended pick for personal reading lists and
community library collections, it should be noted that "How Can I Help You" is also available in a digital book format
(Kindle, $14.99).
Editorial Note: Laura Sims (https://www.laurasims.net/about) is the author of the critically acclaimed novel, LOOKER,
now in development for television with eOne and Emily Mortimer's King Bee Productions. An award-winning poet, Sims
has published four poetry collections; her essays and poems have appeared in The New Republic, Boston Review, Electric
Lit, and more. She and her family live in New Jersey, where she works part-time as a reference librarian and hosts the
library's lecture series.
Windfall
Wendy Corsi Staub
William Morrow & Company
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
Blackstone Audiobooks
https://www.blackstonelibrary.com
9780063235311, $18.99, PB, 336pp
https://www.amazon.com/Windfall-Suspense-Wendy-Corsi-Staub/dp/0063235315
Synopsis: J.J., Molly, and Leila had once been inseparable, but it's been a long time since college, and life (not to mention
distance) have disrupted the former roommates' friendship.
When the three reunite for a birthday weekend in Las Vegas, the lottery ticket they buy on a whim has the winning
numbers -- giving them a billion-dollar windfall. Shell-shocked, they turn to Shea Daniels, a "sudden wealth manager"
who promises to guide them through the pitfalls of having more money than they'd ever imagined. But it would be the
girls' weekend they would live to regret.
The trio travels to a secluded California mansion, where Shea and her staff cater to their every whim, promising to teach
them to navigate their newfound wealthy lifestyles with ease. The house is luxurious beyond their wildest dreams -- and
purportedly cursed, the last place a missing movie star was seen alive. Their weekend turns to terror when they discover
they are trapped -- the roads are blocked and communication disrupted by the wildfires raging around them.
And when history repeats itself and one of them disappears (the one who's holding the billion-dollar ticket) the others must
face the fact that either their friend has betrayed them -- or a predator is lurking!
Critique: Another original and gem of a suspense thriller from the mind and imagination of novelist Wendy Corsi Staub,
"Windfall" will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to the personal reading lists of Staub's legions of
fans, as well as community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted that "Windfall" is also available in a
digital book format (Kindle, $11.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, $36.99, CD).
Editorial Note: Wendy Corsi Staub (https://wendycorsistaub.com) is the award-winning author of more than seventy
novels and has twice been nominated for the Mary Higgins Clark Award.
Fatal Legacy
Lindsey Davis
Minotaur Books
c/o St. Martin's Publishing Group
www.minotaurbooks.com
9781250799906, $28.00, HC, 336pp
https://www.amazon.com/Fatal-Legacy-Flavia-Albia-Novel/dp/1250799902
Synopsis: Flavia Albia, daughter of Marcus Didius Falco, has taken over her father's business as a private informer. She
only has two hard and fast rules -- avoid political cases and family cases because nothing good comes of either of them.
Unfortunately, since Albia isn't good at avoiding either, it's really more of a guideline. So when her Aunt Junia demands
Albia track down a couple of deadbeats who owe her money, it's an offer Albia can't refuse.
It turns out to be a relatively easy job, requiring only some half-hearted blackmail, and it leads to some new work in the
form of tracking down some essential paperwork for the debtor family.
But nothing is truly easy in Rome. If Albia doesn't find the paperwork that proves that family's ancestor was a properly
freed slave, then the family could lose everything. The more she digs, the more skeletons she finds in their closet, until
murder in the past leads to murder in the present.
Now, it's serious, even deadly, and Albia has precious little time to uncover the truth.
Critique: Set In first century Rome, "Fatal Legacy" is the latest addition to author Lindsey Davis' wildly popular 'Flavia
Albia' series as Alba now takes on a seemingly easy case that soon proves to be anything but as, at every turn, bodies both
old and new keep turning up. A fun read for any and all dedicated historical mystery fans, "Fatal Legacy" is a welcome
pick for community library Mystery/Suspense collections and easily available for personal reading lists in a digital book
format (Kindle, $14.99).
Editorial Note: Lindsey Davis (https://lindseydavis.co.uk) was born and raised in Birmingham, England. After taking an
English degree at Oxford and working for the civil service for thirteen years, she "ran away to be a writer". Her novels
featuring ancient Roman detective Marcus Didius Falco include Venus in Copper, The Iron Hand of Mars, Nemesis and
Alexandria. She is also the author of Rebels and Traitors, set during the English Civil War. Davis is the recipient of the
Crime Writers' Association Cartier Diamond Dagger Award, the highest accolade for crime writers, as well as the Ellis
Peters Historical Dagger Award and the Authors' Club Best First Novel award.
The Moth Came Back
Tara Ratzlaff
Camel Press
www.camelpress.com
9781684920969, $15.95, PB, 230pp
https://www.amazon.com/Moth-Came-Back-Tara-Ratzlaff/dp/1684920965
Synopsis: Twenty-eight year old Carmen Karlaff, owner of a native grass and wildflower seed farm in northwestern
Minnesota is surprised when her employees find a dead body in her big bluestem field.
Her best friend, Jessica, is accused of the murder when the body is identified as Jessica's long lost brother who ran away
twenty years ago after injuring a young girl in a drunken driving accident. No one seems to know why he returned home
after all this time, or what would have caused him to be killed. The sheriff suspects Jessica of murdering her own brother
when he learns there is an inheritance at stake.
Things are further complicated when evidence implicating Jessica is found at her home. But Carmen knows Jessica isn't a
murderer and decides to investigate. In the midst of a building project to promote tourism on her farm, navigating her
feelings for her newly hired foreman with a past he's unwilling to share, and preparing for harvest; her questions lead her to
suspect this present day murder is tied to the twenty year old accident and if she's not careful the killer who is trying to
keep the knowledge of what really happened that night quiet will try to silence her too.
Critique: Specializing in the cozy mystery genre, novelist Tara Ratzlaff's newly published novel, "The Moth Came Back"
is set in the Midwest and features an inherently interesting female sleuth. This debut volume of a new cozy mystery 'Native
Prairie Mysteries' series has more unexpected plot twists and turns than a Kansas tornado and is a compulsive page turner
of a 'whodunnit' murder mystery from start to finish. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community
library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated cozy mystery fans that
"The Moth Came Back" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.99).
Editorial Note: Tara Ratzlaff (https://tararatzlaff.com) graduated from North Dakota State University with a degree in Civil
Engineering and became the first female County Highway Engineer in the state of Minnesota. She retired early from her
career as a Civil Engineer when she and her husband purchased a native grass and wildflower seed farm/business which
they operated for over twenty years before recently retiring. With her daughter in college pursuing her master's degree and
the seed farm no longer keeping her busy, she decided it was time to pursue her dream of writing cozy mysteries.
The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf
Beautiful Shining People
Michael Grothaus
Orenda Books
https://orendabooks.co.uk
c/o Trafalgar Square Publishing
c/o Independent Publishers Group
https://www.ipgbook.com
9781914585647, $16.99, PB, 276pp
https://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Shining-People-Michael-Grothaus/dp/191458564X
Synopsis: Decades into the future, it's our ordinary world, where cars drive themselves, drones glide across the sky, and
robots work in burger shops. There are two superpowers and a digital Cold War, but all conflicts are safely oceans away.
People get up, work, and have dinner. Everything is as it should be.
Except for seventeen-year-old John, a tech prodigy from a damaged family, who hides a deeply personal secret. But
everything starts to change for him when he enters a tiny cafe on a cold Tokyo night. A cafe run by a disgraced sumo
wrestler, where a peculiar dog with a spherical head lives, alongside its owner, enigmatic waitress Neotnia...
But Neotnia hides a secret of her own -- a secret that will turn John's unhappy life upside down. A secret that will take
them from the neon streets of Tokyo to Hiroshima's tragic past to the snowy mountains of Nagano.
A secret that reveals that this world, decades ahead in the future, is anything ordinary -- and it's about to change
forever!
Critique: Original, eloquent, carefully crafted, and an entertaining read from beginning to end, "Beautiful Shining People"
will hold immense appeal to fans of historical thrillers, science fiction, and literary excellence. While available for personal
reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $6.15) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Isis Audio Book,
9781399148795, $122.95, CD), this paperback edition of "Beautiful Shining People" from Orenda Books is especially and
unreservedly recommended for community library Literary Fiction and Science Fiction collections.
Editorial Note: Michael Grothaus (https://www.michaelgrothaus.com) is a novelist, journalist and author of non-fiction.
His writing has appeared in Fast Company, VICE, The Guardian, Litro Magazine, The Irish Times, Screen, Quartz and
others. His debut novel, Epiphany Jones, a story about sex trafficking among the Hollywood elite, was longlisted for the
CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger and named one of the 25 Most Irresistible Hollywood Novels' by Entertainment
Weekly.
Gilded Shadows
Stephanie J. Cress
https://stephaniejcress.co
Mystic Publishers, Inc.
https://www.mysticpublishersinc.com
9781934051900, $15.99, PB, 248pp
https://www.amazon.com/Gilded-Shadows-Stephanie-J-Cress/dp/193405190X
Synopsis: The races in the city of Old Dominion live together in harmony, except for those of mixed race. The Sunfolk
Church has decided that the Mixed are second-class citizens because they cannot bear children. But through her research,
Dela has discovers that they can. And the church will do anything to keep her quiet. They send an assassin who studies his
targets until he finds his own reason to kill. But when it comes to Dela, the assassin cannot justify the execution and he
questions his employers for the first time in his career. Caught up in Dela's revolution, he falls in love. The assassin
discovers that the contract he made is unbreakable and not completing the job will still cost a life - Dela's or his.
Critique: Original, nicely crafted, and a fun read from beginning to end, "Gilded Shadows" showcases author Stephanie J.
Cress as a master of narrative driven storytelling. Deftly combing romance, adventure, and high fantasy, "Gilded Shadows"
is highly recommended for community library collections and is available for personal reading lists in a digital book format
(Kindle, $6.99).
Editorial Note: Stephanie J. Cress (https://stephaniejcress.co) is a complete and talented master of the High Fantasy genre.
That makes it a bit ironic when she describes herself as a high fantasy writer with aphantasia -- the inability to form mental
images of objects that are not present. Her writing is concise but emotional and is often referred to as "like nothing I've
ever read before".
The Future
Catherine Leroux
Biblioasis
www.biblioasis.com
9781771965606, $18.95, PB, 288pp
https://www.amazon.com/Future-Biblioasis-International-Translation-44/dp/1771965606
Synopsis: "The Future" by Canadian novelist Catherine Leroux is an alternate history of Detroit, in which the French never
surrendered Motor City to the US. Its residents deal with pollution, poverty, and the legacy of racism -- and strange and
magical things are happening: children rule over their own kingdom in the trees and burned houses regenerate themselves.
When Gloria arrives looking for answers and her missing granddaughters, at first she finds only a hungry mouse in the
derelict home where her daughter was murdered. But the neighbors take pity on her and she turns to their resilience and
impressive gardens for sustenance.
When a strange intuition sends Gloria into the woods of Parc Rouge, where the city's orphaned and abandoned children are
rumored to have created their own society, she can't imagine the strength she will find. A richly imagined story of
community and a plea for persistence in the face of our uncertain future, The Future is a lyrical testament to the power we
hold to protect the people and places we love -- together.
Critique: An inherently fascinating, original, and carefully crafted novel that raises 'alternate history' science fiction to a
highly level of literary eloquence, "The Future" is a unique, entertaining, and highly recommended contribution to
community and academic library Literary Fiction and Science Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading
lists that "The Future" (ably translated into English by Susan Ouriou) is also available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$9.99).
Editorial Note #1: Catherine Leroux (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_Leroux) is the author of three highly praised
novels and an innovative sequence of short stories. Her first novel, La marche en foret (2011), was a finalist for Quebec's
Booksellers' Prize. Her second novel, The Party Wall, a translation of Le mur mitoyen, won the France-Quebec Prize in the
original and, in translation, was a finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and the Dublin IMPAC Award. In the United
States, The Party Wall was a prestigious Indies Introduce selection. Leroux's story sequence, Madame Victoria, won
Quebec's Adrienne Choquette Prize and was a finalist for the Booksellers' Prize. The French original of The Future
(L'avenir) won the Jacques Brossard Prize and was a finalist for the Imaginary Horizons Prize. Catherine Leroux works as
a translator and editor in Montreal. She was awarded the 2019 Governor General's Literary Award for Translation.
Editorial Note #2: Susan Ouriou (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Ouriou) is an award-winning fiction writer and
literary translator with over sixty translations and co-translations of fiction, non-fiction, children's and young adult
literature to her credit. She has won the Governor General's Literary Award for Translation for which she has also been
shortlisted on five other occasions.
The Icarus Plot
Timothy Zahn
Baen Books
www.baen.com
9781982191955, $25.00
https://www.amazon.com/Icarus-Hunt-Timothy-Zahn/dp/055310702X
The Icarus Plot provides the ongoing story of Gregory Rourke and his Kadolian partner Selene, who make profitable
discoveries they can sell mostly legally. Their predictable partnership is challenged by an assignment to track down a
mysterious woman and a secret project called Icarus. There are many reasons for reaching for the bigger payoff this effort
involves. As it turns out, there are equal reasons for running from it like the wind. Timothy Zahn's fast-paced story of
profit, escapades, and surprising revelations is highly recommended reading for sci-fi fans who enjoy mystery and swift
action. Its unpredictable twists and turns will thoroughly engross.
The Comix/Graphic Novel Shelf
The Best of Simon & Kirby's Mainline Comics
Jack Kirby, et al.
TwoMorrows Publishing
10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614
www.twomorrows.com
9781605491189, $49.95, HC, 256pp
https://www.amazon.com/Best-Simon-Kirbys-Mainline-Comics/dp/1605491187
Synopsis: In 1954, comic book industry legends Joe Simon and Jack Kirby founded Mainline Publications to publish their
own comics during that turbulent era in comics history. The four titles (Bullseye, Foxhole, Police Trap, and In Love)
looked to build off their reputation as hit makers in the Western, War, Crime, and Romance genres, but the 1950s backlash
against comics killed any chance at success, and Mainline closed its doors just two years later.
Now and for the first time, With the publication of "The Best of Simon & Kirby's Mainline Comics", TwoMorrows
Publishing has compiling the best of Simon & Kirby's Mainline comics work, including all of the stories with S&K art, as
well as key tales with contributions by Mort Meskin and others.
After the company's dissolution, their partnership ended with Simon leaving comics for advertising, and Kirby taking
unused Mainline concepts to both DC and Marvel.
This newly published collection bridges the gap between Simon & Kirby's peak with their 1950s romance comics, and the
lows that led to Kirby's resurgence with Challengers of the Unknown and the early Marvel Universe. With loving art
restoration by Chris Fama, and an historical overview by John Morrow to put it all into perspective, the Best of Simon &
Kirby's Mainline Comics presents some of the final, and finest, work Joe and Jack ever produced!
Critique: Simply stated, "The Best of Simon & Kirby's Mainline Comics" is an absolute 'must' for the legions of Jack
Kirby, Joe Simon, and Mort Meskin fans. A unique compendium of beautifully reproduced and illustrated stories, along
with being an informative contribution to American 20th Century comic book history, "The Best of Simon & Kirby's
Mainline Comics" truly lives up to its title and is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community,
college, and university library collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: TwoMorrows Publishing (https://twomorrows.com) is a publisher of magazines about comic books. It was
founded in 1994 by John and Pam Morrow out of their small advertising agency in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States.
Its products also include books and DVDs.
The Audiobook Shelf
There's No Coming Back from This
Ann Garvin, author
Andi Arndt, narrator
Brilliance Audio
9781713616313, $19.99, MP3-CD (9 Hours 57 Minutes)
https://www.amazon.com/Theres-No-Coming-Back-This/dp/1713616319
Synopsis: It seems lately that Poppy Lively is invisible to everyone but the IRS.
After her accountant absconded with her life savings, newly bankrupt Poppy is on the verge of losing her home when an
old flame, now a hotshot producer, gives her a surprising way out: a job in costumes on a Hollywood film set. It's a bold
move to pack her bags, keep secrets from her daughter, and head to Los Angeles, but Poppy's a capable person - how hard
can a job in wardrobe be? It's not like she has a choice; her life couldn't get any worse. Even so, this midwesterner has a lot
to learn about the fast and loose world of movie stars, iconic costumes, and back-lot intrigue.
As a single mom, she's rarely had time for watching movies, she doesn't sew, and she doesn't know a thing about dressing
the biggest names in the business. Floundering and overlooked, Poppy has one ally: Allen Carol, an ill-tempered movie
star taken with Poppy's unfiltered candor and general indifference to stardom.
When Poppy stumbles upon corruption, she relies on everyone underestimating her to discover who's at the center of it, a
revelation that shakes her belief in humanity. What she thought was a way to secure a future for her daughter becomes a
spotlight illuminating the facts: Poppy is out of her league among the divas of Tinseltown.
Poppy must decide whether to keep her mouth shut, as she's always done, or with the help of a scruffy dog, show the
moviemakers that they need her unglamorous ways, whether the superstars like it or not.
Critique: Brought vividly to life in a true and memorable 'theatre of the mind' experience by the vocal talents of narrator
Andi Arndt, "There's No Coming Back from This" by novelist Ann Garvin will have a special and particular appeal to fans
of Women's Friendship and Domestic/Family Life Fiction. "There's No Coming Back from This" this complete and
unabridged edition from Brilliance Audio is highly recommended for both personal and community library audio book
collections.
Editorial Note #1: Ann Garvin (www.anngarvin.net) is the author of five funny and sad novels about people who do too
much, in a world that asks too much from them. Ann teaches in the low-residency master of fine arts program at Drexel
University and lives with her anxious and overly protective dog, Peanut. She is the founder of the Tall Poppy Writers and
is dedicated to helping authors find readers and vice versa.
Editorial Note #2: Andi Arndt (https://www.andiarndt.com) is an acclaimed Audiobook Narrator known for her captivating
voice and ability to bring stories to life. Andi is in the Audible Narrator Hall of Fame. Her work has earned 3 Audie
Awards and 4 Audie Finalist Medallions, 6 AudioFile Earphones Awards, and she's twice been mentioned on AudioFile's
list of the Best Voices of the Year.
A Soul of Ash and Blood
Jennifer L. Armentrout, author
Tim Campbell, narrator
Brilliance Audio
9798400147609, $34.99, MP3-CD (19 Hours 42 Minutes)
https://www.amazon.com/Soul-Ash-Blood-Novel/dp/B0BTHSG4WF
Synopsis: A great primal power has risen. The Queen of Flesh and Fire has become the Primal of Blood and Bone -- the
true Primal of Life and Death. And the battle Casteel, Poppy, and their allies have been fighting has only just begun. Gods
are awakening across Iliseeum and the mortal realm, readying for the war to come.
But when Poppy falls into stasis, Cas faces the very real possibility that the dire, unexpected consequences of what she is
becoming could take her away from him. Cas is given some advice, though -- something he plans to cling to as he waits to
see her beautiful eyes open once more: Talk to her.
And so, he does. He reminds Poppy how their journey began, revealing things about himself that only Kieran knows in the
process. But it's anybody's guess what she'll wake to or exactly how much of the realm and Cas will have changed when
she does.
With "A Soul of Ash and Blood, fantasy novelist Jennifer L. Armentrout revisits Poppy and Casteel's epic love story in the
next installment of the Blood and Ash series. But this time, Hawke gets to tell the tale.
Critique: Expertly and vividly performed with the impressive narrative vocal styles ofTim Campbell, this complete and
unabridged edition of "A Soul of Ash and Blood" from Brilliance Audio will have a very special attraction to fans of
vampire romance fantasy fiction. Original, self-contained, and a must for the growing legions of Jennifer L. Armentrout
fans, "A Soul of Ash and Blood" is a clearly endorsed addition to both personal and community library audio book
collections.
Editorial Note #1: Jennifer L. Armentrout (https://jenniferlarmentrout.com) writes young adult, paranormal, science
fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Tor, HarperCollins Avon and William Morrow,
Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion, Harlequin Teen, and Blue Box Press; and PassionFlix recently made her
Wicked series into a feature film. Jennifer has won numerous awards, including the 2020 Goodreads Choice Award in
Romance for her adult fantasy, From Blood and Ash. She has also written Adult and New Adult contemporary and
paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn.
Editorial Note #2: Tim Campbell (http://www.timcampbell.me) is an award winning actor and singer. He works primarily
in audiobook narration and voice over and has narrated over 800 titles spanning almost every genre. He has won or been
nominated for almost every major award in the audiobook industry including a 2018 Audie, multiple Audie nominations, a
2019 Voice Arts Award and several Audiofile Earphones Awards and Independent Audiobook Awards.
The Shell House Detectives
Emylia Hall, author
Kate Rawson, narrator
Brilliance Audio
9798400115516, $19.99, MP3-CD (12 Hours 13 Minutes)
https://www.amazon.com/Shell-House-Detectives-Mystery/dp/B0BF2ZXX89
Synopsis: Late one night, a distraught young man knocks on the door of retired and recently widowed Ally Bright's remote
home on the Cornish coast. But before she can make sense of his confused words, he's gone -- not to be seen again until
he's found the next morning at the foot of the nearby cliffs.
In an instant, the peace of Ally's beachcombing life is shattered. Feeling responsible for the young man's fate, she wants to
help find answers -- as does ex-cop Jayden Weston, whom Ally meets at the scene. He shares her certainty that there's
more to the story than attempted suicide. When it emerges that the man is newly released ex-offender Lewis Pascoe, and
that Helena, the wealthy new owner of his grandmother's home, has subsequently disappeared, the tight-knit community of
Porthpella is thrown into turmoil.
Driven by their need to know more, the duo decide to investigate the mystery together. Is there a connection between the
Pascoe family's tragic history and Helena's disappearance? And if there is a killer stalking Porthpella, do Ally and Jayden
have what it takes to catch them?
Critique: With a very special appeal and attraction for fans of Cozy Mysteries and Private Investigation murder mysteries,
this complete and unabridged Brilliance audio production of "The Shell House Detectives" by Emylia Hall is brilliantly
narrated by the verbal narrative talents of Kate Rawson. Simply stated, "The Shell House Detectives" is a fun listening
experience and a welcome and prized addition to personal and community library Mystery/Suspense audio book
collections.
Editorial Note #1: Emylia Hall lives with her husband and son in Bristol, where she writes from a hut in the garden and
dreams of the sea. The Shell House Detectives is her first crime novel and is inspired by her love of Cornwall's wild
landscape. Emylia has published four previous novels, including Richard and Judy Book Club pick The Book of Summers
and The Thousand Lights Hotel. Her work has been translated into ten languages and broadcast on BBC Radio 6 Music.
She is the founder of Mothership Writers and is a writing coach at The Novelry. Emylia can be followed on Instagram at
@emyliahall_author and on Twitter at @emyliahall
Editorial Note #2: Kate Rawson is a talented narrator who has a complete listing of her available audio book titles at:
https://www.audible.com/search?searchNarrator=Kate+Rawson
Role Playing
Cathy Yardley, author
Chris Brinkley, narrator
Elyse Dinh, narrator
Brilliance Audio
9798400115769, $19.99, MP3-CD (10 Hours 3 Minutes)
https://www.amazon.com/Role-Playing-Cathy-Yardley/dp/B0BFV3YHWQ
Synopsis: Maggie is an unapologetically grumpy forty-eight-year-old hermit. But when her college-aged son makes her a
deal (he'll be more social if she does the same) she can't refuse. She joins a new online gaming guild led by a friendly
healer named Otter. So that nobody gets the wrong idea, she calls herself Bogwitch.
Otter is Aiden, a fifty-year-old optimist using the guild as an emotional outlet from his family drama caring for his aging
mother while his brother plays house with Aiden's ex-fiancee.
Bogwitch and Otter become fast virtual friends, but there's a catch. Bogwitch thinks Otter is a college student. Otter
assumes Bogwitch is an octogenarian.
When they finally meet face to face (after a rocky, shocking start) the unlikely pair of sunshine and stormy personalities
grow tentatively closer. But Maggie's previous relationships have left her bitter, and Aiden's got a complicated past of his
own.
Everything's easier online. Can they make it work in real life?
Critique: If every there were a story for our times, "Role Playing" by novelist Cathy Yardley is it. This complete and
unabridged audio book edition from Brilliance Audio is deftly narrated by the team of Chris Brinkley and Elyse Dinh who
are able to bring the entire story along with its distinctive characters to life in a true theatre of the mind experience for the
listener. "Role Playing" is a choice pick for both personal and community library audio book collections.
Editorial Note #1: Cathy Yardley (https://www.cathyyardley.com) is an award-winning author of romance, chick lit, and
urban fantasy. She writes fun, geeky, and diverse characters who believe that underdogs can make good and that
sometimes being a little wrong is just right.
Editorial Note #2: Chris Brinkley (https://www.chrisbrinkleystoryteller.com) is an accomplished narrator, voice actor,
writer, producer, NCAA Division I broadcaster, radio personality, and emcee. Brinkley penned the recently released My
Story of Us book and audio series.
Editorial Note #3: Elyse Dinh (https://elysedinh.com/About) is a Vietnamese-American actress who is also active in voice
over work, narrating audiobooks and doing loop groups/ADR, in addition to commercials, podcasts, audio plays, and
PSAs.
Dragon Lover: A Dragon Kings Novella
Donna Grant, author
Anthony Ferguson, narrator
Brilliance Audio
9798400144677, $14.99, MP3-CD (6 Hours 18 Minutes)
https://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Lover-Kings-Novella-Nights/dp/B0C2CLD87K
Synopsis: Sensual. Clever. Daring. There's only one thing Kendrick yearns for -- peace that has eluded the Dragon Kings.
Zora may have been made in the image of Earth, but it's a far cry from home. For too long the Kings have been on the
defensive, betrayed time and again. When Kendrick has an opportunity to stop a foe, he takes it. Except he isn't the only
one tracking it. Soon, he finds himself face-to-face with an exquisite swordswoman who holds him enthralled...and sparks
passion within his cold heart.
As an Asavori Ranger, Esha has dedicated her life to protecting her people. She trains relentlessly to become one of their
best warriors, forsaking everything else. When a treacherous new enemy invades their lands, she vows to destroy it. Esha's
rash decision has her crossing paths with that of a mysterious, handsome outsider. He's trouble the Rangers don't need, but
she can't walk away. He awakens desires long buried and dreams neglected. The temptation of their forbidden union is
more than she can resist. She's soon walking a treacherous path -- one that could be the downfall for them both.
Critique: A fun combination of high fantasy, forbidden romance, and action/adventure, this complete and unabridged audio
book edition of "1001 Dark Nights: Dragon Tower" by fantasy novelist Donna Grant is expertly performed by voice actor
and narrator Anthony Ferguson in a tour-de-force presentation that is unreservedly and enthusiastically recommended for
both personal and community library Science Fiction & Fantasy audio book collections.
Editorial Note #1: Donna Grant has been praised for her "totally addictive" and "unique and sensual" stories. Her
acclaimed series, Dark Kings, features a thrilling combination of dragons, Fae, and immortal Highlanders who are dark,
dangerous, and irresistible. Her fans can visit her at www.DonnaGrant.com, at www.MotherOfDragonsBooks.com, and on
Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AuthorDonnaGrant
Editorial Note #2: Anthony Ferguson (https://narrator.page/n/antony_ferguson) is a native of London, England and an
AudioFile Earphones Award winner. He is a classically trained actor and has appeared in numerous productions in
London, Off-Broadway, and regional theater. As a voice actor, he has over 150 audiobooks to his credit and was
recommended by the All About Romance Web site as one of the best male narrators at performing female characters. He is
equally comfortable with British, Scottish and Australian dialects
After Death
Dean Koontz, author
Edoardo Ballierini, narrator
Brilliance Audio
9798400115462, $29.99, MP3-CD (9 Hours 24 Minutes)
https://www.amazon.com/After-Death-Dean-Koontz/dp/B0BHHW883C
Synopsis: Michael Mace, head of security at a top-secret research facility, opens his eyes in a makeshift morgue
twenty-four hours following an event in which everyone perished - including him and his best friend, Shelby
Shrewsberry.
Having awakened with an extraordinary ability unlike anything he (or anyone else) has ever imagined, Michael is capable
of being as elusive as a ghost. He sets out to honor his late friend by helping Nina Dozier and her son, John, whom Shelby
greatly admired. Although what Michael does for Nina is life changing, his actions also evoke the wrath of John's father, a
member of one of the most violent street gangs in Los Angeles.
But an even greater threat is descending: the Internal Security Agency's most vicious assassin, Durand Calaphas. Calaphas
will stop at nothing to get his man. If Michael dies twice, he will not live a third time.
From the tarnished glamour of Beverly Hills to the streets of South Central to a walled estate in Rancho Santa Fe, only
Michael can protect Nina and John -- and ensure that light survives in a rapidly darkening world.
Critique: A master of the suspense thriller genre, "After Death" is still another brilliant, original, memorable, and
entertaining novel master storyteller Dean Koontz. Deftly narrated by voice actor Edoardo Ballierini, and presented in a
complete and unabridged audio book edition from Brilliance Audio, "After Death" will have a special appeal for fans of
conspiracy thrillers and science fiction adventures -- and will prove a prized pick for Dean Koontz fans and community
library audio book fiction collections..
Editorial Note #1: Dean Ray Koontz (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_Koontz) is an American author whose novels are
billed as suspense thrillers, but frequently incorporate elements of horror, fantasy, science fiction, mystery, and satire.
Many of his books have appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list, with fourteen hardcovers and sixteen
paperbacks reaching the number-one position. Koontz wrote under a number of pen names earlier in his career, including
"David Axton", "Deanna Dwyer", "K.R. Dwyer", "Leigh Nichols" and "Brian Coffey". He has published over 105 novels
and a number of novellas and collections of short stories, and has sold over 450 million copies of his work.
Editorial Note #2: Edoardo Ballierini ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edoardo_Ballerini) is an American actor, narrator,
writer, and film director.
Who Fears Death
Nnedi Okorafor, author
Anne Flosnik, narrator
Brilliance Audio
9781491577486, $9.99, MP3-CD (16 Hours 59 Minutes)
https://www.amazon.com/Who-Fears-Death-Nnedi-Okorafor/dp/1491595450
Synopsis: In a post-apocalyptic Africa, the world has changed in many ways, yet in one region genocide between tribes still
bloodies the land. After years of enslaving the Okeke people, the Nuru tribe has decided to follow the Great Book and
exterminate the Okeke tribe for good. An Okeke woman who has survived the annihilation of her village and a terrible
rape by an enemy general wanders into the desert hoping to die. Instead, she gives birth to an angry baby girl with hair and
skin the color of sand. Gripped by the certainty that her daughter is different, special, she names her child Onyesonwu,
which means "Who Fears Death?" in an ancient tongue.
From a young age, stubborn, willful Onyesonwu is trouble. It doesn't take long for her to understand that she is physically
and socially marked by the circumstances of her violent conception. She is Ewu -- a child of rape who is expected to live a
life of violence, a half-breed rejected by both tribes.
But Onye is not the average Ewu. As a child, Onye's singing attracts owls. By the age of eleven, she can change into a
vulture. But these amazing abilities are merely the first glimmers of a remarkable and unique magic. As Onye grows, so do
her abilities -- soon she can manipulate matter and flesh, or travel beyond into the spiritual world. During an inadvertent
visit to this other realm she learns something terrifying -- someone powerful is trying to kill her.
Desperate to elude her would-be murderer, and to understand her own nature, she seeks help from the magic practitioners
of her village. But, even among her mother's people, she meets with frustrating prejudice because she is Ewu and female.
Yet Onyesonwu persists.
Eventually her magical destiny and her rebellious nature will force her to leave home on a quest that will be perilous in
ways that Onyesonwu can not possibly imagine. For this journey will cause her to grapple with nature, tradition, history,
true love, and the spiritual mysteries of her culture, and ultimately to learn why she was given the name she bears: Who
Fears Death?
Critique: Impressively performed by the vocal narration talents of Anne Flosnik, "Who Fears Death" is an original fantasy
novel by author Nnedi Okorafor. A memorable listening experience, we enter a world of magical realism as we are drawn
into a potent and powerful story of genocide set in the far future -- and of a unique woman who labors to overcome
prejudice and hostility to survive and reshape her world. This truly extraordinary, complete and unabridged MP3-CD
edition of "Who Fears Death" from Brilliance Audio is strongly recommended for personal and community library Post-
Apocalyptic Science Fiction & Fantasy collections.
Editorial Note #1: Nnedi Okorafor (www.nnedi.com) was born in the United States to two Igbo (Nigerian) immigrant
parents. She holds a PhD in English and is a professor of creative writing at Chicago State University. She has been the
winner of many awards for her short stories and young adult books, and won a World Fantasy Award for Who Fears Death.
Nnedi's books are inspired by her Nigerian heritage and her many trips to Africa. She can be followed on Twitter at
twitter.com/nnedi
Editorial Note #2: Anne Flosnik (https://www.anneflosnik.com) is a 5 time Audie Finalist, SAG-AFTRA British/US, as
well as an Audiobook Narrator & Producer, Voice Artist, Actress, Creator & Host of the "Narrator Uplift" House, on
Clubhouse.
The Library CD Shelf
Elysian Eclipse
Vincent Lyn
Exxeo Publishing
www.exxeo.xyz
$TBA CD / $5.99 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CDXK7MM4
Concert pianist, actor, and on-the-ground crusader for human rights worldwide Vincent Lyn presents Elysian Eclipse, an
extraordinary piano album with contributions from Sami Turunen on guitar, Hector Ruano on bass guitar, Glenn Welman
on percussion, Yoed Nir on cello and strings. The music represents Vincent Lyn's will to make the world a better place, as
seen through his actions in starting the nonprofit organization We Can Save Children with the mission to rescue and
recover trafficked children in Africa and the Middle East, his efforts to help families in Ukraine, and his outspoken
condemnation of atrocities that have been committed against Ukraine's civilian population. Elysian Eclipse is powerful,
profound, spiritually evocative, and worthy of the highest recommendation for both personal and public library music
collections.
Love Walks Through Rain
Ann Sweeten
www.AnnSweeten.com
Orange Band Records
$15.99 CD / $9.49 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/Love-Walks-Through-Rain-Sweeten/dp/B0C263QFDS
Love Walks Through Rain is an instrumental piano music album by concert stage music artist and cancer survivor Ann
Sweeten, with contributions from Charlie Bisharat on violin, Eugene Friesen on cello, Nancy Rumbel on English horn,
Premik Russell-Tubbs on EWI and soprano saxophone, Will Ackerman on guitar, and Tom Eaton on bass. The music is
deeply emotional, inspirational, and spiritual, drawing inspiration from the love that sustains through tough times. Love
Walks Through Rain includes songs that Ann Sweeten created as tribute to her beloved dogs. An inset booklet in the
physical CD presents her thoughts and memories about caring for her dogs when they approached the end of their lives,
and the many years of joy their companionship brought her. Love Walks Through Rain is a treasure for connoisseurs of
instrumental music, highly recommended for both personal and public library collections. The tracks are Valley Greene,
Glimmer, Seirios, The Winter's Circle, Love Walks Through Rain, Red - Requiem for an Old Friend, The Hills of
Riversong, The Shadow of You, Through Jasmine's Eyes, Out of the Fog, and Valley Greene Orchestral Reprise.
The Gratitude Project
Sherry Finzer
sherryfinzer.com
Heart Dance Records
$17.98 CD / $9.49 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/Gratitude-Project-Sherry-Finzer/dp/B0C9PJR6G3
Sherry Finzer presents The Gratitude Project, a new age, solo flute album on two CDs featuring peaceful, meditative, and
inspirational music. All songs are original improvisations, some created for specific supporters of the project. A
rapturously beautiful listening experience, The Gratitude Project embodies the emotions of hope, love, and compassion,
and is highly recommended. The tracks are Genesis, Ghost Stories, The Extraction of Innocence, Flying Dreams,
Introspective, Hidden Emotions, Undercurrent, A Whole New World, A Mother's Love, Unconditional, Heart Space,
Finding Purpose, Strength, Sassafras, The Warrior, Exploratory Pathways, Raven Song, The Empress Within, Sacred
Trees, Invoking the Spirit, Spirit's Grace, Winds of Change, Divergence, and Lovely Lovely Day.
Private Earth
Carlos Dengler
www.carlosdengler.com
$TBA CD / $7.74 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C641FN63
Carlos Dengler presents Private Earth, an ambient new age music album of rapturous beauty. All of the songs are Dengler's
original compositions, performed by Dengler with contributions from Keith Bonner on the flute in "Violet Night",
"Ancient Lake", and "Solemn Cavern". Inspired by the wonders of nature, Private Earth is passionate, immersive, and
highly recommended especially for new age connoisseurs. The tracks are Desert Flora, Violet Night, Golden Dawn,
Ancient Lake, Solemn Cavern, and Rising Mountain.
Geodepedie - Hidden Light
Christina Tourin
www.ChristinaTourin.com
Emerald Harp Productions
$15.98 CD / $9.49 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/Geodepedie-Hidden-Light-Christina-Tourin/dp/B0BSR9J7LN
Harpist and composer Christina Tourin presents Geodepedie - Hidden Light, an original music album of ethereal beauty.
The effulgent harp music accented by synth, guitar, and vocalizations is ideal for promoting relaxation, healing, and
creative inspiration. Geodepedie - Hidden Light is a treasure for harp music connoisseurs, and public library collections,
and also makes an excellent gift. The tracks are Geodepedie - Hidden Light; Music Is Love; Passacaglia - Handel's Healing
Harp; Brigid's Green Mantle; Land O' The Leal; Early One Morning; Walk Through The Sunflowers; Reminisce;
Sommarpsalm; Icelandic Northern Lights; Grieg's Morning Mood; Largo - Vivaldi's Vision; Arigato, I For You; Amethyst
Of Avalon; As Above So Below; and Colors Of The Season.
Into the Quiet
Deborah Martin and Jill Haley
Spotted Peccary Music
www.SpottedPeccary.com
$16.99 CD / $9.49 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/Into-Quiet-Deborah-Martin/dp/B0BYK7D52D
The second collaboration between electronic music artist Deborah Martin and established oboe player Jill Haley, Into the
Quiet is an electronic ambient music album featuring masterful performances on the flute, horn, synth, harp, oboe, and
more. All songs are original and instrumental. A captivating, deeply immersive listening experience, Into the Quiet is ideal
for meditation, relaxation, or encouraging creativity, and is highly recommended especially for connoisseurs of the genre.
The tracks are Sleeping Giants, Falling Away From the Earth, Into the Quiet, Reaching the Ambient, Refuge, Hall of
Whispers, Elements, and Violet Night.
A Walk in the Shadow Garden
Rudy Adrian
Spotted Peccary Music
www.SpottedPeccary.com
$16.99 CD / $9.49 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/Walk-Shadow-Garden-Rudy-Adrian/dp/B0BSHBZFN8
A Walk in the Shadow Garden is an electronic ambient album inspired by the beauty of a well-tended garden. The original
"sonic garden" compositions eschew vocals or melodies, instead inviting the listener to meditate, imagine, or dream on an
open canvas of flowing sound. A Walk in the Shadow Garden is rapturous, inspirational, and highly recommended. The
tracks are A Walk in the Shadow Garden, Clouds Over Fields, Dawn Redwood, Hemlock Grove, Of Mosses and
Liverworts, Maple Glen, Rising Mist, Dark Waters, Perchance to Dream, Beechwood, and Conversations with a
Gardner.
This Could Be The Start
Linda Purl
lindapurl.com
Reaching Records
$TBA CD / $9.49 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CDYMJJXK
Music director and pianist Tedd Firth and dulcet vocalist Linda Purl present This Could Be The Start, a rapturous music
album with contributions by David Finck on bass, Ray Marchica on drums and percussion, and Nelson Rangell on reed.
Linda Purl is well-known for her roles on multiple iconic television series; in This Could Be The Start, she offers a
heartfelt performance of classic songs written and composed by a wide variety of creators. This Could Be The Start is a joy
to experience and also makes an excellent gift! Highly recommended. The tracks are This Could Be The Start Of
Something Big, I'm In The Mood For Love, Let's Get Lost, Blue Moon, Dream Dancing, Let Me Down Easy, Live Alone
And Like It, Two Hearts On Lawns, How High The Moon, Not While I'm Around, I Love Being Here With You, and
Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams.
In Time
Alyssa Giammaria
alyssagiammaria.com
Privately Published
$TBA CD / $6.93 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CF6ZFX25
Toronto vocalist and composer Alyssa Giammaria presents In Time, an album of her original music; she created half the
pieces in 2016 and half in 2022. A medley of jazz songs that range in nature from lively to contemplative, In Time
contrasts old and new styles and showcases Giammaria's beautiful singing voice, supported by Steven Noronha on piano,
Josh Sparks on guitar, PT Sandberg on bass, and Aidan McConnell on drums. Aoife Louise-Doyle and Stephanie Sloss
also contribute vocals to the songs "Conversations", "Mend" and "For Now". In Time is a sparkling gem, highly
recommended for both connoisseurs of original vocal jazz and public library collections. The tracks are The Only Part,
Dream Life, Conversations, In Time, What are the Words, Mend, and For Now.
Root in Tandem
Bellbird
www.bellbird.band
Privately Published
$TBA CD / $9.49 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CDMJ9LQF
Root in Tandem is the debut jazz album of the band Bellbird, showcasing the coordinated talents of Claire Devlin on tenor
saxophone, Allison Burik on alto saxophone and bass clarinet, Eli Davidovici on bass, and Mili Hong on drums. Each
member of the band has contributed original songs to Root in Tandem, resulting in an eclectic mix of jazz stylings that
draw upon influence from folk melodies, atonal counterpoint, rock and more. Root in Tandem is an adventurous work
capturing the spirit of improvisation, with both moments of calm introspection and striking solos that spur the imagination.
Highly recommended! The tracks are Blurred Season (Burik); Bluff (Davidovici); If You Can't Swim, Dance (Burik);
Manakin (Devlin); Pigeons & Disco (Devlin); Well (Hong); Ten Dog (Davidovich); and Maybe I Won't Go (Hong).
The Drip
Rubim de Toledo
rubim.com
Privately Published
$TBA CD / $8.91 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CC9XB926
Award-winning bassist, composer, and bandleader Rubim de Toledo presents The Drip, and album of his original songs;
most were created by Rubim alone, although "Freedom Ain't the Same", "Rhythm Chante", and "Equal Ground" were
created by both Rubim and co-performer Karimah. Rubim de Toledo performs on bass and guitar, along with Karimah
lending vocals on the three co-created songs, Bob Tildesley on trumpet, Audrey Ochoa on trombone, Chris Andrew on
keyboards, Feliz Tellez on guitar (in "Out from Under"), Raul Tabera on a variety of percussion instruments, and Jamie
Cooper on drums. The Drip is a celebration of Brazilian-Canadian musical heritage, blending jazz with elements of
Afrobeat and funk, and drawing inspiration from Caribbean musical stylings. Highly recommended, especially for
connoisseurs of standout original fusion music! The tracks are Out from Under, The Drip, Freedom Ain't the Same (feat.
Karimah), Rhythm Chante (feat. Karimah), Son del Arroyo, The Long Way (Down), Equal Ground (feat. Karimah), Danza
para los Difuntos, and The Long Way.
Someday
Marc Copland Quartet
marccopland.com
InnerVoiceJazz
innervoicejazz.com
$TBA CD / $8.99 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BNVCK5WH
The Marc Copland Quartet consists of Marc Copland on piano, Robin Verheyen on tenor and soprano saxophones, Drew
Gress on bass, and Mark Ferber on drums. Their first quartet CD in several years is Someday, an instrumental jazz album
of performances that revel in the thrill of the moment. The lively songs enthrall the listener with their balance of technical
proficiency and exuberant rhythm. Someday is a "must-have" for connoisseurs of original jazz, highly recommended. The
tracks are Someday My Prince Will Come (Churchill/Morley), Spinning Things (Copland), Dukish (Verheyen), Let's Cool
One (Monk), Round She Goes (Copland), Encore (Verheyen), Day and Night (Copland), and Nardis (Davis).
Memories of Empathy
Samir Bodhi
Rishov Music Publishing
$15.98 CD / $5.94 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/Memories-Empathy-Samir-Bodhi/dp/B0C8LZ3GSR
Memories of Empathy is the second new age fusion album by Samir Bodhi. Blending traditional melodies from India with
relaxing Western rhythms, Memories of Empathy features original songs with vocals that inspire reverie, sung by
Bollywood singer Madhumita Chatterjee and Indian classical vocalist Supriyo Dutta. Themed around the desire to
encourage empathy, the thought process of putting oneself in another's place, Memories of Empathy includes three tracks
co-produced by guitarist/bassist Sanjoy Das and three by American multi-instrumentalist David Vito Gregoli. Memories of
Empathy is a wonderful treasure for new age connoisseurs, highly recommended. The tracks are Affinity, Compassion,
Have and Have Nots, Heaven So High, Indifference, and World of Empathy.
Imaginary People
Viv & Riley
vivandriley.com
Free Dirt
freedirt.net
$14.98 CD / $8.99 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/Imaginary-People-Viv-Riley/dp/B0C858GC5X
Imaginary People is a music album blending elements of indie, pop, and roots music. Most of the songs are original
compositions, although "The Blackest Crow" is a new take on a traditional Ozark song. Vivian Leva provides vocals and
acoustic guitar; Riley Calcagno provides vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, fiddle, and banjo; additional contributors
Alex Bingham, Andy Stack, Sam Fribush, Whit Right, lend their talent on a wide variety of instruments, with Bucket
Bingham contributing additional vocals. The result is a rich, earthy, unforgettable soundscape, highly recommended
especially for connoisseurs in search of a sublime balance of traditional and innovative approaches. The tracks are Kygers
Hill, Sauvie Island, The General, Is It All Over, Imaginary People, Flashing Lights, How to Lose, Chance Creek, The Long
Way, and The Blackest Crow.
I Ain't Ever Growing Up, volume 1
Tom Ciurczak
TomCiurczak.com
Ludlow TFC Records
$TBA CD / $7.92 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CBQM8KBV
Volume 1 of I Ain't Ever Growing Up is a feel-good, rock and roll album of eight original songs by singer and songwriter
Tom Ciurczak. Created in homage to legendary rock and roll figures that Ciurczak admires, including Bruce Springsteen,
Peter Gabriel, Warren Zevon, and Tom Petty, I Ain't Ever Growing Up is intensely exultant, showcasing rock stylings
ranging from heartland to prog rock to world music rock. Highly recommended, especially for rock music connoisseurs
everywhere! The tracks are Ontario Nights, All Night Long, Kilimanjaro Skies, Action Out There, Nights On Fire, Right
Or Wrong Choice, The Vault, and Bonnie and Clyde.
The Same Changes, Vol. II
Connor O'Neill
www.coneillmusic.com
Privately Published
$TBA CD / $5.94 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C5R1MHPV
Like the preceding album The Same Changes Vol. I, The Same Changes Vol. II consists of original compositions and
arrangements by award-winning jazz musician Connor O'Neill (one track, "Early Departure", is co-credited to Connor
O'Neill and Jon Williams). The songs featuring Connor O'Neill Connor O'Neill on guitar, Alex Delcourt on bass, Steven
Perry on drumset, Morgan Walbridge on vibraphone (tracks 1, 2, 3, 6), Mervin Toussaint on alto saxophone (track 3),
Jessica Cantone's vocals (track 4) and Micah Graves on piano (track 5). The jazz music immerses the listener in a
contemplative journey, inviting exploration of new soundscape horizons. Highly recommended! The tracks are
Disordinance, Another Moment Reconciled, Gears, Early Departure, Singularity, and Jade.
The Photography Shelf
The Beginner's Guide to Photographing Birds
Rosl Rossner
Rocky Nook
1010 B Street, Suite 350, San Rafael, CA 94901
https://rockynook.com
9781681989358, $35.00, PB, 240pp
https://www.amazon.com/Beginners-Guide-Photographing-Birds-Techniques/dp/1681989352
Synopsis: Whether you're a dedicated and serious birder, a hobbyist bird watcher, or simply a lover of nature, getting great
photos of birds is at the top of the list for bird lovers of all kinds. With the publication of "The Beginner's Guide to
Photographing Birds: Essential Techniques for Hobbyists and Bird Lovers", professional photographer Rosl Rossner
teaches you all of her tips, tricks and techniques for capturing fantastic bird photographs.
Starting with the gear you'll need, Rossner discusses cameras, tripods, lenses, and more. She then moves on to finding the
birds you want to photograph. While this includes locations out in the wild, she also covers zoos, parks, sanctuaries, and
other easily accessible spots -- which are especially great for beginning bird photographers.
Rossner then thoroughly covers the camera and shooting techniques you need to know, including key lessons on exposure,
composition, focus, and sharpness. Regardless of the quality of the light (front light, side light, etc.) or the season you're
shooting in (rain, snow, fog), Rossner's got you covered.
In the final part of "The Beginner's Guide to Photographing Birds", Rossner takes you behind the scenes of 25 unique bird
photographs, telling you how the image came about, plus any specific tips and tricks that were used to create the image.
Featuring birds from around the world, The Beginner's Guide to Photographing Birds is a beautiful, helpful, and accessible
guide for anyone getting started in bird photography.
Critique: Profusely and beautifully illustrated in full color throughout, "The Beginner's Guide to Photographing Birds:
Essential Techniques for Hobbyists and Bird Lovers" is a complete, comprehensive, and thoroughly 'user friendly' course
of instruction that will enable even the most novice of bird watchers and wildlife photographers to obtain strikingly
memorable photos of bird life in every conceivable urban, rural, or wilderness location. While unhesitatingly
recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library Wildlife Photography collections, it should be
noted for personal reading lists that "The Beginner's Guide to Photographing Birds: Essential Techniques for Hobbyists
and Bird Lovers" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $23.99).
Editorial Note: Rosl Rossner (www.birdpictures.de) is an enthusiastic bird photographer and falconer who has been
teaching and sharing her knowledge in photography workshops for many years. Her pictures stand out because they are not
only technically perfect, but always aim to show the bird as a personality and as an individual. Stirring emotions is the goal
of her photographic work.
The Aviation Shelf
Zeppelins: The Golden Age of Airships
James Trautman
Firefly Books Ltd.
www.fireflybooks.com
9780228104438, $45.00, Large format hardcover, 192pp
https://www.amazon.com/Zeppelins-Golden-Airships-James-Trautman/dp/0228104432
Synopsis: It was in the 1930s that the invention of planes able to traverse the Atlantic would changed the world. However,
there were already aircraft crossing vast oceans over a decade earlier. Lighter than air, these vehicles were called dirigibles,
or, as the Germans named them, Graf Zeppelins.
Illustrated with period photographs, vintage travel posters, blueprints, advertisements and colorful brochures, "Zeppelins:
The Golden Age of Airships" by James Trautman covers every aspect of these fascinating and oft overlooked airships,
from their initial designs through to the height of their popularity during the Golden Age of Aviation
At the beginning of the 20th Century, dirigibles transported passengers, mail and other cargo from Europe to the Americas,
forever altering the world's concept of time and space. "Zeppelins: The Golden Age of Airships" is a thorough exploration
of these awe-inspiring feats of aviation.
The profusely illustrated volume features: The story of Ferdinand von Zeppelin, inventor of the Zeppelin, and his
surprising involvement in the US Civil War; The military role of airships (much has been said about the aerial bombing of
Britain in World War II, but little has been written of how, during the first World War, the Zeppelin was employed as a
"terror weapon"); The expedition of the dirigible The Norge, the first craft to cross the North Pole; The many flights of the
Graf Zeppelin, including the first ever round-the-world trip, funded largely by William Randolph Hearst; The dirigibles of
the US navy and the United Kingdom; Hollywood's fascination with dirigibles, and the role film played in romanticizing
the aircrafts in the minds of the public; The infamous tragedy of the Hindenburg.
Zeppelins is not simply the illustrated history of an aircraft; it is also the story of a changing world. It is the story of the
20th Century, of imagination, exploration, idealism and tragedy.
Critique: A fascinating, informative, illustrated aviation history, this large format hardcover edition of "Zeppelins: The
Golden Age of Airships" by James Trautman is especially and unreservedly recommended for inclusion into personal,
professional, community, and academic library Aviation History collections and supplemental curriculum studies
lists.
Editorial Note: Jim Trautman grew up in the shadow of New Jersey's Liberty (Newark) Airport and has maintained a
lifelong love of aviation history He is the author of Pan American Clippers: The Golden Age of Flying Boats and is regular
contributor to North American magazines, newspapers and television
Editorial Note: James 'Jim' Trautman (https://www.historynet.com/author/jim-trautman) is a dedicated aviation historian
and journalist. He is the author of "Pan American Clippers: The Golden Age of Flying Boats" and a regular contributor to
North American magazines, newspapers, and television programs.
The Music Shelf
The Singers Talk
Jason Thomas Gordon
Permuted Press
https://permutedpress.com
9781637586990, $28.00, PB, 528pp
https://www.amazon.com/Singers-Talk-Greatest-Discuss-Theyre/dp/163758699X
Synopsis: "The Singers Talk: The Greatest Singers of Our Time Discuss the One Thing They're Never Asked About: Their
Voices" by Jason Thomas Gordon is a seminal and groundbreaking compendium of inspiring and instructive conversations
and interviews with professional singers ranging from Bryan Adams to Thom York (Radiohead) about the beauty,
brutality, discipline, techniques, and sacrifices of being a successful singer.
Critique: Featuring a b/w photo of each performer interviewed, "The Singers Talk: The Greatest Singers of Our Time
Discuss the One Thing They're Never Asked About: Their Voices" is unique, seminal, informative, and inherently
fascinating read that will have immense appeal and value for aspiring singers wanting to know what the road to success
(and failure) is like for anyone wanting to make a career out of singing professionally, either solo or in a band. While also
available in a digital book format (Kindle, $16.99), "The Singers Talk: The Greatest Singers of Our Time Discuss the One
Thing They're Never Asked About: Their Voices" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional,
community, college, university collections, as well as supplemental music school curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Jason Thomas Gordon (https://www.kingsizetheband.com/band) is the lead singer/drummer of the Los
Angeles rock band Kingsize, a screenwriter, and creator of Music Gives to St. Jude Kids, a campaign that raises funds and
awareness for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital through music-based initiatives. St. Jude was founded in 1962 by
Jason's grandfather, entertainer Danny Thomas, in Memphis, Tennessee. Jason also serves as a National Committee
member of the hospital's board.
Jazz and Death
Walter van de Leur
Routledge
www.routledge.com
9781138553415, $160.00, HC, 184pp
https://www.amazon.com/Jazz-Death-Transnational-Studies/dp/1138553417
Synopsis: With the publication of "Jazz and Death: Reception, Rituals, and Representations", Professor Walter van de Leur
critically examines the myriad and complex interactions between jazz and death, from the New Orleans "jazz funeral" to
jazz in heaven or hell, final recordings, jazz monuments, and the music's own presumed death.
Professor Leur also examines how fans, critics, journalists, historians, writers, the media, and musicians have narrated,
mythologized, and relayed those stories. What causes the fascination of the jazz world with its deaths? What does it say
about how our culture views jazz and its practitioners? Is jazz somehow a fatal culture?
The narratives surrounding jazz and death cast a light on how the music and its creators are perceived. Stories of jazz
musicians typically bring up different tropes, ranging from the tragic, misunderstood genius to the notion that virtuosity
somehow comes at a price. Many of these narratives tend to perpetuate the gendered and racialized stereotypes that have
been part of jazz's history. In the end, the ideas that encompass jazz and death help audiences find meaning in a complex
musical practice and come to grips with the passing of their revered musical heroes -- and possibly with their own
mortality.
Critique: Erudite, eloquent, informative, insightful, exceptionally well organized and presented, "Jazz and Death" by
Professor Walter van de Leur is a seminal and ground breaking work of original scholarship and will have a special value
to readers with an interest in the history of Jazz in America. A part of the 'Transitional Studies in Jazz' series from
Routledge, "Jazz and Death" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, college,
and university library American Music History collections and supplemental Jazz curriculum studies lists. It should be
noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Jazz and Death" is also
available in a paperback edition (9781138553422, $44.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $44.95).
Editorial Note: Walter van de Leur (http://www.crj-online.org/v4/CRJ-Jazzwereld.php) is Professor of Jazz and
Improvised Music in the Department of Musicology at the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on behalf of the
Conservatorium van Amsterdam, where he is a Research Coordinator and docent.
The Native American Studies Shelf
Indigenous Missourians: Ancient Societies to the Present
Greg Olson
University of Missouri Press
113 Heinkel Bldg., 201 S. 7th Street, Columbia, MO 65211
https://upress.missouri.edu
9780826222824, $40.00, HC, 448pp
https://www.amazon.com/Indigenous-Missourians-Ancient-Societies-Present/dp/082622282X
Synopsis: The history of Indigenous people in present-day Missouri is far more nuanced, complex, and vibrant than the
often-told tragic stories of conflict with white settlers and forced Indian removal would lead us to believe. With the
publication of "Indigenous Missourians: Ancient Societies to the Present", Greg Olson presents the Show Me State's
Indigenous past as one spanning twelve millennia of Native presence, resilience, and evolution. While previous Missouri
histories have tended to include Indigenous people only during periods when they constituted a threat to the state's white
settlement, Olson shows us the continuous presence of Native people that includes the present day.
Beginning thousands of years before the state of Missouri existed, Olson recounts how centuries of inventiveness and
adaptability enabled Native people to create innovations in pottery, agriculture, architecture, weaponry, and intertribal
diplomacy. Olson also shows how the resilience of Indigenous people like the Osages allowed them to thrive as fur traders,
even as settler colonialists waged an all-out policy of cultural genocide against them.
Though the state of Missouri claimed to have forced Indigenous people from its borders after the 1830s, Olson uses U.S.
Census records and government rolls from the allotment period to show that thousands remained. In the end, he argues
that, with a current population of 27,000 Indigenous people, Missouri remains very much a part of Indian Country, and that
Indigenous history is Missouri history.
Critique: Presented in a path-breaking narrative, "Indigenous Missourians: Ancient Societies to the Present" is a seminal
and groundbreaking work of meticulous and impressive research. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented,
"Indigenous Missourians: Ancient Societies to the Present" is informatively enhanced for the reader with the inclusions of
Illustrations and Maps, forty-two pages of Notes, a twenty page Bibliography, and a twenty-nine page Index. While also
available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $38.00), "Indigenous Missourians: Ancient Societies
to the Present" is a unique and unreservedly recommended addition to academic and community library Native American
History and Missouri History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Greg Olson served as the Curator of Exhibits and Special Projects at the Missouri State Archives from
2000-2018 and is the author of six books, including: The Ioway in Missouri; Voodoo Priests, Noble Savages, and Ozark
Gypsies: The Life of Folklorist Mary Alicia Owen; and Ioway Life: Reservation and Reform, 1837-1860.
The Christian Studies Shelf
Sacred Self-Care
Chanequa Walker-Barnes
HarperOne
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
Blackstone Audiobooks
https://www.blackstonelibrary.com
9780063287136, $21.99, PB, 224pp
https://www.amazon.com/Sacred-Self-Care-Practices-Nurturing-Selves/dp/0063287137
Synopsis: As Christians, taking care of ourselves is essential, and lately, we've started to pay more attention to the ways
our physical bodies need and deserve nourishment. But we are not just bodies, we sacred beings, and our souls need just as
much care and attention to be healthy.
As a clinical psychologist, pastor, and activist, Dr. Chanequa Walker-Barnes has studied and worked with clients, clergy,
seminary faculty, faith-based activists, and others to encourage them to think of self-care as both a divine right and a sacred
obligation. She has developed a seven-week guide gathering activities, habits, disciplines, and practices that promote
spiritual, physical, emotional, mental, and relational wholeness.
With the publication of "Sacred Self-Care: Daily Practices for Nurturing Our Whole Selves", includes a daily story
alongside short and simple prompts and scripture passages that help us shift behaviors in the short term and create lifelong
habits. Each week walks readers through the following areas: Mastering the Self-Care Fundamentals; Practicing
Self-Compassion; Setting Healthy Boundaries; Caring for Our Emotional Selves; Caring for Our Minds; Practicing
Self-Care as a Way of Life.
Also included is an inventory for identifying areas you may need to focus on, and a "Rule of Life" guide to help you direct
your self-care practice and maintain it throughout the year. Inspiring and practical, ruminative and actionable, "Sacred
Self-Care" invites us on a journey to craft a sustainable self-care practice to care for our whole selves.
Critique: As informed and informative as it is inspired and inspiring, "Sacred Self-Care: Daily Practices for Nurturing Our
Whole Selves" is especially and unreservedly recommended reading for all members of the Christian community
(including clergy, seminary students) regardless of denominational affiliations. Exceptionally well written, organized and
presented, "Sacred Self-Care" is especially timely in this current era of civil, political, economic, spiritual, and secular
unrest. It should be noted that "Sacred Self-Care" is also readily avialable in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99) and as
a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9798212694070, $31.99, CD).
Editorial Note: Dr. Chanequa Walker-Barnes is a clinical psychologist and professor of practical theology and pastoral care
at Columbia Theological Seminary. Her work focuses upon writing and ministering to clergy and faith-based activists, and
supporting women of color engaged in Christian social justice activism. She is the author of I Bring the Voices of My
People and Too Heavy a Yoke. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chanequa_Walker-Barnes)
Pilgrim
Ruth Chou Simons
Harvest House Publishers
www.harvesthousepublishers.com
9780736982924, $34.99, HC, 256pp
https://www.amazon.com/Pilgrim-Ways-Character-Leads-Onward/dp/0736982922
Synopsis: Followers of Christ live each day as a pilgrim, traveling the path Jesus sets before them. Though the road may be
rocky, God provides reminders along the way to show that He writes our story, paves our path, and walks with us
always.
With the publication of "Pilgrim: 25 Ways God's Character Leads Us Onward", author and artist Ruth Chou Simons
provides an uplifting meditation on the character of God to accompany us on our pilgrim journey.
Featuring stunning new artwork, these 25 devotions will lead us to: Explore proof of God's faithfulness found in both
Scripture and daily life; Engage with many key attributes of God; Encounter hymns written throughout history that
illuminate timeless truths about who God is; and Experience the peace that accompanies focusing your heart on God's
character.
"Pilgrim" reminds us of profound truths by showing us how God's grace and provision shape each Christian's unique
journey of conforming to the image of Christ. On the path of spiritual growth and maturity, knowing God's character
makes all the difference. When our travels leave us worn and weary, God will not abandon us. We can lay your burdens in
His hands, find hope in His presence, and follow His path as He leads us onward.
Critique: Visually enhanced with the profuse inclusion of watercolor artwork, this large volume hardcover format (7.75 x 1
x 9.75 inches, 2.08 pounds) edition of "Pilgrim: 25 Ways God's Character Leads Us Onward" from Harvest House
Publishers is inspired and inspiring, making it especially and unreservedly recommended for all members of the Christian
community regardless of denominational affiliation.
Editorial Note: Ruth Chou Simons (https://ruthchousimons.com) is an award-winning author of several books -- including
GraceLaced, Beholding and Becoming, and Foundations. She is an artist, entrepreneur, and speaker, using each of these
platforms to spiritually sow the Word of God into people's hearts. Through her online shop at www.GraceLaced.com and
her social media community, Simons shares her journey of God's grace intersecting daily life with word and art. .
The Augustine Way
Joshua D. Chatraw, author
Mark D. Allen, author
Baker Academic
c/o Baker Publishing Group
6030 East Fulton, Ada, MI 49301
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
9781540962485, $24.99, HC, 208pp
https://www.amazon.com/Augustine-Way-Retrieving-Churchs-Apologetic/dp/1540962482
Synopsis: Apologetics is the religious discipline of defending religious doctrines through systematic argumentation and
discourse. Early Christian writers (c. 120-220) who defended their beliefs against critics and recommended their faith to
outsiders were called Christian apologists. In 21st-century usage, apologetics is often identified with debates over religion
and theology. (Wikipedia)
As Christians living today, what can we learn from Augustine about apologetics? With the publication of "The Augustine
Way: Retrieving a Vision for the Church's Apologetic Witness", co-authors Joshua D. Chatraw and Mark D. Allen
collaborate to reveal how Augustine defended the Christian faith in late antiquity and how his approach to engaging the
culture has great significance for the apologetic task today.
Joshua Chatraw and Mark Allen effectively recover Augustine's mature apologetic voice to address the challenges facing
today's church. The Augustine Way offers a compelling argument for Christian witness that is rooted in tradition and
engaged with contemporary culture. It focuses on Augustine's best-known works, Confessions and The City of God, to
retrieve his scriptural and ecclesial approach for a holistic apologetic witness.
Critique: "The Augustine Way: Retrieving a Vision for the Church's Apologetic Witness" will prove to be immensely
useful for seminary students of Christian theology and history, as well as for pastors, church leaders, and practitioners of
Christian apologetics. It puts pastors and churches back at the center of apologetics, transcending popular contemporary
methods with a view to a more effective witness in post-Christendom. While also available for personal reading lists in a
digital book format (Kindle, $18.99), "The Augustine Way" is very highly recommended as an essential and informative
addition to church, seminary, and academic library Christian Theology & History collections, as well as supplemental
Augustinian curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note #1: Joshua D. Chatraw (PhD, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary) is the Billy Graham Chair of
Evangelism and Cultural Engagement at Beeson Divinity School.
(https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/profile/joshua-chatraw)
Editorial Note #2: Mark D. Allen (PhD, University of Notre Dame) is Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies at
Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. He has served as a pastor and church planter for over twenty years.
(https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/profile/mark-allen)
Centering Jesus
Derek Vreeland
NavPress
www.navpress.com
c/o Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
www.tyndale.com
Oasis Audio
www.oasisaudio.com
9781641586191, $17.99, PB, 224pp
https://www.amazon.com/Centering-Jesus-Transforms-Communities-Spiritual/dp/1641586192
Synopsis: With all the hostility boiling just under the surface of our world, and breaking out in all manner of conflicts
around the globe and here at home, we need a renewed vision of Jesus as the Lamb of God who can lead us in the
peaceable ways of the Kingdom. When we fail to keep Jesus at the center of our lives, we lean into the desires of our hearts
more than the desires God has for us. As a result, our entire spirituality becomes driven by the self and for the self. We
need renewed practices of centering Jesus in our hearts and minds.
With the publication of "Centering Jesus: How the Lamb of God Transforms Our Communities, Ethics, and Spiritual
Lives", Derek Vreeland invites you to imagine what it looks like to keep Jesus as the Lamb of God at the center of three
key areas of our lives -- our spiritual formation, our moral lives, and our common life together. With the deep divide in
American culture and the polarization that continues to grow, we need a renewed focus on the Lamb so that we might
blaze a path forward into civility and kindness.
"Centering Jesus" shows how to: Identify the problems that occur when Jesus is obscured from our view; Walk through
some of the key biblical descriptions of the Lamb; Describe a Lamb-shaped and Jesus-centered approach to the Christian
virtues of faith, hope, and love, the foundation of our moral lives; Experience the Lamb at the center of common life
together, specifically worship life, participation in acts of justice, and political life.
Critique: Inspired, inspiring, and off particular relevance and value to readers with an interest in adult Christian
discipleship, ministry, and spiritual growth, "Centering Jesus: How the Lamb of God Transforms Our Communities,
Ethics, and Spiritual Lives" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, church and seminary
Christian Theology & Conflict Resolution collections. It should be noted for clergy, seminary students, and non-specialist
general readers and members of the Christian community that "Centering Jesus" is also readily available in a digital book
format (Kindle, $17.09) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Oasis Audio, 9781685924089, $27.99, CD).
Editorial Note: Derek Vreeland (https://derekvreeland.com) is the Discipleship Pastor at Word of Life Church in St.
Joseph, Missouri, where he is known for his thoughtful, humorous, and authentic teaching style. In addition to teaching
and leading discipleship ministries at Word of Life Church, Derek enjoys reading, running, and hiking. He is a graduate of
Missouri Western State University (B.A. English/Writing), Oral Roberts University (M.Div.), and Asbury Theological
Seminary (D.Min). He is also the author of several books Primal Credo, a fresh reading of the Apostles' Creed for modern
followers of Jesus, two reader's guides to N.T. Wright books, By the Way, a book for discipleship.
The New Big Book of Christian Mysticism, revised edition
Carl McColman
Broadleaf Books
510 Marquette Avenue N, Minneapolis, MN 55402
www.broadleafbooks.com
9781506486840, $25.99, PB, 402pp
https://www.amazon.com/New-Book-Christian-Mysticism-Contemplative/dp/1506486843
Synopsis: Traditional Christianity is in crisis. Is mysticism necessary for the survival of Christianity? What exactly is
Christian mysticism? How can it be relevant in our crisis-ridden world? Questions like these inspired the publication of
"The New Big Book of Christian Mysticism: An Essential Guide to Contemplative Spirituality" in a newly updated edition
from beloved spiritual teacher Carl McColman.
"The New Big Book of Christian Mysticism" aptly serves as both introduction and practical instruction for a living
contemplative practice today. In addition to the overview of mysticism, spiritual and prayer practices in mysticism, the
various types of mysticism in Christian tradition, and influential mystics through the millennia, this new second edition of
"The New Big Book of Christian Mysticism" offers an embodied understanding of the mystic life with a more diverse
range of voices and perspectives ranging from Howard Thurman to Pauli Murray. It also includes new chapters and themes
that address embodied mysticism, contemplation and social justice, and the ongoing relevance of Jesus's message of radical
equality and inclusivity.
"The New Big Book of Christian Mysticism" introduces both Christians and non-Christians to the contemplative tradition
within Christianity, a tradition that has often been marginalized or cloistered (to the church's detriment). As a
practice-oriented book, this is an invitation to embrace the mystical element within Christianity -- a practice that can equip
faithful persons with a joyful sense of divine intimacy, not just for personal benefit but as a foundation to a life of service
and activism in the interest of justice.
McColman's overview of mysticism shows how it has been practiced and lived through the centuries and will prove
inspirational for today's seekers, regardless of their faith tradition. At its heart, Christian mysticism is an ancient practice
that incorporates meditation, contemplation, worship, philosophy, the quest for enlightenment, the thirst for a better world,
and the experience of divine presence.
Critique: Deftly organized into two major sections (The Christian Mystery & The Contemplative Life), this newly
expanded second edition of "The New Big Book of Christian Mysticism: An Essential Guide to Contemplative
Spirituality" is further enriched for the reader with the inclusion of three Appendices, a four page listing of
Acknowledgments, a sixteen page Bibliography, and eight pages of Notes. "The New Big Book of Christian Mysticism:
An Essential Guide to Contemplative Spirituality" must be considered a core addition to personal, professional,
community, church, seminary, college, and university library Christian Theology/Mysticism collections. It should be noted
for seminary students, clergy, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The New
Big Book of Christian Mysticism: An Essential Guide to Contemplative Spirituality" is also available in a digital book
format (Kindle, $17.99).
Editorial Note: Carl McColman (https://anamchara.com/carl) is a contemplative writer, storyteller, podcaster, and spiritual
director. He is a life-professed member of a lay Cistercian community under the spiritual guidance of Trappist monks. He
is the author of numerous books, including Eternal Heart, and regularly speaks and leads retreats on topics related to
Christian mysticism, Celtic spirituality, and interfaith dialogue. Carl and his wife, artist Fran McColman, live near Atlanta,
Georgia.
The Judaic Studies Shelf
Kohelet: A Map to Eden
David Curwin
Toby Press
c/o Koren Publishers Jerusalem Ltd.
www.korenpub.com
9781592646111, $29.95, HC, 250pp
https://www.amazon.com/Kohelet-Map-Eden-Intertextual-Journey/dp/1592646115
Synopsis: Of the five megillot in the Tanakh, only Kohelet does not describe a historical event or tell a personal story.
Rather, it relates life lessons, with frequent confusing or even conflicting messages. This makes it one of the most
challenging biblical books to comprehend. Yet, if the Sages included it in the biblical canon, it must have a lesson for all
generations.
We traditionally read Kohelet every Sukkot. Can we return home, this year, with an understanding of its message?
"Kohelet: A Map to Eden: An Intertextual Journey" is a seminal and groundbreaking study in which David Curwin draws
from traditional sources and modern scholarship to take us on an eye-opening journey through Kohelet and other books of
the Tanakh.
Starting with a look at the life of King Shlomo, whose successes and failures are reflected in the teachings of Kohelet,
Curwin then presents linguistic and thematic evidence suggesting strong parallels between the life of Adam and that of
Shlomo, and between the book of Kohelet and the opening chapters of Bereshit.
Critique: A seminal, thoughtful, fascinating study from first page to last, "Kohelet: A Map to Eden: An Intertextual
Journey" is a unique and invaluable contribution to the growing library of Contemporary Judaic Studies. While highly
recommended for personal, professional, synagogue, community, college, and university library Judaic Studies collections
and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be noted that "Kohelet: A Map to Eden: An Intertextual Journey" is
also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: David Curwin (https://thelehrhaus.com/author/davidcurwin) is an independent scholar, who has researched
and published widely on Bible, Jewish thought and philosophy, and Hebrew language. His first book, "Kohelet - A Map to
Eden" was published by Koren/Maggid in 2023. Other writings, both academic and popular, have appeared in Lehrhaus,
Tradition, Hakirah, and Jewish Bible Quarterly. He blogs about Hebrew language topics at www.balashon.com.
The Last Words of Moses
Micah Goodman
Maggid Books
c/o Koren Publishers Jerusalem Ltd.
www.korenpub.com
9781592645589, $29.95, HC, 300pp
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Words-Moses-Micah-Goodman/dp/1592645585
Synopsis: The book of Deuteronomy is the fifth and final book of the Torah, and the Torah (according to Jewish tradition)
is divine. The book of Deuteronomy, however, presents itself as a human document. Most of the book is comprised of
three addresses which complement one another, all delivered by Moses. Moses speaks in first person. He tells the nation its
story through the lens of his own personal perspective. Up until the book of Deuteronomy, Moses is a hero of the Torah. In
the final book, he has become a narrator.
Critique: Ably translated from Hebrew into English for an American readership by Ilana Kurshan, "The Last Words of
Moses" by Micah Goodman is an impressively informative and thoroughly 'reader friendly' introduction to the book of
Deuteronomy and its asserted author, Moses. Featuring an informative Introduction (Moses on Moses), and Afterword
(The Book of Deuteronomy and the Renewal of Judaism), and a two-part Appendices (Who Wrote The Book of
Deuteronomy?) "The Last Words of Moses" is a fascinating and unreservedly recommended pick for personal, community,
synagogue, college, and university library Judaic Studies collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be
noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Last Words of
Moses" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Micah Goodman (https://www.hartman.org.il/person/micah-goodman) is a Research Fellow of the Kogod
Research Center at Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem. He is the author of six best-selling books. His first three books
- Moses's Final Speech, The Dream of the Kuzari, and The Secrets of the Guide for the Perplexed - explore classic Jewish
thought. His next three books - The Wondering Jew, Catch 67, and The Attention Revolution - explore contemporary
Israeli issues and ideas.
Why God Why?
Rabbi Gershon Schusterman
Gefen Publishing House
c/o Storch
255 Central Ave #B-206, Lawrence, NY 11559
www.gefenpublishing.com
9780826608468, $24.99, HC, 272pp
https://www.amazon.com/Believe-Heaven-When-Hurts-Like/dp/0826608469
Synopsis: Rabbi Gershon Schusterman knew all the textbook answers when comforting bereaved community members
who asked him, "Where is God? If God is loving, how could this happen?" But when the rabbi's own wife died suddenly,
leaving him a 38-year-old widower with eleven children to raise, he found himself reeling.
His personal quest for answers to these timeless questions led him to a deeper exploration of Judaism's teachings about
how to cope with and transcend tragedy, teachings that have provided comfort and understanding to millions of people
throughout the generations.
Written for anyone who has also endured devastating loss, ""Why God Why? How to Believe In Heaven When It Hurts
Like Hell" is wise and sensitive guide will help you to work through your grief while not becoming stuck in grief and grow
toward a hopeful, future oriented perspective -- because life is meant to be lived!
Critique: Even more impressive when considering that ""Why God Why? How to Believe In Heaven When It Hurts Like
Hell"" is Rabbi Gershon Schusterman's first book, this faith-based instructional guide is especially recommended and
inspired reading for anyone within the Jewish community suffering from the loss of a loved one. While highly
recommended for personal, professional, community, synagogue, and academic library Judaic Studies collections, it should
be noted that "Why God Why? How to Believe In Heaven When It Hurts Like Hell" is also reading available in a digital
book format (Kindle, $9.95).
Editorial Note: Rabbi Gershon Schusterman is an Orthodox Jewish rabbi and longtime founder of six Chabad Lubavitch
branches in Southern California. For 18 years, he led the Hebrew Academy in Orange County, California, and grew the
school from 86 to 500 students. He taught Chassidic philosophy at the Chabad-Lubavitch Rabbinical seminary in Los
Angeles, and is an inspirational speaker who has addressed Jewish organizations across the nation.
(https://www.chabad.org/news/article_cdo/aid/5709292/jewish/Why-God-Why-A-Guide-for-the-Brokenhearted.htm
The First Fifty Years
Rabbi Sue Lvi Elwell, et al.
CCAR Press
355 Lexington Avenue, 8th floor, New York, NY 10017
www.ccarpress.org
9780881236309, $18.95, PB, 168pp
https://www.amazon.com/First-Fifty-Years-Jubilee-Honoring/dp/0881236306
Synopsis: The ordination of Rabbi Sally J. Priesand in 1972 was a watershed moment in Jewish history. With the
publication of "The First Fifty Years: A Jubilee in Prose and Poetry Honoring Women Rabbis", contributors from across
the Jewish and gender spectrums reflect on the meaning of this moment and the ensuing decades, both personally and for
the Jewish community.
Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by Rabbi Sue Levi Elwell, Jessica Greenbaum, and Rabbi Hara E. Person, "The
First Fifty Years" is comprised of short pieces of new prose and poetry with the contributors (many of them pioneering
rabbis) share stories, insights, analysis, and celebrations of women in the rabbinate. These are intertwined with a wealth of
poetry that poignantly captures the spirit of this anniversary.
"The First Fifty Years" is a deep, heartfelt tribute to women rabbis and their indelible impact on all of us.
Critique: A unique, informative, fascinating and inspiring modern history of women becoming rabbis, "The First Fifty
Years: A Jubilee in Prose and Poetry Honoring Women Rabbis" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal,
professional, synagogue, community, and academic library Judaic Studies/History collections and supplemental curriculum
studies lists. It should be noted that "The First Fifty Years: A Jubilee in Prose and Poetry Honoring Women Rabbis" is also
readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note #1: Sue Levi Elwell (https://jwa.org/rabbis/narrators/elwell-sue) is a pioneer of inclusive Judaism as one of
the first openly gay women rabbis, Rabbi Elwell helped empower countless Jewish women to take ownership of Jewish
tradition.
Editorial Note #2: Jessica Greenbaum (https://www.ccarpress.org/content.asp?tid=592) is the co-editor, with Rabbi Hara
Person, of CCAR Press' Mishkan HaSeder: A Passover Haggadah (2021). She is a poet, teacher, and social worker who
has taught for years in Manhattan's Central Synagogue, and more recently in Brooklyn's Congregation Beth Elohim.
Editorial Note #3: Rabbi Hara E. Person (https://www.ccarpress.org/content.asp?tid=395) is the Chief Executive of Central
Conference of American Rabbis. Previously, she was the CCAR's Chief Strategy Officer. In that capacity, she oversaw the
Communications Department and served as Publisher of CCAR Press, and worked with leadership on overall
organizational strategy. Rabbi Person was ordained in 1998 from the Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of
Religion.
The Needlecraft Shelf
Cute & Cuddly Crochet
Lauren Bergstrom
Walter Foster Publishing
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
100 Cummings Center, Suite 265D, Beverly, MA 01915
www.quartoknows.com
9780760382905, $19.99, PB, 128pp
https://www.amazon.com/Cute-Cuddly-Crochet-huggable-amigurumi/dp/0760382905
Synopsis: With the publication of "Cute & Cuddly Crochet: Learn to make huggable amigurumi animals" author and artist
Lauren Bergstrom provides 12 step-by-step projects for crocheting popular, trendy, huggable animals, such as a flamingo, a
dinosaur, an elephant, an octopus, a red panda, a fox, a narwhal, and more.
While amigurumi animals are often very small, "Cute & Cuddly Crochet" features instructions and tips for crocheting
larger plushie animals that are perfect for baby gifts, birthday gifts for kids, home decor, and more. While crocheting a
larger animal may sound intimidating or like more work, it isn't! Included in the book are helpful hints for working with
bulky yarn, as well as how to stuff the animals.
"Cute & Cuddly Crochet" also offers a guide for crochet basics, such as crochet techniques, stitches, how to do color
changes, materials and where to source them, and much more. Accompanying the book are helpful videos from the
author.
Critique: Featuring fully illustrated step-by-step instructions, "Cute & Cuddly Crochet" is an ideal DIY instructional
resource for beginners to crocheting, crafters, makers, DIYers, teen artists, and more! Highly recommended for personal
and community library Needlecraft instructional reference collections, "Cute & Cuddly Crochet" is an ideal introduction to
the fun craft of crocheting!
Editorial note #1: Lauren Bergstrom (https://www.ravelry.com/designers/lauren-bergstrom) was born and raised in South
Africa and has been doodling and crocheting cute things for as long as she can remember. When she's not drawing or
painting, she spends her time designing crochet patterns for little stuffed animals at www.mohumohu.com and making
video games with her partner at Studio Any Percent. Lauren is also the author of "101 Super Cute Things to Draw" and
"Amigurumi Animals", both from Walter Foster Publishing.
Editorial Note #2: The Art Makers series from Walter Foster Publishing is designed for beginning artists and
arts-and-crafts enthusiasts who are interested in experiencing fun hands-on mediums, including polymer clay and
embroidery. Also available from The Art Maker series are: "Empowered Embroidery", "Polymer Clay for Beginners",
"Papier Mache", "Make Cute Stuff with Polymer Clay", and "Polymer Clay Jewelry".
Kaffe Fassett's Quilts by the Sea
Kaffe Fassett
The Taunton Press
63 South Main Street, Newtown, CT 06470
www.taunton.com
9781641551946, $34.99, PB, 144pp
https://www.amazon.com/Kaffe-Fassett-Quilts-Sea/dp/1641551941
Synopsis: This newly published edition of "Kaffe Fassett's Quilts by the Sea" is a landmark 25th book in Kaffe Fassett's
highly successful patchwork and quilt series. For it, Kaffe Fassett has chosen the southern coast of England as the
inspiration for his new collection of quilts where beachgoers have long enjoyed the rocky shores near Hastings in East
Sussex for their wild beauty and classic architecture.
Featuring several miles of coastline, this seaside community has its roots in the fishing industry and was the site of the
Norman Conquest's Battle of Hastings in 1066. Once a popular Victorian resort area, this gem of the southern coast is now
experiencing a travel renaissance thanks to a thriving arts movement.
The gallery section of "Kaffe Fassett's Quilts by the Sea" showcases the 21 new designs, all brilliantly photographed on
location by Debbie Patterson. The deep jewel tones of Kaffe's Maroon Frames are enhanced by the geometric lines of
similarly toned beach huts. Kaffe's Vintage Stars has an old-world quality featuring earthy tones that are brilliantly set
against the backdrop of a brick garden wall.
The stunning Colour Garden quilt, featured on the cover, feels perfectly at home draped over an old fishing boat
overlooking the sea, while his confectionary Fruit Sorbet cushion showcases taffy-inspired pastels sure to inspire a cozy
afternoon by the beach.
With both Kaffe's classic fabrics and his forward-thinking new designs to choose from, quilters will be thrilled with all
"Kaffe Fassett's Quilts by the Sea" has to offer.
Critique: With the first half consisting of beautiful, full color, full page, captioned photos of elegant quilts showcasing
their unique designs, and the second half featuring more distinctive and inspiring quilts with step-by-step DIY construction
instructions, "Kaffe Fassett's Quilts by the Sea" will prove a unique and treasured addition to personal, professional, and
community library Needcrafting collections.
Editorial Note: Kaffe Fassett (https://www.kaffefassett.com) is a name every dedicated quilter knows. His work has been
commissioned by the British monarchy, American fashion designers, and the Royal Shakespeare Company. He has written
numerous best-sellers including Kaffe Fassett's Quilts in Italy, Kaffe Fassett's Quilts in Morocco, and Kaffe Fassett's Quilts
in the Cotswold's.
Knitted Christmas Stockings
Emilee Reynolds
The GMC Group
www.gmcbooks.com
9781784946685, $24.99, PB, 144pp
https://www.amazon.com/Knitted-Christmas-Stockings-festive-designs/dp/1784946680
Synopsis: A special collection of 25 festive designs to make for family and friends, "Knitted Christmas Stockings" by
knitting expert Emilee Reynolds showcases stockings to knit for the Christmas holiday in a variety of vibrant designs, each
with something to suit all the family.
By following the fully illustrated step-by-step instructions, even the most novice of knitters can create that magical
moment for friends and family with these truly special handmade gifts featuring minimal modern designs, jolly elves,
classic nativity scenes and traditional festive themes. There is an available style to suit everyone. And why stop at one
stocking, when you could make them for the whole family!
Critique: Each individual design showcased in "Knitted Christmas Stockings" can be personalized with the recipient's
name. New knitters need not finding this to daunting because all the essential know-how you'll need to get started is found
at the back of the book ranging from which materials to buy to basic stitches to learn. Each one of 25 stocking designs is
presented by theme, to suit the whole family. With clear color knitting charts for each design, "Knitted Christmas
Stockings" also includes full instructions on how to personalize your stockings with the name of the recipient, making it
especially recommended for personal, professional, and community library needlecrafting collections.
Editorial Note: Taught to knit by her grandmother, Emilee Reynolds has been creating unique stockings for family and
clients ever since. She began her blog, Sweetly Made (just for you), to share her passion for knitting. She sells patterns and
stockings through her successful Etsy shop and Ravelry. Emilee's work has also featured in Let's Knit and Simply Knitting
magazines. (https://www.sweetlymadejustforyou.com)
The Gardening Shelf
The Seasoned Gardener
Liz Zorab
Permanent Publications
c/o Chelsea Green Publishing Company
www.chelseagreen.com
9781856232647, $27.95, PB, 240pp
https://www.amazon.com/Seasoned-Gardener-Exploring-rhythm-gardening/dp/1856232646
Synopsis: "The Seasoned Gardener: Exploring the rhythm of the gardening year" is a personal and profusely illustrated
gardening journey, in which Liz Zorab explores seasonal harvests and how the vegetable garden sits within the wider
context of the gardening landscape -- including weather, microclimates, water cycles, light levels, seasons and the
gardener's personal tastes.
Liz takes a salt of the earth approach to life and to the garden and her gentle humor makes "The Seasoned Gardener" an
easily digestible and informative read as she provides hundreds of practical tips, including how-to guides, observations and
inspiration for both the beginner and practiced gardener alike.
Unlike many gardening books that run from January to December, "The Seasoned Gardener" starts in the autumn, when
harvesting is at its peak. Most of the fruit, vegetables, herbs and flowers highlighted are grouped according to when we
enjoy them most -- at the point of harvest.
"The Seasoned Gardener" shows you how to: Enjoy the abundance of each month of the year; Decide which plants are best
to grow in your garden; Find pleasure in your growing space year-round; Avoid the pitfalls of doing too much at once; Be
creative with your garden resources; Make the most of your time and energy; Celebrate nature's productivity as much as
your own.
"The Seasoned Gardener" is a journey of experimentation and learning that will inspire you to grow tastier food and savor
the experience.
Critique: A joy and inspiration to browse through one fascinating and motivating page at a time, "The Seasoned Gardener:
Exploring the rhythm of the gardening year" is an ideal read for the aspiring and novice gardener, while has immense value
and interest for even the more experienced gardeners. Enhanced with the profuse inclusion of color photography
throughout, "The Seasoned Gardener" will prove an immediate and enduringly popular addition to personal, professional,
and community library DIY gardening instructional reference collections. It should be noted that "The Seasoned Gardener"
is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).
Editorial Note: Liz Zorab (https://bytherfarm.com) is also the author of "Grounded: A Gardener's Journey to Abundance
and Self-Sufficiency". An award-winning gardener, she gained an RHS Silver Medal for a community-led garden featured
on BBC's 'Gardeners World Live' in 2002. A health crisis led Liz to turn to her life-long passion for gardening and growing
food as a career. Liz spent several years transforming her 0.8-acre plot in Monmouthshire into an abundant smallholding.
She is now regenerating a tired, over-grazed 4.5-acre site using permaculture practices. On less than an acre, she grows
most of the food and drink her family enjoys each year, giving them food security, resilience and increased self-reliance.
Liz regularly writes for Permaculture Magazine, teaches gardening and self-sufficiency skills and encourages thousands of
people to take up their trowels and live their dreams through a vibrant YouTube Channel,
The Wine/Spirits Shelf
A Passion for Whisky
Ian Wisniewski
Mitchell Beazley
c/o Octopus Books
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9781784729097, $29.99, HC, 256pp
https://www.amazon.com/Passion-Whisky-Scottish-creates-captivate/dp/1784729094
Synopsis: The Scottish island of Islay produces some of the world's most revered malt whiskies, and is described by the
New York Times as the equivalent of Bordeaux for wine lovers. With the publication of "A Passion for Whisky: How the
tiny Scottish island of Islay creates malts that captivate the world", whiskey expert Ian Wisniewski explores the unique
combination of tradition, innovation, climate and location, which create such superlative examples of Scotch whisky.
Individual profiles of Islay's 13 distilleries include tasting notes for selected malts that illustrate the incredible range of
peated styles produced, together with a section on tasting techniques, making this an indispensable guide for Scotch
whisky lovers.
Whisky sales overtook vodka in the US in 2022 for the first time in two decades, with no small influence from Scotch
whisky - the US imported 789.2 million British pounds' worth of in Scotch in 2021.
Critique: Inherently fascinating and information packed from cover to cover, "A Passion for Whisky: How the tiny Scottish
island of Islay creates malts that captivate the world" will be of particular and special interest to all dedicated whisky
enthusiasts, as well as connoisseurs of cocktails and mixed drinks. Expertly written, organized and presented, "A Passion
for Whisky" is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and academic
library Liquor/Wine/Beer collections.
Editorial Note: Ian Wisniewski (https://www.hachette.co.uk/contributor/ian-wisniewski) is a food, drink and travel writer
and broadcaster, specializing in spirits, particularly whisky and especially Scotch whisky. He is the author of three books
on whisky, including Classic Malt Whisky, and contributes to various publications including Whisky Magazine, Whisky
Quarterly and Malt Whisky Yearbook, and was a contributor to Michael Jackson's encyclopedic book, Whisky. He
conducts tutored tastings and classes on whisky, and visits distilleries on a regular basis to learn more about the production
process, which is one of his favorite subjects. He is a Master of the Quaich, the highest honor bestowed by the Keepers of
the Quaich, Scotland's premier whisky society.
How to Make Better Cocktails
Andrew Shannon, et al.
Mitchell Beazley
c/o Octopus Books
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9780600637943, $19.99, HC, 224pp
https://www.amazon.com/How-Make-Better-Cocktails-techniques/dp/0600637948
Synopsis: With the publication of "How to Make Better Cocktails: Cocktail Techniques, Pro-Tips and Recipes" by co-
authors Andrew Shannon, Sebastian Hamilton-Mudge, and Natalia Garcia Burke avoids the confusing cocktail/liquor
industry terminology to unlock the magic of cocktail making without pretension by understanding the 'why', not just the
'how', behind cocktail making and in the process, making each individual drink much better.
By teaching the fundamentals of cocktails and breaking down each element, from equipment to ingredient to method, they
enable and empower creativity with cocktails.
Featuring not only classic recipes and Candra originals, but also in-depth explanations of techniques and equipment to help
you through the misconceptions and complexities of making great cocktails, additional space given in "How to Make
Better Cocktails" for an essential kit breakdown, what you might already have at home that can be repurposed, as well as a
glossary of cocktail terms and techniques.
Critique: Profusely illustrated in full color throughout, plus thoroughly 'user friendly' in both organization and presentation,
"How to Make Better Cocktails: Cocktail Techniques, Pro-Tips and Recipes" is a highly recommended instruction guide
and 'how-to' manual for the novice cocktail maker, and has a great deal of practical value for even the more experienced
cocktail enthusiast. If you have a home bar or intend to serve cocktails at a party function, then you need your very own
copy of "How to Make Better Cocktails: Cocktail Techniques, Pro-Tips and Recipes". While highly recommended for
personal, professional, and community library collections, it should be noted that "How to Make Better Cocktails: Cocktail
Techniques, Pro-Tips and Recipes" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99).
Editorial Note #1: Sebastian Hamilton-Mudge began his career as a professional bartender. A respected expert, he worked
with spirit brands, such as Plymouth Gin, Martell Cognac and Absolut Vodka to develop innovative cocktails and exciting
ways to educate bartenders. During this time, he also consulted on bar operations across the UK, wrote an award-winning
college course on professional bartending and opened his own, much-loved venue, Eight Bar and Kitchen. He eventually
left the bar to travel the world as Global Brand Ambassador for Beefeater and Plymouth Gin, a prestigious role that kept
him on the road for the next nine years.
Editorial Note #2: Natalia Garcia Bourke is a former Brand Director for Mezcal El Silencio, Natalia is an accomplished
creative innovator with a love for building brands. She has worked for Midleton, a world-leading Irish whiskey distillery
and the home of award winning brands such Jameson and Redbreast. Her roles took her from Europe to Mexico, and then
back to the USA, where she spent time creating memorable events, brand partnerships and building community through
education.
Editorial Note #3: Andy Shannon began his career as a freelance graphic designer before moving into the drinks industry,
initially working at award-winning East London bar, Callooh Callay. From there, he moved on to Ian Schrager's luxury
EDITION hotels where he spent the next six years. He ran the bars at the London EDITION, and under his management,
they won several national and international awards. After his success in London, Andy helped launch the Sanya EDITION,
in southern China, before moving to Los Angeles to open the highly regarded West Hollywood EDITION. Andy developed
activations and bar takeovers in cities across the world, and delivered the global advocacy and education programme
'Punch on the Road', at key industry gatherings like Bar Convent Berlin, the Mexico Bar Show, and in iconic bars like New
York's Dead Rabbit.
The Business Shelf
Autonomous Transformation
Brian Evergreen
Wiley
c/o Wiley Professional Trade Group
www.wiley.com
9781119985297, $30.00, HC, 240pp
https://www.amazon.com/Autonomous-Transformation-Creating-Artificial-Intelligence/dp/1119985293
Synopsis: We are in the midst of an unprecedented degree of technology-driven changes at the same time that society faces
challenges more complex than our organizations and we as individuals have been prepared to handle.
We have all borne witness to the changes, for better and for worse, that technology has had on society, our nations, cities,
the nature of work, and the human experience -- but technology is neither the hero nor the villain of this story.
"Autonomous Transformation: Creating a More Human Future in the Era of Artificial Intelligence" by Brian Evergreen is
critically important reader for business and governmental leaders who want to create a better future within this context of
change and supplies a balance of historical and theoretical context with practical frameworks for beginning to create a
more human future today.
"Autonomous Transformation" provides a blueprint for leaders and managers who have aspired or attempted to harness
artificial intelligence and its adjacent technologies for the betterment of their organization and the world, weaving strategy,
management thinking, economics, systemic design, and philosophy into actionable steps with accompanying frameworks
to create and sustain 'Profitable Good'.
Critique: A timely and much needed contribution to our current and on-going debates over AI, in terms of its potential
benefits and possible drawbacks, "Autonomous Transformation: Creating a More Human Future in the Era of Artificial
Intelligence" will have a special relevance for readers with an interest in strategic business systems and planning. Highly
recommended for personal, professional, community, governmental, corporate, college, and university library Artificial
Intelligence & Semantics collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be noted for students, academia,
corporate executives, business managers, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that
"Autonomous Transformation" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.00).
Editorial Note: Brian Evergreen (https://brianevergreen.com) is best known for his work advising FORTUNE 500
executives on artificial intelligence strategy. Building on his experiences working at Accenture, Amazon Web Services,
and Microsoft, Brian guest lectures at Purdue University and the Kellogg School of Management and is a Senior Fellow in
the Economy, Strategy, and Finance Center of The Conference Board, sharing the unconventional and innovative methods
and frameworks he developed leading and advising Digital Transformation initiatives at many of the world's most valuable
companies. Brian is also the founder of The Profitable Good Company, a leadership advisory company that partners with
and equips leaders to harness the economic and societal of technology by creating a more human future in the era of
artificial intelligence.
Diversity Dividend
Paola Cecchi-Dimeglio
The MIT Press
www.mitpress.mit.edu
9780262048408, $29.95, HC, 256
https://www.amazon.com/Diversity-Dividend-Transformational-Changes-Everyone/dp/026204840X
Synopsis: Every business leader endeavors to invest in and manage their key asset (talent) to be as high-performing as
possible. Like a winning stock, successful diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) actions pay back over time. That dividend
is paid both to the company (through not only higher performance but also talent acquisition, training, and other savings)
and to society in general.
With the publication of "Diversity Dividend: The Transformational Power of Small Changes to Debias Your Company,
Attract Diverse Talent, Manage Everyone Better and Make More Money" leadership expert Paola Cecchi-Dimeglio offers
a fresh, detailed look at how to realize gender and racial equity along the company-employee pathway ranging from
attracting and interviewing applicants to onboarding, promoting, and sustaining hires -- as well as how to remove systemic
barriers at the organizational level that prevent women and underrepresented groups from advancing.
While other books have delved into DEI and the challenges inherent in sustaining successful efforts, no other book has
done so in concert with the depth and scope of data, basis in science, and application in the real world. In "Diversity
Dividend", Cecchi-Dimeglio artfully combines accessible anecdotal cases (where success was achieved or where, despite
best intentions and efforts, things did not go as expected) with scientifically rigorous solutions as well as applications of
data and big data.
As empowering as it is comprehensive, "Diversity Dividend" helps remove the guesswork and near-superstition that
naturally arise when some methods work and others fail, thereby giving leaders the tools and insight to make informed
choices at the right moments to create lasting change.
Critique: Informatively enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of an informative twenty-two page Introduction, an eight
page Conclusion, a six page listing of Acknowledgments, forty-six pages of Notes, and a six page Index, "Diversity
Dividend: The Transformational Power of Small Changes to Debias Your Company, Attract Diverse Talent, Manage
Everyone Better and Make More Money" will have a special relevance and an enduring value for readers with an interest
in Business Ethics, Workplace Culture, and General Gender Studies. While highly recommended for inclusion into
personal, professional, community, corporate, college, and university library Business Management collections and
supplemental MBA curriculum studies lists, it should be noted that "Diversity Dividend" is also available in a digital book
format (Kindle, $17.99).
Editorial Note: Paola Cecchi-Dimeglio, PhD, LLM, MSc, JD, is a leading authority on helping senior leaders make more
inclusive decisions for themselves and their organizations, having advised some of the largest for-profit and nonprofit
companies in the world. An award-winning expert on behavioral and data science, big data and AI, race and gender, and
leadership strategy, she holds dual appointments at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and Harvard Law School,
where she serves as faculty chair of the Executive Leadership Research Initiative for Women and Minority Attorneys.
(https://www.paolacecchidimeglio.com)
The Financial Times Guide to High-Impact Negotiation
Kasia Jagodzinska
Pearson
c/o Pearson Technology Group
801 East 96th Street, #300, Indianapolis, IN 46240-3759
www.pearson.com
9781292400389, $36.50, PB, 202pp
https://www.amazon.com/High-Impact-Negotiation-Kasia-Jagodzinska/dp/1292400382
Synopsis: A compendium of strategy, tactics and templates to prepare for high-impact negotiations that result in successful
long-lasting deals, "The Financial Times Guide to High-Impact Negotiation: A Comprehensive Guide for Executing
Valuable Deals and Partnerships" by Dr. Kasia Jagodzinska provides a comprehensive and strategic roadmap to the whole
negotiation process from preparation to execution. Novice and experienced executives and deal makers alike can follow
the practical steps to complete negotiation successfully, build relationships and finalize their deals.
Critique: Exceptionally and impressively 'user friendly' in style, organization and presentation, "The Financial Times
Guide to High-Impact Negotiation: A Comprehensive Guide for Executing Valuable Deals and Partnerships" is a complete
DIY course of instruction in the art of the deal. While especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional,
community, corporate, and academic library Business Negotiation/Planning collections and supplemental MBA curriculum
studies lists, it should be noted that "The Financial Times Guide to High-Impact Negotiation: A Comprehensive Guide for
Executing Valuable Deals and Partnerships" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $30.99).
Editorial Note: Dr. Kasia Jagodzinska (https://www.negotiationbooster.com) strongly believes that personal empowerment
bridged with tactical preparation is the key to success. She combines an academic career with international business
advisory in the field of negotiations. She also serves as a Senior Adviser to the United Nations in Geneva where she assist
in multi-stakeholder negotiations.
The Folktale/Fairytale Shelf
Tales and Legends of the Devil
Claude & Corinne Lecouteux
Inner Traditions International, Ltd.
One Park Street, Rochester, VT 05767
www.innertraditions.com
9781644116852, $30.00, HC, 240pp
https://www.amazon.com/Tales-Legends-Devil-Guises-Shapeshifter/dp/1644116855
Synopsis: The devil has many more guises than the cliche red boogeyman named Lucifer or the Satan who haunts
Christianity. In some traditions the devil is sinister and cunning, while others portray him as an oaf who can easily be
conned and evaded by anyone with an ounce of cleverness. In other tales and legends, he is the primal shapeshifter, and the
Roma, also known as the gypsies, claimed his talents of metamorphosis were so strong he could even assume the
appearance of a priest.
Drawing on folk traditions from all over Europe, including Transylvanian Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Switzerland, Italy,
France, Scandinavia, Moravia, Bohemia, Lapland, and the Baltic countries, with the publication of "Tales and Legends of
the Devil: The Many Guises of the Primal Shapeshifter", co-authors Claude and Corinne Lecouteux explore the many
forms and abilities of the devil in stories, tales, and legends throughout the ages.
They trace the devil's shapeshifting powers back to their Vedic origins in ancient India and look at his connections with
witches, storm magic, and other magical events. They examine the symbolic implications of the appearance of the devil in
these tales, such as how he is often either limping or disfigured with the legs or feet of a goat or other animals traditionally
linked to the lower powers or passions. They explain how the devil's limp or his goat-like feet reflect the prevalence in
world mythology of the sacred nature of crippling injuries.
Peeling back the Christian veneer embedded in many tales and legends about the so-called Evil One, "Tales and Legends
of the Devil" ultimately reveal how many of the qualities and magical powers attributed to the devil were once those
belonging to pagan gods, like the Lithuanian thunder god Perkunas or the Titan Chronos, as well as to playful woodland
spirits and the sometimes helpful, sometimes fearful fauns and satyrs of Greco-Roman mythology.
Critique: As fascinating as it is informative, "Tales and Legends of the Devil: The Many Guises of the Primal
Shapeshifter" by Claude and Corinne Lecouteux is ably translated into English for an American readership by Jon E.
Graham. A prized pick for personal, professional, community, and academic library Folklore, Mythology, and
Metaphysical Studies collections, it should be noted that "Tales and Legends of the Devil" is also available in a digital
book format (Kindle, $19.99).
Editorial Note #1: Claude Lecouteux is a professor emeritus of medieval literature and civilization at the Sorbonne. He is
the author of numerous books on medieval beliefs and magic, including Tales of Witchcraft and Wonder. Corinne
Lecouteux is a translator specializing in tales and legends. She is the coauthor with her husband, Claude, of Travels to the
Otherworld and Other Fantastic Realms. The authors live in Paris.
Editorial Note #2: Jon E. Graham is an award-winning translator, artist, and writer specializing in esoteric topics and
Surrealism.
The Computer Shelf
Dive Into Data Science
Bradford Tuckfield
No Starch Press
www.nostarch.com
9781718502888, $39.99, PB, 288pp
https://www.amazon.com/Science-Business-People-Bradford-Tuckfield/dp/1718502885
Synopsis: Packed with essential skills and useful examples, "Dive Into Data Science: Use Python To Tackle Your
Toughest Business Challenges" by Bradford Tuckfield offers a practical and comprehensive introduction to the world of
data science and will show you how to obtain, analyze, and visualize data so you can leverage its power to solve common
business challenges.
With only a basic understanding of Python and high school math, you will be able to effortlessly work through "Dive Into
Data Science" and to start implementing data science in your day-to-day work. From improving a bike sharing company to
extracting data from websites and creating recommendation systems, you will discover how to find and use data-driven
solutions to make business decisions.
The topics covered include conducting exploratory data analysis, running A/B tests, performing binary classification using
logistic regression models, and using machine learning algorithms.
You'll also learn how to: Forecast consumer demand; Optimize marketing campaigns; Reduce customer attrition; Predict
website traffic; Build recommendation systems.
With this practical guide at your fingertips, you will be able to harness the power of programming, mathematical theory,
and good old common sense to find data-driven solutions that make a difference.
Critique: Comprehensive and thoroughly 'user friendly' in in organization and presentation, "Dive Into Data Science: Use
Python To Tackle Your Toughest Business Challenges" is the ideal instructional reference guide to utilizing Python as a
basic and essential part of doing business in today's increasing complex, competitive, and digital world. Of particular and
specific value to those with an interest in the subjects of Data Mining, Computer Hacking, and Python Programming,
"Dive Into Data Science: Use Python To Tackle Your Toughest Business Challenges" is a highly recommended addition to
personal, professional, community, corporate, college, and university library Computer Programming & Business
Management collections and supplemental MBA curriculum studies lists. It should be noted that "Dive Into Data Science:
Use Python To Tackle Your Toughest Business Challenges" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$23.99).
Editorial Note: Bradford Tuckfield (https://interpreterfoundation.org/author/bradfordt) is a data scientist, a consultant, and
a writer. He received a PhD from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and a BS in Mathematics from
Brigham Young University. He is the author of Dive Into Algorithms (No Starch Press) and Applied Unsupervised
Learning with R (Packt). In addition to working as a data scientist and tech manager for top finance firms and startups, his
research has appeared in academic journals spanning math, business management, and medicine.
Adobe After Effects
Ben Goldsmith
Rocky Nook
1010 B Street, Suite 350, San Rafael, CA 94901
https://rockynook.com
9781681988658, $54.95, PB, 488pp
https://www.amazon.com/Adobe-After-Effects-Complete-Compendium/dp/1681988658
Synopsis: "Adobe After Effects: A Complete Course and Compendium of Features" by Adobe Certified Instructor Ben
Goldsmith is the ideal instructional guide to editing and enhancing videos in with Adobe After Effects. Whether you are
animating text or objects, changing a scene's setting, or creating a 3D scene, After Effects is the tool for you -- and this
comprehensive 'how-to' paperback textbook will teach you what you need to know.
First, with its complete Course that includes a set of projects and lessons derived from video editor and, you will learn the
procedures needed to use After Effects effectively and professionally. Dozens of exercises are included that can be applied
to any videos you have in mind. Through step-by-step lessons, you'll be exposed to all of After Effects' features in practical
contexts and its best practices for optimal workflows. To complete the Course, supply lesson documents are available and
their assets to downloaded, so that you can work alongside the text.
Then, for greater depth of knowledge and subsequent reference, you will use the Compendium to uncover more of the
"how" and "why" of After Effects. With each topic easy to access, you can find and explore all of Premiere Pro's key
features and concepts in depth.
With cross-references between the Course and Compendium, the two parts of "Adobe After Effects: A Complete Course
and Compendium of Features" complement each other perfectly. Best of all, when the lessons in the Course are done, the
Compendium will continue to serve you for months and years to come.
Critique: A complete and professional course of step-by-step instructions with respect to Adobe After Effects, this singular
edition of Ben Goldsmith's new "Adobe After Effects: A Complete Course and Compendium of Features" textbook from
Rocky Nook is an impressively comprehensive and thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation. While
unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, college, and university library Web Design, Digital
Video, and Editing collections and curriculum studies lists, it should be noted that "Adobe After Effects: A Complete
Course and Compendium of Features" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $34.48).
Editorial Note: Ben Goldsmith (https://www.benjaminausmith.com) tells stories and shares ideas through editing videos
and designing motion graphics. After receiving his BA at Hampshire College in digital media production, Ben developed
and created immersive media experiences for historic and scientific museums nationwide, including the FDR Museum and
the Boston Museum of Science. Ben now produces videos for Sparkworks Media (where he creates content for Amazon,
Alaska Airlines, and other local businesses) and teaches video editing at Luminous Works and the School of Visual
Concepts.
The Woodworking Shelf
Woodworking from Offcuts
Derek Jones
The GMC Group
www.gmcbooks.com
9781861088833, $24.95, PB, 176pp
https://www.amazon.com/Woodworking-Offcuts-Projects-Create-Scrap/dp/1861088833
Synopsis: With the publication of "Woodworking From Offcuts", woodworking expert Derek Jones shows how to make
something from that pile of leftover wood scraps stashed away in your workshop.
"Woodworking From Offcuts" is comprised of 20 useful DIY projects made from odds and ends of left-over scrap wood.
These made-from-scrap projects will not only clean up your shop, but provide satisfying work that results in useful items
for your home, office, garden -- or as nicely made gifts! The featured projects include: wooden salad serving forks, serving
platter, and meat tenderizer that would cost a pretty penny in a specialty shop, along with a letter rack, tool caddy, cute bird
house, and more.
There are show and tell instructions, as well as tips for all skill levels with each clever project explained in clear,
straightforward terms, with step-by-step photos that "show and tell" exactly what to do. And, whatever your abilities, there
are plenty of projects for you -- and opportunities to turn little bits and pieces into beautiful accessories like those in
high-end shops.
Critique: Unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and highschool woodworking library
collections, "Woodworking From Offcuts: 20 Projects to Create from the Scrap Pile" by Derek Jones and published by
GMC Publications is a large format paperback (8.25 x 0.41 x 10.88 inches, 1.4 pounds) illustrated instructional reference
book which is also available for personal use in a digital book format (Kindle, $$16.99).
Editorial Note: Derek Jones began his career in the woodworking industry as an apprentice to a cabinetmaker, learning on
the job the meticulous skills needed for fine furniture making. He later took on his own furniture commissions and is now
the editor of Furniture & Cabinetmaking magazine. Derek is also the author of French Polishing and Bird, Bee & Bug
Houses. (https://blog.lostartpress.com/2021/10/02/derek-jones-making-things-work)
The Interior Design Shelf
Design Dreams
Maison de Sable, author
Charlotte Taylor, editor
Chronicle Chroma
c/o Chronicle Books
680 Second Street, San Francisco, CA 94107
www.chroniclebooks.com
9781797220161, $29.95, HC, 208pp
https://www.amazon.com/Design-Dreams-Interior-Architectural-Environments/dp/1797220160
Synopsis: "Design Dreams: Virtual Interior and Architectural Environments" is curated and edited by London-based
designer Charlotte Taylor, whose Instagram account @maison_de_sable features many of her own designs and
collaborations with render artists as well as those of her contemporaries. Featured designers and artists include the
following listed per their influential Instagram accounts: @sixnfive, @paulmilinski, @teaaalexis, @joemortell, and many
more.
3D architectural renderings were originally conceived as a communication tool between designers and clients to help them
visualize a proposed buildable design. This genre continues to be extremely useful for this purpose but has now also
become an art form in its own right that can convey dreamlike imaginary settings.
"Design Dreams: Virtual Interior and Architectural Environments" features many of the most prolific and skilled 3D artists
that showcase a high-end, modern and futuristic aesthetic that blurs the line between reality and fantasy. In this virtual
world, building and budget constraints do not impede the imagination of the creators.
Critique: A large format hardcover volume (8.19 x 0.94 x 10.08 inches, 2.45 pounds) "Design Dreams: Virtual Interior and
Architectural Environments" is an inspirational and aspirational volume for architects and designers as well as fans of high
design in interiors, furniture, landscape, travel, and lifestyle. A highly recommended pick for personal, professional,
community, and academic library Interior Design collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, and fully capturing
the growing genre of architectural visualizations from an international roster of 3D render artists around the world who
create evocative and coveted dream homes and fantasy destinations, this seminal and ground-breaking study will have a
special value for readers with an interest in the decorative arts, interior design, and home decorating.
Editorial Note: Maison de Sable is the UK-based studio of artist Charlotte Taylor. Through Maison de Sable, Taylor
focuses on interior styling and creative direction, working collaboratively with a selection of 3-D render artists around the
world to design fictional spaces, interiors, and homes. (https://www.studiocharlottetaylor.com/maison-de-sable)
The Travel Shelf
Secret New York - Hidden Bars & Restaurants
Michelle Young, author
Laura Itzkowitz, author
Nicole Saraniero, author
Jonglez Publishing
https://jonglezpublishing.com
9782361954543, $19.95, PB, 224pp
https://www.amazon.com/Secret-New-York-Hidden-Restaurants/dp/2361954540
Synopsis: A club in the back of a lingerie store, a Hare Krishna temple with a lunch canteen, a Mexican pulque bar in a
Chinatown basement, a Central Asian eatery above the world's largest diamond district, hole-in-the-wall countertops inside
freight entrances, a Swiss ski chalet accessed through a kitchen, an open-to-the-public dining room in the United Nations, a
celebrity-loved party spot inside a pawn shop, a dance destination behind a barber -- all these and more comprise "Secret
New York - Hidden Bars & Restaurants"
Featured in "Secret New York - Hidden Bars & Restaurants" are more than 100 pages of amazing decor, eccentric
locations, bizarre food, newcomers, longtime holdouts, that will please and astonish underground and post-industrial
design buffs, refined gourmands, cocktail drinkers and anyone curious to discover more of the infinite ways to have fun in
New York City.
Critique: Thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Secret New York - Hidden Bars & Restaurants"
must be declared as an essential, informative, inspiringly motivating guide to enjoying the amazing, hidden bar and
restaurant scene in the boroughs of New York City. While a highly portable pocked sized (4.31 x 0.52 x 7.3 inches, 8.8
ounces) paperback edition that is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal and community library New York
City travel guide collections.
Editorial Note #1: Michelle Young (https://untappedcities.com/author/michelle-young) is the founder of Untapped Cities, a
web magazine about urban discovery and exploration in New York City and around the world. Michelle holds a B.A. from
Harvard in the History of Architecture and a Master of Science in Urban Planning from Columbia University Graduate
School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, where she is also an Adjunct Professor. Michelle is also the author of
the book Broadway, about the history of the famous street and she is one of the authors of 100 Ways to Make History,
published by the New York Public Library. She has been interviewed for The New York Times, Huffington Post Live, and
appeared in numerous documentaries.
Editorial Note #2: Laura Itzkowitz (http://www.lauraitzkowitz.com) grew up near Boston and lived in Paris and Rome
before moving to New York City, though she comes from a long line of (outer borough) New Yorkers. She writes for
Travel + Leisure, Fodor's Travel, Refinery29, Saveur, and is an editor at Untapped Cities. She contributed to Fodor's
Travel's forthcoming Brooklyn guidebook, writing the guides to her neighborhood (Greenpoint) and nearby Williamsburg.
She holds a Masters of Fine Arts in creative writing and translation from Columbia University's School of the Arts and a
B.A. from Smith College. She has been featured as a New York expert blogger in Time Out New York and named one of
Hotel Club's Top 20 NYC bloggers.
Editorial Note #3: Hannah Frishberg (https://hannahfrishberg.com) is a Features Writer at The New York Post where her
work has garnered an international readership and served as the basis for Discovery+'s 2022 docuseries "Hillsong: A
Megachurch Exposed." Her words and photos have also appeared in The New York Times, the Columbia Journalism
Review, BuzzFeed News, CityLab, Gothamist, Narratively, Urban Omnibus, The Huffington Post and Rizzoli's "Brooklyn
Photographs Now."
The Self-Help Shelf
Mindful in Minutes
Kelly Smith
Fair Winds Press
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
100 Cummings Center, Suite 265D, Beverly, MA 01915
www.quartoknows.com
9780760382141, $24.99, HC, 176pp
https://www.amazon.com/Mindful-Minutes-Meditation-Practices-Connection/dp/076038214X
Synopsis: As a certified yoga teacher, meditation teacher, and host of the chart-topping podcast Mindful in Minutes, Kelly
Smith is no stranger to the wide-ranging health benefits of meditation. And she discovered she needed them more than ever
when she became a mom for the first time.
Suddenly finding herself coping with sleepless nights, disheartening physical changes, uncontrollable worries, and near
constant sensory overload, Kelly found solace in the same thing she always had: her daily meditation practice. In doing so,
she discovered how meditation could help not only moms cope with common family challenges, but every other member
of the family as well.
Kelly shares her hard-won wisdom with listeners across the country in her second podcast Meditation Mama, and now, in
this fully illustrated edition of "Mindful in Minutes: Meditation for the Modern Family" she helps families of all kinds
learn how to use meditation to cope with the everyday struggles of being a person who is also part of a family.
The topics covered range from quieting the mind and managing stress to handling resentment and cultivating compassion.
"Mindful in Minutes" offers specialized practices for each family member by age -- adults, teens and older kids, and small
children.
With three distinct, age-appropriate practices for each topic, Kelly ensures that every member of the family has access to a
practical, focused meditation "toolkit" to draw on when they need a little extra help. "Mindful in Minutes" also includes a
series of dedicated meditations for expectant parents, a series of meditations to promote a healthy, loving relationship
between partners, and over 250 mantras to help you focus your mind and go deeper into your practice.
Critique: Exceptionally well written, deftly organized and thoroughly 'reader friendly in presentation, "Mindful in Minutes:
Meditation for the Modern Family: Over 100 Practices to Help Families Find Peace, Calm, and Connection" is especially
appropriate for the non-specialist general reader wanting to instill in their family life an effective means of mediation and
dealing with the inevitable stresses and strains of family life. While also available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$11.99), "Mindful in Minutes" is a welcome addition to personal, professional, and community library Meditation, Family
Activities, and Self-Help/Self-Improvement collections.
Editorial Note: Kelly Smith (https://www.yogaforyouonline.com) is the founder of Yoga For You, the host of the iTunes
chart-topping meditation podcast Mindful in Minutes and Meditation Mama, and the author of Mindful in Minutes:
Meditation For the Modern Family. She is an E-RYT 500, YACEP, and master trainer in meditation, yoga nidra, and
restorative yoga. Her meditations and work have been featured in Meditation Magazine, Popsugar Fitness, ABC News,
The Bump, Twin Cities Live, and the Lavendaire Lifestyle Podcast. You can find her on Instagram as
@yogaforyouonline
Mindfulness For the Wandering Mind
Pandit Dasa
Wiley
c/o Wiley Professional Trade Group
www.wiley.com
9781394197620, $27.00, HC, 224pp
https://www.amazon.com/Mindfulness-Wandering-Mind-Life-Changing-Improving/dp/1394197624
Synopsis: Written by monk-turned-leadership-guru Pandit Dasa, "Mindfulness For the Wandering Mind: Life-Changing
Tools for Managing Stress and Improving Mental Health At Work and In Life" offers unique insight on how you can focus
your mind, become more resilient, respond better to conflict, and build stronger professional (and personal) relationships.
It's all possible when you begin to understand how your mind works and take control of this complicated mechanism.
"Mindfulness For the Wandering Mind" will show you how to identify and close the "apps" that are constantly running in
your own mind, so you can eliminate distractions and find greater peace and productivity in your daily life.
"Mindfulness For the Wandering Mind" presents specific meditation processes and actions you can take to help you
succeed as you begin or continue your journey. Through presentations and talks across the country, Pandit Dasa has offered
his wisdom on applying mindfulness in the workplace. With the publication of "Mindfulness For the Wandering Mind", he
shares his wisdom with you, revealing that, no matter what your external circumstances or environment, you can find the
time and space to reflect and unlock the benefits of mindfulness.
"Mindfulness For the Wandering Mind" will help you: Reduce stress and anxiety by eliminating unnecessary distractions
and closing unused "apps" in your mind; Harness the principles of forgiveness, patience, compassion, and selflessness to
improve work-life balance and mental health for yourself and your employees; Break through the stigma surrounding
mental health concerns and identify the obstacles that are keeping you from happiness and fulfilment; Complete reflection
questions and exercises to develop a deeper awareness of how your mind works -- and what you can do to improve it.
"Mindfulness For the Wandering Mind" is for anyone who is looking for a solution to the constant feelings overwhelm,
distraction, and anxiety that plague us in today's fast-paced, media-saturated world. Teach your brain how to block out the
noise and find focus, and observe the radical transformation that mindfulness can make in your life.
Critique: Eloquent, informative, motivating, inspiring, "Mindfulness For the Wandering Mind: Life-Changing Tools for
Managing Stress and Improving Mental Health At Work and In Life" will have a special appeal and value to readers with
an interest in Motivational Management/Leadership, Business Motivation/Self-Improvement, as well as Personal
Transformation. While especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, corporate, and
academic library Self-Help/Self-Improvement collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Mindfulness
For the Wandering Mind" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $16.00).
Editorial Note: Pandit Dasa (https://www.panditdasa.com) is an internationally renowned speaker, lecturer, and author. As
a former monk, he began speaking and teaching about mindfulness, work-life balance, and managing stress at Columbia
and New York Universities. He has since delivered over 700 speeches and workshops to organizations of all sizes,
including Kellogg, Citi, and Kantar.
The Metaphysical Studies Shelf
Cat Magick
Rieka Moonsong
Rock Point
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
100 Cummings Center, Suite 265D, Beverly, MA 01915
www.quartoknows.com
9781631069550, $19.99, HC, 160pp
https://www.amazon.com/Cat-Magick-Harness-Behaviors-Familiars/dp/1631069551
Synopsis: With the publication of "Cat Magick: Harness the Powers of Felines through History, Behaviors, and Familiars",
by Wiccan high priestess Rieka Moonsong instructs you on how to attract and identify a feline familiar. With two cat
familiars of her own, Rieka delves into: The magical role of cats as familiars and how to connect and strengthen your
relationship with them; Different breeds, colorings, and behavioral characteristics of cats and how these affect your
partnership; How to safely work with a familiar in your practices using discarded parts of your feline friend like shed
whiskers, claws, and fur.
"Cat Magick" dives into the history of cats, myths, and folklore, specifically some of the myths surrounding black cats.
With special features that are distinct to each type of cat, this helpful guide provides a new set of rituals and spells!
Readers will discover magick work for shorthair, purebred cats, and big cats like tigers, lions, panthers!
Some of the spells and rituals include: Calling feline guides and familiars to you; Strengthening the bond with your
familiar; Creating fur talismans. With "Cat Magick as your guide you can find and connect with your feline familiar
through spells and rituals while being guided by a seasoned practitioner.
Critique: Colorfully illustrated throughout, "Cat Magick: Harness the Powers of Felines through History, Behaviors, and
Familiars" is a unique, original, comprehensive, exceptionally well written, organized and presented instructional guide
that will hold a special appeal and utility for metaphysical studies and magick users with an interest in having and utilizing
a feline familiar. While very strongly recommended as an essential and core addition to personal, professional, community,
and academic library Metaphysical/Magic Studies collections, it should be noted that "Cat Magick: Harness the Powers of
Felines through History, Behaviors, and Familiars" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Rieka Moonsong (https://www.sacredearthwisdom.com/about-6) is a Wiccan high priestess and
mesa-carrying, Andean-trained shaman. She has made it her life's work to assist others in healing, transforming, and better
understanding their true purpose. She offers one-on-one consultations that bring balance and clarity in times of indecision
or confusion. Her services include divination, healing, soul work, and more. Her popular Instagram account is
@justamountainwitch
Power, Purpose, Practice
Kerry Ward
Fair Winds Press
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
100 Cummings Center, Suite 265D, Beverly, MA 01915
www.quartoknows.com
9780760383254, $22.99, HC, 160pp
https://www.amazon.com/Power-Purpose-Practice-Astrology-Numerology/dp/0760383251
Synopsis: Am I on the right path? That is the question internationally recognized tarot expert Kerry Ward faces daily from
thousands of private clients and readers of her popular Cosmopolitan tarot column. With the publication of "Power,
Purpose, Practice: Finding Your True Self Through Astrology, Numerology, and Tarot", she shows you how to answer that
question for yourself by using a simple system based on an insightful blend of astrology, numerology, and tarot that she has
perfected through 25 years of tarot reading.
Your birth date holds the key to the system. From there, astrology guides you to your ruling planet and your ruling element,
while tarot reveals your personality archetype. These three items (planet, element, archetype) represent your power.
To discover your purpose, we turn to numerology, which provides a guided map for your life journey via your Life Path
number.
Finally, Kerry provides a series of meditations and rituals for you to practice in your daily life, to help you amplify your
power and direct it toward your purpose.
Written in a casual, intimate voice and bursting with bold, inclusive artwork, this spiritual guide will help you understand
each of these cosmic connections and more as you explore every facet of your personality and discover your true self.
Critique: Nicely illustrated throughout in full color, "Power, Purpose, Practice: Finding Your True Self Through Astrology,
Numerology, and Tarot" by Kerry Ward is impressively 'reader friendly' in style, organization, and presentation. Of special
interest and value to students of astrology, numerology, and the tarot, "Power, Purpose, Practice" is a fascinating,
informative, and engaging instructional reference resource and highly recommended for both personal reading lists and
community/academic library Metaphysical Studies collections. It should be noted that 'Power, Purpose, Practice: Finding
Your True Self Through Astrology, Numerology, and Tarot" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$11.99).
Editorial Note: Kerry Ward (https://www.cosmopolitan.com/author/17046/kerry-ward) is the creator of the best-selling
tarot deck and book Good Karma Tarot as well as Crystal Magic Tarot. She is the resident tarot columnist for
Cosmopolitan US and UK, as well as Metro UK and supports a global tarot client list of 500+, to whom she sends a
monthly email newsletter. She can be followed on Instagram at @mytarotbella
The Pride of Dragons Oracle
Angelo Thomas, author
Sonja Hedger, artist
Bear & Company
c/o Inner Traditions International, Ltd.
One Park Street, Rochester, VT 05767
www.innertraditions.com
9781591434924, $20.00, Card Deck/Guidebook
https://www.amazon.com/Pride-Dragons-Oracle-44-Card-Guidebook/dp/1591434920
Synopsis: Chosen by the Angels to act as a bridge between Heaven and Earth, the spiritual beings known as Dragons are
here to assist us in both daily life and the ascension process, delivering celestial wisdom from the ancient Angelic Realms
and offering intervention for our highest good.
Drawing on his lifelong spiritual connection to dragons, spirit medium Angelo Thomas created "The Pride Of Dragons
Oracle", a card deck and guidebook channeling 44 specific dragons from the angelic realms. The dragons who stepped
forward for this deck are unique in both nature and appearance, with their own personalities and perspectives on celestial
wisdom. Their messages reflect them as individual angelic beings and bring forth knowledge that can be used for inner
spiritual work.
Each of the 44 cards comprising "The Pride Of Dragons Oracle" feature artist Sonja Hedger's unique paintings, each card is
specifically designed to allow connection with the celestial energies of the dragons. The accompanying guidebook explains
how to use the cards to access ancient celestial wisdom and apply it to everyday life through rituals, spiritual practices, and
practical self-development tools.
Critique: Fascinating, memorable, inspiring, and compelling, "The Pride Of Dragons Oracle" is thoroughly 'user friendly'
and explains how to use the cards and apply Dragon wisdom to everyday life through daily rituals, spiritual practices, and
practical self-development tools is a unique and unreservedly recommended addition to those with an interest in
parapsychology, angels, spirits, and a metaphysical approach to personal transformation.
Editorial Note #1: Angelo Thomas (https://www.angelothomas.com.au) is a spirit medium and an earth-angel incarnate
who facilitates spiritual development events and podcasts internationally.
Editorial Note #2: Sonja Hedger offers spiritual consulting and intuitive commission- based art and writing through her
business Iridium Soul.
The Literary Studies Shelf
The Tragedy of the Sack of Cabrieres
Charles-Louis Morand-Metivier
ACMRS Press
Arizona State University
PO Box 874402, Tempe, AZ 85287-4402
https://acmrspress.com
9780866986441, $70.02, HC, 262pp
https://www.amazon.com/Tragedy-Cabri%C3%A8res-Medieval-Renaissance-Studies/dp/0866986448
Synopsis: April 1542 saw a massacre of epic proportions in the Luberon, in southeastern France, of its Waldensian
population, who had been peacefully living there after they settled in a few centuries before. This massacre foreshadowed
the wars of religion, which tore apart the kingdom for almost forty years.
The Tragedie du Sac de Cabrieres is the only play devoted to these events. This is a critical edition and English translation
of the French play. Three critical editions of the play have been published in 1927, 1928, and 1998, and this new edition
complements the previous works. This is the first English translation of the play and makes it available to an international
audience of scholars and students of the early modern period.
This edition "translates" the moment of the play's creation, the representation of the event, and its importance in the
narrative of religious persecutions in sixteenth-century France. It explains how history is dramatized through the creation
of the scenic story and scenic play of Cabrieres. and how the specific retelling of the events of Cabrieres makes this a tool
of historical narration, thus allowing the audience to participate in the unfolding of history before their eyes. Therefore,
they become part of history, because it is played before their eyes so that they can not only witness it but also propagate the
glory of the martyrs for future generations.
This is not only a translation and a work of literary scholarship, it is an analysis of the literary, political, and religious
production of this period, and a multidisciplinary analysis of Waldensianism in southeastern France.
Critique: A seminal work of impressively meticulous scholarship and fluency, this newly translated edition of "The
Tragedy of the Sack of Cabrieres" into English from the original French by Professor Charles-Louis Morand-Metivier
(who also provides an informative Introduction), is a welcome and unreservedly recommended addition to personal,
professional, college, and university library Medieval/Renaissance Literary Studies and supplemental curriculum lists.
Editorial Note: Charles-Louis Morand-Metivier is an associate professor of French at the University of Vermont.
The Holocaust Studies Shelf
Budapest Blackout: A Holocaust Diary
Maria Madi, author
James W. Oberly, editor
University of Wisconsin Press
728 State Street, Suite 443, Madison, WI 53706-1418
www.uwpress.wisc.edu
9780299343101, $79.95, HC, 360pp
https://www.amazon.com/Budapest-Blackout-Holocaust-M%C3%A1ri%C3%A1-M%C3%A1di/dp/0299343103
Synopsis: Maria Madi (1898-1970) was a Roman Catholic Hungarian physician living in Budapest during World War II.
Stuck in the city, she vowed to become a witness to events as they unfolded and began keeping a diary to chronicle her
everyday life, as well as the lives of her Jewish neighbors, during what would be the darkest periods of the Holocaust.
From the time Hungary declared war on the United States in December 1941 until she secured an immigrant's visa to the
US in late 1946, she wrote nearly daily in English, offering current-day readers one of the most complete pictures of
ordinary life during the Holocaust in Hungary. In the form of letters to her American relatives, Madi addressed a wide
range of subjects, from the fate of small countries like Hungary caught between the major powers of Germany and the
Soviet Union, to the Nazi pogrom against Budapest's Jews, to family news and the price of food.
Madi's family donated the entire collection of her diaries to the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. This edition of
"Budapest Blackout: A Holocaust Diary", published by the University of Wisconsin Press, transcribes a selection of Madi's
writings focusing on the period of March 1944 to November 1945, from the Nazi invasion and occupation of Hungary,
through the Battle of Budapest, to the ensuing Soviet occupation.
While bearing witness to the catastrophe in Hungary, Madi hid a Jewish family in her small flat from October 1944 to
February 1945. She received a posthumous Righteous among Nations Medal from Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust
Remembrance Center.
Editorial commentary by James W. Oberly situates Madi's observations, and a critical introduction by the Holocaust
scholar Andras Lenart outlines the wider sociopolitical context in which her diaries gain meaning.
Critique: Deftly edited by James W. Oberly, Maria Madi's personal and detailed memoir, "Budapest Blackout: A Holocaust
Diary" is an inherently fascinating and impressively informative read from start to finish -- as well as a welcome, unique,
authentic, and unreservedly recommended contribution to personal, professional, community, college, and university
library 20th Century Biography/Memoir/Diary collections in general, and supplemental Holocaust Studies curriculum
studies lists.
Editorial Note: The Maria Madi diaries (https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn50967#) consists of seventeen
bound volumes containing diaries written by Dr. Maria Madi, a non-Jewish female physician living in Budapest, Hungary,
between December 1941 and September 1945. In the diaries, which are handwritten in English, Dr. Madi describes what
she is hearing about the war, about propaganda in Hungary, and about missing her daughter, who immigrated to the United
States in 1939 and started a family. After the German invasion of Hungary in March 1944, Dr. Madi describes constant air
raids, intense deprivation, and what she knows and sees of the ongoing persecutions against Jews. She also references a
young boy whom she hides in her home in the fall of 1944. The diaries include photographs, clippings, and
correspondence, as well as pencil notations Dr. Madi made in the 1960s. Also includes one diary from Budapest during
World War I.
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Diane C. Donovan, Editor
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