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Reviewer's Choice
Endurance: The Discovery of Shackleton's Legendary Ship
John Shears & Nico Vincent
National Geographic Press
www.nationalgeographic.com
9781426223839, $50.00, HC, 256pp
https://www.amazon.com/Endurance-Discovery-Shackletons-Legendary-Ship/dp/1426223838
Synopsis: In March 2022, an international polar expedition team made an astonishing find: the wreck of Ernest Shackleton's legendary Endurance, lost in 1915 after being crushed by ice and then swallowed by the Weddell Sea.
The harrowing story of Shackleton's survival and rescue of all 27 men aboard is well known, but the ship had lain unseen for a century under 10,000 feet of water -- until now. The vessel remains incredibly intact, as crystal-clear photography and digital scans from the expedition reveal.
A thrilling firsthand account of the expedition co-authored by its leader, John Shears, and deputy leader, Nico Vincent, "Endurance: The Discovery of Shackleton's Legendary Ship" from the National Geographic Press is the first and only volume to fully document the discovery to be produced in full cooperation with the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust.
Critique: This large format (10.1 x 1.14 x 10.21 inches, 2.31 pounds) hardcover edition of "Endurance: The Discovery of Shackleton's Legendary Ship" is informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with a four page Timeline of Events, a one page bibliographic listing of Sources & Further Reading, a three page listing of Members of the Endurance22 Expedition, a two page listing of Illustration & Map Credits, and a five page Index. With full page and 2-page historic B/W and Color photographs, this coffee-table style edition (a perfect choice for Memorial Fund acquisitions) of "Endurance: The Discovery of Shackleton's Legendary Ship will prove a prized and poplar pick for personal, community, and college/university library Maritime History, Arctic/Antarctic History, and Underwater Photography collections.
Editorial Note #1: John Shears was the expedition leader for Endurance22, the mission to find Endurance. He is a polar geographer and expedition leader with over 30 years' experience of working in both Antarctica and the Arctic. He lives in a small village north of Cambridge in the east of England, and grew up in Exeter.
Editorial Note #2: Nico Vincent was Endurance22's subsea manager. He oversaw the equipment and deployment of the expedition's autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), and was one of the first eyewitnesses to the discovery of the Endurance wreck. He is a subsea engineer and surveyor based near Marseille, France. He grew up in a very small village called Champdor in the French Alps.
The Christmas Shelf
Twelve Classic Christmas Stories
Timothy Larsen, editor
Moody Publishers
www.moodypublishers.com
9780802432797, $22.99, HC, 336pp
https://www.amazon.com/Twelve-Classic-Christmas-Stories-Yuletide/dp/0802432794
Synopsis: Compiled and edited by Professor Timothy Larsen, "Twelve Classic Christmas Stories: A Feast of Yuletide Tales" celebrates the magical season of Christmas with some of the greatest literary figures in history. The wisdom and warmth of Christmas are wrapped in the stories of beloved and gifted authors such as Charles Dickens, Louisa May Alcott, O. Henry, G. K. Chesterton, Willa Cather, Conan Doyle, Washington Irving, George MacDonald, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anthony Trollope, and other classic storytellers.
Not only will you be immersed in the Christmas spirit, but you will draw from the insight of historian Professor Larsen who introduces each tale, sharing with readers the history, background, and inspiration behind the literature.
This inspirational collection invites us to contemplate and savor all that is good and true about God's redemptive story and our call to be Christ-like. The stories call us to generosity, reconciliation, and sacrifice. They encourage us to live with joy and gratitude. Hope and wonder abound as you gather your family around the fire and read aloud the Twelve Classic Christmas Stories.
Critique: "Twelve Classic Christmas Stories: A Feast of Yuletide Tales" is enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of two Appendices (Is Christmas Unbiblical and Pagan? / A Christian Affirmation of Yuletide Joy and Celebration). This simply elegant hardcover edition of "Twelve Classic Christmas Stories: A Feast of Yuletide Tales" from Moody Publishers is especially and unreservedly recommended for family and community library Christmas themed collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Twelve Classic Christmas Stories: A Feast of Yuletide Tales" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $16.14) as well.
Editorial Note: Timothy Larsen is McManis Professor of Christian Thought and Professor of History at Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois. He is also an Honorary Fellow at Edinburgh University, and has been a Visiting Fellow at Trinity College, Cambridge University, and All Souls College, Oxford University. He is the author of nine books, including George MacDonald in the Age of Miracles: Incarnation, Doubt, and Reenchantment, and has edited a dozen volumes, including The Oxford Handbook of Christmas. Articles of his have appeared in many venues, including the Wall Street Journal, Christianity Today, World, Los Angeles Review of Books, Times Literary Supplement, and CNN.com. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_Larsen)
Little Christmas Carol: The Illustrated Edition
Charles Dickens, author
Joe Sutphin, illustrator
Moody Publishers
www.moodypublishers.com
9780802471864, $29.99, HC, 144pp
https://www.amazon.com/Little-Christmas-Carol-Charles-Dickens/dp/0802432832
Synopsis: In 1843, Charles Dickens penned a story that became a classic Christmas tale full of ghosts and the endearing humbug Ebenezer Scrooge. That story (which has captivated readers for over 150 years) is now accompanied by the delightful illustrations of Joe Sutphin.
With charming woodland characters and settings that families will adore, readers will be transformed by "A Little Christmas Carol".
A tale of greed, regret, loneliness, reflection, compassion, hope, and a joyfully changed life, this beautifully illustrated hardcover edition will enliven the timeless classic for readers young and old.
Critique: This large format (8.60(w) x 10.70(h) x 0.70(d)) hardcover edition of "A Little Christmas Carol" from Moody Press is a welcome and unreservedly recommended for personal, family, and community/public library Christmas themed collections. It should be noted that "A Little Christmas Carol" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $17.49).
Editorial Note #1: It is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child himself. -- Charles Dickens (1812-1870).
Editorial Note #2: Joe Sutphin (www.joesutphin.com) is an illustrator of books for kids such as Andrew Peterson's "Wingfeather Saga", "Word Of Mouse" by James Patterson, "Little Pilgrim's Progress" (Moody Publishers) and the official graphic novelization of Richard Adams's timeless classic, "Watership Down" (Ten Speed, 2023). His love of nature, and of the living creatures in the fields and woods around his home, has informed his art for much of his life.
The AI Shelf
Artificial Intelligence, second edition
Robert H. Chen & Chelsea Chen
Chapman & Hall
c/o CRC Press
www.crcpress.com
9781032715964, $44.99, PB, 322pp
https://www.amazon.com/Artificial-Intelligence-Introduction-Development-Mathematics/dp/1032715960
Synopsis: Now in a fully updated and expanded second edition, "Artificial Intelligence: An Introduction to Big Ideas and their Development" continues to guide readers through the history and development of artificial intelligence (AI), from its early mathematical beginnings through to the exciting possibilities of its potential future applications.
To make this journey as accessible as possible, co-authors Robert H. Chen and Cheslea Chen build their narrative around accounts of some of the more popular and well-known demonstrations of artificial intelligence, including Deep Blue, AlphaGo and even Texas Hold'em, followed by their historical background, so that AI can be seen as a natural development of the mathematics and computer science of AI.
As this newly published second edition of "Artificial Intelligence: An Introduction to the Big Ideas and their Development" proceeds, more technical descriptions are presented at a pace that should be suitable for all levels of readers, gradually building a broad and reasonably deep understanding and appreciation for the basic mathematics, physics, and computer science that is rapidly developing artificial intelligence as it is today.
The only mathematical prerequisite of the second edition of "Artificial Intelligence: An Introduction to the Big Ideas and their Development" is an elementary knowledge of calculus. It is fully accessible to anyone with an interest in AI and its mathematics and computer science, and is especially suitable as a supplementary reading for a course in AI or the History of Mathematics and Computer Science in regard to artificial intelligence.
This new second edition is also fully revised and corrected throughout to bring the material up-to-date. Offers greater technical detail and exploration of basic mathematical concepts, while retaining the simplicity of explanation of the first edition. Includes entirely new chapters on large language models (LLMs), ChatGPT, and quantum computing.
Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Artificial Intelligence: An Introduction to the Big Ideas and their Development: 2nd Edition" is an ideal introductory textbook for personal, professional, and college/university library Artificial Intelligence collections and supplemental AI curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Artificial Intelligence: An Introduction to the Big Ideas and their Development: 2nd Edition) is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $31.72). Librarians should note for their permanent AI collections that this second edition of "Artificial Intelligence: An Introduction to the Big Ideas and their Development" is also available in a hardcover edition (9781032732978, $200.00).
Editorial Note #1: Robert H. Chen is the author of three books in English on Personal Computers, Liquid Crystal Displays, and Einstein's Relativity, and four books in Chinese on LCDs & Intellectual Property, Patents, Anglo-American Contract Law, and Technology & Copyright Law, and many scholarly articles in physics and the law. He has a Ph.D. in Space Physics and a J.D. in law and is a member of the California Bar.
Editorial Note #2: Chelsea Chen graduated in physics and computer science from U.C Berkeley and is a software development engineer at a major tech company in Silicon Valley.
The Health/Medicine Shelf
Hospital, Heal Thyself
Mark Taylor
Wiley
c/o Wiley Professional Trade Group
www.wiley.com
Blackstone Publishing
https://www.blackstonelibrary.com
9781394283347, $45.00, HC, 288pp
https://www.amazon.com/Hospital-Heal-Thyself-Brilliant-Mathematicians/dp/1394283342
Synopsis: Part biography and part clear-eyed examination of a healthcare system in crisis, with the publication of "Hospital, Heal Thyself: One Brilliant Mathematician's Proven Plan for Saving Hospital, Many Lives. and Billions of Dollars", health care journalist and author Mark Taylor tells the story of enigmatic healthcare visionary Eugene Litvak, whose research and strategies have already been implemented at many top 12-ranked hospitals to save hundreds of millions of dollars and countless thousands of patient lives. While U.S. healthcare costs continue to skyrocket, Litvak's program described in this book offers tested, effective methods to trim those costs while simultaneously improving patient outcomes.
"Hospital, Heal Thyself" covers: How hospital and emergency room overcrowding has harmful and potentially deadly effects on patients and staff; How Litvak's algorithms and complex mathematical theories help hospitals staff appropriately to safely manage patient flow; How applying Litvak's unique patient flow interventions improves nurse retention in an era of mass nurse exodus.
Litvak's methods have been proven to work in the best hospitals in America and the world. Studies in the top medical journals confirm their success in reducing medical errors; hospital and emergency room overcrowding; nurse and physician burnout and stress and patient mortality rates. They've saved millions of dollars for each hospital adopting them, while improving patient satisfaction and outcomes, nurse retention, hospital efficiency and addressing healthcare disparities and inequities.
Critique: An invaluable and timely contribution to our national conversation regarding needed reforms and improvements in our health care systems, "Hospital, Heal Thyself" is an exceptionally well written, organized, presented and essential read for medical practitioners, hospital administrators, governmental health care policy makers. While unreservedly recommended as an critically important addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library Health Care Policy collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be noted that "Hospital, Heal Thyself" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $27.00) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Publishing, 9798228331402, $45.95, CD).
Editorial Note: Mark Taylor is a veteran prize-winning healthcare journalist who has written for newspapers, healthcare business magazines, and online publications for 30+ years. He is a cofounder and past board member of the Association of Healthcare Journalists, a Kaiser Foundation Media Fellow, and a former steelworker, taxi driver, waiter, and lifeguard.
Longevity for the Lazy
Richard Malish, MD, FACP, FACC
Coco Glendale Lifestyles, LLC
https://www.longevityforthelazy.com
9798990642300, $9.99, PB, 216pp
https://www.amazon.com/Longevity-Lazy-Low-Work-Campaign-Living/dp/B0DHGD92PQ
Synopsis: Do yo want to live your longest healthiest life, but have a hard time dieting and exercising?
With the publication of "Longevity for the Lazy: A Low-Work Campaign Plan to Living to 100 and Beyond", Dr. Richard Malish (cardiologist, public health expert, strategist, and healthcare system leader) reveals easy secrets to healthy longevity.
Asserting that we can live to be a hundred years old, Dr. Malish maintains that:
1. Humans (and our other primate cousins) are lazy by nature and evolutionary design. Diet and exercise are counter to our instincts, motivations, and physical requirements. Consequently, they offer an extremely challenging proposition as a method to achieve a long, healthy life.
2. Fighting laziness is almost impossible. But living a long and healthy life despite laziness is imaginable. Easily affordable resources that require little daily effort to attain longevity are available to the laziest among us.
"Longevity for the Lazy: A Low-Work Campaign Plan to Living to 100 and Beyond" turns what we think we know about health and aging upside down. We can have a long life without making massive lifestyle changes by taking a new approach to medicine and our personal health.
Forge a well-executed campaign plan with one of the information and support provided by Dr. Malish. In doing so, you are relying on an approach based on traditional military strategy, public health fundamentals, and scientific evidence -- the secrets to living to 100 and beyond which reveal:
A Longevity Mental Model exists that teaches us how we will continue to expand our lifespans. Know it and you will know how to augment your lifespan.
Transhumanism, the ability to prolong lifespans through human invention, is a modern reality. It no longer exists as pure theory. Embrace its existence to optimize its benefit.
Living healthfully into the 100s doesn't require new diets or exercise regimens.
Target the two biggest threats in the form of diseases that will kill you.
Be on the defensive (live as healthy a lifestyle as you can) but more importantly, take offensive measures by taking medicine and getting screened for the likely killers.
Choose medical providers who understand human motivation and its strengths and weaknesses. Only one type of provider, the medical realist, can perfectly support your longevity journey.
In the pages of "Longevity for the Lazy: A Low-Work Campaign Plan to Living to 100 and Beyond" you will discover even more unconventional lifestyle advice from a cardiologist, public health expert, and military strategist who thinks we can leverage a new understanding of our role in prolonging our lifespans to 100 and beyond.
Critique: Impressive well informed and informative, "Longevity for the Lazy: A Low-Work Campaign Plan to Living to 100 and Beyond" is exceptionally well organized and presented, making it ideal for the non-specialist general reader with an interest in prolonging the lives of themselves and their loved ones. As long as we are still breathing it is never too late to develop and shape a life-extending life style and "Longevity for the Lazy: A Low-Work Campaign Plan to Living to 100 and Beyond" offers a 'real world practical' instructional guide and 'how to' manual that is inspiring motivational. While also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $2.99) for personal reading lists, this paperback edition of Dr. Richard Malish's "Longevity for the Lazy: A Low-Work Campaign Plan to Living to 100 and Beyond" from Coco Glendale Lifestyles is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, medical school, and college/university library Health & Medicine collections in general, and supplemental Human Longevity curriculum studies lists in particular.
Editorial Note: Richard Malish (graduated from the Uniformed Services University in 1996, receiving a Doctor of Medicine degree. Rich pursued tours as an operational medicine physician with the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) and the 173rd Airborne Brigade before specializing in cardiology. Rich's final command was that of the hospital and medical system at Fort Cavazos, Texas (then Fort Hood). In this role, he led the community through the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. In all of his assignments, Rich studied, wrote, and published peer-reviewed material on health policy. He has a portfolio of articles that mirror his assignments. Board certified in internal medicine and cardiology, Rich retired from the Army in June 2024 and currently works as a healthcare policy consultant.
The Science Shelf
The Universe and Beyond, sixth edition
Terrance Dickerson & Susan Dickerson
Firefly Books Ltd.
www.fireflybooks.com
9780228104926, $39.95, HC, 224pp
https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Beyond-Terence-Dickinson/dp/0228104920
Synopsis: In the almost 15 years since the release of the fifth edition of "The Universe and Beyond", our understanding of the universe has advanced exponentially. Previous editions guided readers through the intriguing world of black holes, dark matter and dark energy, toured the planets of other stars and plumbed the mysteries of quasars, pulsars, supernovas and the accelerating universe.
In this newly updated and expanded 6th edition of "The Universe and Beyond", Terence Dickinson and his longtime editorial partner Susan Dickinson joined forces to return to these earlier tours armed with exciting new information on the origin and evolution of the universe, the birth of planets, life on our solar system's outer moons, runaway black holes, the first gravitational waves, an enigmatic interstellar visitor and more. These recent discoveries have spawned a host of questions about the universe that couldn't even be imagined a decade ago.
Illustrating this voyage are breathtaking photos captured by the groundbreaking Hubble Space Telescope during the later phase of its mission and by the newly launched James Webb Space Telescope, which has already allowed us to observe first stars and the formation of first galaxies and has provided information about potentially habitable exoplanets.
The fully updated content of this new 6th edition showcases late-breaking science that has emerged since the last edition. The key topics covered include:
The search for and discovery of thousands of new exoplanets
New ideas on the origin and evolution of the universe
The evolving distant universe as seen by the James Webb Space Telescope
New theories about life on Mars, Jupiter's moon Europa & the outer moons in our solar system
New results from the Juno spacecraft orbiting Jupiter
The first direct image of a monstrous black hole
New telescopes and missions for the 2020s and 2030s.
It should also be noted that this new 6th edition of "The Universe and Beyond" is completely redesigned, and the photos and illustrations have been updated with awe-inspiring new images of the cosmos.
Critique: This large format (10.8 x 0.82 x 10.67 inches, 3 pounds) hardcover edition of "The Universe and Beyond" is as spectacular as it is informative. Exceptionally well organized and presented, "The Universe and Beyond: 6th Edition" from Firefly Books is a solid and prized pick for personal, professional, community, and college/library Astronomy collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note #1: Terence Dickinson, one of Canada's best-loved astronomy writers, gained renown for unraveling the mysteries of the cosmos. His down-to-earth style made him the award-winning best-selling author of 14 astronomy books, including NightWatch, The Backyard Astronomer's Guide, The Universe and Beyond and Hubble's Universe. Dickinson was a recipient of the Order of Canada and two honorary doctorates. He died of complications from Parkinson's on February 1, 2023.
Editorial Note #2: Susan Dickinson has been Terry's lifelong editorial partner and advisor. During the latter stages of Terry's illness, Susan oversaw the production of new editions of two of Terry's bestsellers, The Backyard Astronomer's Guide and NightWatch. After his death, she turned her focus on The Universe and Beyond (6th edition), a book that reflects Terry's appreciation of a universe that captivated him for a lifetime.
The Botany Shelf
Poroid Fungi of North America
Leif Ryvarden
APS Press
https://www.apsnet.org/publications/apspress/Pages/default.aspx
9780890547182, $279.00, HC, 267pp
https://my.apsnet.org/APSStore/Product-Detail.aspx?WebsiteKey=2661527A-8D44-496C-A730-8CFEB6239BE7&iProductCode=47182
Synopsis: Poroid fungi, commonly known as "polypores," are among the most frequently encountered fungi throughout the year because of their large size and longevity. Despite their common presence in North America, most fungi guides include only a limited selection of poroid fungi.
"Poroid Fungi of North America" offers a necessary, updated account of these fungi, building on the foundational work of the original two-volume North American Polypores by R. L. Gilbertson and L. Ryvarden. This comprehensive update incorporates more than three decades of new research, featuring detailed keys, descriptions, and vibrant color macrophotos, as well as illustrations of microscopic features.
Authored by renowned Norwegian mycologist Leif Ryvarden, co-author of the previous volumes and a series of regional guides to poroid fungi, "Poroid Fungi of North America" reflects his extensive expertise, contributions, and dedication to the study of polypores. Richly illustrated, this volume fills a gap in mycological literature, offering a detailed guide for identifying poroid fungi.
Critique: This large format, profusely illustrated, hardcover edition of "Poroid Fungi of North America" from APS Press is exceptionally well organized and presented, making it ideal as an informational resource for amateur naturalists, professional mycologists, foresters, serious students, academia, and nonspecialist general readers with an interest in the subject. Unreservedly recommended for professional and college/university library collections, "Poroid Fungi of North America" would also well serve as a curriculum studies textbook.
The American History Shelf
The Gold Rush
David A. Wolff
South Dakota Historical Society Press
https://www.sdhspress.com
9781941813508, $19.95, PB, 204pp
https://www.amazon.com/Gold-Black-Hills-History-Tours/dp/194181350X
Synopsis: From military expeditions to gold mining boomtowns, outlandish business ventures to stunning national parks, the Black Hills of South Dakota teem with history as rich as their natural beauty.
Inspired by field trips that he organized at Black Hills State University, Professor David A. Wolff has distilled decades of experience exploring, researching, and teaching the history of this majestic region into accessible and informative self-guided tours.
The discovery of gold in the Lakotas' sacred Paha Sapa in 1874 quickly attracted thousands of people in search of easy fortune, transforming the Black Hills into a series of gold camps. With the publication of "The Gold Rush" by Professor Wolff, you can follow in their footsteps, from Custer to Hill City, Keystone to Galena, Deadwood to Mystic and beyond.
Featuring maps by the South Dakota Department of Transportation and dozens of photographs, Wolff 's historical synopsis provides just the right amount of context for each site on the route, along with precise mileage and directions. By tour's end, you will have completed a mini-course in Black Hills history!
Critique: Nicely illustrated throughout with B/W photos, and informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of six page Bibliography and a seven page Index, "The Gold Rush" is the first volume in the new 'Black Hills History Tour' series from the South Dakota Historical Society Press. A seminal and exceptional work of meticulous historical scholarship, and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in style, organization and presentation, "The Gold Rush" is an impressive and unreservedly recommended addition to personal reading lists, as well as community and college/university library American History and South Dakota History and Travel Guide collections.
Editorial Note: David A. Wolff is professor emeritus of history at Black Hills State University, where he specialized in South Dakota and the Black Hills. He is the author of three books on Black Hills and mining history. His honors include BHSU's distinguished Faculty Member Award. (https://www.sdhspress.com/about/journal-contributors/david-wolff)
History in the Making
Christy Bowe
Brown Books Publishing Group
https://www.brownbooks.com
9781612546919, $39.95, HC, 184pp
https://www.amazon.com/History-Making-Focus-Five-Presidents/dp/1612546919
Synopsis: Christy Bowe is not only a veteran White House press photographer. She is also a chronicler of the real people behind the gravitas of the presidential facade.
With the publication of "History in the Making: Focus On Five US Presidents", Bowe not only takes us through a pictorial journey of five US presidencies but depicts the shifting human experience of each president, all of whom responds differently as both the US and the world sent challenges, triumphs, and disaster their way.
When photographing at the White House there is no choice but to react quickly and respond spontaneously, and Bowe captures each moment perfectly. Throughout the journey, Bowe grants us an inside look into the steps she took and the people who inspired her to make her way into the storied halls of the White House-and what it takes to make it in the press corps.
Critique: This large format (0.25 x 10 x 10 inches, 2.36 pounds) hardcover coffee-table style edition of Christy Bowe's "History in the Making: A Focus on Five U.S. Presidents" from the Brown Books Publishing Group is an elegant, informative, and inherently fascinating combination of captioned photography and descriptive 'insider' commentary. "History in the Making: A Focus on Five U.S. Presidents" is especially and uniquely recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Presidential History, Political History, and Contemporary Photography collections.
Editorial Note: Christy Bowe (www.imagecatchernews.com) is currently a member of the White House Press Corps, the House and Senate Press Photographers' Gallery, the White House Correspondents' Association, and the White House News Photographers' Association. She has lectured at American University, Montgomery College, and George Mason University. Christy has ten images preserved in the George W. Bush Presidential Library. She resides in Bethesda, Maryland, and continues to work as a photojournalist, currently covering her fifth US president, Joseph R. Biden.
The Wildlife Shelf
The Courage of Birds
Pete Dunne, author
David Allen Sibley, illustrator
Chelsea Green Publishing Company
www.chelseagreen.com
9781645022572, $28.00, HC, 192pp
https://www.amazon.com/Courage-Birds-Surprising-Survive-Winter/dp/1645022579
Synopsis: Despite the seasonal life-sapping cold, birds have evolved strategies that meet winter's vicissitudes head on, are driven by the imperative to make it to spring, and pass down their genes to the next generation. The drama of winter and the resilience and adaptability of birds witnessed in the harsher months of the calendar is both fascinating and astonishing.
In "The Courage of Birds: And the Often Surprising Ways They Survive Winter", author Pete Dunne (winner of the American Birding Association's Roger Tory Peterson Award for lifetime achievement in promoting the cause of birding) chronicles the behavior of the birds of North America. He expertly explores widespread adaptations, such as feathers that protect against the cold, and unpacks the unique migration patterns and survival strategies of individual species. Dunne also addresses the impact of changing climatic conditions on avian longevity and recounts personal anecdotes that soar with a naturalist's gimlet eye.
An impressive compendium of unforgettable facts, wit, and moving observations on the natural world, "The Courage of Birds" is for everyone; from the serious birder who tracks migration patterns, to the casual birder who logs daily reports on eBird, to the backyard observer who throws a handful of seed out for the Northern Cardinals and wonders how the birds magically appear in the garden when temperatures begin to fall.
Critique: Featuring beautiful B/W illustrations by David Allen Sibley, "The Courage of Birds: And the Often Surprising Ways They Survive Winter" reflects author and bird expert Pete Dunne's distinctive, lyrically eloquent, storytelling style. Informative enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of a forty-one page Selected Species Profiles of North American Winter Birds, a two page listing of Acknowledgments, a fourteen page Appendix (Where the Birds Are), and a two page Bibliography, "The Courage of Birds" must be considered essential reading for birdwatching enthusiasts. While especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Avian Wildlife collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be noted for students, academia, and non-professional general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Courage of Birds" is also available from Chelsea Green Publishing in a digital book format (Kindle, $21.49).
Editorial Note #1: Pete Dunne (www.birdwatchingdaily.com/author/pete-dunne) is an author and founder of the World Series of Birding, former Director of Natural History Information for the New Jersey Audubon Society, and former director of the Cape May Bird Observatory. An experienced tour leader, he is well-known for his columns and contributions to publications such as American Birds and Birding. He is also the author of more than twenty books, including Birds of Prey, Gulls Simplified, The Art of Pishing, The Wind Masters, and, most recently, The Shorebirds of North America.
Editorial Note #2: David Allen Sibley (www.sibleyguides.com) is the author and illustrator of several successful nature guides, including The Sibley Guide to Birds. He has contributed to Smithsonian, Science, The Wilson Journal of Ornithology, Birding, BirdWatching, North American Birds, and the New York Times. He is the recipient of the Roger Tory Peterson Award for Lifetime Achievement from the American Birding Association and the Linnaean Society of New York's Eisenmann Medal.
The Cookbook Shelf
Taste of Home Diabetes Cookbook
Taste of Home, editor
Taste of Home, publisher
c/o Trusted Media Brands
https://www.trustedmediabrands.com
9798889770565, $22.99, PB, 320pp
https://www.amazon.com/Taste-Home-Diabetes-Cookbook-DIETITIAN-REVIEWED/dp/B0CWZ12436
Synopsis: Showcasing 228 dietitian reviewed, family approved, kitchen cook friendly recipes, this new "Taste of Home Diabetes Cookbook" is ideal for planning menus with for all dining occasions, formal and informal, for those having to deal with being diabetic or having a diabetic family member.
Each recipe is accompanied by a complete set of Nutrition Facts and Diabetic Exchanges. All of these must-try recipes were reviewed by a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, tested at the Taste of Home Test Kitchen and approved by a diverse taste-testing panel -- so you know they're ideal for everyone at your table! Best of all, the recipes come from today's family cooks who are happy to share the good-for-you, satisfying dishes their own families adore.
Critique: Beautifully and profusely illustrated throughout with full color photos of finished and tempting dishes, it is no hyperbole to state that a copy of the "Taste of Home Diabetes Cookbook" should be a vital and core addition to every diabetic's personal cookbook shelf, as well as professional, and community library cookbook collections. It should be noted that the "Taste of Home Diabetes Cookbook" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99) as well.
Editorial Note: Taste of Home is a food/lifestyle brand, inspiring togetherness through cooking, baking and entertaining. Featuring recipes shared by today's home cooks, Taste of Home magazine has hundreds of thousands of subscribers throughout North America and publishes best-selling cookbooks and newsstand specials. The brand's web site (www.tasteofhome.com) is a top destination, featuring kitchen-tested recipes, how-to techniques, cooking videos and more.
Fix-It and Forget-It Budget Meals
Hope Comerford, author
Bonnie Matthews, photographer
Good Books
www.goodbooks.com
c/o Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
www.skyhorsepublishing.com
9781680999198, $18.99, PB, 216pp
https://www.amazon.com/Fix-Forget-Budget-Meals-Inexpensive/dp/1680999192
Synopsis: Looking for quick and easy meals that are also shockingly affordable? You've come to the right place. There's no need to spend a fortune on ingredients. Hope Comerford has compiled more than 100 recipes that are delicious, family-friendly, and cheap!
"Fix-It and Forget-It Budget Meals" showcases an impressive variety of DIY recipes including:
Black Bean Soup
Chili Chicken Corn Chowder
Crustless Chicken Pot Pie
Spiced Lentils with Chicken and Rice
Fresh Veggie Lasagna
Orange-Glazed Chicken
Turkey Meatballs and Gravy
Tamale Pie
Black Bean Burritos
Pumpkin Spice Pancake Bites
Breakfast Sausage Casserole
And more!
In addition to truly great recipes, there are also a wealth of tips on how to set up and use your Instant Pot, how to know when your food is perfectly done, and more. Make the most of your Instant Pot or slow cooker with these easy and delicious recipes!
Critique: Ideal for memorable menu planning when both money and time are tight, "Fix-It and Forget-It Budget Meals: Quick, Easy & Inexpensive Slow Cooker & Instant Pot Recipes" is comprised of 127 Instant Pot and slow cooker recipes for palate-pleasing, appetite-satisfying dishes. Thoroughly 'kitchen cook friend' in organization and presentation, and with beautiful full color photos of finished dishes, "Fix-It and Forget-It Budget Meals" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, family, professional, and community library cookbook collections. It should be noted that "Fix-It and Forget-It Budget Meals" is also readily available from Good Books in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99) as well.
Editorial Note: Hope Comerford is the blogger behind A Busy Mom's Slow Cooker Adventures and is the author of The Gluten-Free Slow Cooker and editor or author of several Fix-It and Forget-It books including Fix-It and Forget-It Freezer to Instant Pot, Fix-It and Forget-It Instant Pot Light & Healthy Cookbook, and the Welcome Home Cookbook series. (https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/7138428.Hope_Comerford)
Poppy Cooks
Poppy O'Toole
Bloomsbury Press
www.bloomsbury.com
9781526676993, $30.00, HC, 224pp
https://www.amazon.com/Poppy-Cooks-Delicious-effortless-flavour-packed/dp/1526676990
Synopsis: Professional chef turned TikTok star, and culinary author, with the publication of "Poppy Cooks: The Actually Delicious Slow Cooker Cookbook" shows you how to get the most out of your slow cooker. Featuring 90 mouth-watering recipes that focus on ease and convenience without breaking the bank or sacrificing flavor, this is the slow cooker recipe compendium that will guarantee you get great food on the table at the end of a busy day.
With recipes for family favorites, curries, soups, pastas and a chapter dedicated to potatoes, Poppy elevates each recipe with hacks, tips and flavor ideas so it becomes something actually delicious.
The get-ahead recipes include: Creamy sweetcorn soup, Laksa, Puttanesca, Tomato and paneer curry, Chicken tikka masala, Chipotle beef taco, the Ultimate chili con carne, Lamb tagine, Honey-glazed pigs in blankets, Pulled turkey buns, Boulangere potatoes and Posh orange chocolate brioche bread and butter pudding.
With more of us relying on quick, affordable, low-energy cooking than ever before, "Poppy Cooks" is a complete instructional guide to mastering your slow cooker.
Critique: This large format (7.44 x 0.85 x 9.69 inches, 2 pounds) hardcover edition of "Poppy Cooks: The Actually Delicious Slow Cooker Cookbook" from Bloomsbury Publishing is beautifully illustrated with full color, full page photographs of finished dishes. This compendium of thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly', palate pleasing, appetite satisfying recipes is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99) -- making it especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, and community library Slow Cooker cookbook collections.
Editorial Note: Poppy O'Toole (www.poppycooks.com) has spent the last decade in professional kitchens (from Michelin-starred restaurants to fine-dining experiences and tasty everyday food) and since her Covid-related redundancy she has found a passion for teaching others via TikTok and Instagram. Her educational and entertaining content has amassed over 4M followers on social media, and gives us access to the skills she's learnt from fancy restaurants to inspire and teach people how to cook at home (beginning with the very basics) in a fun and informal way. Find Poppy @poppycooks on TikTok and @poppy_cooks on Instagram.
The Business Shelf
Nolo's LLC Handbook
Glen Secor
Nolo Press
www.nolo.com
9781413332230, $49.99, PB, 350pp
https://www.amazon.com/Nolos-LLC-Handbook-Agreements-Instructions/dp/1413332234
Synopsis: "Nolo's LLC Handbook: A Complete Legal Guide to Creating and Operating Your LLC" by attorney Glen Secor is a complete and comprehensive one-stop DIY legal guide for forming and maintaining your multi-member LLC.
Attorney Glen Secor explains the forms and agreements you will use to manage the legal aspects of your LLC, including:
Choosing and reserving a business name
Filing articles of organization
Creating an operating agreement
Creating a buyout agreement
Managing transfers of LLC interests
Maintaining legal and tax compliance
Dissolving your LLC
Critique: Absolutely 'user friendly' in style, organization and presentation, "Nolo's LLC Handbook: A Complete Legal Guide to Creating and Operating Your LLC" is essential reading and DIY instructional step-by-step guide for anyone wanting to start up their entrepreneurial business as a Limited Liability Corporation. This paperback edition of "Nolo's LLC Handbook: A Complete Legal Guide to Creating and Operating Your LLC" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Business/Entrepreneurship collections and supplemental MBA curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Nolo's LLC Handbook: A Complete Legal Guide to Creating and Operating Your LLC" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $28.99).
Editorial Note: Glen Secor (www.glensecor.com) is a Nolo editor and a Massachusetts attorney with over 30 years' experience in the practice of business and intellectual property law. He holds degrees from Suffolk University Law School and Harvard Law School, and has taught at the University of New Hampshire School of Law.
Operational Risk Management in Financial Services, second edition
Elena Pykhova
Kogan Page Inc.
www.koganpage.com
9781398617193, $176.00, HC, 464pp
https://www.amazon.com/Operational-Risk-Management-Financial-Services/dp/1398617199
Synopsis: The management of operational risk has developed considerably since its early years. Continued regulatory focus and catastrophic industry events have led to operational risk becoming a crucial topic on any senior management team's agenda. Now in a newly updated and expanded second edition, "Operational Risk Management in Financial Services: A Practical Guide to Establishing Effective Solutions" by Elena Pykhova is a practical guide for practitioners which focuses on how to establish effective solutions, avoid common pitfalls and apply best practice to their organizations.
Filled with frameworks, examples and diagrams, Elena Pykhova offers clear advice on key practices including conducting risk assessments, assessing change initiatives and designing key risk indicators. This new second edition of "Operational Risk Management in Financial Services" also features two new chapters reflecting on the future of operational risk management, from cyber risk to GenAI, and guides practitioners in incorporating ESG into their day-to-day strategies. This is the essential guide for professionals looking to derive value out of operational risk management, rather than applying a compliance 'tick box' approach.
Critique: Ideal as a textbook for college/university MBA curriculums in business finance, financial risk management, this new second edition of "Operational Risk Management in Financial Services: A Practical Guide to Establishing Effective Solutions" is comprehensive, exceptionally well organized, thoroughly 'reader friendly' in presentation. A core addition to personal, professional, corporate, and college/university library Fiscal Business Management collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that this hardcover edition of "Operational Risk Management in Financial Services" is also available from Kogan Page in a paperback edition (9781398617148, $55.00) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $47.49).
Editorial Note: Elena Pykhova (https://theopriskcompany.com/about) is an award-winning risk expert, author, international trainer and educator. She is founder of boutique risk management consultancy The OpRisk Company, which specializes in board (and executive) level advice on effective risk management practices. She runs public and in-house training courses in the UK and internationally for world-leading organizations such as the Euronext Academy. She is founder of a think tank, Best Practice Operational Risk Forum, former Chair of the Operational Risk Expert Panel for the Association of Foreign Banks, and Director for Education at the Institute of Operational Risk.
The General Fiction Shelf
Lost in Thought
Deborah Serra
Koehler Books
www.koehlerbooks.com
9798888244562, $29.95, HC, 256pp
https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Thought-Deborah-Serra/dp/B0D5S7DSHV
Synopsis: Ilana has an enviable job at the opera house, a committed relationship, and a cozy Greenwich Village apartment, but the questions inside of her are growing insistent.
Is it due to her scientist boyfriend's research on how people make their decisions, or is she suffering suppressed grief from the death of her adoptive mother? She becomes curious about who she would be if she'd grown up in her birth home. Is she truly who she thinks she is? Has she ever freely chosen anything at all? When Ilana learns that her birth mom owns a pub upstate, well, what harm could there be in furtively dropping by for a drink? To see, just to see.
What begins as curiosity about her choices evolves into a traumatic shift in her world. She loses control of her life. And then, chaos.
Critique: Original, deftly crafted, and an inherently fascinating read from start to finish, "Lost in Thought" showcases author Deborah Serra's unique and distinctive storytelling style in a novel that will have particular apply to readers with an interest in psychological fiction and the impact of unconscious decision-making and the seeming illusion of free will. With and impressively elegant and erudite prose, "Lost in Thought" is unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "Lost in Thought" from Koehler Books is also available in a paperback edition (9798888244548, $18.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99).
Editorial Note: Deborah Serra (www.deborahserra.com) was a recipient of the Hawthornden Literary Fellowship and a semifinalist for the Faulkner-Wisdom Creative Writing Award. She has been published in several literary magazines and is an editor with the ethics and short story magazine After Dinner Conversation. She has been nominated for the O. Henry Prize. Deborah has two previously published books, Primal (a thriller) and 2 Broads Abroad (a humorous travel memoir). On assignment, she has written ten TV films and numerous episodes and spent two years on staff. She has worked for Showtime, CBS, NBC, Sony, Fox, and Lifetime. She is a member of WGA, DG, and PEN USA.
The Historical Fiction Shelf
The Electrician and the Seamstress
Monica Granlove
Granlove Legacy Publications
https://monicagranlove.com
9798990434707, $14.95, PB, 357pp
https://www.amazon.com/Electrician-Seamstress-Timeless-Legacy/dp/B0DCR3DJNZ
Synopsis: Germany, 1936. Bruno, an electrician, and Karla, a seamstress, forge a powerful love amid the rise of the Nazi Party and Hitler's ascent to power. Staunch opponents of the Nazi ideology, they live in perpetual apprehension as they risk being labeled dissidents, navigating a complex negotiation between moral principles and self-preservation. As World War II breaks out, Bruno faces a profound internal struggle when he is drafted into service, and he is eventually captured by the Russians and imprisoned in Siberia. His nearly two-year journey back to war-ravaged Germany reveals the devastating aftermath, with his city in ruins and family displaced.
Meanwhile, Karla, at home facing nightly bombings, struggles to raise their two young children and is forced into helping the Nazis. Through these tumultuous times, Karla and Bruno's unwavering love becomes a testament to human strength and endurance amid adversity.
Critique: Part of the Timeless Legacy series by novelist Monica Granlove, "The Electrician and the Seamstress" is a work of historical fiction that is based on the true story of her own grandparents and their struggle to survive World War II. This is all the more impressive when considering that "The Electrician and the Seamstress is the author's debut as a novelist.
An inherently fascinating and compelling read from start to finish, with "The Electrician and the Seamstress", Monica has raised her work of cultural and biographical storytelling to an impressive level of literary fiction. One of those novels that will linger in the mind and memory of the reader long after the book itself has been finished and set back upon the shelf, the paperback edition of "The Electrician and the Seamstress" from Granlove Legacy Publications is especially and unreservedly recommended for community library collections.
It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Electrician and the Seamstress" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.95) as well.
Editorial Note: Monica Granlove is a storyteller and social commentator dedicated to motivating future leaders. Based on the true story of her own grandparents, Monica wrote The Electrician and the Seamstress, her debut novel. When she's not writing, Monica is traveling with her husband, Axel, and their spoiled dog, Abby, or spending time with her three adult daughters. She lives in North Carolina.
The Shadowed Land
Signe Pike
Atria Books
c/o Simon & Schuster
www.simonandschuster.com
9781501191480, $28.99, HC, 400pp
https://www.amazon.com/Shadowed-Land-Novel-Lost-Queen/dp/1501191489
Synopsis: Kingdom of Gododdin, AD 580: After defeating the Angles at the Battle of the Caledonian Wood, Languoreth, her daughter Angharad, brother Lailoken, and the warrior Artur mac Aedan are reunited. But all too soon, fate pulls each back to their own path.
Artur receives a mysterious summons from his father in Dalriada. Languoreth and Lailoken return to Strathclyde with the dangerous former bishop Mungo in tow, determined to maintain the fragile peace between the Christians and the people of the Old Way. Meanwhile, Angharad must travel deep into the shadowed land of the Picts, hoping to become the initiate of Briochan, a druid who practices the secret Celtic art of summoning weather.
As they rise to their destinies, they are pushed to impossible new frontiers as each must decide whether they are willing to do what it takes to be the heroes their harrowing days demand.
This "rich, immersive" (Kirkus Reviews) saga transports the reader to a vivid world of mysticism, beauty, and meticulously researched early medieval history.
Critique: With a very special appeal to readers with an interest in novels set in early medieval Europe, "The Shadowed Land" by author Signe Pike is an inherently fascinating and deftly crafted novel from start to finish. With a distinctive and memorable storytelling style, Pike creates an a work of action/adventure medieval fiction that rises to a level of literary elegance. While also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Publishing, 9781797183794, $39.99, CD), this hardcover edition of "The Shadowed Land" is a welcome and unreservedly recommended pick for community and public library Historical Fiction collections.
Editorial Note: Signe Pike (www.SignePike.com) is the author of The Lost Queen series, recently optioned for television, and the travel memoir Faery Tale. She has researched and written about Celtic history and folklore for over a decade.
The Literary Fiction Shelf
The Nansen Factor: Refugee Stories
Alexandra Grabbe
Cherry Orchard Books
c/o Academic Studies Press
https://www.academicstudiespress.com/cherryorchardbooks
9798887195094, $19.95, PB, 188pp
https://www.amazon.com/Nansen-Factor-Refugee-Stories/dp/B0CS2QQYJT
Synopsis: Norwegian diplomat Fridtjof Nansen created a passport for stateless persons used by refugees as a valid travel document from 1922-1937.
The world is all too aware of what has happened to Russia in the century since then -- Lenin, Stalin, and now Putin with his iron-fist policies and invasion of Ukraine. But what about the aristocrats whose ancestors governed Russia before Communism? How did they fare in displacement?
Civil War, Red Terror, and Bolshevik rule caused over one million to flee Russia.
Written by the daughter of one such emigre, "The Nansen Factor" traces the lives of these refugees and their descendants across a century of upheaval and displacement. From the turmoil of the Bolshevik Revolution to the echoes of the past in modern-day America, the interconnected tales comprising "The Nansen Factor" vividly portray the resilience of individuals uprooted by history at a moment when migrants are once again on the move in search of refuge, highlighting how the pain of losing one's homeland may fade, but the injury to the psyche is slow to heal.
Critique: Exceptionally well crafted, original, and inherently fascinating from start to finish, the sixteen short stories by Alexandra Grabbe and presented in "The Nansen Factor: Refugee Stories" from Cherry Orchard Books raise this work of historical fiction to an impressive level of true literary elegance. "The Nansen Factor" is one of those books that will linger in the mind and memory of the reader long after it is finished and set back upon the shelf. While especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and college/university Literary Fiction & Short Story collections, it should be noted that "The Nansen Factor" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $15.16) as well.
Editorial Note: Alexandra Grabbe (https://alexandragrabbe.com) worked in journalism and broadcasting after graduation from Vassar College and while raising three bicultural children in Paris, France. For two decades, she ran an eco-friendly bed-and-breakfast on Cape Cod, where she edited her father's memoir. Two of his ancestors are mentioned in Tolstoy's War and Peace. Now dividing her time between Sweden and Boston, Alexandra continues her lifelong passion as an author.
Fathers and Sons and Other Village Idiots
Billy Warren
Billy Warren Books
www.billywarren.com
9798991356107, $30.00, HC, 254pp
https://bookshop.org/shop/billywarrenbooks
https://www.amazon.com/Fathers-Sons-Other-Village-Idiots/dp/B0DHJCRV8Z
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fathers-and-sons-and-other-village-idiots-billy-warren/1146305925
Synopsis: A deftly crafted novel, "Fathers and Sons and Other Village Idiots: Underdogs and Angels in 1969 South Brooklyn" is partly a story of generational divide, but it is so much more. Kazimierz is on a journey not only through turbulent 1969 America but also through decades of the Polish American immigrant experience in South Brooklyn.
Kaz is a poor immigrant in a rich man's country, continually being sent into the breach by the powers that be. Nevertheless, he was happy in America, content with his lot in life, and devoted to his religion. All that changed when God took his wife away from him.
After Marysia's death, Kaz exercised his free will, an inalienable tenet of his Catholic faith, and rejected God and the church. As he enters 1969, he comes to realize that in order to join his wife in heaven, he needs to reconcile with God and do it soon.
Foolishly for Kaz, it still must be on his terms. He refuses to be extorted by religion to behave. Obediently going to church once a week and not eating meat on Fridays, wasn't going to be his recipe to redemption. On New Year's Day 1969, he resolves to find a good that needs doing.
In 1969 New York City, there are civil rights protests, campus takeovers, war moratoriums, and gay rights riots. Mobsters, both in and out of uniform, rule the streets of his South Brooklyn neighborhood. He knows he needs help. He prays for a guardian angel and discovers they are all around him.
Kaz embarks on his journey by writing a winter haiku for his dead wife. During his quest, he ponders the wisdom of a 18th century writer, Ivan Turgenev, and a 20th-century Catholic radical, Dorothy Day. He encounters underdogs defying reason and resisting power. They include a centuries-old Polish Catholic icon, Battle of Brooklyn warriors, Warsaw Ghetto and Stonewall Inn rioters, Vietnam War protesters, and the worst team to ever play major league baseball, the New York Mets. All lead him to a cold beach where he needs to make a choice.
"Fathers and Sons and Other Village Idiots" is a historical fiction that draws from the newspapers of 1969. It's a unique literary tale of the protagonist battling his psychological demons. It is also an inspirational story of a soul opposing devilish odds for a heavenly desire.
Critique: All the more impressive to the reader when considering that "Fathers and Sons and Other Village Idiots: Underdogs and Angels in 1969 South Brooklyn" is the debut of author Billy Warren who, as a novelist, has raised his original work of historical fiction to an impressive level of literary excellence. One of those emotionally engaging reads that lingers in the mind and memory long after the book is finished and set back upon the shelf, "Fathers and Sons and Other Villages Idiots" from Billy Warren Books is especially and unreservedly recommended for community and college/university library Literary Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Fathers and Sons and Other Village Idiots" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9798991356114, $20.00) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Billy Warren (www.billywarren.com) was born and raised in a South Brooklyn neighborhood under the shadow of the local Polish Catholic church and the watchful gaze of the Statue of Liberty. He is 2nd generation Polish American whose ancestors immigrated to America around 1910. He is a graduate of City College of New York BS '75, and San Jose State U. MA '81. He remains grateful and proud of his Polish and Brooklyn heritages, and public school education. He has had diverse professional experiences that include being an air traffic controller, spinal cord injury therapist, medical technical writer, and healthcare executive. Today, he writes historical literary fiction full time from northern California.
The Romantic Fiction Shelf
From Air
Jewel E. Ann
www.jeweleann.com
Montlake
c/o Amazon Publishing
9781662523670, $16.99, PB, 331pp
https://www.amazon.com/Air-Wildfire-Jewel-Ann/dp/166252367X
Synopsis: When Jamie Andrews moves in with a house full of firefighters, things start heating up fast. Battling the wilderness of rural Montana, these guys are always charging into danger for a living, for duty, for the rush -- and since Jamie is a psychiatric nurse, they fascinate her analytic mind. She can't help but fixate on Calvin, a grumpy, enigmatic smoke jumper ten years her senior. She makes playfully tormenting him her pet project, trying to get him to open up. It turns out he gives as good as he gets.
When something smoldering between them sparks, they'll have to keep it quiet, which makes Jamie start to wonder about Calvin's secret, the one he won't explain. She'll learn more after life pulls them apart. But as she follows the truth like a trail of flame into the dark, will it lead her to hearth and home with Calvin... or will it all go up in a blaze?
Critique: A deftly crafted and reader riveting contemporary romance by an author who is a master of the genre, "From Air" by novelist Jewel E. Ann will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular pick for community library collections. For the growing legions of romance novel readers and the growing legions of Jewel Ann fans, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "From Air" is also readily available from Montlake in a digital book format (Kindle, $3.99).
Editorial Note: Jewel E. Ann (www.jeweleann.com/work) has written over thirty novels, including Look the Part, a contemporary romance; the Jack & Jill trilogy, a romantic suspense series; and Before Us, an emotional women's fiction story.
The Mystery/Suspense Shelf
The Moldavian Gambit
Brad M. Meslin
MindStir Media
https://mindstirmedia.com
9781965340431, $41.99, HC, 402pp
https://www.amazon.com/Moldavian-Gambit-Brad-M-Meslin/dp/1965340431
Synopsis: In the summer of 1991, as the Soviet Union teeters on the edge of collapse, a violent uprising erupts in the Soviet Republic of Moldavia. Amid the chaos, a portable nuclear weapon is stolen from a secure armory by nationalist forces seeking to blackmail the Kremlin. When the weapon's location is uncovered, the world faces a terrifying threat that could draw NATO and the United States into a nuclear conflict of unprecedented scale.
A classified U.S. Nuclear Emergency Search Team is deployed to locate the weapon, as a legendary Mossad agent and a tenacious KGB investigator each uncover evidence pointing to a complex - and seemingly contradictory - international conspiracy. The final hours to the climax are a riveting blur of geopolitical brinksmanship that can change the course of history - or possibly end it.
Critique: A riveting combination of political thriller and action/adventure that is all the more impressive when considering that it is author Brad M. Mesline's debut as a novelist, "The Moldavian Gambit" is a deftly crafted and compelling read from start to finish. With a plot driven drama that showcases Brad Mesline's distinctively effective storytelling style, and that is all too believable given the real world history of Soviet Union after its collapse, "The Moldavian Gambit" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community library General Fiction and Suspense/Thriller collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Moldavian Gambit" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9781965340424, $27.99) and a digital book format (Kindle, $2.99) as well.
Editorial Note: Brad M. Meslin (https://bradmeslin.com) earned a Masters in Law and Diplomacy and a Ph.D. in international security policy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University. He has worked for nearly four decades at the intersection of aerospace and defense, private equity, and national security. Advising global private equity firms in more than 1,000 merger and acquisition transactions in the national security, space, and aviation markets, Meslin has gained unique insights into the capabilities deployed by the U.S. and its allies to address geopolitical threats and crises across the globe.
The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf
Grimm Curiosities
Sharon Lynn Fisher
www.sharonlynnfisher.com
47 North
c/o Amazon Publishing
9781662515712, $16.99, PB, 299pp
https://www.amazon.com/Grimm-Curiosities-Sharon-Lynn-Fisher/dp/1662515715
Synopsis: 1851 in old York. Lizzy Grimm struggles to save her late father's charmingly creepy yet floundering antique shop, Grimm Curiosities. Then, during a particularly snowy December in this most haunted city in England, things turn... curiouser.
Lizzy meets Antony Carlisle, whose sister suffers from the same perplexing affliction as Lizzy's mother -- both stricken silent and unresponsive after speaking with ghosts. Working closely together to fathom what power has transformed their loved ones and why, Lizzy and Antony discover an important clue: her father's treasured set of rare books on ancient folktales, enchantments, and yuletide myths.
Books that a persistent collector is awfully keen to purchase. Books Lizzy can't bear to sell.
Every bewitching passage and illustration opens a doorway to something ancient and dangerously inviting. Keys to a mystery Lizzy and Antony are compelled to solve -- even if doing so means unleashing one of this bright holiday's darkest myths.
Critique: A literary masterpiece of historical fantasy fiction, author Sharon Lynn Fisher's new novel, "Grimm Curiosities" showcases her impressively engaging storytelling style. Original and an inherently fascinating read from cover to cover, "Grimm Curiosities" will have a particular appeal to readers with an interest in stories of witchcraft, ghosts, and romance in the context of a deftly crafted historical fantasy. Highly recommended as a popular pick for community library Historical Fantasy collections, it should be noted that this paperback edition of "Grimm Curiosities" from 47 North publishers is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99).
Editorial Note: Sharon Lynn Fisher (www.sharonlynnfisher.com) is the author of Salt & Broom, the Faery Rehistory series, Ghost Planet, The Ophelia Prophecy, and Echo 8. She writes smart, twisty, passionate tales -- mash-ups of fantasy (or sci-fi) and slow-burn romance set in lush and atmospheric worlds.
Blood of the Gods
Sapir A. Englard
www.sapirenglard.com
Montlake
c/o Amazon Publishing
9781662522277, $16.99, PB, 320pp
https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Cloak-Vampire-Sapir-Englard/dp/1662522274
Synopsis: Aileen Henderson didn't choose to die. That choice was stolen from her, brutally, at the hands (and lips) of a monster. With a singular kiss, Lord Ragnor Rayne condemned the twenty-one-year-old to an eternity she never wanted. And a future she refuses to accept.
Despite the fury now coursing through her veins, Aileen fights the pull of attraction to Ragnor, a need with a will of its own. But now, she's determined to make her way without the vampire lord's help.
Carving out her new existence, Aileen finds allies, even family, among the ruthless and competitive vampire leagues. But untold dangers abound, and soon, Aileen encounters new and more evil monsters.
When ancient, all-powerful gods dredge up nightmares from her past, Aileen discovers she has an important role to play in this world. And if she can learn to control her powers and her desires, she may find a way to survive both her enemies and Ragnor Rayne.
Critique: The second title in author/storyteller Sapir A. Englard's 'Cloak of the Vampire' series, this paperback edition of "Blood of the Gods" from Montlake is the kind of riveting read that will have a very special appeal to fans of the vampire novel. Original, deftly crafted, and also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $3.99), "Blood of the Gods" is an especially and unreservedly recommended pick for community library vampire themed Romance/Fantasy/Action-Adventure collections.
Editorial Note: Sapir A. Englard (www.sapirenglard.com/books) is the author of the massive digital hit The Millennium Wolves. Published in 2019 on the Galatea app, the twelve-book series has amassed more than 125 million reads. The series is also available in French from Hugo Publishing. Englard's success has been documented in the Boston Globe and Forbes, as well as on TechCrunch and other websites. A graduate of Berklee College of Music, Sapir is a full-time writer and musician.
The Graphic Novel Shelf
The British Invasion!
Herve Bourhis
NBM Publishing
www.nbmpub.com
9781681123424, $34.99, HC, 272pp
https://www.amazon.com/British-Invasion-Herve-Bourhis/dp/1681123428
Synopsis: "The British Invasion!" by Herve Bourhis is a " little square book" that surveys English pop culture since 1962 when the country began its popular cultural revolution! It was in 1962, some 60 years ago, that the ' ole Albion, that of the monarchy, tea and crumpets and bowler hats took a resolutely modern turn, thanks to a sexy secret agent, a band from Liverpool, and a mini (skirt and car).
From the eccentric to the ultra-conservative, from James Bond to AstraZeneca, from Bowie to Banksy, including After Eight and the Teletubbies, year after year, all things Brit are covered in a unique graphic novel style format!
Critique: While also readily available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99), this large format (0.79 x 9.02 x 9.02 inches, 14.1 ounces) hardcover edition of "The British Invasion" from NBM Publishing is a fascinating, fun, informative, and nostalgic read from cover to cover -- and unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and college/university library 20th Century Popular Culture collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Herve Bourhis was born in Touraine in 1974. Best known for his books on music, such as "The Little Book of Rock" or "The Little Book of Black Music", he has been the author of around thirty graphic novels since 2002. He alternates between contemporary or even political stories with books for young people or humorous ones. He also alternates between fiction and the historic-pop-patchwork, of which he invented a personal form in 2007 with "The Little Book of Rock," an illustrated chronology of rock culture since its origins translated into eleven languages. (https://www.europecomics.com/author/herve-bourhis)
Sunday
Olivier Schrauwen
Fantagraphics Books
www.fantagraphics.com
9781683969679, $39.99, PB, 474pp
https://www.amazon.com/Sunday-Olivier-Schrauwen/dp/1683969677
Synopsis: "Sunday" follows, over the course of one day, the stream of consciousness of a fictionalized version of the author's cousin, Thibault.
On the day of his girlfriend's return from an extended trip, Thibault wakes up, does nothing, gets James Brown stuck in his head, drinks and smokes, grows paranoid about his relationship, struggles to compose text messages, and watches The Da Vinci Code, all the while avoiding anyone and everyone, descending deeper into his own thoughts and fears.
Meanwhile, a former crush and another cousin of Thibault's plan a surprise birthday for him, sending the external and internal on a collision course.
Schrauwen's brilliant comic timing and formal mastery transcends the quotidian nature of the plot. Through use of color, flashback and the dissonance between text and image, the ways in which Schrauwen layers a depiction of human consciousness as lines on paper are infused heavily with slapstick and white-knuckle tension and make for an exhilarating read and breathtaking use of the comics medium.
Critique: Original, unique, fascinating, and featuring full-color illustrations throughout, this large format (7.9 x 1.9 x 10.1 inches, 2.77 pounds) paperback edition of "Sunday" by graphic novelist and illustrator Olivier Schrauwen is a surreal experience on paper that is presented to the reader with a storytelling flair that raises this edition of "Sunday" from Fantagraphics to an impressive level of literary excellence. While also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $28.99), "Sunday" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community and college/university library Contemporary Graphic Novel collections.
Editorial Note: Olivier Schrauwen was born in Belgium in 1977 and studied animation at the Academy of Art in Gent, and comics at ESA Saint-Luc in Brussels. He currently lives in Berlin. He also is the author of the books The Man Who Grew His Beard (2011), Arsene Schrauwen (2014), Parallel Lives (2018).
The Library CD Shelf
A Beautiful Day, Revisited
Andrew Hill Sextet Plus 10
Palmetto Records
$39.98 vinyl / $22.98 CD / $18.98 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Day-Revisited-Andrew-Hill/dp/B0D3B4GJWG
A Beautiful Day, Revisited is a freshly remastered two-disc CD album reissuing the 2002 live big band performance of the Andrew Hill Sextet Plus 10. The track 11/8 has been extended from the one-minute original release to more than six minutes, and a sixteen-minute bonus track A Beautiful Day (Thursday) has been added, showcasing a striking rework of the double album's title track. Exciting and grandiose, A Beautiful Day, Revisited is a "must" for big band music connoisseurs and highly recommended for both personal and public library music collections. The disc one tracks are Divine Revelation, Faded Beauty, New Pinnochio, and A Beautiful Day; the disc two tracks are J Di, 5 Mo, Bellezza, A Beautiful Day (Thursday), and 11/8.
Heaven Sent
Peter Sterling
Harp Magic
www.HarpMagic.com
$16.98 CD / $8.99 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/Heaven-Sent-Peter-Sterling/dp/B0DK4XWZ91
Award-winning harpist Peter Sterling presents Heaven Sent, an album inspired by the Thanksgiving holiday season - especially Sterling's deep gratitude toward the recognition given to his music. Sterling performs his original songs with aid from skillful collaborators: a string trio from Ukraine; a violinist from Soviet Georgia; a master of Irish flute from Italy; a harmonica player from Amsterdam; three-time Grammy winner Paul Avgerinos on keyboard and vocals for the tracks Silver Lining and Afterglow; acclaimed pianist Charu suri for the track The Rain Will Fall; and Richard Hardy on Irish penny whistle for the track The Sun Always Shines. Extraordinarily beautiful and spiritual, Heaven Sent is a treasure for connoisseurs of inspired music, highly recommended. The tracks are Golden Leaves of Fall; The River Runs Deep; Timeless Heart; A Silver Lining; Forever My Love; The Rain Will Fall; Together Forever; After Glow; Days Of Old; and The Sun Always Shines.
Tryptique
Fern Lindzon, Colleen Allen, and George Koller
fernlindzon.com
ZSAN Records
zsanrecords.com
$20.00 CAD CD / $5.00 CAD digital
https://fernlindzon.bandcamp.com/album/tryptique
A unique hybrid of chamber music and contemporary jazz, Tryptique is an eclectic mix of original compositions and arrangements by Fern Lindzon on piano, Colleen Allen on flute and saxophone, and George Koller on bass. Like the visual art concept of the triptych (three works intended to be shown together), Tryptique brings combines the talents of these three extraordinary performers into a sweeping musical fusion that delights, inspires, and blazes its own unique path. Highly recommended! The tracks are Wondering (Doug Wilde), Canarios (Fern Lindzon), Retrato em Branco e Preto (Antonio Carlos Jobim, Chico Buarque), Satin Doll (Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn), Eucalyptus (Steven MacKinnon), Compassion Blues (George Koller), Themes (Freddie Stone), Do Look (Fern Lindzon), Zeynebim (Karl Berger, trad. Turkish), A Flower for Amadeus (Moe Koffman), Apres un Reve (Gabriel Faure), and News for Bob (George Koller).
The Answer
Ilya Osachuk
ilyaosachuk.com
Privately Published
$20.00 CAD CD / $10.00 CAD digital
https://ilyaosachuk.bandcamp.com/album/the-answer
The Answer is the debut album of bassist Ilya Osachuk. Five songs are Ilya Osachuk's original compositions, and four are arrangements. Ilya Osachuk collaborates in two different trios for different tracks - Tyler Henderson on piano and Kai Craig on drums for tracks 1, 2, 5, 8, 9; and Donald Vega on piano and Billy Drummond on drums for tracks 4, 6, 7. The Answer is an extraordinary showcase Ilya Osachuk's mastery of the double bass, and a welcome addition to personal and public library contemporary jazz collections, highly recommended. The tracks are I Cover the Waterfront (Johnny Green/Edward Heyman), Lviv Perspective, Intro to February, February, Work (Thelonius Monk), Tenderly (Walter Gross/Jack Lawrence), The Answer, Waltz for J, and Satellite (John Coltrane).
Marche Nocturne
Thelonius Garcia
www.theloniusgarcia.com
Privately Published
$40.00 CAD vinyl / $20.00 CAD CD / $12.99 CAD digital
https://theloniusgarcia.bandcamp.com/album/marche-nocturne
Marche Nocturne is the debut solo piano album by Thelonius Garcia, who personally composed each of the sixteen original tracks in 2023. A mellifluous weaving of balanced harmony and the unfettered freedom of improvisational jazz, Marche Nocturne is a treasure for solo piano connoisseurs and highly recommended. The tracks are Marche nocturne, Vestiges, Gould, Evocation, Planetes soeurs, Apres minuit Bach, Histoires ephemeres, Je veux vivre avec toi pres de la riviere, La Memoire noire, Incantare, Debut, Le piano englouti, Les restes humains, Poussieres de vie, Nous avons change d'armes, and Petite marchae nocturne.
The Library DVD Shelf
Modernism, Inc.
First Run Features
https://www.firstrunfeatures.com
$19.95
https://www.firstrunfeatures.com/modernismincvod.html
Modernism, Inc.: The Eliot Noyes Design Story is a biographical documentary about architect and designer Eliot Noyes, who had a tremendous influence upon modern design during America's post-World War II economic boom. The signature aspect of Eliot Noyes' designs was that beauty lay in utility - good designs are accessible, easy to use, and foster good business. From easily identifiable corporate logos to user-friendly IBM typewriters to simple, elegant furniture and luxury houses integrated with the surrounding natural environment, Eliot Noyes' ideas were aesthetic, practical, and ultimately, widely disseminated. Modernism, Inc. explores both Eliot Noyes' greatest achievements and what are arguably his greatest failings, such as his reluctance to engage with political push for socially responsible engineering practices that began to emerge in the 70's onward. At once both an intimate life portrait and a portrayal of dramatic shift in American culture at large, Modernism, Inc. is highly recommended for both personal and public library DVD collections. 79 minutes, color, optional English subtitles.
The Philosophy Shelf
Offbeat Philosophers
Dr. Harvey Lawrence
Iff Books
c/o Collective Ink Books
https://www.collectiveinkbooks.com
9781803416144, $9.95, PB, 96pp
https://www.amazon.com/Offbeat-Philosophers-Thinkers-Played-Different/dp/1803416149
Synopsis: With the publication of "Offbeat Philosophers: Thinkers Who Played a Different Tune", author Lawrence Harvey offers the reader a collection of ten philosophical portraits -- each one providing refreshing and provocative insights into thinkers who dared to play a different tune.
Often labouring at the margins of mainstream thought, these original thinkers tendered novel and often disquieting perspectives that serve to challenge our 'unexamined' norms. Each portrait is followed by questions to ponder, deliberate and ultimately stimulate the reader to think otherwise.
Critique: Fascinating, thought-provoking, inherently interesting and specifically recommended for readers with an interest in philosophical controversies and iconoclastic social/cultural critiques, "Offbeat Philosophers: Thinkers Who Played a Different Tune" is a unique and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library History of Philosophy collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Offbeat Philosophers: Thinkers Who Played a Different Tune" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99).
Editorial Note: Lawrence Harvey is a lecturer in Liberal Arts at the University of Winchester and teaches Philosophy at Peter Symonds College, Winchester. He is also the founder of the online platform, The Vectis College of Liberal Arts. He lives in the UK.
The Mythology Shelf
Encyclopedia of the Holy Grail
Jeffrey John Dixon
McFarland & Company
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476687940, $20.95, PB, 336pp
https://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Holy-Grail-Jeffrey-Dixon/dp/1476687943
Synopsis: In the twelfth century, a French poet wrote a verse romance about a young knight who witnesses a mysterious procession centered on a radiant vessel called a "grail". Left unfinished, the poem inspired other writers of prose and verse, until the story was completely rewritten into the Arthurian romances, in which the vessel becomes a relic of the Last Supper, the Holy Grail.
For hundreds of years, the Grail story has haunted the western imagination. But the original medieval texts are full of inconsistencies, as different writers attempted to complete the story in varied ways. "Encyclopedia of the Holy Grail" by Jeffrey John Dixon is encyclopedic style seminal study that illuminates a path through the Perilous Forest of literature and legend.
The entries comprising "Encyclopedia of the Holy Grail" summarize the stories of the principal characters, sacred objects and places associated with the Grail. An Afterword shows how mysteries of the grail continue to enchant the scholars and creative writers who have transformed the medieval legend into modern mythology.
Critique: A welcome addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library Mythology/Folklore collections, "Encyclopedia of the Holy Grail" by Jeffrey John Dixon is a perfect pick for supplemental Arthurian Studies curriculum studies lists as we.. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that this paperback edition of "Encyclopedia of the Holy Grail" from McFarland & Company is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.99).
Editorial Note: Jeffrey John Dixon, after studying English literature at Sussex University, travelled widely and now lives and writes in Powys, United Kingdom. (https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5865987.Jeffrey_John_Dixon)
The Art Shelf
Color and Culture: Practice and Meaning from Antiquity to Abstraction
John Gage
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500027936, $65.00, HC, 448pp
https://www.amazon.com/Color-Culture-Practice-Antiquity-Abstraction/dp/0500027935
Synopsis: What does the language of color tell us? Where does one color begin and another end? Is it a radiant visual stimulus, an intangible function of light, or a material substance to be molded and arrayed? Color is fundamental to art, yet so diverse that it has hardly ever been studied in a comprehensive way.
With the publication of "Color and Culture: Practice and Meaning from Antiquity to Abstraction", art historian John Gage (28 June 1938 - 10 February 2012) considers every conceivable aspect of the subject in this groundbreaking analysis of color in Western culture, from the ancient Greeks to the late twentieth century.
Gage describes the first theories of color, articulated by Greek philosophers, and subsequent attempts by the Romans and their Renaissance disciples to organize it systematically or endow it with symbolic power. He unfolds its religious significance and its use in heraldry, as well as how Renaissance artists approached color with the help of alchemists.
He also explores the analysis of the spectrum undertaken by Isaac Newton and continued in the nineteenth century by artists such as Georges Seurat, traces the influence of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's color theory, and considers the extraordinary theories and practices that attempted to unite color and music or make color into an entirely abstract language of its own.
A seminal undertaking to suggest answers to many perennial questions about the role of color in Western art and thought, "Color and Culture" throws fresh light on the hidden meanings of many familiar masterpieces.
Critique: This large format (8.4 x 1.3 x 10.7 inches, 2.31 pounds) hardcover edition of "Color and Culture: Practice and Meaning from Antiquity to Abstraction" from Thames & Hudson is informatively enhanced for the reader by art historian John Gage with the inclusion of fifty-two pages of Notes, a three page Bibliography and Concordance, a five page List of Illustrations, and a thirteen page Index. Profusely and beautifully illustrated throughout with full color images of art works, "Color and Culture" is impressively informative and insightful, as well as exceptionally 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation. Ideal as a curriculum textbook, "Color and Culture" is a high priority and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library Art History and Graphic Design collections.
Editorial Note: John Gage was an acknowledged international authority on the history of art and color, and wrote many books on the subject, including Color and Meaning: Art, Science, and Symbolism and Color in Art. He was head of the department of history of art at Cambridge University from 1992 to 1995. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gage_(art_historian))
George Bellows: American Life in Print
Kristin L. Spangenberg
Giles
https://gilesltd.com
9781913875831, $54.95, HC, 184pp
https://www.amazon.com/George-Bellows-American-Life-Print/dp/1913875830
Synopsis: George Wesley Bellows (August 19, 1882 - January 8, 1925) was an American painter, illustrator, and printmaker. His career established, in late 1915 he turned to lithography. Over the next nine years he almost single-handedly elevated lithography in America to a fine art. The inherent flexibility of the process, its potential for drawing in vigorous strokes and its richness of tone were well suited to his style.
The subjects that fascinated him ranged from intimate studies of his family and friends to snap shots of American life, the atrocities of World War I, and what first caught the public's attention, Boxing. -- All were new and undeniably American.
"George Bellows: American Life in Print" features two essays. The first is "Bellows, Advocate for Lithography" with in depth examination of sixty-six lithographs and drawings. The second essay explores the artist's rise to fame in "Bellows and the 'Art Palace of the West'" and focuses on his long term relationship with the Cincinnati Art Museum and it's "Annual Exhibition of American Art".
Critique: This large format (9.3 x 0.8 x 10.3 inches, 2.49 pounds) hardcover edition of author Kristin L. Spangenberg's "George Bellows: American Life in Print" from GILES is informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of a one page Director's Foreword by Cameron Kitchin, three pages of Explanatory Notes, a two page Exhibition List, a one page Concordance of Lithographs, a two page Selected Bibliography list, and a two page Index. Beautifully reproduced lithographic images supported by informative captioning and commentary, "George Bellows: American Life in Print" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library American Art History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Kristin L. Spangenberg is curator of Prints at the Cincinnati Art Museum. She has more than 40 years of experience in her field, having previously served as Assistant Curator of Prints at the Cincinnati Art Museum and Assistant Curator of Graphic Arts at the Detroit Institute of Art. She is a member of the Print Council of America and the Circus Historical Society. (https://www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org/art/meet-the-curators)
The Mathematics Shelf
A Technical Guide to Mathematical Finance
Derek Zweig
Chapman & Hall
c/o CRC Press
www.crcpress.com
9781032687230, $68.99, PB, 198pp
https://www.amazon.com/Technical-Mathematical-Finance-Financial-Mathematics/dp/1032687231
Synopsis: With the publication of "A Technical Guide to Mathematical Finance", author Derek Zweig covers those foundational mathematical topics most important to an aspiring or professional quant. His text goes beyond a simple recitation of methods and aims to impart a genuine understanding of the fundamental concepts underpinning most of the techniques and tools routinely used by those working in quantitative finance.
"A Technical Guide to Mathematical Finance" is especially suitable for professional quants and graduate students in finance, and mathematical/quantitative finance. "Concept Refreshers" are employed throughout to provide pithy summaries of complex topics. Of special note are the step-by-step details for formal proofs and mathematical descriptions.
Critique: An ideal introduction to readers with an interest in Business Mathematics/Finance and Financial Engineering, "A Technical Guide to Mathematical Finance" is an unreservedly recommended pick for personal, professional, and college/university library Business & Finance collections, and for supplemental MBA curriculum studies lists. For students, corporate executives, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject, it should be noted that "A Technical Guide to Mathematical Finance" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $51.99). It should be noted for academic and corporate library collections that "A Technical Guide to Mathematical Finance" is also available in a hardcover edition (9781032685960, $180.00 from Chapman & Hall.
Editorial Note: Derek Zweig (https://mises.org/profile/derek-zweig) is the Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Value Analytics, a data and analytics firm specializing in equity markets. Prior to founding Value Analytics, he worked as a capital markets risk analyst at a large regional bank where he specialized in market and counterparty risk. Along with his experience in risk, Derek spent much of his career valuing business interests and intangible assets of private and public companies. He is an active member of the CFA Institute and the Global Association of Risk Professionals. He has a graduate certificate in Financial Engineering from Columbia University, an M.S. in Applied Economics from Johns Hopkins University, and a B.S. in Finance from the Ohio State University.
The Photography Shelf
Photographic Atlas of the Moon
Robert Reeves
Firefly Books Ltd.
www.fireflybooks.com
9780228104988, $49.95, HC, 288pp
https://www.amazon.com/Photographic-Atlas-Moon-Comprehensive-Astronomer/dp/022810498X
Synopsis: Written by Robert Reeves, a dedicated selenophile (a person who loves the Moon), "Photographic Atlas of the Moon: A Comprehensive Guide for the Amateur Astronomer" from Firefly Books is guide to Earth's celestial companion with a non-technical narrative that quickly elevates the lunar novice to lunar authority.
"Photographic Atlas of the Moon" explains how the Earth and the Moon are locked together in a co-dependent embrace, each affecting the other in ways that impact our lives. The reader will learn in comprehensible, jargon-free language about the Moon we see, its orbit, its creation and the differing geologic details of the Moon, some of which can be seen with the naked eye.
All the photographs in this lavishly illustrated book were taken by the author, an internationally recognized authority on celestial photography. Reeves has perfected image processing techniques that allow the amateur astronomer, using modest equipment, to exceed the quality of Earth-based professional lunar photographs taken during the Apollo era.
Although Reeves is an accomplished deep-sky photographer, his current celestial passion is re-popularizing the Moon within the amateur astronomy community. Momentum is building for a manned return to the Moon to continue the exploration started over half a century ago.
"Photographic Atlas of the Moon" will provide even the most novice reader with an understanding of the Moon and its allure so they can appreciate the upcoming explorations by NASA's Artemis lunar program.
Critique: This large format (0.87 x 0.39 x 5.51 inches, 2.31 pounds) hardcover edition of "Photographic Atlas of the Moon: A Comprehensive Guide for the Amateur Astronomer" is exceptionally well organized and presented for the benefit of students and the non-specialist general reader with an interest in the subject. "Photographic Atlas of the Moon" is an especially appropriate addition to personal, professional, highschool, community, and college/university library Astronomy collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Robert Reeves has been exploring the cosmos since 1958 and took his first lunar photograph in 1959. In 1984 Reeves began publishing articles about astrophotography, and since then his articles have appeared in Sky and Telescope, Astronomy, Deep Sky, Deep Sky Journal, Amateur Astronomy and The Astrograph. The author of six previous books about the Moon, space exploration and celestial photography, Reeves enjoys speaking about astronomy and spreading his passion for the Moon and photographing the heavens. His recent activities include a five-city speaking tour in China. Reeves is the first westerner to address the Chinese astronomy community about the Moon. (https://astroleaguephils.org/robert-reeves-biography)
The LGBTQ Studies Shelf
Until the End is Known: A Bisexual Odyssey
Joseph A. McCormack
Independently Published
9798218382605, $19.77, PB, 226pp
https://www.amazon.com/Until-End-Known-Bisexual-Odyssey/dp/B0D71T3XFW
Synopsis: Attracted to both men and women from an early age, Joe McCormack found alcohol as a teenager to be the path to sexual liberation and to social confidence until it became a problem for him as a young professional in New York.
"Until the End is Known: A Bisexual Odyssey" is the story of his journey from humble beginnings in the Santa Clara Valley to a life-long search for his father, his recovery from alcoholism and a successful business career as the country's first openly LGBTQ executive search consultant.
This unique memoir offers an unforgettable portrait of a spiritual seeker who discovered meaning and fulfillment in sobriety and in service to his community.
Placing exceptional leaders in many HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ national and community-based organizations, McCormack has made a unique contribution to the liberation and evolution of the queer community in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Critique: Fascinating, impressively informative, candidly insightful, exceptionally well written and ultimately inspiring, "Until the End is Known: A Bisexual Odyssey" will prove of special and exceptional value to readers with an interest in the subject of bisexuality, as well as community and college/university LGBTQ Biography/Memoir collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Until the End is Known: A Bisexual Odyssey" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99) as well.
Editorial Note: Joe McCormack a founding partner of McCormack + Kristel, the first openly LGBTQ-owned executive search firm in the country. McCormack + Kristel opened in Los Angeles during the AIDS pandemic in 1993 to address the need by emerging volunteer HIV/AIDS organizations for professional leadership. Joe has been active on the Boards of the Palm Springs LGBTQ Center, Service Members Legal Defense Organization, the Point Foundation and the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN).Joe has had long term relationships with men and women, and he is the father of two adult daughters and the grandfather of two boys and a girl. Joe and his poet husband, who have been together for 30 years, make their home with their two dogs, Oliver and Gracie, in California.
The Music Shelf
Contemporary Opera in Flux
Yayoi U. Everett, editor
University of Michigan Press
www.press.umich.edu
9780472076260, $85.00, HC, 348pp
https://www.amazon.com/Contemporary-Opera-Flux-Yayoi-Everett/dp/0472076264
Synopsis: Comprised of twelve essays which were compiled and edited by Yayoi U. Everett, "Contemporary Opera in Flux" discusses a series of shifts that, taken together, have radically redefined the production and reception of opera.
Focusing on productions involving late twentieth- and twenty-first century scores and libretti, the contributors draw on conversations with members of creative teams and studies of archival material, dipping into a historical record that remains in flux as composers, librettists, directors, and designers revisit existing work and create anew.
The contributors to this seminal and ground-breaking volume push the boundaries of contemporary opera scholarship by examining works that disrupt operatic conventions; tackle sociopolitical issues such as drug trafficking, racial injustice, and cultural trauma; and advance underrepresented works by female, African-American, Asian, and avant-garde composers around the globe.
"Contemporary Opera in Flux" bridges the gaps between expanding literature on opera, theater, new music, postmodern dramaturgy, and posthuman aesthetics, while also confronting larger questions of identity, representation, and narrative agency that are at the forefront of contemporary music scholarship. This collection of essays engages critically with the past out of a conviction that, amid general public perceptions of opera as anachronistic or elitist, contemporary opera has emerged as an artistic incubator for experimentation.
Critique: Informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of illustrations, a twenty-eight page Bibliography, a four page listing of the Contributors and their credentials, and a sixteen page Index, "Contemporary Opera in Flux" will hold a very special interest for both professional and non-specialist general readers concerned with present day interpretations of opera in terms of the human voice and the newly emerging themes and minority crafted operatic and compositions. A master piece of collective scholarship, "Contemporary Opera in Flux" is unique, erudite, insightful, and thought-provoking -- and an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library Opera Music History & Contemporary 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 "Contemporary Opera in Flux" is also available in a paperback edition (9780472056262, $29.95).
Editorial Note: Yayoi U. Everett is a Professor of Music at CUNY Hunter College and the Graduate Center. (https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=a0v4xXYAAAAJ)
The Native American Studies Shelf
A Phantom Storm
Norman E. Matteoni
South Dakota Historical Society Press
https://www.sdhspress.com
9781941813522, $24.95, PB, 344pp
https://www.amazon.com/Phantom-Storm-Sitting-America-Ghost/dp/1941813526
Synopsis: In the fall of 1890, a new religion swept onto the Sioux reservations like a prairie fire. It was called The Ghost Dance and promised that if American Indians would dance and pray, a Messiah would deliver them from the misery of reservation life. The movement was soon trumpeted as a new Indian war in the making by those who refused to see it as the lament of a downtrodden people.
At the center of the controversy was Sitting Bull, the Hunkpapa Lakota chieftain and medicine man who was relentlessly villainized as "Custer's assassin." In reservation life he had become a staunch opponent of federal Indian policy, and when he refused to forswear the movement, even if he did not openly embrace it, his enemies tarred him as a crazed malcontent.
Ambitious generals, self-righteous Indian Agents, reservation rivals, unscrupulous reporters, and self-serving politicians were determined to suppress the Ghost Dance and arrest Sitting Bull as the new religion's alleged ringleader -- resulting in a double tragedy for the Lakotas.
With the publication of "A Phantom Storm", author Norman Matteoni deftly traces the smear campaign against Sitting Bull in the words and actions of public figures and the nation's media. The resulting narrative reveals the previously unexplored manipulation of public perceptions by those seeking to gain from the demise of Sitting Bull and all that he represented.
Critique: An original, seminal, and ground-breaking historical study, "A Phantom Storm: Sitting Bull, America, and the Ghost Dance" opens with a poem by Sitting Bull, features an informative Introduction and Epilogue, a nineteen page section of B/W historical photographs, a ten page Appendices, sixty pages of Notes, a two page bibliography listing Further Readings, and an eleven page Index. This paperback edition of "A Phantom Storm: Sitting Bull, America, and the Ghost Dance" from the South Dakota Historical Society Press is a simply outstanding and highly commended contribution to personal, community, college, and university library Native American History/Biography collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Norman E. Matteoni is a lawyer, legal author, and lecturer on the law of eminent domain. His interest in the dispossession of the Oceti Sakowin influenced his studies on the U.S. government's annexation of the Black Hills. He is the author of Condemnation Practice in California and Prairie Man: The Struggle between Sitting Bull and Indian Agent James McLaughlin. (https://www.sdhspress.com/books/norman-e-matteoni)
The Theatre/Cinema Shelf
Alfred Hitchcock Storyboards
Tony Lee Moral
Titan Books
https://titanbooks.com
9781789099546, $50.00, HC, 144pp
https://www.amazon.com/Alfred-Hitchcock-Tony-Lee-Moral/dp/1789099544
Synopsis: "Alfred Hitchcock Storyboards" from Titan Books is visually stunning and informative study that focuses on the story boards for nine of Alfred Hitchcock's classic movies: Vertigo, The Birds, Psycho, North by Northwest, The 39 Steps, Torn Curtain, Marnie, Shadow of a Doubt and Spellbound.
"Alfred Hitchcock Storyboards" includes never before-published images and incisive text putting the material in context and examining the role the pieces played in some of the most unforgettable scenes in cinema. Hitchcock author and aficionado Tony Lee Moral provides a fascinating and illuminating insight into the directorial mind of the Master of Suspense.
Critique: This large format (10.32 x 0.5 x 13.1 inches, 2.75 pounds) hardcover edition of Tony Lee Moral's "Alfred Hitchcock Storyboards" is a unique and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library Cinematic History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for film students, film makers, academia, and cinematic history buffs that "Alfred Hitchcock Storyboards" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $17.99).
Editorial Note: Tony Lee Moral (https://tonyleemoralbooks.com) is a multi-award winning British mystery and suspense writer who has written three books on the works of Alfred Hitchcock: The Making of Hitchcock's The Birds, Hitchcock and the Making of Marnie and Alfred Hitchcock's Movie Making Masterclass.
Old Films, Young Eyes
Simone O. Elias
McFarland & Company
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476696591, $29.95, PB, 192pp
https://www.amazon.com/Old-Films-Young-Eyes-Hollywoods/dp/1476696594
Synopsis: Why would a modern teenager find classic films enthralling? With the publication of "Old Films, Young Eyes: A Teenage Take on Hollywood's Golden Age", Simone O. Elias presents an eye-opening tour of how old movies foreshadowed, influenced (and continue to shape) popular culture in many surprising ways.
From foreseeing today's image-dominated social media landscape to ushering rock music into the mainstream, and sparking elements of the #MeToo movement, classic movies remain relevant and inspiring.
Despite prevailing attitudes that old films are outdated, many dramatically broke boundaries around racism and antisemitism. They predicted current trends in divorce and sexual relations. They helped shape current icons like Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga, as well as foreshadowing more sobering events such as the Covid-19 pandemic.
A Gen Z-age cultural critic, author and podcaster Simone O. Elias presents an insider's perspective on the socio-cultural impact of classic Hollywood films on a modern generation.
Critique: Featuring occasional B/W photo illustrations, "Old Films, Young Eyes: A Teenage Take on Hollywood's Golden Age" by Simone O. Elias is impressively and informatively insightful, as well as a simply fascinating and thought-provoking read from start to finish. Also featuring eight pages of Chapter Notes and a four page Index, "Old Films, Young Eyes" is an original, seminal and recommended pick for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Cinematic History & Film Criticism collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for film students and film buffs that this paperback edition of "Old Films, Young Eyes" from McFarland & Company is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.99) as well.
Editorial Note: Simone O. Elias (https://simoneoelias.com) started her career in podcasting: producing, and writing for Teenage Golden Age, a podcast about classic Hollywood from the teenage perspective. She focuses on classic films, screenwriting, and songwriting.
The Agriculture Shelf
Western Flower Thrips
Raymond A. Cloyd
APS Press
https://www.apsnet.org/publications/apspress/Pages/default.aspx
Item No. 47052, $149.00 (List Price), $134.10 (APS Member Price), PB, 114pp
https://my.apsnet.org/APSStore/APSStore/Product-Detail.aspx?iProductCode=47052
Synopsis: The western flower thrips [Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande)] is an invasive pest insect in agriculture. This species of thrips is native to the Southwestern United States but has spread to other continents, including Europe, Australia (where it was identified in May 1993), and South America via transport of infested plant material.
The life cycle of the western flower thrips varies in length due to temperature, with the adult living from two to five or more weeks, and the nymph stage lasting from five to 20 days. Each female may lay 40 to over 100 eggs in the tissues of the plant, often in the flower, but also in the fruit or foliage. The newly hatched nymph feeds on the plant for two of its instars, then falls off the plant to complete its other two instar stages. Nymphs feed heavily on new fruit just beginning to develop from the flower.
Critique: "Western Flower Thrips: Insect Pest of Greenhouse Production Systems" by Raymond A. Cloyd provides a complete course of instruction and is ideal for professional and non-professional greenhouse gardeners on dealing with flower thrips. Comprehensive, up-to-date, usefully illustrated throughout, thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, this paperback edition of "Western Flower Thrips" from APS Press is an essential and unreservedly recommended addition to professional and college/university library pest control instructional guides, and supplemental Agriculture & Gardening curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Dr. Raymond A. Cloyd has an appointment at Kansas State University. His research and extension program involves pest management/plant protection in greenhouses, nurseries, landscapes, turfgrass, conservatories, interiorscapes, Christmas trees, and vegetables and fruits. Dr. Cloyd is the extension specialist in horticultural entomology for the state of Kansas with a major clientele that includes homeowners, master gardeners, and commercial operators. (https://entomology.k-state.edu/about/people/faculty/Cloyd-Raymond-A.html)
The Literary Studies Shelf
Geographies of Relation
Theresa Delgadillo
University of Michigan Press
www.press.umich.edu
9780472076932, $100.00, HC, 329pp
https://www.amazon.com/Geographies-Relation-Diasporas-Borderlands-Americas/dp/0472076930
Synopsis: With the publication of "Geographies of Relation: Diasporas and Borderlands in the Americas", Professor Theresa Delgadillo offers a new approach for examining diaspora and borderlands texts and performances that considers the inseparability of race, ethnicity, and gender in imagining and enacting social change. Professor Delgadillo crosses interdisciplinary and canonical borders to investigate the interrelationships of African-descended Latinx and mestizx peoples through an analysis of Latin American, Latinx, and African American literature, film, and performance.
Not only does Professor Delgadillo offer a rare extended analysis of Black Latinidades in Chicanx literature and theory, but she also considers over a century's worth of literary, cinematic, and performative texts to support her argument about the significance of these cultural sites and overlaps.
Individual chapters illuminate the significance of Tona La Negra in the Golden Age of Mexican cinema, reconsider feminist theorist Gloria Anzaldua's work in revising exclusionary Latin American ideologies of mestizaje, delve into the racial and gender frameworks Sandra Cisneros attempts to rewrite, unpack encounters between African Americans and Black Puerto Ricans in texts by James Baldwin and Marta Moreno Vega, explore the African diaspora in colonial and contemporary Peru through Daniel Alarcon's literature and the documentary Soy Andina, and revisit the centrality of Black power in ending colonialism in Cuban narratives.
"Geographies of Relation" also demonstrates the long histories of networks and exchanges across the Americas as well as the interrelationships among Indigenous, Black, African American, mestizx, Chicanx, and Latinx peoples. It offers a compelling argument that geographies of relation are as significant as national frameworks in structuring cultural formation and change in this hemisphere.
Critique: A seminal and ground-breaking work of authentic and original scholarship, this hardcover edition of "Geographies of Relation: Diasporas and Borderlands in the Americas" from the University of Michigan Press also features fifty-two pages of Notes, a twenty-four page Bibliography, and a twelve page Index. A singular and unique contribution to Hispanic/Black American Literature, "Geographies of Relations" is an invaluable and recommended contribution to personal, professional, and college/university library Literary Studies collections and supplemental curriculum Hispanic/Black American studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Geographies of Relation" is also available from the University of Michigan Press in a paperback edition (9780472056934, $39.95).
Editorial Note: Theresa Delgadillo (https://english.wisc.edu/staff/delgadillo-theresa) is a Vilas Distinguished Professor of English and Chican@ and Latin@ Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she is also Director of the Chican@ and Latin@ Studies Program. She is also a founder and editor for the online publication Latinx Talk.
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Diane C. Donovan, Editor
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