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Wisconsin Bookwatch

Volume 16, Number 2 February 2021 Home | WBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Writing/Publishing Shelf Education Shelf
Parenting Shelf Art Shelf Biography Shelf
Travel Shelf General Fiction Shelf Literary Fiction Shelf
Romantic Fiction Shelf Mystery/Suspense Shelf Fantasy/SciFi Shelf
Christian Studies Shelf Business Shelf Metaphysical Studies Shelf
Self-Help Shelf Activity Shelf Graphic Novel Shelf
Audiobook Shelf Music CD Shelf Health/Medicine Shelf
Woodworking Shelf Cookbook Shelf Gaming Shelf


Reviewer's Choice

Time Smart
Ashley Whillans
awhillans.com
Harvard Business Review Press
60 Harvard Way, Boston, MA 02163
9781633698352, $28.00, HC, 208pp

https://www.amazon.com/Time-Smart-Reclaim-Your-Happier/dp/1633698351

Synopsis: Four out of five adults report feeling that they have too much to do and not enough time to do it. These time-poor people experience less joy each day. They laugh less. They are less healthy, less productive, and more likely to divorce. In one study, time stress produced a stronger negative effect on happiness than unemployment. How can we escape the time traps that make us feel this way and keep us from living our best lives?

"Time Smart: How to Reclaim Your Time and Live a Happier Life" by Professor Ashley Whillans is the ideal DIY playbook for taking back the time you lose to mindless tasks and unfulfilling chores. Professor Whillans provides proven strategies for improving your "time affluence" and the techniques she reveals will free up seconds, minutes, and hours that, over the long term, become weeks and months that you can reinvest in positive, healthy activities.

"Time Smart" doesn't stop at merely telling you what to do. It also effectively shows you how to do it, helping you achieve the mindset shift that will make these activities part of your everyday regimen through assessments, checklists, and activities you can use right away. The strategies Professor Whillans' presents will help you make the shift to time-smart living and, in the process, build a happier, more fulfilling life.

Critique: Exceptionally informative, thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, as thoughtful and thought-provoking as it is motivationally inspiring, "Time Smart: How to Reclaim Your Time and Live a Happier Life" will prove to be a welcome and enduringly valued addition to community, college, university library Self-Help/Self- Improvement collections in general, and Time Management studies reading lists in particular. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers that "Time Smart: How to Reclaim Your Time and Live a Happier Life" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.23).

Editorial Note: Ashley Whillans is an assistant professor at Harvard Business School and a leading voice in time and happiness research. Whillans has worked with groups as diverse as consulting firms, couples, the US military, and women managing vegetable stands in Kenya. She is part of the Global Happiness Council and the Workplace and Well-Being Initiative at Harvard University. Her research has appeared in numerous outlets, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, CNN, BBC, the Atlantic, and the Economist. She maintains a website at awhillans.com and can be followed on Twitter @ashleywhillans


The Writing/Publishing Shelf

The Amazon Jungle
Jason R. Boyce & Rick Cesari
Morgan James Publishing
11815 Fountain Way, Suite 300, Newport News, VA 23606-4448
www.morganjamespublishing.com
9781631952807, $19.95, PB, 212pp

https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Jungle-Survival-Commerce-Marketplace/dp/1631952803

Synopsis: How do you sell on Amazon? Within the pages of "The Amazon Jungle: The Truth About Amazon, The Seller's Survival Guide for Thriving on the World's Most Perilous E-Commerce Marketplace", entrepreneurs Jason Boyce and Rick Cesari collaborate to share effective strategies that are the key to Amazon success and reveal the truth about Amazon, which is not widely known.

"The Amazon Jungle" helps Amazon Third-Party Sellers how to start selling on Amazon and how to sell products on Amazon build credibility and staying power by creating a winning brand -- the superpower that can give them back control from this online marketing behemoth. Jason's expertise in identifying winning products on Amazon and Rick's success building brands off of the platform make them a formidable team and the answer to today's question: How to succeed on a platform you can't afford to avoid?

If you're asking, how do I sell on Amazon or how to become an Amazon seller "The Amazon Jungle" is essential and DIY instructional reading.

Critique: Solidly informative, expertly presented, and of immense and enduring value for existing sellers and Amazon beginners alike, "The Amazon Jungle: The Truth About Amazon, The Seller's Survival Guide for Thriving on the World's Most Perilous E-Commerce Marketplace" should be considered mandatory reading for anyone wanting to do business on the Amazon website. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community, corporate, college and university library E-commerce Marketing collections and supplemental curriculum studies collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of entrepreneurs, business owners, authors, publishers, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Amazon Jungle: The Truth About Amazon, The Seller's Survival Guide for Thriving on the World's Most Perilous E-Commerce Marketplace" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.99).

Editorial Note: Jason R. Boyce has nearly 20 years of experience as an Amazon Top Seller selling on Amazon, and is founder of a prominent Amazon agency, Avenue7Media. Rick Cesari's innovative Direct-To-Consumer strategies create more sales while built brand awareness for products like GoPro, Sonicare, OxiClean, and the George Foreman Grill. Together, Jason and Rick's DIY 'how to' Amazon book show how to pick a winning product, get it made, become a seller on Amazon, get it listed, and get it selling -- on and off Amazon is the best way for how to sell on Amazon.


The Education Shelf

College Admissions During COVID
Robert Franek
The Princeton Review
c/o Random House Inc.
www.PrincetonReview.com
9780525571810, $12.99, PB, 224pp

https://www.amazon.com/College-Admissions-During-COVID-Challenges/dp/0525571817

Synopsis: Students in the entering classes of 2021 and 2022 face a college admissions landscape unlike any before. The massive changes wrought by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic have upended once-standard admissions advice, with new questions arising daily.

Fortunately, Rob Franek, editor-in-chief at The Princeton Review and nationally-recognized college admissions expert, draws upon his many years of experience and expertise to answer those questions with straightforward, balanced information that comprises "College Admissions During COVID: How to Navigate the New Challenges in Admissions, Testing, Financial Aid, and More".

"College Admissions During COVID" (a new edition of The Princeton Review's popular College Admissions 101, specifically updated with advice for the current situation) gathers together the 70+ questions that Rob is hearing most frequently from students and parents, and answers them with information garnered from deans, admissions officers, and his own 25+ years of expertise.

Some things remain the same (yes, you should write an essay!), but others have changed (you may have to postpone that campus visit). No matter how crazy things seem, "College Admissions During COVID" will help guide students and their families through this difficult time and set them up for college admission success!

Critique: Comprehensive, informative, up-to-date, throughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "College Admissions During COVID: How to Navigate the New Challenges in Admissions, Testing, Financial Aid, and More" is an absolute 'must' for highschool counselors, community library college admission collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students and their families that "College Admissions During COVID" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).


The Parenting Shelf

Calm the H*ck Down
Melanie Dale
Atria Books
c/o Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
www.simonandschuster.com
www.blackstoneaudio.com
9781982114367, $16.99, PB, 288pp

https://www.amazon.com/Calm-Down-Lighten-About-Parenting/dp/1982114363

Synopsis: Most of us thought we'd be amazing parents -- and then we had kids. Now we spend what little free time we have comparing ourselves to other parents, comparing our kids to other kids, and panicking that everyone else is nailing it except us. Between constant social media postings to conflicting advice found in parenting books, we often have no choice but to freak out. But there is another way. We all just need to calm the h*ck down.

Melanie Dale (who is a special needs parent, adoptive parent, in vitro parent, and reluctant cheer mom) believes we are all putting too much pressure on ourselves and our kids to be perfect. Instead, she argues, we need to take a step back so we can actually enjoy this journey called parenting.

"Calm the H*ck Down: How to Let Go and Lighten Up About Parenting" is filled with stories from Melanie's own life, as well as real-life research for learning how to lighten up about every aspect of parenting ranging from poopy diapers and germs to family vacations and adolescent angst. She also discusses the pressure to knock it all out of the Pinterest park, the challenge of instilling some kind of faith into your kids, and worrying about their future while still trying to live in the present.

Infused with quirky humor, profound insight, and accessible advice, "Calm the H*ck Down" gives you the permission to finally relax and enjoy this ridiculous thing we do called parenting.

Critique: Deftly written with wit and wisdom, "Calm the H*ck Down: How to Let Go and Lighten Up About Parenting" should be considered mandatory reading by any and all parents -- and those who aspire to one day be parents. While unreservedly recommended for community library Parenting collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Calm the H*ck Down: How to Let Go and Lighten Up About Parenting" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9781797107103, $39.99, CD).


The Art Shelf

Mega Manga Characters
Sergi Camara and Vanessa Duran
Search Press
www.searchpress.com
9781782219170 $19.95

https://www.amazon.com/Mega-Manga-Characters-Sergi-C%C3%A0mara/dp/178221917X

Synopsis: Learn how to draw the main genres of manga characters from scratch with this fantastic guide. Do you want to learn how to draw manga characters from scratch? Then look no further! Aimed specifically at beginners, this book includes examples from the main genres of manga characters and will teach you how to draw different characters in distinct poses. Starting with simple exercises and gradually getting more complicated, there are sections covering Kodomo (child), Shonen (teenage boy), Shojo (teenage girl) and Seinen (youth) characters to practise.

To help you along the way, there are clear step-by-step instructions, with 10 exercises for each genre (except kodomo). Friendly chibis also pop up every so often to offer tips and advice to keep in mind while you are drawing. Extensive advice on finishing techniques ranges from colouring by computer, using pen and ink, paintbrush, felt-tip pen and pencils, both in black and white and colour. For the best start to your manga-drawing journey, this book will inspire you to explore and improve your skills.

Critique: Written for beginning artists, Mega Manga Characters is a guide to drawing characters in various styles of manga (Japanese comics). Artistic conventions for characters in kodomo manga (comics aimed at children), shounen manga (comics aimed at young adult boys), shojo manga (comics aimed at young adult girls), and seinen manga (comics aimed at adults) are all discussed and demonstrated. Step-by-step instructions and colorful illustrations make Mega Manga Characters a hands-on instructional treasure for budding artists interested in creating their own manga- style scenes and stories! Highly recommended.

Sketching Techniques for Artists
Alex Hillkurtz
Rockport Publishers
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
100 Cummings Center, Suite 265D, Beverly, MA 01915
www.quartoknows.com
9781631599231, $26.99, PB, 144pp

https://www.amazon.com/Sketching-Techniques-Artists-Studio-Architecture/dp/1631599232

Synopsis: With "Sketching Techniques for Artists: In-Studio and Plein-Air Methods for Drawing and Painting Still Lifes, Landscapes, Architecture, Faces and Figures, and More" by Alex Hillkurtz (who is a top Hollywood storyboard artist and international workshop instructor), aspiring artists can easily learn dynamic sketching and watercolor techniques for creating cityscapes, landscapes, figures and faces, still lifes, and more, enhancing the story they want to visually tell with form, line, and color.

Novice artists will enjoy discover and mastering creative methods and effective tips for creating dramatic street scenes and vivid landscapes, and capturing dynamic figures and graphic architectural details. "Sketching Techniques for Artists" presents fundamental concepts of sketching with pencil and pen for a number of popular genres. Beginning artists will be taught simple ways to jot down spontaneous ideas in pencil, capture rough details in ink, and add watercolor for extra depth and interest.

Make sketching more enjoyable by adopting innovative techniques that will make a difference in any artists' practice, and artwork. No matter your experience or skill level, student and experienced artists alike will benefit from learning: Compositions that draw the eye; How to avoid common sketching mistakes; Ways to create light and shadow to define shapes and add interest; Successful ways to use negative space; The importance of perspective in creating depth: Easy color washes that create drama.

Critique: An ideal DIY instructional combination of textbook, guide and 'how to' manual, "Sketching Techniques for Artists: In-Studio and Plein-Air Methods for Drawing and Painting Still Lifes, Landscapes, Architecture, Faces and Figures, and More" is exceptionally 'user friendly' in organization and presentation making it especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, college, and university library Pastel Drawing and Pen & Ink Drawing collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Nature Painting in Watercolor
Kristine A. Lombardi
www.kristinelombardi.com
Walter Foster Publishing
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
100 Cummings Center, Suite 265D, Beverly, MA 01915
www.quartoknows.com
9781633228863, $21.99, PB, 128pp

https://www.amazon.com/Nature-Painting-Watercolor-contemporary-watercolor/dp/163322886X

Synopsis: With "Nature Painting in Watercolor" aspiring artists can start by learning about the tools and materials needed to paint in watercolor; then dive into a thorough and fun painting techniques section, which covers washes, glazes, how to add detail in watercolor, and much more. Of special note is the section on finding inspiration outside for tips on viewing and gathering natural painting subjects, such as trees, grasses, flowers, and many other plants.

There are also practical suggestions for where to find images online and photos to use as references. Student artists will also learn to sketch and keep a detailed sketchbook -- skills that will help them when they get started on the step-by-step painting projects in the largest section of "Nature Painting in Watercolor".

The step-by-step projects cover popular natural painting subjects, including the ones already listed here as well as rocks, mushrooms, buds, blooms, big and small trees, and forest animals. All are illustrated and painted in the author/artists's signature contemporary watercolor style.

Critique: As fund as it is informative, "Nature Painting in Watercolor: Learn to paint florals, ferns, trees, and more in colorful, contemporary watercolor" is profusely illustrated with thoroughly 'user friendly' step-by-step instructions, making it the perfect DIY manual for artists wanting to work in watercolor with nature themes for their visual inspiration.

Editorial Note: Kristine A. Lombardi is a professional illustrator who began her career in advertising and promotions before leaving the corporate world to focus on design and illustration. The author and illustrator behind several children's books, Kristine has also worked with a variety of well-known clients and teaches art classes at Montclair Art Museum. She also maintains an informative website at www.kristinelombardi.com


The Biography Shelf

Safe: A Memoir
Elspeth Roarke
Brandylane Publishers
5 South 1st Street, Richmond, VA 23219
www.brandylanepublishers.com
9781947860865, $16.95, PB, 256pp

https://www.amazon.com/Safe-Elspeth-Roake/dp/1947860860

Synopsis: Elspeth Roake lives in the competitive world of showing horses, aspiring to perfect technique in the ring against a backdrop of long hours, hard work, and frequent travel. On the surface, she is poised and goal-oriented. Only her boss, Leslie, is witness to her depression.

Leslie never shies away from Elspeth's dark moods or tendency to self-harm, and eventually her strength and compassion inspire Elspeth to explore the shadows of childhood trauma which lurk at the back of her mind. But memories slip away even as she reaches for them, and behind closed doors Elspeth's mental state continues to deteriorate.

Over the course of two harrowing years, Elspeth sets increasingly radical goals for herself, determined not to let her illness get the better of her. Yet despite outward success, no ribbon or medal can help her outpace her depression. Finally, at a horse show far from home, Elspeth's battle descends into a matter of life and death, and not even Leslie can help her. Finding herself trapped and sobbing into the sticky floor of a psychiatric ward, she realizes that something has to change.

"Safe" is an intensely personal memoir of brutal and intense honesty, exploring the depths of despair, determination, and self-discovery, and the vital bonds (both human and animal) that make life possible.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, impressively candid, and inherently fascinating, "Safe: A Memoir" by Elspeth Roake is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to community and academic library Contemporary American Biography collections in general, and personal reading lists for anyone with an interest in the subjects of dealing with Child Abuse, Depression, and Anxiety Disorders. It should be noted that "Safe: A Memoir" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99).

Editorial Note: Elspeth Roake spent her childhood on the move, between Canada, Germany, and California, before settling on the East Coast to receive a B.S. in psychology from Vassar College. She has twenty years of experience in the horse show industry, and currently lives with her bunnies in New York State. "Safe: A Memoir" is her first book.


The Travel Shelf

Scotland: An Outlander Tour
Ali Wood
Cardinal Publishers Group
www.cardinalpub.com
9781916263154, $16.95, PB, 128pp

https://www.amazon.com/Scotland-Ali-Wood/dp/1916263151

Synopsis: Scotland is arguably one of the most cinematic countries in the world -- and no-one captures it better on-screen than the hit TV series Outlander. Based on the books of Diana Gabaldon, the show takes you from soaring glens to lonely lochs, medieval castles and ancient monuments. Team this with vibrant cities, jaw-dropping stately homes and some quirky historical sites, and you've the formula for an unforgettable road-trip.

Featuring over 80 meticulously researched film locations, "Scotland: An Outlander Tour" includes three self-drive itineraries between Edinburgh, Inverness, Skye and Glasgow, plus detour suggestions for those with extra time.

So versatile is Scotland, that it also stands in for Paris and North Carolina in a great many movies and television shows. So if you are after the Palace of Versailles from S2, Aunt Jocastas River Run plantation in S4 or Frasers Ridge of S5, "Scotland: An Outlander Tour" is the ideal travel planning guide. On-screen they might be thousands of miles apart, but on set they can be visited in a day!

Fans thirsty for behind-the-scenes gossip will also enjoy the bonus chapter featuring interviews with the location managers who found themselves on set with the stars!

Critique: Profusely and beautifully illustrated with full color photography throughout, "Scotland: An Outlander Tour" will prove to be a welcome and enduringly appreciated DIY travel planning guide and is especially recommended for personal, professional, and community library International Travel Guide collections. It should be noted that "Scotland: An Outlander Tour" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Also very highly recommended is the companion travel guide from the Cardinal Publishing Group -- Ali Wood's "Edinburgh: An Outlander Tour" (9781916263147, $12.95, PB, 26pp / $9.99 Kindle, Amazon.com)

Secret Kansas City
Anne Kniggendorf
Reedy Press
PO Box 5131, St. Louis, MO 63139
www.reedypress.com
9781681062839, $22.50, PB, 208pp

https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Kansas-City-Wonderful-Obscure/dp/1681062836

Synopsis: All that most visitors know all about Kansas City is it's barbecue, jazz, and football success, but there are hidden gems and wild pieces of trivia around every turn in Missouri's largest city.

Is the giant Hereford bull anatomically correct? Can a seed that's been to outer space still grow into a normal tree? And who really killed President William Henry Harrison? You'll find answers to the questions you didn't know you had in Anne Kniggendorf's"Secret Kansas City: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure", a unique blend of travel guide and history book.

Readers will learn why three completely unrelated groups have chosen Kansas City as the center of the world and the place you want to be when the world ends. Between these covers, you'll also find castles, a horse buried in a cul-de-sac, a ghost who likes a good laugh, and the world's longest snake.

This is not a tour guide for outsiders, it's a scavenger hunt for dedicated insiders in which longtime Kansas City resident and travel author Anne Kniggendorf will bolster a visitor's (or a native's!) respect for this middle-of-the-map American city.

Critique: Packed from cover to cover with local history and things to do/see/find, "Secret Kansas City: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure" is a 'must' for anyone wanting to fully explore that Kansas City has to offer its resident citizens and visitors alike. While very highly recommended for any and all community library American Travel Guide collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Secret Kansas City: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).

100 Things to Do in Tulsa Before You Die
Teri French
Reedy Press
PO Box 5131, St. Louis, MO 63139
www.reedypress.com
9781681062518, $16.00, PB, 160pp

https://www.amazon.com/100-Things-Tulsa-Before-You/dp/1681062518

Synopsis: Traveling down Historic Route 66 through the foothills of the Ozarks, you come upon one of America's most beautiful cities -- Tulsa, Oklahoma.

In the pages of "100 Things to Do in Tulsa Before You Die" travel writer Teri French showcases the art, culture, and people that make Tulsa shine, all while revealing a few of the secrets it hides. This quick-reference travel guide shows the more diverse, eclectic, and fun things to do in Tulsa that should be on every dedicated traveler's bucket list.

"100 Things to Do in Tulsa Before You Die" provides genuine insider tips for visiting the Philbrook Museum of Art housed within the old mansion of oil tycoon Waite Phillips. Hum along to This Land is Your Land at the Woody Guthrie center, or check out the new renovations at The Church Studio where music legends like Willie Nelson and Bonnie Raitt once recorded their famous songs. Don't miss some of the best barbecue where pig country meets cow country, and find locally-owned favorites from Lebanese steakhouses to Coney Island dogs.

Local travel author Teri French is well known for her ability sniff out Tulsan secrets, and her guide will serve as an incomparable resource for visitors and locals alike.

Critique: Thoroughly 'user friendly' in content, commentary, organization and presentation, "100 Things to Do in Tulsa Before You Die" is a 'must' for getting the most out of a visit to Tulsa, Oklahoma, be it for business, for pleasure -- or for both! While highly recommended for community library American Travel Guide collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "100 Things to Do in Tulsa Before You Die" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).


The General Fiction Shelf

Waiting for the Night Song
Julie Carrick Dalton
Forge
c/o Tor/Forge Books
www.tor-forge.com
www.macmillanaudio.com
9781250269188, $26.99, HC, 336pp

https://www.amazon.com/Waiting-Night-Julie-Carrick-Dalton/dp/1250269180

Synopsis: Cadie Kessler has spent decades trying to cover up one truth. One moment. But deep down, didn't she always know her secret would surface? An urgent message from her long-estranged best friend Daniela Garcia brings Cadie, now a forestry researcher, back to her childhood home. There, Cadie and Daniela are forced to face a dark secret that ended both their idyllic childhood bond and the magical summer that takes up more space in Cadie's memory then all her other years combined.

Now grown up, bound by long-held oaths, and faced with truths she does not wish to see, Cadie must decide what she is willing to sacrifice to protect the people and the forest she loves, as drought, foreclosures, and wildfire spark tensions between displaced migrant farm workers and locals. "Waiting for the Night Song" is a love song to the natural beauty around us, a call to fight for what we believe in, and a reminder that the truth will always rise.

Critique: An extraordinary, eloquent, fully engaging and memorable read from an author with an impressive command of narrative driven storytelling, "Waiting for the Night Song" by Julie Carrick Dalton will prove to be an immediate and enduringly welcome addition to community library Women's Friendship Fiction collections in general, and the personal reading lists of Suspense/Thrillers fans in particular. It should be noted that "Waiting for the Night Song" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Macmillan Audio, 9781250789785, $45.99, CD).

All That We Carried
Erin Bartels
Fleming H. Revell Company
c/o Baker Publishing Group
6030 East Fulton, Ada, MI 49301
www.revellbooks.com
9780800739607, $29.99, HC, 360pp

https://www.amazon.com/All-That-Carried-Erin-Bartels/dp/0800739604

Synopsis: Ten years earlier, sisters Olivia and Melanie Greene were on a back country hiking trip when their parents were in a fatal car accident. Over the years, they grew apart, each coping with the loss in her own way. Olivia plunged herself into law school, work, and a materialist view of the world -- what you see is what you get, and that's all you get. Melanie dropped out of college and developed an online life-coaching business around her cafeteria-style spirituality -- a little of this, a little of that, whatever makes you happy.

Now, at Melanie's insistence (and against Olivia's better judgment), they are embarking on a hike in the Porcupine Mountains of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. In this remote wilderness they'll face their deepest fears, question their most dearly held beliefs, and begin to see that perhaps the best way to move forward is the one way they had never considered.

Critique: It is interesting to note that Michigan Notable Book Award winner author and novelist Erin Bartels drew from her personal experience hiking backcountry trails with her sister to write "All That We Carried" with its themes about the complexities of grief, faith, and sisterhood. A deftly crafted, entertaining, thought-provoking novel, "All That We Carried" is especially recommended and certain to be an enduringly popular addition to community library Contemporary General Fiction collections. Furthermore, "All That We Carried" is also readily available for personal reading lists in a paperback edition, (9780800738365, $16.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).

Minus Me
Mameve Medwed
www.mamevemedwed.com
Alcove Press
https://alcovepress.com
www.dreamscapeab.com/audiobooks
9781643856438, $16.99, PB, 336pp

https://www.amazon.com/Minus-Me-Novel-Mameve-Medwed/dp/164385643X

Synopsis: Annie and her devoted but comically incompetent childhood sweetheart Sam are the owners and operators of Annie's, a gourmet sandwich shop, home to the legendary Paul Bunyan Special Sandwich -- their "nutritionally challenged continual source of income and marital harmony and local fame."

But into their mostly charmed marriage comes the scary medical diagnosis for Annie--and the overwhelming challenge of finding a way to help Sam go on without her. Annie decides to leave Sam step-by-step instructions for a future without her, and considers her own replacement in his heart and their bed. Her best-laid plans grind to a halt with the unexpected appearance of Ursula, Annie's Manhattan diva of a mother, who brings her own brand of chaos and disruption into their lives.

Critique: "Minus Me" by Mameve Medwed is an impressively, original, deftly crafted, emotionally eloquent, and downright comedic novel about the bonds and responsibilities of marriage, the burdens and tribulations of maternal love, and the courage required to face our inevitably mortality. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Minus Me" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Dreamscape Media, 9781662071119, $22.99, CD).

This Magnificent Dappled Sea
David Biro
Lake Union Publishing
www.brillianceaudio.com
9781542019811, $14.95, PB, 269pp

https://www.amazon.com/This-Magnificent-Dappled-David-Biro/dp/1542019818

Synopsis: In a small Northern Italian village, nine-year-old Luca Taviano catches a stubborn cold and is subsequently diagnosed with leukemia. His only hope for survival is a bone marrow transplant. After an exhaustive search, a match turns up three thousand miles away in the form of a most unlikely donor: Joseph Neiman, a rabbi in Brooklyn, New York, who is suffering from a debilitating crisis of faith.

As Luca's young nurse, Nina Vocelli, risks her career and races against time to help save the spirited redheaded boy, she uncovers terrible secrets from World War II -- secrets that reveal how a Catholic child could have Jewish genes.

Can inheritance be transcended by accidents of love? That is the question at the heart of "This Magnificent Dappled Sea", a novel by author David Biro that challenges the idea of identity and celebrates the ties that bind us together.

Critique: "The Magnificent Dappled Sea by David Biro is a deftly crafted novel by an author with a genuine flair for originality and the kind of narrative storytelling style that both entertains and provokes thoughtful reflection. The kind of literary work that will linger in the mind and memory long after the book itself has been finished and set back upon the shelf, "The Magnificent Dappled Sea" is unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Magnificent Dappled Sea" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Brilliance Audio, 9781713502364, $14.99, MP3-CD).

Other Fires
Lenore H. Gay
She Writes Press
www.shewritespress.com
9781631527739, $16.95, PB, 296pp

https://www.amazon.com/Other-Fires-Lenore-H-Gay/dp/1631527738

Synopsis: The troubled marriage of Joss and Phil is fragmented when Phil is injured in a devastating fire and diagnosed with Capgras delusion -- a misidentification syndrome in which a person becomes convinced that a loved one has been replaced by an identical imposter.

Faced with a husband who no longer recognizes her, Joss struggles to find motivation to save their marriage, even as family secrets start to emerge that challenge everything she thought she knew. With two young daughters, a looming book deadline, and an attractive but complicated distraction named Adam complicating her situation even further, Joss has to decide what she wants for her family -- and what family even means.

Critique: A riveting page turner of a novel by an author with the kind of narrative driven storytelling style that will fully entertain and engage the reader from cover to cover, Lenore H. Gay's "Other Fires" is a fully absorbing and unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary General Fictions collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of anyone with an interest in Medical/Psychological themed fiction that "Other Fires" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.49).

Editorial Note: Lenore Gay is a retired Licensed Professional Counselor with a master's in sociology and rehabilitation counseling. She was an adjunct faculty at Virginia Commonwealth University's Rehabilitation Counseling Department for thirty years. She has worked in several agencies and psychiatric hospitals, and for ten years worked at her private counseling practice before becoming Coordinator of VCU's Rehabilitation Counseling Department internship program.

Our Darkest Night
Jennifer Robson
William Morrow & Company
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
www.blackstoneaudio.com
9780063059405, $27.99, HC, 384pp

https://www.amazon.com/Our-Darkest-Night-Novel-Second/dp/0063059401

Synopsis: It is the autumn of 1943, and life is becoming increasingly perilous for Italian Jews like the Mazin family. With Nazi Germany now occupying most of her beloved homeland, and the threat of imprisonment and deportation growing ever more certain, Antonina Mazin has but one hope to survive -- to leave Venice and her beloved parents and hide in the countryside with a man she has only just met.

Nico Gerardi was studying for the priesthood until circumstances forced him to leave the seminary to run his family's farm. A moral and just man, he could not stand by when the fascists and Nazis began taking innocent lives. Rather than risk a perilous escape across the mountains, Nina will pose as his new bride. And to keep her safe and protect secrets of his own, Nico and Nina must convince prying eyes they are happily married and in love.

But farm life is not easy for a cultured city girl who dreams of becoming a doctor like her father, and Nico's provincial neighbors are wary of this soft and educated woman they do not know. Even worse, their distrust is shared by a local Nazi official with a vendetta against Nico. The more he learns of Nina, the more his suspicions grow -- and with them his determination to exact revenge.

As Nina and Nico come to know each other, their feelings deepen, transforming their relationship into much more than a charade. Yet both fear that every passing day brings them closer to being torn apart!

Critique: Of special appeal to readers with an interest in World War II based historical fiction, Jewish themed novels, and women's literature, "Our Darkest Night" by Jennifer Robson is a superbly crafted and inherently riveting novel. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Our Darkest Night" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9780062674975,$17.99), in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99), and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9781799946717, $39.99, CD).


The Literary Fiction Shelf

Yams Do Not Exist
Garry Thomas Morse
Turnstone Press
https://www.turnstonepress.com
9780888016775, $19.00, PB, 200pp

https://www.amazon.com/Yams-Exist-Garry-Thomas-Morse/dp/0888016778

Synopsis: Farinata Feck, a poet of mixed heritage, is a man of many appetites; yet he is most consumed by the search to find his romantic ideal. Yo-yoing between Regina and Winnipeg, Farinata crosses paths with colonial ghosts, cosplay enthusiasts, a Faulknerian gossip, a rogue tree-cop, and a sweet potato activist.

A compendium of short stories with equal parts playfulness and decadence, "Yams Do Not Exist" by Garry Thomas Morse renders the Beckettish adventures of the lovelorn libertine with hypnotic surrealism. A dizzying display of literary opulence and allusion, "Yams Do Not Exist" offers a twisting, prairie roadmap to romance that is by turns both hellish and sublime.

Critique: An impressively unique and inherently fascinating read from cover to cover, "Yams Do Not Exist" is an particular and unreservedly recommended addition to community, college, and university library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Yams Do Not Exist" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.16).

Editorial Note: Garry Thomas Morse has published several collections of poetry, notably Discovery Passages, about his Kwakwaka'wakw Indigenous ancestors, short listed for the Governor General's Award and the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize, and Prairie Harbour, also short listed for a Governor General's Award. He has twice been short listed for the national Re-Lit Award for fiction, and has served as the Jack McClelland Writer-in-Residence at the University of Toronto and the Carol Shields Writer-in-Residence at the University of Winnipeg.


The Romantic Fiction Shelf

Night Tide
Anna Burke
Bywater Books
P.O. Box 3671, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106-3671
www.bywaterbooks.com
9781612941813, $16.95, PB, 300pp

https://www.amazon.com/Night-Tide-Seal-Cove-Romance/dp/1612941818

Synopsis: Lillian Lee doesn't believe in love at first sight. Hate is a different story -- and one she is intimately familiar with. Luckily, she hasn't seen her arch-nemesis, Ivy Holden, since graduating from veterinary school five years ago. Since then, while her life isn't going exactly according to plan, she's happy. She has great friends, a job she loves, and the best pets in the world. Most importantly, her life is stable.

Seal Cove, Maine, is the last place Ivy Holden ever expected to end up. But when an unexpected medical condition forces her to relocate to be closer to family, she can't turn down the opportunity. Her new job at Seal Cove Veterinary Clinic has everything she needs: flexibility, proximity to her family's summer home, and the chance to do the work she loves. Unfortunately, it also has Lillian Lee.

Thrown back into one another's orbits, Lillian and Ivy must find a way to work together, despite the treacherous emotions threatening to drown them both.

Critique: An impressively crafted, original, and inherently engaging romance novel by an author with exceptional narrative storytelling skills, "Night Tide" by Anna Burke is a thoroughly entertaining read from first page to last -- making it an exceptional and unreservedly recommended addition to personal reading lists and community library LGBT Contemporary Romance Fiction collections.

Tidewater Bride
Laura Frantz
www.laurafrantz.net
Fleming H. Revell Company
c/o Baker Publishing Group
6030 East Fulton, Ada, MI 49301
www.revellbooks.com
9780800739669, $29.99, HC, 416pp

https://www.amazon.com/Tidewater-Bride-Laura-Frantz/dp/0800739663

Synopsis: Selah Hopewell seems to be the only woman in the Virginia colony who has no wish to wed. True, there are too many men and far too few women in James Towne. But Selah already has her hands full assisting her father in the family's shop. And now she is in charge of an incoming shipment of tobacco brides who must be looked after as they sort through their many suitors.

Xander Renick is perhaps the most eligible tobacco lord in the settlement. His lands are vast, his crops are prized, and his position as a mediator between the colonists and the powerful Powhatan nation surrounding them makes him indispensable. But Xander is already wedded to his business and still grieves the loss of his wife, daughter of the Powhatan chief.

Can two fiercely independent people find happiness and fulfillment on their own? Or will they discover that what they've been missing in life has been right in front of them all along?

Critique: Set against the background salty shores of seventeenth-century Virginia, "Tidewater Bride is a deftly crafted historical romance novel that showcases the pride, the honor, and the restorative power of true love. Certain to be an immediately popular and fully entertaining addition to community library Romance Fiction collections, it should be noted for all dedicated romance fiction readers, as well as the growing legions of Laura Frantz fans, that "Tidewater Bride" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9780800734961, $16.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Laura Frantz is a Christy Award winner and the ECPA bestselling author of eleven novels, including An Uncommon Woman, The Frontiersman's Daughter, Courting Morrow Little, The Colonel's Lady, The Lacemaker, and A Bound Heart. She maintains an informative website at www.laurafrantz.net

Goodbye, Orchid
Carol Van Den Hende
Koehler Books
www.koehlerbooks.com
9781646631902, $29.95, HC, 280pp

https://www.amazon.com/Goodbye-Orchid-Love-Her-Leave/dp/1646631900

Synopsis: One July morning in Manhattan, handsome athlete and entrepreneur Phoenix Walker accompanies his love, half-Asian beauty Orchid, to the airport. Neither believes today is goodbye. But after she leaves, disaster strikes. Phoenix wakes in the hospital, broken, forever changed. He longs for Orchid but remembers the tragedy in her past that makes her panic over images of trauma. Now, he's faced with the hardest decision of his life. Does he burden the woman whose traumatic childhood makes him feel protective of her? Or does true love mean leaving her without explaining why?

Critique: A deftly crafted and inherently compelling read from first page to last, "Goodbye, Orchid: To Love Her, He Had To Leave Her" is a unique, eloquent, and expertly presented novel by an author with an impressive talent for the kind of narrative storytelling style that makes for a simply outstanding work of literary romance. The stuff of which major Hollywood movies are made, "Goodbye, Orchid: To Love Her, He Had To Leave Her" is unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary Romance Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Goodbye, Orchid: To Love Her, He Had To Leave Her" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9781646631889, $14.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99).

His Accidental Bride
Carolyn Twede Frank
Covenant Communications
c/o Deseret Books
www.deseretbook.com
9781524413507, $16.99, PB, 264pp

https://www.amazon.com/Accidental-Bride-Carolyn-Twede-Frank/dp/152441350X

Synopsis: Dorothy Bednar is living a life she despises. Forced to work as a double-dealing saloon girl, Dorothy has finally had enough. The next train out of town is her ticket to freedom, and Dorothy jumps aboard without a thought for where she's going -- until she meets a kind woman aboard the train. Her fellow passenger was originally traveling to Colorado to marry a man she'd never met, but her cold feet offer Dorothy the perfect opportunity to set up roots somewhere new. Dorothy soon finds herself posing as the mail-order bride -- after all, marrying a stranger can't be worse than what she left behind.

Young Colorado lawyer Ronald Smith is astonished when he spies the lovely woman who comes to greet him -- the woman who is to be his wife. Dorothy is beyond Ronald's wildest dreams, a kindhearted partner eager to be a homemaker and mother. To Dorothy, Ronald is the most gentlemanly man she's ever met -- a man who makes her feel safe and cherished. What begins as a deception soon deepens into true love, but too soon, Dorothy's secret past threatens the beautiful life she's built -- a life that feels truer than anything she's ever known.

Critique: An impressively original and inherently entertaining novel that will hold particular interest for all dedicated romance fiction fans, "His Accidental Bride" by Carolyn Twede Frank is an extraordinarily well crafted story with many a reader-gripping plot twist and turn. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Romance Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "His Accidental Bride" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (9781524413514, $29.99, CD).


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

A Rage at Sea / A Party Every Night
Lorenz Heller (aka Fredrick Lorenz)
Stark House Press
1315 H Street, Eureka, CA 95501
www.starkhousepress.com
9781944520991, $19.95, PB, 290pp

https://www.amazon.com/Rage-Sea-Party-Every-Night/dp/1944520996

Synopsis: A RAGE AT SEA: Frank Dixon has just lost his ship in a crap game, and is about to lose his woman as well, when Addams offers him a job captaining the Almacor. All he has to do is take the owner and his drunken guests around the Caribbean. Trouble is, Dixon hates Addams - doesn't trust him, knows that Addams will sabotage him if he can. But Dixon only has this one chance to climb out of the bottle, one shot at redemption, and agrees to helm the yacht. Thank goodness he has young Wirt aboard. There's one seaman he can trust. It's not long before the drinking starts, the owner takes a swing at Wirt, and all hell breaks loose. Dixon knows that Addams is only waiting for his opportunity to stab him in the back, and this could be it.

A PARTY EVERY NIGHT: Vance is the perfect bartender -- tall, good-looking, funny, he charms them all. Particularly the waitress, Cora. But Vance only has eyes for Maddie. Unfortunately, Maddie is married to the town lush, Wes Elwood. Almost every night, you will find Maddie and Wes at Vance's bar, belting down the Scotches and hating one another with a white heat. Tonight is different. Tonight Wes disappears in his car, and no one can find him. After closing, Vance takes Maddie out to all the after-hours bars looking for him, but all they get is one run-around after another, and no Wes. Then Wes is found drowned. And that's when Durkin steps in, a cop who collects facts like some people collect stamps. Durkin has his own idea of what happened to Wes, and as far as he's concerned, all those facts lead him back to Vance.

Critique: Stark House Press is the premier publisher of 'time lost' mysteries by some of the best novelists to every publish in the Mystery/Suspense genre. Enhanced for contemporary readers with an informative introduction by Nicholas Litchfield, "A Rage at Sea / A Party Every Night" showcases for a new general of mystery lovers the storytelling talents of Lorenzx Heller writing under the pseudonym of Frederick Lorenz and originally published in 1953 and 1956 respectively. While especially recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the personal reading list of all suspense/thriller fans that this new edition of "A Rage at Sea / A Party Every Night" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99).

Editorial Note: Frederick Lorenz was born Lorenz F. Heller in West Hoboken, New Jersey on October 5, 1910, studied journalism at Rutgers and worked on various New Jersey newspapers. He then ran away to sea and became an able seaman on a freighter before jumping ship and returning to start writing fiction. Heller published his first novel, Murder in Make-Up, in 1937 and continued to write under a variety of names, including Laura Hale, Larry Heller, Lorenz Heller and Larry Holden, working with publishers like Pyramid, Popular Library, Beacon and Eton Books. He also wrote TV scripts under the name Burt Sims. As Frederick Lorenz he turned out seven sharp crime novels for Lion Books in the 1950s. Heller eventually settled in the Venice, Florida area where he supported himself entirely on his writing. He died on December 12, 1965.

Surrender the Dead
John Burley
William Morrow & Company
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
www.blackstoneaudio.com
9780062431875, $17.99, PB, 416pp

https://www.amazon.com/Surrender-Dead-Novel-John-Burley/dp/0062431870

Synopsis: When Erin Reece left Wolf Point fifteen years ago after graduating high school, she'd planned to never set foot in her childhood hometown again. But an urgent phone call from her father's doctor leaves Erin with no choice but to return to a place filled with painful memories and wounds that never closed. Two decades ago, people in Wolf Point started disappearing without a trace (including Erin's mother) and no explanation was ever found.

It's been years since the last disappearance, but the town is still steeped in suspicion and haunted by the ghosts of the missing. No one is thrilled to see Erin back, including her former best friend, Robbie, who has changed from a spirited, fearless boy to a reclusive shut-in.

Then a body is discovered, buried in a makeshift grave for years on the Reece family's land. The police reopen their investigation, and the evidence against Erin's father is damning. After such a long time without answers, the community wants justice. It's up to Erin to clear her father's name, but the path to the truth will force her to unearth long-buried secrets and confront a terrible evil. Because in Wolf Point, everyone knows more than they are letting on

Critique: A deftly crafted suspense thriller of a novel with more unexpected plot twists and turns than a Disneyland roller coaster, "Surrender The Dead" by John Burley will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense/Thriller fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Surrender The Dead" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9781799947431, $34.99, CD).


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

Holes in the Veil
Beth Overmyer
Flame Tree Press
www.flametreepress.com
9781787585836, $24.95, HC, 240pp

https://www.amazon.com/Holes-Veil-Goblets-Immortal-Overmyer/dp/1787585832

Synopsis: Having killed his lifelong enemy, Aidan Ingledark finds himself in possession of a map to the Questing Goblet, one of the Goblets Immortal that gives the drinker luck beyond measure. Meraude seeks this Goblet to wipe out magic-kind. Aidan and his traveling companion are determined to find it first but they must battle through illusion and doubt.

Jinn's a Sightful seeking the Summoner. She wants to kill her mother, but her foresight ends in darkness. Can she enlist Aidan's help and change her fate? The threat of Meraude and her dominion are imminent!

Critique: A riveting good read from cover to cover, "Holes in the Veil" (the sequel to "The Goblets Immortal") is another extraordinary and deftly crafted action/adventure fantasy from the mind and imagination of fantasy author Beth Overmyer. While an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to community library Science Fiction & Fantasy collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of all dedicated fantasy fiction fans that "Holes in the Veil" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9781787585812, $14.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $6.99).

Editorial Note: Flame Tree Press is the imprint of long-standing Independent Flame Tree Publishing, dedicated to full-length original fiction in the horror and suspense, science fiction & fantasy, and crime / mystery / thriller categories. The list brings together fantastic new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices. Learn more about Flame Tree Press at www.flametreepress.com and connect on social media @FlameTreePress


The Christian Studies Shelf

Beholding Beauty: Mary and the Song of Songs
Gregory Cleveland, OMV
Pauline Books & Media
50 St. Paul's Avenue, Boston, MA 02130-3433
www.pauline.org
9780819812452, $19.95, PB, 288pp

https://www.amazon.com/Beholding-Beauty-Mary-Song-Songs/dp/0819812455

Synopsis: Christian mystics have often used the Song of Songs, a classic love poem in the Bible, to express their intense longing for God. In his captivating and original book, "Beholding Beauty: Mary and the Song of Songs", Father Gregory Cleveland, OMV shows how the image of the Bride in the Song of Songs can help you to understand and grow in relationship with Mary the Mother of God. As you read about Mary's mystical union with the Holy Trinity, you will also learn more about the beauty of your own call to grow in union with God!

Critique: Of particular relevance and interest to all members of the Roman Catholic community, "Beholding Beauty: Mary and the Song of Songs" is a truly exceptional, inspired and inspiring study. While "Beholding Beauty: Mary and the Song of Songs" is especially and enthusiastically recommended for church, seminary, community, and academic library Biblical Studies collections, it should be noted that it is also readily available for the personal reading lists of clergy, laity, seminary students, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject.

The Grace of Beauty
Melannie Svoboda, SND
Twenty-Third Publications
1 Montauk Avenue, #200, New London, CT 06320
www.23rdpublications.com
9781627855419, $14.95, PB, 128pp

https://www.amazon.com/Grace-Beauty-Mystery-Power-Delight/dp/1627855416

Synopsis: In a world beset by the ugliness of war, greed, pandemic, and injustice, we all need to seek, find, and let our hearts rest in the experience of beauty. Not the beauty found in fashion magazines, but the true beauty, ever ancient, ever new, sought by St. Augustine and countless philosophers, artists, musicians, poets, and holy people throughout the centuries.

"The Grace of Beauty: Its Mystery, Power, and Delight in Daily Life " by Melannie Svoboda is a beautiful book that engagingly explores the mystery, power, and grace of the beauty our souls seek, the kind of beauty that evokes a whispered Wow! or heartfelt, Thank you, God! Our experience of beauty, says Sr. Melannie, has the power to realign our mind and heart toward the Source of all Beauty, our Beloved God.

Critique: Inspired and inspiring, "The Grace of Beauty: Its Mystery, Power, and Delight in Daily Life" is especially and unreservedly recommended reading for clergy, seminary students, and all other members of the Christian community regardless of denominational affiliations.

Editorial Note: Melannie Svoboda, SND, is the author of "Hanging Onto Hope" and "Everyday Epiphanies" and many other books from Twenty-Third Publications. She currently writes, directs retreats, and gives talks on contemporary spirituality.

The God of the Old Testament
R. W. L. Moberly
Baker Academic
c/o Baker Publishing Group
6030 East Fulton, Ada, MI 49301
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
9781540962997, $34.99, HC, 304pp

https://www.amazon.com/God-Old-Testament-Encountering-Christian/dp/1540962997

Synopsis: Professor Walter Moberly is a well respected Old Testament theologian known for his creative, accessible, and provocative writing. His Old Testament Theology has been well received. "The God of the Old Testament: Encountering the Divine in Christian Scripture" is written in his characteristic style that deftly combines biblical criticism with constructive theology and engages both Jewish and Christian interpretations.

In the pages of "The God of the Old Testament: Encountering the Divine in Christian Scripture" Professor Moberly offers the reader informative commentaries on eight pivotal Old Testament passages that unpack the nature of God in Christian Scripture, demonstrating a Christian approach to reading the Old Testament that holds together the priorities of both scholarship and faith.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "The God of the Old Testament: Encountering the Divine in Christian Scripture" is an extraordinary, inspired and inspiring study that is especially recommended for personal, professional, community, church, seminary, college, and university library Old Testament Studies collections. It should be noted for seminary students, clergy, theologians, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The God of the Old Testament: Encountering the Divine in Christian Scripture" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $22.47).

Editorial Note: R. W. (Walter) L. Moberly (born 26 March 1952) is an English theologian and professor of theology and biblical interpretation at Durham University. He was awarded an M.A. at Oxford and both an M.A., Ph.D. Cambridge, UK. He is also an ordained priest in the Church of England.

My Wynter Season
Jonathan Pitts
Harvest House Publishers
PO Box 41210, Eugene, OR 97404-0322
www.harvesthousepublishers.com
9780736981354, $15.99, PB, 192pp

https://www.amazon.com/My-Wynter-Season-Seeing-Faithfulness/dp/0736981357

Synopsis: When Jonathan Pitts took Wynter, his wife of 15 years, into his arms for their anniversary dance, he had no idea that within a month he would be on a completely different journey, navigating life after Wynter's sudden death at the age of 38.

One moment he was married to a successful author and magazine publisher, and putting the finishing touches on their book about marriage. The next he was a widower and a single father of four grieving daughters. Without warning, the future his family had planned together dissolved, leaving Jonathan trying to answer the question that echoed through his daughters' hearts and his own: How could a loving God allow this unspeakable loss?

"My Wynter Season: Seeing God's Faithfulness in the Shadow of Grief" is Jonathan's immensely personal story of losing the most wonderful gift he had ever been given and his journey toward understanding life without her. Yet in the wilderness of his grief, Jonathan found himself surrounded by God's extravagant love, and came to truly understand Christ's life-giving promise that death is not the end.

Critique: Eloquent, engaging, and ultimately inspiring, "My Wynter Season: Seeing God's Faithfulness in the Shadow of Grief" is an extraordinary and highly recommended addition to the personal reading lists of all members of the Christian community (and anyone else) who are struggling, especially in this time of pandemic, with the loss of a loved one. While very strongly recommended for church and community library Death/Dying/Grieving collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "My Wynter Season" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).

Editorial Note: Jonathan Pitts is an author, speaker, and executive pastor at Church of the City in Franklin, TN. Prior to pastoring, Jonathan was executive director at The Urban Alternative, the national ministry of Dr. Tony Evans in Dallas, Texas.

Confronting Injustice without Compromising Truth
Thaddeus J. Williams
Zondervan Academic
c/o Zondervan Publishing House
5300 Patterson Avenue, S.E., Grand Rapids, MI 49530
www.zondervan.com
9780310119487, $22.99, PB, 288pp

https://www.amazon.com/Confronting-Injustice-without-Compromising-Truth/dp/0310119480

Synopsis: Social justice is not optional for the Christian. All injustice affects others, so talking about justice that isn't social is like talking about water that isn't wet or a square with no right angles. But the Bible's call to seek justice is not a call to superficial, kneejerk activism. We are not merely commanded to execute justice, but to "truly execute justice". The God who commands us to seek justice is the same God who commands us to "test everything" and "hold fast to what is good".

Drawing from a diverse range of theologians, sociologists, artists, and activists, "Confronting Injustice without Compromising Truth: 12 Questions Christians Should Ask About Social Justice", by Thaddeus Williams, makes the case that we must be discerning if we are to "truly execute justice" as Scripture commands. Not everything called "social justice" today is compatible with a biblical vision of a better world. The Bible offers hopeful and distinctive answers to deep questions of worship, community, salvation, and knowledge that ought to mark a uniquely Christian pursuit of justice.

The social justice topics specifically addressed include: Racism; Sexuality; Socialism; Culture War; Abortion; Tribalism; Critical Theory; and Identity Politics.

In "Confronting Injustice without Compromising Truth", Williams transcends our religious and political tribalism and challenges readers to discover what the Bible and the example of Jesus have to teach us about justice. He presents a compelling vision of justice for all God's image-bearers that offers hopeful answers to life's biggest questions.

Critique: Timely and timeless, in this current period of pandemic, economic inequality, racial discrimination, and violent political division, "Confronting Injustice without Compromising Truth: 12 Questions Christians Should Ask About Social Justice" is deserving of as wide a readership as possible and should be a part of every church, seminary, community, college, and university library Religious Ethics, Ethics in Christian Theology, and Christian Social Issues collections and supplemental curriculum studies list. It should be noted for seminary students, clergy, and all other members of the Christian community (regardless of denominational affiliations) that "Confronting Injustice without Compromising Truth" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).

Editorial Note: Thaddeus Williams (Ph.D., Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam) loves enlarging students' understanding and enjoyment of Jesus at Biola University in La Mirada, CA, where he serves as assistant professor of Systematic Theology for Talbot School of Theology. He has also taught Philosophy and Literature at Saddleback College, Jurisprudence at Trinity Law School, and as a lecturer in Worldview Studies at L'Abri Fellowships in Switzerland and Holland, and Ethics for Blackstone Legal Fellowship the Federalist Society in Washington D.C.

Eldercare as Art and Ministry
Irene V. Jackson-Brown
Church Publishing Incorporated
www.churchpublishing.org
www.theartofeldercare.com
9781640653078, $14.95, PB, 128pp

https://www.amazon.com/Eldercare-Art-Ministry-Irene-Jackson-Brown/dp/1640653074

Synopsis: "Eldercare as Art and Ministry" by Irene V. Jackson-Brown broadens and deepens an understanding of eldercare as an art and as a Christian ministry. As art, eldercare requires creativity, imagination, and perseverance. As a Christian ministry it is considered in its fullest meaning, to include guiding, administering, serving, waiting upon, or acting as a loved one's agent. Through stories, lessons, and poignant vignettes, "Eldercare as Art and Ministry" calls each one of us whether young or older, ordained or laity, fortunate or less fortunate, prepared or not to serve and care for an aging loved one. For lay people and professionals, "Eldercare as Art and Ministry" is a guide to navigate the challenges of eldercare and to find meaning in this important work.

Critique: Offering a timely and timeless message to all members of the Christian community, "Eldercare as Art and Ministry" is exceptionally well written, organized and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in presentation. While especially recommended for senior citizen community center, public community, seminary, and church library Christian Living & Eldercare collections, It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Eldercare as Art and Ministry" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.49).

Editorial Note: Irene V. Jackson-Brown received the gift of eldercare when she became a caregiver for both parents and two aunts. She now serves and advocates for families and older adults about aging issues and challenges. As a senior-serving professional, she holds certifications from the Society of Certified Senior Advisors (CSA), the Association of Aging Life Care Professionals (ALCA), formerly the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers, and the National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners (CDP). She is a caregiver, author, speaker, and consultant through her Washington DC based company, Jackson-Brown Associates, LLC (www.theartofeldercare.com).

Devoted to God's Church
Sinclair B. Ferguson
Banner of Truth
PO Box 621, Carlisle, PA 17013
www.banneroftruth.org
9781848719767, $15.00, PB, 200pp

https://www.amazon.com/Devoted-Gods-Church-Christian-Fellowship/dp/1848719760

Synopsis: Being a Christian is not an individualistic or isolated activity. Believing also involves belonging. Being a Christian, by definition, involves belonging to the church.

"Devoted to God's Church: Core Values for Christian Fellowship" by Professor Sinclair Ferguson is not volume of ideas about how your church ought to change or what it needs to do in order to grow or to be successful. Rather it is about how we, personally, fit into our own church. There are hallmarks of church life that should be stamped on all our churches because they are applicable everywhere and anywhere -- New Testament values for any size of church, in any part of the world, at any time.

"Devoted to God's Church" will ably serve to help new Christians understand what it is to be part of a church, and will also be a refreshing reminder to every practicing Christian of what it should look like to belong to the family of God.

Critique: Inspired and inspiring, "Devoted to God's Church: Core Values for Christian Fellowship" is especially and unreservedly recommended for the personal reading list of all members of the Christian community regardless of denominational affiliations and will be of immense interest to seminarians and clergy.

Editorial Note: Dr. Sinclair B. Ferguson is a Ligonier teaching fellow and distinguished visiting professor of systematic theology at Westminster Theological Seminary. He previously served as the senior minister of the First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, S.C., and he has written more than two dozen books, including The Whole Christ, The Holy Spirit, In Christ Alone, and, with Dr. Derek Thomas, Ichthus: Jesus Christ, God's Son, the Saviour.


The Business Shelf

Exit Rich
Michelle Seiler Tucker & Sharon Lechter
An Ink Original
c/o Greenleaf Book Group Press
PO Box 91869, Austin, TX 78709
www.greenleafbookgroup.com
9781732510289, $27.95, HC, 312pp

https://www.amazon.com/Exit-Rich-Method-Business-Profit/dp/1732510288

Synopsis: Too many entrepreneurs push off planning for the sale of their business until the last moment. But for a business to sell for what it's really worth (or even more!) owners need to prepare for the sale from the very start.

In "Exit Rich: The 6 P Method to Sell Your Business for Huge Profit", author and mergers/acquisitions authority Michelle Seiler Tucker joins forces with Sharon Lechter (who is a finance expert and the author of "Rich Dad Poor Dad") to create an ideal guide and manual for all business owners whether they're gearing up to sell a business now or just getting started building out their company into something to sell for a profit in the future.

Seiler Tucker's two fold approach to selling your business for maximum profit combines two of the most powerful elements of her mergers and acquisitions toolkit: the ''ST GPS Exit Model'' to help business owners set goals for the sale before their business hit the market, and the ''6 P Method'' to help them objectively evaluate their business's worth, before their potential buyers do. Combined, these tools provide invaluable insight into the process of preparing a business for sale, finding the right buyers, and staging the sale itself.

Throughout "Exit Rich", Sharon Lechter's wisdom peppers each chapter in the ''Mentoring Corner'' section, providing forward-thinking entrepreneurs with the perspective that they need to take control of their business's future and exit rich.

"Exit Rich" is a rich resource for any business owner looking to: Objectively evaluate their business before a sale; Improve their chances of finding the right buyer; Sell their business for maximum profit.

Critique: Filling a gap that college/university business schools too often neglect, "Exit Rich: The 6 P Method to Sell Your Business for Huge Profit" is essential reading for any business owner who wants to maximize the value that selling their business enterprise can acquire for them. Thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, and while unreservedly recommended for corporate, community, and college/university library Business Management collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be noted that "Exit Rich: The 6 P Method to Sell Your Business for Huge Profit" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Quantum Marketing
Raja Rajamannar
HarperCollins Leadership
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
www.brillianceaudio.com
9781400223954, $27.99, HC, 240pp

https://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Marketing-Mastering-Tomorrows-Consumers/dp/1400223954

Synopsis: As technology has continually evolved in the last several decades, marketing has had to change with it, evolving through four significant stages that build on the strategies and tools of the previous era. What happens next in the fifth stage, or Fifth Paradigm, will not be an evolution, but a revolution. Almost everything about how marketing is done today, including the very notion of a brand itself, will require a complete re-imagination.

As Chief Marketing Officer of Mastercard (one of the world's most recognizable and decorated brands) Raja Rajamannar shares the forward-thinking ways all businesses must rethink their entire marketing landscape to remain relevant and be successful in the pages of "Quantum Marketing: Mastering the New Marketing Mindset for Tomorrow's Consumers".

"Quantum Marketing covers: Understanding the evolution of marketing and how to be at the forefront of future change; Getting clarity on the right marketing strategies and tactics to pursue amidst an ever-evolving industry; Achieving breakthroughs in innovative thinking in order to compete in modern business; Gaining perspective from top marketers across industries.

"Quantum Marketing" is especially relevant for entrepreneurs and business owners/managers who seek to understand how rapidly marketing is evolving, what some of the smartest people in the discipline are doing to get ready for this dramatic shift, and what the new world will look like for companies, consumers, and society at large as the race to develop revolutionary marketing strategies reaches a whole new level.

Critique: Exceptionally informative, impressively well written, organized and presented, "Quantum Marketing: Mastering the New Marketing Mindset for Tomorrow's Consumers" is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to community, corporate, college, and university library Business Management collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, entrepreneurs, business owners and managers that "Quantum Marketing" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Brilliance Audio, 9781713571162, $27.99, MP3-CD).

Editorial Note: Raja Rajamannar is Chief Marketing & Communications Officer for Mastercard, and president of the company's healthcare business. He also serves as president of the World Federation of Advertisers. Recognized by Adweek as one of the industry's most tech-savvy CMOs, Raja has been lauded among the top 5 World's Most Influential CMOs by Forbes, top 10 World's Most Innovative CMOs by Business Insider; Global Marketer of the Year by the World Federation of Advertisers, and the Marketer of the Year by the ANA Educational Foundation in 2019. His work has been featured by Harvard Business School and Yale School of management case studies, and taught at more than 40 top management schools around the world.

The Business of We
Laura Kriska
HarperCollins Leadership
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
9781400216802, $19.99, PB, 224pp

https://www.amazon.com/Business-We-Three-Step-Process-Workplace/dp/140021680X

Synopsis: In today's workplace, cross-cultural collaboration is essential to the survival of any business. Unfortunately, bringing together people from a variety of backgrounds can lead to "us vs. them" misunderstandings and clashes that work against the goals of the company.

Too often, well-intentioned consultants and HR representatives attempt to solve these problems with a band-aid approach to situations that warrant comprehensive solutions. Diversity in virtually every U.S. organization has increased over the past twenty years, yet the closest we have come to a workplace best practices guide is online diversity training courses or methods of coaching "problem" executives to be more sensitive. Neither of these avenues leads to meaningful change.

In the pages of "The Business of We: The Proven Three-Step Process for Closing the Gap Between Us and Them in Your Workplace", Laura Kriska teaches leaders in any organization how to prevent "us vs. them" culture clashes by promoting inclusion in their organization to increase employee retention and productivity and to prevent misunderstandings that lead to lost time and increased legal risk.

Critique: Informative and comprehensive, "The Business of We: The Proven Three-Step Process for Closing the Gap Between Us and Them in Your Workplace" is exceptionally well written, organized and presented making it a unique and invaluable addition to community, corporate, college, and university library Contemporary Business Management collections in general, and supplemental curriculum reading lists in the specific areas of Financial Auditing, Global Marketing, Human Resources & Personnel Management in particular. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of business students, academia, entrepreneurs and corporate executives that "The Business of We: The Proven Three-Step Process for Closing the Gap Between Us and Them in Your Workplace" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Brilliance Audio, 9781713570981, $24.99, MP3-CD).

Editorial Note: Laura Kriska is a leading cross-cultural consultant with more than thirty years of experience bridging gaps in diverse workplaces. She has worked with Fortune 500 companies on four continents helping thousands of professionals build trust across Us versus Them differences based on nationality, ethnicity, race, religion, age or any factor of identity. Her WE-building framework provides practical and actionable insights for creating a more inclusive and productive world. She regularly speaks on the topic of inclusion and conducts bilingual training sessions around the globe. Considered an authority on cultural integration, she is a regular lecturer and a TEDx speaker. She was the first American woman to work in Honda Motor Company's Tokyo headquarters -- this experience is the basis of her first book "The Accidental Office Lady".

The Live Enterprise
Jeff Kavanaugh & Rafee Tarafdar
www.jeffkavanaugh.net
McGraw Hill Professional
1221 Avenue of the Americas, 45th Floor, New York, NY 10020
www.mhprofessional.com
9781264264339, $27.00, HC, 240pp

https://www.amazon.com/Live-Enterprise-Continuously-Evolving-Organization/dp/126426433X

Synopsis: For decades, business and governmental leaders of large, complex organizations have been rightfully encouraged to run their organizations like lean, agile startups. More often than not, they place their bets on trends like digital transformation or design thinking. Well-intended, yet in isolation they are not enough.

There's another, better way to drive durable, effective change in any organization, and it's been proven effective by global IT and business consulting leader Infosys. The Live Enterprise operating model provides a clear path to transform large complex businesses into agile, digital ecosystems that evolve with changing market needs and scale to any size.

"The Live Enterprise: Create a Continuously Evolving and Learning Organization" shows how to apply the benefits of the startup operating model and more. This groundbreaking guide addresses issues critical to transform large organizations, such as: Create an organizational structure that drives collaboration, innovation, strategic alignment, and new culture across distributed interconnected teams; Respond quickly yet thoughtfully and scientifically to opportunities to create valuable new employee and customer experiences; Re-engineer value chains to see what's missing, what can be improved, and what can be eliminated to generate exponential value; Automate systems so routine decisions can be acted upon with maximum human intuition and minimum human intervention.

Groundbreaking in theory and long-term strategy, "The Live Enterprise" is a game-changing guide includes practical steps that organization leaders can take now for immediate, concrete results, all while laying the groundwork to operate with agility in the future.

The application of Live Enterprise enabled Infosys to make the kinds of changes during the COVID crisis to not only survive but drive outstanding financial results. Now, this innovative approach can be utilized to position any company for the highly unpredictable future ahead.

Critique: Impressively informative, thoughtful, innovative and cutting edge, "The Live Enterprise: Create a Continuously Evolving and Learning Organization" is an extraordinary approach to organizational management and highly recommended for corporate, community, college, and university library Business Management & Decision Making collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and corporate executives that "The Live Enterprise" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $15.12).

Editorial Note #1: Jeff Kavanaugh is the global head of the Infosys Knowledge Institute, the research and thought leadership arm of Infosys, a leading digital services and consulting firm. Over the last 25 years, he has advised many of the world's leading manufacturers and high-tech companies. Jeff is also an adjunct professor at the University of Texas at Dallas. He serves on the board of the Institute of Business Analytics at Indiana University and the Marketing Analytics Board at the University of Texas at Dallas. He maintains an informative website at www.jeffkavanaugh.net and can be followed on Twitter at @jeffkav.

Editorial Note: #2: Rafee Tarafdar is the Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of the Strategic Technologies Group at Infosys, where he builds deep architecture, technology, and programming capabilities.

Killer Visual Strategies
Amy Balliett
Wiley
c/o Wiley Professional Trade Group
111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
www.wiley.com
9781119680222, $30.00, PB, 240pp

https://www.amazon.com/Killer-Visual-Strategies-Amy-Balliett/dp/1119680220

Synopsis: 91% of today's audiences prefer visual content as their first form of information delivery. And a staggering 94% of first impressions of a brand or product will be based entirely on the design of that visual content. That's why in any business enterprise we need to use visual storytelling to help us establish and strengthen relationships, engage distracted audiences, and bring clarity to complexity.

"Killer Visual Strategies" by Amy Balliett examines how visual communication has transformed how brands connect with their customers and colleagues alike. In addition to providing actionable rules to follow for creating high-impact visual content, "Killer Visual Strategies" also explores the latest trends, including visual search, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR), as well as what lies ahead in this dynamic field!

Applicable to a wide range of professions where visual content is now vital to sharing a message, "Killer Visual Strategies" covers: Best practices for modern visual communication; Inspiration from outstanding and groundbreaking visual examples; The latest trends in visual communication; A comprehensive breakdown of how it affects marketing, sales, design, HR, and more!

Critique: Presenting the evolution of visual communication as a fundamental part of how a story is told, "Killer Visual Strategies" is an ideal textbook for MBA courses in Business Project Management, Running Meetings & Presentations, and Corporate Communication Reference. While recommended as a core addition to corporate, college, and university library Business Management collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, corporate executives, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Killer Visual Strategies" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.00).

Editorial Note: Amy Balliett is the CEO and founder of the creative content agency, Killer Visual Strategies (formerly Killer Infographics). Considered an expert in her field, Balliett speaks at dozens of conferences each year including SXSW, Adobe MAX, SMX, and more. She is also a regular teacher at The School of Visual Concepts, a guest lecturer at several colleges and universities, a LinkedIn Learning instructor, and the author of Killer Visual Strategies: Engage Any Audience, Improve Comprehension, and Get Amazing Results Using Visual Communication. She can be followed on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/amyballiett and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/amyballiett


The Metaphysical Studies Shelf

Divine Fire: The Book of the Future
Paulinne Delcour-Min
Ozark Mountain Publishing, Inc.
PO Box 754, Huntsville, AR 72740
www.ozarkmt.com
9781940265827, $17.50, PB, 216pp

https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Fire-Future-Lives-Changing/dp/1940265827

Synopsis: Based on a search for hidden knowledge by Paulinne Delcour-Mine, "Divine Fire: The Book of the Future: Past & Future Lives Changing Our Time Line" offers a spellbinding trip to the future.

Hypnotherapy sessions exploring future lives, parallel lives, extraterrestrial experiences, crystal skulls, and spiritual alchemy were undertaken in the hopes of transforming the looming potential disaster unfolding around us in the world today, and turning it into the beginning of a Golden Age.

"Divine Fire" is about transformation and transcendence. The primary message is that we can make the difference -- and there has never been a more important time to unlock our destinies!

Critique: A welcome and inherently engaging contribution to the growing field of metaphysical studies, "Divine Fire: The Book of the Future: Past & Future Lives Changing Our Time Line" is especially well written, impressively informed and informative, exceptionally thoughtful and thought-provoking, as well as inspired and inspiring. While very highly recommended for community, college, and university library Metaphysical Studies collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Divine Fire" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Paulinne Delcour-Min, BA Hons, PGCE, was born in Chester, England. She initially trained as an artist, but her interest in meditation led to life-changing encounters with angels and inner guides. While studying with the National Federation of Spiritual Healers (NFSH), Britain's largest and oldest healing organization, Paulinne came to understand that our previous lives often affect our current ones. Problems can often have their roots in the past.

House Magic
Aurora Kane
Wellfleet Press
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
100 Cummings Center, Suite 265D, Beverly, MA 01915
www.quartoknows.com
9781577152118, $19.99, HC, 176pp

https://www.amazon.com/House-Magic-Handbook-Sanctuary-Mystical/dp/1577152115

Synopsis: "House Magic: A Handbook to Making Every Home a Sacred Sanctuary" by Aurora Kane presents home protections for every living space that bring together the traditions of earth magic, meditation, herbalism, self-awareness, astrology, and feminist spirituality. From the evil eye to stagnant energy, learn how to transform any space into a sacred sanctuary using the power of crystals, herbs, and flowers. By first learning the ancient histories of home magic spells, their origins, and their practices, "House Magic" presents spells and protections to produce fundamental manifestations in each space within the home including Clearing, Protection, Comfort, Harmony, and Balance.

A profusely illustrated mystical handbook and guide includes: Manifesting a magical life with intentions, altars, and colors; Meditating with the earth and the moon to bring specific intentions into your space; Blessing and protecting a house from evil spirits, and create a harmonizing home with charming symbols like dream catchers, runes, hamsa, and triquetra symbols; Using old traditions and objects like brooms and candles to bless a home; Inviting household spirits such as the Bean-Tighe, Domovoi, and Gaelic Goddess Brigid for protection; Decluttering and utilizing feng shui for any residential space.

Critique: Exceptionally informative, superbly organized, deftly presented, "House Magic: A Handbook to Making Every Home a Sacred Sanctuary" is a thoroughly effective and 'user friendly' instructional guide that will be a prized addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library Metaphysical Studies collections. It should be noted for metaphysical students and practitioners, as well as the non-specialist general reader with an interest in the subject that "House Magic: A Handbook to Making Every Home a Sacred Sanctuary" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.49).

Editorial Note: Aurora Kane is also the author of Moon Magic, as well as a practicing witch and herbalist with many decades (some say centuries) of experience in casting and conjuring. She is a founding member of the Coven of the Moonbeam Ravine.

The Ultimate Guide to the Witch's Wheel of the Year
Anjou Kiernan
Fair Winds Press
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
100 Cummings Center, Suite 265D, Beverly, MA 01915
www.quartoknows.com
9781592339839, $26.99, PB, 208pp

https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Guide-Witch%C2%BFs-Wheel-Year/dp/1592339832

Synopsis: Lavishly illustrated and photographed, "The Ultimate Guide to the Witch's Wheel of the Year: : Rituals, Spells & Practices for Magical Sabbats, Holidays & Celebrations" illustrates spells and practices that will help the metaphysical practitioner to incorporate the old magick of the seasons into modern life.

Accompanying each turn of the Wheel as it cycles through the holidays of Yule, Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Litha, Lughnasadh, Mabon, and Samhain are: Feast recipes; Fertility spells; Protection amulets; Home wards; Divination rituals; Prosperity charms, and so much more!

From the bright blessings of the Yuletide solstice to the fertile flower magick of Beltane to the thinning of the veil on Samhain, each transition lends itself to a unique catalog of spells, altars, and practices that you can use all year long.

Critique: Unique and thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "The Ultimate Guide to the Witch's Wheel of the Year: Rituals, Spells & Practices for Magical Sabbats, Holidays & Celebrations" is an impressively informative and instructive DIY manual that will prove to be an immediately welcome and enduringly valued addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library Metaphysical Collections in general and Contemporary Wiccan Studies reading lists in particular. It should be noted for metaphysical students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Ultimate Guide to the Witch's Wheel of the Year: : Rituals, Spells & Practices for Magical Sabbats, Holidays & Celebrations" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).

Editorial Note: Anjou Kiernan is the hedgewitch and herbal alchemist behind Light of Anjou, a witchery shop and virtual sacred space for magic and mysticism. She has been toiling in potions and occult writing since the age of 16 and has continued her journey in witchcraft on a magically-minded homestead in the rolling hills of mid-Maine. Anjou has been named as one of Refinery29's "Magical Women You Really Should Be Following on Instagram." Her writing and photography of unique altars and sacred spaces have attracted a broad audience and customer base on both Instagram (@lightofanjou) and her online witchery shop (lightofanjou.com).She is also the author of "The Ultimate Guide to Witchcraft and the Book of Altars and Sacred Spaces".


The Self-Help Shelf

The Power of Writing It Down
Allison Fallon
www.allisonfallon.com
Zondervan Publishing House
5300 Patterson Avenue, S.E., Grand Rapids, MI 49530
www.zondervan.com
www.brillianceaudio.com
9780310359340, $25.99, HC, 224pp

https://www.amazon.com/Power-Writing-Down-Simple-Reimagine/dp/0310359341

Synopsis: For anyone who's trying to make sense of their life, who wants to get unstuck from the patterns that hold them back, hear this incredible news: everything you need for the freedom you want is entirely within reach. This practice and pathway is free, it's readily available every day of your life, it takes just minutes of your time, and anyone can do it.

Author, writing coach, and speaker Allison Fallon's life transformed when she discovered the power of a daily writing practice. As it turns out, using your words is one of the most powerful means you have for unlocking your life. "The Power of Writing It Down: A Simple Habit to Unlock Your Brain and Reimagine Your Life" is your guide to this transformative tool available to us all.

In as little as five to twenty minutes a day, scientific research shows this daily practice can help you: Identify your ruts and create new neurological grooves toward better habits; Find fresh motivation and take ownership of your life; Heal from past pain and trauma; Relieve anxiety and depression; Contextualize life's setbacks and minor frustrations; Live a more confident, balanced, and healthy life; and so much more!

Drawing from years of coaching hundreds through the writing process (from first-timers to New York Times bestselling authors) Allison shares tried and tested practices for getting started, staying inspired, and using this simple habit to shift how you feel and show up to your life. Pen and paper is simply the method, but the reward is the real magic: new depths of self-discovery, creativity, and intentionality for living.

Critique: Originally intended as a DIY general self-help/self-improvement instructional guide and manual, "The Power of Writing It Down: A Simple Habit to Unlock Your Brain and Reimagine Your Life" will prove to be of extraordinary value to all aspiring writers with hopes and ambitions of publication for their work. Writing is by its very nature an isolating activity. But it is also one of the most effective techniques for self-awareness and catharsis in this current ages of pandemic, economic struggle, social conflict, and political instability. While especially recommended for community, college, and university library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Power of Writing It Down: A Simple Habit to Unlock Your Brain and Reimagine Your Life" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Billiance Audio, 9781713571360, $25.99, MP3-CD).

Editorial Note: Allison Fallon is an author, speaker, and founder of Find Your Voice, a community that supports anyone who wants to write anything. In addition to her books "Packing Light" and "Indestructible", she has helped leaders of multi-national corporations, stay-at-home moms, Olympic gold medalists, recovering addicts, political figures, CEOs, and prison inmates use the Find Your Voice method as a powerful tool to generate positive change in their lives. She maintains an informative website at www.allisonfallon.com

How to Stay Calm in Chaos
Julie M. Gentile
www.JulieGtheYogi.com
MSI Press
1760-F Airline Hwy, #203, Hollister, CA 950243
http://msipress.com
9781950328413, $12.49, PB, 56pp

https://www.amazon.com/How-Stay-Calm-Chaos-Self-Care/dp/1950328414

Synopsis: In this current age of pandemic, social/political unrest, economic stress, self-care is more important now than it has ever been. Effective self-care is exactly what to turn to when you need to stay calm in chaos. A quick and easy DIY read, "How to Stay Calm in Chaos: An Everyday Self-Care Guide" goes beyond the basics of eating well, exercising, and getting quality sleep.

Packed with smart self-care strategies, this instructional guide can help you get through each day of the week: Sunday: Stay Present; Monday: Stay Motivated; Tuesday: Stay Flexible; Wednesday: Stay Realistic; Thursday: Stay Supported; Friday: Stay Connected; Saturday: Stay Resilient.

Whether you write it out, sweat it out, breathe it out, or let it go, the mind-body-spirit practices comprising "How to Stay Calm in Chaos: An Everyday Self-Care Guide) can help you cope with the ever-changing landscape we are living in.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, concise, comprehensive, and thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "How to Stay Calm in Chaos: An Everyday Self-Care Guide" is especially recommended for personal, professional, and community library Self-Help/Self-Improvement collections and reading lists.

Editorial Note: Julie M. Gentile is the author of 108 Yoga and Self-Care Practices for Busy Mamas and author of How to Stay Calm in Chaos: An Everyday Self-Care Guide; creator of the Stand Up for Your Self-Care blog and YouTube Channel, a yoga teacher; and a working mama. She has been leading yoga classes since 2011 to inspire students to nourish their minds, bodies, and spirits. Her own practice, which began in 2008, empowers her to live well as a busy mom. Anyone cearn more about Julie at www.JulieGtheYogi.com, subscribe to her Stand Up for Your Self-Care YouTube Channel for yoga and self-care videos, and stay connected with her on Instagram @juliegtheyogi and Facebook /juliegtheyogi.

The Kindness Formula: Caring + Kindness = Success
Jim Olayos
Regent Press
2747 Regent St., Berkeley, CA 94705
www.regentpress.net
9781587905384, $19.95, PB, 197pp

https://www.amazon.com/Kindness-Formula-Caring-Success/dp/1587905388

Synopsis: Just when, in this time of pandemic, economic stress, social unrest, and political upheaval, we need an uplifting book that offers a practical yet inspiring roadmap to restoring our culture, "The Kindness Formula: Caring + Kindness = Success" by Jim Olayos is now available.

A lifelong quest to simply make a better world by Jim Olayos is manifested so eloquently in "The Kindness Formula". On every page, in each personal anecdote and in each word, you witness the author's compassion, love of life and genuine good nature. All the lessons, including those that are deeply personal, are shared in the most positive and inspirational way so others may benefit.

A guide to achieve success and happiness through simple daily acts of kindness and in a time where social and emotional learning is at the forefront of educational curriculums and goals, "The Kindness Formula" answers the call with a message of finding strength of character, empathy, responsibility and goal setting through life's basic lessons.

A unique self-help book that allows for a personal assessment in an engaging and positive way. "The Kindness Formula" leads you on a special path to success through positive character traits and good deeds. It speaks to a different view of success and how a kind and compassionate outlook can provide the keys to personal fulfillment.

Critique: Thoroughly 'user friendly' in commentary style, organization and presentation, "The Kindness Formula: Caring + Kindness = Success" will prove to be an immediately welcome and enduringly valued addition to community, college, and university library Self-Help/Self-Improvement collections, as well as personal and professional reading lists in the fields of Medical Developmental Psychology, Psychology Education & Training, and Popular Developmental Psychology.

Editorial Note: Jim Olayos has touched the lives of more than 20,0000 children since he founded The Future Stars Sports Academy and Children's Foundation in 1997. Part of the Academy's instruction is Lessons of Life, a unique character building program that instructs children on the fundamentals of being a good person. USA Today bestowed its Most Caring Coach Award on Jim and the New York Daily News named him Coach of the Year. World Kindness USA has recently recruited Jim as a National Board Member for Athletics. He earned the Sportsman Award of the Greater Bridgeport Athletic Association, was voted one of the 100 Most Influential People in Connecticut High School Sports, and was honored by The YMCA of Connecticut with its Distinguished Service Award. The New York Times has also featured the Lessons of Life program and Jim's sports academy and foundation.

Burnout to Breakthrough
Eileen McDargh
Berrett-Koehler Publishers Inc.
1333 Broadway, Suite 1000, Oakland CA, 94612
www.bkconnection.com
9781523089468, $17.95, PB, 192pp

https://www.amazon.com/Burnout-Breakthrough-Building-Resilience-Recharge/dp/1523089466

Synopsis: The World Health Organization has classified burnout as a health problem. In the pages of "Burnout to Breakthrough: Building Resilience to Refuel, Recharge, and Reclaim What Matters", motivational speaker Eileen McDargh proposes that to tackle it, we must learn to break out of energy-draining thoughts and behaviors.

Resilience, she argues, is strictly a matter of energy management -- by better managing your energy, you can both build resiliency and overcome burnout. Breakthrough happens when our energy is consciously distributed to what matters most in our lives. So after a short survey that will tell you where you fit in a burnout and resiliency profile, McDargh helps pinpoint the causes of your burnout and examine the energy demands that keep you from refueling and recharging. She provides an in-depth energy analysis and gives you the keys to master the four dimensions that can give you a resilience breakthrough: head, heart, hands, and humor.

McDargh also guides the reader through the process of identifying energy drains and implementing strategies for handling them, whatever phase of life you are in. Her intention is to help you not only to successfully manage work and life demands but also make even larger strides in understanding how to put together a life by design and not by default.

Critique: Expertly written, exceptionally 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Burnout to Breakthrough: Building Resilience to Refuel, Recharge, and Reclaim What Matters" is an ideal instructional guide that is as practical and effective as it is motivationally inspiring. While highly recommended, especially for community, college, and university library Self-Help/Self-Improvement collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Burnout to Breakthrough" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.49).

Editorial Note: Eileen McDargh is CEO (chief energy officer) at the Resiliency Group, where she draws on practical business know-how, life experience, and years of consulting to major national and international organizations that have included global pharmaceuticals, the US Armed Forces, health-care associations, and religious institutions. In 2019, Global Gurus ranked her number one on its World's Top 30 Communication Professionals list following a global survey of 22,000 business professionals.

Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief
Emily Thiroux Threatt
Mango Publishing
www.lovingandlivingyourwaythroughgrief.com
9781642504828, $18.95, PB, 244pp

https://www.amazon.com/Loving-Living-Your-Though-Grief/dp/1642504823

Synopsis: In the pages of "Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief", Emily Threatt guides and lightens the journey to positivity for those who feel the pain of loss, whether it is the loss of a loved one, a job, a marriage, a house, a pregnancy, a nest egg -- anyone or anything that we loved and that is no longer in our lives. "Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief" provides strategies to embrace the process of learning how to start living again.

"Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief" also includes 26 practices and stories from people who have been through the grieving process and have come out on the other side feeling renewed: one for every week of the year.

Mourning and coping with grief looks different for everyone. Emily has organized "Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief" with this in mind, giving 26 different options to try in any given moment including: Meditating and allowing space for mindful grieving, sadness and loneliness; Finding joy and gratitude in the dark moments; Learning what can be said to others so that they can better understand and help in a recovery journey.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief" is an ideal instructional guide for dealing with grief and is particularly timely in this present era of pandemic that has resulted in the loss of half a million Americans and more. Deserving of as wide a readership as possible in these particularly troubled times, and while especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Grief & Bereavement and Stress Management Self-Help collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Emily Thiroux Threatt is a textbook author and lecturer with extensive personal experience in the grieving process due to the deaths of her two husbands, as well as her father, mother, aunts, uncles and many friends. She has learned to face life with love, optimism, and joy. In turn, she has created a unique program called, "Writing Your Way Through Grief" to help others through the grieving process.

Measure Twice, Cut Once: Navigating Negativity in Toxic Relationships
Allison Jones
http://theallisonjones.com
Barnes & Noble Press
https://press.barnesandnoble.com
9781663539632, $19.99, PB

https://www.amazon.com/Measure-Twice-Cut-Once-Relationships-ebook/dp/B08GL5G76M

Synopsis: The principle message throughout Allison Jones' "Measure Twice, Cut Once: Navigating Negativity in Toxic Relationships" is that there is an insidious and destructive force in each of our lives that we rarely investigate. That oftentimes we accept it because it comes with people, situations and circumstances that are familiar. It's what we've become accustomed to and accept as the status quo. It is a blueprint that brings pain, often unbearable at times; along with self-defeating patterns that over time can become difficult to recognize or acknowledge. It strips us of our internal balance and peace of mind, devastating the mind, body, and spirit. It is something only you have the power to change, yet many times you choose to stay in its grip, almost seeking it out, even as it causes great damage to your personhood. It is a self-made, self-destructive affliction, created by your own willingness to stay locked into the lure of it, even as it works against your health and well-being. It is being involved in toxic relationships!

Allison Kelly Jones' reveals the reality of how we are both co-creators of toxic behavior as well as targets of such behavior, she provides a no nonsense approach to dealing with situations, environments and relationships that require further examination to live authentically and boldly. Asking the hard questions is the key to a more rewarding and fulfilling life and those questions need to be asked and answered if you are not being true to yourself and need to find clarity and closure in relationships.

Critique: Thoroughly 'reader friendly' in content, commentary, organization and presentation, "Measure Twice, Cut Once, Navigating Negativity in Toxic Relationships" is a powerfully effective and easy read that will help to identify toxic behaviors and how to self-correct while teaching others how you want to be treated. While especially and highly recommended for community, college, and university library Self-Help/Self-Improvement collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Measure Twice, Cut Once: Navigating Negativity in Toxic Relationships" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.99).

Editorial Note: Allison Jones maintains an informative website at: http://theallisonjones.com


The Activity Shelf

Quote Acrostic Favorites: Features 50 Rewarding Puzzles
Charles Preston, editor
AKA Associates Inc.
www.akabooks.com
9781734048353, $9.95, PB, 72pp

https://www.amazon.com/Quote-Acrostic-Favorites-Features-Rewarding/dp/1734048352

Synopsis: Selected by former USA Today crossword puzzle editor Charles Preston, these acrostic puzzles comprising "Quote Acrostic Favorites: Features 50 Rewarding Puzzles" reveal wise and witty sayings on topics from business and humor to history and sports. Players will enjoy cracking the clues in the word column; transferring them to the diagram; and discovering quotations from people like Dave Barry, Bette Davis, Nora Ephron, Steve Martin, Carl Sagan, and more. These 50 favorite puzzles feature a number of topics including "Comfort Food," "Leadership," "Precious Lesson," "Senior Moment," and "True Happiness."

Critique: The eighth and most recent volume in the simply outstanding AKA Associates acrostic puzzle series, "Quote Acrostic Favorites: Features 50 Rewarding Puzzles" offers hours and hours of wordsmith fun for all word puzzle enthusiasts from the novice beginning to the experienced player.

Editorial Note: Charles Preston, Crossword Puzzle Editor of USA Today and Dow Jones's National Observer for over a decade, is a distinguished crossword puzzle expert. He has compiled more than 100 puzzle books. Mr. Preston is a syndicated puzzle master and his work appears in dozens of leading newspapers and magazines across the country, including the Chicago Tribune, Newsday, and the San Francisco Chronicle.


The Graphic Novel Shelf

Rivers Of London: The Fey and the Furious
Ben Aaronovitch, author
Andrew Cartmel, author
Lee Sullivan, illustrator
Titan Comics
https://titan-comics.com
9781785865862, $16.99, PB, 112pp

https://www.amazon.com/Rivers-London-Furious-Ben-Aaronovitch/dp/1785865862

Synopsis: Trouble never lies far from the race track. When a flash car belonging to a young boy racer from England washes up in the Netherlands with a bag load of unusual cargo in the form of unicorn horns, it's evident there is more than meets the eye happening at street races held in an Essex car park.

Enter Detective Inspector Peter Grant. Fresh from suspension, he takes to the track in his orange 'asbo' Ford Focus to try and infiltrate the big leagues. But Peter soon finds himself sucked back into an Otherworld -- a real-life and quite lethal fairyland!

Critique: The eighth volume of the simply outstanding Rivers of London graphic novel series of action/adventure fantasy from Titan Comics, "The Fey and the Furious" is an inherently compelling and beautifully crafted story from first page to last. While an unreservedly recommended addition to personal and community library graphic novel collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of all dedicated fantasy fans that "The Fey and the Furious" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle/comiXology, $10.99).

The Route 66 List: Oklahoma/Texas
Eric Stalner
Cinebook Ltd.
www.cinebook.com
c/o National Book Network (dist.)
www.nbnbooks.com
9781849184632, $11.95, PB, 48pp

https://www.amazon.com/Route-66-List-Oklahoma-Texas/dp/1849184631

Synopsis: Four years have passed since Rob Poliac fled the house where two FBI agents died and his father Alex was shot by the Clown -- and his real boss, Laura Kensington. He now lives under an assumed name with Carl, an old friend of Alex's. But when his guardian dies, the young man finds himself the owner of the infamous List 66. Little by little, against his better judgement, he begins to investigate the names on it.

Critique: The fourth volume in author and illustrator Eric Stalner's 'The Route List' series of action packed graphic novels that include Communist sleeper agents, ruthless assassinations, and a wealth of unexpected plot twists, "Oklahoma/Texas" is a riveting good read from first page to last and highly commended for inclusion into community library graphic novel collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Route List: Oklahoma/Texas" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle/comiXology, $5.99).

Editorial Note: Paris-born Eric Stalner began his comic career as one half of a creative team with his brother. Together they drew, and sometimes wrote, from 1989 to 2000, with series such as Le Boche and Le Fer et le Feu. After the team split up, he partnered with different authors, most often Pierre Boisserie, with whom he created La Croix des Cazenac, and participated in Didier Convard's series Le Triangle Secret.


The Audiobook Shelf

The Wife Upstairs
Rachel Hawkins, author
Read by Emily Shaffer, Lauren Fortgang, and Kirby Heyborne
Macmillan Audio
https://us.macmillan.com/audio
9781250752468 $39.99

https://www.amazon.com/Wife-Upstairs-Novel-Rachel-Hawkins/dp/1250245494

Synopsis: Meet Jane. Newly arrived to Birmingham, Alabama, Jane is a broke dog-walker in Thornfield Estates - - a gated community full of McMansions, shiny SUVs, and bored housewives. The kind of place where no one will notice if Jane lifts the discarded tchotchkes and jewelry off the side tables of her well-heeled clients. Where no one will think to ask if Jane is her real name.

But her luck changes when she meets Eddie Rochester. Recently widowed, Eddie is Thornfield Estates' most mysterious resident. His wife, Bea, drowned in a boating accident with her best friend, their bodies lost to the deep. Jane can't help but see an opportunity in Eddie - - not only is he rich, brooding, and handsome, he could also offer her the kind of protection she's always yearned for.

Yet as Jane and Eddie fall for each other, Jane is increasingly haunted by the legend of Bea, an ambitious beauty with a rags-to-riches origin story, who launched a wildly successful southern lifestyle brand. How can she, plain Jane, ever measure up? And can she win Eddie's heart before her past - - or his - - catches up to her?

With delicious suspense, incisive wit, and a fresh, feminist sensibility, The Wife Upstairs flips the script on a timeless tale of forbidden romance, ill-advised attraction, and a wife who just won't stay buried. In this vivid reimagining of one of literature's most twisted love triangles, which Mrs. Rochester will get her happy ending?

Critique: Now available in an unabridged audiobook edition read by a stellar trio of performers, The Wife Upstairs is a compelling original novel about a love triangle that crosses class boundaries. A down-on-her-luck dog walker falls for a recently widowed man amid the moderately wealthy estate of her clients, but can she ever measure up to the legend of a wealthy, self-made entrepreneurial woman? A dash of feminist sensibility enhances this wry, witty, delightful romantic drama.


The Music CD Shelf

American Standards
Ian Fisher
www.ianfishersongs.com
Austro Vinyl
$14.98 CD / $8.99 MP3

https://www.amazon.com/American-Standards-Ian-Fisher/dp/B08K4P2Q21

American Standards is a music CD fusion of worldwide influences with American roots and country, by creator Ian Fisher. Fisher's ties to Nashville as well as his experiences touring Europe, North America, and Africa show through the songs and the lyrics, which touch upon what drove Fisher to emigrate. Fisher is raw, candid, and uncensored; it should be noted that the song "AAA Station" in particular is not FCC compliant for American radio. American Standards is heartfelt, powerful, and highly recommended. The tracks are "Maybe a Little More", "Endless Drive Thru", "AAA Station", "American Standards", "Early Morning Haze", "Be Thankful", "In Front of Another", "One Foot (ft. Pressyes)", "Melody on Tape", "Melody in Nashville", "Three Chords & The Truth", "It Ain't Me", "Winterwind", "Only Chruch with a God I Pray To", and "Ghosts of the Ryman".

Vivian Leva & Riley Calcagno
Vivian Leva & Riley Calcagno
Free Dirt Records
freedirt.net
$14.98 CD / $8.99 MP3

https://www.amazon.com/Vivian-Leva-Riley-Calcagno/dp/B08P8CVVPW

Vivian Leva & Riley Calcagno is a self-titled, old-soul roots album showcasing the extraordinary talent of a college- graduate duo. The songs reflect the musical tradition of Appalachia - vibrantly expressive, emotionally moving, and utterly unforgettable. Highly recommended, especially for connoisseurs of the genre! The tracks are "Will You", "Leaving On Our Minds", "Hollowed Hearts", "On the Line", "Red Hen", "Biding All My Time", "Love and Chains", "On Account of You", "My Teardrops Say", "You Don't See Me", and "Good and Gone".


The Health/Medicine Shelf

True Wellness For Your Gut
Catherine Kurosue, MD, LAc, author
Aihan Kuhn, CMD, OBT, author
YMAA Publications
PO Box 480, Wolfeboro, NH 03894-0480
www.ymaa.com
9781594397455, $17.95, PB, 160pp

https://www.amazon.com/True-Wellness-Your-Gut-Digestive/dp/1594397457

Synopsis: "True Wellness For Your Gut: Combine the Best of Western and Eastern Medicine for Optimal Digestive and Metabolic Health" by Catherine Kurosue and Aihan Kuhn deftly combines the best that Eastern and Western medicine have to offer in the understanding, treatment, and prevention of gastrointestinal disease, diabetes, and obesity. By blending modern research with ancient practices, "True Wellness For Your Gut" will help readers stay positive and keep motivated along their journey toward better health and overall well-being.

The authors (who have helped thousands of people through the use of surgery, pharmaceuticals, acupuncture, herbs, qigong, tai chi, meditation, and life-style counseling) explain how Western medicine has substantiated a long-held understanding of the gut held by Eastern medicine -- that digestive health significantly impacts and is impacted by sleep, emotions, movement, food, and social support.

The authors informatively discuss how sleep, exercise, nutritious food, stress management, acupuncture, and qigong favorably impact the gastrointestinal system. These modalities restore balance in the nerves, hormones, and neurotransmitters that improve digestion and metabolism. A special section is devoted to discussing the human gut microbiome, the bacteria we harbor in our intestines, and how the microbiome is essential to our health.

"True Wellness for Your Gut" includes a step-by-step guide and qigong exercises designed to promote overall gastrointestinal health.

Critique: Of immense interest and value to both medical professionals and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject, "True Wellness For Your Gut: Combine the Best of Western and Eastern Medicine for Optimal Digestive and Metabolic Health" is an especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, community, college, and university library Health/Medicine collections. It should be noted for medical students, academia, medical professionals, and anyone having to deal with intestinal health issues that "True Wellness For Your Gut: Combine the Best of Western and Eastern Medicine for Optimal Digestive and Metabolic Health" is also readily available in a digital book format (eTextbook, $8.49).

Editorial Note #1: Catherine Kurosu, MD, LAc, graduated from the University of Toronto School of Medicine in 1990 and a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology in 1995. In 2006, she became a diplomate of the American Board of Integrative Holistic Medicine. 2009, she was certified as a medical acupuncturist through the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the Helms Medical Institute. Dr. Kurosu is a diplomate of the American Board of Medical Acupuncture. She has a master of science in Oriental medicine, from the Institute of Clinical Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine in Honolulu. 2015, she became a licensed acupuncturist. 2018 she became a diplomate in Oriental medicine through the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.

Editorial Note #2: Aihan Kuhn, CMD, OBT, graduated from Hunan Medical University in China in 1982. Since 1992 she has focused on holistic healing. In her practice, she has accumulated much success with holistic medicine patient care and education work. Her patients benefit from self-improvement with physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being, as well as special exercises to enable them to participate in their own healing. She incorporates tai chi and qigong into healing methodologies, changing the lives of those who have struggled for many years with little relief from conventional medicine. Dr. Kuhn offers wellness programs, natural healing workshops, and professional training programs. These highly rated programs have produced many quality teachers and therapists. She is president of the Tai Chi and Qi Gong Healing Institute a nonprofit that promotes natural healing and prevention.


The Woodworking Shelf

3D Printers for Woodworkers
Henry Doolittle
Linden Publishing
2006 South Mary, Fresno, CA 93721-9875
www.woodworkerslibrary.com
9781933502038, $17.95, PB, 122pp

https://www.amazon.com/3D-Printers-Woodworkers-Short-Introduction/dp/1933502037

Synopsis: The rapidly advancing technology of 3D printing isn't just for technology fans -- a 3D printer is also the ideal tool for the traditional woodworker. Why waste money buying tools and parts when you can fabricate them yourself with your own 3D printer? A dedicated woodworker can now save hundreds or even thousands of dollars by making their own tools -- what's more, anyone can 3D print their own custom woodworking tools and parts that meet any unique need with the instructional guidance of Henry Doolittle's "3D Printers for Woodworkers: A Short Introduction".

The perfect DIY introduction to 3D printing for the woodworking hobbyist, covering the history and development of 3D printing and offering detailed comparisons of 3D printer models so woodworkers can confidently choose the right 3D printer for their needs, "3D Printers for Woodworkers" also includes numerous screenshots for tools useful to woodworkers, plus information on 3D printing molds and hardware such as drawer pulls, hinges, slides, and shims.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, comprehensive in scope, and thoroughly user-friendly in organization and prsentation, "3D Printers for Woodworkers: A Short Introduction" is especially and unreservedly recommended for all woodworkers, novice or professional, who want to save time and money while producing exceptional results with the employment of this new 3D Printing technology. A core addition to personal, professional, community, and technical college Woodworking, it should be noted that "3D Printers for Woodworkers: A Short Introduction" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.49).

Editorial Note: About twenty years ago Henry Doolittle bought a small lathe and took up woodturning as a hobby. The lathe got him started in woodworking. About six years ago he picked up a CNC router and started making jigs and fixtures, which in turn led to his interest in using 3D printers in the craftsman's shop. Using the 3D printer, he has been able to print his own woodworking tools, a process which this DIY instructional guide and manual details.


The Cookbook Shelf

Asian Green
Ching-He Huang
Kyle Books
c/o Octopus Books
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9780857836342, $24.99, HC, 208pp

https://www.amazon.com/Asian-Green-Everyday-recipes-inspired/dp/085783634X

Synopsis: Authentic Asian cuisine has always included a variety of meat and dairy free recipes. Focusing entirely on these plant- based dishes, "Asian Green: Everyday plant based recipes inspired by the East " draws inspiration from across Asia to showcase recipes for simple, everyday, healthy home cooking that features protein-rich ingredients such as tofu, seitan, pulses, beans and grains.

The inspiration behind "Asian Green" is Ching-He Huang's husband, Jamie. From birth, he suffered from asthma and eczema but three and a half years ago, three months after adopting a vegan diet, he was cured. Ching has always believed in the age-old Chinese maxim that "food is medicine", and having experienced first-hand the transformation of her husband's health, she firmly believes in the healing power of plants to reduce inflammation, to restore, nourish and replenish.

"Asian Green" is a compendium of inspiring, quick and simple recipes, perfect for vegetarians, vegans and people looking to reduce the amount of meat in their diets.

Critique: Beautifully illustrated throughout, "Asian Green: Everyday plant based recipes inspired by the East" is thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and instructive presentation, making it an ideal and unreservedly recommended to family, professional, and community library Vegetarian Cookbook collections. It should be noted for the personal use of family cooks and professional chefs that "Asian Green" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Ching-He Huang was born in Taipei, Taiwan. An Emmy-nominated TV chef, her culinary ethos is to use fresh, organic, ethically sourced ingredients to create modern dishes that fuse Chinese tradition with innovation. Her TV series include Chinese Food Made Easy, Chinese Food in Minutes, Exploring China and Ching's Amazing Asia. She is the author of several cookbooks including Wok On, Stir Crazy, Eat Clean: Wok Yourself to Health, Exploring China, Ching's Fast Food, Everyday Easy Chinese, Ching's Chinese Food in Minutes, Chinese Food Made Easy and China Modern. She appears regularly on TV in both the UK and US, including BBC1's Saturday Kitchen, ITV's This Morning and NBC's Today show.


The Gaming Shelf

The NES Omnibus: The Nintendo Entertainment System and Its Games, Volume 1 (A-L)
Brett Weiss
Schiffer Publishing
https://www.schifferbooks.com
9780764360688 $49.99

https://www.amazon.com/NES-Omnibus-Nintendo-Entertainment-L/dp/076436068X

Synopsis: Featuring a 1200-word foreword by The Goldbergs creator Adam F. Goldberg, The NES Omnibus: The Nintendo Entertainment System and Its Games, Vol. 1 (A-L) by gaming historian Brett Weiss covers the first half of the NES library in exhaustive and engaging detail: every U.S. release from A to L. More than 350 games are featured, including such iconic titles as Castlevania, Donkey Kong, Double Dragon, Duck Hunt, Final Fantasy, and The Legend of Zelda. Each game, whether obscure or mainstream, is given the spotlight.

In addition to thorough gameplay descriptions, the book includes reviews, memories, historical data, quotes from vintage magazines, and, best of all, nostalgic stories about many of the games from programmers, authors, YouTube celebs, and other industry insiders. The book also features more than 1,500 full-color images, including box art, screenshots, and vintage ads. Nostalgic story contributors include such industry pros as "8-Bit" Eric Perez (YouTube personality), David Warhol (legendary Intellivision programmer), Steve Woita (Atari, Genesis, and PS1 programmer), Sean Tiedeman (director of The King of the Arcades), Shane Stein (Executive Producer of The Game Chasers movie), Greg Sewart (former Previews and Reviews Editor for Electronic Gaming Monthly), and many others.

Critique: The first volume of a two-volume omnibus covering all Nintendo Entertainment System video games (including unlicensed NES cartridges!), The NES Omnibus Volume 1 (A-L) is a grand retro tour showcase. Every NES game starting with the letter "A" through the letter "L" is given its own entry with full-color photographs of the cartridge and gameplay screenshots; many reproductions of video game magazine advertisements are also included. The text describes each showcased game, including the quirks of its gameplay, its critical reception, and its unique features. Commentary from retro gaming enthusiasts, drawn from their personal experience with classic, not-so-classic, and downright obscure NES games, round out this treasury. The NES Omnibus Volume 1 (A-L) is a "must-have" for NES video game connoisseurs and collectors, as is the forthcoming NES Omnibus Volume 2 (M-Z).


James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Diane C. Donovan, Editor
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129
phone: 1-608-835-7937
e-mail: mbr@execpc.com
e-mail: mwbookrevw@aol.com
http://www.midwestbookreview.com


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