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California Bookwatch

Volume 4, Number 12 December 2009 Home | CALBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Political Science Shelf Health/Medicine Shelf
Interior Design Shelf Psychology Shelf Audiobook Shelf
Travel Shelf Environmental Studies Shelf Business Shelf
Social Issues Shelf Fashion Shelf Art Shelf
Education Shelf Photography Shelf Computer Shelf
Judicial Studies Shelf Architecture Shelf Language Studies Shelf
Religion/Spirituality Shelf Christian Studies Shelf Needlecraft Shelf
Science Shelf Metaphysical Studies Shelf Theatre/Cinema/TV Shelf
Biography Shelf Music Shelf Fantasy/SciFi Shelf
Sports Shelf Martial Arts Shelf Cookbook Shelf
2010 Calendar Shelf Fiction Shelf Mystery/Suspense Shelf
Military Shelf Women's Studies Shelf Antiques/Collectibles Shelf
Automotive Shelf Holiday Shelf American History Shelf
Comix/Graphic Novel Shelf Pets/Wildlife Shelf Hunting/Fishing Shelf
Literary Shelf California Shelf  


Reviewer's Choice

The Third Man Factor
John Geiger
Weinstein Books
345 Hudson, 13th Floor, New York NY 10014
9781602861077, $24.95 www.weinsteinbooks.com

People at the edge of death often sense an unseen presence beside them who encourages them to make a final effort to survive. It's a phenomenon called the Third Man Factor - and it's been documented time and again among survivors of all kinds of disasters. Author John Geiger has completed six years of physiological and psychological research on the Third Man, and his analysis blends with case histories for a title recommended for any general lending library.

Bathroom Readers' Press
Box 1117, Ashland, OR 97520
www.bathroomreader.com

These new Bathroom Readers trivia collections are outstanding picks for either bathroom reading or quick and fun browsing, and are picks for any library catering to trivia fans as well. The new 22nd edition of UNCLE JOHN'S ENDLESSLY ENGROSSING BATHROOM READER (1607100363, $18.95) and the UNSINKABLE BATHROOM READER (1592239161, $18.95) provide fine collections. ENGROSSING offers quick fun articles ranging from England's secret UFO files and Titanic facts to the Lost Cloud People of Peru, while UNSINKABLE offers more amazing facts, from seven underwater places to see before you die high-tech underwear or medical miracles. Perfect leisure reading!

I Am Potential
Patrick Henry Hughes with Patrick John Hughes and Bryant Stamford
DaCapo Lifelong Books
1200 Chestnut #200, Philadelphia, PA 19103
9780738213651, $14.95 www.dacapopress.com

I Am Potential: Eight Lessons On Living, Loving, And Reaching Your Dreams is a fine survey by one born with a rare genetic disorder - who was born disabled and blind. His parents never gave up on him - and at age nine he began to play piano and his exceptional talent emerged. Patrick and his father provide both a memoir of achievement and an inspirational account perfect for any general library strong in positive 'can-do' guides.

What Difference Do It Make?
Ron Hall, Denver Moore, Lynn Vincent
Thomas Nelson Publishers
Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214
9780849920196, $16.99 www.thomasnelson.com

What Difference Do It Make? Stories of Hope and Healing weaves two author experiences with a survey of journeys in which everyone learns about homelessness, disrespect, end of life challenges, and more. Vignettes of people struggling with finding hope and healing under challenging circumstances make for a positive, inspirational guide any general lending library will appreciate.

29 Gifts: How a Month of Giving Can Change Your Life
Cami Walker
Da Capo Press
c/o Perseus Books Group
Eleven Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142
www.perseusbooksgroup.com
9780738213569, $19.95 www.dacapopress.com

29 Gifts: How a Month of Giving Can Change Your Life tells of the author's experience when in her thirties with a fiance and an enjoyable job she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Two years later she was depressed, in constant pain, and falling into drug addiction. When a South African medicine woman advised her to stop focusing on her health and give away 29 gifts in 29 days she at first thought the task futile and impossible. Her journey resulted in a giving cycle that didn't cure her condition, but offered her new life options - and meaningful work that continues to this day. An inspirational read recommended for any general lending library.

Art of the Shoemaker
D.A. Saguto
Texas Tech University Press
PO Box 41037, Lubbock, TX 79409-1037
9780896726505, $65.00 www.ttup.ttu.edu

M. DeGarsault's 1767 ART OF THE SHOEMAKER: AN ANNOTATED TRANSLATION by D.A. Saguto has been illustrated with additional 18th-century images and artifacts and provides one of the only known texts about the trade of the times. Master boot- and shoemaker D.A. Saguto provides a researched English translation of Garsault's original French textbook and adds extensive notes and commentary to a treatise that may be a specialty item for many college-level arts libraries, but one which any fashion history collection simply must have. From preparing threads to using shoemakers' wax and more, it's an outstandingly well detailed presentation.

Designers Don't Read
Austin Howe
Allworth Press
10 East 53rd St., New York NY 10010
9781581156652, $19.95 www.allworth.com

Designers Don't Read provides an exploration of the creative process and is organized by topic and how long it will take the average reader to complete each chapter. As such, it's a daily consult for designers and busy professionals and offers quick case history examples designed to enhance creative thinking and provide food for thought. More than a set of admonitions, these provide a page or two of detail and depth to advocate change and creative thinking, and is perfect for any design professional or arts library.

The Smart Grid
Clark W. Gellings, P.E.
Fairmont Press/Taylor & Francis
Box 409267, Atlanta, GA 30384-9267
9781439815748, $125.00 www.fairmontpress.com

THE SMART GRID: ENABLING ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND DEMAND RESPONSE comes from an engineer and is a pick for any college-level energy technology library, discussing how power distribution can be enhanced for the 21st century. From how sensors and communications can be combined into a new 'smart grid' system to discussion of IntelliGrid and EnergyPort architecture and their market implications, this is a fine pick for any technical collection.

The Edge
Milady
Cengage Learning
P.O. Box 6904, Florence, KY 41022-6904
143548181X, $89.95 www.milady.cengage.com

THE EDGE appears in a fine Muse Edition to offer a binder packed with lay-flat sheets of techniques in haircutting and color, and is accompanied by a CD of techniques for further emphasis and impact. While the binder approach may not work well for active lending collections, with its removable pages, it's a huge plus for 'do as you go' students and is a recommended pick for any cosmetology student's library.


The Political Science Shelf

The Rise of Nuclear Iran
Dore Gold
Regnery Publishing
One Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington DC 20001
9781596985711, $27.95 www.regnery.com

The threat of a nuclear Iran is closer and more dangerous than is popularly thought, and New York Times author Dore Gold examines the rising nuclear crisis that Iran pose to the West. From failed diplomatic engagements with Iran to disastrous consequences a nuclear Iran would pose to world stability, this details Iranian participation in covert international operations and maintains time is running out. Any political collection focused on world affairs needs this.

The Audacity of Help
John F. Wasik
Bloomberg Press
731 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10022
9781576603567, $16.95

THE AUDACITY OF HELP covers the basics of what the new president has promised and how Congress is thwarting his plans, offering chapters clear on 'what Congress passed' and 'who benefits most' on all Obama's issues. Obama wants more shared responsibility on all levels - something Congress isn't willing to allow. His success or lack thereof reflects how much Americans really wish change, and is analyzed in The Audacity of Help.


The Health/Medicine Shelf

Kaplan Medical PANCE, second edition
Kaplan Publishing
1 Liberty Plaza, 24th Floor, New York NY 10006
9781419551598, $39.95 www.kaplanmedical.com

The second updated edition of Kaplan Medical PANCE is a 'must' for any college-level library offering test preparation guides for the PANCE. From two full-length practice tests and detailed answer explanations to reviews of question formats, and keys to scoring higher on the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam, this packs in strategies and test review options key for any PANCE student.

Procedural Coding and Reimbursement for Physician Services
Lynn Kuehn, MS, RHIA, CCS-O, FAHIMA
AHIMA
233 N. Michigan Ave. #2150, Chicago, IL 60601-5800
9781584262275, $92.95 www.ahima.org

Procedural Coding and Reimbursement for Physician Services: Applying Current Procedural Terminology and HCPCS is a 'must' for any college-level collection strong in the basics of CPT and HCPCS coding: it provides exercises based on case documentation and packs in analysis and coding of clinical data, using self-assessment tests and exercises to reinforce the latest code sets. A 'must' for any college-level health library teaching coding.

Transition of Youth & Young Adults with Emotional or Behavioral Difficulties
Hewitt B. Clark & Deanne K. Unruh
Brookes Publishing
Box 10624, Baltimore, MD 21285-0624
1557669635, $34.95 www.brookespublishing.com

Transition of Youth & Young Adults with Emotional or Behavioral Difficulties: An Evidence-Supported Handbook is a fine pick for any library strong in mental health for youth. It offers an evidence-supported practice set to guide youth and young adults to adulthood, offering tips on how to bridge the gap between child and adult mental health services, and how to reduce common risk behaviors. Vignettes, testimonials, and details on funding and sustaining services makes for a powerful 'must have' for any library catering to mental health specialists working with young adults.

How Not to Die
Jan Garavaglia, MD
Three Rivers Press
c/o The Crown Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, 17th floor, New York, NY 10019
9780307409157, $15.00 www.threeriverspress.com

HOW NOT TO DIE: SURPRISING LESSONS FROM AMERICA'S FAVORITE MEDICAL EXAMINER provides a powerful survey of the unintentional ways we harm our bodies - and how to make better choices so we don't have to endure painful deaths. From why 'neat freaks' live longer and ways to stay safe during a lightning storm in a car to preventing deadly accidents, this uses anecdotes from the doctor's cases to provide a prescription for a long health life. Any general lending library will find this a fine pick.

ACSM's Exercise is Medicine
Steven Jonas and Edward M. Phillips
Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Box 1610, Hagerstown, MD 21741-1610
158255739X, $49.95 www.LWW.com

ACSM's Exercise is Medicine: A Clinician's Guide to Exercise Prescription packs in text to help clinicians learn how to motivate and educate patients on how to blend regular exercise into daily lives. The focus is on helping patients become and stay motivated: it covers how to design exercise programs to fit into lifestyle requirements and fitness levels as well as specialty needs, and is a top pick for any college-level medical library.

Stand By Her
John W. Anderson
Amacom
1601 Broadway, New York NY 10019-7420
0814413919, $18.95 www.amacombooks.org

STAND BY HER: A BREAST CANCER GUIDE FOR MEN stands nearly alone in the wealth of breast cancer guides directed for women. This focuses on how men can support their families and friends diagnosed with breast cancer, offering chapters based on the author's personal experience and research. From the hardest part of waiting during surgery to helping a loved one's recovery and understanding her feelings, STAND BY HER is an invaluable guide to support. A must for both health collections and personal consultation.

Rising Plague
Brad Spellberg, MD
Prometheus Books
59 John Glenn Drive, Amherst, NY 14228-2119
9781591027508, $26.00 www.prometheusbooks.com

RISING PLAGUE: THE GLOBAL THREAT FROM DEADLY BACTERIA AND OUR DWINDLING ARSENAL TO FIGHT THEM is packed with information from an infectious diseases specialist and member of a national task force assigned to attack antibiotic resistant infections. From patient case histories to attempts to treat resistant infections and worries about a coming public health crisis, this explains the real causes of antibiotic resistance and the collapse of antibiotic research and development - and offers some solutions. Every medical and many a public library needs this.

Ethics and Newborn Genetic Screening
Mary Ann Baily and Thomas H. Murray
Johns Hopkins University Press
2715 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21218
9780801891519, $50.00 www.press.jhu.edu

Ethics and Newborn Genetic Screening: New Technologies, New Challenges offers an invaluable collection to study the impact of changes on the cutting-edge newborn genetic screening program; particularly those changes under pressure to use new advanced technologies and medical knowledge to screen for adult-onset conditions and genetic predispositions to disease. Experts from bioethics, pediatrics, public health and health law add their insights and studies in this fine survey.

Conflict of Interest in Medical Research, Education, Practice
Bernard Lo and Marilyn Field, Editors
National Academies Press
500 5th St NW, Lockbox 285, Washington DC 20055
030913188X, $54.95 www.nap.edu

Conflict of Interest is a powerful collection that should be on the shelves of any serious college-level lending library: it packs in essays identifying principles upon which to base policies to limit and manage conflicts of interest by individuals and institutions. Short-term actions and long-term commitments are covered in a fine guide for the medical community, with chapters surveying adverse effects on research subjects, conflicts in medical education, and more. A top pick for any health collection.


The Interior Design Shelf

Rethinking Sitting
Peter Opsvik
W.W. Norton
500 - 5th Ave, New York NY 10110
0393732886, $39.95 www.wwnorton.com

RETHINKING SITTING comes from a Norwegian industrial designer who examines whether traditional seating devices are the only, functionally best design for the human body. There are now many alternative suggestions on the market - and surprisingly, Opsvik sees every one of them 'right. He designs chairs that allow as many different sitting postures as possible - and make it easy to change between them. RETHINKING SITTING is an outstanding health library acquisition as well as a fine choice for interior designers.

The Design Directory of Bedding
Jackie Von Tobel
Gibbs Smith
Box 667, Layton, UT 84041
142360444X, $60.00 www.gibbs-smith.com

The Design Directory of Bedding comes with a set of illustrations on CD-ROM and is packed with bedroom design examples, ideas, and fabrics. Any interior design or home library will benefit from this resource directory for fabrics with over 1,000 illustrations and a glossary of terms for furniture and soft furnishings. From workroom worksheets to help designers to color drawings of shams, bolsters, neck rolls and more, THE DESIGN DIRECTORY OF BEDDING is a winner!


The Psychology Shelf

Integrative Mental Health Care: A Therapist's Handbook
James Lake, MD
W.W. Norton
500 - 5th Avenue, New York NY 10110
9780393705362, $34.95 www.wwnorton.com

Integrative Mental Health Care provides a range of non-Western approaches to maintaining health and treating illness, discussing how psychiatrists and other therapists can integrate these new methods of assessment and treatment into standard Western procedures and options. Integrative mental health care involves maintaining a primary focus on psychotherapy with a knowledge of how alternative options can assist. From stress management to mind/body connections and practices, this explains how to blend practical integrative approaches into one's psychotherapy techniques and is a 'must' for any practicing psychotherapist who wants to look further than the traditional Western toolbox.

Mourning, Memory and Life Itself
Maxine Borowsky Junge
Charles C. Thomas
2600 S. First St., Springfield, IL 62704
9780398078270, $61.95, www.ccthomas.com

The collection of essays in Mourning, Memory and Life Itself come from an art therapist and reflect a range of ideas that have fascinated the author for years. Feminist belief, female artistry, and art therapy applications blend in a powerful survey exploring the role of the art therapist as a social activist, how art therapy has evolved as a women's profession, and controversies that have evolved between art and therapy applications. A top pick no college-level psychology or arts library can omit.

Help Your Child or Teen Get Back on Track
Kenneth H. Talan, MD
Jessica Kingsley Publishers
400 Market Suite #400, Philadelphia, PA 19106
9781843109143, $19.95 www.jkp.com

Help Your Child or Teen Get Back on Track: What Parents and Professionals Can Do for Childhood Emotional and Behavioral Problems is the winner of two awards and provides a fine survey of parental techniques for handling both kids and teens who are aggressive. Self-help interventions proven to work accompany tips on typical emotional and behavioral problems in a fine guide packing in useful information for parents who are considering or already involved with professional help for their child. Any library catering to parents or professionals needs this.


The Audiobook Shelf

Dare to Be a Man
David G. Evans
Brilliance Audio
PO Box 887, Grand Haven, MI 49417
1441801545, $29.99 www.brillianceaudio.com

DARE TO BE A MAN receives a fine spirited narration by author and Bishop David G. Evans as it provides a spiritual review of what it means to be a real man, living up to God's design. From family relationships leading to freedom rather than confinement to living God's design, this is a powerful pick for any library strong in spiritual advice.

A Separate Country
Robert Hicks
Hachette Audio
237 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
9781600247620, $39.98 www.hachetteaudio.com

A Separate Country pairs a fine reading by Kevin Collins, Sherman Howard and Isabel Keating with a powerful novel on 15 CDs centering around a beautiful stranger and a general ready to find happiness and comfort after losing a war. Sacrifice, love and hope come together through a family story set in 19th century New Orleans: all of which springs to life in audio.


The Travel Shelf

Moon Belize
Joshua Berman
Moon Handbooks/Avalon Travel Publishing
c/o Avalon Publishing Group
245 West 17th Street, 11th floor, New York, NY 10011-5300
9781598802108, $17.95 www.moon.com

Any independent traveler seeking to custom plan a trip to Belize will find MOON BELIZE the perfect starting point. Packed with maps, tips, and the firsthand experience of author Joshua Berman, it provides an outstanding survey of activities, restaurants, accommodations and more and is a 'must' for any planning a trip to Belize sans tour group.

The New Age of Adventure
Sebastian Junger
National Geographic Press
1145 - 17th St. N.W., Washington DC 20036
9781426205460, $16.95 www.nationalgeographic.com

Sports, recreation and travel libraries alike will find this collection of 25 of the best stories from the first ten years of Adventure Magazine features some extraordinary journeys. From hitchhiking across the Sahara and trekking with the last of Siberian nomads to kayaking the Grand Canyon, these are vivid, outstanding adventures highly recommended for any general lending library.


The Environmental Studies Shelf

Green Tech
Lawrence Webber and Michael Wallace
Amacom
1601 Broadway, New York NY 10019-7420
081441446X, $27.95 www.amacombooks.org

GREEN TECH: HOW TO PLAN AND IMPLEMENT SUSTAINABLE IT SOLUTIONS lays out ideas for obtaining sustainable IT by recommending companies set three major goals for themselves, from rethinking underlying purchasing goals to considering how equipment already in possession is being used and looking at the bigger picture. The result is a fine survey of hardware energy usage and delivering IT services and is a pick not just for conservation libraries but for business and computer holdings too.

Down to the Wire
David W. Orr
Oxford University Press
198 Madison Avenue, New York NY 10016-4314
9780195393538, $19.95 www.oup.com/us

Down to the Wire: Confronting Climate Change comes from one of the founders of the Presidential Climate Action Project and advocates that individual steps to change won't solve the problems looming upon us. His is a realistic look at how the world is and what will need to be done to fix it: it advocates leadership at the government level and is a top pick for any science or social issues collection.


The Business Shelf

Global Business and the Terrorist Threat
Harry W. Richardson, Peter Gordon, James E. Moore II, Editors
Edward Elgar
9 Dewey Court, Northampton, MA 01060
9781847208507, $150.00 www.e-elgar.com

Global Business and the Terrorist Threat offers college-level business and security libraries a top pick charting overlapping areas of influence between business and terrorism, from news effects on stock markets to the impact of terrorism on bilateral trade. Business continuity is emphasized as are effects to avoid inadvertent interactions with terrorist groups as a preventative measure. Any advanced college-level business or social issues collection needs this unique analysis.

Manage Your Project Portfolio
Johanna Rothman
Pragmatic
9781934356296, $32.95 www.pragprog.com

Manage Your Project Portfolio: Increase Your Capacity and Finish More Projects is a strong pick for any business interested in organizing and prioritizing projects. It shows how to tie work to an organization's mission, get a better view of workflow options and priority scheduling, and make decisions based on better portfolio management. Any business library needs this.

Clever
Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones
Harvard Business School Press
60 Harvard Way, Boston, MA 02163
9781422122969, $26.00 www.harvardbusiness.org/press

CLEVER: LEADING YOUR SMARTEST, MOST CREATIVE PEOPLE comes from leadership and change experts who comment on the type of smart employee who is a creative thinker utilizing an organization's commercial and financial resources to fill their potential. They can be clever and difficult - and an organization's competitive edge often depends on how they are guided. This set of guidelines for organizing 'clevers' provides thoughtful 'musts' for any business leader or library catering to them.

The Secrets of CEOs
Steve Tappin and Andrew Cave
Nicholas Brealey
20 Park Plaza #1115A, Boston, MA 02116
9781857885132, $35.00 www.nicholasbrealey.com

The Secrets of CEOs: 150 GLOBAL CHIEF EXECUTIVES LIFT THE LID ON BUSINESS, LIFE AND LEADERSHIP provides a fine review of leading CEOs and their thoughts on leadership and business, and is an ongoing recommendation for any interested in CEO insights. From profiting from hard globalization and surfing the next web rendition to coping with the first world war for talent, THE SECRETS OF CEOS should be in every business library.

The Web Startup Success Guide
Bob Walsh
Apress
333 Meadowlands Parkway, Secaucus, NJ 07094
9781430219859, $29.99 www.apress.com

The Web Startup Success Guide could have been featured in our Computer Shelf section but is reviewed here for its wider-ranging appeal to any business leader. From making a strategic platform on software choices to understanding funding and the latest services and tools that can lend to quicker development and marketing, this packs in details on how to make a website valuable to users and is a key recommendation for any business library.

The Big Book of Team Motivating Games
Mary Scannell & Edward E. Scannell
McGraw-Hill
c/o The McGraw Hill Companies
Two Penn Plaza, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10121-2298
0071629629, $23.95 www.mhprofessional.com

The Big Book of Team Motivating Games is a fine pick for any company interested in games that improve team cooperation and communication. These games can be used at staff meetings and to increase interaction among staff members, and offers games that can be played in or out of the office. Any business library will find this a fun, different survey.

Mad About Trade
Daniel Griswold
Cato Institute
1000 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington DC 20001
9781935308195, $21.95 www.cato.org

MAD ABOUT TRADE: WHY MAIN STREET AMERICA SHOULD EMBRACE GLOBALIZATION comes from an author who embraces the global marketplace and shows how free trade is beneficial for America's policies. From how import competition provides lower prices and better quality and variety to how new jobs in the service sectors are changing modern middle class, MAD ABOUT TRADE is a 'must' for any business library.

Successful Manager's Handbook
Moi Ali, et.al.
DK Publishing
375 Hudson St., New York NY 10014
9780789490100, $40.00 www.dk.com

Successful Manager's Handbook belongs in any serious business library, packing in over 1,200 tips, diagrams and charts and text that can be used as a quick, easy reference. New and experienced managers receive ideas and options in the form of visuals, with analysis of how to improve key performance areas. From communicating nonverbally to understanding the basics of public relations and positive vs. poor outcomes, it's the visuals that prove a key to success and interesting approaches, here.

The Social Factor
Maria Azua
IBM Press
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
0137018908, $29.99 www.ibmpressbooks.com

THE SOCIAL FACTOR: INNOVATE, IGNITE, AND WIN THROUGH MASS COLLABORATION AND SOCIAL NETWORKING shouldn't be limited to computer libraries: it's a treasure of tactical insights for business owners, leaders, and managers and blends case studies from real life that document business scenarios and how to avoid the mistakes that can cripple a social networking effort. Choose the right social networking applications with this powerful, highly recommended guide.

The Wow Factor
Frances Cole Jones
Ballantine Books
1745 Broadway, New York NY 10019
9780345517890, $23.00 www.ballantinebooks.com

THE WOW FACTOR: THE 33 THINGS YOU MUST (AND MUST NOT) DO TO GUARANTEE YOUR EDGE IN TODAY'S BUSINESS WORLD is for any business person seeking to reinvent themselves given new times and challenges, from executives to recent graduates facing business competition and more. Three key sections tell how to change common attitudes, habits and skills, get a resume to the top of the pipe and network more effectively, and take a range of steps to make things happen.

The Global Environment of Business
Frederick Guy
Oxford University Press
198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016-4314
9780199206636, $45.00 www.oup.com/us 1-800-451-7556

The Global Environment of Business is a fine text offering an analysis of the environment in which international business operates. From how multi-national corporations and nation states interact to shape the international economic system to how the economy internationalizes and how this can lead to a global world or a regional focus, this is packed with technological and historic assessments based on economic research and political science alike: perfect for any college-level business library.

Smart Selling on the Phone and Online
Josiane Chriqui Feigon
Amacom
1601 Broadway, New York NY 10019-7420
0814414656, $17.95 www.amacombooks.org

Smart Selling on the Phone and Online is for any library strong in business sales processes and provides 10 easy skills keyed to the sales cycle and step-by-step processes for using them. From learning quick sound bites that capture customer attention to navigating common obstacles to success, this is a pick for any interested in better sales techniques.


The Social Issues Shelf

Working for Good
Jeff Klein
Sounds True
413 S. Arthur Ave., Louisville, CO 80027
9781591797265, $16.95 www.soundstrue.com

WORKING FOR GOOD: MAKING A DIFFERENCE WHILE MAKING A LIVING comes from a conscious business expert who offers a fine practical guidebook to becoming a conscious entrepreneur. From informing and engaging readers in the art of building a conscious enterprise to uncovering how to make a real difference in the work world, WORKING FOR GOOD is an inspirational pick for any business collection.

Seven Days of Rage
Paul Larosa and Maria Cramer
Pocket Books
1230 Avenue of the Americas, 13th fl., New York, NY 10020
1439172390, $21.99 www.pocketbooks.com 1-800-223-2336

Seven Days of Rage: The Deadly Crime Spree of the Craigslist Killer comes from two journalists who tell of a Craigslist Killer's modus of using an online bulletin board to pick out his victims. This in-depth profile of criminal murderer Markoff and his crime reveals how a 'beautiful person' hid his obsession from the world - and turned to the Internet to make his nightmares reality for his victims. Any library strong in true crime needs this.

Dead in Their Tracks, revised edition
John Annerino
University of Arizona Press
355 South Euclid Avenue, Suite 103, Tucson, AZ 85719-6654
9780816527656 $17.95 www.uapress.arizona.edu 1-800-426-3797

DEAD IN THEIR TRACKS: CROSSING AMERICA'S DESERT BORDERLANDS IN THE NEW ERA provides a personal survey of illegal border crossers who have died trying to cross the desert on their way to a new life. This revised edition of a classic coverage considers the impact of these deaths on the people and the Border Patrol involved, discussing security issues, political pressures, and social concerns alike. A 'must' for any library concerned with immigrant issues and American border policies.

Less is More
Cecile Andrews & Wanda Urbanska
New Society Publishers
Box 189, Gabriola Island, BC V0R 1X0 Canada
9780865716506, $16.95 www.newsociety.com

LESS IS MORE is a powerful collection of works discussing wealth, current events, and the effort to live more simply with an eye more towards inner wealth than outer largess. Less means not only less material wealth, but less debt, stress, and work requirements. Less can lead to More: this tells how in a pick for any general interest library.

Community: The Structure of Belonging
Peter Block
Berrett-Koehler Publishers
235 Montgomery St., Suite 650, San Francisco CA 94104-2916
9781605092775, $18.95 www.bkconnection.com

Community: The Structure of Belonging explores how community can emerge from fragmentation and how it's built. From changing the context of community from one of deficiencies and interests to generosity and gifts to adopting different kinds of leadership and assessment goals, COMMUNITY is a top pick for not just businesses but for any social issues collection.

Green Metropolis
David Owen
Riverhead Books
375 Hudson St., New York NY 10014-3638
9781594488825, $25.95 www.riverheadbooks.com

GREEN METROPOLIS: WHY LIVING SMALLER, LIVING CLOSER, AND DRIVING LESS ARE THE KEYS TO SUSTAINABILITY offers not just a challenge to conventional habits, but a blueprint for revised thinking about the environment. Under such a blueprint New York City serves as the model for sustainability - not the rural countryside. Habits of urban centers and small-space living are analyzed in a survey of what really constitutes green living. Any library strong in social issues or environmental health needs this.

A.D. New Orleans After the Deluge
Josh Neufeld
Pantheon
1745 Broadway, New York NY 10019
9780307378149, $24.95 www.pantheonbooks.com

A.D. New Orleans After the Deluge follows half a dozen inhabitants of New Orleans as they choose between fleeing the hurricane and waiting out the storm, presenting a color graphic novel approach from comic artist Josh Neufeld to document the events in the lives of six Katrina survivors. The result is a lovely colorful and true story of the different approaches of survivors to losing their homes and world: a fine and lively addition to any lending library.


The Fashion Shelf

Victorian Wedding Dress in the United States
Norma Lu Meehan and Mei Campbell
Texas Tech University Press
PO Box 41037, Lubbock, TX 79409-1037
9780896726611, $12.95 www.ttup.ttu.edu

Victorian Wedding Dress in the United States isn't for lending libraries but provides collectors and fashion designers with a fun gift in the form of a history through paper dolls. Any involved in costume studies will find this provides a lovely colored set of bridal dresses and draws on collections at the Northern Indiana Center for History and the Museum of Texas Tech University for authentic replicas.

20th Century Fashion
Jim Heimann and Alison A. Nieder
Taschen
9783836514613, $39.99 www.taschen.com

A hundred years of fashion ads pack an oversized, authoritative presentation powerful in its fashion history scope and content. This retrospective covers some 400 fashion ads from the Jim Heimann Collection and uses imagery culled from a century of advertising to document the world of fashion. From a timeline of events and trends to tips on how events, design houses, retailers and films influenced fashion's development, this is simply a 'must' for any serious college-level arts library strong in fashion design and history!

70s Fashion
Ed. Jim Heimann
Taschen
9783822849378, $9.99 www.taschen.com

70s FASHION: VINTAGE FASHION AND BEAUTY ADS provides a powerful visual collection of these ads, packing in pages of full color and black and white representation of some of the best icons and ads of the times. Any library strong in 1970s fashion history needs this fine visual portrait.

100 Years of Fashion: 20th Century in Pictures
Press Association Images
Ammonite Press
166 High St., Lewes, E. Sussex, BN7 1XU, UK
9781906672263, $19.95 www.ammonitepress.com

100 Years of Fashion: 20th Century in Pictures provides decades of pictorial history and styles, with some 300 images coming from the archives of the Press Association to illustrate these changing fads. Duotone and a peppering of color photos capture changing trends in wedding dress, street clothes, and more, recording fashion from the early 1900s to the present and offering a survey of both changing styles and social attitudes perfect for any arts collection.


The Art Shelf

Paint Amazing Watercolors from Photographs
Henry W. Dixon
North Light Books
1600611257, $29.99 www.fwmedia.com

Paint Amazing Watercolors from Photographs needs to be in the library of any serious watercolor artist. It shows how to start with a strong photo to create a watercolor vision and interpretation, offering sections packed with specifics on painting people, places and things and tips for making photos look fresh. Any library strong in watercolor techniques will find this a welcome pick.

The Map As Art
Katharine Harmon
Princeton Architectural Press
37 East 7th St., New York NY 10003
9781568987620, $45.00 www.papress.com

THE MAP AS ART: CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS EXPLORE CARTOGRAPHY is an outstanding survey recommended not just for art libraries but for those involved in geography and international culture. It provides a survey of artists' map expressions, showing how artistic cartography ultimately creates a world free of geographic boundaries. Map-related visions by some 160 modern artists make for an outstanding survey packed with 360 color illustrations.

The Masterworks of Charles M. Russell
Joan Carpenter Troccoli
University of Oklahoma Press
2800 Venture Drive, Norman, OK 73069
9780806140971, $65.00 www.oupress.com

The Masterworks of Charles M. Russell: A Retrospective of Paintings and Sculpture packs in depictions of the American West, offering paintings in a companion volume to CHARLES M. RUSSELL: A CATALOG RAISONNE, edited by B. Byron Price. It provides a survey of his better-known works and details the evolution of his style, packing in over 150 of Russell's finest works in oil, bronze and mixed media. Any library strong in American western art in general and Russell in particular must have this.

The Secrets of Tomb 10A: Egypt 2000 BC
Rita E. Freed, et.al., Editors
MFA Publications
465 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02115
9780878467471, $60.00 www.mfa.org/publications

The Secrets of Tomb 10A: Egypt 2000 BC is a pick for arts and archaeology collections alike at the college level. It tells the story of the treasures found in the tomb, packing over 160 color illustrations to accompany a history charting the development of fine works of art for royalty and commoners in Egypt. Tomb 10A held the largest assembly of art and relics in Egyptian excavation history: this is a powerful survey of its contents and importance.

The Kinetic Years
Fletcher Benton
Hudson Hills Press
Box 205, Manchester, VT 05254
9781555952952, $60.00 www.hudsonhills.com

THE KINETIC YEARS tells of a contributor to the kinetic art movement who first received international acclaim by bringing motion to his pieces with battery-powered motors and colors. For thirty years he set circles, triangles and solid colors to motion with moving sculptures that shaped and redefined the world of sculpture: THE KINETIC YEARS provides a survey of his works, with black and white and color full-page images accompanying in-depth discussions of creations, inspiration and more.

The Guerilla Art Kit
Keri Smith
Princeton Architectural Press
37 E. 7th St., New York NY 10003
9781568986883, $19.95 www.papress.com

The lay-flat hardcover binder format is perfect for a toolkit on making stickers, wheat paste, stencils and more lending to putting a message out in the world. It's all about using inexpensive and common materials to put one's message out: chapter provide simple illustrations and recipes for slogan stickers and more. A top pick for any DIY business or advertising student.


The Education Shelf

Hey Kids! Out The Door, Let's Explore!
Rhoda Redleaf
Redleaf Press
10 Yorkton Court, St. Paul, MN 55117
9781933653914, $24.95 www.redleafpress.org

Hey Kids! Out The Door, Let's Explore is for any active early childhood lending library and offers a focus on nature and concept walks for kids. Each walk includes a list of vocabulary words based on nature observations, with planning and preparation materials, sample permission forms, and guidelines for educational walking trips.

Leading Adult Learning
Eleanor Drago-Severson
Corwin Press
2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
9781412950725 $40.95 www.corwinpress.com

LEADING ADULT LEARNING offers a developmental model of learning in school leadership processes, using different knowledge domains of developmental theory and adult learning to illustrate four Pillar Practices for growth. Research blends with applied knowledge in the form of case history examples from real life and exercises and lessons from the field in a guide highly recommended for all types of school leaders interested in applying adult learning models to overall education goals.

Demystifying Dissertation Writing
Peg Boyle Single, Ph.D.
Stylus Publishing
Box 605, Herndon, VA 20172-0605
9781579223137, $19.95 www.styluspub.com

Any college-level library needs Demystifying Dissertation Writing, a powerful reference offering a basic reference on dissertation writing. Humor and a conversational style may be unexpected side benefits here but they drive an informative and readable text on how to start, sustain and finish a dissertation. Any college-level library needs this!

Complete Book of Colleges 2010 Edition
Princeton Review
2315 Broadway, New York NY 10014
9780375429408, $26.99 www.princetonreview.com

The Complete Book of Colleges 2010 Edition is a 'must' acquisition for any high school or college reference library serious about providing references for students comparing schools. It provides profiles of everything from admissions procedures and online school searches to online courses and housing, key campus activities, and more. Packed with reference information, it's a 'must' for any serious reference library where students are deciding upon and choosing schools.

Cracking the AP Exam Guides: 2010 Editions
Princeton Review
2315 Broadway, New York NY 10014
www.princetonreview.com

Princeton Review's powerful AP Exam guides are many and are top picks for any reference library. They've updated some 17 guides to Advanced Placement tests and offer high school students fine study courses that include two full-length practice tests and reviews of the subject matter on the test. From BIOLOGY (9780375429149, $18.99) and CALCULUS AB AND BC (9780375429156, $19.99) to PSYCHOLOGY (9780375429484, $18.00) and STATISTICS (9780375429507, $19.99) and more, these are comprehensive guides not to be missed.


The Photography Shelf

Art & Design in Photoshop
Steve Caplin
Focal Press
30 Corporate Dr. #300, Burlington, MA 01803
9780240811093, $39.95 www.focalpress.com

Art & Design in Photoshop tells how to simulate just about anything in Photoshop, from art to graffiti, picture postcards to medieval manuscripts. Chapters pack in typography and design principles and show how to design covers, posters, packaging and more in an outstanding survey for any Photoshop library. Visuals pack every page and come from tested techniques providing polished, professional results!

Adobe Photoshop CS4 Revealed
Elizabeth Eisner Reding
Delmar Cengage Learning
5 Maxwell Drive, Clifton Park, NJ 12065-2919
1435441877 $69.95 www.cengage.com/delmar

Adobe Photoshop CS4 Revealed covers all the latest Photoshop CS4 tools from adding color and using CS4 Tablet to introducing the basics of Photoshop through tutorials and exercises. From understanding how applications may be chosen and used to moving from the basic introduction to more advanced features, Adobe Photoshop CS4 Revealed is a fine pick for any library packed with real-world examples paired with step-by-step instruction.

Studio Lighting Techniques for Photography
Christopher Grey
Amherst Media
Box 586, Buffalo, NY 14226
9781584282716, $34.95 www.amherstmedia.com

Studio Lighting Techniques for Photography covers studio lighting techniques in a powerful guide to everything from camera equipment to settings and lighting adjustments. From formats in lighting decisions and controlling qualities of light to lighting tests, hair light options for highlights, exposure choices and more, this belongs in any pro photographer's collection.

Beyond the Glamour Photograph
Jack Watson and Andy McFarland
Atlantic Publishing Company
1405 SW 6th Ave, Ocala, FL 34474-7014
9781601383914, $44.95 www.atlantic-pub.com

BEYOND THE GLAMOUR PHOTOGRAPH: HOW TO GET STARTED AND BE SUCCESSFUL AS A BOUDOIR, GLAMOUR, AND SWIMSUIT PHOTOGRAPHER comes from two photographers who offer insights into the glamour photo business, pairing their book with a companion DVD looking at a live studio glamour shoot with Watson and a bikini beach shoot with McFarland. From getting assignments to collecting fees, this covers everything from touch-up and editing to posing and preparing images for outside printing. Very highly recommended for any photo library appealing to professionals!

Photoblogging with WordPress
David Busch
Course Technology
20 Center St., Boston, MA 02210
1435454359, $29.99 www.cengage.com

Photoblogging with WordPress: An Instant Start-Up Manual for Creating and Promoting Your Own Photoblog covers all the basics of a free photoblog website, explaining its options, purposes, how to use tools, and using photos in two- and four-page spreads with step-by-step explanations showing results after using each feature. The result is a 'must' for any new to WordPress who want to take quick and easy advantage of its many advanced features.

Classic Cameras
Colin Harding
Photographer's Institute Press
Guild of Master Craftsmen
166 High St., Lewes, East Sussex, BN7 1XU, UK
9781861085290, $35.00 www.pipress.com www.amazon.com

CLASSIC CAMERAS features over seventy classics from the National Media Museum's holdings and is a 'must' for any avid collector. From histories and photos to modern camera development insights plus a chapter for each era, this packs in details on the camera obscura, photography's origins, and changes to camera style and results. Photography libraries need this, which comes packed with visuals.

Photoshop Elements 8 for Windows, updated edition
Barbara Brundage
O'Reilly
1005 Gravenstein Hwy N., Sebastopol, CA 95472
9780596803476, $44.99 www.oreilly.com

Any student of Photoshop Elements 8 for Windows: The Missing Manual will find this updated edition of a best-seller simply indispensable. It teaches tools from Photoshop but more importantly, covers the basics of when to use it - and why. Step-by-step instructions cover everything from importing photos to editing, sharing and storing images. From beginning to advanced techniques, this walks you through all the basics and is an indispensable pick for any lending or personal Photoshop collection.

Photojojo!
Amit Gupta with Kelly Jensen
Potter Craft
1745 Broadway, New York NY 10019
9780307451422, $21.99 www.pottercraft.com

PHOTOJOJO: INSANELY GREAT PHOTO PROJECTS AND DIY IDEAS tells of a pair of photo geeks who created a new kind of website for people who love photography, turning a small e-mail chain to a major newsletter with over 250,000 subscribers and a huge fan following. Photo hobbyists receive tips, tricks and techniques based on digital tweaking and pack in some 50 projects using photos, from personal accessories and gifts to a homemade Snow Globe.

Understanding Shutter Speed
Bryan Peterson
Amphoto/Watson-Guptill
770 Broadway, New York NY 10003
0817463011, $24.95 www.amphotobooks.com

Understanding Shutter Speed: Creative Action and Low-Light Photography Beyond 1/125 Second comes from a professional photographer and internationally known instructor, and discusses the basics of shutter action and how it changes images. From creating motion blur and panning to working with minimal light, this covers film and digital cameras alike and provides an excellent survey essential for any photography library.


The Computer Shelf

Grow a Greener Data Center
Douglas Alger
Cisco Press
c/o Pearson Education
800 East 96th Street, 3rd floor, Indianapolis, IN 46240-3770
1587058138, $45.00 www.ciscopress.com

GROW A GREENER DATA CENTER provides a fine guide to building an energy-efficient IT infrastructure that costs less money to run and uses fewer resources. Strategies for creating the project begin with site selection and move into 'greening' strategies for each phase of a new data center project, making this a pick not just for computer collections, but for college-level architectural and environmental libraries.

SIP: Understanding the Session Initiation Protocol, third edition
Alan B. Johnston
Artech House
685 Canton St., Norwood, MA 02062
1607839954 $99.00 www.artechhouse.com

SIP: Understanding the Session Initiation Protocol is a pick for any communications engineering library at the college level. It appears in its third edition and provides details on call signaling and IP telephony, and has been expanded with numerous new chapters covering peer-to-peer SIP, ABNF and XML, and other details key to telecommunications network development and SIP uses in Internet architecture.

Fundamentals of Computer Graphics, third edition
Peter Shirley and Steve Marschner, et.al.
A.K. Peters Ltd.
5 Commonwealth Rd Suite 2C, Natick, MA 01760
9781568814698, $99.00 www.akpeters.com

Fundamentals of Computer Graphics appears in its third updated edition to pack in discussions of the basics of computer graphics for college-level students and programmers. Four new chapters on implicit modeling, color, visualization and computer graphics in games have been added along with extensive revisions and updated new material, making this a 'must' for any college-level computer graphics library.

Palm WebOS
Mitch Allen
O'Reilly
1005 Gravenstein Hwy North, Sebastopol, CA 95472
9780596155254, $44.99 www.oreilly.com

Any computer library strong in mobile programming potential needs PALM WEBOS: an official guide to building JavaScript applications for palm's new mobile operating system. Written by Palm's software CTO, this offers a basic overviews of design basics, architecture, tools and services needed to develop webOS applications, and is a 'must' for any Palm programmer or library catering to them.

Programming .NET Compact Framework 3.5
Paul Yao and David Durant
Addison Wesley
c/o Pearson Education
801 East 96th Street, 3rd floor, Indianapolis, IN 46240-3759
www.informit/com/msdotnetseries
0321573587, $59.99, www.amazon.com

Programmers working in advanced Microsoft programming will find this has been completely revised and updated for .NET Compact Framework 2.0 and 3.5, Visual Studio 2008, and Windows Mobile SmartPhones, and shows how to create effective applications for all these handheld wireless devices. From blending mobile data with remote databases to integrating data-driven applications, it's a fine recommendation for any advanced computer reference library.


The Judicial Studies Shelf

Cato Supreme Court Review 2008-2009
Ilya Shapiro, Editor
Cato Institute
1000 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington DC 20001
9781935308157, $15.00 www.cato.org

Cato Supreme Court Review 2008-2009 provides an in-depth review of the Supreme Court's 2008-09 term, providing an annual publication bringing together leading scholars and practitioners to provide a critique of the Court's most important decisions. The review appears less than three months after the Court's term ends and is directed to legal experts, but non-attorneys also interested in the Court's work will find this accessible. Legal libraries in particular will find this an important reference.


The Architecture Shelf

Building Codes Illustrated, 2009 edition
Francis D.K. Ching and Steven R. Winkel, FAIA
John Wiley & Sons
111 River St., Hoboken, NJ 07030
9780470191439, $55.00 www.wiley.com

Any college-level architecture or construction library will find the 2009 edition of Building Codes Illustrated a fine guide to the 2009 International Building Code and its concepts. Builders, engineers, interior designers and any industry professional will find this packs in an illustrated, simple coverage of the code to enhance an actual copy of the code itself. From exit-access design requirements to ducts and air transfer openings, the visual drawings provide outstanding interpretation and access of the code's real-world applications in a solid reference for any college-level or professional builder's collection.


The Language Studies Shelf

American Accent Training: Grammar
Ann Cook
Barron's
250 Wireless Blvd, Hauppauge, NY 11788
0764196510, $24.99 www.barronseduc.com

AMERICAN ACCENT TRAINING: GRAMMAR comes with two audio CDs and a program blending all elements of grammar and pronunciation to help users learn English correctly. From the American accent and reading and writing to listening comprehension, this packs in exercises and audios along with a visual map of how English grammar works, and will be a key acquisition for any serious English language learner.


The Religion/Spirituality Shelf

The Sacred Universe
Thomas Berry
Columbia University Press
61 West 62nd St., New York NY 10023
9780231149525, $22.95 www.cup.columbia.edu

The Sacred Universe: Earth, Spirituality, and Religion in the Twenty-First Century is edited by Mary Evelyn Tucker and comes from one of the 20th century's scholarly thinkers on spiritual intersection between humans and the natural world. Berry was a leading scholar and Catholic priest who spent over fifty years writing about earth and spirituality: THE SACRED UNIVERSE's essays represent his best writings and are recommended for spirituality collections.

African American Religious Cultures
Anthony B. Pinn, Editor
ABC-CLIO
Box 1911, Santa Barbara, CA 93116-1911
9781576074701, $195.00/2 vols www.abc-clio.com

African American Religious Cultures is an outstanding 2-volume set packed with Afro-American religious and cultural history and deserves a spot in any high school to college-level collection, documenting the religion brought by the first Africans to arrive as slaves in the Americas. From a history of African American spiritual practice in Africa and this country to alphabetically organized entries on every major spiritual belief system that has evolved among African American communities, this set is a 'must' for any serious black history or spiritual collection.

Drops Like Stars
Rob Bell
Zondervan Publishing House
5300 Patterson Avenue, S.E., Grand Rapids, MI 49530
9780310275039, $34.99 www.zondervan.com

DROPS LIKE STARS is an unusual blend of art, religion, and reflections on changing moments in lives. From how suffering can jump-start a person's life and realizations to changes in plans, timetables, death and anguish, full-page color images accompany reflective vignettes in doses perfect for easy absorbing. A top pick for spirituality and art collections, this is religion and daily life affirmations at their best, and holds far more depth than the usual spiritual affirmations title.

You Were Born for This
Bruce Wilkinson
Multnomah Books
12265 Oracle Blvd, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80921
9781601421821, $22.99 www.waterbrookmultnomah.com

What happens when ordinary people begin experiencing miracles on a regular basis? YOU WERE BORN FOR THIS discusses how experiences of miracles are rare for most, and what would happen if ordinary people acknowledged these miracles in their lives. Learn how to make a lifestyle of predictable miracles in a title admonishing readers to allow God to work through them - and expect miracles in daily life.

Fearless
Max Lucado
Thomas Nelson Publishers
PO Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214
9780849921391, $24.99 www.thomasnelson.com

FEARLESS: IMAGINE YOUR LIFE WITHOUT FEAR comes form an author and pastor who believes it's more than possible to abolish fear in daily living. Each chapter tackles a different fear from that of not mattering and disappointing God to fearing what's next, that God isn't real, or fears of violence. Spiritual collections will find this an inspirational read.


The Christian Studies Shelf

The Christian Future and the Fate of Earth
Thomas Berry
Orbis Books
Price Bldg, Box 308, Maryknoll, NY 10545
9781570758515, $22.00 www.orbisbooks.com

The Christian Future and the Fate of Earth is edited by Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim and provides a philosophical, spiritual reflection on the environmental crisis of our times and its relationship to Christian thinking. From the idea of the universe being sacred to the interrelatedness of respect for earth and God's creations, this draws on the works of Thomas Aquinas and more to blend Christian tradition into ecological thinking.


The Needlecraft Shelf

Wild Tea Cosies
Loani Prior
Search Press
Wellwood, North Farm Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN2 3DR, England
www.searchpress.com
9781844484188, $21.95 www.amazon.com

Tea cosies can come in a range of colors, styles, and shapes: WILD TEA COSIES tells how to make the most of the tea cosy and provides over twenty step-by-step patterns. Color photos on facing pages pair finished products to instructions on how to create and embellish a tea cosy. From a pompom-packed pink pot cover to a knitted sea squirt motif, this is packed with unusual and fun ideas.

Start Quilting with Alex Anderson, third edition
Alex Anderson
C&T Publishing
Box 1456, Lafayette, CA 94549
9781571208125, $14.95 www.ctpub.com

The third updated edition of Start Quilting with Alex Anderson offers 8 quick projects and all the advice beginners need to get started. Most projects come in four sizes and all steps from planning to piecing a quilt are included in an expanded edition with new projects, more sizes, and new tips and shortcuts. Needlework libraries need this!

The Sweater Chop Shop
Crispina Ffrench
Storey Publishing
210 Mass MoCa Way, North Adams, MA 01247
9781603421553, $18.95 www.storey.com

THE SWEATER SHOP SHOP: ONE-OF-A-KIND CREATIONS FROM RECYCLED SWEATERS offers home crafters a fine set of sweaters, pillows, holiday gifts and home accessories using recycled wool knitwear. Gleanings from thrift stores, yard sales, and accidentally shrunken sweaters make for a collection of new ideas and retrofits using Crispina's techniques in this outstanding survey recommended for any needlework library.

Tips for Knitters
Debbie Bliss
Trafalgar Square Books
Box 237, North Pomfret, VT 05033
9781570764394, $19.95 www.trafalgarbooks.com

DEBBIE BLISS TIPS FOR KNITTERS: STITCHES AND SEAMS TO FINISHING TOUCHES packs in a fine book packed with knitting insights. It explains knitting basics, shaping, managing color and more, using photos and easy drawings to complete the introductory process. Perfect for any basic needlework introductory library!

Blogging for Bliss
Tara Frey
Lark
c/o Sterling Publishing Company
67 Broadway, Asheville, SC 28801
9781600595110, $14.95 www.larkbooks.com

BLOGGING FOR BLISS: CRAFTING YOUR OWN ONLINE JOURNAL is all about creating an online journal and comes from a blogger who has created over 50 blogs to create lovely blends of visuals, art, type and words. From blog platforms and techniques for updating photos and graphics to links and tags, this tells how to change blogging into an adjunct supporting a profitable business, and is a pick for crafting, needlework and business libraries alike.


The Science Shelf

Science and Decisions: Advancing Risk Assessment
Committee on Improving Risk Analysis Approaches
National Academies Press
500 - 5th Ave NW, Box 285, Washington, DC 20055
0309120462 $54.95 www.national-academies.org

Science and Decisions: Advancing Risk Assessment offers a tool for assessing risk and making choices in science, and discusses the science of the risk assessment process and the challenges it poses. SCIENCE AND DECISIONS makes scientific and technical recommendations to address these challenges, offering a compliment to a companion volume RISK ASSESSMENT IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT and providing concepts of evaluation and scientific support. College-level science and public health libraries alike will find this a fine survey of risk-based decision making key to understanding the entire process.

The World Is Blue
Sylvia Earle
National Geographic Books
1145 - 17th St. NW, Washington DC 20036-4688
9781426205415, $26.00 www.ngs.org

THE WORLD IS BLUE: HOW OUR FATE AND THE OCEAN'S ARE ONE provides a fine survey of how human pollution is destroying earth's ocean and what can be done to avert environmental disaster. The ultimate goal should be to find responsible, renewable strategies that maintain natural systems: THE WORLD IS BLUE tells how to do this and is key for any conservation library.

The Manga Guide to Molecular Biology
Masaharu Takemura, Sakura, and Becom Co, Ltd.
No Starch Press
555 DeHaro Street, #250, San Francisco, CO 94107
9781593272029, $19.95 www.nostarch.com

The Manga Guide to Molecular Biology joins others in the 'Manga' series and is a fine collection explaining key scientific and technical subjects using Japanese-style comics. These comics make it easy for students who are slow to absorb science: they offer characters who 'journey' inside the body's cells to learn about core topics in molecular biology, enhancing the learning process with fiction and fact blends. Any school library strong in molecular biology facts needs this.

Shells-Muscheln-Coquillages
Antoine Joseph Dezallier d'Argenville
Taschen
9783836511117 $39.99 www.taschen.com

There are plenty of light shell collector's references on the market, but if one seeks a serious shell science packed with full-page color photos and conchology facts, Shells-Muscheln-Coquillages is the item of choice. The author was a an 18th century French collector passionate about drawing his subject and clearly identifying shells: his authoritative reference is simply not to be missed by any library serious about its conchology representation.


The Metaphysical Studies Shelf

Werewolves
Dr. Bob Curran
New Page
Box 687, Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417
9781601630896, $14.99 www.newpagebooks.com

WEREWOLVES: A FIELD GUIDE TO SHAPESHIFTERS, LYCANTHROPES, AND MAN-BEASTS is for any library strong in supernatural and mythological titles: it provides an examination of the psychological roots of werewolf belief, offering an analysis of werewolves that adds discussions of feral children and even genetic engineering potentials. It moves far beyond the usual mythical approach and thus deserves a place in any collection strong in supernatural or mythological discussions.

The 2012 Story
John Major Jenkins
Tarcher/Penguin
375 Hudson St., New York NY 10014-3658
9781585427666, $25.95 www.penguin.com

THE 2012 STORY: THE MYTHS, FALLACIES, AND TRUTH BEHIND THE MOST INTRIGUING DATE IN HISTORY provides a fine survey of all the 2012 myths and legends and is a fine pick for any who have paid only cursory attention to the fanfare around the Mayan calendar's 'end date'. It comes from a veteran scholar of Maya studies who here dispels common 2012 myths and is a pick any new age library will relish.

Memories of the Afterlife
Michael Newton, Ph.D., Editor
Llewellyn Publications
2143 Wooddale Drive, Woodbury, MN 55125-2989
9780738715278, $17.95 www.llewellyn.com

MEMORIES OF THE AFTERLIFE: LIFE BETWEEN LIVES provides stories of transformation and case studies by members of the Newton Institute, and is a pick for any new age and spirituality library strong in reincarnation and mind/body connections. It provides true accounts from around the world based on hypotherapists certified by the Newton Institute, and covers memories of the afterlife and the spiritual journeys that ensued. Any new age library needs this.

The Great Shift
Martine Vallee, Editor
Red Wheel/Weiser
500 - 3rd St. #230, San Francisco, CA 94107
9781578634576, $18.95 www.redwheelweiser.com

THE GREAT SHIFT: CO-CREATING A NEW WORLD FOR 2012 AND BEYOND provides a powerful survey gathering details on a coming shift in our world leading up to the year 2012. It explains possibilities of peace and awakening spirituality in a conflicted world, and provides a survey of spiritual intent and its link with DNA fields within the body. New age collections will welcome this.

The Intuitive Way
Penny Peirce
Atria/Beyond Words
1230 Avenue of Americas, New York NY 10020
9781582702407, $18.99 www.beyondword.com

THE INTUITIVE WAY: THE DEFINING GUIDE TO INCREASING YOUR AWARENESS is a powerful hands-on workbook on intuition development, outlining a ten-step course that shows readers how to access intuitive powers. It provides affirmations, experiential exercises and discussions of synchronicity and good luck, positive thinking and more, and covers even more than its first release. Highly recommended for any new age library and many a general lending collection.

The Invisible History of the Rosicrucians
Tobias Churton
Inner Traditions
One Park St., Rochester, VT 05767
9781594772559, $24.95 www.innertraditions.com

The Invisible History of the Rosicrucians provides a fine history of secret societies and presents the first definitive, in-depth survey of these societies from their German origins in 1603 to their philosophy and development, including coverage of individuals who influenced the movement. The Rosicrucians shaped the spiritual consciousness of both North and South America, and this documents their lives and contributions.


The Theatre/Cinema/TV Shelf

VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever 2010
VideoHound
Gale/Cengage Learning
2700 Drake Rd., Farmington Hills, MI 48331
1414422180, $24.95 www.gale/cengage.com

Any library strong in movies and videos must have the 2010 edition of VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever. It packs in over 2,000 small-print pages of detail on movies and references to films on VHS, DVD, and hi-def formats, offering at-a-glance info on various formats, plots, years of production and more. If it's not listed in VideoHound, it likely doesn't exist. General lending libraries will want to keep this in their reference areas.

The Films of Johnny Depp
William B. Parrill
McFarland Publishers
Box 611, Jefferson, NC 28640
9780786440221, $55.00 www.mcfarlandpub.com

The Films of Johnny Depp is a 'must' reference for any in-depth film library compiling listings of major actors and film achievements. It follows Johnny Depp's film roles from his rise to fame in 21 Jump Street's 1987 TV debut to modern times, offering insights of his films in chronological order to trace his development as an actor. The result is a scholarly analysis of his roles, acting, and achievements perfect for any serious film library.


The Biography Shelf

The Time of My Life
Patrick Swayze and Lisa Niemi
Atria Books
1230 Avenue of Americas, New York NY 10020
9781439158586, $26.00 www.simonandschuster.com

The Time of My Life is much more than an account of actor Patrick Swayze's battle against pancreatic cancer: it describes his entire life, from his Texas upbringing and personal struggles to his career rise and strong marriage to writer and director Lisa Niemi. Accounts of Hollywood dramas and encounters provide insights on his life, but it's the candid assessments of his marriage to Lisa Niemi, their special challenges, and how they worked to create an outstanding relationship that make THE TIME OF MY LIFE so outstanding. Any general lending library needs this.

High on Arrival
Mackenzie Phillips
Simon Spotlight Entertainment
1230 Avenue of Americas, New York NY 10020
9781439153857, $25.99 www.simonandschuster.com

Mackenzie Phillips provides a powerful memoir of her childhood years surrounded by rock stars and drugs, teen years, and her lifelong battle with drug addiction and a dark family secret. HIGH ON ARRIVAL considers the consequences of her upbringing by the legendary John Phillips of The Mamas & the Papas in this powerful memoir, recommended for any general lending library.

Rehnquist
Herman J. Obermayer
Threshold Editions
1230 Avenue of Americas, New York NY 10020
9781439140826, $27.00 www.simonandschuster.com

REHNQUIST: A PERSONAL PORTRAIT OF THE DISTINGUISHED CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE UNITED STATES is a pick for any library strong in biographical sketches of political figures. It provides a personal account of the Supreme Court justice and his strong political positions on various issues, surveying his impact throughout his reign and considering his private life as well - a closely guarded secret. The author's nineteen-year friendship with Rehnquist provides many personal details not available elsewhere and makes this a powerful recommendation for any political science collection.

From Herschel to a Hobnail Boot
Larry Munson with Tony Barnhart
Triumph Books
542 S. Dearborn St., Suite 750, Chicago, IL 60605
9781600782886, $24.95 www.triumphbooks.com

From Herschel to a Hobnail Boot is a fine biography recommended for any library strong in college football memoirs. It pulls no punches in assessing the inside story of a broadcaster and his fans, analyzing the 'voice' of Georgia football experience and charting Munson's rise to fame. An audio CD of Munson's 10 greatest calls is included in this fine survey.


The Music Shelf

Michael Jackson
Adrian Grant
Omnibus Press
445 Bellvale Rd Box 572, Chester, NY 10918
9781849382618 $29.95 www.musicsales.com

MICHAEL JACKSON: A VISUAL DOCUMENTARY 1958-2009: THE OFFICIAL TRIBUTE EDITION was authorized by Jackson himself and here provides an oversized, powerful set blending color and black and white photos with a timeline of Jackson highlights. From show appearances to personal and political challenges, this timeline follows the entirety of his life and this book is a key acquisition for any serious Michael Jackson library.

Kani Wai: Sound of Water
George Kahumoku Jr. & Bob Brozman
Kealia Farms Record Co
Box 12804, Lahanina, HI 96761
$16.98 www.kahumoku.com

Finding a recording of Hawaiian slack key guitar and acoustic steel guitar masters George Kahumoku Jr. and Bob Brozman together was a difficult task - until this music CD. The steel and slide guitar great Bob Brozman released a great example with Ledward Kaapana twelve years ago - and now follows it up with an equally enjoyable outing with guitarist/singer George Kahumoku Jr., who sings as well as plays great slack key on KANI WAI: SOUND OF WATER. In addition there's something deliciously different in the guest musician slots: West African Kora as well as violin. George Kahumoku Jr.'s vocal range is outstanding - the result of all this is pure joy for any Hawaiian music collection.

Computer Orchestration: Tips & Tricks
Stephen Bennett
PC Publishing
Keeper's House, Merton, Thetford, Norfolk IP25, 6QH UK
9781906005054 $19.95 www.pc-ublishing.com www.amazon.com

Computer Orchestration: Tips & Tricks could also have been featured in our Computer Shelf section but is reviewed here for its wide-range appeal to any involved in music creation. From creating scores for players and getting the most out of music software to learning orchestration with a PC, COMPUTER ORCHESTRATION is a top pick for computer and music collections alike.


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

Quatrain
Sharon Shinn
Ace Books
375 Hudson St., New York NY 10014
9780441017584, $24.95 www.penguin.com

QUATRAIN provides four novellas under one cover all set in her Twelve Houses world. She tells of Salome, who has been chosen as the lover of an angel and who has spent years atoning for her mistakes. Add a man's search for his long-lost mother, a princess sent to a kingdom for safekeeping, and a mystic's curse of loneliness and power and you have four distinct powerhouse reads perfect for any science fiction collection.

The Tuloriad
John Ringo and Tom Kratman
Baen Books
Box 1403, Riverdale, NY 10471
9781439133040, $26.00 www.baen.com

The Tuloriad tells of a handful of clans who survive a major battle, cast into the darkness of stars with only a computer virus to guide them. As the Posleen retrace the steps of their ancestors searching for a homeworld, their search also includes a quest for information on their very souls. Prior fans of the Posleen series will find this an engrossing tale.


The Sports Shelf

Tapering and Peaking for Optimal Performance
Inigo Mujika
Human Kinetics
Box 5976, Champaign, IL 61825-5076
0736074848, $25.95 www.humankinetics.com

Tapering and Peaking for Optimal Performance offers detailed discussion on the science and program of tapering during training, and is the first book devoted to the topic. From the latest scientific research on tapering to how its effects connect with athletic performance, this provides an in-depth explanation of the physiological and psychological changes associated with tapering. Any serious sports library needs this.

Pittsburgh Steelers
Lew Freedman
MVP Books
400 First Avenue N, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55401
9780760336458, $30.00 www.mvpbooks.com

Pittsburgh Steelers: The Complete Illustrated History is a pick recommended for any sports library and documents some great moments in the history of the sport. From the players who have produced winning plays to teams, legendary coaches, and fans that have made the game successful, color and black and white images pack a record of the Pittsburgh Steeler's many successes. Any sports collection will find this a popular history.

The Winter Olympics
Ron C. Judd
Mountaineers Books
1001 SW Klickitat Way, Suite 201, Seattle, WA 98134
9781594850639, $18.95 www.mountaineersbooks.org

THE WINTER OLYMPICS: AN INSIDER'S GUIDE TO THE LEGENDS, THE LORE AND THE GAMES provides an insider's guide to the Winter Games, blending anecdotes and reporting with biographies of athletes and their achievements, profiles of individual sports, and discussions of the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. Highlights form all previous Winter Games accompany stories and discussions of history and events in this recommendation for any sports collection.


The Martial Arts Shelf

Title Shot: Into the Shark Tank of Mixed Martial Arts
Kelly Crigger
Victory Belt Publishing
098150440X, $16.95 www.victorybelt.com

TITLE SHOT deserves ongoing and repeated recommendation as an outstanding account of an Army officer who embarked on a survey of mixed martial arts competition to learn what drives fighters through years of grueling training. He lived in one of the five top MMA training camps in the U.S. and spent time with some of the biggest names in the sports to develop this blend of memoir and an insider's guide into mixed martial arts competition seldom experienced by the general public. A top pick for any MMA or casual fan alike, this will find its place in many a general lending library.


The Cookbook Shelf

What's Cooking in Chemistry?
Hubertus P. Bell, et.al.
Wiley-VCH
c/o Wiley-Blackwell
10475 Crosspoint Boulevard, Indianapolis, IN 46256
9783527326211, $19.95 www.wiley.com

WHAT'S COOKING IN CHEMISTRY? HOW LEADING CHEMISTS SUCCEED IN THE KITCHEN provides a serious assessment of recipes, cooking techniques, and why some dishes succeed based on culinary chemistry knowledge. Some 60 professors were invited to contribute recipes and chemistry assessments: the results are intriguing for both culinary and chemistry libraries at the college level.

Food & Wine Lover's Puzzle & Quiz Book
Puzzle Society
Andrews McMeel Publishing
118 Walnut Street, Kansas City, MO 64106
0740785095, $9.99 www.andrewsmcmeel.com

Food & Wine Lover's Puzzle & Quiz Book is the perfect item of choice to give as a gift for that food fan who 'has everything'. Over 200 word challenges with an Epicurean theme and a series of quizzes makes for a fun display of challenging facts perfect for any food fan.

Pecans from Soup to Nuts
Keith Courrege and Marcelle Bienvenu
Pelican Publishing
1000 Burmaster St., Gretna, LA 70053-2246
9781589806481, $19.95 www.pelicanpub.com

Pecans from Soup to Nuts provides a lovely blend of color photos and recipes for more than three dozen appetizer, main course, side dish and dessert recipes. These are accompanied by details on how to store pecans and how to best cook with them, packing in easy dishes such as Chili-Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Pecan-Breaded Eggplant, and Apple Crisp. A powerful pick for any lending library, especially those strong in nut cookbooks.

Slow: Life in a Tuscan Town
Douglas Gayeton
Welcome Books
6 West 18th Street, New York, New York 10011
9781599620725, $50.00 www.welcomebooks.com

SLOW: LIFE IN A TUSCAN TOWN is a fine achievement blending a personal journey into Tuscany with discussions of the basics of the Slow Food movement. Words and pictures are used to create a narrative on this movement, journeying from a small town outside of Florence where mushroom hunters and sheep farmers dominate to recipes, handwritten travel notes, culinary facts, and more. The visual and written approach is homestyle culinary history at its best: perfect for any international cooking library.

The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook
Jaden Hair
Tuttle Publishing
364 Innovation Drive, North Clarendon, VT 05759-9436
9780804840286, $27.95 www.tuttlepublishing.com

The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook tells how to create quick, fresh Asian recipes at home - over a hundred Asian dishes easy for busy American cooks are featured. From traditional Chinese dishes from the author's mother to modern take out favorites such as Baked Garlic Chilli Wings, this packs in color photos and easy recipes perfect for cooks who tend to think of Chinese food as too complex or time-consuming to prepare at home!

Sweet Utopia
Sharon Valenick
Book Publishing Company
Box 99, Summertown, TN 38483
9781570672330, $19.95 www.bookpubco.com

SWEET UTOPIA: SIMPLY STUNNING VEGAN DESSERTS provides a collection of outstanding recipes for those who are allergic to dairy or eggs, or limiting fat. It packs in cakes, cookies, cheesecakes tarts, mousses and more and adds color photos of finished desserts, making for an outstanding collection of appealing desserts for any dessert fan.

Raw Food Quick & Easy
Mary Rydman
Hatherleigh Press
5-22 46th Avenue, Suite 200, Long Island City, NY 11101
9781578263066, $15.00 www.hatherleighpress.com

Over 100 raw recipes for healthy snacks, crackers, soups, shakes and desserts are provided in a series of simple, easy raw meals which are quick to follow. Step by step instructions for each recipe make it easy: all that's required is access to a health food store for ingredients such as pumpkin seeds, quinoa, sunflower seeds or various nuts. Any raw food collection needs these inspirations!

Cake Wrecks
Jen Yates
Andrews McMeel Publishing
118 Walnut Street, Kansas City, MO 64106
0740785370, $12.99 www.andrewsmcmeel.com

CAKE WRECKS: WHEN PROFESSIONAL CAKES GO HILARIOUSLY WRONG is a funny example of cake messages gone awry, from decorations that don't look anything authentic to single words with the wrong punctuation choice. CAKE WRECKS will delight any interested in hilarious cake results and is a fine gift for that chef who 'has everything'.

More Best Recipes
Cook's Illustrated editors
America's Test Kitchen
17 Station St, Brookline, MA 02445
193361546X, $39.95 www.americastestkitchen.com

MORE BEST RECIPES offers a companion volume to the new 'Best Recipe' title and presents another fine roundup of favorite dishes that have been tried and tested by America's Test Kitchen cooks. All the recipes work as promised, producing consistently superior food - they've been tested and tasted at least two dozen times each, so come packed with far more experience than the usual cookbook collection. If a home cook is seeking only a limited number of expert collections, this should be at the top of the stack! General lending libraries won't be able to keep it in stock!

The Cake Mix Doctor Returns
Anne Byrn
Workman Publishing
225 Varick Street, New York NY 10014
9780761129615, $15.95 www.workman.com

Any who've owned a prior Cake Mix Doctor baking book knows that Anne Byrn works magic with the standard cake mix, offering additions for greater richness, flavor, and innovative variations using the cake mix as a foolproof base. THE CAKE MIX DOCTOR RETURNS provides 160 new recipes for cake mixes, packing in new ideas on frosting, garnishing, and baking lighter healthier cakes. It's a highly recommended, top pick for any culinary collection.

Fat of the Land
Langdon Cook
Skipstone
c/o Mountaineers Books
1001 SW Klickitat Way, Suite 201, Seattle, WA 98134
9781594850073, $26.95 www.mountaineersbooks.org

FAT OF THE LAND: ADVENTURES OF A 21ST CENTURY FORAGER blends food with natural history and tells of the author's conversion from a prepackaged food fan to one who coveted wild edibles. From specific food sources and the Northwest's culinary history to adventures in uncovering and using wild foods, this is a pick for any library strong in Gibbons fans.

The Polytunnel Handbook
Andy McKee and Mark Gatter
Green Books Ltd
Foxhole, Dartington, Totnes, Devon, TQ9 6EB, UK
9781900322454, $18.95 www.greenbooks.co.uk www.amazon.com

The Polytunnel Handbook might initially seem a choice more for libraries strong in home and garden choices, but any also strong in culinary topics will find it a fine survey of how to build a structure that can be an affordable way of growing food year-round even in the dead of winter. From understanding planning permissions and different types and sizes to deciding where to put it and how to use it, THE POLYTUNNEL HANDBOOK is a fine step-by-step to choosing, putting up and maintaining an easy greenhouse.


The 2010 Calendar Shelf

Quilt Calendar 2010
That Patchwork Place
Martingale & Company
20205 - 144th Avenue, NE, Woodinville, WA 98072-8478
9781564779403, $16.99 www.martingale.com

Any quilter or buyer considering quilter's gifts will relish the wall QUILT CALENDAR 2010. It features a dozen quilts from designers and includes a 28-page pullout booklet with step-by-step instructions for actually creating them, so goes beyond most quilter's wall calendars offering a gift of different styles, from scrappy quilts and applique to 1930s reproduction fabrics. An outstanding quilter's gift choice.


The Fiction Shelf

The White Queen
Philippa Gregory
Touchstone
1230 Avenue of Americas, New York NY 10020
9781416563686, $25.99 www.simonandschuster.com

THE WHITE QUEEN is Book One of 'The Cousins' War', so be forewarned on the series. That said, it's an outstanding pick for any historical fiction library, set during the wars of the Plantagenets and telling of a ambitious and lovely woman who marries a newly crowned boy king in secret and ascends to royalty. When Elizabeth fights for her family's success, her two sons become central in a mystery that continues to confound historians. A powerful story evolves.


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

Tragic Magic
Laura Childs
Berkeley Prime Crime
375 Hudson St., New York NY 10014
9780425229897, $24.95 www.penguin.com

TRAGIC MAGIC is a scrapbooking mystery set in New Orleans and revolving around Carmella, owner of Memory Mine scrapbooking store, and her best friend Ava, owner of Juju Voodoo. Their joint project converting an old mansion into a haunted house backfires when the haunted house becomes too authentic and death walks among them in this vivid mystery perfect for any serious mystery collection.

The Chocolate Cupid Killings
JoAnna Carl
Obsidian
375 Hudson St., New York NY 10014
9780451227973, $21.95 www.penguin.com

The Chocolate Cupid Killings is a chocolate mystery permeated with chocolate trivia and fun as it tells of Lee Woodyard, who finds her own liquer bottle was used as a murder weapon. Add in a romance for Lee and a P.I. determined to help her sand you have a fine story of intrigue and humor perfect for culinary mystery holdings.

Trick or Treat
Kerry Greenwood
Poisoned Pen Press
6962 E. 1st Ave #103, Scottsdale, AZ 85251
9781590585320, $24.95 www.poisonedpenpress.com

TRICK OR TREAT provides a fine Corinna Chapman mystery, centering around the baker's face-off with a competing cut-price franchise bakery down the street. Add romance problems and her love's absences when an 'old friend' moves into his house and an outbreak of madness and you have a complex, satisfying mystery perfect for general mystery libraries.


The Military Shelf

Young Nelsons
D.A.B. Ronald
Osprey
400 Hahn Road, Westminster, MD 21157
9781846033605, $25.95 www.ospreypublishing.com

YOUNG NELSONS: BOY SAILORS DURING THE NAPOLEONIC WARS tells of boy sailors who volunteered to fight for Britain and found adventure, glory and fame in the process. These children - some as young as eight or nine - fought during the Napoleonic Wars: their letters, poems and diaries tells of their experiences here and makes for an outstanding military history library addition.

The Immortals: History's Fighting Elites
Nigel Cawthorne
Zenith Press
c/o Quayside Publishing Group
400 First Avenue North, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55401
www.mbipublishing.com 1-800-458-0454
9780760337523, $30.00 www.zenithpress.com

The Immortals: History's Fighting Elites tells of men and women whose names live through their battlefield glory, offering an illustrated study of world warriors from the Ninja and Mongol Hordes to the Prussian Guard, Gurkhas, Green Berets, and more. The most deadly, respected warriors of history are surveyed in a fine chart of battles, politics, deeds and achievements in this outstanding colorful presentation especially recommended for military libraries.


The Women's Studies Shelf

Women in India
Sita Anantha Raman
Praeger
c/o ABC-CLIO
Box 1911, Santa Barbara, CA 93116-1911
9780275982423, $100.00/2 vols www.abc-clio.com

WOMEN IN INDIA: A SOCIAL AND CULTURAL HISTORY offers a two-volume set examining Indian history from ancient to modern times with an eye on feminine personas and gender rights that changed across eras. From the legacies of important male and female figures and how they played roles in modifying women's lives to a survey of modern Indian women, this is a top pick for any women's issues or cultural collection.

Find Your Strongest Life
Marcus Buckingham
Thomas Nelson
Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214
9781400202362, $29.99 www.thomasnelson.com

FIND YOUR STRONGEST LIFE: WHAT THE HAPPIEST AND MOST SUCCESSFUL WOMEN DO DIFFERENTLY considers the future happiness of American women at work and home, and how women can find deeper fulfillment and joy. Research indicates men get happier as they age while women grow sadder: FIND YOUR STRONGEST LIFE is designed to help women to happier lives by applying the author's decades of research at the Gallup Organization and his years of walking business executives through his 'strengths revolution' program. A fine pick for any general women's lending library.

Women Lead the Way
Linda Tarr-Whelan
Berrett-Koehler Publishers
235 Montgomery #650, San Francisco CA 94104-2916
9781605091358, $24.95 www.bkcurrents.com

WOMEN LEAD THE WAY: YOUR GUIDE TO STEPPING UP TO LEADERSHIP AND CHANGING THE WORLD comes from a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the think tank Demos who was an Ambassador to the UN Commission on the Status of Women, among other powerful political posts. Her ideas on closing the leadership gap for women uses her diverse background as an organizer and diplomat to provide a women-led strategy for change and a set of tools readers can use to become partners and leaders in a changing world. Very highly recommended for any women's studies library.


The Antiques/Collectibles Shelf

Greenberg's Guides Lionel Trains 2010 Edition
Roger Carp, Editor
Kalmbach Books
21027 Crossroads Circle, Waukesha, WI 53186
9780897785372, $18.95 www.kalmbachbooks.com

Greenberg's Guides Lionel Trains 2010 Edition offers a pocket-sized guide packed with the basic facts on Lionel train collecting, covering all the basics of buying, selling or trading Lionel trains and accessories from prewar to modern times. Product listings include brief descriptions of each item, variations, and fair-market values. The truly pocket-sized slim format lends to take-along toting and is a fine pick for any Lionel collector's library.

Greenberg's American Flyer Pocket Price Guide 1946-2010
Roger Carp, Editor
Kalmbach Books
21027 Crossroads Circle, Waukesha, WI 53186
9780897785389, $15.95 www.kalmbachbooks.com

Greenberg's American Flyer Pocket Price Guide 1946-2010 offers a pocket-sized guide to buying, selling or trading any American flyer or other S gauge train in a collection. The truly pocket-sized, slim paperback packs in product listings that include brief descriptions variations notes, and suggested fair-market values in a take-along tote any American Flyer collector must have.


The Automotive Shelf

The Porsche Book
Jurgen Barth with Gustav Busing
David Bull Publishing
4250 E. Camelback Rd Suite K150, Phoenix, AZ 85018
9781893618930, $299.95 www.bullpublishing.com

The Porsche Book: The Complete History of Types and Models is a 3-volume set in a slipcase packed with over two thousand black and white and color photos and nearly a hundred illustrations. It comes from a Porsche insider and Le Mans winner and provides the definitive technical history of the car and its designs. It originally appeared in 1977 but this first English-language edition in decades will appeal to any in-depth library strong in auto history and lore.


The Holiday Shelf

Holidays on Display
William L. Bird, Jr.
Smithsonian Institution/Natl Museum American History
Princeton Architectural Press
37 E. 7th St., New York NY 10003
1568986955, $24.95 www.papress.com

Holidays on Display provides a vivid set of color photos capturing department store festive window displays and reviews the overall art of the holiday display. The author traces this display's changes from basic holiday decorations to works of art, floats, and more, offering a fine history of rare photos and ephemera in the process. Any library strong in holiday art needs this.

Ghoulish Goodies
Sharon Bowers
Storey Publishing
210 MassMoca Way, North Adams, MA 01247
9781603421461, $14.95 www.storey.com

GHOULISH GOODIES arrived too late for feature in our October issue with Halloween recommendations, but deserves consideration year-round for its fine attention to quick sweet treats for Halloween. 70 recipes for delicious desserts are picks for parties and gift-giving alike and come from a cookbook author who has assembled a fine selection of innovative, kid-friendly choices. Libraries strong in innovative cooking will find this appealing.


The American History Shelf

Encyclopedia of the Spanish-American and Philippine-American Wars
Spencer C. Tucker, Editor
ABC-CLIO
Box 1911, Santa Barbara, CA 93116-1911
9781851099511, $295.00 www.abc-clio.com

The three-volume Encyclopedia of the Spanish-American and Philippine-American Wars provides a winning survey of over 600 alphabetically organized entries covering individuals, battles, weapons and events in the U.S., Spain and other countries during the Spanish-American and Philippine-American wars, and is a pick for both military and college-level history holdings specializing in these eras. Expert contributions from a team of scholars of American military history offer detailed articles, while a separate Documents Volume with over 150 primary-source texts provides extensive references suitable for any detailed student report.

The Monuments Men
Robert M. Edsel
Center Street/Hachette
237 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
9781599951492, $26.99 www.centerstreet.com

THE MONUMENTS MEN: ALLIED HEROES, NAZI THIEVES, AND THE GREATEST TREASURE HUNT IN THE COUNTRY tells of a special group who had a mandate from President Roosevelt to stop the pillaging of Europe's art world during World War II - but no equipment or authority to carry it out. Each man gathered hints and scraps to locate these treasures, tracking Nazi plunder throughout Europe with little other than recovered records from bombings and personal perseverance. Their story comes to life in THE MONUMENTS MEN, a powerful historical treasure hunt story suitable for both arts and history collections alike.


The Comix/Graphic Novel Shelf

Guardians of Being
Patrick McDonnell and Eckhart Tolle
New World Library
14 Pamaron Way, Novato, CA 94949
9781577316718, $18.00 www.newworldlibrary.com

GUARDIANS OF BEING could also have been featured in our 'new age' area but deserves ongoing recommendation as an appealing blend of Eckhart's teachings and Patrick McDonnell's cartoons. It discusses finding inner peace by living in the now, changing consciousness, and loving animals: chapters focused on this love use spiritual teachings to reinforce concepts in a pick for new age and graphic novel collections alike.

Marvel Comics in the 1960s
Pierre Comtois, author
Jack Kirby & Steve Ditko, illustrators
TwoMorrows
10407 Bedfordtown Dr., Raleigh, NC 27614
9781605490168, $27.95 www.twomorrows.com

Marvel Comics in the 1960s: An Issue by Issue Field Guide to the Pop Culture Phenomenon presents a step-by-step look at how a company emerged as one of the leaders of the industry, providing original contributions to an era when pop culture dominated America. From the company's first beginnings to its colorful editors and artists, this packs in a wealth of fine images and facts.

The Complete Peanuts 1973-1974
Charles M. Schulz
Fantagraphics Books
7563 Lake City Way, Seattle, WA 98115
9781606992869, $28.99 www.fantagraphics.com

THE COMPLETE PEANUTS 1973-74 offers a fine collection of comics from 1973-74. The black and white strips form both dailies and Sunday sections are introduced by Billie Jean King and provide Peanuts masterpieces in a 'must' for any serious comprehensive Schulz library's collection.


The Pets/Wildlife Shelf

Infectious Disease Management in Animal Shelters
Lila Miller and Kate Hurley
Wiley-Blackwell
10475 Crosspoint Boulevard, Indianapolis, IN 46256
9780813813790 $79.99 www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell

Infectious Disease Management in Animal Shelters is a comprehensive guide to preventing and treating disease outbreaks in shelters, and as such is a valuable specialty pick for any college-level collection strong in animal veterinary science and management. It provides the basics on disease control in animal populations and is a fine pick for any collection appealing to veterinary students and animal shelter care staff alike.


The Hunting/Fishing Shelf

Hunting with Spaniels
Paul Morrison
Kennel Club Books
40 Broad St., Freehold, NJ 07728
9781593787295, $14.95 www.kennelclubbooks.com

Hunting with Spaniels: Training Your Flushing Dog is a fine pick for any spaniel owner who wants to embark on a training program. Hunt-test judge author Paul Morrison relays why spaniels are fine gun-dogs, offering advice on how to create a hunting partner and including color photos of various spaniel breeds and training scenarios. Any spaniel owner who wants a key to creating a fine hunting dog will need this guide.


The Literary Shelf

Fashion in Fiction
Peter McNeil, et.al., Editors
Berg
175 - 5th Avenue, New York NY 10010
9781847883575 $41.00 www.bergpublishers.com

Fashion in Fiction considers how dress 'performs' in a wide range of literature, offering essays by North American, European and Australian scholars who explore clothing within a fictional realm. From considering connected worlds of fashion and words to socio-cultural and historical readings of different genres and periods, this is a pick for arts libraries specializing in design history as well as literary collections interested in social and cultural development.


The California Shelf

Death in California
David Kulczyk
Craven Street Books
c/o Linden Publishing
2006 S. Mary, Fresno, CA 93721
9781884995576 $15.95 CravenStreetBooks.com

Death in California: The Bizarre, Freakish, and Just Curious Ways People Die in the Golden State lives up to its title as a quirky compendium of true stories of unusual ways people have met their ends in California - from the tragedy of 14 tourists swept over Vernal Fall in Yosemite National Park, to Bob "Bear" Hite's overdose on heroin at Hollywood nightclub, to a 10-ton jet that crashed in a Bay Area kitchen. Here are suicides, homicides, one-in-a-million deadly accidents, and more. A handful of vintage black-and-white photographs pepper this unforgettably compelling account of grisly mishaps, dark twists of fate, and ill luck of the worst kind.

Arcadia Publishing
www.arcadiapublishing.com

Arcadia's 'Images of America' books are outstanding additions and these are picks for any California library strong in regional California history. These are photo collections pairing history with vintage images gleaned from personal as well as public archives, so many are not to be found elsewhere. Darline Bergere's UKIAH (0738570400, $21.99) comes from a long-time Ukiah resident and former newspaper columnist and provides a celebration of the town's origins and growth, Alice Eby Hall's THE CAJON PASS (0738570753, $21.99) surveys a major state pass that led to the state's development once it was traversed and opened up, Rebecca Farnbach, Vincenzo Cilurzo and Audrey Cilurzo's TEMECULA WINE COUNTRY (0738570141, $21.99) examines the growth of vineyards in the Temecula region and tells how the authors planted the first commercial vineyard in the 1960s, and William J. McBurney and Mary Rice Milholland's GREATER FRENCH VALLEY (0738569186, $21.99) surveys a Riverside County region north of Temecula where immigrants developed a thriving community that exists to this day. The authors' personal familiarity with their topics makes for a powerful pairing of personal and historical information.


James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
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

Diane C. Donovan, Editor & Senior Reviewer
12424 Mill Street, Petaluma, CA 94952
phone: 1-707-795-4629
e-mail: donovan@sonic.net


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