 |
Book
Reviews,
Book Lover Resources, Advice for Writers and Publishers |
| Home / Internet
Bookwatch |
Internet Bookwatch
Table of Contents
Reviewer's Choice
Camel Crazy
Christina Adams
New World Library
www.newworldlibrary.com
9781608686483, $17.95
Camel Crazy: A Quest for Miracles in the Mysterious World of Camels provides a blend of
autobiography, adventure story, and new age health title. While some who pick it up will
anticipate a fascination and affection for camels, this book is more about alternative health
issues, autism, and a search for miracles than it is about camels alone, although it does traverse
quite a few camel encounters and worlds embracing them throughout its journey. Difficult to
easily peg and certainly a cut above the ordinary, Camel Crazy is a recommended pick for anyone
interested in camels, health challenges, and new age perspectives.
The Book of Chinese Proverbs
Gerd de Ley
Hatherleigh Press
c/o The Hatherleigh Foundation
62545 State Highway 10, Hobart, NY 13788
www.hatherleighpress.com
9781578268269, $15.00, HC, 320pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Chinese culture is one of the oldest in history and the amount of wisdom collected
during that time is greater than the Great Wall of China. From Confucius to Laozi to Sun Tzu,
numerous Chinese philosophers and their teachings have influenced Chinese culture, but
permeated in many different parts of the world. Deftly and expertly compiled by Gerd de Ley,
"The Book of Chinese Proverbs" features over 1000 of the greatest ones, organized to be
accessible and informative for today's audience and giving more insights to China and its rich
culture.
Critique: 'People who are late are often happier than those who have to wait for them.' -- This
pocket-sized and easily transportable little volume is a treasure and a pleasure to simply browse
through and will prove to be a unique and popular addition to personal, professional, community,
and academic library collections.
Editorial Note: Gerd de Ley is a former English teacher and has been a professional writer and
actor since 1975. From an early age, Gerd has been an avid collector of quotations and proverbs
from all over the world and has had more than 450 works published in Holland and Belgium. His
most comprehensive book, Het Grootste Citatenboek ter Wereld (translated as The Greatest
Quotation Book in the World), was published in 2009 and contains over 40,000 quotes. For the
past two decades, Gerd has worked together with linguist David Potter to bring his work to
English audiences, resulting in publications in England, USA, India, Finland, China, and
Vietnam.
The Vancouver Sketchbook
T. K. Justin Ng
Whitecap Books
c/o Fitzhenry & Whiteside
www.fitzhenry.ca
9781770503250, $29.95, HC, 156pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: From the snow-capped mountains to Stanley Park, Gastown to Chinatown, False Creek
to UBC, author and artist T. K. Justin Ng reveals the rich history, culture, and stunning beauty of
Vancouver, Canada in "The Vancouver Sketchbook: Lush Landscapes, Vibrant Streetscapes,
Soaring Skyline".
Part travelogue, part guidebook and in celebration, Ng's vibrant, colorful sketches and lively text
are the perfect companion for visitors and residents to appreciating Vancouver's spatial richness
and cultural diversity.
Critique: "The Vancouver Sketchbook: Lush Landscapes, Vibrant Streetscapes, Soaring Skyline"
is a uniquely informative and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, community, and
academic library Canadian Art History collections. A simple and informative pleasure to browse
through one page at a time, "The Vancouver Sketchbook" would also well serve as a template for
similar studies of other Canadian towns and cities.
Informed Societies
Stephane Goldstein
Facet Publishing
www.facetpublishing.co.uk
9781783304226, $101.99, PB, 256pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: In early 21st century societies, individuals and organizations are deluged with
information, particularly online information. Much of this is useful, valuable or enriching. But a
lot of it is of dubious quality and provenance, if not downright dangerous. Misinformation forms
part of the mix. The ability to get the most out of the information flow, finding, interpreting and
using it, and particularly developing a critical mindset towards it, requires skills, know-how,
judgement and confidence - such is the premise of information literacy. This is true for many
aspects of human endeavour, including education, work, health and self-enrichment. It is notably
true also for acquiring an understanding of the wider world, for reaching informed views, for
recognizing bias and misinformation, and thereby for playing a part as active citizens, in
democratic life and society.
"Informed Societies: Why information literacy matters for citizenship, participation and
democracy" is a ground-breaking and uniquely multi-disciplinary book that explores how
information literacy can contribute to fostering attitudes, habits and practices that underpin an
informed citizenry including information literacy itself, as well as political science, pedagogy,
information science, psychology.
Critique: Compiled and edited by Stephane Goldstein, "Informed Societies: Why information
literacy matters for citizenship, participation and democracy" is comprised of eleven erudite
articles by experts that collectively explain how and why information literacy can help to foster
critical thinking and discerning attitudes, enabling citizens to play an informed role in society and
its democratic processes. A seminal body of outstanding scholarship, "Informed Societies" is an
especially recommended addition to community and academic library Information Science
collections, as well as supplemental studies reading lists for students, academia, and non-
specialist readers with an interest in the subject.
Five Rules for Tomorrow's Cities
Patrick M. Condon
Island Press
2000 M St NW Suite 650, Washington, DC 20036
www.islandpress.org
9781610919609, $35.00, PB, 240pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: With the onset of dramatic climate change, how we design our cities over the next four
decades will be critical for our planet. If we continue to spill excessive greenhouse gas into the
atmosphere, we will run out of time to keep our global temperature from increasing. Since
approximately 80% of greenhouse gases come from cities, it follows that in the design of cities
lies the fate of the world.
As urban designers respond to the critical issue of climate change they must also address three
cresting cultural waves: the worldwide rural-to-urban migration; the collapse of global fertility
rates; and the disappearance of the middle class. In "Five Rules for Tomorrow's Cities", planning
and design expert Patrick Condon explains how urban designers can assimilate these
interconnected changes into their work.
Condon shows how the very things that constrain cities (climate change, migration, financial
stress, population change) could actually enable the emergence of a more equitable and
resource-efficient city. He provides five rules for urban designers: (1) See the City as a System;
(2) Recognize Patterns in the Urban Environment; (3) Apply Lighter, Greener, Smarter
Infrastructure; (4) Strengthen Social and Economic Urban Resilience; and (5) Adapt to Shifts in
Jobs, Retail, and Wages.
In "Five Rules for Tomorrow's Cities", Condon also provides grounded and financially feasible
design examples for tomorrow's sustainable cities, and the design tools needed to achieve
them.
Critique: An ideal curriculum textbook for college and university level urban planning classes,
"Five Rules for Tomorrow's Cities: Design in an Age of Urban Migration, Demographic Change,
and a Disappearing Middle Class" it should be noted for the personal reading lists of students,
academia, urban planning professionals, environmental activists, and non-specialist general
readers with an interest in the subject that "Five Rules for Tomorrow's Cities" is also available in
a digital book format (Kindle, $19.24).
Editorial Note: Also the author of "Seven Rules for Sustainable Communities", Patrick Condon
has over 30 years of experience in sustainable urban design: first as a professional city planner
and then as a teacher and researcher. Condon started his academic career in 1985 at the
University of Minnesota before moving to the University of British Columbia in 1992. After
acting as the director of the landscape architecture program, he became the James Taylor Chair in
Landscape and Liveable Environments. In that capacity, he has worked to advance sustainable
urban design in scores of jurisdictions in the US, Canada, and Australia. He and his research
partners collaborated with the City of North Vancouver to produce a 100-year plan to make the
city carbon-neutral by 2107. Condon and his partners received the Canadian Institute of Planners
Award for Planning Excellence, an ASLA award for research, and the BC Union of
Municipalities Award of Excellence for this work. He was the founding chair of the new UBC
Master of Urban Design program where his teaching and research are now concentrated.
The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2020
Sarah Janssen
World Almanac
c/o Infobase Publishing
132 West 31st Street, 17th Floor, New York, NY 10001
www.infobasepublishing.com
9781600572289, $36.95, 1008pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Now in a fully updated edition for 2020, for more than 150 years, "The World
Almanac and Book of Facts" is impressively comprehensive compendium of information
resource for all entertainment, reference, and learning needs. This 2020 edition of The World
Almanac reviews the biggest events of 2019 and will be a definitive source for questions on any
topic in the upcoming year ranging from history and sports to geography, pop culture, and much
more.
Features include Decade in Review: As the 'teens' decade closes, take a look at the highlights,
low points, and everything-in-between of the past 10 years. From the introduction of Obamacare
and iPads in 2010 to "Old Town Road" and the immigration policy debate in 2019, The World
Almanac provides a recap of events and puts into perspective just how much has - and hasn't)
changed in the last 10 years.
Also features is a 2020 Election Preview: The World Almanac provides a comprehensive look at
the entire 2020 election process, including a calendar of state primaries and caucuses. Also
includes 2019 election results for governors' seats and special congressional elections.
Then there are the World Almanac Editors' Picks: Never Say Die: With Tiger Woods achieving
the seemingly impossible in 2019 with his 15th major title (his first Masters win in 14 years) the
editors list their favorite major comeback moments from athletes across the sports universe.
Unique to this almanac is: The World at a Glance which is annual feature that provides a quick
look at the surprising stats and curious facts that define the changing world. Includes a sneak
peek at upcoming celebrity milestone birthdays in 2020.
Statistical Spotlight is a popular annual graphic feature highlights statistics relevant to the biggest
news of the year. These data visualizations provide important context and new perspectives to
give readers a fresh angle on key issues.
Then there are the Other New Highlights: New statistics on income tax reform, top-grossing
movies, biggest YouTube channels, religious populations in the U.S. and worldwide, and much
more.
Critique: Simply stated, "The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2020" should be a part of every
family, public and private school, community, college, and university informational resource
collections. An ideal information source for local bar trivia games, it should be noted that "The
World Almanac and Book of Facts 2020" is also available in a paperback edition
(9781600572302, $15.99), and in a digital book format (eTextbook, $10.99).
The Writing/Publishing Shelf
Crazy Screenwriting Secrets
Weiko Lin
Michael Wiese Productions
12400 Ventura Blvd., #1111, Studio City, CA 91604
www.mwp.com
9781615933013, $29.95, PB, 200pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Through a uniquely effective approach to writing a feature screenplay, the first half of
"Crazy Screenwriting Secrets: How to Capture A Global Audience" guides the aspiring script
writer in learning how to create and develop: Story Idea, Characters, One Page Step Outline, and
the solid script.
In the second half, "Crazy Screenwriting Secrets: How to Capture A Global Audience" covers
professional business side of the ever-changing industry by taking the aspiring script writer
through the work flow of Hollywood and explores in effective detail just how to work creatively
with international countries like China in producing movies that resonate with a global
audience.
Critique: Unique, practical, effective, comprehensive, expertly organized and presented, "Crazy
Screenwriting Secrets: How to Capture A Global Audience" is essential reading for anyone
engaging in the creation of a screenplay for a project hoping to have an international audience.
While especially and unreservedly recommended for professional, community, college, and
university library Writing/Publishing instructional reference and resource collections, it should
be noted for personal reading lists that "Crazy Screenwriting Secrets: How to Capture A Global
Audience" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.23).
Editorial Note: A writer/producer, Weiko has written projects for the Mark Gordon Company,
Ivanhoe Pictures, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Don Mischer Productions, the Unison
Company (Taiwan), and Wanda Pictures (China). Fluent in Mandarin, he produced and wrote the
original story for the Chinese-language romance film 100 Days, which released theatrically in
Taiwan and premiered in Mainland China as an official selection of the 2014 Golden Rooster and
Hundred Flowers Film Festival. For the screen, Weiko adapted River Town, the New York
Times Notable Book and bestselling memoir by Peter Hessler for Fugitive Films and acclaimed
director Lu Chuan (City of Life and Death, Disney Nature's Born in China). In television, he has
written a pilot for Super Deluxe (former digital studio of Turner/WarnerMedia). Recipient of a
Samuel Goldwyn Writing Award, Weiko earned his MFA in Screenwriting from UCLA. He was
also recognized as a finalist for the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences Nicholl
Fellowship in Screenwriting. A Fulbright Senior Specialist, Weiko has taught at institutions
including UCLA, Northwestern University, and Taipei National University of the Arts. He is a
tenured Associate Professor at Emerson College. A member of Writers Guild of America West
and Dramatist Guild of America, he is represented by Anonymous Content and United Talent
Agency.
Wizard Or Wannabe?
Mary E. Neighbour
Upriver, Downriver Books
www.MediaNeighbours.com
9780996254144, $12.95, PB, 9780996254168, Kindle, $4.99
9780996254151, $19.95, HC, 109pp
Synopsis: Mary Neighbour is a member of the Independent Book Publishers and Editorial
Freelancers associations, as well as a partner member of the Alliance of Independent Authors and
co-founder and former prsident of the Association of Publishers for Special Seales-New
Mexico.
With a successful career over some 50 years in editing and design, and of helping authors
become independent self-publishers, in "Wizard Or Wannabe?: How Authors & Self-Publishers
Can Vet The Professionals They Need To Edit, Design & Shepherd Their Books" she draws
upon her considerable and impressive expertise and experience to create an impressively
informative, expertly organized, and thoroughly 'user friendly' instructional reference, guide and
manual that effectively lives up to the promise of its subtitle.
Ideal for those who are new and unfamiliar with the publishing industry, "Wizard Or Wannabe?"
will instruct the aspiring self-published author with respect to choosing an appropriate editor,
cover designer, interior designer, and book shepherd. Of special note is the explanation of
publishing industry terminology, standards, and interview questions.
Critique: This cannot be over-emphasized, "Wizard Or Wannabe?" should be considered
mandatory reading for any author considering self-publication -- it will save time, money, and
avoiding the frustrations of trial and error in the process of turning a manuscript into a book.
Thoroughly 'user friendly' in tone, commentary, and format, "Wizard Or Wannabe?" is
unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library
Writing/Publishing instructional reference collections.
Editorial Note: The planned release date for "Wizard Or Wannabe?" is mid-March 2020.
Funny You Should Ask
Barbara Poelle
Writer's Digest Books
c/o F+W Media
10151 Carver Road, Suite 200, Blue Ash, OH 45242
www.writersdigest.com
9781440355073, $18.99, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: There is a certain perception that the publishing industry is a near insurmountable
fortress, with gatekeepers and nay sayers manning the turrets looking for any way to fire a
flaming arrow at the dreams of an aspiring writer. "Funny You Should Ask: Serious Questions
About the Book Publishing Industry" is based on the popular Writer's Digest column by literary
agent Barbara Poelle and will deconstruct, inform, and illuminate the path to publication and
beyond, all while dispelling the rumor that those in the industry are better than thou.
And even though each writer's publishing journey is like a game of PLINKO (you can drop the
chip in the same slot every time and get a different result) there are still common constructs and
confusions that can be shared and explored together in order to help inform all writers. From
understanding the nuts and bolts of a query letter, to learning how to process the soul-searing
envy of watching someone else's career flourish, to how to talk to your editor, veteran literary
agent Barbara Poelle covers the approach and execution of the common and uncommon bumps
along the traditional publishing path.
"Funny You Should Ask: Serious Questions About the Book Publishing Industry" is comprised
of more than 100 questions answered including expanded answers to topics that didn't get the full
treatment in a column, along with a wealth of writing exercises, submission checklists, and
publishing BINGO for every publishing milestone.
Of special note is the advice concerning what every author should ask their editor, mistakes to
avoid when querying a literary agent, publishing trends and insights.
Critique: Impressively informative, exceptionally well organized and presented, and an
unreservedly recommended 'must read' for every aspiring author with an ambition to be
published, "Funny You Should Ask: Serious Questions About the Book Publishing Industry" will
also be of immense value for already published authors wanting to keep up with the changes and
evolution of the publishing industry. "Funny You Should Ask: Serious Questions About the
Book Publishing Industry" should be a part of every personal, professional, community, and
academic library Writing/Publishing instructional reference collection.
Editorial Note: Barbara Poelle is a vice president at the Irene Goodman Literary Agency, where
she has served as an agent since 2007. Barbara is a much sought-after expert for publishing
industry seminars and conferences. She also pens the popular Funny You Should Ask column at
Writer's Digest online.
Adapting Bestsellers
Ken Gelder
Cambridge University Press
One Liberty Plaza, Fl. 20, New York, NY 10006
www.cambridge.org
9781108731089, $12.99, PB, 75pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: A part of the Cambridge University Press 'Elements in Publishing and Book Culture'
series, "Adapting Bestsellers: Fantasy, Franchise and the Afterlife of Storyworlds" by Ken Gelder
examines adaptations of best selling works of popular fiction to cinema, television, stage, radio,
video games and other media platforms.
"Adapting Bestsellers" focuses on 'transmedia storytelling', building its case studies around the
genre of modern fantasy: because the elaborate story worlds produced by writers like J. R. R.
Tolkien, J. K. Rowling and George R. R. Martin which have readily lent themselves to
adaptations across various media platforms.
There commercial success has also made it possible for media entertainment corporations to
invest in them over the long term, enabling the development of franchises through which their
story worlds are presented and marketed in new ways to new audiences.
Critique: A succinct and impressively informative study, "Adapting Bestsellers: Fantasy,
Franchise and the Afterlife of Storyworlds" is an inherently interesting and thought-provoking
read that will have particular interest for writers and publishers interested in their books being
expanded into other entertainment (and money-making) platforms. While unreservedly
recommended for professional, community, and academic library Writing/Publishing
instructional reference collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Adapting
Bestsellers" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.34).
Story Selling
Heather Hale
Michael Wiese Productions
12400 Ventura Blvd., #1111, Studio City, CA 91604
www.mwp.com
9781615932818, $26.95, PB, 220pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Pitching is an art form that brings together content and communication channels. Regardless of what you're pitching, the universally applicable principles of Where,
When and to Whom always apply. But it's ow you pitch that matters most -- and there are
countless strategies that combine elements in different combinations.
"Story Selling: How to Develop, Market, and Pitch Your Film & TV Projects", Heather Hale
details all of them, their construction and applications, in a fun and interactive way that inspires
her readers to create memorable and saleable pitches in order to get their own projects made.
Critique: Expertly organized and presented, "Story Selling: How to Develop, Market, and Pitch
Your Film & TV Projects" offers a wealth of practical and effective tips, tricks and techniques
that aspiring writers can immediate begin using when pitching their projects for television and
movie productions. While unreservedly recommended for professional, community, and
academic library Writing/Publishing instructional reference collections, it should be noted for
personal reading lists that "Story Selling" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$17.47).
Editorial Note: Heather Hale is a film and television producer, director, screenwriter, teacher and
consultant. She directed, produced and co-wrote the million-dollar thriller Absolute Killers
(2011) which was marketed at Le Marche du Film and the American Film Market. She wrote the
$5.5 million-dollar Lifetime Original Movie The Courage to Love and has over 60 hours of
produced reality credits which have won Emmys, Ace, and Telly awards. Her How to Work the
Film & TV Markets: A Guide for Content Creators was published by Focal Press/Routledge. She
was the Independent Film and Television Alliance's Industry Liaison for the 2013 American Film
Market (AFM) and had a four-year development deal with NBC Universal (through IFTA).
The Science Shelf
Roadside Geology of Oklahoma
Neil H. Suneson
Mountain Press
www.mountain-press.com
9780878426973, $26.00
Roadside Geology of Oklahoma comes from a retired geologist from the Oklahoma Geologic
Survey who traverses the state examining its geologic wonders, from parks to roadside
attractions. Oklahoma is rich in oil and geology alike, featuring fossils, granite, limestone cliffs,
and more. The author not only researched the state's geology for a living, but walked Oklahoma's
byways and roads conducting field geology for his own interest. His lively tour of the state is
highly recommended reading for anyone interested in Oklahoma history or geology, and comes
packed with color photos, color maps, and detailed explanations with a regional focus that will
allow any destination-oriented geology fan to view the wonders explored in this book.
Introducing Palaeontology: A Guide to Ancient Life, second edition
Patrick N. Wyse Jackson
Dunedin Academic Press
https://www.dunedinacademicpress.co.uk
9781780460833, $16.50, PB, 164pp, www.amazno.com
Synopsis: Life on Earth can be traced back over three billion years into the past. Many examples
of the Earth's former inhabitants are to be found in rocks, preserved as beautiful and fascinating
fossils. The earliest life forms were bacteria and algae; these produced the oxygen that enabled
more complex life forms to develop. About 600 million years ago multi-cellular organisms
appeared on Earth, some of which could protect themselves with hard parts such as shells. Many
of these life forms were readily fossilized and are used to subdivide geological time. Numerous
species have evolved and most are now extinct. Lineages can be traced and extinctions explained
as a consequence of terrestrial and extra-terrestrial events.
Now in a revised, updated and expanded Second Edition "Introducing Palaeontology: A Guide to
Ancient Life" by Patrick Wyse Jackson (who is a Senior Lecturer in Geology and Curator of the
Geological Museum at Trinity College, Dublin) expertly provides readers with a concise and
accessible introduction to the science of palaeontology.
Critique: Profusely illustrated and exceptionally well written, organized and presented, this new
and impressively informative second edition of "Introducing Palaeontology: A Guide to Ancient
Life" is unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library collections, as well
as the personal reading list of palaeontology students, academia, and non-specialist general
readers with an interest in the subject.
Breakthroughs in Geology
Graham Park
Dunedin Academic Press
https://www.dunedinacademicpress.co.uk
9781780460765, $35.00, HC, 279pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Geological research does not flow steadily onwards by means of small incremental
advances but can be better understood as a series of significant discoveries or changes in
interpretation that transformed the way we understand the Earth. Each of these changes or new
ideas encouraged a burst of activity as researchers attempted to apply them more widely in order
to test their universality, and thereby their validity as a scientific theory.
Probably the best example of such a transformative idea is Plate Tectonics, which, although
questioned at the time it was introduced, is now universally accepted as a general principle. A
large number of the subsequent advances in geological understanding have been based upon this
breakthrough. Each of the 12 chapters comprising "Breakthroughs in Geology: Ideas That
Transformed Earth Science" by geology professor Graham Park represents a new idea or
discovery, which is discussed in its historical context. In each case the salient features of these
ideas are described, together with some biographical details of the individual scientists credited
with them - but also mentioning others whose role in the generation of the idea is perhaps not so
obvious.
Of instant appeal to geologists and other earth scientists interested in how their science evolved
over time by means of a number of revolutionary ideas, "Breakthroughs in Geology" also serves
as a paradigm for the history of science across many disciplines.
Critique: Impressively informed and informative, expertly organized and presented, enhanced for
academia with the inclusion of numerous illustrations, a sixteen page Glossary, an eight page
listing of References, and an eight page Index, "Breakthroughs in Geology: Ideas That
Transformed Earth Science" is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to
community, college, and university library Earth Science & Geology collections and
supplemental studies lists.
Editorial Note: Graham Park is Emeritus Professor of Tectonic Geology at the University of
Keele. He is the author of the best-selling Introducing Geology (now in its third edition), The
Making of Europe: A geological history and the award-winning Mountains: The origins of the
Earth's mountain systems also published by Dunedin Academic Press.
Sedimentary Structures, fourth edition
John Collinson & Nigel Mountney
Dunedin Academic Press
https://www.dunedinacademicpress.co.uk
9781780460628, $45.00, PB, 352pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Now enhanced with colour photographs and illustrations, this thoroughly revised
fourth edition of "Sedimentary Structures" is a pre-eminent resource that sets out a clear
methodology and philosophy for understanding present-day sediments and sedimentary rocks as
the product of dynamic processes. The newly revised and expanded fourth edition introduces
erosional, depositional and post-depositional sedimentary processes in an easily accessible way.
It also shows how sedimentary structures can be interpreted, across a wide range of scales, in
terms of those processes.
Sedimentary structures produced by erosion, deposition and post-depositional change are all
clearly explained and related to the processes that formed them. Hydrodynamic and aerodynamic
controls on the development of subaqueous and aeolian bedforms are discussed, as are the styles
of deformation to which sediments can be subjected after deposition.
Structures that characterize deposition caused by chemical and biologically influenced processes
are explained and illustrated, along with the complex effects of chemical changes, and of animal
and plant activity in modifying sediments after they have been deposited.
"Sedimentary Structures" concludes with an introduction to the methods and principles of
environmental interpretation, for which earlier chapters provide an invaluable basis.
"Sedimentary Structures" is designed principally for use in undergraduate settings and will be
invaluable to students reading geology, earth sciences, physical geography and environmental
sciences throughout their degree studies. It will also appeal to enthusiastic students at colleges
and schools, as well as to amateur geologists who want to gain an understanding of sedimentary
processes and products.
Furthermore, "Sedimentary Structures" is also valuable as a reference for both academic
researchers and industry professionals alike -- with this new fourth edition covering all major
recent developments in the subject. It is characterized by an abundance of informative
illustrations and photographic examples, and introduces colour figures for the first time.
Critique: This newly update and expanded fourth edition of "Sedimentary Structures" is an ideal
curriculum textbook and an unreservedly recommended addition to college and university library
Geology collections and supplemental studies lists.
Editorial Note: John Collinson, was a Professor of Sedimentology at the University of Bergen,
Norway, and until recently ran his own geological consultancy.
Nigel Mountney is a Professor of Sedimentology in the School of Earth and Environment at the
University of Leeds where he is the Director of the Fluvial & Eolian Research Group;
additionally, he is a former Chief Editor of Sedimentology, a leading academic journal.
The American History Shelf
Conflagration
John A. Buehrens
Beacon Press
24 Farnsworth Street, Boston, MA 02210
www.beacon.org
9780807024041, $32.00, HC, 352pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: "Conflagration: How the Transcendentalists Sparked the American Struggle for Racial,
Gender, and Social Justice" by John A. Buehrens illuminates the connections between key
members of the Transcendentalist circle -- including James Freeman Clarke, Elizabeth Peabody,
Caroline Healey Dall, Elizabeth Stanton, Thomas Wentworth Higginson, Theodore Parker, and
Margaret Fuller -- who created a community dedicated to radical social activism. These authors
and activists laid the groundwork for democratic and progressive religion in America.
In the tumultuous decades before and immediately after the Civil War, the Transcendentalists
changed nineteenth-century America, leading what Theodore Parker called "a Second American
Revolution." They instigated lasting change in American society, not only through their literary
achievements but also through their activism: transcendentalists fought for the abolition of
slavery, democratically governed churches, equal rights for women, and against the
dehumanizing effects of brutal economic competition and growing social inequality.
The Transcendentalists' passion for social equality stemmed from their belief in spiritual
friendship -- transcending differences in social situation, gender, class, theology, and race.
Together, their fight for justice changed the American sociopolitical landscape. They understood
that none of us can ever fulfill our own moral and spiritual potential unless we care about the full
spiritual and moral flourishing of others.
Critique: A seminal work of simply outstanding and original scholarship, "Conflagration: How
the Transcendentalists Sparked the American Struggle for Racial, Gender, and Social Justice" is
enhanced for academia with the inclusion of an informative introduction (Grandchildren of the
Revolution), and epilogue (Application), twenty-two pages of notes, a two page listing of image
credits, and a twenty-age index. A deftly organized, comprehensively detailed, soundly
documented, expertly written, thought-provoking and unique contribution to both community
and academic library American Social & Cultural History collections, it should be noted for the
personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in
the subject that "Conflagration" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).
Editorial Note: John Buehrens was the president of the Unitarian Universalist Association of
Congregations from 1993 to 2001. His previous books include Understanding the Bible: An
Introduction for Skeptics, Seekers, and Religious Liberals; with Forrest Church, A Chosen Faith:
An Introduction to Unitarian Universalism; and with Rebecca Ann Parker, A House for Hope:
The Promise of Progressive Religion for the Twenty-First Century.
By Great Rivers: Lives on the Appalachian Frontier
Robert B. Swift
America Through Time
c/o Arcadia Publishing
420 Wando Park Blvd., Mount Pleasant, SC 29464
www.arcadiapublishing.com
9781634991896, $21.99, PB, 112pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: In "By Great Rivers: Lives on the Appalachian Frontier", journalist and author Robert
B. Swift tells the story of people who shaped events during a period of rapid political and social
change in the Appalachian region of the eastern United States in the eighteenth century.
The several dozen individuals (men and women, Native Americans, colonial agents,
missionaries, fur traders, Indian captives, surveyors) profiled here reflect a multi-cultural society
that developed on that frontier. Wars in the last half of this century posed a grave threat to this
society.
"By Great Rivers" focuses on the Appalachian region (eastern and western Pennsylvania, western
New York and Ohio) which was a vast wilderness expanse linked by the great rivers that served
as corridors of travel in the eighteenth century.
Many key historic events occurred at the strategic forks of four rivers where these people lived or
visited--the Forks of the Delaware (Easton, PA), Forks of the Susquehanna (Sunbury, PA), Forks
of the Ohio (Pittsburgh, PA) and the Forks of the Muskingum (Coshocton, OH) and the Niagara
River, pathway between the Great Lakes.
"By Great Rivers" features quotes from contemporary travelers, diarists and prominent figures
like Benjamin Franklin to provide context to help readers understand the period.
Critique: An absorbing, informative and inherently fascinating read from cover to cover, "By
Great Rivers: Lives on the Appalachian Frontier" is nicely illustrated throughout and will prove
to be a greatly appreciated and unreservedly recommended addition to community, college, and
university library American History collections and supplemental studies reading lists.
William F. Tolmie at Fort Nisqually: Letters, 1850-1853
Steve A. Anderson, editor
Washington State University Press
PO Box 645910, Pullman, WA 99164-5910
www.wsupress.wsu.edu
9780874223712, $34.95, PB, 287pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Scottish-born Hudson's Bay Company Chief Trader William Fraser Tolmie took
charge of Fort Nisqually in 1843, but soon the International Boundary Treaty of 1846 between
Great Britain and the United States spawned myriad legal and regulatory problems.
In 2006, former Fort Nisqually and now Living History Museum manager Steve A. Anderson
discovered volumes of Fort Nisqually's letter books at HBC Archives. He transcribed several,
spanning from January 1850 to the threshold of Puget Sound's Indian War. The more than 400
documents offer private conversations, weighty business discussions, gossip, political intrigue,
patterns of commerce, deadly epidemics, and an eyewitness account of San Francisco's
devastating fire, and present a rare British perspective on higher-level HBC and Puget Sound
Agricultural Company operations, as well as insight into conflicts that followed the 1846
treaty.
Critique: A unique and impressively informative collection, "William F. Tolmie at Fort
Nisqually: Letters, 1850-1853" is an especially and unreservedly recommended and significant
addition to community, college, and academic library American History collections, and would
prove to be especially noteworthy for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-
specialist general readers with an interest in the subject.
Editorial Note: Steve A. Anderson managed the Fort Nisqually Living History Museum for ten
years. He has published multiple journal articles and books, including "Angus McDonald of the
Great Divide: The Uncommon Life of a Fur Trader, 1816-1899."
Greene and Cornwallis in the Carolinas
Jeffrey A. Denman & John F. Walsh
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476667232, $39.95, PB, 200pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: The story of the Revolutionary War in the Northern colonies is well known but the war
that raged across the South in 1780-1781 (referred to by some historians as the "unknown
Revolution") included some of the most important yet least studied engagements.
Drawing extensively on their letters, "Greene and Cornwallis in the Carolinas: The Pivotal
Struggle in the American Revolution, 1780-1781" follows the campaigns of General Nathanael
Greene and Lord Charles Cornwallis as they fought across the Carolinas, and offers a compelling
look at their leadership. The theater of war in which the two commanders operated was populated
by various ethnic and religious groups and separated geographically, economically and politically
into the low country and the simmering backcountry, setting the stage for what was to come.
Critique: A deftly scripted work of seminal scholarship by educators Jeffrey Denman and John
Walsh, and enhanced for academia with the inclusion of eighteen pages of Chapter Notes, an
eight page Bibliography, and a three page Index, "Greene and Cornwallis in the Carolinas: The
Pivotal Struggle in the American Revolution, 1780-1781" is an extraordinary and unreservedly
recommended addition to community, college, and university library 18th Century American
History collections in general, and American Revolutionary War supplemental studies reading
lists in particular.
Editorial Note: Jeffrey A. Denman is a retired American history and geography teacher from the
Brookline Public Schools in Brookline, Massachusetts. He has written seven articles dealing with
the American Revolution, the Civil War, World War II and other topics in American history.
John F. Walsh is a middle school Latin teacher in Burlington, Massachusetts. His past research
has focused on British history in the seventeenth century.
The World History Shelf
Yorkshire: A Story of Invasion, Uprising and Conflict
Paul C. Levitt
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
9781526752550, $24.95, PB, 144pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: "Yorkshire: A Story of Invasion, Uprising and Conflict" by Paul C. Levitt is a
compelling and informative history Yorkshire and its people, from the earliest period up to recent
times -- but it is foremost a story about invasion.
Archaeological finds have shown that Yorkshire was occupied at a time when early hunters from
continental Europe were not supposed to have ventured so far north. Growing populations on the
European mainland made Yorkshire's fertile land and receding woodland a prime landscape for
these first European farmers, and over time they would be followed by waves of invaders intent
on pillage and land grabbing.
From the north and west came the Picts and the Scots, while the Romans, Angles and Vikings
arrived via the River Humber. The Normans would be the last to invade and seek to dominate
everything they saw. Each invasion would leave its stamp on Yorkshire's culture and life, while
battles would later be fought on Yorkshire soil during both the Wars of the Roses and the English
Civil Wars.
In "Yorkshire: A Story of Invasion, Uprising and Conflict", author and historian Paul Levitt
deftly reveals the key places where battles were fought and Yorkshire history was made. The
result is an impressively informative and inherently fascinating read from first page to last. While
unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library British History collections
and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-
specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Yorkshire: A Story of Invasion,
Uprising and Conflict" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.99).
Editorial Note: Born into a military family in the historic market town of Beverley, East
Yorkshire, Paul Levitt has always been intrigued by the past. He developed a keen awareness of
Yorkshire's rich heritage as a schoolboy and developed a particular interest in the medieval
period. Yorkshire's unique landscape and especially the North York Moors made a strong
impression on him and to this day remains a magical place. He has written professionally on a
wide range of subjects for the past 25 years.
The Accursed Tower
Roger Crowley
Basic Books
www.basicbooks.com
c/o Perseus Books Group
250 W. 57th St., Suite 1500, New York, NY 10107
www.perseusbooksgroup.com
9781541697348, $28.00, HC, 272pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: The 1291 siege of Acre was the Alamo of the Christian Crusades -- the final bloody
battle for the Holy Land. After a desperate six weeks, the beleaguered citadel surrendered to the
Mamluks, bringing an end to Christendom's two-hundred year adventure in the Middle East.
In "The Accursed Tower: The Fall of Acre and the End of the Crusades", Roger Crowley delivers
a lively narrative of the lead-up to the siege and a vivid, blow-by-blow account of the climactic
battle. Drawing on extant Arabic sources as well as untranslated Latin documents, he argues that
Acre is notable for technical advances in military planning and siege warfare, and extraordinary
for its individual heroism and savage slaughter.
A gripping depiction of the crusader era told through its dramatic last moments, The "Accursed
Tower" offers an essential new view on a crucial turning point in world history.
Critique: Reading with all the dynamic and dramatic fluidity of a deftly crafted novel, "The
Accursed Tower: The Fall of Acre and the End of the Crusades" is an extraordinary work of
historical scholarship and certain to be an enduringly popular addition to both community and
academic library history collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students,
academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Accursed
Tower: The Fall of Acre and the End of the Crusades" is also available in a digital book format
(Kindle, $17.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio,
9781549128790, $35.00, CD).
Empire: A New History of the World
Paul Strathern
Pegasus Books
148 West 37th Street, 13th Floor, New York, NY 10018
www.pegasusbooks.com
9781643133317, $26.95, HC, 288pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: In the pages of "Empire: A New History of the World", historian Paul Strathern begins
with the Akkadian civilization, which ruled over a vast expanse of the region of ancient
Mesopotamia, then turns to the immense Roman Empire, where we trace back our Western and
Eastern roots.
Next the narrative describes how a great deal of Western Classical culture was developed in the
Abbasid and Umayyad Caliphates. Then, while Europe was beginning to emerge from a period of
cultural stagnation, it almost fell to a whirlwind invasion from the East, at which point we meet
the Emperors of the Mongol Empire.
Combining breathtaking scope with masterful narrative control, Strathern deftly traces these
connections across four millennia and sheds new light on these major civilizations -- from the
Mongol Empire and the Yuan Dynasty to the Aztec and Ottoman, through to the most recent and
biggest empires: the British, Russo-Soviet, and American.
Charting five thousand years of global history in ten lucid chapters, "Empire" makes
comprehensive and inspiring reading to anyone fascinated by the history of the world.
Critique: A work of history that readers with all the dramatic smoothness of a fine tuned novel,
"Empire: A New History of the World" will prove to be an immediately popular addition to both
community and academic World History collections. It should be noted for the personal reading
lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers that "Empire: A New History of
the World" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99) and as a complete and
unabridged audio book (Tantor Audio, 9781618035141, $24.99, CD).
Editorial Note: Currently residing in England, Paul Strathern is a Somerset Maugham Award
winning novelist whose his nonfiction works include The Venetians, Death in Florence, and The
Medici -- all of which are in print and available from Pegasus Books.
The Reformers on War, Peace, and Justice
Timothy J. Demy, Mark J. Larson, and J. Daryl Charles
Pickwick Publications
c/o Wipf and Stock Publishers
199 West 8th Avenue, Suite 3, Eugene, OR 97401-2960
http://wipfandstock.com
9781498206990, $45.00, HC, 196pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Conflict and war were common during the Reformation era. Throughout the sixteenth
century, rising religious and political tensions led to frequent conflict and culminated in the
Thirty Years' War (1618-48) that devastated much of Germany and killed one-third of its
population.
Some of the warfare, as in central and southern Europe, was between Christians and Muslims.
Other warfare, in central and northwestern Europe, was confessional warfare between Catholics
and Protestants. Religion was not the only cause of war during the period. Revolts, territorial
ambitions, and the beginnings of the contemporary nation-state system and international order
that emerged after the Treaty of Westphalia (1648) also fueled the trauma and tragedy of
war.
In many ways, the world of the Reformers and Protestant Reformation was a violent world, and it
was within such a sociopolitical framework that the Reformers and their followers lived, worked,
and died. "The Reformers on War, Peace, and Justice" introduces the teachings of the Protestant
Reformers on war and peace, in their context, before offering relevant primary source
readings.
Critique: A fascinating and informative history that is embellished for academia with the
inclusion of a fourteen page Bibliography, "The Reformers on War, Peace, and Justice" is an
extraordinary work of detailed and documented scholarship. Exceptionally well written,
organized and unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library
collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of history students, academia, and
non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Reformers on War, Peace,
and Justice" is also available in a paperback edition (9781498206976, $25.00) and in a digital
book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Timothy J. Demy is Professor of Military Ethics at the US Naval War College.
He has authored numerous academic books.
Mark J. Larson is the author of Abraham Kuyper, Conservatism, and Church and State (2015)
and Calvin's Doctrine of the State (2009).
J. Daryl Charles is a 2018 Affiliate Scholar of the Acton Institute, a contributing editor of the
journals Providence: A Journal of Christianity and American Foreign Policy and Touchstone, and
an affiliated scholar of the John Jay Institute.
The Invention of Yesterday
Tamim Ansary
Public Affairs Books
c/o Perseus Book Group
250 West 57th Street, #1321, New York, NY 10107
www.publicaffairsbooks.com
9781610397964, $30.00, HC, 448pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Traveling across millennia, weaving the experiences and world views of cultures both
extinct and extant, "The Invention of Yesterday: A 50,000-Year History of Human Culture,
Conflict, and Connection" by Tamim Ansary shows that the engine of history is not so much
heroic (battles won), geographic (farmers thrive), or anthropogenic (humans change the planet)
as it is narrative.
Many thousands of years ago, when we existed only as countless small autonomous bands of
hunter-gatherers widely distributed through the wilderness, we began inventing stories -- to
organize for survival, to find purpose and meaning, to explain the unfathomable. Ultimately these
became the basis for empires, civilizations, and cultures. And when various narratives began to
collide and overlap, the encounters produced everything from confusion, chaos, and war to
cultural efflorescence, religious awakenings, and intellectual breakthroughs.
Through vivid stories studded with insights, Tamim Ansary illuminates the world-historical
consequences of the unique human capacity to invent and communicate abstract ideas. In doing
so, he also explains our ever-more-intertwined present: the narratives now shaping us, the
reasons we still battle one another, and the future we may yet create.
Critique: A unique, exceptionally informative, and inherently fascinating approach to human
history, "The Invention of Yesterday: A 50,000-Year History of Human Culture, Conflict, and
Connection" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to community, college
and university library World History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It
should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the
subject that "The Invention of Yesterday" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$17.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9781549155055,
$44.00, CD).
Editorial Note: Tamim Ansary is also the author of Destiny Disrupted and Games without Rules,
among other books. For ten years he wrote a monthly column for Encarta.com, and has published
essays and commentary in the San Francisco Chronicle, Salon, Alternet, TomPaine.com,
Edutopia, Parade, Los Angeles Times, and elsewhere. He has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey
Show, Bill Moyers, PBS The News Hour, Al Jazeera, and NPR. Born in Afghanistan in 1948, he
moved to the U.S. in 1964 and currently resides in San Francisco, California.
The Civil War Shelf
Lincoln Takes Command
Steve Norder
Savas Beatie
PO Box 4527, El Dorado Hills, CA 95762
www.savasbeatie.com
9781611214574, $32.95, HC, 408pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: On a rainy evening during the Civil War's second May, President Abraham Lincoln
and two of his cabinet secretaries boarded a treasury department ship to sail to Union-held Fort
Monroe in Hampton Roads, Virginia. The trip resulted in the first and only time in the country's
history that a sitting president took direct control of military forces, both army and navy, to wage
a campaign with wide-ranging consequences. This little-known slice of the war and its effect on
the president is the subject of Steve Norder's new Civil War study, "Lincoln Takes Command:
The Campaign to Seize Norfolk and the Destruction of the CSS Virginia".
For five days that May, Lincoln studied maps, suggested military actions and (in his quiet,
respectful way) issued direct orders to subordinate commanders. Helped by movements farther
up the Virginia peninsula, the president's decisions resulted in a host of military actions and
successes, including: a naval bombardment of a Confederate fort, the sailing of Union ships up
the James River closer to the enemy capital, an amphibious landing of Union soldiers, the capture
of Norfolk and the vital Portsmouth and Gosport navy yards, and the destruction of the Rebel
ironclad CSS Virginia. Salmon P. Chase, Lincoln's treasury secretary, described the actions as a
"brilliant week's campaign." The president returned to Washington in triumph, hailed as a
military and civilian leader. Indeed, some urged him to take direct command of the nation's field
armies.
Norder's years-long investigation draws upon a host of primary sources, including letters, diaries,
official reports, and memoirs. This rich blending of material allows for a fresh perspective and
interesting insights. While untold numbers of books have been penned about Abraham Lincoln,
his presidency, and his struggles during the Civil War, this one fascinating week as recorded with
commentary within the covers of "Lincoln Takes Command" (and which helped shape him as a
war president) has never has been told in such full and documented detail. The successes that
crowned his short time in Hampton Roads changed the nation's commander in chief by giving
him more of an understanding and confidence in his ability to see what needed to be
accomplished, insight that sustained him through the rest of the war.
Critique: A unique and very special contribution to the ever growing library of American Civil
War literature, histories, studies and biographies, "Lincoln Takes Command: The Campaign to
Seize Norfolk and the Destruction of the CSS Virginia" is an exemplary and unreservedly
recommended addition to personal, community, and academic library American Civil War
collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia,
Civil War buffs, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Lincoln
Takes Command" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $15.89).
Editorial Note: Steve Norder has worked as a genealogist, teacher, author, newspaper reporter,
and book editor. He has a strong interest in researching and writing about the tragic Civil War
years, and his work has appeared in many places, including Civil War Times, Illustrated. Steve
currently resides in Georgia, where he is a member of the Civil War Round Table of
Atlanta.
The Civil War in the South Carolina Lowcountry
Ron Roth
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476677101, $35.00, PB, 197pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Some of the most dramatic and consequential events of the Civil War era took place in
the South Carolina Lowcountry between Charleston and Savannah. From Robert Barnwell
Rhett's inflammatory 1844 speech in Bluffton calling for secession, to the last desperate attempts
by Confederate forces to halt Sherman's juggernaut, the region was torn apart by the American
civil war.
"The Civil War in the South Carolina Lowcountry" by Ron Roth is a detailed and documented
history that tells the story through the experiences of two radically different military units -- the
Confederate Beaufort Volunteer Artillery and the U.S. 1st South Carolina Regiment, the first
black Union regiment to fight in the war, both of which were organized in Beaufort, the heart of
the Lowcountry.
Critique: "The Civil War in the South Carolina Lowcountry: How a Confederate Artillery Battery
and a Black Union Regiment Defined the War" is enhanced for academia and dedicated Civil
War history buffs with the inclusion of an epilogue (Everything was going to confusion and
ruin), two appendices (Rosters; Two Addresses); four pages of Chapter Notes, a four page
Bibliography, and a three page Index. A unique and original contribution to the growing library
of American Civil War literature and history, "The Civil War in the South Carolina Lowcountry"
is an especially recommended addition to personal, community, college, and university library
American Civil War collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Retired museum director Ron Roth curated an exhibition on the history of the
Beaufort Volunteer Artillery for the Historic Beaufort Foundation in Beaufort, South Carolina.
He was a featured speaker on the Beaufort Volunteer Artillery at the 2017 Annual Civil War
Symposium of the South Carolina Department of Archives and History and was a seasonal
historian and licensed guide for the Gettysburg National Military Park.
The Economic Studies Shelf
Uprooting Economics: A Manifesto for Change
Bart Nooteboom
Edward Elgar Publishing
9 Dewey Court, Northampton, MA 01060-3815
www.e-elgar.com
9781789908411, $110.00, HC, 168pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Much-needed in the face of present political upheavals, including the rise of populism
and re-emergence of nationalism and authoritarian regimes, "Uprooting Economics: A Manifesto
for Change" by Bart Nooteboom (Professor Emeritus, Tilburg University, the Netherlands) is
radical in both its critique and proposals for a new economics. Taking an interdisciplinary
approach, Professor Nooteboom offers insights drawn from economics, sociology, cognitive
science, social psychology and philosophy.
Exploring ways in which economics is developing, "Uprooting Economics" investigates how
new economics has moved away from considering individuals as autonomous and instead studies
their involvement and interactions with each other. "Uprooting Economics" also discusses a new
relational economics: less contractual, hierarchical and controlled, and more based on trust and
mutual adjustment. Professor Nooteboom proposes a shift from utility ethics to the virtue ethics
of prudence, courage, moderation and justice.
A provocative read for economics students, "Uprooting Economics" is especially pertinent to
those interested in rethinking the subject and expanding upon heterodox theories. It will also
prove a useful read to critical economists and sociologists looking to better understand a way
forward in our current economic climate.
Critique: An exceptionally thoughtful and thought-provoking study, "Uprooting Economics: A
Manifesto for Change" is an informative, cogent and scholastically meticulous contribution to
community, college, and university library Contemporary Economics collections. It should be
noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with
an interest in the subject that "Uprooting Economics: A Manifesto for Change" is also available
in a paperback edition (9781789908435, $29.95).
Institutions and Evolution of Capitalism
Francesca Gagliardi & David Gindis, editors
Edward Elgar Publishing
9 Dewey Court, Northampton, MA 01060-3815
www.e-elgar.com
9781785364990, $165.00, HC, 384pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Geoffrey Martin Hodgson (born 28 July 1946) is a Professor in Management at the
London campus of Loughborough University, and also the editor-in-chief of the Journal of
Institutional Economics.
Professor Hodgson has made substantial contributions to institutional and evolutionary
economics, economic methodology, the history of economic thought and social theory. To mark
his seminal work, "Institutions and Evolution of Capitalism: Essays in Honour of Geoffrey M.
Hodgson" features original contributions by world-leading scholars from fields that have played a
significant role in influencing his thinking or represent key debates to which he has
contributed.
Building on some of the central philosophical and methodological foundations underlying
Hodgson's thinking, "Institutions and Evolution of Capitalism" is organized around the recurring
themes of institutions, evolution and capitalism. The contributors explore key connections
between philosophy, the history of economic thought, and institutional and evolutionary
economics in the light of Professor Hodgson's often path-breaking work.
A vital read for institutional, evolutionary and heterodox economists, "Institutions and Evolution
of Capitalism" sheds new light on Hodgson's position in these fields. Drawing together critical
insights, this is also an important book for economics scholars looking to improve their
understanding of current theory.
Critique: Comprised of twenty-one erudite and informative articles by experts that are deftly
organized into five major sections (Introduction, Foundations, Institutional Economics,
Evolutionary Economics, Geoff Hodgson on Geoff Hodgson), "Institutions and Evolution of
Capitalism: Essays in Honour of Geoffrey M. Hodgson" is enhanced for academia with the
inclusion of figures, tables, a complete listing of the contributors and their credentials, and a
twenty-page Index. An impressively informative work of collaborative scholarship, "Institutions
and Evolution of Capitalism" is unreservedly recommended for college and university library
Contemporary Economics collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Contributors to "Institutions and Evolution of Capitalism" include: M.C. Becker,
C. Camic, J.B. Davis, S. Deakin, K. Dopfer, G. Dosi, S. Dow, F. Gagliardi, D. Gindis, J.
Groenewegen, G.M. Hodgson, T. Knudsen, R.N. Langlois, T. Lawson, L. Marengo, C. Menard,
J.S. Metcalfe, P. Mirowski, A. Nuvolari, U. Pagano, J. Potts, J.W. Stoelhorst, A. Tylecote, V.J.
Vanberg, J. Vromen
The Jobs/Careers Shelf
Helping Skills for Human Service Workers, fourth edition
Kenneth France & Kim Weikel
Charles C. Thomas, Publisher
2600 South First Street, Springfield, IL 62704
http://www.ccthomas.com
9780398093044, $59.95, PB, 402pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Now in a fully updated and significantly expanded fourth edition, "Helping Skills for
Human Service Workers" emphasizes current supporting research on ways that human service
workers can build relationships with their clients and encourage productive change.
The chapters comprising "Helping Skills for Human Service Workers" discusses several basic
issues regarding the development and use of helping skills; explores common modes of response;
examines several keys to fostering positive relationships; presents a step-by-step approach to
problem solving; focuses on responses that can hinder progress; presents a straightforward
approach to establishing goals, objectives, and plans; describes channels of nonverbal
information and commonly encountered nonverbal messages; highlight endeavors that take
center stage before, during, and after scheduled appointments; considers the needs of several
groups, such as children, older persons, clients having low socioeconomic status, individuals
experiencing psychosis, and persons dealing with longstanding issues.
New research on the following topics is included: the helping alliance, client feedback,
communicating positive regard, self-efficacy and stress in helping skills students, responding to
negative feelings, methods for implementing plans, and person-centered decision making that is
required by law (under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act) for certain older and
disabled individuals. There are learning aids in the form of multiple-choice, short-answer, and
fill-in-the-response questions and answers.
Two complete client interviews illustrate the value of the skills being advocated. The text is
further enhanced by an appendix offering helpful exercises and sample formats. This informative
book is designed for students and professionals in a variety of human service fields, including
counseling, psychology, social work, and criminal justice.
Critique: This completely updated and deftly organized fourth edition of "Helping Skills for
Human Service Workers: Building Relationships And Encouraging Productive Change" is an
ideal and unreservedly recommended textbook for college and university social work counseling
curriculums and would be an invaluable instructional reference and manual for social service
agency in-service training programs.
The Pets/Wildlife Shelf
The Complete Book of Cat and Dog Health
Lisa Ansen, DVM MRCVS
Hubble & Hattie
c/o Veloce House
www.hubbleandhattie.com
9781787114159, $22.99, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: "The Complete Book of Cat and Dog Health" by veterinarian Lisa Hansen is a
complete and comprehensive guide to health care for cats and dogs, providing invaluable advice
on essential aspects of care, such as diet and vaccinations, as well as a guide to holistic
treatments.
The first part of "The Complete Book of Cat and Dog Health" describes the main lifestyle
choices every dog and cat owner makes, whether or not they are aware of them: settling in a new
puppy or kitten, vaccination, neutering, diet, finding the right veterinarian, and caring for the
ageing animal.
The second part of "The Complete Book of Cat and Dog Health" describes the main holistic
modalities and their relevance when animals become sick. What they are, how they work, when
they are useful, and how to find a practitioner. Also includes chapters on osteopathy,
homeopathy, acupuncture, Bach's flower remedies, and herbal medicine.
The third part of "The Complete Book of Cat and Dog Health" discusses a range of common
health problems in dogs and cats, both from a conventional veterinary point of view and from an
holistic perspective, and aims to help the owner understand the condition they are facing, as well
as providing tips on how to supplement their veterinarian's advice and treatment.
Critique: Comprehensive and thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "The
Complete Book of Cat and Dog Health" is nicely illustrated, making it an ideal and unreservedly
recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and veterinary school library
instructional reference collections for feline and canine care and maintenance. It should be noted
for pet owners and veterinary students that "The Complete Book of Cat and Dog Health" is also
available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).
Editorial Note: Since graduating veternary school in 1994, Lise Hansen, DVM MRCVS
CertIAVH PCH, has spent the last 25 years working in small animal practice. Early in her
veterinary career, Lise pursued post-graduate training in veterinary homeopathy and acupuncture.
Today, Lise focuses on her homeopathic referral practice spread over three clinics: her own
practice in Aarhus, Denmark, as well as a veterinary clinic just north of Copenhagen, and Hyde
Park Veterinary Centre in central London. Lise is passionate about sharing her knowledge and
experiences for the benefit of dogs and cats, and she teaches and lectures internationally to
animal care givers and veterinary colleagues alike.
The General Fiction Shelf
All the Danger
David Vigoda
https://www.davidvigoda.com
Collioure Books
www.amazon.com
0972825092, $16.95
Set in the turmoil of an America emerging from the Civil War barely intact and ideologically
shattered, All the Danger follows the clash of values and politics that continues the struggle in its
aftermath. It embraces the perspectives of a cast of characters who each take leaps into the new
unknown in different ways. From the perception of industrial workers in this novel's 1877 world
who were described as "savages" to today's media depictions of liberals and conservatives as
being a danger to America and a threat in need of remedy, All the Danger is aptly named. It's not
just about the dangers facing 1877 America's efforts to rebuild. It's about the same kinds of forces
at work in American society today. For this reason, All the Danger should be viewed as more
than just another Civil War novel. It's a blueprint and mirror for events taking place today.
Frightening, disturbing, and relevant, All the Danger should be on every American's reading
list.
The Vineyards of Champagne
Juliet Blackwell
Berkley Books
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
www.penguin.com
9780451490650, $16.00, PB, 416pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: During the dark days of World War II, deep within the labyrinth of caves that lies
below the lush, rolling vineyards of the Champagne region, an underground city of women and
children hums with life. Forced to take shelter from the unrelenting onslaught of German
shellfire above, the bravest and most defiant women venture out to pluck sweet grapes for the
harvest. But wine is not the only secret preserved in the cool, dark cellars.
In the present day, Rosalyn Acosta travels to Champagne to select vintages for her Napa-based
employer. Rosalyn doesn't much care for champagne -- or France, for that matter. Since the
untimely death of her young husband, Rosalyn finds it a challenge to enjoy anything at all. But as
she reads through a precious cache of WWI letters and retraces the lives lived in the limestone
tunnels, Rosalyn will unravel a mystery hidden for decades -- and find a way to savor her own
life again.
Critique: An impressively entertaining novel hallmarked by originality and the author's fully
engaging narrative storytelling style, "The Vineyards Of Champagne" by novelist Juliet
Blackwell is certain to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library
General Fiction collections. A truly rewarding read from beginning to end, it should be noted for
personal reading lists that "The Vineyards Of Champagne" is also available in a digital book
format (Kindle, $9.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Tantor Audio,
9781977360724, $29.99, CD).
All the Ways We Said Goodbye
Beatriz Williams
William Morrow & Company
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
195 Broadway New York, New York 10007
www.harpercollins.com
9780062931092, $28.99, HC, 448pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: France, 1914. As war breaks out, Aurelie becomes trapped on the wrong side of the
front with her father, Comte Sigismund de Courcelles. When the Germans move into their
family's ancestral estate, using it as their headquarters, Aurelie discovers she knows the German
Major's aide de camp, Maximilian Von Sternburg. She and the dashing young officer first met
during Aurelie's debutante days in Paris. Despite their conflicting loyalties, Aurelie and Max's
friendship soon deepens into love, but betrayal will shatter them both, driving Aurelie back to
Paris and the Ritz -- the home of her estranged American heiress mother, with unexpected
consequences.
France, 1942. Raised by her indomitable, free-spirited American grandmother in the glamorous
Hotel Ritz, Marguerite "Daisy" Villon remains in Paris with her daughter and husband, a Nazi
collaborator, after France falls to Hitler. At first reluctant to put herself and her family at risk to
assist her grandmother's Resistance efforts, Daisy agrees to act as a courier for a skilled English
forger known only as Legrand, who creates identity papers for Resistance members and Jewish
refugees. But as Daisy is drawn ever deeper into Legrand's underground network, committing
increasingly audacious acts of resistance for the sake of the country (and the man) she holds dear,
she uncovers a devastating secret . . . one that will force her to commit the ultimate betrayal, and
to confront at last the shocking circumstances of her own family history.
France, 1964. For Barbara "Babs" Langford, her husband, Kit, was the love of her life. Yet their
marriage was haunted by a mysterious woman known only as La Fleur. On Kit's death, American
lawyer Andrew "Drew" Bowdoin appears at her door. Hired to find a Resistance fighter turned
traitor known as "La Fleur," the investigation has led to Kit Langford. Curious to know more
about the enigmatic La Fleur, Babs joins Drew in his search, a journey of discovery that that
takes them to Paris and the Ritz -- and to unexpected places of the heart.
Critique: An elegantly scripted and multi-layered novel that showcases the three co-author's
impressive literary skills with narrative driven storytelling, "All the Ways We Said Goodbye: A
Novel of the Ritz Paris" by the team of Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig and Karen White is an
inherently fascinating, multi-generational read from beginning to end. While very highly
recommended for all community library General Fiction collections, it should be noted for
personal reading lists that "All the Ways We Said Goodbye" is also available in a large print
paperback edition (9780062978783, $29.99), in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99), and as a
complete and unabridged audio book (Harper Audio, 9780062983879, $49.99, CD).
Out of Slavery: A Novel of Harriet Tubman
Carol Trembath
Lakeside Publishing MI
www.caroltrembath.com
9780990744672, $22.95, HC, 156pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: "Out of Slavery: A Novel of Harriet Tubman" by Carol Trembath follows the perilous
path of the Underground Railroad and reveals the tragic costs of the Civil War. This compelling
tale is seen through the eyes of three escaping slaves, Cece, Tilly, and Lou, as Harriet conducts
them north to safety and freedom along the Underground Railroad. The journey continues when
they, along with Harriet, enlist in the Union Army.
The War of the Rebellion propels Harriet and her companions to act together along with
Frederick Douglass, Colonel Robert Shaw, and Sergeant William Carney to preserve a divided
nation and free a people caught in the web of slavery. "Out of Slavery" is a story of romance and
realism, and the triumphs and tragedies of war.
As Cece says of Harriet, "Along our escape route, I saw wanted posters of Harriet. Who Harriet
really was never fit the description that I saw on those ragged pieces of paper. They all missed
telling about her great heart. She would never free a whole nation of slaves like Moses, but I
knew she had the desire and will to do so."
Critique: Although a deftly crafted work of fiction, "Out of Slavery: A Novel of Harriet Tubman"
is an extraordinary and inherently riveting retelling of a fact-based biographical history of what
one woman was able to accomplish in behalf of so many others at the very real peril to her own
life and safety. Especially and unreservedly recommended, "Out of Slavery" will prove to be an
immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library General Fiction collections. It
should be noted for personal reading lists that "Out of Slavery" is also available in a paperback
edition (9780990744689, $12.95).
Editorial Note: Author, speaker, and educator Carol Trembath holds a Masters in Library and
Information Science from Wayne State University and a Masters in Educational Technology
from Michigan State University. Her dedicated mission is to bring more awareness about the life
and times of Harriet Tubman -- the heroine of the Underground Railroad.
A Love Hate Thing
Whitney D. Grandison
Inkyard Press
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
195 Broadway, New York, New York 10007
www.harpercollins.com
9781335016041, $18.99, HC, 464pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: When Tyson Trice finds himself tossed into the wealthy coastal community of Pacific
Hills, he's ready for the questions, the stares and the feeling of not belonging. Not that he cares.
After recovering from being shot and surviving the rough streets of Lindenwood, he doesn't care
about anyone or anything, much less how the rest of his life will play out.
Golden girl Nandy Smith has spent most of her life building the pristine image that it takes to fit
in when it comes to her hometown Pacific Hills where image is everything. After learning that
her parents are taking in a troubled teen boy, Nandy fears her summer plans, as well as her
reputation, will go up in flames.
Now with Trice living under the same roof, the wall between their bedrooms feels as thin as the
line between love and hate. Beneath the angst, their growing attraction won't be denied. Through
time, Trice brings Nandy out of her shell, and Nandy attempts to melt the ice that's taken Trice's
heart and being. Only, with the ever-present pull back to the Lindenwood streets, it'll be a wonder
if Trice makes it through this summer at all.
Critique: An original, unique and deftly scripted novel, "A Love Hate Thing" showcases author
Whitney D. Grandison's impressively effective narrative storytelling style. While unreservedly
recommended, especially for community library collections, it should be noted for personal
reading lists that "A Love Hate Thing" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99)
and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9781094028880, $39.99,
CD).
A Good Man
Ani Katz
Penguin Books
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
www.penguin.com
9780143134985, $17.00, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Thomas Martin was a devoted family man who had all the trappings of an enviable
life: a beautiful wife and daughter, a well-appointed home on Long Island's north shore, a job at a
prestigious Manhattan advertising firm. He was also a devoted son and brother, shielding the
women in his orbit from the everyday brutalities of the world.
But what happens when Thomas's fragile ego is rocked? After committing a horrific deed (and
one that he can never undo) Thomas grapples with his sense of self. Sometimes he casts himself
as a victim and, at other times, a monster. All he ever did was try to be a good man, but maybe if
he tells his version of the story, he might uncover how and why things unraveled so horribly.
Critique: An expertly and deftly crafted novel of nail-biting, 'turn on the lights' suspense, "A
Good Man" by novelist Ani Katz will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition
to community library Contemporary General Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal
reading lists that "A Good Man" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).
Losing You
Nicci French
William Morrow & Company
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
195 Broadway New York, New York 10007
www.harpercollins.com
9780062876034, $16.99, 353pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Nina Landry awakens on her fortieth birthday, anticipating a day filled with
excitement. She, her new boyfriend, and her two children are taking a trip -- leaving their home
on Sandling Island, off the coast of England, for a dream vacation. As soon as her
fifteen-year-old daughter, Charlie, returns from a sleepover, they can get ready to leave.
But Charlie doesn't come home at the expected time. Nina can't believe of all days, Charlie has
chosen this day to be late. As minutes and then hours tick by, Nina's annoyance soon changes to
concern, and then to a chilling certainty that something terrible has happened.
The police insist there's no reason to worry -- yet. Teenagers are unreliable, impulsive. Nina
always thought she and Charlie had a solid, trusting relationship, but seeking out Charlie's friends
for clues to her whereabouts makes her reconsider. How well does Nina know her daughter,
really? How well can a parent ever know a child? And will everything Nina doesn't know (about
Charlie, her neighbors, even the friends and family closest to them) prove fatal...?
Critique: Another deftly penned, inherently riveting, cliff-hanger of a read, "Losing You"
continues to showcase author Nicci French's exceptional storytelling skills and total mastery of
the suspense/thriller genre. While especially recommended for community library collections, it
should be noted for personal reading lists that "Losing You" is also available as complete and
unabridged audio book (Brilliance Audio, 9781501286766, $9.99, MP3 CD).
Editorial Note: Nicci French is the author of the bestsellers Secret Smile, Land of the Living, The
Red Room, Beneath the Skin, and Killing Me Softly, as well as two earlier books, The Memory
Game and The Safe House, both published in England to great acclaim.
The Playground
Jane Shemilt
William Morrow & Company
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
195 Broadway New York, New York 10007
www.harpercollins.com
9780062939425, $16.99, PB, 384pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Over the course of a long, hot summer in London, the lives of three very different
married couples collide when their children join the same tutoring circle, resulting in illicit
relationships, shocking violence, and unimaginable fallout.
There's Eve, a bougie earth mother with a well-stocked trust fund; she has three little ones, a
blue-collar husband and is obsessed with her Instagrammable recipes and lifestyle. And Melissa,
a successful interior designer whose casually cruel banker husband is careful not to leave visible
bruises; she curates her perfectly thin body so closely she misses everything their teenage
daughter is hiding. Then there's Grace, a young Zimbabwean immigrant, who lives in high-rise
housing project with her two children and their English father Martin, an award-winning but
chronically broke novelist; she does far more for her family than she should have to.
As the weeks go by, the couples become very close; there are barbecues, garden parties, a holiday
at a country villa in Greece. Resentments flare. An affair begins. Unnoticed, the children run
wild. The couples are busily watching each other, so distracted and self-absorbed that they forget
to watch their children. No one sees the five children at their secret games or realize how much
their family dynamics are changing until tragedy strikes.
The story twists and then twists again while the three families desperately search for answers. It's
only as they begin to unravel the truth of what happened over the summer that they realize evil
has crept quietly into their world. -- But has this knowledge come too late?
Critique: A compelling novel by an author with an impressive and narrative driven storytelling
skill set, Jane Shemilt's "The Playground" will prove to be an extraordinarily and enduringly
popular addition to community library Contemporary General Fiction collections. It should be
noted for personal reading lists that "The Playground" is also available in a digital book format
(Kindle, $11.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio,
9781094027265, $39.99, CD).
Verities: A Journey by Tracks
Randy White
Belle Isle Books
http://www.belleislebooks.com
c/o Brandylane Publishers
5 South First Street, Richmond, VA 23219
www.brandylanepublishers.com
9781951565046, $17.95, PB, 300pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: "When it is dark enough, you can see the stars."
In the pages of Randy White's "Verities: A Journey by Tracks" the reader will take a ride down
the train tracks in the small town of Verities, and see one young man's quests for meaning in his
troubled life. They will follow Sam's journey as he grows up facing ugly truths about love and
loss on the wrong side of the tracks.
Critique: A hopeful story of rising above one's circumstances, even in the cruel face of social
injustice, "Verities: A Journey by Tracks" is a succinct literary masterpiece and showcases that
author's genuine flair for originality and a distinctive narrative driven storytelling style that
engages the reader's total attention. One of those books that will linger in the mind and memory
of the reader long after it has been finished and set back upon the shelf, "Verities: A Journey by
Tracks" is unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists, as well as both community and
academic library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections.
Apartment
Teddy Wayne
Bloomsbury Press
175 Fifth Avenue, Suite 315, New York, NY 10010
www.bloomsbury.com
9781635574005, $26.00, HC, 208pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: In 1996, the unnamed narrator of Teddy Wayne's Apartment is attending the MFA
writing program at Columbia on his father's dime and living in an illegal sublet of a
rent-stabilized apartment. Feeling guilty about his good fortune, he offers his spare bedroom
(rent-free) to Billy, a talented, charismatic classmate from the Midwest eking out a
hand-to-mouth existence in Manhattan.
The narrator's rapport with Billy develops into the friendship he's never had due to a lifetime of
holding people at arm's length, hovering at the periphery, feeling "fundamentally defective." But
their living arrangement, not to mention their radically different upbringings, breeds tensions
neither man could predict. Interrogating the origins of our contemporary political divide and its
ties to masculinity and class, Apartment is a gutting portrait of one of New York's many lost,
disconnected souls by a writer with an uncommon aptitude for embodying them.
Critique: A impressively crafted and thoroughly reader engaging work of deftly written and
narrative driven storytelling by and exceptionally gifted novelist, "Apartment" by Teddy Wayne
is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to community and academic library
Contemporary Literary Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that
"Apartment" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Wife After Wife
Olivia Hayfield
Berkley Books
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
https://www.penguin.com
9780593101834, $16.00, PB, 464pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Master of the universe Harry Rose is head of the Rose Corporation, number eighteen
on the Forbes rich list, and recently married to wife number six. But in 2018, his perfect world is
about to come crashing to the ground. His business is in the spotlight (and not in a good way) and
his love life is under scrutiny. Because behind a glittering curtain of lavish parties, gorgeous
homes, and a media empire is a tale worthy of any tabloid. -- And Harry has a lot to account
for!
Critique: A timely novel for this present era of the MeToo movement that has seen the fall of
such notable womanizing figures as entertainment moguls, industry czars, American presidents,
and journalism icons, and the increasing phenomena of multiple divorces, "Wife After Wife" is
an inherently fascinating read from beginning to end. While highly recommended for community
library Contemporary General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists
that "Wife After Wife" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
A Long Time Comin'
Robin W. Pearson
Tyndale House Publishers
351 Executive Drive, Carol Stream, IL 60188
www.tyndale.com
9781496441881, $25.99, HC, 432pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: To hear Beatrice Agnew tell it, she entered the world with her mouth tightly shut. Just
because she finds out she's dying doesn't mean she can't keep it that way. If any of her children
have questions about their daddy and the choices she made after he abandoned them, they'd best
take it up with Jesus. There's no room in Granny B's house for regrets or hand-holding. Or so she
thinks.
Her granddaughter, Evelyn Lester, shows up on Beatrice's doorstep anyway, burdened with her
own secret baggage. Determined to help her Granny B mend fences with her far-flung brood,
Evelyn turns her grandmother's heart and home inside out. Evelyn's meddling uncovers a
tucked-away box of old letters, forcing the two women to wrestle with their past and present pain
as they confront the truth Beatrice has worked a lifetime to hide.
Critique: An immediately engaging, impressively original, and thoroughly entertaining read from
cover to cover, A Long Time Comin' by Robin W. Pearson will prove to be an immediate and
enduringly popular addition to community library Contemporary General Fiction collections. It
should be noted for personal reading lists that A Long Time Comin' is also available in a
paperback edition (9781496441539, $15.99), in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99), and as a
complete and unabridged audio book (Oasis Audio, 9781640913677, $35.99, CD).
The Girl with the Louding Voice
Abi Dare
Dutton
c/o Penguin Group USA
https://www.penguin.com
9781524746025, $26.00, HC, 384pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Adunni is a fourteen-year-old Nigerian girl who knows what she wants: an education.
This, her mother has told her, is the only way to get a "louding voice" -- the ability to speak for
herself and decide her own future. But instead, Adunni's father sells her to be the third wife of a
local man who is eager for her to bear him a son and heir.
When Adunni runs away to the city, hoping to make a better life, she finds that the only other
option before her is servitude to a wealthy family. As a yielding daughter, a subservient wife, and
a powerless slave, Adunni is told, by words and deeds, that she is nothing.
But while misfortunes might muffle her voice for a time, they cannot mute it. And when she
realizes that she must stand up not only for herself, but for other girls, for the ones who came
before her and were lost, and for the next girls, who will inevitably follow; she finds the resolve
to speak, however she can in a whisper, in song, in broken English -- until she is heard!
Critique: A deftly crafted, impressively original, and simply riveting read with a powerful
underlying message four out times, "The Girl With The Louding Voice" will prove to be an
immediate and enduringly popular addition to both community and academic library
Contemporary Literary Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The
Girl With The Louding Voice" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99).
Editorial Note: Abi Dare grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, and has lived in the UK for eighteen years.
She studied law at the University of Wolverhampton and has an MSc in International Project
Management from Glasgow Caledonian University as well as an MA in Creative Writing at
Birkbeck, University of London. The Girl with the Louding Voice won the Bath Novel Award
for unpublished manuscripts in 2018 and was also selected as a finalist in the 2018 Literary
Consultancy Pen Factor competition. Abi lives in Essex with her husband and two daughters,
who inspired her to write her debut novel.
Unmaking Grace
Barbara Boswell
Catalyst Press
https://www.catalystpress.org
9781946395238, $16.00, PB, 240pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Family secrets run deep for Grace, a young girl growing up in Cape Town during the
1980s. Her family secrets spill over into adulthood, and threaten to ruin the respectable life she
has built for herself.
When an old childhood friend emerges after disappearing a decade earlier during a clash with
apartheid riot police in the Cape Flats, where South Africa's colored community makes its home,
Grace's memories of her childhood come rushing back, and she is confronted, once again, with
the loss that has shaped her.
Grace must face up to the truth or continue to live a lie -- but the choice is not
straightforward.
Critique: A deftly crafted and inherently engaging novel by an author with an impressive
narrative storytelling talent, "Unmaking Grace" by Barbara Boswell is an intimate portrayal of
violence, both personal and political, and its legacy on one person's life. Very highly
recommended, especially for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections,
"Unmaking Grace" deftly meditates on the long shadow cast by personal trauma, showing the
inter-generational imprint of violence and loss on people's lives. It should be noted for personal
reading lists that "Unmaking Grace" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$10.92).
Editorial Note: Currently residing in Cape Town, South Africa and teaching at the University of
Cape Tow, academician Barbara Boswell is a feminist literary scholar of Black diasporic
women's writing.
A Peculiar Kind of Immigrant's Son
Sergio Troncoso
Cinco Puntos Press
701 Texas, El Paso, Texas 79901
www.cincopuntos.com
9781947627338, $16.95, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: How does a Mexican-American, the son of poor immigrants, leave his border home
and move to the heart of gringo America? How does he adapt to the worlds of wealth, elite
universities, the rush and power of New York City? How does he make peace with a stern
old-fashioned father who has only known hard field labor his whole life?
In the stories comprising "A Peculiar Kind of Immigrant's Son", author Sergio Troncoso tells
luminous tales through the lens of an exile adrift in the 21st century, with his memorable
characters suffering from the loss of culture and language, the loss of roots and home as they
adapt to the glittering promises of new worlds which ultimately seem so empty.
Critique: An inherently fascinating and compelling read from first page to last, "A Peculiar Kind
of Immigrant's Son" is an extraordinary and deftly written collection, and one that is especially
and unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Hispanic American
Literature & Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "A Peculiar
Kind of Immigrant's Son" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.59).
The Museum of Lost Love
Gary Barker
World Editions
www.worldeditions.org
9781912987030, $16.99 PB, 216pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Tyler is in therapy. Katia and Goran are in love. On a summer trip to Zagreb, the
couple discover an unusual museum that displays mementos of broken relationships. Inside,
Goran stumbles upon an exhibit that seems to be addressed to him, from a girl he met in a
Sarajevo refugee camp at age fourteen. What follows is a whirlwind summer of reconnecting
with lost pasts: Goran confronts the youth he lost during the Yugoslav Wars, Katia heads to
Brazil to find her roots, and Afghanistan veteran Tyler pours out his soul. Set against alternating
backdrops of violent circumstances, "The Museum of Lost Love" by Gary Barker is a soulful
testament to the resilience of the human heart.
Critique: Showcasing author Gary Barker's genuine flair for originality and an impressively
effective and deftly compelling narrative storytelling style, "The Museum of Lost Love" is certain
to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library Contemporary General
Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Museum of Lost Love"
is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.69).
Garden by the Sea
Merce Rodoreda
Open Letter Books
c/o University of Rochester
Lattimore Hall 411, Box 270082, Rochester, NY 14627
www.openletterbooks.org
9781948830089, $15.95, PB, 230pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Set in 1920s Spain, Merce Rodoreda's novel "Garden by the Sea" takes place over six
summers at a villa by the sea inhabited by a young couple and their beautiful, rich, joyous
friends. They swim, drink, tease each other, and fully enjoy themselves. All the while, the guests
are observed by the villa's gardener, a widower who's been tending the garden for several
decades.
As the true protagonist of the novel, we get to see the dissolution of these magical summers
through his eyes, as a sense of darkness and ending creeps in, precipitated by the construction of
a new, larger, more glamorous villa next door.
Critique: An erudite, graceful, deftly crafted, reader engaging novel from first page to last, Merce
Rodoreda's "Garden By The Sea" is expertly translated into English for an American readership
by Martha Tennent, making this edition from Open Letter Books unreservedly recommended for
personal reading lists, as well as community and academic library Contemporary Literary Fiction
and Women's Literature & Fiction collections.
Editorial Note: Merce Rodoreda is widely regarded as the most important Catalan writer of the
twentieth century. Exiled in France and Switzerland following the Spanish Civil War, Rodoreda
began writing the novels and short stories (Twenty-Two Short Stories, The Time of the Doves,
Camellia Street, Garden by the Sea) that would eventually make her internationally famous,
while at the same time earning a living as a seamstress. In the mid-1960s, she returned to
Catalonia, where she continued to write. Camellia Street, Death in Spring, The Selected Stories
of Merce Rodoreda, and War, So Much War are also available from Open Letter Books.
Martha Tennent is an English-language translator who works primarily from Catalan and
Spanish. She was born in the United States, but has lived most of her life in Barcelona. She
received a fellowship from the NEA for her translation of The Selected Stories of Merce
Rodoreda . Her work has appeared in Epiphany, Two Lines, Words Without Borders, A Public
Space, World Literature Today, PEN America, and Review of Contemporary Fiction.
Santa Fe Noir
Ariel Gore, editor
Akashic Books
232 Third Street, #A115, Brooklyn, NY 11215
www.akashicbooks.com
9781617757228, $15.95, PB, 288pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Akashic Books continues its award-winning series of original noir anthologies first
launched in 2004 with Brooklyn Noir. Each individual book comprises all new stories, and each
story is set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the respective city.
Compiled and edited by Ariel Gore, "Santa Fe Noir" is comprised of brand new stories by: Ana
Castillo, Jimmy Santiago Baca, Byron F. Aspaas, Barbara Robidoux, Elizabeth Lee, Ana June,
Israel Francisco Haros Lopez, Ariel Gore, Darryl Lorenzo Wellington, Candace Walsh, Hida
Viloria, Cornelia Read, Miriam Sagan, James Reich, Kevin Atkinson, Katie Johnson, and Tomas
Moniz.
Critique: Pure entertainment by a collection of impressively skilled storytellers, "Santa Fe Noir"
is especially and unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library
Contemporary Literary Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that
"Santa Fe Noir" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.99).
Editorial Note: Ariel Gore is a Lambda Literary and Alternative Press award-winning editor and
the author of eleven books, including The Hip Mama Survival Guide, Atlas of the Human Heart
(a finalist for the Oregon Book Award), and Bluebird: Women and the New Psychology of
Happiness. Her memoir The End of Eve and her novel We Were Witches both won New
Mexico/Arizona Book Awards. Her spell collection, Hexing the Patriarchy, is out now from Seal
Press. She has taught at the Institute of American Indian Arts and the University of New Mexico
and currently teaches online at literarykitchen.com.
Milkman
Anna Burns
Charnwood Large Print
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
9781444841800, $TBA, HC, Large Print, 474pp, www.ulverscroftusa.com
Synopsis: In Northern Ireland during the period known as 'The Troubles', to be interesting is
dangerous. Middle sister, the protagonist in this Anna Burns novel, is busy attempting to keep
her mother from discovering her maybe-boyfriend and to keep everyone in the dark about her
encounter with Milkman. But when first brother-in-law sniffs out her struggle, and rumors start
to swell, middle sister becomes 'interesting'. The last thing she ever wanted to be. To be
interesting is to be noticed and to be noticed is dangerous. Set against the backdrop of the
Northern Ireland conflict between the Catholic and Protestant communities, "Milkman" is a tale
of gossip and hearsay, silence and deliberate deafness -- and of inaction with enormous
consequences.
Critique: Another deftly penned and original novel by author Anna Burns, this large print edition
of "Milkman" will prove to be an enduringly popular and unreservedly recommended addition to
personal reading lists, as well as community and academic library Contemporary Literary Fiction
collections.
Pastures New
Margaret Thornton
Magna Large Print
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9780750547208, $35.50, HC, Large Print, 330pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Having been firm friends ever since they met in a Blackpool boarding house five years
before, Val, Cissie and Janice are all now happily married, preoccupied with their growing
families. But the new decade will bring change for all three families.
Val and Sam's son's behavior is causing concern, and Val finds it hard at times to love him as she
should. Running a thriving cafe in Harrogate, Janice and her husband Phil decide to expand into
the restaurant business: have they bitten off more than they can chew? Meanwhile Cissie's life is
thrown into jeopardy when she encounters an old flame.
Critique: Set in 1960 England, "Pastures New" by Margaret Thornton is an immediately engaging
novel by an author with a novelists knack for originality and the kind of narrative driven
storytelling that holds the readers full attention from beginning to end. A fully entertaining read
throughout, this large print edition "Pastures New" is especially recommended for both personal
reading lists and community library General Fiction collections.
Death Stalks The Range
Brett Rider
Sagebrush Large Print Westerns
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781785416873, $29.99, PB, Large Print, 258pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Rand Kenzie watches the runaway stage race through the streets, its driver wounded,
the reins held by lively Benita Ellison, and realizes he's reached Palo Pinto too late. Benita's
father had sent an appeal to the Kenzies for help; but he's been dead a week. It was an act of
murdered that left no clue to the nature of the trouble or the identity of his enemies -- and the
bullets are still flying. Though Rand has no idea where to begin, he is determined to solve the
mystery. He soon finds there are many men in Palo Pinto whose actions need explaining. When
an attempt is made to frame him for the murder, he's sure he's on the right trail. But danger and
double dealing are never far away, and Rand must unravel many threads of crime and treachery
before he can unmask the real killers.
Critique: Deftly blending a traditional western with elements of a murder mystery, this large print
edition of "Death Stalks The Range" by Brett Rider is an inherently entertaining and compelling
read from beginning to end and is very highly recommended for both the personal reading lists of
dedicated western novel fans and community library Western Fiction collections.
Jemez Brand
L. L. Foreman
Sagebrush Large Print Westerns
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781785416866, $29.99, PB, Large Print, 174pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: For hundreds of years, the Jemez high country of New Mexico has been steeped in
rumor and legend. Some say one of the original Seven Golden Cities of the Cibola Indians was
once there, sought by Spanish conquistadors. In more recent times, stories of men having gone
missing along the fabled Rio Del Gato (the River of the Cat) have become part of local folklore.
When Preacher Devlin discovers two murdered men with the face of a cat cut into their palms,
and then surreptitiously observes a small band of Indians traveling through a canyon and led by a
woman wearing a gold cat's-head mask, he reckons he's stumbled upon something extraordinary.
With an ethnologist as his new companion, Devlin must fend off gun slinging fortune-hunters in
a race to be the first to unravel the secret of the lost Cibola gold!
Critique: An original and fully entertaining western by an author with a genuine knack for
storytelling, this large print edition of "Jemez Brand" by L. L. Foreman will prove to be an
especially appreciated addition to personal reading lists and community library Western Fiction
collections.
The Romantic Fiction Shelf
Forever My Duke: Unlikely Duchesses
Olivia Drake
St. Martin's Press
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
https://us.macmillan.com/smp
9781250174390, $7.99, PB, 384pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Hadrian Ames, the Duke of Clayton, needs a bride. He even has the perfect one picked
out. That is, until he meets the lovely, free-spirited Natalie Fanshawe. She's the opposite of what
a man of his high rank should desire in a wife -- an outspoken American who has never even set
foot in a London ballroom.
But Natalie doesn't have time to be swept off her feet by a handsome duke who must be a spoiled
scoundrel like every other British lord. And she couldn't care less about Hadrian's title. After all,
it's not as if he actually worked to attain his wealth and status. He surely can't understand what
it's like to be a busy woman, planning to open a school while trying to reunite a six-year-old
orphan with his English relatives.
Nevertheless, Hadrian launches his campaign to win her heart. Can the utterly delightful
American beauty ever find a way to love him... despite his being a duke?
Critique: A deftly crafted and classic historical romance, "Forever My Duke" showcases author
Olivia Drake's impressive and imaginative narrative storytelling skills as a novelist. While
absolutely and unreservedly recommended for community library Romance Fiction collections, it
should be noted for personal reading lists that "Forever My Duke" is also available in a digital
book format (Kindle, $7.99).
The Tea Chest
Heidi Chiavaroli
Tyndale House Publishers
351 Executive Drive, Carol Stream, IL 60188
www.tyndale.com
9781496434777, $24.99, HC, 464pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Boston, 1773. Emma Malcolm's father is staunchly loyal to the crown, but Emma's
heart belongs to Noah Winslow, a lowly printer's assistant and Patriot. But her father has
promised her hand to Samuel Clarke, a rapacious and sadistic man. As his fiancee, she would
have to give up Noah and the friends who have become like family to her as well as the beliefs
she has come to embrace.
After Emma is drawn into the treasonous Boston Tea Party, Samuel blackmails her with evidence
that condemns each participant, including Noah. Emma realizes she must do whatever it takes to
protect those she loves, even if it means giving up the life she desires and becoming Samuel's
wife.
Present Day. Lieutenant Hayley Ashworth is determined to be the first woman inducted into the
elite Navy SEALs. But before her dream can be realized, she must return to Boston in order to
put the abuse and neglect of her childhood behind her. When an unexpected encounter with the
man she once loved leads to the discovery of a tea chest and the document hidden within, she
wonders if perhaps true strength and freedom are buried deeper than she first realized.
Two women, separated by centuries, must find the strength to fight for love and freedom. . . and
discover a heritage of courage and faith.
Critique: A fully absorbing and engagingly entertaining read, "The Tea Chest" by Heidi
Chiavaroli is another deftly penned novel by a master of the storytelling arts. While unreservedly
recommended for community library collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists
of Heidi Chiavaroli fans that "The Tea Chest" is also available in a paperback edition
(9781496434784, $15.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99).
Scot Under the Covers
Suzanne Enouch
St. Martin's Press
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
https://us.macmillan.com/smp
9781250296405, $7.99, PB, 352pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Devilishly handsome Highlander Aden MacTaggert most certainly knows his way
around gaming halls and womens' hearts. Still, Aden is not sure how he'll manage to find a
Sassenach bride in time to save his family's inheritance. When his almost sister-in-law Miranda
comes to him for assistance, he proposes a partnership: She will help him navigate London
society and he'll teach her everything about wagering -- and winning back her freedom. The
beautiful, clever lass intrigues Aden -- but is she playing her own game, or are the sparks
between them real? He is accustomed to risking his pocket. But betting on Miranda's love is a
game he can't afford to lose!
Critique: The second novel in the seductive new Scottish historical romance 'Wild Wicked
Highlanders' series from author Suzanne Enoch, "Scot Under the Covers" is an enormously
entertaining and skillfully scripted read from beginning to end. While certain to be an immediate
and enduringly popular addition to community library Historical Romance Novel collections, it
should be noted for personal reading lists that "Scot Under the Covers" is also available in a
digital book format (Kindle, $7.99).
Promised
Leah Garriott
Shadow Mountain Publishing
P.O. Box 30178, Salt Lake City, Utah 84130-0178
www.shadowmountain.com
9781629726144, $15.99, PB, 368pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Fooled by love once before, Margaret vows never to be played the fool again. To keep
her vow, she attends a notorious match-making party intent on securing the perfect marital
match: a union of convenience to someone who could never affect her heart. She discovers a man
who exceeds all her hopes in the handsome and obliging rake, Mr. Northam.
There's only one problem. His meddling cousin, Lord Williams, won't leave Margaret alone.
Condescending and high-handed, Lord Williams lectures and insults her. When she refuses to
give heed to his counsel, he single-handedly ruins Margaret's chances for making a good match --
to his cousin or anyone else. With no reason to remain at the party, Margaret returns home to
discover her father has promised her hand in marriage -- to Lord Williams.
Under no conditions will Margaret consent to marrying such an odious man. Yet as Lord
Williams inserts himself into her everyday life, interrupting her family games and following her
on morning walks, winning the good opinion of her siblings and proving himself intelligent and
even kind, Margaret is forced to realize that Lord Williams is exactly the man she'd hoped to
marry before she'd learned how much love hurt. When paths diverge and her time with Lord
Williams ends, Margaret is faced with her ultimate choice: keep the promises that protect her or
break free of them for one more chance at love. Either way, she fears her heart will lose.
Critique: A deftly crafted Regency era romance novel by an author who has a complete mastery
of the general, "Promised" by Leah Garriott is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended
addition to community library Romance Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal
reading lists that "Promised" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.00) and
librarians should be aware that "Promised" is also available in a large print edition (Thorndike
Press, 9781432877200, $30.99, Library Binding).
The Locket of Logan Hall
Christina Garbutt
Linford Romance Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781444843262, $20.99, PB, Large Print, 312pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Newly widowed Emily believes she will never love again. Working as an assistant in
flirtatious Cameron's antiques shop, she finds a romantic keepsake in an old writing desk. Emily
and Cameron set off on a hunt for the original owner, and the discoveries they make on the way
change both of them forever. But Emily doesn't realise that Cameron is slowly falling in love
with her. Is his love doomed to be unrequited, or will Emily see what's right in front of her -
before it's too late?
Critique: An immediately engaging, deftly crafted, and thoroughly entertaining read from first
page to last, author Christina Garbutt's new novel (and now available in a large print edition),
"The Locket of Logan Hall" is an especially recommended addition to both community library
Romance Fiction collections, as well as the personal reading lists of dedicated romance fiction
fans.
A Merry Bramblewick Christmas
Sharon Booth
Linford Romance Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781444843255, $20.99, PB, Large Print, 320pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Recovering from a break-up, Izzy is throwing herself into the primary school
Christmas play -- it's a huge project, even with fellow teacher and volunteer assistant Ash by her
side. As Christmas draws nearer and the snow begins to fall, Izzy and Ash develop a warm and
growing attraction. But Izzy's best friend Anna has been acting coldly towards her since she
revealed the reason her last relationship ended. With Anna judging her so harshly, dare Izzy tell
Ash the truth about herself and risk everything they have built so far?
Critique: A wonderfully entertaining read from cover to cover, this large print edition of author
Sharon Booth's "A Merry Bramblewick Christmas" is especially and particularly recommended
for community library Contemporary Romance Fiction collections, as well as the personal
reading lists of all dedicated romance novel fans.
The Western Fiction Shelf
Lakota Justice
Will Durey
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781444842715, $20.99, PB, Large Print, 236pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: The stagecoach from the north has failed to arrive in the small settlement of Laramie,
and when two men ride in fresh from a fight with hostile Native American war party, the
inhabitants begin to fear that the rumoured unrest among the Sioux following the discovery of
gold in the Black Hills has become reality. Their concerns are relayed to the nearby fort, where
visiting wagon-train scout Wes Gray agrees to join an army patrol sent to find the missing coach
-- but it's the first step along a trail which includes murder, kidnapping and inter-tribal
warfare.
Critique: An absolute cliff hanger of a read, the action in "Lakota Justice" will keep the reader's
attention truly riveted to author Will Durey's "Lakota Justice" from beginning to end. This is the
stuff of which block buster western movies are made! This large print edition is an especially
recommended addition to personal reading lists and community library Western Fiction
collections.
The Man From Painted Rock
Jackson Gregory
Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781785416880, $29.99, PB, Large Print, 222pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: For over a year, the Up and Down ranch has been plagued by a series of thefts, mainly
cattle; but now the foreman, Hard Ross, has lost Silver Slippers, the mare he raised from a
filly.
Then a new owner rolls up to the ranch in his red automobile: "Fancy" Jim Sherrod, a city guy
and first-class dandy - and instant laughing stock of the cowhands. Hard Ross isn't amused,
however, and decks his new boss as soon as he receives an order demeaning to his respected
position. He's headed for the road - until Sherrod strikes a deal with him: stay for a month and
help him run the ranch until he can get the swing of it.
But there's more to Fancy Jim Sherrod than meets the eye - as cowhands and rustlers alike will
soon discover, when the bullets start to fly!
Critique: A western novel whose descriptive background text often rises to the level of prose
poetry when describing lakes, valleys, cliffs, forests, and streams, "The Man From Painted Rock"
is packed with action and cliff hangers, making this large print edition an ideal and highly
recommended addition to personal reading lists and community library Western Fiction
collections.
Spirit Walker: A Cheyenne Saga
Rusty Davis
Five Star Publishing
10 Water Street, Suite 310, Waterville, ME 04901
http://gale.cengage.com/fivestar
9781432860110, $25.95, HC, 271pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: "Spirit Walker: A Cheyenne Saga" by Rusty Davis tells the legend of a time when the
spirits walked with the living, resistance never stopped, and dreams lived on even when the
dreamers lay cold. It was a time of violence and death.
After their surrender against overwhelming odds in the months after the Battle of the Little
Bighorn, the northern Cheyenne were marched from their homeland near Montana to an
overcrowded Indian reservation in Oklahoma. Against the odds, spirit warriors arose in defiance:
Rides a Crow, a Spirit Walker who vowed to return from exile even if she were the only one left
alive to make the journey; Hunter, an outcast who walked outside the laws of men; Talks to
Horses, a spirit horse who has roamed the Plains and now brings her herd to help the Northern
Cheyenne; and Dead Face, a warrior scarred for life by the soldiers who vows never to stop
fighting.
From the misery of a forced march at bayonet point to the squalor of a reservation and to the race
for freedom with death riding on their shoulders, the northern Cheyenne refuse to admit defeat,
even at the point of death.
Critique: Another deftly crafted and simply riveting action/adventure story from the imaginative
pen of western novelist Rusty Davis that this time takes on the Native American perspective,
"Spirit Walker: A Cheyenne Saga" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition
to community library Western Fiction collections, as well as the personal reading lists of any and
all dedicated western novel buffs.
Editorial Note: Rusty Davis is a free-lance writer who believes that the American West is the
backdrop where the age-old fights of individuals to stand tall and proud in defiance of the
powerful bring the spheres of history and fiction together. In his works, men and women fight for
their freedom against those who would use the rugged lands of the West as a place for enriching
themselves at the expense of others. To Rusty, Western fiction distills the essential elements of
America -- men and women against the land, the rugged against the mighty, and the endless
struggle of flawed men and women for a chance at redemption. The West has always been drama
on a grand scale, lived out by men and women who had the strength to make the West great, the
courage to risk everything when it was time to stand tall, and the tenacity to keep going, even
when the price of being a man was going out with a gun to stand in a wind-blown street.
The Man Who Tamed Lone Pine
I. J. Parnham
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781444840131, $20.99, PB, Large Print, 232pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: When Nathaniel McBain and Shackleton Frost arrive in Lone Pine to escort a prisoner
to Beaver Ridge jail, they are shocked to discover it is Shackleton's old friend Sheriff Ashton
Clarke. Five years ago, Ashton tamed the town, but now he's been charged with killing in cold
blood. Ashton claims that someone from his past has framed him, and Shackleton believes his
friend. But as more bodies are found, all the evidence points to Ashton, and the case against him
begins to look watertight.
Critique: Another simply riveting read from the pen of accomplished western novelist I. J.
Parnham, "The Man Who Tamed Lone Pine" features a wealth of unexpected plot twist right
down to the unexpected by fully satisfying finale -- making this large print edition of "The Man
Who Tamed Lone Pine" an unreservedly recommended addition to the personal reading lists of
all dedicated western fans, and guarantees it to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition
to community library collections.
Thunder Trail
Bradford Scott
Sagebrush Large Print Westerns
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781785416842, $29.99, PB, Large Print, 192pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: The prairie surrounding Redmon, Texas is a cattlemen's empire, where the barons of
the open range live in almost feudal splendor. But a railroad is now fighting its way into the
territory, attended by tumult, violence and death. There are plenty of people whose fervent wish
is to halt its disruptive progress -- including a vicious masked outlaw and his gang who strikes
mercilessly in the dark, wrecking trains, robbing and killing. Walt Slade, stalwart undercover
agent of the Texas Rangers and fastest gunslinger in the Southwest, is given the job of hunting
him down, but his reputation precedes him: barely has he set foot in the town when three gunmen
try to put him in an early grave. Can Slade elude bullets and dynamite long enough to force a
showdown with the head of the gang, and restore peace to the land?
Critique: Another carefully crafted western adventure by Bradford Scott, "Thunder Trail" is a
riveting read with more unexpected plot twists and turns than the trail of a Texas tornado. This
new large print edition of "Thunder Trail" will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular
addition to the personal reading lists of all western novel buffs and community library Western
Fiction collections.
The Mystery/Suspense Shelf
Brewed Awakening
Cleo Coyle
Berkley Prime Crime
www.penguinrandomhouse.com
9780451488879, $27.00
Brewed Awakening offers up a killer menu of a coffeehouse backdrop as it explores coffeehouse
manager Clare's mysterious awakening on a park bench with no memory of the past week.
Everyone's happy that she's back, but she not only lacks memory of the week - she's missing
major chunks of memory of her life in the last ten years. Turns out she's witnessed a crime, and
this changes her life. Evidence shows that she may have more involvement with that crime than
she can recall...and that her life may be in danger, as well as her reputation. But can an amnesiac
clear her own name? This riveting story will delight mystery fans seeking something
different.
Careless Whiskers
Miranda James
Berkley Prime Crime
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
www.penguin.com
9780451491152, $26.00, HC, 304pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Charlie Harris has sworn off investigating murder and mayhem after a recent close
call. Instead, he's delighted to cheer on his daughter, Laura, who's starring in a production of
Careless Whispers. The theater department at Athena College is debuting the play written by a
fledgling playwright with local connections and Charlie's son-in-law, Frank Salisbury, will be
calling the directorial shots.
Laura is upset to learn that Luke Lombardi, an overbearing actor she knew from her time in
Hollywood will also be taking part in the production as a guest artist. Lombardi arrives with an
entourage in tow and promptly proceeds to annoy everyone involved with the production. When
he collapses and dies on stage, after drinking from a glass Laura handed him, she becomes the
chief suspect in his murder.
Charlie knows his daughter is innocent, and he's not going to let anyone railroad his little girl. So,
despite his intentions to put his amateur sleuthing days behind him, Charlie has to take center
stage, and with Diesel's help, shine a spotlight on the real killer.
Critique: A crisply written 'whodunnit' mystery with many an unexpected plot twist and turn,
"Careless Whiskers" by Miranda James is a mystery buffs delight and certain to be an immediate
and enduringly popular addition to community library Contemporary Mystery/Suspense
collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that this compulsive page turner of a
novel is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99) and as a complete and
unabridged audio book (Tantor Audio, 9781977364203, $29.99, CD).
House on Fire
Joseph Finder
Dutton
c/o Penguin Group USA
https://www.penguin.com
9781101985847, $28.00, HC, 384pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Private investigator Nick Heller is at the top of his game when he receives some
devastating news: his old army buddy Sean has died of an overdose. Sean, who once saved Nick's
life, got addicted to opioids after returning home wounded from war. Then at Sean's funeral, a
stranger approaches Nick with a job, and maybe also a way for Nick to hold someone
accountable.
The woman is the daughter of a pharmaceutical kingpin worth billions. Now she wants to
become a whistleblower, exposing her father and his company for burying evidence that its
biggest money-maker was dangerously addictive. It was a lie that killed hundreds of thousands of
people, including Sean. All Nick has to do is find the document that proves the family knew the
drug's dangers. But Nick soon realizes that the sins of the patriarch are just the beginning.
Beneath the surface are barely concealed cabals and conspiracies: a twisting story of family
intrigue and lethal corporate machinations. In a deadly game of chess that pits Nick against a
family dynasty, against brothers and sisters with schemes of their own, Nick learns how far his
enemy is willing to go to protect its name and its wealth.
Critique: A simply riveting read from beginning to end, "House On Fire" once again showcases
author Joseph Finder's complete mastery of the suspense thriller genre with a novel that has more
unexpected plot twists and turns than a Disneyland roller coaster. While especially and
unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary Mystery/Suspense collections,
it should be noted for the personal reading lists of all dedicated suspense thriller enthusiasts that
"House On Fire" is also available in a large print paperback edition (9780593152195, $30.00),
as well as in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book
(Penguin Audio, 9781524723712, $39.99, CD).
The Tenant
Katrine Engberg
Scout Press
c/o Simon and Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas, 14th fl., New York, NY 10020
www.simonandschuster.com
9781982127572, $27.00, HC, 368pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: When a young woman is discovered brutally murdered in her own apartment, with an
intricate pattern of lines carved into her face, Copenhagen police detectives Jeppe Korner and
Anette Werner are assigned to the case. In short order, they establish a link between the victim,
Julie Stender, and her landlady, Esther de Laurenti, who's a bit too fond of drink and the host of
raucous dinner parties with her artist friends.
Esther also turns out to be a budding novelist -- and when Julie turns up as a murder victim in the
still-unfinished mystery she's writing, the link between fiction and real life grows both more
urgent and more dangerous. But Esther's role in this twisted scenario is not quite as clear as it
first seems. Is she the culprit -- or just another victim, trapped in a twisted game of
vengeance?
Anette and Jeppe must dig more deeply into the two women's pasts to discover the identity of the
brutal puppet-master pulling the strings.
Critique: An inherently riveting suspense thriller of a novel with numerous deftly crafted
unexpected plot twists and cliff-hanger turns, "The Tenant" is an extraordinary read from first
page to last. Showcasing author Katrine Engberg's total mastery of the genre, "The Tenant" is
unreservedly recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be
noted for the personal reading lists of all dedicated suspense thriller enthusiasts that "The
Tenant" is also available in a paperback edition (9781982144807, $22.00), in a digital book
format (Kindle, $13.99), and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio,
9781508299417, $39.99).
The Decent Inn of Death
Rennie Airth
Penguin Books
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
www.penguin.com
9780143134299, $16.00, PB, 368pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: On a trip into Winchester, former chief inspector Angus Sinclair learns of a tragedy
that has taken place in the village he is staying in. Beloved church organist Greta Hartmann has
slipped and fallen to her death in a shallow creek, and while investigations conclude it to be an
accident, her friend and housemate, Vera, remains unconvinced.
After learning that Greta was the widow of a prominent anti-Nazi German preacher, Sinclair
meets with the distraught Vera, and he resolves to dig deeper into the story. His investigations
lead him to the stately manor of Julia Lesage, where she lives with her devoted staff that includes
her secretary, cook, and driver.
Though confined to a wheelchair, Julia is an electrifying spirit with a sharp wit, and those who
know her adore her. Among those who do, a gentleman with dubious business dealings is also
staying at the house -- and Julia appears to be in love with him.
The a blizzard hits, keeping Sinclair, and later Madden, on the grounds with little to do but
analyze the case of Greta's death, until a murder takes place, and everyone becomes a
suspect.
Critique: Another deftly crafted 'whodunnit' style mystery from the pen of a master of the genre,
"The Decent Inn Of Death" by Rennie Airth will prove to be an immediate and enduringly
popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the
growing legions of Rennie Airth fans and dedicated mystery buffs everywhere that "The Decent
Inn Of Death" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).
Spitfire
M. L. Huie
Crooked Lane Books
2 Park Avenue, 10th floor, New York, NY 10016
www.crookedlanebooks.com
9781643852454, $26.70, HC, 312pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: It's V-E Day 1946 in London. World War II has been over for a year and former spy
Livy Nash is celebrating with her third drink before noon. She went to war to kill Nazis. Dropped
behind enemy lines as a courier, she quickly became one of the toughest agents in France. But
her war ended with betrayal and the execution of the man she loved. Now, Livy spends her days
proofreading a demeaning advice column for little old ladies at home, and her nights alone with
black market vodka.
But everything changes when she meets the infamous Ian Fleming. The man who will create the
world's most sophisticated secret agent has an agenda of his own and sends Livy back to France
with one task: track down the traitor who killed the only man she ever loved. Livy jumps at the
chance, heading back to Paris undercover as a journalist. But the City of Lights is teeming with
spies, and Livy quickly learns just how much the game has changed. With enemies on every
corner and ever-shifting alliances, she'll have to learn to fight a new war if she wants to conquer
the past once and for all.
Critique: A deftly penned and simply riveting read with more unexpected plot twists and turns
than a Disneyland roller coaster, "Spitfire" by M. L. Huie is certain to be a welcome and
enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be
noted for the personal reading lists of the growing legions of Huie fans in general, and dedicated
suspense thriller fans in particular that "Spitfire" is also available in a digital book format
(Kindle, $9.99).
The Last Sister
Kendra Elliot
https://www.kendraelliot.com
Montlake Publishing
c/o Amazon Publishing
9781542006729, $24.95, HC, 336pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Twenty years ago Emily Mills's father was murdered, and she found his body hanging
in the backyard. Her younger sister, Madison, claims she was asleep in her room. Her older sister,
Tara, claims she was out with friends. The tragedy drove their mother to suicide and Tara to
leave town forever. The killer was caught. The case closed.
Ever since, Emily and Madison have tried to forget what happened that night -- until an eerily
similar murder brings it all back. It also brings FBI special agent Zander Wells to the Oregon
logging town. As eager as he is to solve the brutal double slaying, he is just as intrigued with the
mystery of Emily's and her sisters' past.
When more blood is shed, Zander suspects there's a secret buried in this town no one wants
unearthed. Is it something Emily and Madison don't know? Or aren't telling? And Tara? Maybe
Emily can't bear to find her. Because when Tara disappeared, she took a secret of her own with
her.
Critique: With her reader riveting, narrative driven, deftly crafted storytelling style as a novelist,
Kendra Elliot's "The Last Sister" will prove to be a welcome and enduringly popular addition to
community library Mystery/Suspense/Thriller collections. It should be noted for personal reading
lists that "The Last Sister" is also available in a paperback edition (978-1542006705, $9.99), in a
digital book format (Kindle, $5.99), and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Brilliance
Audio, 9781799722281, $29.95, CD).
The Wife and the Widow
Christian White
Minotaur Books
c/o St. Martin's Publishing Group
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
www.minotaurbooks.com
9781250194374, $26.99, HC, 352pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Set against the backdrop of an eerie island town in the dead of winter, "The Wife and
The Widow" is an unsettling suspense thriller of a novel that is deftly told from two perspectives:
Kate, a widow whose grief is compounded by what she learns about her dead husband's secret
life; and Abby, an island local whose world is turned upside when she's forced to confront the
evidence of her husband's guilt.
But nothing on this island is quite as it seems, and only when these women come together can
they discover the whole story about the men in their lives -- leaving the reader asking the
question: how well do we really know the people we love?
Critique: A deftly crafted and inherently riveting novel by an author with a particularly
impressive and distinctive narrative storytelling style, "The Wife and The Widow" by Christian
White is unreservedly recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Wife and The Widow" is also
available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book
(Macmillan Audio, 9781250261212, $34.99, CD).
Death Comes to Machu Picchu
Thomas M. Daniel
Fithian Press
c/o Daniel & Daniel Publishers
PO Box 2790, McKinleyville, CA 95519
www.danielpublishing.com
9781564746207, $14.95, PB, 138pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Ten tourists find themselves spending the night of Christmas Eve together at the inn
associated with the Machu Picchu ruins, high in the Peruvian Andes. They are cut off by weather
from the world below, and they spend the afternoon getting to know each other. There are two
lone men in the group, but most of the rest are couples -- husbands and wives, and a mother with
her adult daughter. These tourists come from different walks of life; one man is a travel agent,
another man works for the CIA, a Swedish couple work for the United States Embassy, an
unmarried young twosome are university students, and so on. They are different from one
another, except for one characteristic that each keeps secret from the others: They are all in denial
about their dependency on cocaine and their intention to smuggle a small supply of the drug out
of Peru.
Critique: An exceptionally well written, thoroughly engaging, and inherently compelling read
from first page to last, "Death Comes to Machu Picchu" will prove to be an immediate and
enduringly popular and entertaining addition to community library Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
collections and personal reading lists.
Borrowed Time
Tracy Clark
Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street, Floor 21, New York, NY 10018-2522
www.kensingtonbooks.com
9781496714909, $26.00, HC, 384pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Sitting in cold cars for hours, serving lowlifes with summonses -- being a P.I. means
riding out a lot of slow patches. But sometimes the most familiar paths can lead straight to
danger -- like at Cass's go-to diner, where new delivery guy Jung Byson wants to enlist her
expertise. Jung's friend, Tim Ayers, scion of a wealthy Chicago family, has been found dead,
floating in Lake Michigan near his luxury boat. And Jung is convinced there's a murderer on the
loose!
Cass reluctantly begins digging only to discover that Jung neglected to mention one crucial fact:
Tim Ayers was terminally ill. Given the large quantities of alcohol and drugs found in his body,
Ayers' death appears to be either an accident or suicide. Yet as much as Cass would like to
dismiss Jung's suspicions, there are too many unanswered questions and unexplained
coincidences.
Why would anyone kill a dying man? Working her connections on both sides of the law, Cass
tries to point the police in the right direction. But violence is escalating around her, and Cass's
persistence has already attracted unwanted attention, uncovering sinister secrets that Cass may
end up taking to her grave.
Critique: A hard-boiled private eye mystery in the tradition of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer
or Raymond Chandler's Phillip Marlow, "Borrowed Time" by Tracy Clark is a deftly crafted and
simply riveting read from cover to cover. While certain to be an immediate and enduringly
popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the
personal reading lists of all dedicated private eye murder mystery fans that "Borrowed Time" is
also available in a paperback edition (9781496714916, $9.99) and in digital book format (Kindle,
$11.39).
Shades of Truth
James A. Ardaiz
Pace Press
c/o Linden Publishing
2006 South Mary, Fresno, CA 93721-9875
www.woodworkerslibrary.com
9781610353458, $18.95, PB, 300pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Everyone knew Rick Harker was guilty when twenty-six years ago he murdered Lisa
Farrow and set her body on fire. Lisa's three-year-old daughter Christine identified Harker as the
murderer, and he's been in San Quentin ever since. But now the adult Christine Farrow is
recanting her testimony -- handing assistant DA Matt Jamison a case that will test his character
and his convictions.
While Harker's idealistic attorney demands a new trial, Jamison retraces the original
investigation, trying to find if there is any doubt of Harker's guilt. When Jamison finds evidence
of corruption in the DA's office he is faced with a question that will shatter his lifelong
relationships, endanger his career, and threaten his faith in the justice system. Is exposing the
truth worth the damage?
Critique: A deftly crafted and simply riveting read with more unexpected plot twists and turns
than a Disneyland roller coaster, "Shades Of Truth" by author James A. Ardaiz will prove to be
an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense
collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of all dedicated suspense/thriller fans
that "Shades Of Truth" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.69).
Editorial Note: James A. Ardaiz is a former prosecutor, judge, and Presiding Justice of the
California Fifth District Court of Appeal. His previous books include Hands Through Stone, a
nonfiction account of the investigation and prosecution of murderer Clarence Ray Allen, and
Fractured Justice, the first Matt Jamison novel.
The Manifestations of Sherlock Holmes
James Lovegrove
Titan Books
c/o Titan Comics
https://titan-comics.com
9781789092004, $14.95, PB, 288pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Maverick detective Sherlock Holmes and his faithful chronicler Dr John Watson return
in "The Manifestations of Sherlock Holmes", a new collection of twelve thrilling short
stories.
The iconic duo find themselves swiftly drawn into a series of puzzling and sinister events: an
otherworldly stone whose touch inflicts fatal bleeding; a hellish potion to unlock a person's
devilish psyche; a fiendishly clever, almost undetectable method of revenge and many more -
including a brand-new Cthulhu Casebooks story.
Critique: Deftly crafted in the Conan Doyle literary tradition and narrative storytelling style, "The
Manifestations of Sherlock Holmes" by James Lovegrove is an extraordinary and unreservedly
recommended addition to the evolving Sherlock Holmes canon. While certain to be an immediate
and enduringly popular addition to community and academic library Mystery/Suspense
collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of the legions of Sherlock Holmes
fans that "The Manifestations of Sherlock Holmes" is also available in a digital book format
(Kindle, $7.99).
Claw Enforcement
Sofie Ryan
Berkley Prime Crime
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
www.penguin.com
9781984802330, $7.99, PB, 304pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Sarah Grayson owns a delightful secondhand shop in the small town of North Harbor,
Maine, where she and her rescue cat, Elvis, are always finding themselves up to their whiskers in
trouble. With the help of a quirky group of senior citizens (who call themselves Charlotte's
Angels and work out of the store) they solve crimes both new and vintage.
Local squabbles about property development have the town in quite a state of drama -- and it
seems like someone may even be upset enough to kill. When a local man involved in the real
estate quagmire falls over dead at a reception to celebrate the harbor front's redevelopment, Sarah
gets roped in to investigate by her own IT expert, Mr. P., who has long known the victim's
stepfather. Between Sarah, Elvis and Charlotte's Angels, the killer is sure to have claws for
concern!
Critique: A fun and deftly crafted novel that will have a very special appeal for all dedicated
mystery buffs, "Claw Enforcement" by Sofie Ryan will prove to be an immediate and enduringly
popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for
personal reading lists that "Claw Enforcement" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$7.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Tantor Audio, 9781618035028, $24.99,
CD).
The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf
Wardens of Eternity
Courtney Moulton
Blink
c/o HarperCollins
10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022
www.harpercollinschildrens.com
9780310767183, $18.99, HC, 368pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Ziva has one memory of her parents, made the day they abandoned her on the streets of
New York City when she was three years old. They left her with only a memory and a promise
that she had a great and terrible destiny.
Fifteen years later, Ziva discovers that destiny includes powers that she doesn't understand and
can barely control. Her magic attracts vicious, otherworldly monsters, and eventually compatriots
to help her fight them. Sayer and Nasira know the secrets Ziva doesn't; that Ziva is descended
from Egyptian royalty and in possession of ancient magic passed down from the time of the gods.
They promise to teach Ziva to control her magic and to give her the family she's always yearned
for.
But trouble is brewing in the world around them; darkness is descending on Hitler's Germany,
threatening World War II. As the last heir of a revered Egyptian queen, Ziva is the only one with
the power to prevent another costly global conflict. As Ziva navigates her newfound abilities and
makes a connection with Anubis and other Egyptian gods, the Nazis are hunting for the ultimate
weapon, and Ziva has caught their interest.
Critique: A simply riveting action/adventure fantasy novel by an author with a genuine flair for
originality and an impressively effective narrative storytelling style, "Wardens of Eternity" by
Courtney Moulton will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community
library Science Fiction & Fantasy collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of
all dedicated fantasy buffs that "Wardens of Eternity" is also available in a digital book format
(Kindle, $9.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Dreamscape Media,
9781690560838, $22.99, CD).
Penric's Progress
Lois McMaster Bujold
Baen Books
PO Box 1188, Wake Forest NC 27588
www.baen.com
9781982124298, $25.00, HC, 320pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: On the way to his betrothal, young Lord Penric happens upon a riding accident and
stops to help. But the victim is a Temple divine, servant to the five gods of this world. Her
avowed god is The Bastard, "master of all disasters out of season." As she lies dying, she passes
her strange powers to Penric -- and changes the course of his life forever.
Now a divine of the Bastard's Order as well as a sorcerer and scholar, Penric must accompany a
Locator of the Father's Order assigned to capture a runaway shaman charged with the murder of
his best friend.
When Penric (a sorcerer, scholar, and divine in the Bastard's Order) travels to Easthome, the
capital of the Weald, he once again finds himself embroiled in a mystery. The body of a sorceress
has been found in the woods, and it is up to Penric and his friends, Shaman Inglis and Locator
Oswyl, to unravel a mystery mixing magic, murder, and the strange realities of Temple
demons.
Critique: "Penric's Progress", the story of a foot loose nobleman Penric as he evolves from young
lord to sorcerer and scholar in the Bastard's Order -- all while solving mysteries along the way. A
deftly crafted and thoroughly entertaining addition to Louis McMaster Bujold's growing library
of Sword & Sorcery style action/adventure fantasies, "Penric's Progress" will be an immediate
and enduringly popular acquisition for community library Science Fiction & Fantasy collections -
- and a 'must read' addition to the personal reading lists of the growing legions of Louise
McMaster Bujold's dedicated fans.
Editorial Note: A science fiction legend, Lois McMaster Bujold has won seven Hugo Awards
and three Nebula Awards. Her Miles Vorkosigan saga is a massively popular science fiction
mainstay. Her many New York Times bestsellers include previous series entries Cryoburn,
Diplomatic Immunity, and Captain Vorpatril's Alliance. In 2020, Ms. Bujold was named the 36th
Damon Knight Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.
Baen Books
www.baen.com
Eric Flint and Walter H. Hunt's Council of Fire (9781982124151, $25.00) provides an alternate
fantasy history story that tells of Halley's Comet's arrival in 1759, when it strikes the Earth and
changes everything. Not only is the New World split from the old, but real magic and monsters
evolve, from krakens to Floating Heads and ogres. Politics, too, have been altered and war breaks
out as royalty, magic, and old school forces vie for control. The Arcane America series excels in
blending history and mythology for a fantasy 'what if' that is unexpected, gripping, and hard to
put down. Council of Fire is swashbuckling military engagement and fantasy at its best. Larry
Correia's Target Rich Environment Volume 2 (9781982124229, $25.00) provides more short
stories from the Monster Hunter International creator, gathering all of his short stories,
novelettes, and novellas. These pieces come from various backgrounds and worlds, from stories
set in the origins of Aliens and Predator to the introduction of an Interdimensional Insurance
Agent in "A Murder of Manatees." All are riveting and recommended not just for prior Correia
fans, but for newcomers to his works.
The Religion/Spirituality Shelf
Introductory Lectures on Religious Philosophy
Amir Sabzevary
MSI Press
1760-F Airline Hwy, #203, Hollister, CA 950243
http://msipress.com
9781933455495, $19.95, PB, 186pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: "Introductory Lectures on Religious Philosophy" is a compendium of informative
dialogues collectively addressing the following questions: Can one be religious in modern,
predominantly secular environments?; What social and psychological functions do religions
serve?; Can one truly learn to live religious philosophies in the modern era?
Professor Sabzevary's intellectual dexterity is matched only by his clarity, not only into perennial
philosophical questions but also the modern condition. Far from leaving religious concepts in the
lofty confines of tradition, Professor Sabzevary speaks a religious language with a modern
tongue, contrasting and ultimately reconciling ancient philosophy with modern life. These
dialogues place religious philosophies within the practical and emotional difficulties of
modernity, while moving in a profound depth that taps into the wellspring from which all
religious philosophies draw their substance.
Professor Sabzevary's intellectual dexterity is matched only by his clarity, not only into perennial
religious questions but also the modern condition. Far from leaving religious concepts in the lofty
confines of tradition, Professor Sabzevary speaks a religious language with a modern tongue.
Rather than simply detailing the nuances of various religious philosophies, Dr. Sabzevary's
dialogues place these nuances within the lives of his students, thus evoking a startling intimacy.
More than an ecumenical discourse, these lectures move in a profound depth that cannot but tap
into the wellspring from which all religious philosophies draw their substance.
Critique: A deftly organized and presented, thoughtful and thought-provoking compendium,
"Introductory Lectures on Religious Philosophy" is a significant and unreservedly recommended
addition to personal, community, and academic library Contemporary Religious and
Contemporary Philosophy collections and supplemental studies reading lists.
The Health/Medicine Shelf
Treating Cancer with Immunotherapy and Targeted Therapy
David A. Olle
Mercury Learning
c/o Stylus Publishing, Inc.
22883 Quicksilver Drive, Sterling, VA 20166-2012
www.styluspub.com
9781683924500, $28.99, PB, 120pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Treating cancer has always been a major challenge because it comes in so many
diverse forms. Although great strides in treatment have taken place in recent years, all too often
current treatments are less than effective, or patients relapse.
Newer methods of cancer treatment, namely targeted therapy and immunotherapy, have
generated great excitement in the scientific community. These newer methods of cancer
treatment hold promise for patients who otherwise may have few options.
"Treating Cancer with Immunotherapy and Targeted Therapy" describes the essential features of
cancer treatments available to the general public in an engaging and stimulating manner, using
the principles of health literacy. A simple, question/answer format and the use of illustrations,
tables, charts, and boxes that highlight definitions, facts, and website links provide more detailed
information.
Critique: Comprised of questions and answers about the characteristics of cancer, diagnosis,
classifications, surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted therapy, adoptive cell therapy,
new developments, and more, "Treating Cancer with Immunotherapy and Targeted Therapy" also
cites numerous in-text Web links to information at the National Institutes of Health, the National
Cancer Institute, journals, and other online sources.
Using animations, practical tips, charts and tables, figures, and photos to explain topics under
discussion, "Treating Cancer with Immunotherapy and Targeted Therapy" is an ideal
informational resource for non-specialist general readers, as well as medical students, cancer
patients and their caregivers.
While especially recommended for community and academic library Health/Medicine collections
in general, and Cancer supplemental studies lists in particular, it should be noted that "Treating
Cancer with Immunotherapy and Targeted Therapy" is also available in a digital book format
(Kindle, $24.95).
Editorial Note: David Olle is a freelance medical and science writer. His areas of expertise
include oncology, biostatistics, biochemical tests, human and animal nutrition, animal production
and breeding, veterinary medicine, infectious diseases, and complementary and alternative
medicine. He is also the author of Asthma (Mercury Learning).
Chasing the Invisible
Thomas Grogan, MD
Koehler Books
3705 Shore Drive, Virginia Beach, VA 23455
www.koehlerbooks.com
9781633939431, $32.95, HC, 212pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Dr. Tom Grogan navigated his way through the interconnected worlds of medicine,
academia, and corporate business to fulfill his vision of diagnosing and abolishing cancer in all
its forms. He ultimately transformed his classic biomedical start-up company (born as a diagram
on a piece of paper and a jerry-rigged prototype built in his garage) into a successful
multi-billion-dollar worldwide enterprise, following its acquisition by a Swiss pharmaceutical
giant. Today his invention of an automated cancer diagnostics device that helps personalize the
detection of cancer and enables doctors to treat it more effectively is transforming medical
practice throughout the world.
Critique: A simply riveting and impressively informative read from cover to cover, "Chasing the
Invisible: A Doctor's Quest to Abolish the Last Unseen Cancer Cell" reveals the detective work
of medicine and its impact on physicians and patients. "Chasing the Invisible" also features a
colorful cast of Wall Street investment bankers, venture capitalists and the titans of a giant
multinational company out to acquire the missing puzzle piece necessary to ensure the next phase
of life-saving innovation -- and the massive fortunes that success would entail.. While especially
and unreservedly recommended for community and academic library Contemporary
Health/Medicine collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of medical students,
academia, entrepreneurs, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that
"Chasing the Invisible" is also available in a paperback edition (9781633939417, $24.95) and in
a digital book format (Kindle, $6.99).
Editorial Note: Dr. Thomas Grogan, MD, is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Arizona
College of Medicine. He is also the founder and chief scientific advisor emeritus at Ventana
Medical Systems, Inc., a division of Roche, a leading international healthcare leader based in
Basel, Switzerland. Dr. Grogan has authored more than two hundred and fifty scientific papers
and holds eighteen patents. His clinical practice contributions have been recognized in the Best
Doctors in America, published by Woodward/White, Inc., continuously) from 1991 until his
retirement in 2017. Chief among his innovations is the automation of cancer pathology testing
technology that enables physicians to accurately identify the genetic characteristics of their
patients' disease and manage their personalized treatment.
The Education Shelf
The Students, Yes
Drew Ott
Desolate Publishing
www.thestudentsyes.com
9781794113220 $16.99 pbk / $7.99 Kindle amazon.com
No college student should head off to higher learning institutions without having at least looked
through the expose of modern college life that is The Students, Yes: An Odyssey Through
Student Social Life at American Colleges. It closely examines the culture of college life by one
who decided not to go to college himself, but who embarked on a year-long road trip to visit
colleges across the country, interviewing college students, living with them, and observing their
lives. This is the item of choice for any college-bound student who wants a realistic series of
insights into different schools, education and social issues, and a travelogue.
Supporting Fraternities and Sororities in the Contemporary Era
Pietro A. Sasso, et al.
Myers Education Pres
c/o Stylus Publishing, Inc.
22883 Quicksilver Drive, Sterling, VA 20166-2012
www.styluspub.com
9781975502676, $179.95, HC, 225pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Collaboratively compiled and edited by the academic team of Pietro A. Sasso, J.
Patrick Biddix, and Monica Lee Miranda,"Supporting Fraternities and Sororities in the
Contemporary Era" is inspired by sustained and reoccurring professional conversations and
scholarship that have suggested that not just change is necessary, but that there ought to be a
fundamental shift towards reconceptualizing the construct of fraternities and sororities.
The three co-editors curate work from scholars and noteworthy practitioners from across higher
education to provide an imperative text that reflects the complexity and expansiveness by
addressing diversity, programming, and support approaches. "Supporting Fraternities and
Sororities in the Contemporary Era" commences with the understanding that issues will
continuously exist, requiring a greater nuanced depth of appreciation to reduce their negative
impact.
"Supporting Fraternities and Sororities in the Contemporary Era" also summarizes national
organizations from authentic, represented voices. Chapters then focus on solutions to support the
fraternity and sorority experience, providing strategies and emerging explanations for the issues
described in this text. "Supporting Fraternities and Sororities in the Contemporary Era" seeks to
inform all stakeholders so that they can make better decisions about the future of these
institutions.
Critique: An impressive work of collective scholarship, "Supporting Fraternities and Sororities in
the Contemporary Era: Advancements In Practice" is an ideal curriculum textbook for courses
and issues ranging from Fraternity and Course Leadership; Dissertation Seminar; Professional
Development Circles; and Independent Study; to Research Seminar; Thesis Research; Reflection
Assignment; Contemporary Issues in Higher Education; and Introduction to Student Affairs.
While especially and unreservedly recommended for both college and university library
Contemporary Education Issues collections and supplemental studies lists, it should be noted for
students, academia, educational institution policy makers, education reform activists, and non-
specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Supporting Fraternities and
Sororities in the Contemporary Era" is also available in a paperback edition (9781975502683,
$45.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $41.39).
Editorial Note: Pietro Sasso has over 10 years of professional and teaching experience in
postsecondary education. As an administrator, his experience is exceptionally diverse, spanning
several educational administrative functional areas. As a scholar, he has written and co-edited 7
texts, authored over 35 scholarly publications, and facilitated over 30 national and regional
presentations. He is the recipient of the AFA Dr. Charles Eberly Research Award from AFA and
is the ACPA Men and Masculinities Emerging Scholar-In-Residence.
J. Patrick Biddix is a professor of Higher Education and Associate Director of the Postsecondary
Education Research Center (PERC) at the University of Tennessee. He is the author of Research
Methods and Applications for Student Affairs, co authored the second edition of Assessment in
Student Affairs, and co-authored The Influence of Fraternity and Sorority Involvement: A
Critical Analysis of Research (1996-2013).
Monica Lee Miranda serves as the Director of the Center for Student Involvement at the
University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida. Ms. Miranda is also an independent educational
consultant and speaker who facilitates a number of leadership development programs and
interactive workshops as an independent contractor for various speaking and consulting
agencies.
Teaching by Heart
Thomas J. DeLong
Harvard Business Review Press
60 Harvard Way, Boston, MA 02163
http://hbr.org/books
9781633698529, $30.00, HC, 240pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: "Teaching by Heart: One Professor's Journey to Inspire" summarizes Professor
Thomas J. Delong's key insights gained from more than forty years of teaching and managing. It
illustrates how teachers can both lift people up and let them down. It proposes that the best
teachers are also leaders, and the best leaders are also teachers.
In examining how to lead and teach, renowned Harvard Business School professor Thomas J.
DeLong takes the reader inside his own head and heart. He notes that, as teachers, we often focus
more on our inadequacies and missteps than on our strengths and unique talents. He explains
why this is so by dissecting and analyzing his own experiences -- using himself as a case
study.
Professor DeLong's goal is to help readers learn about the intricacies of teaching and managing,
and to impart lessons about how teachers can create a unique teaching atmosphere. To do this, he
analyzes the process of creating a curriculum, preparing for an eighty-minute class, managing the
fifteen minutes before class begins, and evaluating the nature of the teaching experience after the
session concludes.
Along the way, Professor DeLong connects specific classroom behaviors with leadership issues
-- in organizations, in teams, and in personal relationships. He also asks (and answers) some
provocative questions, such as: What happens on multiple levels when I teach or lead--with me,
students, or professionals?; What am I thinking and feeling as I process what students are
thinking and feeling?; How are my internal conversations affecting how I teach and lead?; How
do I manage my biases, including having "favorite" students?; To what extent can I use teaching
methods in the arena of management?
Throughout "Teaching by Heart", Professor DeLong discusses why empathy and authenticity
matter. When teachers embrace this mindset, students have the opportunity to have a unique
learning experience. Teachers and managers will learn how to create moments of transformation
for students.
Critique: Exceptionally informative and ultimately inspiring, "Teaching by Heart: One
Professor's Journey to Inspire" is especially and unreservedly recommended to the attention of
university professors, education students, business leaders, and non-specialist general readers
with an interest in the subject of classroom teaching. While emphatically commended for
community, college and university library Contemporary Education Management collections, it
should be noted for personal reading lists that "Teaching by Heart" is also available in a digital
book format (Kindle, $19.99).
Editorial Note: Thomas J. DeLong is the Baker Foundation Professor of Management Practice in
the Organizational Behavior unit at Harvard Business School. Since 1997 Professor DeLong has
taught over twenty thousand MBAs and executives, both on campus and around the globe, and is
internationally recognized for his teaching, writing, and course development. The author of
Flying Without a Net, Professor DeLong teaches courses focused on leadership, organizational
behavior, managing human capital, and career management. He received his PhD from Purdue
University and was a visiting scholar at MIT.
Team Leadership in Community Colleges
George R. Boggs & Christine Johnson McPhail, editors
Stylus Publishing, Inc.
22883 Quicksilver Drive, Sterling, VA 20166-2012
www.styluspub.com
9781620368879, $32.50, PB, 240pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by the team of George R Boggs
(Superintendent and President of Palomar College in California, as well as President and CEO
Emeritus of the American Association of Community Colleges) and Dr. McPhail (Emerita
Professor of Higher Education and founder of the Community College Leadership Program at
Morgan State University, as well as the former president of Cypress College in California),
"Team Leadership in Community Colleges" specifically addresses the topic of how leaders work
with teams to manage and transform community colleges.
There is a need to develop better leadership teams in order to administer community colleges
effectively and to improve these organizations, whether it be an individual campus, multi-college
system or state-wide organization. Edited by two long-time leaders in the field (both of whom are
recipients of the AACC National Leadership Award), "Team Leadership in Community
Colleges" includes contributions from many other experienced leaders and scholars of
community colleges.
Critique: Comprised of twelve erudite and informative articles by experts in the subject, "Team
Leadership in Community Colleges" is enhanced for academia with the inclusion of a complete
listing of the contributors and their credentials, as well as a thirteen page Index. While
unreservedly recommended as a core addition to college and university library collections, it
should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, administrators, institutional
board members, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Team
Leadership in Community Colleges" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$22.99).
The First Year of College
Robert S. Feldman, editor
Cambridge University Press
One Liberty Plaza, Fl. 20, New York, NY 10006
www.cambridge.org
9781107176287, $125.00, HC, 364pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Expertly compiled and edited by Robert S. Feldman (who is the Deputy Chancellor
and Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst),
"The First Year of College: Research, Theory, and Practice on Improving the Student Experience
and Increasing Retention" is premised on a very powerful social/educational concern about
college retention rates: one-third of first-year students seriously consider leaving college during
their first term, and only half of all students who start college ultimately graduate.
"The First Year of College" informatively examines the first year of college from a variety of
perspectives to paint a comprehensive picture of the intersecting challenges facing today's
students and higher education institutions. Technological advances, increases in college
attendance costs, and increasing political pressure on colleges to prove their value have changed
the landscape of the first year of college, but researchers have identified new approaches to
improve student and institutional success that have shown considerable success and
promise.
Critique: Comprised of eleven articulate, erudite, thoughtful and thought-provoking essays by
experts in the field, "The First Year of College: Research, Theory, and Practice on Improving the
Student Experience and Increasing Retention" also includes a listing of all the contributors and
their credentials, as well as tables, figures, and an index. While unreservedly recommended as a
core addition to college and university library collections, it should be noted for the personal
reading lists of administrators, educational researchers, school counselors, academic faculty,
school board members, education students, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in
the subject that "The First Year of College" is also available in a paperback edition
(9781316629383, $32.99) and in a digital book format (eTextbook, $26.00).
The Science of Effective Mentorship in STEMM
Angela Byars-Wionston & Maria Lund Dahlberg, editors
National Academies Press
500 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001
www.nap.edu
9780309497299, $75.00, PB, 306pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Mentorship is a catalyst capable of unleashing one's potential for discovery, curiosity,
and participation in STEMM and subsequently improving the training environment in which that
STEMM potential is fostered. Mentoring relationships provide developmental spaces in which
students' STEMM skills are honed and pathways into STEMM fields can be discovered. Because
mentorship can be so influential in shaping the future STEMM workforce, its occurrence should
not be left to chance or idiosyncratic implementation. There is a gap between what we know
about effective mentoring and how it is practiced in higher education.
"The Science of Effective Mentorship in STEMM" studies mentoring programs and practices at
the undergraduate and graduate levels. It explores the importance of mentorship, the science of
mentoring relationships, mentorship of underrepresented students in STEMM, mentorship
structures and behaviors, and institutional cultures that support mentorship. This report and its
complementary interactive guide present insights on effective programs and practices that can be
adopted and adapted by institutions, departments, and individual faculty members.
Critique: A consensus study report of the National academies of Science3s, Engineering,
Medicine, "The Science of Effective Mentorship in STEMM" is unreservedly commended for
professional and academic library Science & Technology Teaching Materials, Higher &
Continuing Education, and Education Reform & Policy collections and supplemental curriculum
studies lists. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Science of Effective
Mentorship in STEMM" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $59.99).
Teaching about Race and Racism in the College Classroom
Cyndi Kernahan
West Virginia University Press
1535 Mileground, Morgantown, WV 26506
www.wvupressonline.com
9781949199239, $99.99, HC, 228pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Teaching about race and racism in a college classroom can be a difficult business.
Students and instructors alike often struggle with strong emotions, and many people have robust
preexisting beliefs about race. At the same time, this is a moment that demands a clear
understanding of racism. It is important for students to learn how we got here and how racism is
more than just individual acts of meanness. Students also need to understand that color blindness
is not an effective anti-racism strategy.
In "Teaching about Race and Racism in the College Classroom: Notes from a White Professor",
Cyndi Kernahan (Professor of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-River Falls" argues that you
can be honest and unflinching in your teaching about racism while also providing a
compassionate learning environment that allows for mistakes and avoids shaming students.
She also provides evidence for how learning works with respect to race and racism along with
practical teaching strategies rooted in that evidence to help instructors feel more confident. She
then differentiates between how white students and students of color are likely to experience the
classroom, helping instructors provide a more effective learning experience for all students.
Critique: Effectively and expertly written, organized and presented, "Teaching about Race and
Racism in the College Classroom: Notes from a White Professor" is a unique and valued
contribution that is unreservedly recommended for college and university library collections. It
should be noted for the personal reading lists of education students, academia, social activists,
and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Teaching about Race and
Racism in the College Classroom: Notes from a White Professor" is also available in a paperback
edition (9781949199246, $24.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.99).
Becoming a Globally Competent School Leader
Ariel Tichnor-Wagner
ASCD
1703 North Beauregard Street, Alexandria, VA 22311-1714
www.ascd.org
9781416628507, $29.95, PB, 175pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Today's public school systems face an increasing crisis of relevance in terms of
preparing their students for the rapidly changing world they must live in as adults. Issues that
people everywhere face (e.g. climate change, disease, hunger, technology advancement) require
interdisciplinary solutions. Yet schools are still predominately organized by single-subject
courses and narrowly focused high-stakes tests.
By contrast, our students need to develop a range of academic, social, and emotional
competencies to solve issues that transcend national borders; live peacefully among neighbors in
a culturally, politically, racially, ethnically, and religiously diverse society; and thrive in a global,
knowledge-based economy. Youth and adults alike know this; it's time for schools to catch
up.
Global competence (the set of dispositions, knowledge, and skills needed to live and work in a
diverse, global society) helps educators balance social-emotional and academic learning goals.
To that end, school leaders play a critical role in designing and scaling relevant global learning
experiences for both students and teachers.
"Becoming a Globally Competent School Leader" by Ariel Tichnor-Wagner details how school
leaders can implement change by aligning aspirational initiatives to existing ones, generating will
across school stakeholders, wrangling resources, and creating capacity. It also offers a holistic
approach to school leadership, one that grounds education in the complexities of the real world
and aims to prepare all students to understand, engage with, and influence what happens in that
interconnected world.
Critique: Exceptionally informative, encouragingly thought-provoking, expertly organized and
presented, and also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $28.99), "Becoming a Globally
Competent School Leader" is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to school
district, college, and university library Education Administration collections and supplemental
studies lists.
Editorial Note: Ariel Tichnor-Wagner is a senior fellow of global competence at ASCD. In her
role, she advocates for, develops, and implements innovative frameworks, tools, and professional
learning experiences that support educators in fostering the knowledge, skills, and attitudes
students need to succeed in a diverse, interconnected world. As an educator and researcher, she is
committed to identifying and leveraging policies and practices that improve academic and
social-emotional outcomes of culturally and linguistically diverse students and that foster global
citizenship.
Classrooms in the Real World
Scott M. Mandel
Myers Education Press
c/o Stylus Publishing, Inc.
22883 Quicksilver Drive, Sterling, VA 20166-2012
www.styluspub.com
9781975503345, $69.95, HC, 110pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: For the past 35 years, Scott Mandel has been teaching students in an urban Los
Angeles school district. In addition, he instructs teachers in professional development courses. In
those classes, he's known for telling stories that are gleaned from his time spent in the
classroom.
"Classrooms in the Real World: Practical Advice from a Veteran Teacher" is a collection of
many of those stories, presented as a set of teachable moments -- a practical how-to book for new
teachers, one that based on interacting with kids on a daily basis. Rather than providing
educational theories about what should be, Mandel shares real-life stories of how to relate to your
students, administrators and parents, along with his thoughts on how to deal with the multiple
curricular and classroom challenges that all teachers face in the real world.
"Classrooms in the Real World" is comprised of chapters such as "Kids Don't Care How Much
You Know As Long As They Know You Care," "Take Curricular Chances," "Administrators
Want You To Succeed," "Keeping My Sanity All These Years," and "What Have I Learned".
These will give the reader practical ideas, philosophies and encouragement from a long-time
classroom teacher, -- someone still in the classroom sharing the lived experience of teaching in
today's school environment.
Critique: A combination of wit, wisdom, humor and practical experience, "Classrooms in the
Real World: Practical Advice from a Veteran Teacher" should be considered essential reading for
anyone aspiring to being a classroom educator. While unreservedly recommended for school
district, college and university library Teacher Education collections, it should be noted for the
personal reading lists of student teachers, classroom educators, and non-specialist general readers
with an interest in the subject that "Classrooms in the Real World" is also available in a
paperback edition (9781975503352, $24.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $24.95).
Foreign Language Teaching and the Environment
Charlotte Ann Melin, editor
Modern Language Association
85 Broad Street, Suite 500, New York, NY 10004-2434
www.mla.org
9781603294676, $65.00, HC, 322pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: At a time when environmental humanities and sustainability studies are creating new
opportunities for curricular innovation, "Foreign Language Teaching and the Environment" is an
anthology of essays that collectively examines factors key to successful implementation of
cross-curricular initiatives in language programs.
The contributors discuss theoretical issues pertinent to combining sustainability studies with
foreign languages, describe curricular models transferable to a range of instructional contexts,
and introduce program structures supportive of teaching cultures and languages across the
curriculum. Exploring the intersection of ecocritical theory, second language acquisition
research, and disciplinary fields, these essays demonstrate ways in which progressive language
departments are being reconceived as relevant and viable programs of cross-disciplinary
studies.
They provide an ideal introduction to teaching sustainability and environmental humanities
topics in language, literature, and culture courses as well as a wide range of resources for
teachers and diverse stakeholders in areas related to foreign language education.
Critique: Expertly compiled and edited by Charlotte Ann Melin (Professor of German Studies,
University of Minnesota), "Foreign Language Teaching and the Environment" is comprised of
seventeen erudite and informative essays, and is enhanced further with the inclusion of a
complete listing of the contributors and their credentials, as well as a five page glossary. While
unreservedly recommended for college and university library Linguistics and Foreign Language
Instruction collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of students and academia
that "Foreign Language Teaching and the Environment" is also available in a paperback edition
(9781603293945, $40.76) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $32.30).
The Parenting Shelf
When Your Child Learns Differently
Kathryn Fishman-Weaver
Prufrock Press
PO Box 8813, Waco, TX 76714-8813
www.prufrock.com
9781618219091, $19.95, PB, 180pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Advocating for a child who learns differently can sometimes feel like an isolating and
daunting task. With the publication of "When Your Child Learns Differently: A Family
Approach for Navigating Special Education Services With Love and High Expectations" author
and educator Kathryn Fishman-Weaver reminds families that they are not alone.
"When Your Child Learns Differently" is a compassionate guide that: Helps families navigate
special education services from the inside out; Offers targeted advice to families of children with
a wide range of disabilities and challenges; Shares valuable information about special education
language, policy, procedures, and supports; Reminds families that they are the most important
advocates in their child's success plan; Draws on Kathryne's years of experiences and expertise as
both a parent and special education teacher.
Accessible and encouraging, "When Your Child Learns Differently" is a guide that humanizes
the journey of caring for children who learn differently. Its readers will be empowered with
practical policy knowledge and energized by the belief that, with love and high expectations,
almost anything is possible.
Critique: Expertly written, deftly organized, and accessibly presented, "When Your Child Learns
Differently: A Family Approach for Navigating Special Education Services With Love and High
Expectations" is an unreservedly recommended addition to community, school district, college,
and university library Special Education and Special Needs Parenting collections and
supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of parents,
education students, classroom teachers, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the
subject that "When Your Child Learns Differently" is also available in a digital book format
(Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Kathryn Fishman-Weaver, Ph.D., is an educator, author, and advocate for student
leadership. She has worked in special education, gifted education, language arts, and school
administration, and is the author of "Wholehearted Teaching of Gifted Young Women."
The Agriculture Shelf
Mineral Nutrition and Plant Disease
Lawrence E. Datnoff, Wade H. Elmer, and Don M. Huber, editors
APS Press
3340 Pilot Knob Road, St. Paul, MN 55121
www.shopapspress.org
9780890543467, $109.00, HC, 278pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Knowing how each individual mineral affects a plant is beneficial for efficiency in
production and sustaining the ecosystem. From a plant pathology perspective, "Mineral Nutrition
and Plant Disease" explains how mineral nutrients are important in production agriculture and
horticulture because they can often be the first line of defense against plant diseases. It is an area
of knowledge that can be misunderstood or overlooked in the study of diseases and their
diagnosis. This informative reference presents what we know regarding the interactions at
work.
"Mineral Nutrition and Plant Disease" is the first collective study to successfully combine two
important plant science disciplines, nutrition and pathology, to provide current information on
theoretical aspects of nutrition in disease physiology while contributing a wealth of basic
practical information for obtaining immediate disease suppression with specific fertilizers.
"Mineral Nutrition and Plant Disease" provides a holistic overview of how minerals are made
available in soil and their basic function in plants; helps to understand the interacting affects of
minerals on all types of diseases Abiotic as well as biotic; identifies mineral nutrient forms,
physiological functions, and interactions with numerous diseases; provides valuable tables
showing nutrient-disease interactions that facilitate the use of nutrients to manage diseases;
and tabulates extensive literature reviews with tables to help perform quick searches for any
host/disease system.
Critique: Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by the team of Lawrence E. Datnoff (Institute
of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida - Gainesville), Wade H. Elmer (The
Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station - New Haven), and Don M. Huber (Purdue University),
"Mineral Nutrition and Plant Disease" collectively presents a comprehensive examination of how
mineral nutrition affects plant disease, as well as improve the overall quality and health of
plants.
An ideal curriculum textbook, "Mineral Nutrition and Plant Disease" is unreservedly
recommended for professional, community, college, and university library Contemporary
Agriculture collections and supplemental studies reading lists.
The Beer/Wine/Spirits Shelf
How to Drink Without Drinking
Fiona Beckett
Kyle Books
c/o Octopus Books
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9780857836151, $19.99
How to Drink Without Drinking: Celebratory Alcohol-Free Drinks for Any Time of the Day
offers a treasure trove of drinks flavored without alcohol, including virgin cocktails, punches,
floats, and coolers, and should be on the shelves of any interested in nonalcoholic creations and
creative options. Alcohol-free wines, gin alternatives, and vinegars are part of the unusual mix of
this survey, which goes beyond most fruit drink titles to explore how alcohol-free beverages may
be adjusted to make them more closely mimic their original inspirations.
The Cookbook Shelf
Recipes of My 15 Grandmothers
Genie Milgrom
Gefen Publishing House
11 Edison Place, Springfield, NJ 07081
www.gefenpublishing.com
9789652299697, $19.95, PB, 164pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Compiled with commentary by Genie Milgrom, "Recipes of My 15 Grandmothers:
Unique Recipes and Stories from the Times of the Crypto-Jews during the Spanish Inquisition" is
a collection of recipes and stories drawn from the Crypto-Jews community. These were men and
women who were hiding persecution by pretending to be Catholic during decades of the Spanish
Inquisition while practicing their Judaism underground down through the present day.
The grandmothers of the family devised clever ways to disguise the fact that they were still
keeping kosher while appearing to be eating pork. Until modern times, the family pretended to be
devout Catholics, yet passed many of the Jewish customs on, sometimes in the form of these
recipes, their true legacy. For several hundred years they hid their fasts and celebration of Jewish
holidays, revealing them only via their recipes and some kosher kitchen customs. This collection
was found recently, hidden away at Genie Milgrom's mother's house.
Critique: A unique and precious addition to personal, professional, community, and academic
library Judaic Studies and Culinary Histories collections, the dishes comprising "Recipes of My
15 Grandmothers: Unique Recipes and Stories from the Times of the Crypto-Jews during the
Spanish Inquisition" are organized into distinct sections for Chicken Dishes; Meat Dishes; Fish;
Side Dishes; Sauces; Desserts; and Beverages. Especially and unreservedly recommended for
family cooks keeping to the Judaic traditions of kosher meals, "Recipes of My 15 Grandmothers"
also features a four page Glossary and a four page Index.
Editorial Note: Genie Milgrom was born in Havana, Cuba, into a Roman Catholic family of
Spanish ancestry. In an unparalleled work of genealogy, she was able to fully document her
unbroken maternal lineage 22 generations going back as far as 1405 to pre-Inquisition Spain and
Portugal. She has traveled extensively into Fermoselle, the village of her ancestors in the Zamora
region of Spain, while doing field research on the past Jews of Fermoselle and the surrounding
area. She is the past president of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Miami, current
president of Tarbut Sefarad-Fermoselle in Spain, and also past president of the Society for
Crypto-Judaic Studies. She also writes for several on-line sites as well as the Journal of Spanish,
Portuguese, and Italian Crypto-Jews. She has spoken at the Knesset in Israel and lectures around
the world, bringing awareness of the topic of people tracing their Jewish roots to the time of the
Inquisition who are returning to Judaism. Her work has been showcased in The Jerusalem Post,
the Miami Herald, and other publications around the world. She was awarded the State of Florida
Genealogy Award for her outstanding achievements and advances in the pioneer work she has
done in genealogy. Genie is now director of the Converso Genealogy Project, digitizing
Inquisition files around the world. Most recently, she was awarded the coveted Medal of the Four
Sephardic Synagogues in Jerusalem for her decades of work in recuperation of Sephardic
Memory.
Purezza Vegan Pizza
Filippo Rosat, author
Tim Barclay, author
Stefanie Evangelisti, author
Kyle Books
c/o Octopus Publishing
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
http://www.kylebooks.com
9780857837554, $19.99, HC, 144pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Purezza, was founded in Brighton in 2015 by Tim and Stephanie Barclayas the first
vegan pizzeria in the UK. Passionate about plantbased food, their aim was simple: to make their
menu superior to the traditional alternatives, revolutionizing Italian food by using cruelty-free
ingredients. As well as vegan pizzas, they offer soya-free, nut-free and gluten-free options.
Now any family cook can enjoy an authentic tasting vegan pizza with its soft and easily
digestible sourdough crust at home. There are recipes for variety of seasonal toppings, including
Vulcano - fried aubergines, green chilli peppers, baby sweetcorn, oven-roasted romano peppers,
red onions and sriracha sauce - and Fumosa - smoked tofu, oven-roasted mushrooms, smoked
beetroot carpaccio and BBQ sauce - as well as for vegan cheeses such as silken tofu ricotta,
cashew and almond nut and brown rice mozzarella. In addition, there are recipes for gluten-free
pasta dishes, sides and desserts.
Critique: "Purezza Vegan Pizza" is beautifully and profusely illustrated throughout, making it an
ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, family, and community
library Vegan/Vegetarian cookbook collections. It should be noted for all do-it-yourself dedicated
pizza lovers that "Purezza Vegan Pizza" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$12.99).
Editorial Note: Tim Barclay set up Purezza with his Italian wife Stefania. He has a background in
marketing and Stefania in law, but in 2015 they decided to follow their dream of starting a
plant-based food business.
The Pacific Northwest Seafood Cookbook
Naomi Tomky
The Countryman Press
c/o W. W. Norton & Company
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
www.countrymanpress.com
9781682683668, $27.95, HC, 256pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: For thousands of years, the abundance of fish and shellfish in the Pacific Northwest
created a seafood paradise for the Indigenous peoples hunting and gathering along the region's
pristine waterways, and, later, for the Chinese, Scandinavian, Filipino, and Japanese immigrants
(along with many others), who have made this region home. Drawing on these diverse
influences, the region fostered a seafood based cuisine that is as varied as its people, yet which
remains specifically Northwestern.
In "The Pacific Northwest Seafood Cookbook: Salmon, Crab, Oysters, and More", food writer
Naomi Tomky leads her readers through an exploration of this cuisine. She starts with the basics
of buying great-tasting and sustainable seafood, surveys the variety of seafood on offer (from
stars like halibut and oysters to unsung heroes like lingcod and smelt) and shares 75 delicious
recipes reflecting the people who live in the region today, including Red Curry Mussels,
IPA-Battered Cod, Dungeness Crab Deviled Eggs, and Pink Scallop Ceviche.
From the first cut of salmon, prized for its rich flavor and versatility, to the last crack of the sweet
Dungeness crab, Tomky covers grilling, curing, and baking, and shares secrets for tricky tasks
like removing pin bones and mussel beards. She explains how flavor-packed spot prawns put
other shrimp to shame and why the region's razor clams are unparalleled. For curious seafood
rookies in search of the perfect fool-proof salmon and barnacled fish-cooking veterans looking
for a new way to enjoy their favorite catch.
Critique: Profusely illustrated throughout with seventy-five full color photographs, "The Pacific
Northwest Seafood Cookbook: Salmon, Crab, Oysters, and More" is an ideal guide to cooking,
and eating dishes based upon recipes drawn from such culinary experts as Tom Douglas, Shiro
Kashiba, Bonnie Morales, Mutsuko Soma, Ethan Stowell, Jason Stratton, John Sundstrom, and
more. While unreservedly recommended for family and community library cookbook collections,
it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Pacific Northwest Seafood Cookbook:
Salmon, Crab, Oysters, and More" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$15.49).
New City of London Cookbook
Peter Gladwin
The GMC Group
www.gmcbooks.com
9781784945558, $35.00, HC, 240pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: With over 40 years of experience catering for high-society events, including state
banquets for the royal family, Peter Gladwin knows a thing or two about putting together a great
menu. In his "New City of London Cookbook" he draws upon his years of culinary experience
and expertise to share an array of his own gastronomic delights that include a host of delicious
recipes submitted by notable figures and celebrities -- all of which can be cooked at home.
The step-by-step recipes are separated into the following chapters: Canapes; Larder; Starters;
Salads and Sides; Vegetarian and Vegan; Fish; Meat; Emulsions, Infusions, Essences and Good
Gravy; Desserts; Cheese and Savouries; Chocolates and Sweetmeats.
Alongside the recipes, Peter shares stories of London, menus he's created, and anecdotes that
divulge the secrets of the great kitchens and banquets in the Square Mile, giving the reader a rare
and entertaining view behind 'the green baize door'.
Critique: Entertaining to browse through and ideal for creating menus for elegant dining at home
for family and friends, the "New City of London Cookbook" will prove to be an immediate and
enduringly popular addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library
cookbook collections.
Editorial Note: Peter Gladwin is a prominent chef in the City of London, at the forefront of
glamorous entertaining. Peter's achievements within the hospitality industry have grown
throughout his career: he runs one of London's most successful catering companies, Party
Ingredients; two acclaimed restaurant groups; a wine import business; and produces fine English
wines and pure-bred livestock from his farm in West Sussex. He has also authored three previous
cookbooks.
The Brain Boosting Diet: Feed Your Memory
Norene Gilletz & Edward Wein
Whitecap Books
c/o Fitzhenry & Whiteside
www.fitzhenry.ca
9781770503212, $50.00, PB, 606pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Packed with over 150 recipes provided by cookbook author Norene Gilletz and
including insightful commentary on each one from Dr. Edward Wein, (who is a leading
biochemical specialist), "The Brain Boosting Diet: Feed Your Memory" is an illustrated health
cookbook that is loaded with solid health and nutritional advice for people with memory loss,
possible dementia, and even Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Another important purpose of the book
is to show the reader how to slow down potential cognitive decline.
"The Brain Boosting Diet" has lots of unusual but important Do You Know Health Facts such as:
Our human hunter-gatherer ancestors of 10,000 years ago had better nutrition than our farming
ancestors until a couple of hundred years ago. This was because the former ate a variety of foods
they could find, rather than trying to exist on one or a few farmed crops which offered limited
nutrition; Of the thousands of substances involved in human metabolism, about 50 need to be
supplied by diet. The other compounds can be supplied by the metabolic processes of the
body.
Critique: Ranging from appetizers to main courses, from soups, to fish, to desserts, the recipes
comprising "The Brain Boosting Diet" are as delicious and nutritious as they are 'kitchen cook
friendly' in preparation and presentation, making it a unique and unreservedly recommended
addition to any personal, professional, and community library cookbook collection.
Editorial Note: Norene Gilletz is the leading author of kosher cookbooks in Canada and the
owner of Gourmania Inc. Norene divides her time between work as a freelance food writer,
editor, food consultant, cooking teacher and culinary spokesperson. Norene is a Certified
Culinary Professional with the International Association of Culinary Professionals and a member
of the Women's Culinary Network of Toronto.
Dr. Edward Wein obtained his Ph.D. in biochemical engineering from the University of Toronto.
In a career spanning more than thirty years as a senior food research scientist, he developed many
healthy and unique nutritional foods and supplements for both mind and body. These included
the world's first full nutrition meal replacement product and a ground-breaking nutrition bar to
maintain memory and cognitive health. Dr. Wein has also served as adjunct professor at the
University of Guelph in Canada, was on the advisory board of Ryerson University Dept. of
Chemical Engineering, and is a past member of the Canada Expert Committee on Food
Biotechnology.
Simply Real Eating
Sarah Adler
The Countryman Press
c/o W. W. Norton & Company
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
www.countrymanpress.com
9781682684115, $29.95, HC, 256pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Enhanced with the inclusion of more than one hundred full color photographs,
"Simply Real Eating: Everyday Recipes and Rituals for a Healthy Life Made Simple" is a unique
and welcoming cookbook in which culinary expert Sarah Adler invites her readers to cultivate a
healthy lifestyle that will actually last.
Showcasing more than 100 easy #antidiet recipes to share, Adler makes getting healthy effortless.
Her enthusiasm comes through on every page, with chapters including "Weekday Work It"
breakfasts and snacks to share in "Aperitifing Is a Verb." Recipes are all gluten-free, many with
five ingredients or fewer, and have options to customize for other dietary needs. Stunning
photographs of each dish make this book a pleasure to read.
Critique: Featuring a culinary wealth of palate pleasing, appetite satisfying, health promoting
dishes ranging from Warming Sweet Potato Muffins and Fire-Roasted Herby Corn Salad, to
Broccoli, Basil, and Goat Cheese Pizzas and Salted Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups, "Simply
Real Eating" includes all the practical tools and healthy rituals a family cook would need. While
enthusiastically recommended for family, professional, and community library cookbook
collections, it should be noted that "Simply Real Eating" is also available in a digital book format
(Kindle, $14.16).
Editorial Note: Sarah Adler is a nutrition coach and the founder of the blog, Simply Real Health.
Her recipes have been featured by outlets including Huffington Post, Well + Good, Refinery29,
Cooking Light, Brit + Co., BuzzFeed, and Woman's Day.
Total Gut Balance
Mahmoud Ghannoum
The Countryman Press
c/o W. W. Norton & Company
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
www.countrymanpress.com
9781682683682, $27.95, HC, 336pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Today the importance of a healthy gut microbiome for digestive health and overall
well being is commonly understood. But what about the mycobiome -- the fungi that live inside
our bodies?
In "Total Gut Balance: Fix Your Mycobiome Fast for Complete Digestive Wellness", Dr.
Mahmoud Ghannoum introduces this important component of the microbiome and explains how
diet affects this population and how its balance or imbalance can cause you to feel -- a poor
balance of fungi can lead to weight gain, pain and bloating, and low energy, and can worsen
symptoms for those with IBS or Crohn's.
But with the recipes showcased in "Total Gut Balance", gut fungi will respond quickly and
dramatically to dietary and lifestyle changes. Within 24 hours, you can remake your mycobiome,
supporting a path to weight loss, better digestion, and more energy.
Alongside this accessible gut science, Dr. Ghannoum outlines fast changes for fostering healthy
fungi as well as 7- and 20-day diet plans, with more than 50 dietician-tested recipes, to cultivate a
thriving mycobiome and methods for tweaking your lifestyle for long-term gut health.
Critique: Nicely illustrated with fifty full color photographs, "Total Gut Balance: Fix Your
Mycobiome Fast for Complete Digestive Wellness" is an extraordinary and thoroughly 'reader
friendly' combination of instruction manual, guide and cookbook. Especially commended to the
attention of anyone suffering from IBS or Chrohn's Disease, "Total Gut Balance" should be a part
of every community and academic library's Health/Medicine and Contemporary Cook Book
collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Total Gut Balance" is also available
in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.16).
Editorial Note: Dr. Mahmoud Ghannoum is the director of the Center for Medical Mycology at
Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, studies
Crohn's disease, cancer, and heart disease. He has been featured by Forbes, NPR's Tech Nation,
MindBodyGreen, Well + Good, Goop, and other outlets.
Plant Power
Annie Bell
Kyle Books
c/o Octopus Publishing
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
http://www.kylebooks.com
9780857836120, $24.99, PB, 192pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Balancing your diet by consuming animal protein is straightforward (a chicken breast,
salmon fillet, or lamb chop are nearly pure protein) but there is little that offers the vegetarian,
vegan, or flexitarian that ease.
In "Plant Power", vegetarian and vegan culinary expert Annie Bell shows you how to source
plant proteins from high-quality unrefined whole foods. She explains which foods contain
protein and the simplest and most delicious ways to include a broad range in your diet to make
sure that you optimize your protein consumption with no need for expensive supplements or
"fake" meats.
The recipes comprising "Plant Power" range from: Three Seed Porridge with Berries for
breakfast, to Spicy Lentil Baked Eggs for a power brunch, to a nourishing Spring Root and Farro
Salad for lunch on the go, to Halloumi and Pine Nut Burgers for a satisfying dinner. With
comfort food, such as Spaghetti Carbonara, and bowls of energy, such as Cauliflower Dhal with
Coco-Lime Yogurt, Annie shows that good nutrition and good food should always go hand in
hand.
Critique: Beautifully and profusely illustrated throughout, "Plant Power" will prove to be an
immediate and enduringly popular addition to personal, family, professional, and community
library Vegan/Vegetarian cookbook collections. Thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' in
organization and presentation, it should be noted that "Plant Power" is also available in a digital
book format (Kindle, $11.99).
Editorial Note: Annie Bell, having begun her career as a chef, has been a full-time cookery writer
and author for more than ten years. She has written a number of books including Annie Bell's
Vegetable Book, and Evergreen which was shortlisted for the Andre Simon and Glenfiddich
Awards. She collaborated with the architect John Pawson to write Living and Eating and more
recently has written Gorgeous Cakes. She spent several years as Cookery Writer at Vogue, then
as Food Writer on the Independent and she is currently the Cookery Writer on YOU Magazine in
the Mail on Sunday and also contributes to Country Living and Waitrose Food Illustrated.
One Pot Feeds All
Darina Allen
Kyle Books
c/o Octopus Books
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9780857837134, $24.99, HC, 208pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Cooking using just a single pot is liberating, satisfyingly efficient and relatively
inexpensive. There's less juggling of different elements, no complicated techniques, little space
required and less washing up to do. With recipes for cook in one pot meals that will serve for one
person or one hundred, all that is necessary to do is to scale up or down ingredients -- making
"One Pot Feeds All" perfect for solo cooks, families and anyone wanting to rustle up a feast for
friends.
A culinary compendium showcasing 100 dishes to be cooked in a pot, tray or pan comprising
lighter meals, such as soups, baked eggs and frittatas or hearty dishes like stews, tagines and
curries, plus about 10 desserts. Chapters are divided into Eggs, Poultry, Meat, Fish, Vegetables,
Rice, Grains & Pasta and Sweet Things with an international mix of dishes, including Mexican
Fried Eggs, Kung Pao Chicken, Italian Beef Stew, Moroccan Lamb Tagine, Spanakopita,
Chettinad Tomato Rice and Coffee Crema Catalana.
Critique: Beautifully illustrated throughout with thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly', step-by-step
recipe instructions, "One Pot Feeds All" by Darina Allen is a delight to simply browse through
and an inspiring resource to plan menus with for any and all dining occasions. While
unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, and community library cookbook
collections, it should be noted that "One Pot Feeds All" is also available in a digital book format
(Kindle, $8.99).
The Art Shelf
The Sporting Art of Eldridge Hardie
Eldridge Hardie
Stackpole Books
5067 Ritter Road, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055-6921
www.stackpolebooks.com
9780811738392, $75.00, HC, 216pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: "The Sporting Art of Eldridge Hardie: Paintings of Upland Hunting, Angling, and
Waterfowling" is a beautifully published compendium showcasing 150 paintings carefully and
exquisitely reproduced, that document Hardie's lifework.
Hardie has painted every kind of sporting scene ranging from Wisconsin grouse hunts, Atlantic
salmon camps, and southern quail plantations, to angling waters in Tierra del Fuego and
Scotland, waterfowling on the Santee marsh and Chesapeake Bay, fly fishing the Bahama flats,
the Bighorn, Colorado, and South Platte Rivers.
Hardie has painted home rivers and close-to-home fields and destinations to dream for and in the
pages of "The Sporting Art of Eldridge Hardie" he recalls these times and the paintings that
capture them in descriptive text.
Workbook pages of preliminary studies and notations from the artist's workbooks are reproduced
side by side with the paintings. These notes give a rare look into the artist's creative process.
Critique: A simple joy to page through, "The Sporting Art of Eldridge Hardie: Paintings of
Upland Hunting, Angling, and Waterfowling" showcases and documents the artistic talents of
one of the truly great outdoors artists at work today. Beautifully reproduced, "The Sporting Art of
Eldrige Haries" will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to personal,
professional, community, college, and university library Contemporary American Art History
collections.
Editorial Note: For six decades and based in Denver, Colorado, Eldridge Hardie has worked at
what he loves doing, painting his passion for outdoor sport. His art has graced the pages of books
-- his own and others, been published in the pages of the finest sporting magazines, hung in
North America's galleries and private collections, and been shown in prestigious exhibitions.
The Art of Paint Pouring: Swipe, Swirl & Spin
Amanda VanEver
Walter Foster Publishing
Quarto Publishing Group USA
400 First Avenue North, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55401-1722
www.quartoknows.com
9781633228245, $19.99, PB, 128pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: In "The Art of Paint Pouring: Swipe, Swirl & Spin: 50+ tips, techniques, and
step-by-step exercises for creating colorful fluid art ", the aspiring artist will learn the basics of
creating fluid art -- from the essential tools and materials to the most popular techniques,
building on the artist's existing knowledge of paint pouring by learning many new techniques and
variations on their favorites to create their own art.
Written and illustrated by Amanda VanEver, "The Art of Paint Pouring: Swipe, Swirl & Spin"
includes everything needed to take creative art skills to the next level, whether as a beginning or
as an established paint pouring artist. From learning variations on several popular techniques
(including flip cup, dip, swirling, spinning, and swiping) as well as more intermediate and
advanced pouring techniques, aspiring artists will soon be creating colorful, textured fluid art on
a variety of different surfaces.
Critique: Profusely illustrated, comprehensive, exceptionally 'user friendly' in organization and
presentation, "The Art of Paint Pouring: Swipe, Swirl & Spin" features beginning as well as
advanced DIY pouring techniques for a well-rounded, appealing approach to this uniquely fluid
art form. While very highly recommended as an art class curriculum textbook, as well as both
community and academic library Art Instruction reference and resource collections.
Editorial Note: Amanda VanEver is a self-taught artist; a librarian in Dayton, Nevada. Amanda
enjoys the versatility of acrylic paint and the vast array of techniques that can be used with fluid
art. She credits her abilities to the artists willing to share their tricks, tips, and techniques for
different styles of fluid acrylic painting. She learned to created poured art using Facebook groups
and YouTube videos. Every week, Amanda films her processes and answers questions on her
YouTube channel, Amanda's Designs. She sells her artwork locally in Carson City, Nevada, as
well as through her Etsy shop.
Charcoal: Techniques and Tutorials for the Complete Beginner
Richard Rochester
The GMC Group
www.gmcbooks.com
9781784945527, $14.95, PB, 96pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Originating in neolithic times as a form of cave art, down through the millennia
charcoal drawing is timeless, stylish, atmospheric and arresting. "Charcoal: Techniques and
Tutorials for the Complete Beginner" by Richard Rochester is an easy-to-follow beginner's guide
in which aspiring artists are taken on a journey to explore the rich potential of monochrome using
the medium of charcoal.
Inexpensive and easy to source, charcoal is perfect for the beginner artist. To increase the variety
of mark-making, or simply to make life easier, readers can choose to buy different types and sizes
of charcoal, and tools such as blenders and brushes for different effects. This is all explained
clearly so the aspiring artist can make informed choices.
Following the section on tools and materials, the basic techniques are presented, showing how to
exploit the medium to best effect. The fundamentals of drawing are also covered, including
perspective, composition and observational drawing.
Critique: Offering a wealthy of thoroughly 'user friendly' illustrated instructions making it an
ideal art class curriculum textbook, "Charcoal: Techniques and Tutorials for the Complete
Beginner" will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to personal, profession,
community, and academic library art instructional reference collections.
Editorial Note: Born in 1967, Richard Rochester grew up in the fishing village of Lympstone in
Devon. After school he initially trained as a jeweler but went on to take a degree in Fine Art at
Exeter College of Art and Design and graduated in 1991. Yearning for adventure, just three
months after graduation he entered the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, and began a military
career that lasted 18 years, initially in the army infantry and later in the Royal Marines. Richard
left the military in 2012 and briefly ran a veterans' charity project before focusing his full
attention on art. He now lives and works in Exeter in the South West of England (his work has
hung in Exeter Cathedral).
The Art of Fine Enameling, second edition
Karen L. Cohen
Stackpole Books
5067 Ritter Road, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055-6921
www.stackpolebooks.com
9780811737920, $37.905, HC, 320pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Enameling (the fusing glass to metal under high-temperature conditions) is amazingly
diverse. Practically anything made from enamel-friendly metal can be enameled, from vases to
jewelry to buttons to metal mesh and solid forms. Now in a significantly revised, expanded, and
fully updated second edition "The Art of Fine Enameling" by Karen L. Cohen (an artist and
teacher working primarily in Cloisonne enameling, as well as beadwork and embroidery who
draws upon her 15 years of experience and expertise) showcases twenty-one DIY enameling
projects. Each project has a gallery of the work of other artists working in the same technique, to
give a view of other ways a technique can look and be used. Classic techniques such as
champleve, cloisonne, and plique-a-jour each have projects, as do newer approaches such as the
use of graphite pencil and enameling on steel. Of special note is the extensive chapter on
troubleshooting.
Critique: Profusely illustrated, and step-by-step informative, "The Art of Fine Enameling" is
ideal as a curriculum textbook on enameling and is unreservedly recommended for personal,
professional, community, and academic library collections. It should be noted for the personal
reading lists of art students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the
subject that "The Art of Fine Enameling" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$24.68).
The Philosophy Shelf
Conspiracy Theories: Philosophers Connect the Dots
Richard Greene and Rachel Robison-Greene
Open Court
www.opencourtbooks.com
9780812694796, $19.95
Conspiracy Theories: Philosophers Connect the Dots belongs in philosophy and social issues
collections alike, covering current events and news with an eye to exploring the different
viewpoints and underlying belief systems in conspiracy theories. From witch hunts and the
complications of voter fraud to whether climate skeptics are really conspiracy theorists, this helps
define the modern incarnation of the conspiracy, its philosophy and psychology, and its impact
on society as a whole, and is highly recommended reading for philosophy and current issues
students alike; especially those involved in classroom debates.
How to Burn a Goat
Scott H. Moore
Baylor University Press
One Bear Place, #97363, Waco, TX 76798-7363
www.baylorpress.com
9781481311526, $29.95, HC, 224pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: The ancient Roman orator Cicero famously believed, "If you have a garden and a
library, you have everything you need.", Scott H. Moore (Associate Professor of Philosophy and
Great Texts at Baylor University) agrees and puts this celebrated aphorism to the test.
In "How to Burn a Goat: Farming with the Philosophers", Professor Moore speculates on the
practice of farming through the lens of philosophy and literature. He weaves together a tapestry
of philosophical reflections on work and leisure, the nature of the virtues, and the role and
limitations of technology and higher education with personal reflections on the joys and trials of
farm life on his Crawford, Texas, farm.
Full of self-deprecating humor, Professor Moore relates his own experience of a philosopher
turned farmer. His efforts at scholar-farmer are haunted by questions from the world's great
minds such as: "Does Plato's 'city of sows' ring true?," "Can Ockham help break a recalcitrant
heifer?," "How can Heidegger help with raising swine?," "What insights does Iris Murdoch offer
for pest control?" Combining insight with down-to-earth vignettes, Professor Moore joins
Wendell Berry, E. B. White, George Orwell, and many more in recognizing the truths deeply
rooted in the management of the practical affairs of a farm.
Professor Moore also argues that a return to agrarian roots is needed to restore Aristotelian
wonder and wisdom in a world increasingly defined by technology. Rejecting the idea that
humans are simply cogs in a wheel, he shows how greater human happiness can be found in the
meaningful labor of tending to nature, rather than the ever-expanding march of automation.
Critique: As deftly written, organized and presented, as it is inherently interesting, thoughtful and
thought-provoking, "How to Burn a Goat: Farming with the Philosophers" is a unique and
unreservedly recommended addition to both community and academic library Contemporary
Philosophy collections and supplemental curriculum reading lists. It should be noted for students,
academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "How to Burn a
Goat: Farming with the Philosophers" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$28.45).
The Military Shelf
From Texas to Tinian and Tokyo Bay
Jonathan Templin Ritter, editor
University of North Texas Press
1155 Union Circle, #311336, Denton, TX 76203-5017
www.untpress.unt.edu
9781574417715, $24.95, HC, 188pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: "From Texas to Tinian and Tokyo Bay: The Memoirs of Captain J. R. Ritter, Seabee
Commander during the Pacific War, 1942-1945" is the personal story of the late J. R. Ritter
(1902-1994), a civil engineer from Texas who became a U.S. Navy Seabee officer during World
War II. For his memoir he preserved personal papers, letters, photos, and other items, many of
which are reproduced in this book. His narrative is deftly edited and annotated by his grandson,
Jonathan Templin Ritter.
The U.S. Naval Construction Battalions, known as the "Seabees," were formed in March 1942.
Their duties were to build military facilities and airfields overseas, in both the European and
Pacific Theaters. In the Pacific Theater alone, including the Aleutians, the Seabees built 111
major airstrips, 441 piers, 2258 ammunition magazines, and much more.
In his detailed memoir Ritter tells the story of two Seabee Battalions, one in the Aleutians and
one in the Central Pacific. He describes the Aleutian Islands Campaign during 1942 - 1943, when
there was a real concern that Japan might try to attack Alaska and the continental United States
through the "back door." Ritter also gives an eyewitness account of the building of the airfields
on Tinian Island in the Northern Marianas that enabled the B-29 fire raids on Japan (the "Empire
Run") which culminated in the two missions that dropped the atomic bombs in August 1945,
ending the Pacific War.
"From Texas to Tinian and Tokyo Bay" provides a major contribution to the wartime literature
about the Seabees, those brave, resourceful, and hard-working American patriots, whose mottos
were "Can do!" and "The difficult we do now; the impossible takes a little longer."
Critique: The seventeenth volume in the North Texas Military Biography and Memoir Series
from the University of North Texas Press, "From Texas to Tinian and Tokyo Bay: The Memoirs
of Captain J. R. Ritter, Seabee Commander during the Pacific War, 1942-1945" is enhanced for
academia with the inclusion of a complete Chronology of J. R. Ritter's War Years (1941-1946);
four Appendices (U.S. Navy Commissioned Officer Ranks; Naval and Military Terms; The Song
of the Seabees; WWII Honor Roll - National WWN Memorial); a six page References and
Further Reading list; and a three page Index. While unreservedly recommended for community
and academic library World War II History & Biography collections, it should be noted for the
personal reading lists of students, academia, military history buffs, and non-specialist general
readers with an interest in the subject that "From Texas to Tinian and Tokyo Bay" is also
available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Patton's Madness
Jim Sudmeier
Stackpole Books
5067 Ritter Road, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055-6921
www.stackpolebooks.com
9780811738545, $22.95, HC, 280pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: His commanding officer, General Dwight D. Eisenhower called General George S.
Patton "mentally unbalanced" and "just like a time bomb," and indeed, the egotistical, mercurial,
aggressive Patton is perhaps as well known for his questionable behavior and eccentric beliefs as
for his daring battlefield exploits.
"Patton's Madness: The Dark Side of a Battlefield Genius" by Jim Sudmeier is a succinct but
probing assessment of Patton's life based on strong research in primary sources and knowledge of
psychology that considers the mind of Patton: what made this military genius tick?
To what extent was Patton's boldness and brilliance as a general, his willingness to welcome risk
and danger, connected to his unstable personality? Sudmeier presents a myth-shattering
reconsideration of one of military history's most famous commanders.
Critique: An inherently fascinating, thoughtful and thought-provoking study, "Patton's Madness:
The Dark Side of a Battlefield Genius" will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to
community and academic library 20th Century American Military History collections. It should
be noted for personal reading lists that "Patton's Madness" is also available in a digital book
format (Kindle, $12.90).
Editorial Note: Jim Sudmeier is a scientist and writer originally from Minneapolis. He holds
degrees from Carleton College and Princeton University, has taught at UCLA and UC Riverside,
has held a National Institutes of Health fellowship at Oxford, and for twenty-eight years before
his retirement was senior lecturer at Tufts Medical School.
German Ground Forces of World War II
William T. McCroden & Thomas E. Nutter
Savas Beatie
PO Box 4527, El Dorado Hills, CA 95762
www.savasbeatie.com
9781611211092, $59.95, HC, 544pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: "German Ground Forces of World War II: Complete Orders of Battle for Army
Groups, Armies, Army Corps, and Other Commands of the Wehrmacht and Waffen SS,
September 1, 1939 to May 8, 1945" offers the first comprehensive order of battle for German
ground troops throughout the Second World War, from the invasion of Poland on September 1,
1939, to the destruction of the last remnants of Germany's Wehrmacht and Waffen SS in Berlin
in 1945. Unlike similar works, these orders of battle are dynamic, and so account for the
continuously changing character of Germany's ground forces at war.
This massive new reference work by military historians William T. McCroden and Thoms E.
Nutter is comprised of informative sections that include: Theater Commands, Army Groups,
Armies, and Corps Commands, and presents a detailed analysis of each corresponding order of
battle for every German field formation above division.
Additional new ground is broken by also describing the orders of battle of the myriad German
and Axis satellite formations assigned to security commands throughout occupied Europe and the
combat zones, as well as those attached to fortress commands and to the commanders of German
occupation forces in Eastern and Western Europe. An accompanying narrative describes the
career of each field formation and includes the background and experience of many of their most
famous commanding officers.
For the first time in the pages of "German Ground Forces Of World War II", military buffs can
follow the career of every German division, corps, army, and army group as the German armed
forces shifted units to and from theaters of war, from the period of triumphant successes to the
years of grinding defensive warfare and eventual defeat.
Critique: A seminal work of extraordinary, detailed, and meticulously researched scholarship,
"German Ground Forces of World War II: Complete Orders of Battle for Army Groups, Armies,
Army Corps, and Other Commands of the Wehrmacht and Waffen SS, September 1, 1939 to
May 8, 1945" is a critically important and unreservedly recommended addition to community,
college, and university library World War II Military History collections and supplemental
curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, military history buffs and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "German Ground Forces of World
War II" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $17.49).
Bait: The Battle of Kham Duc
James D. McLeroy & Gregory W. Sanders
Casemate Publishers
1940 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083
www.casematepublishers.com
9781612008127, $34.95, HC, 272pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: The strategic potential of the three-day attack of two NVA regiments on Kham Duc, a
remote and isolated Army Special Forces camp, on the eve of the first Paris peace talks in May
1968, was so significant that former President Lyndon Johnson included it in his memoirs.
"Bait: The Battle of Kham Duc" by James D. McLeroy and Gregory W. Sanders is grippingly
original, eyewitness narrative and thoroughly researched analysis of a widely misinterpreted
battle at the height of the Vietnam War that radically contradicts all the other published accounts
of it.
In addition to the tactical details of the combat narrative, the authors consider the grand strategies
and political contexts of the U.S. and North Vietnamese leaders.
Critique: Enhanced for academia and the reader with the inclusion of a nineteen page Appendix,
a five page Glossary, a twenty-one page listing of Sources, and an eight page Index, "Bait: The
Battle of Kham Duc" is an essential and unreservedly recommended addition to personal,
professional, community, college, and university library Vietnam War Military History
collections and supplemental studies lists. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, it
should be noted for military buffs that "Bait: The Battle of Kham Duc" is also available in a
digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).
Editorial Note: Both co-authors are former Army officers and Vietnam War veterans. James D.
McLeroy lived at Kham Duc and led an elite group of U.S. and indigenous Special Forces troops
in the battle. Additionally, Gregory Sanders witnessed a detailed analysis of the battle at the
Americal Division headquarters prior to a joint U.S. and South Vietnamese Army (ARVN)
operation at and around Kham Duc in 1970.
4-31 Infantry in Iraq's Triangle of Death
Darrell E. Fawley III
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476676050, $45.00, PB, 229pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: The Triangle of Death in Iraq, south of Baghdad, was a raging inferno of insurgent
activity in August of 2006; by November 2007, attacks had been suppressed to such an extent as
to return the area to near obscurity. In the intervening months, the U.S. Army 4th Battalion, 31st
Infantry ("Polar Bears") employed a counterinsurgency approach that set the conditions for a
landmark peace agreement that holds to this day.
With a focus on counterinsurgency, "4-31 Infantry in Iraq's Triangle of Death" by Darrell Fawley
is the first to take a detailed and documented look at the breadth of military operations in
Yusifiyah, Iraq, and analyze the methods the Polar Bears employed. It is a story not of those who
fought in the Triangle of Death, but of how they fought.
Critique: Enhanced for the benefit of military historians with the inclusion of a two page listing
of Acronyms and Abbreviations, ten pages of Chapter Notes, an eight page Bibliography, and a
five page Index, "4-31 Infantry in Iraq's Triangle of Death" is a seminal and unreservedly
recommended addition to both community and academic library American Military History
collections in general, and Iraqi War History supplemental studies reading lists in particular.
Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, it should be noted for students, academia,
and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "4-31 Infantry in Iraq's
Triangle of Death" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $24.99).
Editorial Note: U.S. Army officer Darrell E. Fawley III's writing has appeared in Infantry
magazine, Army magazine and Small Wars Journal.
The Biography Shelf
According to Kate
Chris Enss
TwoDot
c/o Globe Pequot
www.globepequot.com
9781493037735, $24.95
According to Kate: The Legendary Life of Big Nose Kate, Love of Doc Holliday deserves a spot
in any American history or biography collection and covers the life of Doc Holliday's romantic
interest. Unlike most historical biographies which retell known facts, this uses rare, never before
published material Kate collected herself in anticipation of writing her own autobiography, which
never attracted the interest of publishers. Her insights about life in the wild west exposes the
reality behind famous historical events, adding personal observations and insights that could not
have come from any researched recreation of events. This lively story, told partially in her own
words, is a top recommendation for any American history holding strong in women's experiences
and the realities of the American West's exploration and powerful figures.
What's Up, Doc?: A Surgeon's Story
Dr. Riaz Mohammed
Westbow Press
c/o Thomas Nelson Publishers
PO Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214
www.westbowpress.com
9781973668817, $30.95, HC, 178pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Riaz Mohammed was born into a Muslim family in Pakistan. While a boy in the
village of Gujarat, he witnessed another young boy chasing cattle into a fast-flowing stream. The
boy was pulled from the water, but there was nothing that could be done for him -- and he died.
That was when Riaz decided to be a doctor so he could help people.
Eventually, Riaz and his family immigrated to Scotland. There, he was treated unkindly, but he
was determined to navigate his way through life. At age sixteen, he saw a vision of Jesus Christ
while at camp. He converted to Christianity, which only made his life more complicated, but he
studied hard and became a surgeon.
Riaz had started a family of his own and was at the top of his career as a physician when he
contracted Hepatitis B-and he had to start over again in an entirely new way. Through it all, God
worked in miraculous ways to never let him down.
Critique: A deftly written and impressively inspiring life story, "What's Up, Doc? a Surgeon's
Story" is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to community, college, and
university library Contemporary Biography collections. It should be noted for personal reading
lists that "What's Up, Doc? a Surgeon's Story" is also available in a paperback edition
(9781973668800, $13.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $3.99).
Rerun Era
Joanna Howard
McSweeney's
https://www.mcsweeneys.net
9781944211677, $24.00, HC, 176pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Rerun Era is a captivating, propulsive memoir by Joanna Howard about growing up in
the environmentally and economically devastated rural flatlands of Oklahoma, the entwinement
of personal memory and the memory of popular culture, and a family thrown into trial by lost
love and illness that found common ground in the television. Told from the magnetic perspective
of Joanna's past selves from the late '70s and early '80s, "Rerun Era" circles the fascinating
psyches of her part-Cherokee teamster truck-driving father, her women's libber mother, and her
skateboarder, rodeo bull-riding teenage brother.
Illuminating to our rural American present, and the way popular culture portrays the rural
American past, "Rerun Era" captures the irony of growing up in rural America in the midst of
nationalistic fantasies of small town local sheriffs and saloon girls, which manifested the urban
cowboy, wild west theme-parks, and The Beverly Hillbillies.
Critique: With a decidedly impressive and deftly crafted lyric prose style, Joanna Howard's
memoir is an inherently engaging and insightfully thoughtful read that is hallmarked by a very
special and candid sense of humor. While especially and unreservedly recommended for both
community and academic library Contemporary American Biography collections, it should be
noted for personal reading lists that "Rerun Era" is also available in a digital book format
(Kindle, $11.99).
Editorial Note: Joanna Howard is a writer and translator from Miami, Oklahoma who teaches in
the literature PhD program at Denver University. She is also the author of the novel Foreign
Correspondent, the story collections On the Winding Stair and In the Colorless Round, and Field
Glass, a collaborative novel written with Joanna Ruocco. She has co-translated Walls by Marcel
Cohen and Cows by Frederic Boyer.
Becoming C. S. Lewis
Harry Lee Poe
Crossway Books
www.crossway.org
9781433562730, $22.99, HC, 312pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: The writings of C. S. Lewis cannot be fully understood or appreciated apart from a
grasp of his formative adolescent years from 1898 to 1918. Unfortunately, many biographies
speed over this important season of Lewis's life.
Slowing down to focus on his younger years, "Becoming C. S. Lewis: A Biography of Young
Jack Lewis" offers a detailed portrait of "Jack" Lewis helps us discover seeds of what would
inform his later writings -- such as his delight in literature, his key relationships, his suffering and
struggles, and his intense pursuit of joy.
The chapters comprising "Becoming C. S. Lewis" unfold the habits and tastes he developed
while at boarding school, in college, and in the army, revealing where we see these themes
appear in his works -- bringing to life the man readers have come to know as C. S. Lewis.
Critique: The first volume in a planned trilogy, "Becoming C. S. Lewis: A Biography of Young
Jack Lewis" offers a deftly presented and comprehensive view of the early life of C. S. Lewis and
is unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library biography
collections in general, and C. S. Lewis supplemental studies reading lists in particular. It should
be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject
that "Becoming C. S. Lewis" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $15.19).
Editorial Note: Harry Lee Poe (who holds a PhD from the Southern Baptist Theological
Seminary) serves as the Charles Colson University Professor of Faith and Culture at Union
University, where he has taught a course on C. S. Lewis for over fifteen years. He is the author of
The Inklings of Oxford and C. S. Lewis Remembered, as well as numerous articles. Poe hosts
regular Inklings Weekend retreats and is a speaker on Lewis at major libraries worldwide.
Meryl Streep: On the Couch
Alma Bond
Bancroft Press
PO Box 65360, Baltimore, MD 21209
www.bancroftpress.com
9781610884990, $27.95, HC, 260pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Meryl Streep is a Hollywood icon, a political activist, a twenty-plus Oscar-nominated
actress, and a mystery. The Devil Wears Prada, Kramer v. Kramer, Julie & Julia, Mama Mia!,
Sophie's Choice, as an actress Meryl does it all. But who is she when the camera stops rolling?
What are the thoughts that she keeps hidden?
Enter Dr. Darcy Dale. The most successful psychoanalyst in New York City, Dr. Dale has treated
a number of the most famous and exceptional women in the world. Marilyn Monroe, Jackie O.,
and Barbra Streisand have all managed to find their way to the doorstep of the office of this
psychoanalyst.
Fully aware of Dr. Dale's notability, Streep decides to pay her a call, but not for psychiatric
treatment. The actress hopes to observe Dr. Dale as a means of preparing for her next role as a
psychoanalyst. The two strike a deal: Streep will undergo analysis herself, just as psychoanalysts
must do as part of their education.
In the newest installment of her 'On the Couch' series, Dr. Alma H. Bond gives us a seat on the
couch next to Meryl as the actress prepares for her next role, and Dr. Dale performs an analysis
of one of Hollywood's most talented actresses. What follows is one of the most thorough and
comprehensive biographies of Meryl Streep.
In this detailed guide to all that made Meryl, anything you have ever wondered is chronicled in
Dr. Dale's session notes. In-depth research spanning Streep's ancestry, childhood, college years,
romantic entanglements, and more all finds its way onto these pages. Anyone who has ever
wanted to learn more about Meryl Streep as a person, or has an interest in her acting methods,
will undoubtedly lap up this book's fascinating contents.
"Meryl Streep: On the Couch" offers what no other biography can: a psychoanalytic perspective
into the life and mind of Meryl Streep. While the media gives us the most versatile and amazing
actress of her generation, Dr. Bond gives us the mother, the wife, the woman.
Critique: An inherently fascinating and impressively informative biography of an inherently
fascinating and impressively talented woman, "Meryl Streep: On the Couch" will prove to be an
immediate and enduringly popular addition to both community and academic library
Contemporary American Biography collections, as well as the personal reading lists of the
legions of Meryl Streep fans.
The International Studies Shelf
After ISIS
Seth J. Frantzman
Gefen Publishing House
c/o 3PLCenter, 3003 Woodbridge Ave., Edison, NJ 08837
www.gefenpublishing.com
9789657023099 $16.95 pbk / $9.84 Kindle amazon.com
Synopsis: This book, based on four years of on-the-ground reporting, research in ten countries in
the Middle East, a thousand hours of interviews with key players and access to generals, spies,
policymakers, soldiers and refugees, is the first comprehensive look at the defeat of ISIS and the
future reshaping of the Middle East. It provides a unique window into the battle for the heart and
soul of the Muslim world and lays out why we need to be informed about changes on the ground
after the defeat of ISIS. More than seventy countries are members of the international coalition
formed in 2014 to defeat Islamic State (ISIS).
After ISIS provides a sobering blueprint for how the US and regional powers will re-shape the
region in years to come. Understanding these events and the choices ahead will determine if ISIS
and similar ideologies reemerge, whether a new war between the US, its allies and Iran comes in
the wake of ISIS, or if a younger generation of leaders can carve out a new Middle East. As ISIS
recedes, the world is at a unique historic crossroads in the Middle East. Decisions made now in
the region and in Washington matter more than ever. Tehran and the US are increasingly on a
collision course to struggle over the vacuum left behind by ISIS in Iraq and Syria.
Critique: After ISIS: America, Iran and the Struggle for the Middle East is a studious analysis of
the years after the defeat of ISIS in the middle east. Tensions, instability, and a power vacuum
threaten to kindle a renewed conflict, especially when Iranian and American interests in the
region clash. In order to forge the most effective strategy going forward, it is essential to
understand the mistakes and realities of the past, making After ISIS an absolutely invaluable
reference, resourse, and contribution to public and college library International Studies shelves.
Highly recommended. It should be noted for personal reading lists that After ISIS is also
available in a Kindle edition ($9.84).
Political Corruption in Africa
Inge Amundsen, editor
Edward Elgar Publishing
9 Dewey Court, Northampton, MA 01060-3815
www.e-elgar.com
9781788972512, $130.00, HC, 224pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Expertly compiled and edited by Inge Amundsen (who is a Senior Researcher at the
Chr. Michelsen Institute in Bergen, Norway), "Political Corruption in Africa: Extraction and
Power Preservation" is an insightful and collective study analyzing political corruption as a
distinct but separate entity from bureaucratic corruption. In a timely publication, "Political
Corruption in Africa" separates these two very different social phenomena in a way that is often
overlooked in contemporary studies. Individual chapters argue that political corruption includes
two basic, critical and related processes: extractive and power-preserving corruption.
Evaluating seven key case studies, "Political Corruption in Africa" illustrates the theoretical basis
of corruption and provides a political-economy analysis of the topic, using examples from
Sub-Saharan Africa. Outlining how and who is involved, these cases explore the present
conditions that enable political corruption. The contemporary study also highlights how political
corruption undermines the political will to curb corruption, a key area that traditional
anti-corruption efforts have failed in.
A pertinent and forward-thinking contribution to the field, "Political Corruption in Africa" will
be of interest to those working in anti-corruption, including in aid agencies, national NGOs and
government agencies. It will also be useful to development studies, development economics and
political theory scholars.
Critique: Comprised of nine erudite and informative articles by experts in this specific field of
study, "Political Corruption in Africa: Extraction and Power Preservation" is enhanced for the
reader with the inclusion of a complete listing of the contributors and their credentials, as well as
a twelve page Index. An impressively detailed and documented work of collective and seminal
scholarship, "Political Corruption in Africa: Extraction and Power Preservation" is an
extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to community, college, university, as well
as corporate and governmental library International Political Science collections in general, and
Contemporary African Studies supplemental curriculum reading lists.
Surviving the Peace
Peter Lippman
Vanderbilt University Press
VU Station B 351813, Nashville, TN 37235-1813
www.vanderbiltuniversitypress.com
9780826522610, $27.95, HC, 488pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: "Surviving the Peace: The Struggle for Postwar Recovery in Bosnia-Herzegovina" by
Peter Lippman is a monumental feat of ground-level reporting describing two decades of postwar
life in Bosnia, specifically among those fighting for refugee rights of return. Unique in its breadth
and profoundly humanitarian in its focus, "Surviving the Peace" situates digestible explanations
of the region's bewilderingly complex recent history among interviews, conversations, and
tableaus from the lives of everyday Bosnians attempting to make sense of what passes for normal
in a postwar society.
Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Surviving the Peace" is essential
reading for anyone interested in postwar or post-genocide studies in general, and the Bosnia-
Herzegovina conflict in particular. Also available for personal reading lists in a digital book
format (Kindle, $17.49), "Surviving the Peace" is a perfect example of long-form reporting, an
impossible accomplishment without a lifetime of dedication to a place and people and
unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library collections.
Editorial Note: Peter Lippman is a professional journalist and dedicated human rights activist. A
fascination with the ethnography of southeast Europe led him to Yugoslavia in the early 1980s.
He lived and worked in Bosnia-Herzegovina for two years after the war, and has returned many
times since then. Over more than two decades, he has closely followed the efforts of grassroots
activists to return to their prewar homes, to fight corruption and discrimination, and to regain
their rights.
The Graphic Novel Shelf
Bloodborne: The Veil, Torn Asunder
Ales Kot, author
Piotr Kowalski, illustrator
Titan Comics
https://titan-comics.com
9781787730151, $16.99, PB, 112pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Yharnam has descended into madness. Yarem came to the city a long time ago, a man
with a past spent in shackles. He found a new purpose in travel and discovery... but what he will
find in Yharnam will test the limits of not just his desire, but also his sanity. As Yharnam falls
apart, Yarem realizes his own perception of time and space is becoming radically altered. The
walls of reality buckle and fold. He sees the Moon fill with blood. Yarem decides to descend
deeper into the madness, and boldly discover the new horizons of reality. The price for such
sights may be his life -- or at the very least his sanity.
Critique: Featuring the stunning artwork of Piotr Kowalski, this inherently fascinating fourth
volume of graphic novelist Ales Kot's Bloodborne series, "The Veil Torn Asunder" is an
absolutely compelling read from first page to last. While highly recommended for community
library Graphic Novel collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Bloodborne:
The Veil, Torn Asunder" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle & comiXology,
$11.54).
Editorial Note: Piotr Kowalski is a comic book writer and artist from Poland. Some of his work
includes Robocop, Gail, Marvel Knights: Hulk, Dark Tower, Sex, Dark Souls and Titan's
Wolfenstein series.
Ales Kot is a writer, director and producer with primary focus on film, comics, television and
video games. He's responsible for Image titles such as Zero, Wolf, Material Change, The Surface,
and Wild Children, comics which have received many accolades from media such as Wired, The
Guardian, The Hollywood Reporter, Entertainment Weekly, and many others. He lives,
unsurprisingly, mostly in Los Angeles.
Assassin's Creed: Bloodstone
Guillaume Dorison, author
Ennio Bufi, illustrator
Titan Comics
https://titan-comics.com
9781787734258, $9.99, HC, 48pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Tomo, who as a child was the lone survivor of a Templar massacre of his Assassin's
village in the mountains of Japan, became one of the youngest members of the Japanese Assassin
cell when he uncovered a complex conspiracy. More of a man of science than a man of action,
Tomo investigates further, leading him to follow the footsteps of Assassins that operated during
the Vietnam War. But what secrets will he uncover?
Critique: The latest addition to the growing library of Assassin/Templar graphic novels,
"Assassin's Creed: Bloodstone" is a deftly scripted, beautifully illustrated, and unreservedly
recommended addition to both personal and community library collections. An inherently
riveting read from cover to cover, it should be noted that "Assassin's Creed: Bloodstone" is also
available in a digital book format (Kindle & comiXology, $9.49).
Editorial Note: Guillaume Dorison is a French comic book writer who often writes under the
pseudonym Izu, including the complete series 'Omega Complex' and 'Crusades'. In 2011, he
signed with Glenat for the comic strip series adapted from the new adventures of the 'Little
Prince' , as well as for several titles of the Explora collection for the same publisher. He also
wrote the adaptation of the video game 'Devil May Cry'
Born in Italy in 1976, Ennio Bufi graduated in sculpture from the Academy of Fine Arts in Bari.
From 2007 to 2010, he worked in animation and participated in several productions as a graphic
designer and character designer. In Italy, he has been an artist of 'Geronimo Stilton' books and of
'Giorgio Perlasca, un uomo comune', a comic about the life of Italian war hero Giorgio Perlasca
created with Marco Sonseri for Renoir Comics. After having been noticed for his work as an
illustrator, he published for the first time in France with Grand Angle, a book entitled
Clandestino written by Marzano. In 2013, he then worked with Geronimo Stilton on a children's
series at Glenat. In 2016, he illustrated Vertigo at Lombard and joined Humanoids to take over
the Carthago series from Milan Jovanovic.
Robotech Remix: Deja Vu
Brendon Fletcher
Titan Comics
https://titan-comics.com
9781787730298, $16.99, PB, 112pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: After the events of Titan's first Robotech comic volume, the humans' war with alien
invaders has ended -- but the threat to mankind is not over. Ace pilot Dana Sterling had traveled
back in time to help in the war, but she has become trapped in a remixed past of her own making.
Now mysterious new enemies have emerged and Dana could be the only person who can stop
them!
Critique: "Robotech Remix: Deja Vu" is comprised of issues 1 to 4 of Titan Comics' outstanding
Robotech science fiction series by Brenden Fletcher and is a 'must read' for the legions of
Robotech fans. While especially recommended for community library graphic novel collections,
it should be noted for personal reading lists that ""Robotech Remix: Deja Vu" is also available in
a digital book format (Kindle/comiXology, $11.99).
Editorial Note: Brenden Fletcher is a New York Times bestselling writer of comic books and
animation. His current projects include "Motor Crush" and "Isola" for Image Comics and
"Robotech" for Titan Comics. His previous work includes DC Comics' "Batgirl of Burnside", the
YA mystery/adventure series "Gotham Academy" and Entertainment Weekly's "Best New
Series" of 2015, "Black Canary". Brenden also contributed the acclaimed Flash story to the
Eisner and Harvey Award winning "Wednesday Comics", co-created the Power Rangers: Pink"
mini-series for Boom! Studios and contributed to "Ghost in the Shell: Global Neural Network"
and the "Attack on Titan" anthology for Kodansha.
Doctor Who: Time Out of Mind
Jody Houser, author
Roberta Ingranata, illustrator
Titan Comics
https://titan-comics.com
9781785868894, $16.99, PB, 104pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: In "Doctor Who: Time Out of Mind" the 13th Doctor and her companions visit an
inter-galactic fair for some down time, only to realize things aren't all as they seem. Both their
minds and the TARDIS' logs have been tampered with, and in a bid to discover just what in
Gallifrey's name is going on, they head to a distant planet where they encounter a mysterious
festive figure involved in an audacious plot!
Critique: An absolute 'must' for the collections and reading lists of all dedicated Doctor Who
fans, "Doctor Who: Time Out of Mind" is an impressively illustrated and fully original
contribution to the growing library of Doctor Who science fiction adventures. While absolutely
certain to be an immensely popular addition to community library graphic novel collections, it
should be noted for personal reading lists that "Doctor Who: Time Out of Mind" is also available
in a digital book format (Kindle/comiXology, $8.99).
Editorial Note: Jody Houser is the bestselling and critically-acclaimed comics writer behind such
titles as Faith, Mother Panic, Star Wars: Rogue One, Star Wars: Thrawn, Amazing Spider-Man:
Renew Your Vows, Supergirl, Orphan Black, James Bond: Moneypenny, and The X-Files:
Origins, to name but a few.
Roberta Ingranata is an Italian comic artist from Milan. She has worked for various publishers
both in Europe and the US. After working on Robyn Hood, she went on to become the regular
artist on Witchblade and Titan's Doctor Who - The Thirteenth Doctor.
Hawkmoon - The History of the Runestaff Volume 2
James Cawthorn
Titan Comics
https://titan-comics.com
9781785864230, $39.99, HC, 136pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Set in a post-apocalyptic world where sorcery and science live side by side, the Dark
Empire of Granbretan, formerly Great Britain, has risen from the ashes of nuclear Armageddon
to become the mightiest empire the world has ever known. Now under the despotic rule of the
immortal King-Emperor Huon, the empire is expanding its diabolical reach across what was once
Europe. Against the backdrop of political intrigue, arcane magic, flying machines and high
adventure, one man, Dorian Hawkmoon, the Duke of Koln, continues his fight to stop Huon's
evil once and for all.
Critique: Deftly adapted and dramatically drawn in black and white by the critically acclaimed
artist and writer James Cawthorn. this second and concluding volume of The Chronicles of
Hawkmoon: Runestaff by sword and sorcery fantasy master Michael Moorcock's is the
culmination of Cawthorn and Moorcock's grand vision and mark the conclusion of a saga 40
years in the telling. A compelling and memorable read from cover to cover, "The Chronicles of
Hawkmoon: The History of the Runestaff - Volume 2" is unreservedly recommended for
community library graphic novel collections. It should be noted for the legions of Michael
Moorcock fans that it is also available in a digital book format (Kindle & comiXology,
$23.99).
The Future Is Waiting
Pierre Christin, author
Jean-Claude Mezieres, illustrator
Cinebook Ltd.
www.cinebook.com
c/o National Book Network (dist.)
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
www.nbnbooks.com
9781849184359, $13.95, PB, 56pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: After the events of The Time Opener, Valerian and Laureline reverted to childhood,
and are now living with Mr Albert on 21st century Earth. But in a universe where time travel is a
reality, words like 'after' or even 'now' can be somewhat hazy, and elsewhere, in other times, our
young but nonetheless adult agents are still working tirelessly to maintain a galactic peace
threatened as always by greed and the thirst for power.
Editorial: Another superbly crafted science fiction story in the on-going Valerian and Laureline
saga, "The Future Is Waiting" by the creative team of Christin and Mezieres is a 'must' addition
to the personal reading lists of all dedicated science fiction fans. While unreservedly
recommended and certain to be an enduringly popular addition to community library graphic
novel collections, it should be noted that "The Future Is Waiting" is also available in a digital
book format (Kindle & comiXology, $5.99).
Editorial Note: Jean-Claude Mezieres and Pierre Christin created Valerianin 1967 after working
in the USA together, one as a cowboy, the other a teacher. While Valerianis Mezieres'only comic
series, he has worked as an illustrator in many other areas, including designs and sets for The
Fifth Element, and he was awarded the Grand Prix du festival d'Angouleme in 1984. Christin
also works in collaboration with other artists such as Tardiand Bilaland writes novels and film
scripts.
The Betrayed Sorceress
Van Hamme, author
Grzegorz Rosinski, illustrator
Cinebook Ltd.
www.cinebook.com
c/o National Book Network (dist.)
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
www.nbnbooks.com
9781849184434, $19.95, PB, 96pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Thorgal's coming-of-age is painfully similar to the rest of his life: the young man finds
himself tied up to the stone of sacrifice by Gandalf the Mad, king of the Vikings of the North and
father of his beloved Aaricia. There, the Child of the Stars can do nothing but wait for the
coming tide - and death. Until, that is, a mysterious sorceress with flaming red hair comes to
offer him a deal: his life, and revenge, against one year in her service.
Critique: Another deftly penned, beautifully illustrated, action/adventure saga of swords and
sorceries, "The Betrayed Sorceress" is another wonderfully entertaining graphic novel in the
Thorgal series by the team of author Van Hamme and illustrator Grzegorz Rosinski. While very
strongly recommended for community library graphic novel collections, it should be noted for
the growing legions of Thorgal fans that "The Betrayed Sorceress" is also available in a digital
book format (Kindle & comiXology, $8.46).
Editorial Note: Jean Van Hammewas born in 1939 in Belgium. His major breakthrough came in
1977, when he created the Vikinghero Thorgalfor Grzegorz Rosinski. The mix of medieval
legends and heroic fantasy soon became a huge success, with major awards following. He is also
the creator of the bestselling series Largo Winchand XIII (published in English by
Cinebook).
Grzegorz Rosinskiis one of the most popular artists of comic books in Western Europe. Among
his later works are the series Chninkel (with Van Hamme) and a series titled Lament of the Lost
Moors (with Jean Dufaux). In 2001, the Rosinski/Van Hamme duo published yet another comic
book titled Western, based in the American Old West.
The Audiobook Shelf
Big Lies in a Small Town
Diane Chamberlain, author
Read by Susan Bennett
dianechamberlain.com
Macmillan Audio
www.macmillanaudio.com
9781250259929 $39.99 amazon.com
Synopsis: North Carolina, 2018: Morgan Christopher's life has been derailed. Taking the fall for
a crime she did not commit, she finds herself serving a three-year stint in the North Carolina
Women's Correctional Center. Her dream of a career in art is put on hold - until a mysterious
visitor makes her an offer that will see her released immediately. Her assignment: restore an old
post office mural in a sleepy southern town. Morgan knows nothing about art restoration, but
desperate to leave prison, she accepts. What she finds under the layers of grime is a painting that
tells the story of madness, violence, and a conspiracy of small town secrets.
North Carolina, 1940: Anna Dale, an artist from New Jersey, wins a national contest to paint a
mural for the post office in Edenton, North Carolina. Alone in the world and desperate for work,
she accepts. But what she doesn't expect is to find herself immersed in a town where prejudices
run deep, where people are hiding secrets behind closed doors, and where the price of being
different might just end in murder.
What happened to Anna Dale? Are the clues hidden in the decrepit mural? Can Morgan
overcome her own demons to discover what exists beneath the layers of lies?
Critique: Now available as an unabridged audiobook, Big Lies in a Small Town is a
psychological mystery-thriller about secrets buried decades in the past. Two tales set in a sleepy
North Carolina town unfold - one in the present, one in the past, but both revolve around the
murderous intentions hidden with the art of a post office mural. Superbly performed by Susan
Bennett, Big Lies in a Small Town is a choice pick for connoisseurs of the genre. 11 CDs, 13.5
hours.
Good Girls Lie
J.T. Ellison
Performed by Fiona Hardingham
Harlequin Audio
c/o Blackstone Publishing
Downpour.com
9781982646134 $39.99 amazon.com
Synopsis: Perched atop a hill in the tiny town of Marchburg, Virginia, the Goode School is a
prestigious prep school known as a Silent Ivy. The boarding school of choice for daughters of the
rich and influential, it accepts only the best and the brightest. Its elite status, long-held traditions,
and honor code are ideal for preparing exceptional young women for brilliant futures at Ivy
League universities and beyond. But a stranger has come to Goode, and this ivy has turned
poisonous.
In a world where appearances are everything, as long as students pretend to follow the rules, no
one questions the cruelties of the secret societies or the dubious behavior of the privileged young
women who expect to get away with murder. But when a popular student is found dead, the truth
cannot be ignored. Rumors suggest she was struggling with a secret that drove her to
suicide.
But look closely... because there are truths and there are lies, and then there is everything that
really happened.
Critique: Award-winning author J.T. Ellison presents Good Girls Lie, a tale of suspense superbly
adapted to unabridged audiobook format and brought to life by Fiona Hardingham's gripping
performance. Good Girls Lie is set at a boarding school for the best and brightest daughters of
wealthy and influential people. Then, amid this environment of elite young women preparing for
Ivy League universities, a popular student is found dead. Rumors swirl that she had a bitter secret
that drove her to suicide, but are the rumors true? Good Girls Lie is interwoven with sinister
motives, intrigue, and deception, and will keep the reader guessing to the very end. Highly
recommended, especially for connoisseurs of the genre. 10 CDs, 12 hours.
Alone in the Wild
Kelley Armstrong, author
Read by Therese Plummer
Macmillan Audio
www.macmillanaudio.com
9781250260871 $39.99 CD / $26.99 digital amazon.com
Synopsis: Every season in Rockton seems to bring a new challenge. At least that's what Detective
Casey Duncan has felt since she decided to call this place home. Between all the secretive
residents, the sometimes-hostile settlers outside, and the surrounding wilderness, there's always
something to worry about.
While on a much needed camping vacation with her boyfriend, Sheriff Eric Dalton, Casey hears a
baby crying in the woods. The sound leads them to a tragic scene: a woman buried under the
snow, murdered, a baby still alive in her arms.
A town that doesn't let anyone in under the age of eighteen, Rockton must take care of its
youngest resident yet while solving another murder and finding out where the baby came from -
and whether she's better off where she is.
Critique: Alone in the Wild is the unabridged audiobook rendition of the fifth novel in the Casey
Duncan mystery series. While camping with her boyfriend (Sheriff Eric Dalton), Casey discovers
the body of a murdered woman, and a crying infant. In nearby Rockton, a town normally closed
to young people, Casey must look after the baby while determining where it came from and
solving the tragic murder. But Rockton's residents each have their own secrets to hide! Tautly
written, Alone in the Wild is a masterful work of suspenseful crime fiction, highly recommended.
9 CDs, 10.5 hours.
Dealing Death and Drugs
Beto O'Rourke & Susie Byrd, authors
Jonathan Todd Ross & Andrea Gallo, narrators
Recorded Books, LLC
270 Skip Jack Road, Prince Frederick, MD 20678
www.recordedbooks.com
9781980056669, $TBA, CD, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: The War on Drugs doesn't work. This became obvious to El Paso City Representatives
Susie Byrd and Beto O'Rourke when they started to ask questions about why El Paso's sister city,
Ciudad Juarez, has become the deadliest city in the world - 8,000-plus deaths since January 1,
2008. Byrd and O'Rourke soon realized American drug use and United States' failed War on
Drugs are at the core of problem.
In "Dealing Death and Drugs: The Big Business of Dope in the US and Mexico " they explore the
costs and consequences of marijuana prohibition. They argue that marijuana prohibition has
created a black market so profitable that drug kingpins are billionaires and drug control doesn't
stand a chance. Using Juarez as their focus, they describe the business model of drug trafficking
and explain why this illicit system has led to the never-ending slaughter of human beings. Their
position: the only rational alternative to the War on Drugs is to end to the current prohibition on
marijuana.
Critique: This deftly narrated, complete and unabridged audio book edition of "Dealing Death
and Drugs: The Big Business of Dope in the US and Mexico" is an ideal introduction for the non-
specialist general listener to the failed and costly tragedy that is the American so called 'War on
Drugs. A particularly timely study into the subject of marijuana prohibition and the current
social, cultural, and political trend promoting the legalization of marijuana as a means of
combating the crime and corruption its banning had fostered throughout the United States,
"Dealing Death and Drugs: The Big Business of Dope in the US and Mexico" is unreservedly
recommended for both community and academic library collections. (3 CDs, 2 Hours, 51
Minutes).
Pressure
David Haig
Directed by Martin Jarvis
L.A. Theatre Works
681 Venice Boulevard, Venice, CA 90291
9781682661048 $29.95 www.latw.org
Synopsis: A Scottish meteorologist locks horns with his American counterpart as both men try to
convince General Dwight D. Eisenhower that they can accurately predict the atmospheric
conditions needed to launch the greatest amphibious assault in the history of mankind - the
D-Day invasion.
Pressure was recorded before a live audience at the UCLA James Bridges Theater in October
2019.
Critique: Pressure is a live-recorded, full-cast production of a play in audiobook format. Set
during World War II. A Scottish meteorologist and his American counterpart clash virulently
with one another, as both men strive to convince General Dwight D. Eisenhower that their
knowledge of atmospheric science can predict the optimal time to launch a mass military landing
at Normandy, France. Intensely performed, Pressure vividly portrays the extreme stress of having
to make critical decisions that hold millions of lives in the balance. Highly recommended,
especially for personal and public library audiobook collections. 2 CDs, 1 hour 43 min.
Bogaazan! The Child on the Battleship Yamato
Akira Hayasaka
Translated by Ichiko Flynn & Robert Solomon
Directed by Mako
L.A. Theatre Works
681 Venice Boulevard, Venice, CA 90291
9781682661192 $29.95 www.latw.org
Synopsis: As the Japanese battleship Yamato steams towards the island of Okinawa in the
closing months of World War II, a naval officer on board makes an unexpected discovery among
the stores of rice, leeks, and pickled radishes. A child has stowed away there, hoping to return to
her mother on Okinawa. His reluctant decision to protect her prompts a voyage of inner
discovery and stirs emotions as deep as the seas that threaten to swallow his unsinkable ship.
Bogaazan! The Child on the Battleship Yamato was recorded live in performance at the
Doubletree Guest Suites, Santa Monica, in July 1995.
Critique: Bogaazan! The Child on the Battleship Yamato is a live-recorded, full-cast production
of a play in audiobook format. Set aboard an "unsinkable" Japanese warship during the final
months of World War II, Bogaazan! begins with the discovery of a stowaway child, which sets of
a host of emotions in a naval officer who resolves to protect her. But amid the dire peril of war,
can any life truly be protected? Bogaazan! The Child on the Battleship Yamato is a welcome
addition to personal and public library audiobook collections, highly recommended. 1 CD, 53
min.
Hachette Audio
www.hachetteaudio.com
Three new audios are recommended picks for any audio enthusiast looking for satisfying and
involving nonfiction listening. Sarah Knight's F*ck No! How to Stop Saying Yes When You
Can't, You Shouldn't, Or You Just Don't Want To (9781549120749, $30.00) is narrated by the
author herself and focuses on how to make 'no' a more positive and more instinctual response for
those who always take on more than they can handle, whenever asked. It addresses issues of
burnout and overwork and provides strategies that support the idea of declining invitations that
aren't right or are too demanding. Joel Osteen's The Power of Favor: The Force That Will Take
You Where You Can't Go On Your Own (9781478987130, $25.00) is also read by the author,
who lends a solid and engrossing voice to his story about God's work behind the scenes of life.
Spiritual readers looking for inspirational listens with keys to better living daily life will find this
a powerful discussion of blessings, fulfillment, and how to recognize and lead a favored life.
Donald Trump Jr.'s Triggered: How the Left Thrives on Hate and Wants to Silence Us
(9781549155253, $35.00) is narrated by James Edward Thomas, who brings to life Don Jr.'s
words about not just his life and his father's experiences, but his vision for the country. It's
unexpected humor blends into a political admonition that should be listened to by all sides: the
right for its right-wing affirmations and the left for understanding his specific perspectives.
The Library CD Shelf
Excursions and Adventures
Tim Ray, piano
John Patitucci, acoustic/electric bass
Terri Lyne Carrington, drums
Whaling City Sound
www.whalingcitysound.com
c/o Naxos (dist.)
www.naxosusa.com
$16.99 CD / $8.99 MP3 amazon.com
Excursions and Adventures is a jazz album consisting of both original pieces and pop music
covers, featuring Tim Ray's masterful piano playing, Terri Lyne Carrington's rhythmic
drumming, and John Patitucci's sizzling performance on acoustic/electric bass. These vivacious,
brilliant arrangements are an extraordinary audio experience for jazz connoisseurs, highly
recommended! The tracks are "Nothing From Nothing", "Maria", "Gone, Not Forgotten", "Paint
it Black", "Trinkle Tinkle", "Unconditional Love", "Messiaen's Gumbo", "Yours is My Heart
Alone", "Samsara", "Yo 11", and "Paint it Black".
Earth
Expansions: The Dave Liebman Group
Whaling City Sound
www.whalingcitysound.com
c/o Naxos (dist.)
www.naxosusa.com
$16.99 CD amazon.com
Saxophonist and composer Dave Liebman and the group Expansions presents Earth, the fourth
and final album in his thematic series; the Expansions group includes Bobby Avey on piano,
MattVashlishan on reeds, Alex Ritz on drums, and Tony Marino on bass. The original songs
evoke the themes of the Earth as a living entity, and its interconnections with all beings. A
striking, resonant soundscape, Earth is highly recommended especially to connoisseurs of
extraordinary saxophone music. Highly recommended! The tracks are "Earth Theme", "Bass
Interlude", "Volcano/Avalanche", "Percussion/Flute Interlude", "The Sahara", "Soprano
Saxophone Interlude", "Grand Canyon/Mt. Everest", "Drum Interlude", "Concrete Jungle",
"Piano Interlude", "Dust to Dust", "Wind Synthesizer Interlude", "Galaxy", and "Earth Theme
(reprise)". 47 min., 37 sec. The other albums in the quadrilogy are "Water" (with Pat Metheny,
Billy Hart, and Cecil McBee), "Air" (with Walter Quintus), and "Fire" (featuring Kenny Werner,
Jack DeJohnette, and Dave Holland).
Cerulean
Eleon
Heart Dance Records
www.heartdancerecords.com
$13.98 CD / $9.03 MP3 amazon.com
Cerulean is a quiescent electronic music album, crafted especially to ease connoisseurs of
lounge-style groove. The smooth, wordless rhythms create a sense of loose, free-flowing ease.
Cerulean is a choice pick for connoisseurs of chill music, highly recommended. The tracks are
"Mariah's Dream", "Once There Was a Place Like This", "The Crystal Portal", "Migration",
"Winston's Journey", "Right Before My Eyes" and "Cerulean". 47 min., 22 sec.
Memories of Water and Light
Scott Cossu
www.scottcossu.com
Heart Dance Records
www.heartdancerecords.com
$12.99 CD / $9.49 MP3 amazon.com
Memories of Water and Light is a contemporary, instrumental, new age music album about the
beauty and sadness in the cycle of life. The songs flow gently, fostering a sense of peaceful
insight, and brimming with tenderness. Memories of Water and Light is a treasure, and also
makes an excellent gift. The tracks are "Wedding Lanterns", "Memories of Water and Light",
"Cerulean Eyes", "Follow Your Heart", "Here With You", "Makena", "Luminoso", "Ascending
Angels", "Lucid Watercolors", and "Last Snow".
Love Story
Robin Spielberg
playMountain Music
$14.98 CD / $9.49 MP3 amazon.com
Love Story is Robin Spielberg's nineteenth album, showcasing her extraordinary talent to arrange
and perform hit songs (originally written by a variety of music artists) solo piano. Each enduring
"radio favorite" song gets its own unique spin, in this joy for piano connoisseurs. Highly
recommended! The tracks are "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", "100 Years", "Alone By Myself
(All By Myself)", "Alone Again, Naturally", "Love Story Theme (Where Do I Begin?)", "If",
"Viva La Vida", "Don't Dream It's Over", "You Light Up My Life", "My Hometown", "When We
Were Young", "Both Sides Now", "Love is Blue", "What I Did For Love", "Make You Feel My
Love", and "And So It Goes".
Around The Sun
Kirsten Agresta Copely
www.musiccityharp.com
Privately Published
$15.00 CD / $8.91 MP3 amazon.com
Clasically trained harpist, composer, and arranger Kirsten Agresta Copely presents Around The
Sun, an original, new age harp album designed to sweep the listener on a 365-day voyage
inspired by the Earth's revolution about the star that powers all its life. A bold, captivating way to
experience the harp, Around The Sun makes a welcome addition to personal and public library
music CD collections. The tracks are "Daybreak", "Wind Made Moan", "Persephone Rising",
"Surya", "The Silver Swan", "Water Lilies", "Fall Leaves, Fall", "Riflessioni (Reflections)", and
"Winter's Bone". 40 min., 19 sec.
Peace In This Land
Bob Yonker
Shared Dreams
shareddreamsmusic.com
$TBA CD / $8.91 MP3 amazon.com
Peace In This Land is an original album of spiritual, solo piano music. Tranquil and calming,
Peace In This Land wraps the listener in a soothing audio cocoon, and is a choice pick for
meditation, for supporting concentration, or for gift-giving. Highly recommended. The tracks are
"A Morning Meditation", "Repeating Grace", "Whisper Of The Wind", "Golden", "The Third
Day Dawns", "Circle Of Light", "In The Still Of The Night", "Sun And Moon", and "Peace In
This Land".
A Better Life
Mindful Music Association
mindfulmusicassociation.com
$24.99 CD amazon.com
A Better Life: An Introduction to the Mindful Music Association is a 2-CD album by the
nonprofit Mindful Music Association, which supports educational outreach about the benefits of
mindful music, especially for students in grades K-12. The CDs feature 26 tracks of mellifluous
music by a variety of artists. All songs promote relaxation and harmony, and are well-suited to
reduce stress, improve sleep, elevate mood, assist in meditation, and aid in general wellbeing -
valuable qualities for students who need to devote their focus to mastering lessons. Soothing and
mind-expanding, A Better Life is highly recommended for personal, public library, and school
library music CD collections. The disc one tracks are "Gliding the Current", "Sapphire Moon",
"Afternoon Reflection", "Inside This River", "Sea of Tranquility", "Heaven's Gate", "Pure Joy",
"Breathe", "Take the Time (Learning to Knit", "Be Still", "Equanimity", "Peaceful Forest", and
"In The Gloaming", The disc two tracks are "When I Was Young", "Finding You", "Berceuse for
a Star Child", "Art of Life", "Looking Back", "Now", "Levels of Peace", "Mindful Moments",
"Dream Time", "Gentle Sunshine", "Lavender Moons", "A Thousand Charms", and "Meditation
on a Moonlit Lake".
The Library DVD Shelf
The Good Karma Hospital, series 3
Acorn Media
c/o RLJ Entertainment
www.us.RLJEntertainment.com
www.acornonline.com
$39.99 DVD or Blu-ray
Available in both DVD and Blu-ray formats, The Good Karma Hospital, series 3 continues the
powerful and emotional medical drama, set in a coastal town in Southern India, where junior
doctor Ruby Walker (played by Amrita Acharia) labors at an overburdened cottage hospital, with
scant access to resources. In series three, an idealist on the hospital's nursing team suffers a
violent attack, and Dr. Walker must settle her priorities between the hospital and the Indian
family she has become close to. Her relationship with Dr. Gabriel Varma (played by James
Krishna Floyd) is jeopardized by the presence of a striking, world-class surgeon from Gabriel's
past. The Good Karma Hospital, series 3is a choice pick for medical drama enthusiasts, highly
recommended. Bonus materials include a 17-minute behind-the-scenes featurette. 6 episodes on 2
DVDs or 2 Blu-ray discs, 285 min.
Keeping Faith, series 2
Starring Eve Myles
Acorn Media
www.acornonline.com
www.us.RLJEntertainment.com
$39.99 DVD / $39.99 Blu-ray
Available in both DVD and Blu-ray formats, Keeping Faith, series 2 continues the award-
winning Acorn TV Original Series, which as of this writing has become the most-viewed "non-
network" show on the BBC iPlayer. The protagonist Faith (played by Eve Myles) is a lawyer,
wife, and mother, stricken by the aftermath of the disappearance of her husband in series 1.
Keeping Faith, series 2 is a six-part thriller that follows Faith as she deals with her husband's debt
to a vicious crime kingpin, her attraction to a former client, and defending a farmer's wife whom
Faith believes has been falsely accused of her husband's murder. Intense, beautifully shot, and
featuring complex, compelling characters, Keeping Faith, series 2 is highly recommended. Bonus
materials include a 33-minute behind-the-scenes featurette. 6 episodes on 2 discs, 360 min. plus
bonus, SDH subtitles.
My Life is Murder
Starring Lucy Lawless
Acorn Media
www.acornonline.com
www.us.RLJEntertainment.com
$59.99 DVD / $59.99 Blu-ray
Available in both DVD and Blu-ray formats, My Life is Murder is a modern-day detective drama
featuring award-winning actress Lucy Lawless (known for her starring role in the "Xena: Warrior
Princess" series) as Alexa Crowe, a private investigator and ex-homicide detective who solves
complex crimes while navigating everyday difficulties. She has a particular talent for drawing out
secrets hidden amid the darkest recesses of human nature. Set in Australia's bustling city of
Melbourne, My Life Is Murder is a smoothly written, vivaciously performed, and highly
recommended especially to connoisseurs of the genre. Bonus materials include behind-the-scenes
featurettes, cast and crew interviews, animated shorts, and more. 10 episodes on 3 DVDs or 3
Blu-ray discs, 445 min. plus bonus, SDH subtitles.
Tai Chi Fit Over 60 series
David-Dorian Ross
YMAA Publications
$29.95 each www.ymaa.com
World-class tai chi expert David-Dorian Ross presents three DVDs in the Tai Chi Fit Over 60
series, each of which offers easy-to-learn exercise routines ideal for promoting strength, balance,
flexibility, and overall health. The entire series is especially intended to be thoroughly accessible
to senior citizens, but their exercises will prove beneficial to all ages. Tai Chi Fit Over 60: Gentle
Exercises for Beginners (40 min.) is especially friendly to those new to an exercise regimen. Tai
Chi Fit Over 60: Healthy Joints (40 min.) features tai chi moves designed to maintain a range of
motion in one's joints and help keep them strong. Tai Chi Fit Over 60: Live Longer Feel Younger
(40 min.) is an exercise program designed to improve vitality and overall well-being. All three
DVDs are designed so that the viewer does not have to memorize complicated patterns, but
rather simply follow along, relax, and enjoy. The Tai Chi Fit Over 60 series is enthusiastically
recommended especially for personal fitness DVD shelves, public library DVD collections, and
senior center collections.
The Political Science Shelf
We Own the Future
Kate Aronoff, Peter Drier, and Michael Kazin, editors
The New Press
120 Wall Street, floor 31, New York, NY 10005
www.thenewpress.com
9781620975213, $17.99, PB, 256pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: It's a strange day when a New York Times conservative columnist is forced to admit
that the left is winning, but as David Brooks wrote recently, "the American left is on the cusp of a
great victory." Among Americans under thirty, 43 percent had a favorable view of socialism,
while only 32 percent had a favorable view of capitalism. Not since the Great Depression have so
many Americans questioned the fundamental tenets of capitalism and expressed openness to a
socialist alternative.
Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by the team of Peter Dreier (who is the E.P. Clapp
Distinguished Professor of Politics at Occidental College), Michael Kazin (who is a Professor of
History at Georgetown University and a co-editor of Dissent magazine), and journalist Kate
Aronoff (whose writings have appeared in The Guardian, The Nation, Dissent, Jacobin, and the
New York Times), "We Own the Future: Democratic Socialism - American Style" offers a road
map to making this alternative a reality, giving readers a practical vision of a future that is more
democratic, egalitarian, inclusive, and environmentally sustainable.
"We Own the Future" also includes a crash course in the history and practice of democratic
socialism, a vivid picture of what democratic socialism in America might look like in practice,
and compelling proposals for how to get there from the age of Trump and beyond.
With contributions from some of the nation's leading political activists and analysts, "We Own
the Future" articulates a clear and uncompromising view from the left.
Critique: A perfectly timed contribution to our on-going national conversation that is a part of the
2020 presidential campaign and ideological struggle to preserve American values from
totalitarian attacks from Trump supporters in Congress and in the general public, "We Own the
Future: Democratic Socialism American Style" should be a part of every community, college,
and university library Contemporary Political Science collections. Indeed, if your community or
school library doesn't have it -- then donate a copy. It should be noted for the personal reading
lists of students, academia, political activists, and non-specialist general readers with an interest
in the subject that "We Own the Future: Democratic Socialism American Style" is also available
in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.99).
Democracy's Troubles
John E. Miller
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476681139, $29.95, PB, 219pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: As exemplified with the impeachment of President Donald J. Trump, evidence is
accumulating that democracy is under siege -- in the United States and around the world.
"Democracy's Troubles: Twelve Threats to the American Ideal and How We Can Overcome
Them" by John E. Miller identifies and explains a dozen separate challenges threatening
American democracy today.
Sorting these challenges into political and social-cultural problems, each is placed in an historical
context to describe how they work together to undermine the democratic underpinnings of the
nation.
Opening with a sketch of the historical development of democracy, "Democracy's Troubles"
makes the case for the need for improved civic education, rebuilding trust in institutions and
leaders, promoting good character and the revitalization of the healthy community -- That a
renewed commitment to governmental institutions is necessary for the people to fulfill
democracy's promise.
Critique: A timely, detailed and documented study, "Democracy's Troubles: Twelve Threats to
the American Ideal and How We Can Overcome Them" is impressively informative,
exceptionally well presented, thoughtful and thought-provoking. Given today's political divides
and the growing threat to constitutional democratic principles and institutions, "Democracy's
Troubles" is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to both community and
academic library Contemporary Political Science collections, and the personal reading lists of
students, academia, politicians, political activists, and non-specialist general readers with an
interest in the subject.
Editorial Note: John E. Miller taught American history at the University of Tulsa and South
Dakota State University for three decades. He has written nine books on Midwestern politics and
culture and other topics.
How to Get Rid of a President
David Priess
Public Affairs Books
c/o Perseus Book Group
250 West 57th Street, #1321, New York, NY 10107
www.publicaffairsbooks.com
9781541788206, $28.00, HC, 320pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: To limit executive power, the founding fathers created fixed presidential terms of four
years, giving voters regular opportunities to remove their leaders. Later on in the nation's history
the congress acted to limit presidential eligibility to a maxim of two terms. Even so, Americans
have often resorted to more dramatic paths to disempower the chief executive. The American
presidency has seen it all, from rejecting a sitting president's renomination bid and undermining
their authority in office to the more drastic methods of impeachment, and, most brutal of all,
assassination.
"How to Get Rid of a President: History's Guide to Removing Unpopular, Unable, or Unfit Chief
Executives" showcases the political dark arts in action: a stew of election dramas, national
tragedies, and presidential departures mixed with party intrigue, personal betrayal, and backroom
shenanigans. This briskly paced, darkly humorous voyage proves that while the pomp and
circumstance of presidential elections might draw more attention, the way that presidents are
removed teaches us much more about our political order.
Critique: Few books are as topically timely as "How to Get Rid of a President: History's Guide to
Removing Unpopular, Unable, or Unfit Chief Executives". An absolutely essential and core
addition to community, college, and university library Contemporary Political Science
collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of all citizens, but especially political
science students, academia, politicians, and political activists, that "How to Get Rid of a
President" is also available in a paperback edition (9781541788220, $16.99), in a digital book
format (Kindle, $9.99), and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio,
9781549177101, $35.00, CD).
Editorial Note: David Priess is author of the The President's Book of Secrets: The Untold Story
of Intelligence Briefings to America's Presidents. He has a PhD in Political Science from Duke
University and served at the CIA during the presidencies of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush as
an intelligence officer, manager, and daily intelligence briefer and at the State Department. Priess
writes, speaks, and appears often on broadcast media about the presidency and national
security.
From Quills to Tweets
Andrewa J. Dew, et al.
Georgetown University Press
3240 Prospect Street, NW, Washington, DC 20007
www.press.georgetown.edu
9781626167117, $110.95, HC, 320pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: While today's presidential tweets from Donald Trump may seem a light year apart from
the scratch of our Founding Father's quill pens during the era of the American Revolution, the
importance of political communication is eternal.
"From Quills to Tweets: How America Communicates about War and Revolution" explores the
roles that political narratives, media coverage, and evolving communication technologies have
played in precipitating, shaping, and concluding or prolonging wars and revolutions over the
course of US history.
The case studies begin with the Sons of Liberty in the era of the American Revolution, cover
American wars in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and conclude with a look at the conflict
against ISIS in the Trump era. Special chapters also examine how propagandists shaped
American perceptions of two revolutions of international significance: the Russian Revolution
and the Chinese Revolution.
Each chapter analyzes its subject through the lens of the messengers, messages, and
communications technology media to reveal the effects on public opinion and the trajectory and
conduct of the conflict. The chapters collectively provide an overview of the history of American
strategic communications on wars and revolutions that will interest scholars, students, and
communications strategists.
Critique: Collaborative compiled and co-edited by the team of Andrea J. Dew (who is the
Maritime Irregular Warfare Forces Chair and Co-Director of the Center on Irregular Warfare and
Armed Groups at the US Naval War College), Marc A. Genest (who is the Forrest Sherman
Professor of Public Diplomacy in the Strategy and Policy Department at the US Naval War
College), and S. C. M. Paine (who is the William S. Sims University Professor of History and
Grand Strategy at the US Naval War College), "From Quills to Tweets: How America
Communicates about War and Revolution" is a unique and extraordinary approach to American
political history from the founding of the nation up to the present day. A compelling and
inherently fascinating read, "From Quills to Tweets" is a work of exemplary scholarship and
unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library American Political History
collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-
specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "From Quills to Tweets" is also
available in a paperback edition (9781626167124, $36.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle,
$29.19).
What Is Post-Modern Conservatism
Matthew McManus
Zero Books
c/o John Hunt Publishing, Ltd.
www.johnhuntpublishing.com
9781789042450, $23.95, PB, 248pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: What is post-modern conservatism? How it has come to dominate the political
landscape in many developed countries? Ably compiled and deftly edited by Matt McManus
(Professor of Politics and International Relations at the University of Tec de Monterrey), "What
Is Post-Modern Conservatism: Essays On Our Hugely Tremendous Times" touches directly upon
how technological, economic, and social transformations of the post-modern epoch have brought
about a political landscape where the irrational and traditionalist aspects of conservative thought
have mutated into the hugely tremendous, autocratic, and personality cult forms we see
today.
Critique: Featuring contributory essays from Dylan De Jong, Erik Tate, Borna Radnik, David
Hollands and Conrad Hamilton, "What Is Post-Modern Conservatism: Essays On Our Hugely
Tremendous Times" is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand why so many
traditional Republicans have left the Republic Party, which itself has mutated into a haven for
white supremacists, anti-immigrants, isolationists, entrench hostilities toward democratic
institutions such as the State Department and the Judiciary, and effectively becoming a Donald
Trump oriented cult of personality movement willing to abandoned traditional conservative
Republic values of personal decency, balanced budgets, small government, and congressional
oversight of the executive branch. "What Is Post-Modern Conservatism" truly lives up to its
subtitle and is unreservedly recommended for community and academic library Contemporary
Political Science collections, as well as the personal reading lists of political science students,
academia, political activists, and all former and current members of the Republican Party.
The Great Democracy
Ganesh Sitaraman
Basic Books
www.basicbooks.com
c/o Perseus Books Group
250 W. 57th St., Suite 1500, New York, NY 10107
www.perseusbooksgroup.com
9781541618114, $28.00, HC, 272pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Since the New Deal in the 1930s, there have been two eras in our political history: the
liberal era, stretching up to the 1970s, followed by the neoliberal era of privatization and
austerity ever since. In each period, the dominant ideology was so strong that it united even
partisan opponents. But today the neoliberal era is collapsing, and the central question of our
time is what comes next.
As acclaimed legal scholar and policy expert Ganesh Sitaraman (Ganesh Sitaraman who is the
Chancellor's Faculty Fellow, Professor of Law, and Director of the Program in Law and
Government at Vanderbilt Law School) argues in the pages of "The Great Democracy: How to
Fix Our Politics, Unrig the Economy, and Unite America", two political visions now contend for
the future. One is nationalist oligarchy, which rigs the system for the rich and powerful while
using nationalism to mobilize support. The other is the great democracy, which fights corruption
and extends both political and economic power to all people.
At this decisive moment in history, "The Great Democracy" offers a bold, transformative agenda
for achieving real democracy.
Critique: An impressive and insightfully detailed analysis of modern American political history
that has culminated in the election of Donald Trump to the presidency, "The Great Democracy:
How to Fix Our Politics, Unrig the Economy, and Unite America" is an extraordinary and
unreservedly recommended addition to community, college, and university library Contemporary
Political Science collections and supplemental studies reading lists. It should be noted for
students, academia, politicians, political activists and reformers that "The Great Democracy" is
also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $16.99).
The Library Science Shelf
The Sustainable Library's Cookbook
Raymond Pun & Gary L. Shaffer, editors
ACRL
c/o American Library Association
50 East Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611
www.alastore.ala.org
9780838946589, $54.55, PB, 140pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: In 2019, the American Library Association added sustainability to its Core Values of
Librarianship to foster community awareness and engagement on climate change, resilience,
environmental impact, and a sustainable future. Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by
Raymond Pun (who is the Instruction/Research Librarian at Alder Graduate School of Education)
and Gary L. Shaffer (who is the Director of Library Arts and Culture for the City of Glendale,
California) "The Sustainable Library's Cookbook" is an ACRL compendium of a series of
engaging activities for academic libraries interested in implementing sustainability practices.
The three different areas covered include: Applying Sustainability Thinking and Development.
Recipes are focused on applying sustainable thinking processes to library functions and services,
including open educational resources, seed libraries, and reusable supplies and resources;
Teaching, Learning, and Research Services. This section contains lesson plans, learning guides,
research activities, and projects that focus on sustainability in disciplinary and interdisciplinary
approaches, from STEM data literacy to campus sustainability projects to Indigenous
environmental justice; Community Engagement, Outreach, and Partnerships. Recipes emphasize
how community partnerships and outreach can be effective ways to inform and foster
sustainability practices in the library and beyond, including environmental movie nights,
bike-lending programs, and ideas for sustainable fashion.
Many of these described activities include learning outcomes and goals drawn from the ACRL's
Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education, disciplinary focuses, and the United
Nations' 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. This "cookbook" provides librarians with a series
of best and effective practices, case studies, and approaches to support sustainability efforts in the
library and collaboratively across campus.
Critique: Exceptionally well organized and presented, and an ideal selection as library staff in-
service training textbook, "The Sustainable Library's Cookbook" is a unique and unreservedly
recommended addition to professional, college, and university Library Science instructional
reference collections and supplemental studies reading lists.
Editorial Note: Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) is the higher education
association for librarians. Representing more than 11,000 academic and research librarians and
interested individuals, ACRL develops programs, products and services to help academic and
research librarians learn, innovate and lead within the academic community. Founded in 1940,
ACRL is committed to advancing learning and transforming scholarship.
The Technology Shelf
Renewable Energy Technologies and Resources
Nader Anani
Artech House
685 Canton Street, Norwood, MA 02062
www.artechhouse.com
9781630815738, $149.00, HC, 220pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: "Renewable Energy Technologies and Resources" focuses on photovoltaics, hydro,
tidal, wind, and biomass systems. It explains the scientific principles and physical systems used
for harvesting and harnessing of renewable resources and makes comprehensive use of worked
examples and problems. Readers will also learn how to effectively calculate the cost and payback
time for a given renewable energy plant by understanding the factors affecting the cost of
generating electricity from a renewable energy system.
"Renewable Energy Technologies and Resources" uses a simplified mathematical approach and
provides appropriate background material. The ultimate objective of "Renewable Energy
Technologies and Resources" is to provide a concise text book for university students on science
and engineering courses as well as for professional practitioners. principles and physical systems
used for harvesting and harnessing of renewable resources and makes comprehensive use of
worked examples and problems.
Readers will also learn how to effectively calculate the cost and payback time for a given
renewable energy plant by understanding the factors affecting the cost of generating electricity
from a renewable energy system. "Renewable Energy Technologies and Resources" uses a
simplified mathematical approach and provides appropriate background material.
Critique: Especially and unreservedly recommended for professional, college, and university
library collections, "Renewable Energy Technologies and Resources" by Nader Anani (Associate
Professor, School of Engineering, University of Wolverhamton, UK) presents an impressively
presented, accessibly organized, and comprehensive coverage of renewable energy technologies
and resources, making it an ideal textbook for Power Engineering curriculum lists.
Principles of RF and Microwave Design
Matthew A. Morgan
Artech House
685 Canton Street, Norwood, MA 02062
www.artechhouse.com
9781630816490, $179.00, HC, 712pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: "Principles of RF and Microwave Design" highlights and deftly explains the
fundamental physical laws of classical electromagnetics using a foundation of Maxwell's
equations to give insight into the operating principles of circuit elements of all kinds, from
lumped elements to transmission lines, waveguides, optical fibers, and quasi-optical
structures.
Standard passive system components like filters, splitters, couplers, hybrids, baluns, and antennas
are explained to acclimate the reader to considering multiple technological solutions for common
design problems.
A basic overview of active circuit designs, such as amplifiers, mixers, and multipliers is also
provided, along with discussion of the performance characteristics of electronic systems,
including noise and linearity.
Emphasis is placed on visualization and understanding of how and why electronic circuits of all
frequencies are built and operate the way they do.
Readers learn how to match an amplifier for optimum noise performance over the broadest
bandwidth with the fewest number of elements and how to visualize the coupling of various
modes in a mixed waveguide-type structure and avoid resonances due to trapped, higher-order
modes.
"Principles of RF and Microwave Design" also provides the tools needed to design and optimize
a launcher from microstrip into waveguide, and whether the best characteristics can be achieved
by incorporating matching elements in the microstrip section, the waveguide section, or
both.
Packed with references and examples, readers learn not only how to do the math but what the
math means.
Critique: A comprehensive and exceptionally well organized instructional resource, "Principles
of RF and Microwave Design" by Matthew A. Morgan provides a thorough introduction to the
principles of electronic circuits operating in the radio, microwave, and millimeter-wave
frequency ranges -- making it an ideal choice for a curriculum textbook and an unreservedly
recommended addition to professional, college, and university library Microwave Technology
collections and supplemental studies reading and reference lists.
Editorial Note: Matthew A. Morgan is a scientist/research engineer at the Central Development
Lab (CDL) at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) in Charlottesville, VA. He
received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from California Institute of
Technology and his B.S. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Virginia.
Artech House
www.artechhouse.com
Two reference titles from Artech House provide college-level engineering collections with solid
technical discussions suitable for independent study or classroom applications. Matthew A.
Morgan's Principles of RF and Microwave Design (9781630816490, $179.00) is a detailed
introduction to the basics of electronic circuits in the radio and microwave environments, and
surveys physics, equations, circuit designs, and basic characteristics of electronic systems.
Readers will learn how each system operates, how to handle and design one, and how to apply
mathematical concepts specific to RF and microwave design to operating systems. Equations,
charts, and detailed descriptions abound. Y.J. Lou's OFDM Receiver Design and Simulation
(9781630817381, $159.00) is a technical manual offering students a basic introduction to
Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM), and provides an in-depth simulation study
of an algorithm for Wi-Fi and 4G celluar that can be used to better understand, interpret, and
work with other OFDM waveforms. Formulas for algorithms support discussions of their
conditions, applications, influences on design and specifics regarding shift registers and signal
acquisition. Both are technical surveys highly recommended as basic primers for college-level
engineering students and those in the field who want a refresher course in the latest best practices
and applications.
The Social Issues Shelf
Collateral Damage
James E. Atwood
Herald Press
P.O. Box 866, Harrisonburg, VA 22803
www.heraldpress.com
9781513804873, $29.99, HC, 224pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: One hundred people die from gun violence every day in the United States. Some fifty
children and teens are shot. There are more than 35,000 gun-related deaths every year. Yet many
Christians say gun violence shouldn't be talked about in church.
In "Collateral Damage: Changing the Conversation about Firearms and Faith", Christian pastor
James E. Atwood issues an urgent call to action to his fellow Christians to work together to stop
gun violence. An avid hunter for many years, Pastor Atwood enumerates the tragic and
far-reaching costs that accrue in a country with more guns than people. Collateral damage
includes a generalized fear and loss of trust. Suicides and homicides. Trauma for children in
neighborhoods plagued by gun violence and in schools with frequent lockdown drills. A toxic
machismo that shapes our boys and men in unhealthy ways. Economic costs that exceed $229
billion per year. Pastor Atwood also considers the deeper story of racism, inequality, and mass
incarceration in which the conversation about gun violence is lodged.
Gun violence has been called the theological emergency of our time. The church has a moral and
spiritual obligation to side with life against death. Pastor Atwood asks if we as members of the
Christian community will rise to the occasion?
Critique: An impressive, exceptional, and timely contribution to our on-going national dialogue
over gun violence, fourth amendment rights, and gun safety regulations, "Collateral Damage:
Changing the Conversation about Firearms and Faith" is an extraordinary and unreservedly
recommended addition to community, college, and university library Contemporary Social Issues
collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists for political activists and non-specialist
general readers with an interest in the subject that "Collateral Damage" is also available in a
paperback edition (9781513804866, $16.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.69).
Editorial Note: James E. Atwood is pastor emeritus of Trinity Presbyterian Church of Arlington,
Virginia. A leader in the faith-based movement for good gun laws, he has served as chair of the
anti-gun violence group Heeding God's Call of Greater Washington, interfaith coordinator of the
Million Mom March, and a member of the National Committee of the Presbyterian Peace
Fellowship. Atwood is the author of America and Its Guns and Gundamentalism. He is the
recipient of the 2018 David Steele Distinguished Writer Award by the Presbyterian Writers Guild
and the 2019 Beard Atwood Award from the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. He and his wife,
Roxana, served as mission workers in Japan and now live in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
The Literary Studies Shelf
Sina: A Novel by the Author of Heidi
Johanna Spyri, author
Anna Lisa Ohm, translator
Modern Language Association
85 Broad Street, Suite 500, New York, NY 10004-2434
www.mla.org
9781603294331, $17.00, PB, 272pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: An English translation of the German-language novel by Johanna Spyri (1827 1901).
"Sina" is the coming-of-age story of a Swiss girl who leaves her village to attend medical school.
"Sina" portrays and delves into a number of social issues including: urban and rural life,
education, gender discrimination, religion, and family values.
Critique: Believed to be a sequel to the novel Heidi, and ably translated into English for an
American readership by Anna Lisa Ohm, "Sina" is unreservedly recommended addition to
community and academic library Literary Fiction collections, and is especially commended as an
addition to the personal reading lists of everyone who has enjoyed author Johanna Spyri's classic
novel "Heidi".
The Music Shelf
The Geometry of Musical Rhythm
Godfried T. Toussaint
CRC Press
6000 NW Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300, Boca Raton, FL 33487
www.crcpress.com
9781138429604, $205, HC, 351pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: "The Geometry of Musical Rhythm: What Makes a "Good" Rhythm Good?" by
Godfride T. Toussaint is the first book to provide a systematic and accessible computational
geometric analysis of the musical rhythms of the world. It explains how the study of the
mathematical properties of musical rhythm generates common mathematical problems that arise
in a variety of seemingly disparate fields.
For the music community, "The Geometry of Musical Rhythm" also introduces the distance
approach to phylogenetic analysis and illustrates its application to the study of musical rhythm.
Accessible to both academics and musicians, the text requires a minimal set of prerequisites.
Emphasizing a visual geometric treatment of musical rhythm and its underlying structures, "The
Geometry of Musical Rhythm" presents new symbolic geometric approaches and often compares
them to existing methods -- including how distance geometry and phylogenetic analysis can be
used in comparative musicology, ethnomusicology, and evolutionary musicology research.
"The Geometry of Musical Rhythm" also strengthens the bridge between these disciplines and
mathematical music theory. Many concepts are illustrated with examples using a group of six
distinguished rhythms that feature prominently in world music, including the clave son.
Exploring the mathematical properties of good rhythms, "The Geometry of Musical Rhythm"
offers an original computational geometric approach for analyzing musical rhythm and its
underlying structures. With numerous figures to complement the explanations, it is suitable for a
wide audience, from musicians, composers, and electronic music programmers to music theorists
and psychologists to computer scientists and mathematicians. It can also be used in an
undergraduate course on music technology, music and computers, or music and
mathematics.
Critique: A unique and seminal work of original and meticulously detailed scholarship, this
newly published second edition of "The Geometry of Musical Rhythm : What Makes a "Good"
Rhythm Good?" is unreservedly recommended as a core addition to both college and university
library collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and
non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Geometry of Musical
Rhythm" is also available in a paperback edition (9780815370970, $59.95) and in a digital book
format (Kindle, $44.76).
Editorial Note: Godfried Theodore Patrick Toussaint (1944 - July 2019) was a Canadian
Computer Scientist, a Professor of Computer Science, and the Head of the Computer Science
Program at New York University Abu Dhabi in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. He is
considered to be the father of computational geometry in Canada. He did research on various
aspects of computational geometry, discrete geometry, and their applications: pattern recognition
(k-nearest neighbor algorithm, cluster analysis), motion planning, visualization (computer
graphics), knot theory (stuck unknot problem), linkage (mechanical) reconfiguration, the art
gallery problem, polygon triangulation, the largest empty circle problem, unimodality (unimodal
function), and others. Other interests included meander (art), compass and straightedge
constructions, instance-based learning, music information retrieval, and computational music
theory.
The Native American Studies Shelf
Manteo and the Algonquians of the Roanoke Voyages
Brandon Fullam
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476678016, $39.95, PB, 228pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: When the English first arrived at the Outer Banks in the summer of 1584, they were
greeted by native Algonquian-speaking people who had long occupied present-day North
Carolina. That historic contact initiated the often-turbulent period of early American history
commonly known as the Roanoke Voyages. Unfortunately, contemporary accounts regularly
mischaracterize or marginalize the Algonquins, and their significance in this period is poorly
understood.
"Manteo and the Algonquians of the Roanoke Voyages" by Brandon Fullam is a unique
collection of narratives highlighting by name all of the Algonquians who played a role in the
often contentious attempts to establish the first permanent English colony in the New World.
Starting with Manteo, the fascinating Croatoan Indian who traveled to England twice and learned
to speak English, "Manteo and the Algonquians of the Roanoke Voyages" focuses on the
identities and endeavors of each of these individual Algonquians and tells their stories.
Critique: Expertly written and organized, "Manteo and the Algonquians of the Roanoke
Voyages" is an impressively informative and skillfully presented work of detailed and
documented scholarship. Enhanced for academia with the inclusion of two appendices (Manteo
and Jack Straw; The Legend of the Coharie), eight pages of Chapter Notes, a six page
Bibliography, and a three page Index, "Manteo and the Algonquians of the Roanoke Voyages" is
very highly recommended for the personal reading lists of students and non-specialist general
readers with an interest in the subject, as well as the Native American and American Colonial
History collections of community, college, and university libraries.
Editorial Note: Retired educator Brandon Fullam has for many years researched and written
extensively on the early European-Native contact period in general and the 1587 Roanoke Island
colony in particular. His work has appeared in Lost Colony Research Group and Sampson
County Historical Society publications.
The Sports Shelf
Crack Climbing: The Definitive Guide
Pete Whittaker, author
Alex Poyzer, illustrator
Mountaineers Books
www.mountaineersbooks.org
9781680512151 $26.95 pbk / $11.57 Kindle amazon.com
Synopsis: Crack climbing is a highly technical form of movement in which climbers position
their hands, feet, and even their entire body in cracks to make upward progress on rock. An
advocate for the sport's aesthetic lines, physicality, and technical know-how, author Pete
Whittaker teaches more than sixty Crack School Masterclasses each year and was featured in the
popular climbing film Wide Boyz. This detailed and comprehensive guide teaches step-by-step
techniques and tips, including for:
Jamming (finger, hand, fist, foot, arm, leg, body)
Crack types (chimneys, liebacks, underclings, roof cracks)
How to safely lead and place protection
Efficient positioning and movement
Strength recovery while climbing
Critique: Featuring a wealth of full-color photographs, as well as detailed sketches to portray
hand, foot, and body positions, Crack Climbing: The Definitive Guide lives up to its title as a
"must-have" for any person aspiring to or practicing the recreational sport of crack climbing -
scaling a rock face primarily by jamming things (typically fingers, hands, or feet) into the spaces
between the rocks. Packed with practical advice grounded in years of experience, Crack
Climbing: The Definitive Guide is thoroughly reader-friendly, easy-to-follow, and encouraging.
Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in this challenging, demanding, yet rewarding
sport! It should be noted for personal reading lists that Crack Climbing: The Definitive Guide is
also available in a Kindle edition ($11.57).
The Negro Leagues Were Major Leagues
Todd Peterson
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476665146, $49.95, PB, 323pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: How good was Negro League Baseball (as played from 1920 to 1948)? Some experts
maintain that the quality of play was equal to that of the American and National Leagues. Some
believe the Negro Leagues should be part of Major League Baseball's official record and that
more Negro League players should be in the Hall of Fame. Skeptics contend that while many
players could be rated highly, NL organizations were minor league at best.
Drawing on the most comprehensive data available, including stats from more than 2,000
interracial games, the contributors to "The Negro Leagues Were Major Leagues: Historians
Reappraise Black Baseball" find that black baseball was very good indeed. Negro leaguers beat
the big leaguers more than half the time in head-to-head contests, demonstrated stronger metrics
within their own leagues and excelled when finally allowed into the majors.
"The Negro Leagues Were Major Leagues" also documents the often duplicitous manner in
which MLB has dealt with the legacy of the Negro Leagues, and an appendix includes the scores
and statistics from every known contest between Negro League and Major League teams.
Critique: Informative, documents, accessibly organized and presented, "The Negro Leagues Were
Major Leagues: Historians Reappraise Black Baseball" is essential reading for anyone wanting a
clearer and more accurate history of the accomplishments of baseball's Negro leagues. While
unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library 20th Century
American Sports History and 20th Century African American History collections and
supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of
dedicated baseball fans that "The Negro Leagues Were Major Leagues" is also available in a
digital book format (Kindle, $26.99).
The Mathematics Shelf
Mathematics at the Meridian
Raymond Flood, Tony Mann, Mary Croarken, editors
CRC Press
6000 NW Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300, Boca Raton, FL 33487
www.crcpress.com
9780815368793, $59.90, HC, 258pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Greenwich has been a centre for scientific computing since the foundation of the Royal
Observatory in 1675. Early Astronomers Royal gathered astronomical data with the purpose of
enabling navigators to compute their longitude at sea.
Nevil Maskelyne in the 18th century organized the work of computing tables for the Nautical
Almanac, anticipating later methods used in safety-critical computing systems. The 19th century
saw influential critiques of Charles Babbage's mechanical calculating engines, and in the 20th
century Leslie Comrie and others pioneered the automation of computation.
The arrival of the Royal Naval College in 1873 and the University of Greenwich in 1999 has
brought more mathematicians and different kinds of mathematics to Greenwich. In the 21st
century computational mathematics has found many new applications.
Collaboratively compiled by Raymond Flood, Tony Mann, and Mary Croarken, "Mathematics at
the Meridian: The History of Mathematics at Greenwich" presents an account of the
mathematicians who worked at Greenwich and their achievements and features: A scholarly but
accessible history of mathematics at Greenwich, from the seventeenth century to the present day,
with each chapter written by an expert in the field; a special appeal to astronomical and naval
historians as well as historians of mathematics and scientific computing.
Critique: An impressively organized and presented work of detailed historical research and
scholarship, "Mathematics at the Meridian: The History of Mathematics at Greenwich" is
unreservedly recommended for college and university library History of Mathematics collections
and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-
specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Mathematics at the Meridian: The
History of Mathematics at Greenwich" is also available in a paperback edition (9780367362720,
$29.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $28.45).
Editorial Note: Raymond Flood has spent most of his academic life promoting mathematics and
computing to adult audiences, mainly through his position as University Lecturer at Oxford
University, in the Continuing Education Department and at Kellogg College. In parallel he has
worked extensively on the history of mathematics, producing many books and other educational
material. He is Emeritus Fellow of Kellogg College, Oxford, having been Vice-President of the
College and President of the British Society for the History of Mathematics before retiring in
2010. He was Gresham College Professor of Geometry from 2012 to 2016.
Tony Mann is Director of Greenwich Maths Centre at the University of Greenwich, where he has
taught for many years. He is a past President of the British Society for the History of
Mathematics, and has published on mathematics in Victorian Scotland and on mathematics in
fiction. He is a former Visiting Professor of Computing Mathematics at Gresham College.
Mary Croarken started her academic career at the University of Warwick with a degree in
Computer Science and then a PhD in History of Computing. Mary has subsequently held a series
of academic fellowships including the Sackler Fellowship at the Centre for Maritime Research at
the National Maritime Museum (NMM) 2000 - 2002. While at NMM, she helped to organize a
joint NMM and British Society for the History of Mathematics conference called Greenwich:
Some Mathematical Connections which provided the inspiration for this book. Mary continues
her academic interests in human computers but now works full time supporting health research in
the NHS.
The Christian Studies Shelf
Praying Through
Jarrett Stevens
NavPress
www.navpress.com
c/o Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
351 Executive Drive, Carol Stream, IL 60188
www.tyndale.com
9781631469817, $15.99, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Life can be hard but for Christians, prayer doesn't have to be. Whatever is going on
with you right now, God is actually interested. And yet connecting with God through prayer can
often feel foreign, challenging, or beyond our reach. But here's the thing: You're already
awesome at prayer -- You just don't know it... yet.
Through over twenty years of pastoring and writing, Jarrett Stevens has made it his mission to
connect the dots between God and our everyday lives. With fresh biblical insights, powerful
stories, and spiritually practical practices, "Praying Through: Overcoming the Obstacles That
Keep Us from God" will help you connect with God in fresh and meaningful ways no matter
what season you may be going through.
Whether you're new to prayer, or God seems silent, or you're grieving a loss, or you need
direction, or you're feeling grateful and don't know how to express it -- you don't have to let these
obstacles keep you from God. There is a way for you to pray through!
Critique: Exceptionally well written, inspired and inspiring, "Praying Through: Overcoming the
Obstacles That Keep Us from God" is an unreservedly recommended addition to the personal
reading lists of all Christians and an enduringly welcome addition to church and seminary library
collections. It should be noted that "Praying Through: Overcoming the Obstacles That Keep Us
from God" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $15.19).
Editorial Note: Jarrett Stevens is a pastor, author, and speaker. Jarrett previously served as a
teaching pastor at Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago and North Point Church in
Atlanta. Currently Jarrett resides in downtown Chicago where he and his wife Jeanne co-pastor
Soul City Church. Known for his humor and honesty, Jarrett is a popular speaker at churches and
conferences both nationally and internationally.
Sacred Misinterpretation
Martin Accad
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
4035 Park East Court SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546
www.eerdmans.com
9780802874146, $38.00, PB, 396pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Theological issues are crucial to how Christians and Muslims understand and perceive
each other. In "Sacred Misinterpretation: Reaching across the Christian-Muslim Divide"
Professor Martin Accad guides readers through key theological questions that fuel conflict and
misunderstanding between Muslims and Christians. A sure-footed guide, Professor Accad
weaves personal stories together with deep discussion of theological beliefs.
Professor Accad deftly identifies trends, recognizes historical realities, and brings to light
significant points of contention that often lead to break-down in Christian-Muslim dialogue. He
also outlines positive and creative trends that could lead to a more hopeful future. Fairly and
seriously presenting both Muslim theology and a Muslim interpretation of Christian
theology.
As a result, "Sacred Misinterpretation" is an essential guide for fostering dialogue and
understanding among readers from both faiths.
Critique: Enhanced for academia with the inclusion of an eight page Bibliography, a three page
List of Names, a four page List of Subjects, and a four page Index of Scripture References and
Other Ancient Sources, "Sacred Misinterpretation: Reaching across the Christian-Muslim
Divide" is a groundbreaking work of original and seminal scholarship that is unreservedly
recommended for community, seminary, college, and university library Christianity/Islam
Studies collections and supplemental curriculum lists. It should be noted for the personal reading
lists of clergy, seminary students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in
the subject that "Sacred Misinterpretation" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$26.31).
Editorial Note: Martin Accad is associate professor of Islamic studies at Arab Baptist
Theological Seminary in Beirut, Lebanon, and at Fuller Theological Seminary, as well as director
of ABTS' Institute of Middle East Studies. Having a rich multicultural background in his own
family, he is very involved in faith-based peacebuilding and bridging Arab-Western cultural
divides.
A Worldview Approach to Science and Scripture
Carol Hill
Kregel Publications
2450 Oak Industrial Drive, NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49505
www.kregel.com
9780825446146, $29.99, HC, 240pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: In "A Worldview Approach to Science and Scripture", geologist Carol Hill examines
how numerous apparent conflicts between Scripture and science can be resolved by
understanding the ancient worldview of the scriptural authors and how it differs from our
modern, scientific worldview.
This framework opens the door to clearing up longstanding questions, such as: Are the Genesis
patriarchs' ages real numbers?; Are the days of creation actual 24-hour days?; Where was the
Garden of Eden located?; Was Noah's flood global or local?; Were Adam and Eve real people?;
Is evolution a belief or a fact?
With photographs and diagrams throughout, "A Worldview Approach to Science and Scripture"
explores the meaning of the relevant biblical passages, the scientific data, and how the worldview
approach addresses seeming contradictions. Anyone who has wrestled with these questions will
find this illustrated study to be an invaluable resource for understanding the interplay between
faith and the world.
Critique: Enhanced for academia with the inclusion of thirty-six pages of References and a ten
page Index, "A Worldview Approach to Science and Scripture" is impressively informative,
exceptionally 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, making an ideal and unreservedly
recommended addition to church, community, seminary, and academic library collections. An
excellent textbook for small group studies, "A Worldview Approach to Science and Scripture" is
also commended for the personal reading lists of students, clergy, and non-specialist general
readers with an interest in the subject.
Editorial Note: Carol Hill is a geologist who has worked in the Grand Canyon and Carlsbad
Cavern for over 40 years. She is the author of a number of books, and has been featured on
NOVA and National Geographic TV. Her other publications include "Grand Canyon: Monument
to an Ancient Earth", as senior editor and co-author. Carol teaches geology at the University of
New Mexico.
Understanding Atonement
Gary A. Fox
Resource Publications
c/o Wipf and Stock Publishers
199 West 8th Avenue, Suite 3, Eugene, OR 97401-2960
http://wipfandstock.com
9781532688331, $17.00, PB, 114pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: At some point in the Christian faith journey, most people ask the question, "Why did
Jesus die?" The most common answer is, "For my sins."
But what if Jesus died because of the sin of humanity, not for individual sins? It seems weirdly
illogical for a God who is love (1 John 4:8) to demand a blood sacrifice to cover sin. It is not
what the Jewish sacrificial system supported either.
Forgiveness is about love, not punishment. "Understanding Atonement: Maybe It's Time to
Rethink Atonement without Giving Up Jesus" by Gary A. Fox will Christians to understand that
God loves us and will not forsake us. Ever.
Critique: Inspired and inspiring, thoughtful and thought-provoking, impressively organized and
presented, "Understanding Atonement: Maybe It's Time to Rethink Atonement without Giving
Up Jesus" is highly recommended reading for seminary students, clergy, and all members of the
Christian community regardless of their denominational affiliations.
Uncovering the Love of Jesus: A Lent Devotional
Asheritah Ciuciu
Moody Publishers
820 N. LaSalle Blvd., Chicago, IL 60610
www.moodypublishers.com
9780802419491, $12.99, HC, 224pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: In the pages of "Uncovering the Love of Jesus: A Lent Devotional", Asheritah Ciuciu
invites all members of the Christian community to reclaim the Lenten season with 40 devotionals
that reveal the deep love of Jesus that's exhibited at the cross and tomb. Each daily reflection
looks at Jesus' personal interactions in Scripture and leads the reader in meditation on a new
aspect of His love.
The underlying message is 'Don't let Easter pass by this year", instead, reflect, engage, and be
transformed as Christians once again uncover the love of Jesus and learn to love their neighbor as
He would. Of special note is the inclusion of optional family activities to help them celebrate
Jesus together.
Critique: Thoroughly 'reader friendly' in tone, commentary, organization and presentation,
"Uncovering the Love of Jesus: A Lent Devotional" is as thoughtful and thought-provoking as it
is inspired and inspiring. Very highly recommended, it should be noted for personal reading lists
that "Uncovering the Love of Jesus: A Lent Devotional" is also available in a digital book format
(Kindle, $8.49).
Editorial Note: Asheritah Ciuciu is a successful writer and public speaker, wife to her high
school sweetheart Flaviu, and mama to three spunky kiddos. She grew up in Romania as a
missionary kid and studied English and Women's Ministry at Cedarville University. Her passion
is helping women find joy in Jesus through creative and consistent time with God's Word. She
invites everyone to discover their own creative Quiet Time personality at
www.OneThingAlone.com.
Of Water and the Spirit
Alexander Schmemann
SVS Press
575 Scarsdale Road, Yonkers, NY 10707
www.svspress.com
9780913836101, $18.00, PB, 170pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: "Of Water and the Spirit: A Liturgical Study of Baptism" is a study of the Orthodox
understanding of Christian initiation, the rites of baptism and chrismation, in which Father
Alexander Schmemann invites the Christian reader to 'rediscover' baptism.
Father Schmemann penetrates the Church's rubrics and rituals (so often dismissed as out-of-date
or merely quaint) in order to reveal their inner content: a message of man's entrance into new life,
into the Church and into the Kingdom.
The result is a powerful statement of the meaning baptism should hold in our lives.
Critique: An impressively thoughtful, inspired and inspiring study of baptism from an Orthodox
Christian perspective, "Of Water and the Spirit: A Liturgical Study of Baptism" is an
unreservedly recommended addition to personal, pastoral, church, seminary, and academic
library Christian Theological Studies collections.
Editorial Note: Father Alexander Schmemann (1921-1983) was a prolific writer, brilliant
lecturer, and dedicated pastor. Former dean and professor of liturgical theology at St Vladimir's
Orthodox Theological Seminary, his insight into contemporary culture and liturgical celebration
left an indelible mark on the Christian community worldwide.
Forgiveness: A Catholic Approach
R. Scott Hurd
Pauline Books & Media
50 St. Paul's Avenue, Boston, MA 02130-3433
www.pauline.org
9780819826916, $12.95, PB, 128pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: In "Forgiveness: A Catholic Approach", Scott Hurd writes of the spiritual,
psychological, physical, and social benefits of learning how to forgive and find peace from a
Roman Catholic perspective. Drawing from his pastoral experience, Hurd examines how human
weakness affects such things as our ability to forgive and reconcile, our capacity to trust, and
how we cope when a plea for forgiveness is rejected by a person we have wronged.
Critique: As thoughtfully insightful as it is compelling, inspiring, and quality of life enhancing,
"Forgiveness: A Catholic Approach" is especially commended to the attention of all members of
the Catholic community. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of parishioners, clergy,
seminary students, and non-specialist readers with an interest in spirituality and personal growth
that "Forgiveness: A Catholic Approach" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$9.99).
Editorial Note: R. Scott Hurd is a Catholic speaker and award-winning author who has more than
twenty years' experience in professional ministry. He serves as senior director for leadership
formation with Catholic Charities USA. Hurd is the author of five books, including Forgiveness:
A Catholic Approach, which received an Excellence in Publishing award from the Association of
Catholic Publishers. When Faith Feels Fragile: Hope for the Wary, Weak, and Wandering earned
a second-place award in 2014 from the Catholic Press Association and was also a finalist in the
ACP Excellence in Publishing awards. Hurd also is the author of two books in The Living
Gospel seasonal series from Ave Maria Press. Hurd graduated from the University of Richmond
(cum laude) in 1989 with a degree in accounting and business administration. He received his
bachelor of theology degree from Oxford University (UK) in 1993.
Walking in the Power of the Almighty Creator
Luis A. Gonzalez
Westbow Press
c/o Thomas Nelson Publishers
PO Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214
www.westbowpress.com
9781973653950, $30.95, HC, 164pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Luis A. Gonzalez personally met the Creator, the God of the Christian Bible, in the
spring of 1994. The Lord of all the earth, as He is also known, manifested Himself to him and
gave him a vision, which would, in turn, be a life-changing moment. As a result, his life and
beliefs were fundamentally transformed, and he was given a new perspective on life.
In "Walking in the Power of the Almighty Creator", Gonzalez shows his readers how to
effectively and successfully communicate with the Lord God Almighty so that they too can hear
His voice and walk in His power by developing a close relationship with Him.
The underlying promise of "Walking in the Power of the Almighty Creator" is that it will enable
anyone to overcome any challenge or obstacle and enjoy and experience God's presence and
success each day in every area of their life.
Critique: Impressively organized and presented, "Walking in the Power of the Almighty Creator"
is unreservedly recommended to all members of the Christian community regardless of
denomination affiliations. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Walking in the
Power of the Almighty Creator" is also available in a paperback edition (978-1973653943,
$14.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.39).
The Beginning of Difference
Theodore Hiebert
Abingdon Press
2222 Rosa L. Parks Blvd., PO Box 280988, Nashville, TN 37228-0988
www.abingdonpress.com
9781501871023, $17.99, PB, 150pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Difference can enrich us or tear us apart. Difference can make our lives stronger,
fuller, and richer or it can destroy them. Therefore, how we engage difference matters. Conflicts
between different peoples around the world, the movement of refugees from nation to nation,
tensions over immigration, and growing diversity within our society bring difference to our
doorstep daily. We can engage people who are different constructively and compassionately, or
we can allow the fear of difference to distance us from others and to demonize them. At a time
when racial, ethnic, cultural, and religious differences have created heightened tensions, we need
more than ever to find our bearings. We need to re-examine what we think about difference.
In "The Beginning of Difference: Discovering Identity in God's Diverse World", Professor
Theodore Hiebert re-examines the Bible's stories explaining difference and its beginnings in the
book of Genesis, exposing the inclination to interpret these stories as a negative view of
difference. These stories recognize difference as God's intention for the world, providing us with
constructive resources of living with difference today.
Professor Hiebert starts with the story of "The Tower of Babel" and moves beyond it to examine
how Genesis's writers saw their unique identity and role in the world not as separate from all
others but as members of the human family of which they were a part. He presents how biblical
characters lived with difference and how the first Christians embraced difference. Finally, he
invites the reader into new conversations about our biblical traditions that reveal a respect for
difference, a generosity toward others, a desire to include rather than exclude, and a continuing
interest in negotiating difference in ways that build relationships rather than destroy them.
Critique: Erudite, insightful, thoughtful and thought-provoking, "The Beginning of Difference:
Discovering Identity in God's Diverse World" is a deftly crafted work of impressive theological
scholarship and unreservedly recommended for church, seminary, college, and university library
Contemporary Christian Theology collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of
seminary students, academia, clergy, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in Old
Testament biblical studies from a Christian perspective that "The Beginning of Difference is also
available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Theodore Hiebert is Francis is the A. McGaw Professor of Old Testament,
McCormick Theological Seminary, Chicago, IL. He was an editor and translator of the Common
English Bible. A leading scholar among theological educators, he has done groundbreaking work
in the study of Genesis.
This Is the Life
Terry Hershey
Franciscan Media
28 West Liberty Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202
https://info.franciscanmedia.org
9781632532787, $16.99, PB, 160pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: We are born to savor life, to live in the moment. What holds us back? When we stop
the noise, the distraction, the compulsion to perform, the fear of rejection, we make space to
savor the power of the present moment. We carry this capacity to honor the present into every
encounter and relationship, meaning that we honor the dignity that is reflected by God's goodness
and grace. Every encounter, every relationship, is a place to include, invite mercy, encourage,
receive, heal, reconcile, repair, say thank you, pray, celebrate, refuel, and restore.
"This Is the Life: Mindfulness, Finding Grace, and the Power of the Present Moment" is an
invitation to practice, to savor, the sacred present. We are called to be available. To be curious.
To be alive. To be willing to be surprised by joy. To know there is power in the word
enough.
Critique: Inspired and inspiring, "This Is the Life: Mindfulness, Finding Grace, and the Power of
the Present Moment" will prove to be a life enhancing, life celebrating read from first page to
last. While unreservedly recommended for community, seminary, college, and university library
Self-Help/Self-Improvement collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of all
members of the Christian community that "This Is the Life" is also available in a digital book
format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Terry Hershey is an author, humorist, inspirational speaker, father, ordained
minister, golf addict, and smitten by French wine. He is the author of "Sanctuary, The Power of
Pause and Soul Gardening". He divides his time between designing sanctuary gardens and
sharing his practice of mindfulness and savoring this life. Most days, you can find Terry out in
his garden (on Vashon Island in the Puget Sound) because he believes that there is something
fundamentally spiritual about dirt under your fingernails.
Jesus Christ: His Life and Teaching, Vol. 1
Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev
SVS Press
575 Scarsdale Road, Yonkers, NY 10707
www.svspress.com
9780881416084, $35.00, PB, 578pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: It has been said that Jesus Christ is always actual, and at the same time always
anticipating actuality. This is something that Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev has made abundantly
clear in "Jesus Christ: His Life and Teaching -- his monumental six-volume study.
As the Metropolitan observes, throughout history there has never been a person about whom so
much has been written; and yet the Metropolitan has himself found many new ways to restate, in
fresh and vivid terms, the ancient truths about the Savior. This first and debut volume of the
"Jesus Christ: His Life and Teaching" series is a remarkable study that deserves to be read with
careful, prayerful, and close attention.
Critique: Enhanced for academia with the inclusion of a two page listing of Abbreviations and a
twenty page Index, "Jesus Christ: His Life and Teaching, Vol. 1" is an especially and
unreservedly recommended addition to community, church, seminary, college, and university
library Orthodox Christian Theology collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists
of clergy, seminary students, and non-specialist general readers with in interest in the subject that
"Jesus Christ: His Life and Teaching, Vol. 1" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$14.99).
The Early Church (33 - 313)
James L. Papandrea
Ave Maria Press
PO Box 428, Notre Dame, IN 46556
www.avemariapress.com
9781594717710, $16.95, PB, 160pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: The first three centuries of the Christian faith were a period of missionary zeal, deep
thought, and government sponsored tribulation. In "The Early Church (33 - 313): St. Peter, the
Apostles, and Martyrs", Catholic historian and biblical expert James Papandrea dispels what he
calls common "mythconceptions" about the early years of Christianity. Tracking the challenges
of heresy and persecution throughout the period, Papandrea shines a spotlight on the earliest
saints and explores the growth and development of the new Church.
The first Apostles spread the message of Jesus Christ and were willing to suffer and die for their
faith. The next generations of believers followed their example, producing inspiring martyrs
including Polycarp, Justin, Perpetua, and Sebastian, and great thinkers such as Irenaeus,
Tertullian, and Eusebius. "The Early Church (33 - 313)" presents a clear account of the Church's
first three centuries and provides evidence to refute fourteen commonly held beliefs about the
Catholic Church.
Readers will learn: No money or power was attached to being a bishop or priest in the early
Church; Christian holidays were not adaptations of pagan celebrations; Christians have never
believed in an eternal life for souls without bodies; The doctrine of the Trinity was not forced
upon the Church by Constantine, but rather was a belief from the beginning of Christianity.
With clear explanation and inspiring stories, Papandrea sorts through what we do and don't know
about the early Church and enables Catholics and fellow Christians to make sense of the Church's
beginnings.
Critique: A detailed work of impeccable scholarship that is expertly written and will appeal to
both academia and the non-specialist general reader with an interest in the subject, "The Early
Church (33 - 313): St. Peter, the Apostles, and Martyrs" is an extraordinary and unreservedly
recommended addition to personal, community, church, seminary, college, and university library
History of Christianity collections and supplemental curriculum studies reading lists. It should be
noted that "The Early Church (33-313) is also available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$10.99).
Editorial Note: Jim Papandrea is a teacher, author, speaker, and musician. After graduating from
the University of Minnesota with a bachelor's degree in music and theatre arts, Jim went on to
receive his M.Div. degree from Fuller Theological Seminary, with a concentration in youth
ministry, then spent several years in full time ministry, focusing on youth and music ministry,
and serving as a consultant in youth ministry. Jim holds a Ph.D. in the history and theology of the
early Christian church from Northwestern University, with secondary concentrations in New
Testament interpretation and the history of the Roman Empire. He has also studied Roman
history at the American Academy in Rome, Italy. He is now Professor of Church History and
Historical Theology at Garrett-Evangelical Seminary (on the campus of Northwestern University)
in Evanston. IL. He has also taught as an adjunct instructor for Barat College, Elmhurst College,
Loyola University's Institute for Pastoral Studies, and the lay and deacon formation programs of
the Archdiocese of Chicago.
Free To Believe
Luke Goodrich
Multnomah Books
c/o Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group
12265 Oracle Blvd., Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80921
http://waterbrookmultnomah.com
9780525652908, $24.00, HC, 288pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: In today's national and regional political climate, many Americans are concerned about
rising threats to religious freedom. They feel the culture changing around them, and they fear that
their beliefs will soon be marginalized as a form of bigotry. Others, younger Christians in
particular, are tired of the culture wars, and they wonder whether courtroom battles are truly
worthwhile, or even in line with the teachings of Jesus.
In the pages of "Free to Believe: The Battle Over Religious Liberty in America", Luke Goodrich
offers a reasoned, balanced, gospel-centered approach to religious freedom. He applies biblical
understanding to a number of the most hot-button cultural issues of our day. He also offers
practical steps Christians can take to respond to religious freedom conflicts in an informed,
responsible, and graceful way.
Critique: As informed and informative as it is thoughtful and thought-provoking, "Free to
Believe: The Battle Over Religious Liberty in America" is an extraordinary and timely
contribution to our on-going national dialogue over religious liberty and a Christian's
responsibility with respect to good government and the general welfare of our secular state.
While very highly recommended as an addition to community and academic library Church &
State Religious Studies collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of students,
academia, clergy, political activists, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the
subject that "Free to Believe" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).
Editorial Note: Luke Goodrich is a leading religious freedom attorney at the Becket Fund for
Religious Liberty, where he has won multiple Supreme Court victories for clients like the Little
Sisters of the Poor and Hobby Lobby. He frequently discusses religious freedom on networks like
Fox News, CNN, ABC, and NPR, and in publications like the New York Times, Wall Street
Journal, and Time magazine. Goodrich is also an adjunct professor at the University of Utah law
school, where he teaches an advanced course in constitutional law. He lives in Salt Lake City
where he enjoys exploring the outdoors with his wife and family and serving in their local
church.
The Judaic Studies Shelf
Strangers & Natives
Ron Rubin
Urim Publications
c/o KTAV Publishing House
527 Empire Boulevard, Brooklyn, New York 11225
www.UrimPublications.com
9781602803282, $29.95, PB, 232pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: In "Strangers and Natives: A Newspaper Narrative of Early Jewish America, 1734 -
1869" by Ron Rubin focuses on the daily life and customs of the Jewish community and the
Jewish people; the formation of Jewish congregations and organizations; and the involvement of
Jews in education, literature, journalism, politics, the marketplace, the military, and history
itself.
While there are numerous historical accounts of early American Jewry quoting documents,
diaries and memoirs, "Strangers and Natives" is the first that uses periodicals from that time
period. Using scans of the original newsprint, most from Professor Rubin's own extensive
collection, "Strangers and Natives" displays the actual written words comprising newpaper
accounts (the first blush of history) in visual form.
Critique: A unique and invaluable contribution to the growing library of American Judaic 18th
and 19th century history, "Strangers and Natives: A Newspaper Narrative of Early Jewish
America, 1734 - 1869" is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to personal,
professional, community, college, and university library collections and supplemental curriculum
studies lists.
Editorial Note: Ron Rubin is Political Science Professor Emeritus at the Borough of Manhattan
Community College of the City University of New York. A prolific writer, Rubin has had more
than 100 works published globally since then. His books include Controversies Over the
Objectives of the U.S. Information Agency (Praeger, 1968), The Unredeemed: Anti-Semitism in
the Soviet Union (Quadrangle Books, 1968), Rudy, Rudy, Rudy: The Real and the
Rational (Holmes & Meier, 2000) and Anything for a T-Shirt: Fred Lebow and the New York
City Marathon (Syracuse University Press, 2004). In 2013 more than 75 of Dr. Rubin's
commentaries - focusing solely on topics relating to Israel, the global Jewish community and the
American Jewish community - were anthologized in A Jewish Professor's Political Punditry:
Fifty Plus Years of Published Commentary by Ron Rubin, edited by Peri Devaney (Syracuse
University Press).
Mysteries of Judaism: Volume III
Israel Drazin
Gefen Publishing House
11 Edison Place, Springfield, NJ 07081
www.gefenpublishing.com
9789657023105, $19.95, HC, 301pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Thoughtful and thought-provoking, The third volume in Israel Drazin's Mysteries of
Judaism series "Common Sense Evaluations of Religious Thoughts" covers what the Torah states
about life after death, the soul, the world to come, sin, repentance, rational and mystical views on
immortality, resurrection, and the age of the universe, what if anything we must believe, changes
that occurred in our concept of God, multiple violations of Torah laws by biblical persons (even
prophets), misunderstandings about the Ten Commandments, prophecies that were not fulfilled,
biblical and other ancient Jewish books that were neglected or rejected, humor in the Bible, the
portrayal of biblical figures with their faults, and changing biblical laws and rabbinical
customs.
Mysteries of Judaism: Volume III explains that the siddur is not what people think it is and
contains mystical additions, and it offers different views about the value of prayer. It talks about
Judaism's first philosopher, contacts with non-Jewish cultures that changed Judaism, surprising
elements in Ecclesiastes, and the nontraditional views of Orthodox thinkers such as Rashbam,
Nachman Krochmal, J. B. Soloveitchik, David Hartman, Nathan Lopes Cardozo, and others.
It also describes what most people do not know about Maimonides and clarifies his view on
Midrashim, why they were written and their value today. It reveals that people are punished
despite repentance and that false prophets can still prophesy.
Further, Mysteries of Judaism: Volume III examines the Torah and holy books, conversion, and
intermarriage, and the impact of foreign cultures on Jewish practices and halakha. It analyses
mysticism and atheism; the values of secular culture; the views of Moshe Chaim Luzzatto and
his Mesillat Yesharim, and of Arnold Ehrlich; and it explores Nietzsche, Gersonides, and
Maimonides views on faith and the Bible.
Critique: Informative and exceptionally well organized and presented, "Mysteries of Judaism:
Common Sense Evaluations of Religious Thoughts" is an especially and unreservedly
recommended addition to personal, synagogue, community, and academic library Judaic Studies
collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists of students, academia, and non-specialist
general readers with an interest in the subject.
Editorial Note: Dr. Israel Drazin served for thirty-one years as a chaplain in the US Army and
attained the rank of brigadier general. He has a PhD in Judaic studies, a master's degrees in
psychology and Hebrew literature, and is an attorney and a rabbi. He developed the legal strategy
that saved the military chaplaincies when its constitutionality was attacked in court and received
the Legion of Merit for his service. He is acclaimed in the scholarly world for proving that the
Targum Onkelos must have been composed after 400 CE, a period much later than had been
widely accepted. He is the author of fifty-one books, some in the process of being published,
including a series of volumes on the Aramaic translation of the Hebrew Bible, a series of books
on the twelfth-century philosopher Moses Maimonides, and many books on the Hebrew Bible
published by Gefen Publishing House.
The Metaphysical Studies Shelf
Tarot and the Gates of Light
Mark Horn
Destiny Books
c/o Inner Traditions International, Ltd.
One Park Street, Rochester, VT 05767
www.innertraditions.com
9781620559307, $24.99, PB, 544pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: The 49-day mystical practice known as Counting the Omer is an ancient Jewish ritual
observed between the holidays of Passover and Shavuot (also known as Pentecost). As practiced
by Kabbalists, it is designed to cleanse and purify the soul in preparation for spiritual revelation
and a personal connection with God. The ritual creates a spiritual inner journey that follows the
path of the ancient Israelites from the moment of their physical freedom from slavery in Egypt to
the establishment of their spiritual freedom forty-nine days later when they arrived at Mt.
Sinai.
Adeptly integrating this mystical practice with the transformative symbolism of the Tarot in his
metaphysical studies compendium "Tarot and the Gates of Light: A Kabbalistic Path to
Liberation", Mark Horn uses the ritual of Counting the Omer as a template for a guided
meditative practice that gives readers insight into their personal life journey and help in
overcoming the issues that hinder their growth and spiritual awakening.
Examining the correspondence of the Tarot's minor arcana with the Sephirot of the Kabbalistic
Tree of Life, Horn shows how using the cards in connection with Counting the Omer can unlock
the gates to a deep experience of the sacred. In the detailed daily practice workbook section,
Horn provides day-by-day descriptions of the 49-day meditative practice of Counting the
Omer.
He divides the journey into seven week-long segments, which in turn are broken down into seven
daily practices. For each day, he explains the related Sephirot and Tarot cards and their
Kabbalistic and spiritual meanings, providing the reader with questions for daily reflection,
guidance for meditation, and insight from traditional Jewish texts as well as teachings from
Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, and Muslim traditions.
Unveiling the relationship between Tarot and the Kabbalah, Horn shows readers how uniting
these two practices can open them to a deeper experience of the Divine.
Critique: Enhanced for the Tarot and Kabbalah student with the inclusion of an eleven page
Glossary, two pages of Meditation Instructions, a three page Note About God Language, five
pages of Chapter Notes, an eight page Bibliography, and a twelve page Index, "Tarot and the
Gates of Light: A Kabbalistic Path to Liberation" is a unique and unreservedly recommended
addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library Metaphysical Studies
collections in general, and supplemental studies lists for Tarot and Kabbalah in particular. It
should be noted for students, academia, practitioners, and non-specialist general readers with an
interest in the subject that "Tarot and the Gates of Light: A Kabbalistic Path to Liberation" is also
available in a digital book format (Kindle, $16.99).
Editorial Note: A teacher of Kabbalistic tarot, Mark Horn has studied Kabbalah with academic,
religious, and practical teachers, including Professor Elliot R. Wolfson at NYU, Rabbi Zalman
Schachter-Shalomi at Elat Chayyim, and Jason Shulman at A Society of Souls: Spiritual Healing
School. He has studied Tarot with many of today's leading teachers, including Rachel Pollack,
Mary K. Greer, Robert Place, Ruth Ann and Wald Amberstone, and Ferol Humphrey. His writing
has appeared in The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, and Metrosource.
Witchcraft: A Secret History
Michael Streeter
White Lion Publishers
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
400 First Avenue North, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55401-1722
www.quartoknows.com
9780711252240, $19.99, HC, 256pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Michael Streeter is a British writer and TV researcher with over 30 years' experience in
national newspaper journalism. A former editor for the Scottish Daily Express, he has written
and researched books and documentaries on subjects as diverse as the weather, medieval crime,
and the occult. In "Witchcraft: A Secret History" he unravels the myth from the mystery, the facts
from the legends.
"Witchcraft: A Secret History" reveals the meanings of a witche's rituals and rites, lore and craft.
Readers will discover the significance of the witches' sabbats and covens, their chalices and
wands, their robes and their religion. "Witchcraft: A Secret History" unlocks the secrets of the
legendary witches of mythology and folk tales and shows how these early stories influenced the
persecutions and witch-hunts of the Middle Ages.
Of special note is what "Witchcraft: A Secret History" shows concerning the people who inspired
the pagan revival of Wiccans and how their work in literature and magic rekindled the fires of the
sabbats across Europe and the New World today.
Critique: Nicely illustrated throughout and enhanced with the inclusion of a four page Glossary
and a four page Index, "Witchcraft: A Secret History" is an impressively informative, profusely
detailed, and exceptionally well organized and presented history that is especially and
unreservedly recommended for community and academic library Metaphysical Studies
collections and the personal reading lists of both academia and non-specialist general readers
with an interest in the subject of witchcraft, Wiccans, and metaphysical cultural history.
Sacred Mysteries: The Chakra Oracle
Kooch N. Daniels, author
Victor Daniels, author
Pieter Weltevrede, illustrator
Red Feather
c/o Schiffer Publishing Ltd.
4880 Lower Valley Road, Atglen, PA 19310
www.schifferbooks.com
9780764357114, $34.99, PB/Cards, 208pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: A boxed set, "Sacred Mysteries: The Chakra Oracle" has yogic traditions meet Western
psychology to create an explosion of new insights for transformation. To accelerate this emerging
awareness, this stunning 49-card deck and its comprehensive guidebook offer easy access into
the chakra system.
With illustrations created by Pieter Weltevrede (an expert in the Tantric tradition) and a
guidebook grounded in authors' Kooch and Victor Daniels research, training, and working
knowledge of oracles, this deck and book give the practitioner the right tools for advancing any
personal quest.
"Sacred Mysteries: The Chakra Oracle" will enable the understanding of your key qualities by
engaging your vibratory energy, looking within to interpret your body's sensations, thinking
processes, emotions, and pathways of Spirit, including your inner and outer awareness.
With "Sacred Mysteries: The Chakra Oracle" you can create detailed, helpful spreads; find out
how to awaken your third eye; and start reading right away with a keyword reference guide. This
unique chakra deck will help you dive into the ancient well of Tantric wisdom and is appropriate
for all levels of card readers, including Tarot readers, yogic practitioners, counselors, healers, and
those who want to "see" inwardly.
Critique: Inspiring, unique, beautifully crafted, and offering a wealth of informative metaphysical
insights, "Sacred Mysteries: The Chakra Oracle" is unreservedly recommended for personal,
professional, community, and academic library Metaphysical Studies collections.
Editorial Note: With an MA in psychology, Kooch Daniels has given thousands of Tarot
readings. Victor Daniels, emeritus professor at Sonoma State University, with a PhD from
UCLA, brings his broad knowledge of both Eastern and Western traditions together here. Pieter
Weltevrede is one of the world's leading artists in the Indian classical tradition.
Magickal Mermaids and Water Creatures
D. J. Conway
Weiser Books
c/o Red Wheel/Weiser/Conari
65 Parker Street, Suite 7, Newburyport, MA 01950
www.redwheelweiser.com
9781578636839, $16.95, PB, 192pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Stories of the merfolk, especially mermaids, exist in nearly every culture that ever
sailed the oceans or large river systems. Humanlike, except for their iridescent, scaly tails,
mermaids and mermen have fascinated humans for thousands of years. Because the largest of
these beings exist in the oceans, most people are not aware that smaller versions of the merfolk
live in inland rivers, streams, marshes, and waterfalls. Like many other magical beings, the
merfolk travel easily between this world and the astral planes, appearing only to those who truly
seek to know them and learn their ancient powers.
"Magickal Mermaids and Water Creatures" bring these fabled creatures out of the storybooks and
into real life through the studies of the late Deanne 'D. J.' Conway (May 3, 1939 - February 1,
2019). Readers will learn: The secret powers of mermaids and mermen; Different water creatures
and where you can find them; How to entice water folk for friendship and health; How to avoid
dangerous water folk.
Critique: An inherently fascinating read from first page to last, "Magickal Mermaids and Water
Creatures" is a unique, detailed and comprehensive study that will prove to be an immediate and
enduringly popular addition to both community and academic library collections. It should be
noted for personal reading lists that "Magickal Mermaids and Water Creatures" is also available
in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.99).
Editorial Note: Originally published in 2008, "Magickal Mermaids and Water Creatures
is now republished for the benefit of a new generation of readers in this new edition from Weiser
Books with a new cover and a new foreword by metaphysical scholar Skye Alexander.
The Wonder of Unicorns, second edition
Diana Cooper
Findhorn Press
www.findhornpress.com
c/o Inner Traditions International, Ltd.
One Park Street, Rochester, VT 05767
www.innertraditions.com
9781620559833, $18.99, PB, 240pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Now in an newly revised and updated second edition, in "The Wonder of Unicorns:
Ascending with the Higher Angelic Realms" Diana Cooper explains ancient myths and legends
of these amazing energetic beings from a higher spiritual perspective. Who are they, these
seventh-dimensional creatures of myth and magic? Where do they stand in the angelic hierarchy
and what is their role with regard to us humans? How can you meet and engage with them as an
individual?
These magical beings of light, absent from the Earth for many centuries, are now returning to
guide humanity on their spiritual path. Prevalent in the times of Atlantis, unicorns open hearts
through bringing in joy, wisdom, and healing. They offer protection and support and inspire us to
choose actions for the highest benefit of all. Consciously connecting and working with your
unicorn will enable you to raise your energetic level and assist you on your journey to
enlightenment. Create a unicorn humming ball, engage in a unicorn healing, or join in dream
work with your unicorn.
Whether aspiring to help the world at large or simply improve a small corner of it, enlightenment
seekers can apply the meditations, rituals, ceremonies, and games featured in the pages of "The
Wonder of Unicorns" to unleash the great abilities of these elusive spirit guides. There are
wonderful real life stories and anecdotes from people who have seen and experienced unicorns
first hand.
Critique: An inherently fascinating, impressively informative, and nicely illustrated study
dedicated to the presence and role of a metaphysical icon, "The Wonder of Unicorns: Ascending
with the Higher Angelic Realms" is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional,
community, and academic library Metaphysical Studies collections in general, and Unicorn
supplemental studies reading lists in particular. It should be noted that "The Wonder of
Unicorns" is also available in a digital book format (eTextbook, $12.99).
Editorial Note: Diana Cooper is a therapist, healer, author of several books, and the founder of
the Diana Cooper Foundation. Her journey started during a time of personal crisis when she
received an angel visitation that changed her life. Since then the angels and her guides have
taught her about the angelic realms, unicorns, fairies, Atlantis, and Orbs as well as many other
spiritual subjects. Through her workshops and therapy practice she has helped countless people
find their life mission, fulfill their potential, and empower their lives. Diana's aim and vision is to
light the way to enable children, adults, and the planet to ascend graciously and happily.
Knot Magic
Sarah Bartlett
Wellfleet Press
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
400 First Avenue North, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55401-1722
www.quartoknows.com
9781577152149, $18.99, HC, 128pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Casting powerful spells with ancient knot magic has been around for centuries. With a
length of string, ribbon, cord, or anything that can be knotted, anyone can quickly make magic
work for them, whether it is to enchant new love into their life, change their fortune, or manifest
their dreams. With "Knot Magic: A Handbook of Powerful Spells Using Witches' Ladders and
other Magical Knots" by Sarah Bartlett the practitioner will learn not only the best way to cast a
spell, but also the best time to perform the spell to ensure success.
"Knot Magic" is unique collection includes all-powerful witch's ladders, where additional
talismans are woven in with the knots to reinforce the desired outcome, and "unknotting" charms,
which banish all forms of negativity. With "Knot Magic" anyone can enhance their magic and
knowledge as they bring positive energy into their lives. Plus, they will have access to a "magical
knot directory" that provides the tools needed and necessary to get started on their own magical
journey.
Critique: "Knot Magic: A Handbook of Powerful Spells Using Witches' Ladders and other
Magical Knots" is a throughly 'user friendly' and comprehensive instructional guide and manual
that is an ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community,
and academic library Metaphysical Studies collections and supplemental studies reading
lists.
Editorial Note: Sarah Bartlett is the author of several spiritual and occult books, including the
best-selling Tarot Bible and the Essential Guide to Psychic Powers. An astrologer for many
women's magazines such as UK Cosmopolitan, She, Spirit and Destiny, and the London Evening
Standard, Sarah currently contributes to BBC Radio 2 show, Steve Wright in the Afternoon, as
well as to theastrologyroom.com, of which she is a founding member. She has written
Supernatural Places for National Geographic, and The Afterlife Bible for Octopus. Sarah teaches
and practices astrology, tarot, Wicca, and other occult arts.
The Genealogy Shelf
Tracing Your Ancestors in Lunatic Asylums
Michelle Higgs
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
9781526744852, $29.95, PB, 208pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: How can you trace forebears who were patients in lunatic asylums and find out about
their lives? What sources can you consult to discover their personal histories and gain an insight
into their experiences? In her concise, accessible instructional guide "Tracing Your Ancestors in
Lunatic Asylums: A Guide for Family Historians", Michelle Higgs answers these questions. She
provides a fascinating introduction to the subject and gives readers the means to explore the
records for themselves.
Higgs concentrates on the period from the eighteenth century through to 1948 when the National
Health Service was founded and looks in particular at the Victorian era which is the most popular
period for research. Using original records, contemporary accounts, photographs, illustrations
and case studies of real individuals, she brings the story of the asylums and their patients to
life.
Different types of institution are described such as private madhouses, county lunatic asylums,
facilities for idiots and imbeciles, and military mental hospitals. Individual chapters look at the
admission procedures and daily routine of patients, plus different kinds of mental illness and how
they were treated - for instance, those with depression or mania, criminal lunatics, mothers with
puerperal insanity, epileptics and soldiers suffering from shell shock. There are sections on the
systems in Scotland and Ireland, as well as England and Wales. Information is provided on all the
relevant sources, from wills and the census to casebooks and admission and discharge
registers.
Critique: Impressively informative, expertly organized and presented, "Tracing Your Ancestors
in Lunatic Asylums: A Guide for Family Historians" is a unique and unreservedly recommended
addition to personal, professional, community, college and university library Genealogical
Research collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for genealogy
students, practitioners, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the
subject that "Tracing Your Ancestors in Lunatic Asylums: A Guide for Family Historians" is also
available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).
Editorial Note: Michelle Higgs is an established author and has previously written on a variety of
topics, including the Pen &Sword Books genealogical research guide, "Tracing Your Servant
Ancestors".
Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry through Church and State Records
Chris Paton
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
9781526768421, $26.95, PB, 176pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Despite its Union with England and Wales in 1707, Scotland remained virtually
independent from its partners in many ways, retaining its own legal system, its own state church,
and its own education system.
In "Tracing Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records: A Guide For Family
Historians", genealogist Chris Paton examines the most common records used by family
historians in Scotland, ranging from the vital records kept by the state and the various churches,
the decennial censuses, tax records, registers of land ownership and inheritance, and records of
law and order.
Through precepts of clare constat and ultimus haeres records, feudalism and udal tenure, to
irregular marriages, penny weddings and records of sequestration, Chris Paton expertly explores
the unique concepts and language within many Scottish records that are simply not found
elsewhere within the British Isles. He details their purpose and the information recorded, the
legal basis by which they were created, and where to find them both online and within Scotland's
many archives and institutions.
Critique: Expertly organized and presented, "Tracing Scottish Ancestry Through Church and
State Records: A Guide For Family Historians" is the ideal instructional guide and reference for
anyone doing genealogical research with Scottish records, making it an essential and
unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library
Genealogical Studies reference collections. It should be noted that "Tracing Scottish Ancestry
Through Church and State Records: A Guide For Family Historians" is also available in a digital
book format (Kindle, $12.99).
Editorial Note: Chris Paton is a genealogist and writer based in Ayrshire. He runs the Scotland's
Greatest Story research service at www.scotlandsgreateststory.co.uk. He is a regular writer for
several British and Irish genealogy magazines, runs the British GENES news and events blog at
www.BritishGENES.blogspot.com, and gives regular talks to local family history societies and
internationally.
The Money/Finance Shelf
Where To Retire
John Howells with Teal Conroy
Globe Pequot
www.globepequot.com
9781493043668, $21.95
Where To Retire: America's Best & Most Affordable Places can be used as an introductory
checklist of places to investigate throughout the country, and offers not just explorations of
specific states and communities, but checklists of what to consider when selecting a retirement
locale, from climate and housing to culture and safety. Chapters provide enough of a snapshot of
daily life and retirement-oriented amenities to help readers plan further investigations and
personal visits to communities ranging from Charleston, SC and Burney, California to the Texas
hill country.
RetireSMART!: How to Plan for a Tax-Free Retirement
Mark Anthony Grimaldi
https://www.retiresmartbook.com
Page Publishing Inc.
101 Tyrellan Avenue Suite 100 New York, NY 10309
www.pagepublishing.com
9781644628911, $29.95, HC, 166pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: In his first book, "The Money Compass", practicing economist Mark Anthony
Grimaldi shocked his readers by showing them how their 401(k) plans benefitted no one but
Uncle Sam. "RetireSMART!: How to Plan for a Tax-Free Retirement" is a follow-up in which he
dives deeper into the subject and proves once and for all that a 401(k) plan might be the single
biggest hindrance to a secure Tax Free retirement.
"RetireSMART!" is a guide on how you can improve your retirement with 3 simple steps. So if
you would rather "spend" your retirement savings as opposed to "spend" your retirement savings
paying taxes, buy this book and follow his 3 simple steps and RetireSMART!
Critique: Impressively 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "RetireSMART!: How to
Plan for a Tax-Free Retirement" is an extraordinarily comprehensive and unreservedly
recommended addition to community and academic library Money Management & Personal
Finance instructional reference collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that
"RetireSMART!: How to Plan for a Tax-Free Retirement" is also available in a digital book
format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Mark Anthony Grimaldi received a BA degree in economics from Albany State
University in 1985. In 2009 Mr. Grimaldi launched and manages The Sector Rotation Fund
(NAVFX) a pure no-load fund. As of June 30, 2019 NAVFX achieved a 5 year 5-star ranking
from Morningstar. Grimaldi has correctly forecast: The housing depression, The gold rush of
2006-2011, the 1000 point "Flash Crash", and that national unemployment would hit 10% in
2009.
The Woodworking Shelf
Turning Green Wood
Michael O'Donnell
The GMC Group
www.gmcbooks.com
9781784945589, $24.95, PB, 144pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Now in a newly revised edition, "Turning Green Wood" by Michael O'Donnell (who is
a founding member of the Association of Woodturners of Great Britain and the author of
"Decorating Turned Wood") is an inspiring and thought-provoking guide that deftly and step-by-
step explains how to harvest and store timber, and how to make the best use of the grain pattern
and other properties.
Turning green wood can be made so delicate that it is actually translucent, and the thickness of
the wood can be gauged by shining a light through it as you work. Using clear text and
spectacular photographs to show exactly how this is done, "Turning Green Wood" demystifies
one of the most admired techniques used by woodturners today. It also features six inspirational
projects to make, including: cross-grain translucent bowl, cross-grain natural-edge bowl,
end-grain bowl, natural-edge end-grain bowl, natural-edge end-grain goblet and part-turned
bowl.
Critique: Profusely illustrated and a thoroughly 'user friendly' instruction guide and manual for
wood shop curriculums, "Turning Green Wood" is an ideal and unreservedly recommended
addition to personal, professional, community, highschool and technical college library
woodworking collections.
The Automotive Shelf
Lost Muscle Car Dealerships
Duncan Brown
Publicity Department
CarTech Inc.
838 Lake Street South, Forest Lake, MN 55025
www.cartechbooks.com
9781613254516, $36.95, 192pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: In the profusely illustrated pages of "Lost Muscle Car Dealerships", muscle car
historian and enthusiast Duncan Brown revisits a glorious automotive era when Nickey 427
Camaros and supercharged Dodge Demons by Grand Spaulding Dodge terrorized the
streets.
Drag sponsored cars from Reynolds Buick, Yeakel Chrysler-Plymouth, and Mel Burns Ford
informed buyers that if you came to their dealership, you too could have a screaming fast muscle
car just like the ones you saw at the dragstrip. It was these dealerships that created the lasting
muscle car legacy through their innovative advertising and over-the-top performance.
The majority of these dealerships floundered, unable to re-attract the customers they had prior to
the muscle car. "Lost Muscle Car Dealerships" is dedicated to preserving the history of those less
fortunate and revisiting the past success of these historic muscle car dealerships.
Critique: A unique and impressively informative history of a heretofore neglected aspect of
American automotive history, "Lost Muscle Car Dealerships" will prove to be a welcome and
enduringly popular addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library
collections.
Editorial Note: Duncan Scott Brown's mother encouraged him to write stories from a young age
while his father took him through a whirlwind tour of car dealerships as he was growing up.
Duncan's desire to preserve car history inspired his website: www.oneownercollectorcar.com.
The site profiles people who kept their classic domestic 1960s and 1970s cars with a technical
examination of the patterns of wear on original vehicles. The website quickly expanded to quirky
areas that caught on with readers, such as the Gas Logs section and, of course, The Dealerships.
Readers have generously contributed their memories and photos of long-lost dealerships from the
Big Three plus AMC to the website.
Ford versus Ferrari
John Starkey
Veloce Publishing Ltd.
www.veloce.co.uk
9781787115729, $19.99, PB, 128pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: "Ford versus Ferrari: The Battle for Supremacy at Le Mans 1966" is the illustrated
story by John Starkey of what happened when America's richest car company, producing many
thousands of cars per year, went head to head with Ferrari of Italy in the mid '60s.
This is the story of an immovable force coming up against the stubbornness of an unmovable
object -- that is, Ford against Ferrari. Enzo Ferrari, whose company produced less than four
hundred cars per year in 1963, wasn't going to bow to Ford after he had turned down its offer to
buy his company. The only place left to duke it out was on the racetracks of the world -- and one
race course in particular -- the Le Mans '66.
Critique: Impressively informative, exceptionally well written, and profusely illustrated
throughout, "Ford versus Ferrari: The Battle for Supremacy at Le Mans 1966" is a 'must read' for
the legions of Ferrari and Ford motor car enthusiasts and will prove to be an immediate and
enduringly popular addition to personal, community, and academic library Automotive History
collections. It should be noted for Ford and Ferrari fans that "Ford versus Farrari" is also
available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Born in England, John Starkey's automotive love affair began with his acquisition
of a Jaguar XK120 that he bought in 1966 for 120 British pounds. After a 1958 Ferrari 250 GT
Berlinetta, life was never quite the same again, and the racing bug bit hard when he first drove a
Porsche RSR. This was followed by "a beast" of a 935, then a Lola T70 Mk 3b coupe, and a
March 84G. These he raced across Europe and America. In 1997, John moved to America, where
he began writing, naturally, about racing cars. After twenty books, John thinks he has now run
out of subjects to cover, although he has recently begun a novel about the world of dealing in old
cars. He also investigates the individual histories of old racing cars for clients.
Autofocus: The Car in Photography
Marta Weiss
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110-0017
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500480526, $34.95, HC, 192pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Undeniably one of the most influential innovations of the modern world, the car has
changed not only the way we live, but also the way we look at the world around us. From formal,
compositional device to highly desirable, photogenic object, the car has a long and enduring
appeal in modern and contemporary photography as revealed in "Autofocus: The Car in
Photography" by Mara Weiss in this latest addition to the V&A Photography Library series from
Thames & Hudson.
"Autofocus" visually explores the deep cultural significance of the car in the history of
photography, playing a role both as subject matter and as a genuine creative vehicle -- the means
by which photographers have accomplished many of their great works. Showcased is the
photographic work by Henri Cartier-Bresson, Walker Evans, Robert Frank, Edward Weston, and
Weegee.
"Autofocus: The Car in Photography" is captivating album that presents and showcases more
than 100 photographs, alongside fascinating commentaries and an introduction, that span the
early years of the automobile to the present day. For both photography and car-loving audiences,
Autofocus illustrates the inexorable rise of the car as a cultural icon.
Critique: Unique, informative, and a simply pleasure for car buffs and historians to browse
through one page at a time, "Autofocus: The Car in Photography" by Marta Weiss (who is the
Curator of Photographs at the Victoria and Albert Museum) is certain to be a welcome and
enduringly popular addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library
Photography collections in general, and Automotive History supplemental studies reading lists in
particular.
The Gaming Shelf
Don't Be Fooled!: Countering Deception at Bridge
Danny Roth
Master Point Press
www.masterpointpress.com
9781771400510, $19.95, PB, 246pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Many books have been written on falsecards and other deceptive plays at the bridge
table. However, there is very little help available for the player who wants to learn how to
recognize when the opponents are trying something sneaky, and what can be done in terms of
counter-measures. "Don't Be Fooled!: Countering Deception at Bridge" by Bridge expert Danny
Roth nicely fills that gap, enabling readers to learn the most common situations where deceptive
play by the opposition may occur, and the most effective ways to nullify the threat.
Critique: Danny Roth is a regular contributor to bridge magazines around the world. With "Don't
Be Fooled!: Countering Deception at Bridge" he effectively draws upon his many years of
experience and expertise to provide aspiring Bridge players with a complete, comprehensive, and
throughly 'player friendly' instructional manual and guide that will result in a decided
improvement in their gaming performance. "Don't Be Fooled!: Countering Deception at Bridge"
is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, and community library collections.
The Business Shelf
Flat, Fluid, and Fast
Brynne Kennedy
McGraw Hill Education
c/o McGraw Hill Professional
1221 Avenue of the Americas, 45th Floor, New York, NY 10020
www.mhprofessional.com
9781260457278, $30.00, HC, 272pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: In just a few short years it is confidently predicted that employee mobility will be an
imperative for every business, as millions of jobs disappear practically overnight having become
victims of artificial intelligence and automation -- even as new jobs are created. The competition
for talent will be fierce, and employers are going to have to make major changes in the ways they
hire, manage, and retain top performers.
"Flat, Fluid, and Fast: Harness the Talent Mobility Revolution to Drive Employee Engagement,
Accelerate Innovation, and Unleash Growth" by Brynne Kennedy delivers the tactics and
strategies employers will need to create a disruption-proof company during the talent mobility
revolution. It walks employers through the entire process, while providing expert advice on new
ways to: Draw top talent to a company; Implement new training programs; Create employee
mobility plans; Design innovative career paths for staff; Operate an adaptable organization for
long-term success; Understand policies to support this new world of work across America.
"Flat, Fluid, and Fast" goes beyond merely surviving the coming change. It equips employers to
seize the opportunities this change affords, to beat out the competition, and to become the
dominant player in any industry. It also equips everyone in America to understand the
government policies that are needed to unleash growth, create new jobs and support all workers
amid this radical new world of work.
Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Flat, Fluid, and Fast: Harness the
Talent Mobility Revolution to Drive Employee Engagement, Accelerate Innovation, and Unleash
Growth" is a seminal work that should be a part of every corporate, community, college, and
university library Business Management instructional reference collection and supplemental
curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of business students,
academia, corporate executives, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject
that "Flat, Flud, and Fast" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.04).
Editorial Note: Holding a B.A. in History from Yale and an MBA from London Business School,
Brynne Kennedy is an American entrepreneur and the Founder of Topia, a relocation and talent
mobility company in California, used by customers worldwide. While CEO she grew the
company to global operations, raised $100 million and helped tens of thousands of families
transition to new jobs and communities. While leading Topia in California, Brynne also founded
Mobility4All, a charitable initiative that supported refugees during the Syrian War. Brynne has
also worked with TechNet to advise California State and Federal lawmakers on policies for
economic growth and entrepreneurship.
The Gardening Shelf
Vertical Gardening
Jason Johns
http://gardeningwithjason.com
Groundswell Books
c/o Book Publishing Company
PO Box 99, Summertown, TN 38483
bookpubco.com
9781570673757 $9.95 pbk / $6.99 Kindle amazon.com
Synopsis: A vertical garden can run the gamut from a simple arrangement of flowers in a large
container on a deck to an elaborate display of strawberries and geraniums amid climbing peas
and vines of small squash growing up a backyard fence. Any upright structure that can support
vegetables, fruits, herbs, or flowers, whether these plants are in containers or in the ground, can
be used. Of particular interest to urban dwellers and to city residents with limited yard space or
sunlight, growing plants vertically can also be used by suburban and rural gardeners so valuable
ground space can be freed up for root crops.
Gardening expert Jason Johns offers examples of many types of vertical gardens and offers
suggestions on which plants to select that thrive when grown vertically. He also gives tips for
how to plan a vertical garden to take advantage of sunlight, allow for easy watering and care, and
provide protection from wind and insect damage. Included are numerous photographs illustrating
innovative and creative vertical gardening structures and arrangements that provide the support
plants need to flourish. You'll be able to maximize your yield in minimal space.
Critique: Illustrated with black-and-white photography throughout, Vertical Gardening is a guide
to growing one's own, organic produce and herbs in the smallest of spaces. Chapters discuss how
to raise plants that do well in vertical gardens; maintain optimal soil conditions; protect one's
garden from wind and insect damage; and much more. An index rounds out this "must-have" for
aspiring and hobbyist gardeners who have a limited area to work with. It should be noted for
personal reading lists that Vertical Gardening is also available in a Kindle edition ($6.99).
The Pollinator Victory Garden
Kim Eierman
Quarry Books
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
400 First Avenue North, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55401-1722
9781631597503, $26.99, PB, 160pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Pollinators are critical to our food supply and responsible for the pollination of the vast
majority of all flowering plants on our planet. Pollinators include not just bees, but many
different types of animals, including insects and mammals. Beetles, bats, birds, butterflies,
moths, flies, and wasps can also be pollinators.
But today, many pollinators are in trouble, and the reality is that most of our landscapes have
little to offer them. Our residential and commercial landscapes are filled with vast green
pollinator deserts, better known as lawns. These monotonous green expanses are ecological
wastelands for bees and other pollinators.
With "The Pollinator Victory Garden: Win the War on Pollinator Decline with Ecological
Gardening; Attract and Support Bees, Beetles, Butterflies, Bats, and Other Pollinators",
gardeners and homeowners can give pollinators a fighting chance by learning how to transition
their landscape into a pollinator haven by creating a habitat that includes pollinator nutrition,
larval host plants for butterflies and moths, and areas for egg laying, nesting, sheltering,
overwintering, resting, and warming.
"The Pollinator Victory Garden" offers a wealth of information to support pollinators while
improving the environment including: The importance of pollinators and the specific threats to
their survival; How to provide food for pollinators using native perennials, trees, and shrubs that
bloom in succession; Detailed profiles of the major pollinator types and how to attract and
support each one; Tips for creating and growing a Pollinator Victory Garden, including site
assessment, planning, and planting goals; Project ideas like pollinator islands, enriched landscape
edges, revamped foundation plantings, meadowscapes, and other pollinator-friendly lawn
alternatives.
Critique: A unique, timely and impressively informative instructional guide and manual, "The
Pollinator Victory Garden: Win the War on Pollinator Decline with Ecological Gardening;
Attract and Support Bees, Beetles, Butterflies, Bats, and Other Pollinators" should be considered
a mandatory addition to all community and academic library Environmental Studies collections
in general, and Domestic Gardening supplemental studies lists in particular. It should be noted
for the personal reading lists of all homeowners, gardeners, students, environmental activists, and
non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Pollinator Victory Garden"
is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $24.99).
Editorial Note: Kim Eierman is an environmental horticulturist and landscape designer
specializing in ecological landscapes and native plants. She is the Founder of EcoBeneficial, a
horticulture consulting and communications company in Westchester County, New York. Kim
teaches at the New York Botanical Garden, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, The Native Plant Center,
Rutgers Home Gardeners School, and advanced education classes for Master Gardeners. An
active speaker nationwide on many ecological landscaping topics, she also provides horticultural
consulting and ecological design to commercial, municipal, and retail clients. In addition to being
a Certified Horticulturist through the American Society for Horticultural Science, Kim is an
Accredited Organic Landcare Professional, a Steering Committee member of The Native Plant
Center, and a member of The Ecological Landscape Alliance and the Association for Garden
Communicators (GWA). Kim received the Silver Award of Achievement from the Garden
Writers Association in 2014, 2015, and 2017.
The Complete Book Of Ferns
Mobee Weinstein
Cool Springs Press
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
400 First Avenue North, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55401-1722
www.quartoknows.com
9780760363942, $30.00, HC, 256pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Houseplants are enduringly popular, but no category of houseplants is more popular
than ferns. From the otherworldly Staghorns (mounted like antler trophies in homes throughout
the world) to the classic Boston Ferns and newer varieties like Crispy Wave, ferns are definitely
back in fashion. And to no one's surprise. After all, ferns are among the very oldest plants on the
planet, with a long and storied history. There are tens of thousands of known varieties of ferns. In
the Victorian Era, ferns created an absolute craze for more than 50 years. They re-emerged as
integral home decor accessories in the '50s and '60s, and there were the "Fern Bars" back in the
'80s.
"The Complete Book of Ferns: Indoors - Outdoors - Growing - Crafting - History & Lore" by
Mobee Weinstein is comprehensive reference that begins its examination of ferns 400 million
years ago, when the first species of this group of spore-reproducing plants appeared on Earth,
exploring their evolution and eventual incorporation into human culture, including the powers
associated with them and their practical and ornamental uses. Then, after an exploration of fern
botany (its parts, how it grows, its variability in size and form, habitats, propagation, etc.) the
aspiring gardener will learn how to green both their indoor and outdoor environments with ferns.
Every aspect of fern care is covered: potting/planting, watering, fertilizing, pest and disease
control, and more.
With this knowledge absorbed, aspiring gardeners can explore creative planting projects, like
terrariums, vertical gardens (living walls), mixed tabletop gardens, and moss baskets. As well as
making a survey of ferns complete, create pressed fern art, fabric wall hangings with
chlorophyll-stained designs, cyanotypes, and hand-made fern-decorated paper.
Critique: Profusely and beautifully illustrated throughout" The Complete Book of Ferns: Indoors
- Outdoors - Growing - Crafting - History & Lore" is an extraordinary and comprehensive
compendium that is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional,
community, and academic library DIY gardening instructional reference collections. An
informative pleasure to simply browse through, it should be noted that "The Complete Book of
Ferns: Indoors - Outdoors - Growing - Crafting - History & Lore" is also available in a digital
book format (Kindle, $27.52).
Editorial Note: Currently, Mobee Weinstein is the Foreman of Gardeners for Outdoor Gardens at
the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx. She has a degree in Plant Studies and has done
post-graduate work in Botany. She has worked as an adjunct professor of Indoor plants at SUNY.
She frequently appears and represents New York Botanical Garden on television (NBC, ABC,
Martha Stewart Living, et al.) and radio (Ralph Snodsmith's The Garden Hotline program, et al.).
She is a frequent lecturer to outside organizations and a Judge for Philadelphia Flower Show
(Ferns and other plant classes) and NYC Community Gardens. She organizes and leads field trips
for NYBG School of Professional Horticulture and has published more than a dozen articles and
book chapters on various topics, including ferns and water lilies.
The Needlecraft Shelf
Blue & White Quilts
That Patchwork Place
Martingale & Company
www.shopmartingale.com
9781683560395, $27.99
Blue & White Quilts: 13 Remarkable Quilts with Timeless Appeal presents creations from
designers and collectors with an interest in pairing antique and modern designs for use with new
quilting fabrics and techniques, and is recommended for anyone interested in exploring blue and
white motifs and patterns. From appliqued and pieced borders to blocks, quilt tops, and patterns,
chapters explore various combinations and creative approaches to a two-color pattern that will
provide ideas and inspiration for other two-color uses as well.
Top-Down Knit Sweaters
Corrina Ferguson
Stackpole Books
5067 Ritter Road, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055-6921
www.stackpolebooks.com
9780811718288, $24.95, PB, 120pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Corrina Ferguson is a knitwear designer and former editor of Creative Knitting
Magazine. She is known as PicnicKnits on Ravelry, Instagram, Twitter, and has her own website,
picnicknits.com. She has been designing for over 10 years and has over 200 patterns to her credit,
including those in her first book, Warm Days, Cool Knits.
With "Top-Down Knit Sweaters: 16 Versatile Styles Featuring Texture, Lace, Cables, and
Colorwork" she has drawn upon her years of experience and expertise to create an instruction
manual of DIY knitted sweaters specifically designed for anything from office to errands to
weekend events. They are polished yet comfortable, closet staples with interesting details that
will make you feel well-dressed every time you put one on. From textured pullover to cabled
raglan to wrap-front cardigan, the 16 designs in "Top-Down Knit Sweaters" will take you
anywhere you want to go.
Knitting sweaters from the top down offers many advantages knitters appreciate, not the least of
which is that it minimizes the amount of seaming you have to do to finish your sweater. It also
allows more easy options for customization in the yoke, raglan placement, overall length, and
armhole length. Since you can try your sweater on as you go, you can make sure that you are
working to the exact fit you desire.
Critique: Replete with a wealth of helpful tips for knitting top down, with thoroughly 'user
friendly' patters for sizes from XS to XXL, plus a guide to finding the best personal best fit,
"Top-Down Knit Sweaters: 16 Versatile Styles Featuring Texture, Lace, Cables, and Colorwork"
showcases patterns for both hand knitted pullovers and cardigan sweaters. While unreservedly
recommended for personal, professional, and community library Needlecraft instructional
reference collections, it should be noted that "Top-Down Knit Sweaters" is also available in a
digital book format (Kindle, $15.48).
The Crafts Shelf
Wondrous One Sheet Origami
Meenakshi Mukerji
CRC Press
6000 NW Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300, Boca Raton, FL 33487
www.crcpress.com
9780367208134, $75.00, HC, 163pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: "Wondrous One Sheet Origami" by origami expert Meenakshi Mukerji is an illustrated
instructional manual and guide to creating beautiful origami designs covering a wide range of
folding levels from simple to high intermediate, with more emphasis on the latter.
"Wondrous One Sheet Origami" is a richly illustrated full-color book with clear, crisp diagrams
following international standard, and an abundance of photographs of finished models. Special
features include select designs hand-picked by the author based on social media responses. Most
of the designs incorporate color-change, a technique showing both sides of paper for enhanced
beauty
Ideal for audiences 12 years of age and above, most of the designs comprising "Wondrous One
Sheet Origami" are flat and suitable for mounting on cards or framing as gifts.
Critique: Profusely illustrated with clear step-by-step instructions, "Wondrous One Sheet
Origami" is thoroughly 'user friendly' in tone, commentary, organization and presentation. While
especially and unreservedly recommended for school, community and academic library Origami
instructional reference collections, it should be noted for the personal lists of students,
professionals, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Wondrous
One Sheet Origami" is also available in a paperback edition (9780367208103, $29.95) and in a
digital book format (Kindle, $28.45).
Editorial Note: Meenakshi Mukerji (Adhikari) was introduced to origami in early childhood by
her uncle Bireshwar Mukhopadhyay. She rediscovered origami in its modular form as an adult
quite by chance in 1995, when a friend took her to a modular origami class taught by Doug
Philips. This newfound mathematical and structural side of modular origami rekindled her
passion for the art, and soon after, she started designing and displaying origami on her popular
website www.origamee.net. The website features colorful photo galleries and links to myriad of
free diagrams and has about a million and a half hits to date. Meenakshi regularly contributes to
various origami periodicals and exhibits her work at conventions. She is a member of Origami
USA and British Origami Society and an editor for the former's online magazine The Fold.
The Hunting Shelf
Buffalo II!
Craig Boddington
Safari Press, Inc.
www.safaripress.com
9781571575319, $44.95, HC, 308pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: In the pages of "Buffalo II!", author and big game hunter Craig Boddington shares a
wealth of first hand information on hunting "swamp buffalo" from Mozambique, as well as
discussing the importance of buffalo sustainability for generations to come -- the how, where,
and why of looking for an aged buffalo bull with hard bosses. He also shares his experience with
a confronting a compelling personal, vividly presented, lethal buffalo charge confrontation.
Critique: An inherently fascinating, deftly written, and impressively informative read from first
page to last, "Buffalo II!" will have enormous appeal for all members of the hunting community.
Certain to be an enduringly popular addition to personal, professional, community, and academic
library collections, "Buffalo II!" is an unreservedly recommended acquisition.
The Travel Shelf
Lonely Planet Best of India
Anirban Mahapatra, et al.
Lonely Planet Publications
150 Linden Street, Oakland CA 94607
www.lonelyplanet.com
9781787013926, $24.99, PB, 324pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Lonely Planet's Best of India is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on
what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Marvel at the intricate floral
designs on the Taj Mahal, float along Kerala's backwaters as the sun sinks behind whispering
palms, and dive into the teeming bazaars, mighty fortresses and fine dining of Jaipur - all with
your trusted travel companion. Discover the best of India and begin your journey now!
"Lonely Planet's Best of India" is the ideal trip planning guide and resource that features:
Full-colour images throughout; Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your
personal needs and interests; Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local,
avoiding crowds and trouble spots; Essential info at your fingertips including hours of operation,
phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices; Honest reviews for all budgets including eating,
sightseeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss; Cultural insights that
provide a richer, more rewarding travel experience with respect to history, art, food, wine, sport,
landscapes, and wildlife.
"Lonely Planet's Best of India" covers Delhi, Agra, the Taj Mahal, Jaisalmer, Jaipur, Mumbai,
Ajanta, Ellora, Goa, Kerala, Karnataka, Darjeeling, Varanasi, Himachal Pradesh and more.
Critique: Expertly organized, accessibly presented, informative, portable, and thoroughly 'user
friendly' throughout, "Lonely Planet's Best of India" is an armchair traveler's delight and
indispensable for either business or recreational travelers to the nation of India. While an
enduringly popular addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library travel
guide collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that the "Lonely Planet's Best of
India" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.49).
The Self-Help Shelf
All You Have to Do Is Ask
Wayne Baker
Currach
c/o Penguin Random House
www.penguin.com
9781984825926, $27.00, HC, 240pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Imagine you're on a deadline for a big project, and feeling overwhelmed. Or you're
looking for a job, but can't seem to get your foot in the door. Or you're dying for tickets to a sold
out concert, and all your leads have gone cold. What do these problems have in common? They
can all be solved simply by reaching out to a colleague, friend, or wider network and making an
ask.
Studies show that asking for help makes us better and less frustrated at our jobs. It helps us find
new opportunities and new talent. It unlocks new ideas and solutions, and enhances team
performance. And it helps us get the things we need outside the workplace as well. And yet, we
rarely give ourselves permission to ask. Luckily, the research shows that asking (and getting)
what we need is much easier than we tend to think.
In the pages of "All You Have to Do Is Ask: How to Master the Most Important Skill for
Success", Wayne Baker shares a set of strategies that used at companies like Google, GM, and
IDEO, and that individuals, teams, and leaders can use to make asking for help a personal and
organizational habit, including: A quiz to identify your asking-giving style; SMART criteria for
who, when, and how to ask; "Plug-and-play " routines that make requests a standard component
of meetings; Mini-games that incentivize asking within teams; The Reciprocity Ring, a guided
activity that allows people to tap into the giving power of a network.
"All You Have to Do Is Ask" shows the reader just how to ignite the cycle of giving and
receiving by asking for the things we need.
Critique: Practical, effective, informatively insightful, thoroughly 'user friendly' in tone,
commentary, organization and presentation, "All You Have to Do Is Ask: How to Master the
Most Important Skill for Success" will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition
to both community and academic library Self-Help/Self-Improvement instructional reference
collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "All You Have to Do Is Ask" is also
available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99).
Editorial Note: Wayne Baker is the Robert P. Thome Professor of Business Administration and
Professor of Management and Organizations at the University of Michigan Ross School of
Business and Professor of Sociology at the University of Michigan. He currently serves as
Faculty Associate at the Institute for Social Research and Faculty Director of the Center for
Positive Organizations. Baker is a frequent guest speaker, management consultant, and advisor
and board member of Give and Take, Inc., developers of the Givitas collaborative technology
platform. He has published numerous scholarly papers, four books, and articles appearing in
Harvard Business Review, Chief Executive magazine, and MIT Sloan Management Review.
The Environmental Studies Shelf
Changing Tides
Alejandro Frid
New Society Publishers
www.newsociety.com
9780865719095, $19.99
Changing Tides: An Ecologist's Journey to Make Peace with the Anthropocene tackles the
question of humanity's impact on the planet and what stories can allow the human race to shift
from their focus of material goods and goals to a more ecological perspective of stewards of the
world's ecosystems. In order to consider what the shift might look like, Frid examined Indigenous
cultures that have developed unique ways of viewing and managing resources. Their experience,
blended with scientific data, might make the difference in helping humans revise their own image
of their role in planetary affairs. Ethereal, engaging, and centered in river, wildlife, and natural
environments, Changing Tides blends philosophy with social insights key to understanding man's
place in the world, and is an outstanding survey recommended for social issues, ecology, and
science collections alike.
The Holocaust Studies Shelf
The Anatomy of the Holocaust
Raul Hilberg, Walter H. Pehle, and Rene Schlott, editors
Berghahn Books
20 Jay Street, Suite 512, Brooklyn, NY 11201
www.berghahnbooks.com
9781789203554, $150.00, HC, 258pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: Though best known as the author of the landmark 1961 work "The Destruction of the
European Jews", the historian Raul Hilberg produced a variety of archival research, personal
essays, and other works over a career that spanned half a century. "The Anatomy of the
Holocaust: Selected Works from a Life of Scholarship" collects some of Hilberg's most essential
and groundbreaking writings (many of them published in obscure journals or otherwise
inaccessible to nonspecialists) in a single volume.
Supplemented with commentary and notes from Hilberg's longtime German editor and his
biographer, "The Anatomy of the Holocaust" not only offers a multifaceted look at the man and
the scholar, but also traces the evolution of Holocaust research from a marginal subdiscipline
into a diverse and vital intellectual project.
Critique: Comprised of a seminal body of meticulous historical scholarship, "The Anatomy of the
Holocaust: Selected Works from a Life of Scholarship" is a critically important and unreservedly
recommended addition to community, college, and university library Holocaust Studies
collections and supplemental studies reading lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and
non-specialist general readers that "The Anatomy of the Holocaust" is also available in a
paperback edition (9781789204896, $29.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.99).
Editorial Note: Walter H. Pehle studied in Cologne, Bonn and Dusseldorf, and holds a doctorate
in history. From 1977 to 2011 he was an editor for history at the German publisher S. Fischer
Verlag. Since 1988 he has served as the acquisitions editor for S. Fischer Verlag's series "The
Age of National Socialism", which to date includes over 250 books. His own publications
include, as volume editor, the anthology November 1938: From "Reichskristallnacht" to
Genocide (Berg, 1991) and, together with Wolfgang Benz, Encyclopedia of German Resistance
to the Nazi Movement (Continuum, 1997). He is an honorary professor at the University of
Innsbruck.
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Diane C. Donovan, Editor
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129
phone: 1-608-835-7937
e-mail: mbr@execpc.com
e-mail: mwbookrevw@aol.com
http://www.midwestbookreview.com
Copyright ©2001
Site design by Williams Writing, Editing &
Design