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California Bookwatch

Volume 11, Number 3 March 2016 Home | CALBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Needlecraft Shelf Social Issues Shelf
Biography Shelf Gardening Shelf Business Shelf
Fiction Shelf Mystery/Suspense Shelf Cookbook Shelf
Antiques/Collectibles Shelf Education Shelf Fantasy/SciFi Shelf
Photography Shelf Health/Medicine Shelf Computer Shelf
Metaphysical Studies Shelf Crafts Shelf Sports Shelf
International Studies Shelf Science Shelf California Shelf


Reviewer's Choice

Massachusetts Lighthouses and Lightships
Arthur P. Richmond
Schiffer Publishing
4880 Lower Valley Road, Atglen, PA 19310
www.schifferbooks.com
9780764348532, $45.00, www.amazon.com

Massachusetts Lighthouses and Lightships is a 'must' for both American history and lighthouse history holdings, and for those with a special interest in New England's maritime history. Over 800 images, many unique to this book, offer history and nautical insights as they use archival and modern photos to present the history of Massachusetts lighthouse and lightships developments. From equipment and structures from towers and lantern rooms to charts, ships, and events, this is packed with color throughout in a visual treat that will appeal to any lighthouse history reader.

The Modern Explorers
Robin Hanbury-Tenison and Robert Twigger, Editors
Thames and Hudson
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110-0017
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500516843, $44.95, www.amazon.com

Plenty of books offer histories of exploration, but The Modern Explorers goes where fewer books travel in surveying the efforts of nearly forty explorers from various countries who have undertaken expeditions to some of the remotest places on Earth. These intrepid individuals largely present their own experiences in their own writing as they explain their experiences as part of expeditions, survey their encounters and discoveries, and provide travel and adventure leisure audiences with accounts spiced with color images throughout. This survey is written not with the scientist or historian in mind, but for the general-interest reader seeking a lively modern collection of exploration experiences.


The Needlecraft Shelf

Primitive Style
Jenifer Gaston
Martingale
19021 - 120th Avenue NE, Suite 102, Bothell, WA 98011
www.shopmartingale.com
9781604686838, $26.99, www.amazon.com

Primitive Style: Folk-Art Quilts and Other Finery gathers fifteen patterns and a blend of cotton and wool projects in a presentation designed to appeal to quilters looking for rustic overtones to add to a home. It's unusual to find a coverage of wool projects that includes quilts, samplers, rugs, table toppers and more, and it's also a treat to find pullout pattern sheets that make copying patterns a snap. Add full color photos of finished products, step-by-step how-to discussions, and activities that all levels of quilter can enjoy and you have a winning collection recommended for any seeking a specifically primitive folk-art home product focus.

25 Stylish Knitted Slippers
Rae Blackledge
Stackpole Books
5067 Ritter Road, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055-6921
www.stackpolebooks.com
9780811714075, $21.95, www.amazon.com

25 Stylish Knitted Slippers: Fun Designs for Dogs, Moccasins, Boots, Animal Slippers, Loafers, & More goes beyond the usual sock-and-slipper knitting instructional to provide a range of fun projects from Night Owl Boots to clogs and boot slippers, and provides the detailed patterns and easy step-by-step photos to accompany clear instructions on how to make each project and customize the results. Knitters should have some basic skills and should know how to read basic instructions; but beyond this, the projects are relatively easy to put together and, given the directions and photos, nearly foolproof.


The Social Issues Shelf

White Allies in the Struggle for Racial Justice
Drick Boyd
Orbis Books
Price Building
Box 302, Maryknoll NY 10545-0302
www.orbisbooks.com
9781626981492, $30.00, www.amazon.com

White Allies in the Struggle for Racial Justice belongs on the shelves of not just social issues collections, but history and sociology readers as well as those involved in religious studies and Christian thinking. It profiles white Americans who broke with their racism to join in civil right struggles, from early abolitionists to modern figures, and it blends the story of religious insights with that of civil rights and racial justice. While people can be allies, but only when they truly understand the roots of oppression. White Allies in the Struggle for Racial Justice discusses this alliance and tells stories on how to be effective allies in this racially divided country, offering insights on historical precedent and motivation alike.


The Biography Shelf

Bill & Hillary
Darwin Porter & Danforth Prince
Blood Moon Productions
75 Saint Marks Place, Staten Island, New York 10301-1606
www.bloodmoonproductions.com
9781936003471, $29.95, www.amazon.com

Bill & Hillary: So This Is That Thing Called Love is both a biographical coverage of the Clintons and a political expose; so readers interested in more than the Clinton's personal life now have a detailed, weighty exploration that traces the couple's social and political evolution from how each entered the political arena to their White House years under Bill Clinton's presidency. One might expect a light survey, but Bill & Hillary is anything but: as much as it contains gossip, scandal, and biographical background, it also delves deeply into the news and politics of its times, creating a background that fully explores the underlying controversies affecting the Clinton family. Sidebars of information and black and white photos liberally peppered throughout the account offer visual reinforcement and relief to the exploration, lending it the feel and tone of a gossip column and political piece - something that probes not just Clinton interactions but the D.C. political milieu as a whole. The result is an absorbing, top recommendation for readers of both biography and political pieces, who will enjoy a spirited, lively, yet thought-provoking analysis that arrives in perfect time for Hillary's presidential run.

Sharon Tate: A Life
Ed Sanders
Da Capo Press
c/o Perseus Book Group
250 W. 57th St., Suite 1500, New York, NY 10107
www.perseusbooksgroup.com
9780306818899, $25.99, www.dacapopress.com

Sharon Tate: A Life comes from the author of The Family and provides a definitive biography of actress Sharon Tate's life up to her death at the hands of the Manson family. Tate enjoyed love and fame but the same acclaim that was to challenge her life ultimately led to her death. This book follows her evolution in the acting industry, her early romances, and the development of her career as the 1960s unwound. Of particular interest is Sanders' probe into why the Polanski house was targeted by Manson and his followers and why Sharon and her friends became their target. The result is a compelling story that's hard to put down and which poses many alternate views of not just Tate and her circle, but the times.


The Gardening Shelf

Blue Ribbon Vegetable Gardening
Jodi Torpey
Storey Publishing
210 Mass MoCA Way, North Adams, MA 01247
www.storey.com
9781612123943, $16.95, www.amazon.com

Blue Ribbon Vegetable Gardening: The Secrets to Growing the Biggest and Best Prizewinning Produce comes from an author who is a blue ribbon winner in gardening, and who provides tips for home growers who want to make their produce the best. From the best practices that lead to the best produce to storing and transporting large produce and understanding what equates to competition-level productions, Blue Ribbon Vegetable Gardening goes where few home gardening books cover. Hundreds of color photos and competitor profiles accompany discussions of fairs and vegetable standouts in a compelling and engrossing read.


The Business Shelf

Be a Network Marketing Leader
Mary Christensen
Amacom Books
1601 Broadway, New York, NY 10019
www.amacombooks.org
9780814436820, $16.00, www.amazon.com

Be a Network Marketing Leader: Build a Community to Build Your Empire is recommended for any interested in business and direct selling techniques and comes from a network marketing guru who shares her tips on how to become a leader in the community. Tips and checklists are accompanied by stories and examples that teach how to use social media marketing, how to connect with people on a personal level to increase business success, and how to cultivate the kind of connected community that leads to meaningful changes and lasting participation. Any interested in the process of creating such a community team atmosphere will find this filled not just with ideals, but with specific strategies for achieving them.

Planet Entrepreneur
Steven D. Strauss
Wiley
c/o Wiley Professional Trade Group
111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
www.wiley.com
9781118789520, $25.00, www.amazon.com

The World Entrepreneurship Forum Guide to Planet Entrepreneur: Business Success Around the World pairs real-world examples of global business changes with insights into how these changes hold wide-ranging and sweeping impacts for everyone's future, and is recommended by any interested in the future of global commerce. From new routes to financing such as crowdfunding and the new self-employed revolution happening now to how innovation is being re-invented and how big business is in a new position of power in fostering 'green' practices, this collection covers a range of entrepreneurial changes taking place around the world. The result is a powerful predictor of what is to come as well as an exploration of what is happening in global business communities today, and deserves a place in any serious business book collection.


The Fiction Shelf

Pulse
Robert Cook
www.robertcooknovels.com
Greenleaf Book Group Press
PO Box 91869, Austin, TX 78709
www.greenleafbookgroup.com
9781626342477, $20.95, www.gbgpress.com

Pulse is a political thriller highly recommended for fans of international espionage, disaster stories, and military encounters alike, and provides a powerful national security thriller revolving around an elite team who assemble as part of the US's response to Iran's plans. The US president has many options, including starting a civil war in Tehran; but high technology and new developments offer another alternative response - and the anonymity of a remote pulse that can destroy the Internet and the world as we know it. The combination of thriller and apocalyptic political intrigue sets Pulse apart from - and a cut above - many others in different genres and will attract a wide audience.


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

Murder in Megara
Mary Reed & Eric Mayer
Poisoned Pen Press
6962 E. First Ave., #103, Scottsdale, AZ 85251
www.poisonedpenpress.com
9781464204067, $26.95, www.amazon.com

Murder in Megara provides another John the Lord Chamberlain historical mystery and tells of John's exile from Constantinople to a rustic Greek estate. One would think his exile would absolve him of the task of solving mysteries; but quite the opposite happens: he uncovers a range of puzzles, from the hostility of local inhabitants who consider John and his family intruders to questionable neighbors and staff members. He's also accused of blasphemy and murder and since he no longer has an inside line to authority, he's on his own in investigating corruption in a town where there are too many suspects and not enough help. Add equally-convoluted relationships into the mix and you have a satisfying addition to the ten previous books on John, the Lord Chamberlain: all of which bring the early Byzantine era to life.

Warriors of the Storm
Bernard Cornwell
Harper
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022-5299
www.harpercollins.com
9780062250940, $27.99, www.amazon.com

The appearance of the ninth book in Cornwell's bestselling Saxon Tales series arrives shortly after the new television series The Last Kingdom, based on the books, and so offers both a continuation of the story and a powerful epic historical survey for newcomers. The story opens under an uncertain peace where a late king's son and daughter rule the kingdoms despite the ongoing raids from the Northmen who covet their land and wealth. Warriors and politics, family strife and courage, and issues of war and peace reveal a saga that follows how the English gain their land against all odds in an ongoing battle. Any interested in Saxon times and struggles will find Warriors of the Storm an exceptional addition to the series which succeeds in standing on its own for newcomers to the stories.


The Cookbook Shelf

Lima The Cookbook
Virgilio Martinez
Mitchell Beazley
c/o Octopus Publishing
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9781784720889, $29.99, www.amazon.com

Lima The Cookbook: Peruvian Home Cooking comes from a Michelin-star chef whose restaurant Central was ranked fourth on the list of the world's best 5 restaurants, and covers the small plates, main dishes, and desserts that represent the widest cross-section of Peru's culinary heritage. Lima has become the destination city for Peruvian cuisine, and this gathering of some hundred easy modern recipes that home cooks can make without worry places Peruvian flavors and approaches in the hands of home cooks around the world. Color photos on every page illustrate a range of recipes such as a Quinoa Milk and Berry Smoothie, Sea Bass, Avocado and Red Onion Ceviche, Vegetable "Chaufa" Rice, and more. Easy as most of these dishes are, readers should ideally approach the book with a prior interest in Peruvian cuisine, access to such ingredients as canned hearts of palm or quinoa, and at times a number of preparation steps that will produce professional-quality, eye-catching and mouth-watering results.

The Scandinavian Kitchen
Camilla Plum
Kyle Books
www.kylebooks.com
9781909487383, $24.95, www.amazon.com

The Scandinavian Kitchen: Over 100 Essential Nordic Ingredients and 250 Classic Recipes comes from a notable Danish food writer and broadcaster who considers her own Nordic roots to provide a blend of traditional and modern Scandinavian recipes. Fish, herbs, game, and locally sourced fruits and vegetables advocate seasonal cookery while recipes may require access to some specialty ingredients such as elderflowers or celaric or herring fillets. Packed with large and small color photos throughout, The Scandinavian Kitchen explores the best of the country's traditions in a manner home cooks can easily appreciate.

The Big Green Egg Book
Dirk Koppes
Andrews McMeel Publishing
1130 Walnut Street, Kansas City, MO 64106-2109
www.andrewsmcmeel.com
9781449471156, $50.00, www.amazon.com

The Big Green Egg Book is for home cooks and professional chefs who own and use the 'green egg' cooking unit, and presents some fifty recipes and the international cooks who have used the Green Egg to best advantage. The Big Green Egg is a kamado-style ceramic cooker unit, and the new recipes in this cookbook were developed especially for the cooker. Dishes include Prime Rib and Porcini Mushrooms and Morel Butter, Picked Pig's Neck with Saffron Aioli and Mustard Jus, and Mango smoked on Lapsang Souchong Tea Leaves with Milk Chocolate Cake and Maple Ice Cream. A full-page color photos embellishes clear instructions but its evident that many of these productions use either special ingredients (lapsang souchong tea, for example, is ordinarily found in specialty Chinese markets and not the general supermarket's ethnic section) or require some degree of preparation. Cooks with such access and interests who own a Green Egg cooker and want expanded options for using it will find these recipes are filled with fresh, new ideas.

Thailand From the Source
Austin Bush & Mark Wiens
Lonely Planet Publications
150 Linden Street, Oakland CA 94607
www.lonelyplanet.com
9781743607633, $24.99, www.amazon.com

Thailand From the Source gathers the country's authentic dishes from chefs throughout the region, and pairs full-page color photos with chef Thai recipes such as Slow-Cooked Beef in Herbs, Salt-Crusted Roasted Fish, and Flash-Fried Morning Glory. While some of the ingredients (such as the morning glory or mandan or makhwaen [or prickly ash]) will be a challenge to locate outside of a well-stocked Thai market, the range of recipes and unique chef contributions makes for an appealing array of dishes you just won't find elsewhere, and a coverage that incorporates the tastes, smells, and culture of Thailand.

Spiralize Now!
Denise Smart
Weldon Owen
415 Jackson Street, San Francisco, CA 94111
www.weldonowen.com
9781681880518, $19.95, www.amazon.com

Spiralize Now! 80 Delicious, Healthy Recipes for Your Spiralizer discusses a new kitchen tool that helps create spirals and ribbons out of fruits and vegetables, in effect creating low-calorie 'pasta' and 'noodles' from fresh ingredients. The spiralizer is a cutting machine with different blades for making flat noodles, ribbons, or spaghetti out of fresh ingredients such as cucumbers or carrots. There are actually a number of brands of this device on the market, but few keys on how to use them to best benefit. That's why this cookbook is so essential for any spiralizer owner: it will provide a wide range of dishes, from Root Vegetable Roti to Candied Lemon Peel, and it will keep new owners from relegating the machine to the closet for lack of a variety of uses. Any spiralizer owner will find this cookbook the perfect companion to the tool!

Hollyhock: Garden to Table
Moreka Jolar, Heidi Scheifley and the Hollyhock Cooks
New Society Publishers
PO Box 189, Gabriola Island, BC, Canada, V0R 1X0
www.newsociety.com
9780865717275, $24.95, www.amazon.com

Hollyhock: Garden to Table blends a cookbook with a gardening guide and celebrates local produce and fresh foods with an international flavor to them. It promotes whole grains and organic ingredients through original recipes such as Gingered Beet Greens, Sweet Potato, Onion and Ricotta Tart, and Salmon Burgers, and it offers dishes that use wild ingredients such as fiddleheads and unusual combinations such as sour cherries and chocolate chips (in a dessert, in this case). The result is a cookbook packed with mouthwatering flavors and appeal, containing dishes you won't find elsewhere.

Sandwiched
Tanya Schroeder
Cedar Fort
2373 West 700 South, Springville, Utah 84663
www.cedarfort.com
9781462116973, $19.99, www.amazon.com

Sandwiched: Grill 'Em Toast 'Em Stuff 'Em Eat 'Em pairs step-by-step instructions with a range of sandwich recipes perfect for casual dining or entertaining, and provides pairings that will prove delightfully unexpected even for cooks who often make sandwiches. Try A Tiramisu Pastry Sandwich made from puff pastry and sweet embellishments, a Fig, Fontina, and Caramelized Onion Grilled Cheese, or a Crab Cake Sandwich with Artichokes and CrŠme Fraiche for just a few example of sandwich combinations not to be found in every sandwich cookbook.

The Tabasco Cookbook
Paul McIlhenny with Barbara Hunter
Clarkson Potter Publishers
c/o The Random House Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, 17th floor, New York, NY 10019
www.crownpublishing.com
9780770435394, $16.99, www.clarksonpotter.com

The Tabasco Cookbook: Recipes with America's Favorite Pepper Sauce is a recommendation for any who already love the spicy hot Tabasco flavor, and who want more ideas for incorporating it into various dishes. It's a revised, updated edition of the original Tabasco Cookbook that packs in 80 dishes, from regional American fare to Sunday brunch foods, drinks such as a Classic Bloody Mary, Gingered Pork Roast, and much more. Color photos throughout provide lovely embellishments to recipes that require only a prior affection for Tabasco.


The Antiques/Collectibles Shelf

Lost and Found Coin Hoards and Treasures
Q. David Bowers
Whitman Publishing
4001 Helton Drive, Florence, Alabama, 35630
www.whitman.com
9780794842932, $39.95, www.amazon.com

Tales of treasure, bank vaults, hidden and buried boxes and chests, coins stored in old buildings, forgotten collections and more are gathered in an inspiring survey of coins from colonial to modern times which led to treasure hunts and amazing results. Coins exported to England, hoards hidden or lost and found, treasure ships and gold rush stashes, are all explored with an eye to covering coin history in an approach that celebrates the efforts of collectors and reveals some of their greatest finds and most controversial, colorful histories. The result is a treasure trove of colorful and fun facts which blends a treasure hunt history with a coin focus with overall coin history, illustrated with vintage black and white photos, drawings, and color throughout and accessible to coin collectors and adventure readers alike.

Illustrated Guide to Jewelry Appraising, third edition
Anna M. Miller, GG
Gemstone Press
Sunset Farm Offices, Route 4, PO Box 237, Woodstock, VT 05091
www.gemstonepress.com
9780943763422, $49.99, www.amazon.com

The third updated edition of Illustrated Guide to Jewelry Appraising: Antique, Period & Modern comes from a registered master valuer and author of many other books on jewelry and gem appraising, and offers newcomers a companion volume to the second edition. It pairs clear photos with case studies and information about the appraising process, considering the appraiser's work, value approach methods, instructions of creating jewelry descriptions, and research and data that lend to a model of appraisal that readers can use in the process of creating their own appraisal documents. From earrings, rings, and bracelets to brooches, cameos, and more, this reference is recommended not just for neo-professional appraisers, but for collectors, antique dealers, insurance professionals and more. Black and white photos and illustrations throughout enhance a solid desk reference.

Handbook of Alternative Fuel Techniques, second edition
Sunggyu Lee, et.al., Editors
CRC Press
6000 NW Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300, Boca Raton, FL 33487
www.crcpress.com
9781466594562, $179.95, www.amazon.com

The second updated edition of Handbook of Alternative Fuel Techniques joins others in the 'Green Chemistry and Chemical Engineering' series and will appeal to college-level students of alternative energy who want an engineering guide specific to the science of alternative fuels and their processing. It is directed not just to students but professional scientists and engineers, and provides coverages and comparisons of available technologies, the latest research, and new regulations, safety issues, development trends, and emerging alternative technologies. From chemistry to breakthroughs on the horizon, the Handbook of Alternative Fuel Techniques is a 'must' for any advanced and serious reference collection strong in chemical engineering and alternative energy sources.


The Education Shelf

Using Quality Feedback to Guide Professional Learning
Shawn Clark and Abbey Duggins
Corwin Press, Inc.
2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320-2218
www.corwinpress.com
9781483377124, $30.00, www.amazon.com

Using Quality Feedback to Guide Professional Learning: A Framework for Instructional Leaders is a handbook to help teachers grow and have a better impact on their students, and provides a specific focus on feedback and how to assess and apply its quality. Beginning teachers, those who are struggling, or good teachers seeking avenues for improvement will all welcome a research-based guide that offers specific structures for responding to teacher-created assessments and advice. Tools blend with case history examples and keys to understanding quality feedback and applying it to teaching practices.

Well Played
Linda Dacey, Karen Gartland & Jayne Bamford Lynch
Stenhouse Publishers
480 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101-3451
www.stenhouse.com
9781625310347, $25.00, www.amazon.com

Grades K-2 will benefit from the games, puzzles, and math information provided by Well Played: Building Mathematical Thinking Through Number Games and Puzzles. Students may love math games and puzzles but, too often, such are perceived as fun activities rather than educational learning tools. Well Played show teachers how to make such games and puzzles a part of classroom learning for grades K-2, and offers over twenty puzzles and games which have been tested under diverse classroom settings. Step-by-step directions accompany game instructions, variations, and keys to classroom usage that pair case studies and real-world examples with models for success. The result is a collection of suggestions that show how to integrate games into diverse classrooms to prove the most educational benefit to all, making for a highly recommended 'must' for any K-2 math teacher.


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

Dark Victory
Brendan DuBois
Baen Books
PO Box 1188, Wake Forest NC 27588
www.baen.com
9781476780924, $15.00, www.amazon.com

Dark Victory: A Novel of Alien Resistance is military sci-fi at its best: what makes it so is DuBois' creation of powerful protagonists that grip reader attention and don't let go. Too many military reads focus so much on detailing firepower, politics, and strategy that they forego solid characterization in favor of action, but Dark Victory does neither. Its young protagonist and narrator is instantly compelling from page one and reader affection only grows stronger as sixteen-year-old Randy Knox embarks on some of the greatest battles of his time, against alien invaders who have decimated mankind. The war is finally over - or, is it? If it's over, why is he still fighting Creepers? If it's over, why is he tasked with a delivery job that seems to have attracted unwanted attention? And if it's over, why isn't mankind recovering? Add a soldier's intense devotion to his K-9 companion, a touch of romance, and an attention to captivating twists that are anything but predictable and what you have is a read that stands heads and shoulders above competitors in either the military or alien invasion genres.


The Photography Shelf

Digital Photo Magic
Ernest Perez
Information Today Inc.
143 Old Marlton Pike, Medford, NJ 08055-8750
www.infotoday.com
9781573875134, $49.50, www.amazon.com

Digital Photo Magic: Easy Image Retouching and Restoration for Librarians, Archivists, and Teachers comes from a veteran news librarian who analyzes the software products and techniques for enhancing and restoring digital photo images, and tailored his discussion not for the general photographer or public, but for educators, curators, and librarians on a budget who want to improve their photo holdings without high costs or lots of training - a problem of most professional graphics software. He not only contrasts and analyzes the programs, but offers step-by-step keys to using them successfully, including shortcuts and tips. From using scanners to website support, this is a top reference that should not be missed!

The Photographer's iPad
Frank Gallaugher
Ilex
c/o Octopus Publishing Group Limited
Carmelite House, 50 Victoria Embankment, London, England, EC4Y 0DZ
http://www.ilex-press.com
9781781572269, $14.99, www.amazon.com

The Photographer's iPad offers an updated guide to the apps available for iPad photographers, and covers free programs to professional sources that help produce better photos and enhance sharing methods. It's based on the app store for the iPad and covers the basics of how to get up and running, from syncing with Lightroom and editing using the Photos app to organizing photos with the app and using Shuttersnitch for wireless importing and review. The pros and cons of the apps and their best applications are covered in a guide packed with color photos and examples and perfect for iPad photographers who would make the most of Apple apps to enhance the process.


The Health/Medicine Shelf

Stay Healthy During Chemo
Mike Herbert, ND with Joseph Dispenza
Conari Press
c/o Red Wheel/Weiser
65 Parker Street, Suite 7, Newburyport, MA 01950-4600
www.redwheelweiser.com
9781573246750, $18.95, www.amazon.com

Stay Healthy During Chemo: The Five Essential Steps takes a specific approach to health in addressing the toll chemo takes on the body and how to maintain health and strength during treatment. The book's multi-faceted approach to achieving this moves from psychological empowerment (developing an attitude about healing) to using therapeutic baths to detoxify and eating the right foods to support the body's natural strength. Some one hundred sample recipes and menus accompany tips that range from applying Tibetan rites and mindful rest to considering supplements of special interest to chemo patients. The result is especially recommended for any new age or alternative health reader.


The Computer Shelf

Clojure Recipes
Julian Gamble
Addison-Wesley
c/o Pearson Technology Group
801 East 96th Street, #300, Indianapolis, IN 46240-3759
www.mcp.com
9780321927736, $39.99, www.informit.com/aw

Clojure Recipes is recommended for programming developers' libraries looking for a collection of coding 'recipes' for the Clojure language, and holds examples that both demonstrate its features and apply them to specific, common, real-world scenarios. It features Clojure 1.7 and higher and covers the latest changes of the program, so code examples are up to date, and it covers all the basics of setting up and working within a Clojure environment, from using its build tools to packaging it for Java EE applications. Pages of code recipes are introduced by step-by-step keys to applying them properly. Programmers will find this a fine introduction to getting up and running using Clojure.

Murach's Android Programming, second edition
Joel Murach
Mike Murach & Associates, Inc.
4340 N. Knoll, Fresno, CA 93722
www.murach.com
9781890774936, $57.50, www.amazon.com

The second edition of Murach's Android Programming comes from a small staff of programmers who address the latest challenges of Android programming and 'teaches by example', from starting with creating a Tip Calculator app to create professional apps using widgets, fragments, and more. This handbook is best used as a systematic skills-building primer that takes programmers through different levels of difficulty by showing how to use Android functions to handle databases, apps, widgets, maps, and more. From sample screen shots and code to keys to customizing displays and understanding various services, this is a treasure trove of important keys to understanding Android programming routines and making the most of them.

WebGL Insights
Patrick Cozzi, Editor
CRC Press
6000 NW Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300, Boca Raton, FL 33487
www.crcpress.com
9781498716079, $69.95, www.amazon.com

WebGL Insights: WebGL Community Experiences shares lessons learned by the WebGL community and provides proven techniques other developers can utilize to avoid the common pitfalls in WebGL engineering. These come from experienced developers, GPU vendors, browser developers, researchers and educators who provide tested advice applicable for mobile, browser development and various WebGL purposes, and they focus on design and performance enhancement to improve the WebGL environment as a whole. WebGL holds many strengths: it runs on both desktop and mobile devices of all kinds, it reaches a wide audience with a common codebase, and it offers many opportunities for customization and streamlining. This book comes with not just discussions but with code, screen shots, bibliographic resources, charts and diagrams, and more, and is a top recommendation for any serious developer working within the WebGL environment.


The Metaphysical Studies Shelf

Life After Near Death
Debra Diamond
New Page Books
c/o Career Press Inc.
12 Parish Drive, Wayne, NJ 07470
www.newpagebooks.com
9781632650245, $16.99, www.amazon.com

Life After Near Death: Miraculous Stories of Healing and Transformation in the Extraordinary Lives of People with Newfound Powers comes from a psychic and medium who began as a successful Wall Street businesswoman and university professor, and collects first-person stories of science-based near-death experiences. She interviewed a large number of people who experienced spontaneous healing, had newfound gifts emerge from traumatic experiences, and who all experienced the same profound life transformation after such an experience. Her book gathers evidence supporting many facets of NDE and is an essential pick for any new age reader.

Siberian Shamanism
Virlana Tkacz with Sayan Zhambalov and Wanda Phipps
Inner Traditions
One Park Street, Rochester, VT 05767
www.innertraditions.com
9781620554319, $19.95, www.amazon.com

Siberian Shamanism: The Shanar Ritual of the Buryats belongs in any new age spirituality collection strong in shamanism, and offers a close inspection of the remote Buryats, an indigenous people who reside at the intersection of Mongolia, Siberia, and China. Prosecuted by the Soviets for seventy years, they are now free to pursue their unique spiritual traditions which blend Tibetan Buddhism and Shamanism, and this account of their rituals documents a complete Shanar, a ceremony where a new shaman first contacts his ancestral spirits, among other things. Translations of Buryat ceremonial songs and chants pair with discussions of how the shaman traditions differ from other cultures in a discussion that comes packed with gorgeous color photos to compliment the spiritual and cultural insights.

The Practical Art of Divine Magic
Patrick Dunn
Llewellyn Worldwide
2143 Wooddale Drive, Woodbury, MN 55125
www.llewellyn.com
9780738745282, $19.99, www.amazon.com

The Practical Art of Divine Magic: Contemporary & Ancient Techniques of Theurgy will add to any new age collection strong in magick studies, and tells how to create a more powerful magic and connections to spiritual bond using "godwork" to cement relationships between self and deities. The ancient worlds united magic and religion but with Rome's fall, many of these blends of magic and spirituality were lost. This book seeks to reinvent and return theurgy to modern Pagans and magical practitioners and provides a range of techniques for communicating with the spiritual side and mastering the powers and demands of magic. The result is a blend of spirituality, applied magic, and history that will delight any new age reader.

Spiritual Activism
Alastair McIntosh & Matt Carmichael
Green Books/UTI Cambridge Ltd.
PO Box 145, Cambridge CB4 1GQ, England
978080857843003, $29.99, www.greenbooks.co.uk

Spiritual Activism: Leadership as Service is reviewed here for new age readers but actually belongs in any spiritual collection, new age or otherwise. It discusses the issues facing activists, changing spirituality and approaches to blending spiritual forces with leadership capabilities, and it addresses issues of interest to audiences of all faiths, discussing how spirituality and activism go hand in hand and referring to a range of texts from the Bhagavad Gita to Carl Jung to consider how activism can emerge from spiritual wellsprings. From understanding cults and charisma to promoting nonviolence and leading from different perspectives, this is a wide-ranging blend of social and spiritual approaches to leadership that should not be missed by any audience: new age, traditional spirituality, or social issues reader alike.

Indian Head Massage for Special Needs
Giuliana Fenwick
Singing Dragon
400 Market Street, Suite 400, Philadelphia, PA 19106
9781848192751, $24.95, www.singingdragon.com

Indian Head Massage for Special Needs offers a collection of easy, adaptable techniques for a head massage that reduces anxiety and promotes healing, and provides a manual that pairs head massage routines with keys to alleviating emotional stress. From case studies supporting the massage's end results to anatomy, physiology, and psychological tie-ins, this collection offers a blend of Indian head massage techniques and benefits and provides specifics linking Indian head massage techniques with special needs. The blend of step-by-step techniques supported with anatomical insights is not to be missed.


The Crafts Shelf

Fast & Easy Earrings
Erica Swanson
Kalmbach Books
21027 Crossroads Circle, Waukesha, WI 53187-1612
www.kalmbachbooks.com
www.KalmbachHobbyStore.com
www.JewelryandBeadingStore.com
9781627002417, $19.99, www.amazon.com

Fast & Easy Earrings: 100+ Products covers all the materials, from glass and metal to stones and pearls, and all the techniques and equipment needed to produce earrings and provides a visual guide which will especially delight crafters who are new to jewelry making. From hoops and gears to links and different scales, this book presents a wide ranging of projects designed to get newcomers up and running with a minimum of experience and equipment. The result is a focus on earring projects which places professional finished results in the hands of novices: perfect for those just starting out!


The Sports Shelf

Complete Conditioning for Lacrosse
Tom Howley
Human Kinetics Publishers, Inc.
PO Box 5076, Champaign, IL 61820-5076
www.HumanKinetics.com
9781450445146, $23.95, www.amazon.com

Complete Conditioning for Lacrosse provides players and their coaches with a focused program for conditioning and building skills and muscles specific to lacrosse, and is highly recommended for any player or advisor. It comes from a university strength and conditioning coach who presents the exercises and programs he's used to make Cornell University's lacrosse team a notable one, and it packs in nearly two hundred exercises and drills which are enhanced by photo sequences and clear descriptions of training routines. The result is a powerful key to training routines that are proven successes.


The International Studies Shelf

China, India and the Future of International Security
Jamie Gaskarth, Editor
Rowman & Littlefield
c/o Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
4501 Forbes Blvd., Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
www.rowmaninternational.com
9781783482597, $120.00, www.amazon.com

China, India and the Future of International Security belongs in college-level collections strong in Asian international relations and politics and provides a thought-provoking compilation assessing the impact of China and India's rise in the East and this impact on international security around the world. Chapters show how important it is to understand how China and India view international society in order to correctly assess the pros and cons of their rise to power. It covers both national and international attitudes within these nations and in other countries as it examines how these nations are growing and what that means to the policies and approaches of other countries. From Chinese ideas of sovereignty to its search for normative power and how China will choose to use its reserves of foreign currency, many important issues are examined in the course of identify causes of concern.


The Science Shelf

The Hunt for Vulcan
Thomas Levenson
Random House
c/o The Random House Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, 17th floor, New York, NY 10019
www.randomhousebooks.com
9780812998986, $26.00, www.amazon.com

The Hunt for Vulcan... And How Albert Einstein Destroyed a Planet, Discovered Relativity, and Deciphered the Universe offer a captivating discussion of the search for the 'missing' planet of Vulcan, which was indicated by Newton's theories of gravity. Many hours were spent on the hunt, some astronomers claimed to have found the planet, and this story of Vulcan returns the mass effort to new attention as it considers the science which led to the belief that this planet had to exist. In the process of exploring this massive hunt, Levenson considers how science investigates and how today's science differs from that of the 19th century. The result is a lively and powerful read, hard to put down.


The California Shelf

When San Francisco Burned
Douglas L. Gist
Craven Street Books
c/o Linden Publishing
2006 South Mary Street, Fresno, CA 93721
www.CravenStreetBooks.com
9781610352451, $21.95, PB, 126pp, www.amazon.com

Early one spring morning in 1906, disaster struck San Francisco, and a young man named Louis P. Selby grabbed his camera and started documenting the destruction and death surrounding him. Fearlessly going to the center of the devastation, the man captured scenes of fires, collapsing buildings, and people fleeing for their lives. These were scenes that no one else had a chance to record. His photographs were preserved in a family photo album, unseen by the public for over a hundred years. These amazingly detailed and dramatic photographs show the earthquake and its aftermath from a street-level perspective, giving readers an unprecedented look at what it was really like to be in San Francisco during those terrible days. Selby's photographs document the immediate damage of the earthquake; horrific action shots of fire consuming San Francisco; the heroic efforts of police, soldiers, and ordinary citizens to maintain order and protect the people; the somber ruins of San Francisco after the blaze; the misery and pluck of the refugee camps; and the city's earliest days of rebirth and rebuilding. These unique and previously unpublished photographs show the horrors of the earthquake and fire, as well as the stubborn resistance of the people of San Francisco.. An invaluable addition to the historical record, When San Francisco Burned is a must-have book for anyone who loves San Francisco and its history. Simply stated, no California community library or California university system library should be without a copy of Douglas L. Gist's "When San Francisco Burned: A Photographic Memoir of the Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of 1906"!

The General Plan In California
David Early
Solano Press Books
PO Box 773, Point Arena, CA 95468
97819381661005, $80.00, 240pp, www.solano.com

The "The General Plan In California" by David Early is a detailed guide to preparing and updating a city or county General Plan in accordance with California law - with many ideas and tips relevant to comprehensive and regional planning across the US. Offers approaches to creating General Plans that are legally sound, technically rigorous, progressive, and reflective of the communities they serve. "The General Plan In California" provides a detailed overview of legal requirements for General Plans; Creative ideas for organizing the General Plan, following both State guidelines and other organizational models; Detailed information on requirements and how to prepare the seven mandated General Plan elements, as well as ideas for optional elements too. "The General Plan In California" features: A step-by-step, nuts-and-bolts guide to the General Plan process: An overview of the technical studies needed to support General Plan preparation; Ideas for incorporating sustainability into the General Plan; Options for involving the community in the General Plan process; An overview of the environmental review process for General Plans under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA); Information about adoption, implementation, and on-going maintenance of General Plan. Very highly recommended for Californian municipal governmental and academic library collections, "The General Plan In California" is a practical, valuable reference for public sector planners, consultants, interested citizens, and students.


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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