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Internet Bookwatch

Volume 27, Number 6 June 2017 Home | IBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Homeowner's Shelf Science Shelf
Mystery/Suspense Shelf Christian StudiesShelf Judaic Studies Shelf
Buddhist Studies Shelf Poetry Shelf Business Shelf
Self-Help Shelf Political Science Shelf Fiction Shelf
Parenting Shelf Money/Finance Shelf Cookbook Shelf
Metaphysical Studies Shelf Needlecraft Shelf Fantasy/SciFi Shelf
Health/Medicine Shelf Crafts Shelf Railroading Shelf
Comix/Graphic Novel Shelf Audiobook Shelf Library CD Shelf
Library DVD Shelf Social Issues Shelf Technology Shelf
Jobs/Careers Shelf Computer Shelf Beer/Wine/Spirits Shelf
Gaming Shelf Sports Shelf Interior Design Shelf
Biography Shelf Travel Shelf Writing/Publishing Shelf
Theatre/Cinema Shelf Education Shelf Philosophy Shelf
LGBT Studies Shelf Photography Shelf Anthropology Shelf
Pets/Wildlife Shelf Art Shelf Gardening Shelf
American History Shelf Civil War Shelf Military Shelf
Economic Studies Shelf Music Shelf Native American Studies Shelf
Library Science Shelf Women's Studies Shelf Literary Studies Shelf
Agriculture Shelf Terrorism Studies Shelf Autism Shelf
Genealogy Shelf Aviation Shelf  


Reviewer's Choice

The Young Adult's Guide to Identity Theft
Myra Faye Turner
Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc.
1405 S.W. 6th Avenue, Ocala, FL 34471
www.atlantic-pub.com
9781620232385, $34.95, Library Binding, 189pp, www.amazon.com

It's not a subject taught in high schools or colleges. Nevertheless, the sooner young men and women learn how to avoid identity theft, the better. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says that as many as one in every eight adults and one in every four households has been victimized by identity thieves in the past five years. To make matters even worse, if you end up a victim of identity theft, it can take years to clean up the mess. Being young is about starting a life and having opportunities, not dealing with scammers and identity theft. In the age of the Internet, fraud is a serious risk that we all face. "The Young Adult's Guide to Identity Theft: A Step-By-Step Guide to Stopping Scammers" provides the young adult reader with all of the information they need to stop these serious problems in a conversational, and sometimes humorous, tone. From teaching teens what identity fraud is to identifying the warning signs "The Young Adult's Guide to Identity Theft" shows what to look for when buying that anything online, including identifying which websites should not be trusted. "The Young Adult's Guide to Identity Theft" also provides a step-by-step guide to recovering one's identity in case it has actually been stolen. To avoid being a victim of identity theft, the first step needed to take is to arm ourselves with the knowledge contained in the pages of "The Young Adult's Guide to Identity Theft" to protect men and women of any age before it ever happens. An absolutely 'must' for highschool, community, college, and university library collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Young Adult's Guide to Identity Theft" is also available in a paperback edition (9781620231791, $19.95) and in a Kindle format ($13.42).

Teenagers with ADD, ADHD & Executive Function Deficits, third edition
Chris A. Zeigler Dendy
Woodbine House
6510 Bells Mill Road, Bethesda, MD 20817
www.woodbinehouse.com
9781606132814, $26.95, PB, 362pp, www.amazon.com

In "Teenagers with ADD, ADHD & Executive Function Deficits: A Guide for Parents and Professionals", seasoned expert and veteran parent, Chris Zeigler Dendy looks at key areas (academics, dating, driving, socializing, and greater independence) that make adolescence potentially more difficult for kids with ADD, ADHD, or executive function deficits. This newly updated and expanded third edition is refreshed with indispensable information on the latest DSM-5 diagnostic criteria, research, education strategies and laws, and technology use. "Teenagers with ADD, ADHD & Executive Function Deficits" also offers a thorough explanation of executive function deficits and their impact on teens' ability to focus, prioritize, and plan. Zeigler shows parents and educators how to support and advocate for teens using a combination of medications, behavior and academic interventions and accommodations, ADHD education, and exercise. Armed with the extensive and up-to-date information and strategies comprising "Teenagers with ADD, ADHD & Executive Function Deficits", parents, educators, and therapists can be proactive, working together with teens to build resilience and a hopeful future. Thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Teenagers with ADD, ADHD & Executive Function Deficits" is unreservedly recommended for professional, school district, and academic library Teacher Education collections in general, and Special Education supplemental studies reading lists in particular.

The Story of the Predestined Pilgrim and His Brother Reprobate
Christopher C. Lund, translator
ACMRS
Arizona State University
PO Box 874402, Tempe, AZ 85287-4402
https://acmrs.org/publications/catalog/story-predestined-pilgrim-and-his-brother-reprobate
9780866985444, $55.00, HC, 140pp, www.amazon.com

"The Story of the Predestined Pilgrim and His Brother Reprobate" is an expert and deftly accomplished English translation by academician Christopher C. Lund of a salvation allegory written in the hinterland of Brazil in 1682 by the Jesuit Father Alexandre de Gusmao. Generally, it served the pedagogical purposes of his order, being translated twice into Spanish (1696 and 1815), and specifically for use in his mission boarding school in Belem da Cachoeira. Its narrative follows the evolution of the two protagonists, Predestined and Reprobate, as they travel from Egypt toward the New Jerusalem. It examines the vicissitudes of their encounters with the personifications of virtues and vices. It culminates, perhaps, with the mystical benevolence of Charity. A magnificent example of 17th century literature, "The Story of the Predestined Pilgrim and His Brother Reprobate" is unreservedly recommended for college and university library Baroque Literature collections and supplemental studies reading lists.

Glorious Times
Tom Benjey
University of Montana Press
University of Montana, Corbin Hall 147, Missoula, MT 59812
http://www.umt.edu/umpress
c/o Farcountry Press (distribution)
PO Box 5630, Helena, MT 59604
www.farcountrypress.com
9780990974895, $18.95, PB, 264pp, www.amazon.com

"Glorious Times: Adventures of the Craighead Naturalists" by Tom Benjey tells the fascinating, true, and important story of an American clan of Scots-Irish that settled in the early 1700s in Pennsylvania. From this clan came an astonishing number exceptional people, many of whom dedicated their lives to the study and conservation of nature. "Glorious Times" even poses the question as to whether this family had a special "Naturalist DNA" in their genetic heritage. "Glorious Times" covers many generations, but appropriately focuses most attention on the famous siblings Frank Jr., John, and Jean (Craighead George). It is interesting to note that in 2009 it was Dr. David Masland suggested Benjey write a book about his lifelong friends, the Craigheads. Benjey's initial investigation convinced him that this was indeed an extraordinary family. Impressively informed and informative, thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "Glorious Times" will prove to be of immense attraction to readers with an interest in the history of environmentalism and conservation in America -- and will prove to be of enduring value for both community and academic library American Biography collections in general, and Environmental/Conservation supplemental studies reading lists in particular.

Vintage Trailer Voyeur
Victoria Ocken
Schiffer Publishing Ltd.
4880 Lower Valley Road, Atglen, PA 19310
www.schifferbooks.com
9780764351280, $34.99, HC, 208pp, www.amazon.com

Readers will be taking a fanciful journey into the world of vintage camping trailers through the stories of their owners in Victoria Ocken's "Vintage Trailer Voyeur: A Peek Inside the Unique Custom Trailer Culture". Featuring almost 400 photos, "Vintage Trailer Voyeur" offer a unique look at the rare, the unique, the coveted, and the just plain adorable. "Vintage Trailer Voyeur" features a vintage trailer rally, visits an all-girls camp, and checks out the decor of these jewels on-the-road trailers that range from original birch paneling, chenille bedspreads, and a period-perfect Dixie stove, to a "Sharkstream" trailer-as-art-installation. Anyone with the conviction that trailers deserve to be loved and lived in will enjoy exploring the possibilities as they search for, renovate, or simply dream of living in their own little piece of history. An inherently fascinating and impressively informative read from cover to cover, "Vintage Trailer Voyeur" is unreservedly recommended for community and academic library collections, and should be considered a "must" for anyone who has ever enjoyed a trailer of their own out on the open road.

Toybox Time Machine
Marty Baumann
IDW Publishing
2765 Truxtun Road, San Diego, CA 92106
www.idwpublishing.com
9781631409073, $29.99, HC, 164pp, www.amazon.com

Marty Baumann is an illustrator, graphic artist, and production designer. He has contributed to some of the most popular, Oscar-winning animated films of all time. With "Toybox Time Machine: A Catalog of the Coolest Toys Never Made" he recaptures an innocent era of boundless commercial creativity in a beautifully illustrated tome featuring some of the greatest toys that were never made -- but the world would have been a better place if they had. "Toybox Time Machine" is also a tribute to the unbridled imaginations and madcap design and illustrative skills of the toy creators who drew inspiration from the robots, movie monsters, comic books and military men that kids adored, as well as the limitless possibilities of the space age. Showcased in catalogs, comics, trading cards, drug store and department store displays, somehow these geniuses knew what we wanted before we did. Baumann has drawn inspiration from these incredible creators and extrapolated on those outlandish and appealing ideas, developing and illustrating an amazing array of fictional toys that reflect that optimistic era. A delight to simply browse through, "Toybox Time Machine" is original, entertaining, and basically a nostalgic 'wish list' for what never was but might have been. Thoroughly entertaining from cover to cover, "Toybox Time Machine" is enthusiastically and unreservedly recommended for personal and community library collections.

Winnie & George
Allison Murphy
Mercier Press
c/o Dufour Editions, Inc.
PO Box 7, 124 Byers Road, Chester Springs, PA 19425-0007
www.dufoureditions.com
9781781174708, $24.99, PB, 351pp, www.amazon.com

"Winnie & George: An Unlikely Union" by biography Allison Murphy is the true and previously untold story of forbidden love in Belfast. Winnie and George were opposites in every way, in the already divisive age of Ireland, in the early 20th century. Yet, for all their differences, what they shared was a passion for fairness and the rights of the working class. It was this cause which ultimately brought them into each other's lives and helped form this very unlikely union that would last a lifetime, despite opposition from both their families. Allison Murphy, (an award winning Belfast teacher), was introduced to George's story by her mother-in-law, who nursed him in his last days, and who encouraged Allison to research the background and tell his story. Allison took on the challenge and has set the story of these two remarkable characters in the context of their time, tracing them through letters and documents and imagining conversations that would have happened. An inherently fascinating and skillfully crafted read from beginning to end, "Winnie & George" is very highly recommended for personal reading lists and community library Biography collections. It should be noted that "Winnie & George" is also available in a Kindle format ($12.99).

101 Amazing Uses for Apple Cider Vinegar
Susan Branson
Familius
1254 Commerce Way, Sanger, CA 93657
www.familius.com
9781945547140 $12.99 amazon.com

101 Amazing Uses for Apple Cider Vinegar lives up to its title as a handy compendium of practical (and often unexpected!) uses for humble apple cider vinegar. From acne treatment to relieving muscle pain after intense exercise to eliminating cat urine odor, killing weeds, or crafting a simple fruit fly trap, 101 Amazing Uses for Apple Cider Vinegar is a handy resource for getting the most out of an inexpensive home remedy! Also highly recommended is "101 Amazing Uses for Ginger" (9781945547126, $12.99).

The Tattoo Dictionary
Trent Aitken-Smith
Mitchell Beazley
c/o Octopus Publishing
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
9781784721770, $20.00, www.octopusbooksusa.com

The Tattoo Dictionary: An A-Z Guide to the Secret Language of Tattoos is illustrated by Ashley Tyson, whose full-page black and white tattoo illustrations support the in-depth research that explores the meanings behind some 200 popular tattoos. These include tribal images, Mexican skills, barbed wire, snakes, and other popular tattoo art, with each entry describing the initial origins of the image and its modern meaning. The result will interest any with a prior affection for tattoo art, who want more historical background on commonly-used images.


The Homeowner's Shelf

Greywater, Green Landscape
Laura Allen
Storey Publishing
210 Mass MoCA Way, North Adams, MA 01247
www.storey.com
9781612128399, $16.95, PB, 200pp, www.amazon.com

Greywater is all wastewater generated in households or office buildings from streams without fecal contamination, i.e. all streams except for the wastewater from toilets. Sources of greywater include, e.g. sinks, showers, baths, clothes washing machines or dish washers. As greywater contains fewer pathogens than domestic wastewater, it is generally safer to handle and easier to treat and reuse onsite for toilet flushing, landscape or crop irrigation, and other non-potable uses. Now with "Greywater, Green Landscape: How to Install Simple Water-Saving Irrigation Systems in Your Yard", ordinary homeowners can keep a lawn and garden lush without wasting resources by capturing and recycling the greywater that drains from sinks, showers, and washing machines. This accessible, illustrated and detailed instructional guide walks you through each step of planning for and installing a variety of greywater systems, including laundry-to-landscape and branched drain gravity-fed systems. After identifying greywater sources in the home and estimating flow rate, the reader will learn to pinpoint where to redirect the wastewater for the greatest benefit. No matter which system you decide to build, "Greywater, Green Landscape" will provide the information for do-it-yourself construction, or have the confidence to hire a professional. While very highly recommended, especially for community library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Greywater, Green Landscape" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99).


The Science Shelf

Geoinformatics for Marine and Coastal Management
Darius Bartlett & Louis Celliers, editors
CRC Press
6000 NW Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300, Boca Raton, FL 33487
www.crcpress.com
9781498731546, $139.95, HC, 444pp, www.amazon.com

Geoinformatics is the science and the technology which develops and uses information science infrastructure to address the problems of geography, cartography, geosciences locations and related branches of science and engineering. Collaborative compiled and co-edited by Darius Bartlett (Department of Geography, University College Cork, Ireland) and Louis Celliers (Coastal Systems Research Group, Natural Resources and the Environment Business Unit), "Geoinformatics for Marine and Coastal Management" is comprised of sixteen erudite, informative articles by experts in the field that collectively will provide a timely and valuable assessment of the current state of the art in applying geoinformatics tools and methods to management of marine areas. The focus throughout is on the cutting-edge coverage of a wide spectrum of activities/topics that constitute the complex socio-ecological system of sustainable coastal management. "Geoinformatics for Marine and Coastal Management" presents a comprehensive overview of the field, covering key issues and debates, and specific case studies illustrating real-world applications of the technology. A follow up to the previous two books on Marine and Coastal GIS, and based on the CoastGIS 2015 Conference, "Geoinformatics for Marine and Coastal Management" will be a useful addition and value to coastal zone managers -- and should be considered a critically important and core addition to professional, college, and university library Environmental Studies collections in general, and Marine/Coastal Management supplemental studies lists in particular. It should be noted for students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Geoinformatics for Marine and Coastal Management" is also available in a Kindle format ($132.95).


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

A Purely Private Matter
Darcie Wilde
Berkley Prime Crime
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
9780425262380, $15.00, www.penguin.com

Fans of history and mystery will welcome this Rosalind Thorne mystery which blends the two in fine tale set in Regency London's wealthy circles, which are rocked by scandal and deception. This is the second book in the series set in 19th-century London, but it is both a nice stand-alone and a solid supportive effort for the first book and any who like the atmosphere of Jane Austin. Poison, pregnancy, and threats permeate the highest of circles in this excellent story.

When It Grows Dark
Jorn Lier Horst, author
Anne Bruce, translator
Sandstone Press
c/o Dufour Editions, Inc.
PO Box 7, 124 Byers Road, Chester Springs, PA 19425-0007
www.dufoureditions.com
9781910985489, $16.00, PB, 192pp, www.amazon.com

William Wisting is a earnest policeman and the new father of twins. After a brutal robbery, Wisting finds himself edged off the investigation by more experienced officers, but soon he is on another case that is not only unsolved but has not even been recognized as a murder when in a dilapidated and abandoned barn, a forgotten, bullet-riddled car is found. How long has it been there? Where is the driver? "When It Grows Dark" is a deftly crafted, multilayered mystery that showcases author Jorn Lier Horst's genuine master of the genre. Aptly translated into English by Anne Bruce, "When It Grows Dark" is an inherently fascinating and compelling read from cover to cover and will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs that "When It Grows Dark" is also available in a Kindle format ($4.99).

Undertow
R. M. Greenaway
Dundrun
c/o The Dundurn Group
3 Church Street, Suite 500, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5E 1M2
www.dundurn.com
9781459735583, $17.99, PB, 424pp, www.amazon.com

Last summer the inlet waters washed an unnamed woman's body onto the rocks of North Vancouver's Neptune shipyards. When RCMP Constable Cal Dion returns home after a year's absence, he finds the case still open and grown cold. While Dion works to fit back in and put closure to the Jane Doe drowning case, newly relocated Constable Dave Leith is learning to cope with his first big-city posting. But they have bigger concerns: Why would anyone beat up a young electrician, then track down his wife and baby girl to finish them off? It is a motiveless and haunting killing that leaves behind one small witness and a handful of cryptic clues. And who battered and asphyxiated a wealthy nightclub owner in his own garage? A case of home invasion, by the looks of it. But Leith has a less abstract set of suspects to deal with: the victim's business partner and his strange little clan. The North Vancouver General Investigations Section is put to the test, with two files to solve, one tragic cold case, and Dion seemingly lost at sea. The second volume of author R. M. Greenaway's outstanding new 'B.C. Blues Crime Novel' series, "Undertow" is a deftly written and inherently compelling read from cover to cover. While unreservedly recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs that "Undertow" is also available in a Kindle format ($5.38).

Pursued
Lisa Harris
Revell
c/o Baker Publishing Group
6030 East Fulton, Ada, MI 49301
www.bakerbooks.com
9780800728564, $25.99, HC, 322pp, www.amazon.com

After a plane crash, Nikki Boyd and the Missing Persons Task Force race to find a key witness in a high profile case before she is permanently silenced when a woman who was sitting right next to her is nowhere to be found and whose very presence on that downed plane is being denied. Once again author Lisa Harris demonstrates her absolute mastery of the genre and an impressive ability to compel her readers rapt attention from beginning to end. An absolutely riveting read, "Pursued" is very highly recommended and will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections. For the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs it should be noted that "Pursued" is also available in a paperback edition (9780800724207, $15.99) and in a Kindle format ($8.53).

To Hell On A Fast Horse
Peter Brandvold
Five Star Books
10 Water Street, Suite 310, Waterville, ME 04901
http://gale.cengage.com/fivestar
9781432833015, $25.95, HC, 386pp, www.amazon.com

"To Hell On A Fast Horse: A Western Duo" features two bounty hunter Lou Prophet stories under one cover. In 'The Devil's Ambush' Prophet and his sometime-sideick, sometime-love Louisa Bonaventure are lured to an old and abandoned cavalry outpost in southest Colorado where they are ambushed and Louisa is badly wounded. Prophet tracks down the seven nightriders responsible with pure and bloody vengeance on his mind. In "Bring Me The Head Of Chaz Savidge!' Prophet and Louisa have to deal with competing bounty hunters as they track the notorious killer and rapist Chaz Savidge from the Dakota Territory to Denver. But along the way their most dangerous enemy is a young, grief-stricken pioneer widow whose husband and lover lie dead on her cabin floor! Author Peter Brandvold is an acknowledged master of the western genre and "To Hell On A Fast Horse" will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to community library Western Fiction collections -- and a 'must read' for the legions of Peter Brandvold fans!

Sidney Chambers and the Persistence of Love
James Runcie
Bloomsbury Press
175 Fifth Avenue, Suite 315, New York, NY 10010
www.bloomsbury.com
9781632867940, $28.00, HC, 368pp, www.amazon.com

It is May 1971 and the Cambridgeshire countryside is bursting into summer. Attending to his paternal duties, Archdeacon Sidney Chambers is walking in the woods with his daughter Anna and their aging Labrador, Byron, when they stumble upon a body. Beside the dead man lies a basket of wild flowers, all poisonous. And so it is that Sidney is thrust into another murder investigation, entering a world of hippies, folk singers, and psychedelic plants, where love triangles and permissive behavior seem to hide something darker. The sixth book in the James Runcie's much-loved Granchester Mystery series, full-time priest and part-time detective Sidney Chambers plunges back into sleuthing when he discovers that body in a bluebell wood. "Sidney Chambers and the Persistence of Love" is another "must read" title for all dedicated mystery buffs from the pen of a true master of the genre. While certain to be an enduringly popular addition to community Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Sidney Chambers and the Persistence of Love" is also available in paperback edition (9781632867957, $17.00) and in a Kindle format ($9.99).

The Devil's Country
Harry Hunsicker
Thomas & Mercer
9781503941908, $15.95, PB, 304pp, www.amazon.com

Former Texas Ranger Arlo Baines didn't come to the tiny West Texas town of Piedra Springs to cause trouble. After his wife and children were murdered, Arlo just wants to be left alone. Moving from place to place seems to be the only thing that eases the pain of his family's violent end. But a chance encounter outside a bar forces him to rescue a terrified woman and her children from mysterious attackers. When the woman turns up murdered the next day (her children missing) Arlo becomes the primary suspect in exactly the same type of crime he is trying desperately to forget. Haunted by the fate of his family, and with the police questioning the existence of the dead woman's children, Arlo decides it's his duty to find them. The question is, just how deep will he have to sink into the dusty secrets of Piedra Springs to save them and clear his name? An inherently riveting read from cover to cover, "The Devil's Country" documents author Harry Hunsicker's complete mastery of the western genre and a novelist of considerable talent who is able to compel his reader's complete attention with an unpredictable storyline replete with unexpected twists and surprising turns. While very highly recommended, especially for community library Western Fiction collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated western novel fans that "The Devil's Country" is also available in a Kindle format ($4.99).

I Found You
Lisa Jewell
Atria Books
c/o Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
www.simonandschuster.com
9781501154591, $26.00, HC, 352pp, www.amazon.com

In a windswept British seaside town, single mom Alice Lake finds a man sitting on the beach outside her house. He has no name, no jacket, and no idea how he got there. Against her better judgment, she invites him inside. Meanwhile, in a suburb of London, twenty-one-year-old Lily Monrose has only been married for three weeks. When her new husband fails to come home from work one night she is left stranded in a new country where she knows no one. Then the police tell her that her husband never existed. Twenty-three years earlier, Gray and Kirsty are teenagers on a summer holiday with their parents. Their annual trip to the quaint seaside town is passing by uneventfully, until an enigmatic young man starts paying extra attention to Kirsty. Something about him makes Gray uncomfortable - and it's not just that he's playing the role of protective older brother. Two decades of secrets, a missing husband, and a man with no memory are at the heart of "I Found You", still another brilliantly crafted new novel by Lisa Jewell. While very highly recommended, especially for community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "I Found You" is also available in a Kindle format ($12.99).

The Death of a Century
Daniel Robinson
Arcade Publishing
www.arcadepub.com
c/o Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018
www.skyhorsepublishing.com
9781628725391, $24.99, HC, 280pp, www.amazon.com

Set in Greenwich, Connecticut, 1922, "The Death of a Century" by novelist Daniel Robinson is the absorbing story of newspaper man Joe Henry who finds himself the primary suspect when his friend, fellow reporter Wynton Gresham, is murdered. Both were veterans of French battles during WWI -- the war that was supposed to end all wars. Unanswered questions pile up in the wake of a violent night: Gresham lies dead in his home, a manuscript he had just completed has gone missing, three Frenchmen lay dead in a car accident less than a mile from Gresham's home, and a trunk full of Gresham's clothes lay neatly packed in his bedroom. Hours after his friend's death, Henry discovers in Gresham's desk drawer a one-way ticket reserved in his friend's name aboard a steamer ship to France. The ticket is dated for the next day. Henry steals away under Gresham's identity, escaping the heated interrogation of the town sheriff, to Paris in the roaring 20s. In the City of Light he becomes a hunted man. To clear his name he must find the man responsible for his friend's murder, while evading his own, and discover the deadly secret revealed in the lost manuscript. In the process, with the help of other broken veteran expats of Hemingway's Lost Generation living in Paris, he finds hope in a world irrevocably altered by war. An impressively engaging, deftly crafted, thoroughly entertaining read from beginning to end, "The Death of a Century" is very highly recommended, especially for community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Death of a Century" is also available in a paperback edition (9781628727555, $14.99) and in a Kindle format ($14.18).

Spine Damage
Sharon St. Geroge
Camel Press
PO Box 70515, Seattle, WA 98127
www.camelpress.com
9781603815819, $16.95, PB, 328pp, www.amazon.com

Paulo Ferrara is a young Portuguese man who lies comatose in the Intensive Care Unit of Timbergate Medical Center. He had been shot in the spine. The neurosurgeon who would normally be in charge of his care has left town to attend to an injured daughter, and the only other neurosurgeon, the rude and egotistical Dr. Godfrey Carver, is about to be suspended for not completing his continuing education requirements. The unpleasant duty of ensuring that the staff obey the rules lies with Aimee Machado, the medical center's forensic librarian and Continuing Education Coordinator. Aimee and her pilot boyfriend Nick live together on her grandparents' llama farm. While dealing with Dr. Carver, Aimee learns the circumstances of Paulo's injury and enlists Nick's help. Aimee is half Asian and half Portuguese, and her parents live on Faial, one of the Azores Islands off the coast of Portugal. Faial is the closest neighbor to Pico, home of Paulo and his family. Paulo came to rural Northern California in search of his fifteen-year-old sister Liliana, who vanished two weeks ago. Nick's wealthy employer Buck Sawyer takes an interest in the girl's plight as well, especially when they learn that she left the Azores on a superyacht. Not only is Buck a yacht owner, but he is also on a crusade against drug trafficking, and Paulo and Liliana have clearly stumbled onto a criminal operation of some kind. The trail leads Aimee and Nick from Timbergate, to the Azores, to San Francisco. Paulo's condition is deteriorating, and he might never be able to explain what got him shot. Can Aimee, her brother Harry, and Nick unravel the mystery in time to save Liliana? In "Spine Damage", author Sharon St. George once again demonstrates her mastery of the genre with this fourth title in her outstanding 'Aimee Machado Mystery' series. While unreservedly recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs in general, and Sharon St. George fans in particular, that "Spine Damage" is also available in a Kindle format ($4.95).

Murder on the Red River
Marcie R. Rendon
Cinco Puntos Press
701 Texas, El Paso, Texas 79901
www.cincopuntos.com
9781941026526, $15.95, PB, 208pp, www.amazon.com

Cash and Sheriff Wheaton make for a strange partnership. He pulled her from her mother's wrecked car when she was three. He's kept an eye out for her ever since. It's a tough place to live in northern Minnesota along the Red River. Cash navigated through foster homes, and at thirteen was working farms. She's tough as nails, five feet two inches in height, wears blue jeans, a blue jean jacket, smokes Marlboros, drinks Bud Longnecks. She makes her living driving truck, and plays pool on the side. While Wheaton is big lawman type, of Scandinavian stock, but with darker skin than most. Wheaton wants Cash to take hold of her life and get into Junior College. So there they are together, staring at the dead Indian lying in the field. Soon Cash was dreaming the dead man's cheap house on the Red Lake Reservation, mother and kids waiting. She has that kind of power. That's the place to start looking. There's a long and dangerous way to go to find the men who killed him. Plus there's Jim, the married white guy. And Longbraids, the Indian guy headed for Minneapolis to join the American Indian Movement. With an impressive attention to background detail in "Murder on the Red River", author Marcie R. Rendon is an enrolled member of the White Earth Anishinabe Nation and a gifted novelist with a genuine flair for originality, memorably drawn characters, and a master of the genre. While "Murder on the Red River" is especially recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs that "Murder on the Red River" is also available in a Kindle format ($10.42).

Calamity at the Continental Club
Colleen J. Shogan
Camel Press
PO Box 70515, Seattle, WA 98127
www.camelpress.com
9781603813358, $15.95, PB, 272pp, www.amazon.com

The Mayflower Society is about to hold its annual meeting at Washington D.C.'s swanky gathering place for the elite, the Continental Club. That means Kit Marshall's upper-crust future in-laws, Buffy and Winston Hollingsworth, are coming for a visit. Annoyed that Kit has not set a date to marry Doug, Buffy wants her to commit to a high society wedding at the club. Kit, though chief of staff for a congresswoman, feels uncomfortable with Buffy and Winston's crowd. Kit receives an unexpected reprieve in the form of murder. En route to her morning jog, she encounters the corpse of the leader of the Mayflower Society, conservative multimedia tycoon Grayson Bancroft. On the security cameras, no one was seen entering or leaving the club, which means the culprit had to be an overnight guest. Little love was lost on Bancroft, but the police have their prime suspect: Doug's father. Buffy and Winston, formerly disdainful of Kit's sleuthing, urge her to investigate. With her future in-laws' freedom and reputations at stake, Kit sets out once again to solve a murder mystery, this time aided by her fiance Doug in addition to her friends Meg and Trevor and her dog Clarence. Her search for clues will take her from the club to the Smithsonian Museum, the National Archives, and Mount Vernon. The third novel in Colleen Shogan's outstanding 'Whodunit' series, "Calamity at the Continental Club" once again reveals her genuine mastery of the genre. A consistently compelling and entertaining read from cover to cover, "Calamity at the Continental Club" is unreservedly recommended to the attention of dedicated mystery buffs and will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections.

Bound by Mystery
Diane D. DiBiase, editor
Poisoned Pen Press
6962 E. First Ave., #103, Scottsdale, AZ 85251
www.poisonedpenpress.com
9781464208324, $18.95, PB, 450pp, www.amazon.com

In celebration of their 20th anniversary, Poisoned Pen Press commissioned original short stories from thirty-five of its authors, both past and present. The result is "Bound by Mystery: Celebrating 20 Years of Poisoned Pen Press", an anthology celebrates Poisoned Pen Press authors in terms of their talent, and their diversity. Some have chosen to feature characters well-established within their own series protagonists, supporting cast, and even one villain-turned-hero. Others have gone in totally different directions, inventing new characters and going dark or cozy for the first time, with chilling and delightful results. Yet as different as these authors and their stories are, they all share a common passion for finely crafted tales of crime and murder. One of the very best mystery/suspense anthologies in the last few years, "Bound by Mystery" is a tour-de-force and an absolute 'must' for any and all dedicated mystery buffs. Also available in a Kindle format ($6.99), "Bound by Mystery" is unreservedly and enthusiastically recommended, especially for community library Mystery/Suspense collections.


The Christian Studies Shelf

The Ecumenism of Beauty
Timothy Verdon, editor
Paraclete Press
PO Box 1568, Orleans, MA 02653
www.paracletepress.com
9781612619248, $28.99, HC, 128pp, www.amazon.com

Compiled and edited by Timothy Verson (Burke Professor of Art History, Stanford University Florence Center and Director of the Museo dell-Opera del Duomon, Florence, Italy) the contributors to "The Ecumenism of Beauty" share the belief that in this visual age, beauty and art can bridge differences. "The Ecumenism of Beauty" is comprised of seven major essays from Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, and Protestant artists, scholars, clergy and theologians exploring beauty as a means to unify the body of Christ. The occasion of the Reformation commemoration year offers a time to reflect on the rich artistic heritage shared by all Christians and an opportunity to learn from other traditions. Impressively informative and inherently thoughtful and thought-provoking, "The Ecumenism of Beauty" is an extraordinary volume that is very highly recommended for church, community, and academic library Ecumenical Christian collections and supplemental studies lists. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Ecumenism of Beauty" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99).

Welcome to College, second edition
Jonathan Morrow
Kregel Publications
2450 Oak Industrial Drive, NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49505
www.kregel.com
9780825444883, $21.99, PB, 400pp, www.amazon.com

One of the most important reasons for attending college is for students to determine what they will do with their life. In college, whether they realize it or not, students will answer that question every day with each decision. All of the new friends and new experiences of higher education will shape their future. It's critical that students know how to handle college before they're in the thick of it. Now in a newly updated and revised second edition, "Welcome to College: A Christ-Follower's Guide for the Journey" by Jonathan Morrow addresses questions that arise during these formative academic years such as: How do you grow spiritually?; How do you manage your time to both study well and have fun?; Is all truth relative?; Are there good reasons to be a Christian?; As a Christian, how should you view issues like dating and sex? Of special note is the chapter on Christianity, homosexuality, and the Bible. Grounded that is grounded in both Morrow's own extensive experience and in biblical truths. "Welcome to College" is comprised of quick, easy-to-read chapters and excellent advice. While very highly recommended to all college and university bound members of the Christian community (regardless of denominational affiliations), it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Welcome to College" is also available in a Kindle format ($17.74).

Unsinkable Faith
Tracie Miles
David C. Cook
c/o Cook Communications
4050 Lee Vance View, Colorado Springs, CO 80918
www.cookministries.com
9780781414364, $16.99, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com

For many people, remaining optimistic and feeling positive about themselves and their lives is a constant battle -- especially when circumstances are difficult and life is hard. For others, negativity is something that only sneaks up from time to time, yet still wreaks havoc in their hearts. Regardless of the root causes, once pessimistic thoughts permeate our minds, our feelings and emotions begin to control us instead of us controlling them. Eventually it doesn't seem possible to stay positive, happy, and full of joy, and negative thought patterns shake our faith, causing us to sink emotionally, mentally, and spiritually over time. But it doesn't have to be that way. Despite what storms roll in, hearts anchored in God don't sink. When we change the way we think, we can change the way we feel and live, even if our circumstances remain the same. Intentionally embracing the opportunity to experience a transformed heart and a renewed mind opens the door for a changed life, because a positive mind will always lead to a more positive life. In "Unsinkable Faith: God-Filled Strategies to Transform the Way You Think, Feel, and Live", author and Proverbs 31 Ministries speaker Tracie Miles offers hope for women who struggle with negativity. Each individual chapter deftly explores personal stories, showing how women were able to rise above their circumstances by transforming and renewing their minds. Informative and thoughtful, inspired and inspiring, "Unsinkable Faith" is a life-enhancing, faith-affirming read from cover to cover and highly recommended reading for all members of the Christian community regardless of denominational affiliation. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Unsinkable Faith" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99).

Daniel Rudd: Calling a Church to Justice
Gary B. Agee
The Liturgical Press
2950 Saint John's Road, PO Box 7500, Collegeville, MN 56321-7500
www.litpress.org
9780814645253, $14.95, PB, 138pp, www.amazon.com

In May of 1890, The Christian Solider, an African American newspaper, identified the Catholic journalist and activist Daniel Arthur Rudd as the "greatest negro Catholic in America". Yet many Catholics today are unaware of Rudd's efforts to bring about positive social change during the early decades of the Jim Crow era. In "Daniel Rudd: Calling a Church to Justice", Church of God pastor Gary Agee (who teaches church history for the School of Theology and Christian Ministry at Anderson University, Indian) offers a compelling look at the life and work of this visionary who found inspiration in his Catholic faith to fight for the principles of liberty and justice. Born into slavery, Rudd achieved success early on as the publisher of the American Catholic Tribune, one of the most successful black newspapers of its era, and as the founder of the National Black Catholic Congress. Even as Rudd urged his fellow black Catholics to maintain their spiritual home within the fold of the Catholic Church, he called on that same church to live up what he believed to be her cardinal teaching, "the Fatherhood of God and Brotherhood of Man." Rudd's hopeful spirit lives on today in the important work of the National Black Catholic Congress, as it carries forward his pursuit of social justice. This informed and informative account of the man and his mission is particularly and especially recommended reading for all members of the Catholic community and is also available in a Kindle format ($11.99).

Becoming Like a Child
Jerome W. Berryman
Church Publishing Incorporated
www.churchpublishing.org
9780819233233, $30.00, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com

In "Becoming Like a Child: The Curiosity of Maturity beyond the Norm", Jerome W. Berryman (who is the founder of Godly Play and Senior Fellow of the Center for the Theology of Childhood) invites the reader into a creative process that explores what it means to be spiritually mature, starting with Jesus' injunction to 'become like a child'. What does this mean at the literal level? the figurative level? the mystical level? the ethical level? The structure of the process of this study parallels the organization and the structure of Christian worship, as well as the arc of life itself. The steps on this journey begin when we enter, and the world of childlike maturity opens to us as we respond with inarticulate wonder and gratitude. Berryman includes stories and examples from his long career working with children ages 2 to 18, adding to the warmth and appeal to "Becoming Like a Child". Exceptionally well written, impressively organized and presented, inspired and inspiring, "Becoming Like a Child" is highly recommended for all members of the Christian community regardless of denominational affiliation. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Becoming Like a Child" is also available in a Kindle format ($27.00).


The Judaic Studies Shelf

Rabbi Shear Yashuv Cohen
Yechiel Frish & Yedidya HaCohen
Urim Publications
c/o Lambda Publishers
527 Empire Boulevard, Brooklyn, New York 11225
www.UrimPublications.com
9789655242539, $39.95, HC, 334pp, www.amazon.com

Although mainly known as the chief rabbi of Haifa, Rabbi Shear Yashuv Cohen, born in the year 1927, has lived an intriguing life, playing an important role in the establishment of the state of Israel. As the son of Rabbi David Cohen (1887-1972), the legendary Nazirite of Jerusalem, Rabbi Cohen grew up among some of Israel's greatest rabbis. Destined to become a Nazirite until the age of sixteen, Rabbi Shear Yashuv Cohen studied under the influence of Rav Kook. During the 1948 War of Independence, Rabbi Cohen fought to defend the Old City of Jerusalem, until he was severely wounded and taken to Jordan as a prisoner of war. After his return he became Chief Rabbi of the Israel Air Force, and then governed as the Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem with Teddy Kollek. Rabbi Cohen served as the Chief Rabbi of Haifa and President of their rabbinical courts for 36 years. The details of his achievements and captivating life in this biography are further encapsulated in excerpts of his diary, which include vivid details of the battles he fought in and his imprisonment in Jordan. The biographers, Rabbi Yedidya HaCohen is a disciple of Rabbi Shear Yashuv Cohen, from whom he received rabbinical ordination. While Prof. Yechiel Frish is the President of Michlelet Shaanan (Shaanan College), a religious teachers training college established in 1951 near Haifa, Israel. "Rabbi Shear Yashuv Cohen: Between War and Peace" is an informed, comprehensive, and ultimately inspiring read from beginning to end and very highly recommended for personal reading lists, as well as community and academic library collections.

Carmel College in the Kopul Era
Rabbi Dr. Chaim Simons
Urim Publications
c/o Lambda Publishers
527 Empire Boulevard, Brooklyn, New York 11225
www.UrimPublications.com
9789655242362, $39.95, PB, 680pp, www.amazon.com

In 1947, Rabbi Kopul Rosen, a graduate of the Mir Yeshivah and the then Principal Rabbi of the British Federation of Synagogues, began to develop his dream of establishing a residential boys school which would combine the ideals of the British Public School with the study and practice of traditional Judaism. As a result, Carmel College was born. Despite financial problems and administrative obstacles, Rabbi Rosen succeeded remarkably well with his project. "Carmel College in the Kopul Era: A History of Carmel College September 1948-March 1962" by Rabbi Dr. Chaim Simons is the detailed and comprehensive story of Carmel College during that time. Impressively informed and informative, exceptionally well written, organized and presented, enhanced for scholars with the inclusion of a five page bibliography, a four page index of names associated with Carmel College, and a section of color photos, "Carmel College in the Kopul Era" is a very highly recommended addition to academic library 20th History Judaic Educational History collections in general, and Carmel College History supplemental studies reading lists in particular.


The Buddhist Studies Shelf

Emptiness: A Practical Guide for Meditators
Guy Armstrong
Wisdom Publications
199 Elm Street, Somerville, MA 02144
www.wisdompubs.org
9781614293637, $29.95, HC, 328pp, www.amazon.com

Guy Armstrong has been leading insight meditation retreats since 1984 in the U.S., Europe, and Australia. His training included living as a monk for a year in the Thai forest lineage. Guy is a member of the Spirit Rock Teachers Council and a guiding teacher of the Insight Meditation Society. Within "Emptiness: A Practical Guide for Meditators", he draws upon his many years of experience and expertise to makes difficult Buddhist topics easy to understand, weaving together Theravada and Mahayana teachings on emptiness to show how we can liberate our minds and manifest compassion in our lives. Enhanced with the inclusion of an informative Introduction, a two page list of Acknowledgements, a two page listing of Sources and Abbreviations, twelve pages of Notes, a six page Glossary of Pali and Sanskrit Words, and a twenty page Index, "Emptiness: A Practical Guide for Meditators" is thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, making it an ideal and valued addition to community and academic library Buddhism collections in general, and Buddhist Mediation supplemental studies lists in particular. It should be noted for Buddhism students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in Buddhist mediation, that "Emptiness: A Practical Guide for Meditators" is also available in a Kindle format ($17.99).

Boundless Heart
Christina Feldman
Shambhala Publications, Inc.
300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, MA 02115-4544
www.shambhala.com
9781611803730, $16.95, PB, 160pp, www.amazon.com

Compassion, kindness, equanimity, and joy are not only the fruits of the awakened life but also the path to it: attitudes of mind that can be cultivated by anyone willing to set the intention for doing so. In the pages of "Boundless Heart: The Buddha's Path of Kindness, Compassion, Joy, and Equanimity", Christina Feldman (a prominent teacher in the Insight Meditation world in the US and the UK, one of the Guiding Teachers of the Insight Meditation Society, Barre, MA, and who is also cofounder of Gaia House in the UK) shows how these ennobling qualities that are known in Buddhism as the brahma viharas (sublime abodes) or the Four Immeasurables, are far more than simply the "feel-good" states they are sometimes mistaken for. If we pursue them sincerely as spiritual practice, they work together, complementing and enhancing each other, to lead us to the kind of awakening that we are compelled to share with others. Thus through the practice of the brahma viharas we can become participants in the healing and liberation of our world. Informative, thoughtful, insightful, inspiring, "Boundless Heart" is impressively 'reader friendly' in tone, commentary, organization and presentation, making it very highly recommended for personal, community, and academic library Buddhist Studies collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Boundless Heart" is also available in a Kindle format ($12.99) and in a complete and unabridged audio book edition (Brilliance Audio, 9781543601343, $9.99, MP3 Una).


The Poetry Shelf

The Mountains Within: Poems of the Wild
Garth Gilchrist
Regent Press
2747 Regent St., Berkeley, CA 94705
9781587903540 $19.95 www.regentpress.net

Showcasing the free verse poetry of Garth Gilchrist, "The Mountains Within: Poems of the Wild" is enhanced with the inclusion of 36 beautifully colored photographic images. In a modern world where our days are increasingly cramped, digital, media-driven, virtual, unrelentingly stimulating and stressful for young and old alike, we forget about nature as a part of ourselves and we lose something essential to our humanity. The poetry of Garth Gilchrist will bring back that reflective sensitivity to the importance of nature to our well being as humans. Enduringly memorable, "The Mountains Within: Poems of the Wild" is unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and academic library Contemporary American Poetry collections. 'To Now': A spruce awaits / lifting to wind, steady in snow / life in roots // A babe suckles / milk flowing out of some / deep source // In winter's depth / I draw from a clear / hidden spring


The Business Shelf

Listening Deeply, second edition
Howard F. Stein
University of Missouri Press
113 Heinkel Bldg., 201 S. 7th St., Columbia, MO 65211
www.umsystem.edu/upress
9780826221247, $45.00, HC, 280pp, www.amazon.com

Listening deeply is the foundation of all effective organizational management, research, and consulting. Now in a fully updated and significantly expanded second edition, "Listening Deeply: An Approach to Understanding and Consulting in Organizational Culture" by Howard F. Stein (who currently serves as a facilitator at the American Indian Diabetes Prevention Center) deftly explores the many aspects of attentive listening through storytelling and includes examples of organizational case studies. In Stein's professional practice, listening deeply is an attitude evoked by the psychoanalytic concept of hovering attention -- a careful attending to the person or group one is trying to help and an equally careful attending to how one is hearing these others. The listener's own feelings are as crucially diagnostic as what the consultant observes in other people. This new edition of "Listening Deeply" fully updates historical context, theory, method, and organizational stories. A psychodynamic orientation informs much of 'Listening Deeply" and the language Stein uses is direct. His lessons are useful to the manager in any kind of organization, as well as practitioners of psychology, sociology, business management, medicine, and education. Well written, organized and presented, "Listening Deeply" is an extraordinary work of exceptional scholarship and very highly recommended for corporate, community, and academic library Business Management collections and supplemental studies reading lists. It should be noted for students, corporate executives, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Listening Deeply" is also available in a Kindle format ($32.88).

Who Knew?: It's All About You
Richard F. Libin
Automotive Profit Builders, Inc.
PO Box 2011, Natick, MA 01760
www.richardlibin.com
www. who-knew.com
9780692789353, $14.99, PB, 180pp, www.amazon.com

The selling of goods and/or services is a basic building block of civilization in general, and capitalism as an economic system in particular. Selling is an essential skill. Poor behavior and bad consumer experiences, however, have created negative stereotypes of commercial salespeople. And, because business schools and universities avoid teaching students how to sell, many sales professionals don't understand how to sell and are not trained or qualified. This only perpetuates bad experiences and the negative stereotypes. All this can be changed by a carefully reading of "Who Knew?: It's All About You" by president of APB and business management expert Richard F. Libin. Thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, of special note are the chapters on What Does the Brand Stand For?; First Impressions Aren't Everything; Avoiding Culture Shock; Do You Want Customers or Clients?; and Feedback -- The Silver Bullet. Also available in a Kindle format ($14.99), "Who Knew?: It's All About You" is very highly recommended for personal reading lists, as well as community, corporate, and academic library Business Management instructional reference collections.

Get Organized. Get Focused. Get Moving.
Cynthia Kyriazis
Incorgnito Publishing Press
300 E. Bellevue Drive Ste 208, Pasadena, CA 91101
http://www.incorgnitobooks.com
9781944589073, $12.95, PB, 166pp, www.amazon.com

In the pages of "Get Organized. Get Focused. Get Moving.", national productivity coach, strategist, and trainer Cynthia Kyriazis shares with the best organization and time-management principles of her 25-year professional career. From small business owners to Fortune 500 companies, these principles are proven, effective, and most importantly, applicable to your life, work, and business. Kyriazis also provides coaching and instruction on how to build the foundation for time-management success: Getting Organized. Once the reader will have mastered this formerly 'easier-said-than-done' principle, their time and newly found focus will facilitate the building of the things they really want to be successful at: goal-setting, prioritizing, scheduling, communications, and delegating, to name a few. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Get Organized. Get Focused. Get Moving." is a seminal and critically important read for both corporate executives and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Get Organized. Get Focused. Get Moving." is also available in a Kindle format ($5.99).


The Self-Help Shelf

7 Mindsets of Success
Sten Morgan
Morgan James Publishing
11815 Fountain Way, Suite 300, Newport News, VA 23606-4448
www.morganjamespublishing.com
9781683503026, $29.95, HC, 152pp, www.amazon.com

In "7 Mindsets of Success: What You Really Need to Do to Achieve Rapid, Top-Level Success" by financial investment advisor Sten Morgan, readers will not only explore topics like embracing discomfort, healthy conflict, time management, perspective, safety nets, and future self, but the intrinsic motivation behind their success. They will learn secrets and steps that are easily overlooked in business today. They will weigh the cost of their success and ask themselves, "Am I willing to do everything it takes?" Morgan's underlying messages is that success could be as easy as changing your mindset to see your business or job differently, and in turn, see the world differently -- that there are seven psychological mindsets that will unlock success for his readers. Extraordinarily 'reader friendly' in tone, commentary, organization and presentation, "7 Mindsets of Success" will prove to be an enduringly valued and appreciated addition to community, corporate, and academic library Business Management and Self-Help collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists of business students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "7 Mindsets of Success" is also available in a paperback edition (9781683503019, $16.95) and in a Kindle format ($7.99).

The Dog's Guide to Your Happiness
Gary McDaniel & Sharon Massen
Lumina Media
c/o Fox Chapel Publishing Company
1970 Broad Street N., East Petersburg, PA 17520
www.FoxChapelPublishing.com
9781621871682, $19.99, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com

How do we define happiness in a world where people regularly feel rushed, stressed, and overwhelmed by the daily demands of life? In "The Dog's Guide to Your Happiness: Seven Secrets for a Better Life from Man's Best Friend" authors Garry McDaniel and Sharon Massen collaborate to suggest that we look to our canine companions to learn what happiness is really about. Based on their research and insights, as well as real-life stories about dogs and their people, "The Dog's Guide to Your Happiness" is an informative guide that explores seven essential traits for happiness through the eyes of our trusted furry friends including: The value of loyalty in our personal and business relationships; Canine communication tactics - namely, vocalizations, body language, and eye contact -- and a discussion on interpersonal communication; The lost art of play and why it is important for people (and dogs) of all ages; The unconditional love that dogs bestow on their humans and how it applies to our relationships with other people; How an unwillingness to forgive others holds us back, and why dogs are able to "forgive and forget"; How to nurture an optimistic outlook on life's ups and downs; A dog's approach to life balance and why a lack of balance is detrimental to emotional health; Exercises, charts, and worksheets to guide readers in self-exploration through applying the principles set forth in each chapter; Suggestions and activities to help readers attain the seven secrets of happiness. Extraordinary, original, and thoroughly 'reader friendly in organization and presentation, "The Dog's Guide to Your Happiness" is very highly recommended, especially for community library Self-Help and Pets/Wildlife collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Dog's Guide to Your Happiness" is also available in a Kindle format ($12.91).


The Political Science Shelf

Campaign Crossroads
Andrew E. Stoner
Indiana Historical Society Press
450 W Ohio Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202
http://www.indianahistory.org
9780871954022, $29.95, HC, 622pp, www.amazon.com

"Campaign Crossroads: Presidential Politics in Indiana from Lincoln to Obama" by Andrew E. Stoner (an Indiana native, and an Assistant Professor of Public Relations in the Department of Communication Studies at California State University, Sacramento), is an historical survey of the varied, sometimes important, sometimes irrelevant, but always interesting presidential campaign cycles in Indiana history. By taking in the influences of technology, transportation and communication itself, the reader will see an evolution in the political process that is not only altogether Hoosier, but also altogether American in its quality and importance. Using a narrative, qualitative history approach with a mix of primary and secondary sources, "Campaign Crossroads" examines not only the rhetoric of presidents and presidential hopefuls as they have crossed Indiana, but also the nature of campaigns and their impact on Indiana communities. "Campaign Crossroads" reveals that while Indiana enjoyed the position of being a battleground state for the better part of a century from the 1870s until the 1960s, it has also been ignored, dismissed, and on occasion created some of the most unexpected political drama America has to offer. Of particular importance is the role of Indiana newspapers the state flush with hometown papers of all political persuasions in communities big and small and the role of railroads and other transportation, as well as technology have played in shaping how campaigns occur. Interestingly, despite the advances, even recent examples exist as in the 2008 Democratic primary in which no technology can replace the value of retail politics of candidates out directly asking Hoosiers for their vote. "Campaign Crossroads" also addresses the coverage of Indiana media, particularly historic newspapers, which have diversely affected the campaigns of the dozens of men and one woman who have sought the presidency between 1860 and 2008. The newspaper accounts provide a valuable framework in which to consider the campaigns, and when combined with the words presidents and candidates have used to reach voters, a rich account is available to readers. An impressive model of seminal research and scholarship, extraordinarily informed and informative, thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "Campaign Crossroads" is a critically important addition to community and academic library American Political History collections in general, and Indiana Political History supplemental studies reading lists in particular.

Young People, Citizenship and Political Participation
Mark Chou, et al.
Rowman & Littlefield
c/o Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
4501 Forbes Blvd., Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
www.rowman.com
9781783489930, $120.00, HC, 162pp, www.amazon.com

"Young People, Citizenship and Political Participation: Combating Civic Deficit?" is the collaborative work of four academicians in the field of political science: Mark Chou (Associate Professor of Politics at the Australian Catholic University), Jean-Paul Gagnon (Assistant Professor of Politics at the University of Canberra, Catherine Hartung (Lecturer in Education Studies at the University of Otago), and Lesley Pruitt (Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at Monash University). While political voter studies and opinion polls often seem to reflect that young people ages 18 to 30 are disengaged from political institutions, distrustful of politicians, and disillusioned about democracy, "Young People, Citizenship and Political Participation" challenges these political stereotypes by asking whether young people have been contributing to or rectifying our civic deficit. In particular, this informed and informative study carefully examines the role of civics education in addressing the so-called crisis of democracy. Turning away from conventional suggestions often advocated by politicians and educators that offer civics education as the solution, "Young People, Citizenship and Political Participation" advances an alternate approach to civics that clearly acknowledges the increasingly diverse ways in which young people are both engaging and disengaging politically. While very highly recommended as a critically important addition to both community and academic library Political Science collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Young People, Citizenship and Political Participation" is also available in a paperback edition (9781783489954, $39.95) and in a Kindle format ($37.95).

Promise and Peril
Will R. Jordan, editor
Mercer University Press
1501 Mercer University Drive, Macon, GA 31207-0001
www.mupress.org
9780881466195, $24.00, PB, 192pp, www.amazon.com

Compiled and edited by Will R. Jordan (Associate Professor of Political Science at Mercer University) "Promise and Peril" includes eight essays that were first presented at the 2015 A.V. Elliott Conference on Great Books and Ideas, the eighth annual conference sponsored by Mercer University's Thomas C. and Ramona E. McDonald Center for America's Founding Principles. Together, these essays explore the idea of republicanism across the history of political thought, focusing especially on the challenges and dilemmas endemic to popular government including such questions as: How do we balance the pursuit of private interests with the common good?; To what extent can leadership and statesmanship be made compatible with the ideas of equality and popular sovereignty?; How do we deal with the perennial threat of factions, or with the potential for popular passion to overwhelm rational deliberation?; What do citizens need to know, and what characteristics must they have, in order to exercise responsibly the power to govern themselves and others?; To what extent, and under what conditions, is freedom compatible with equality?; How do we keep republican citizens from becoming mere subjects?. All of these questions, and more, receive extended treatment that is divided into three sections: the first examines ancient republicanism as articulated chiefly by Aristotle and Plutarch; the second turns to modern theories of republicanism and the writings of Michel de Montaigne, John Locke, and Francis Hutcheson; the third considers Alexis de Tocqueville and his landmark study, "Democracy in America". Very highly recommended for personal, community, and academic library Political Science collections and supplemental studies lists, all of the essays comprising "Promise and Peril" are written to be of use to both scholars and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject.

Election 2016: Democracy in Disarray
Sandra Lee Stuart & Aaron Jaffe
Barricade Books
2037 Lemoine Ave., Suite 362, Fort Lee, NJ 07024
www.barricadebooks.com
9781569808108, $19.95, PB, 250pp, www.amazon.com

When people look back at the 2016 Election, they will use many words to describe it. Among them will not be "decorous," "thoughtful," "reasoned," and "civil". The campaign, at times, has seemed as if it was waged in an alternate cartoon universe. It's hard to imagine Dwight Eisenhower or Abraham Lincoln boasting in a public forum about the size of their genitals. We have had a candidate being labeled "Lucifer in the Flesh" and the love child of Joe McCarthy and Dracula. And an ultra-conservative billionaire who has contributed ridiculous amounts of money to right-wingers saying a Democrat might make a better president than the Republican choices. This has been all part of the craziness and unseemliness that has the rest of the world wondering if we have collectively lost our sanity. A thoughtful and thought-provoking study of an undeniably successful national political campaign for the presidency that was 'bloated with bombastry, bigotry, and blatant lies', "Election 2016: Democracy in Disarray" offers a detailed depiction of the campaign while also skewering those that need the pomposity punctured. In a nation already suffering 'buyer's remorse', "Election 2016: Democracy in Disarray" is a timely and highly recommended addition to personal reading lists, as well as community and academic library Contemporary Political Science collections and supplemental studies lists. It should be noted that "Election 2016: Democracy in Disarray" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99).

Worshiping Power
Peter Gelderloos
AK Press
370 Ryan Avenue, #100, Chico, CA 95973
www.akpress.org
9781849352642, $16.98, PB, 286pp, www.amazon.com

In "Worshiping Power: An Anarchist View of Early State Formation", Peter Gelderloos (an anarchist writer originally from Virginia) argues that Americans need to stop thinking of the State as a potential vehicle for emancipation. From its origins, the State has never been anything other than a tool to accumulate power. "Worshiping Power" is an innovative and partisan study of human social complexity cuts through in-adequate theories of early state formation to uncover social practices and institutions that have stifled egalitarian forms of self-organization throughout history. Just as importantly, "Worshiping Power" shows that the difficulties and consequences of state formation are not relegated to prehistory. Despite a ubiquity that renders them almost invisible today, states are constantly trying to augment their power, and all are closer to the brink of collapse than they would like to let on. Thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "Worshiping Power" is an original and highly recommended study and should be a part of every community and academic library Political Science collection in general, and Anarchy supplemental studies reading list. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Worshiping Power" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.97).


The Fiction Shelf

A Twisted Vengeance
Candace Robb
Pegasus Books
80 Broad Street, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10004
9781681774527, $25.95, www.pegasusbooks.com

A Twisted Vengeance is set in 1399, an era when York is facing civil war, Eleanor's return after the death of her husband is met with suspicion, and her daughter Kate finds her intention of staying away from her mother's issues only brings them in closer proximity to her life. When she's forced to investigate matters, she encounters a brutal murder and a threat that seems tied to the turbulent politics of her world, threatening to immerse Kate and her charges in everything they've worked hard to avoid. A fine blend of murder mystery and history makes for a compelling story that's hard to put down.

Molly and the Cat Cafe
Melissa Daley
Thomas Dunne Books
c/o St. Martin's Press
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
www.stmartins.com
9781250118769, $25.99, HC, 320pp, www.amazon.com

When two-year-old tabby, Molly, loses her beloved owner, her world falls apart. Re-homed with three cat-hating dogs, she decides to take matters into her own paws and embarks on a grueling journey to the nearest town. As Molly walks the cobbled streets of Stourton, she begins to lose all hope of finding a home until one day she is welcomed into the warmth by caring cafe owner, Debbie. Like Molly, Debbie is also an outsider and, with a daughter to care for, she is desperate to turn around the struggling cafe. But a local battle axe is on the warpath and she is determined to keep out newcomers, especially four-legged ones. It looks as if Debbie will have to choose between the cafe and Molly. Yet the solution to their problems may not be as far away as they think. Will Debbie and Molly be able to turn their fortunes around to launch the Cotswolds' first Cat Cafe? A deftly crafted and wonderfully entertaining read from beginning to end, "Molly and the Cat Cafe" is a 'must' for all cat lovers. While this charming and original novel is very highly recommended, especially for community library General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Molly and the Cat Cafe" is also available in a Kindle format ($12.99).

Death Comes Easy
Will Black
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781444831962, $TBA, PB, Large Print, 240pp, www.amazon.com

When Mitch Evans is ambushed, he manages to turn the tables on his attacker, wounding him and demanding an explanation. His would-be bushwhacker is merely a working cowboy named Cal who had become a pawn his Bar JWM ranch foreman Latham Parry. Mitch and Cal become friends in the fight against Parry and his gunmen. For Mitch's brother Brad owns the Bar-B ranch, and Parry is responsible for the horrific death of Brad and his family. Not only does Parry hope to seize the reins of the Bar JWM, but also aims to take over the Bar-B spread through murdering anyone and everyone that stands in his way. Author Will Black is a consummate master of the western genre and "Death Comes Easy" is his latest riveting work. With its large print format, this Linford Western Library edition is especially recommended for community library collections and the personal reading lists of all dedicated western novel enthusiasts.

Dawn's Early Light
Elswyth Thane
Chicago Review Press
814 North Franklin Street, Chicago, IL 60610
www.chicagoreviewpress.com
9781613738122, $11.99, PB, 336pp, www.amazon.com

Colonial Williamsburg comes alive in the Elswyth Thane's historical novel that centers around four major characters: the Aristrocratic St. John Sprague who becomes George Washington's aide; Regina Greensleeves who is a Virginia beauty spoiled by a season in London; Julian Day, a young schoolmaster who arrives from England on the eve of the war and initially thinks of himself as a Tory; and Tibby Mawes one of Julian Day's less fortunate pupils, saddled with an alcoholic father and an indigent mother. "Dawn's Early Light" also includes such revolutionary war heros as Washington, Jefferson, Lafayette, Greene, Patrick Henry, Francis Marion, and the rest of that brilliant galaxy playing their roles not as historical figures but as men. "Dawn's Early Light" incorporates Kalb's gallant death under a cavalry charge at Camden, the swamp-encircled camp which was Marion's stronghold on the Peedee, as well as the cat-and-mouse game between Cornwallis and Lafayette which ended in Cornwallis's unlucky stand at Yorktown. While "Dawn's Early Light" is highly recommended for inclusion into community library Historical Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that it is also available in a Kindle format ($2.99).

Yankee Stranger
Elswyth Thane
Chicago Review Press
814 North Franklin Street, Chicago, IL 60610
www.chicagoreviewpress.com
9781613738160, $11.99, PB, 328pp, www.amazon.com

1860s Williamsburg, Virginia, is the setting for "Yankee Stranger" and features characters who are the descendants of those in the Thane's first novel, "Dawn's Early Light", including Grandmother Day who was 16 when Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown and is now 95. Once, she can remember, it was Massachusetts that was threatening to secede instead of South Carolina. And when she was a girl they never seemed to think much about Yankees, one way or the other. But when a Yankee comes to Williamsburg in the tense autumn of 1860 and red-haired Eden Day falls heels over head in love with him, her great grandmother takes the long view - besides, she likes him herself. The story moves from Williamsburg to Richmond to Washington and back again during the dreadful years between Fort Sumter and Appomattox. In addition to the fictitious characters, Jeb Stuart and General Lee, Pickett, Magruder, and Stonewall Jackson are all seen through the eyes of the men who followed them into battle. A deftly crafted combination of action and romance played in a vividly recreated world that is a now long vanished yesteryear, "Yankee Stranger" is a consistently compelling read that is unfailingly entertaining from beginning to end. Also available for personal reading lists in a Kindle format ($7.99), "Yankee Stranger" is unreservedly recommended for community library Historical Fiction collections.

A Fragile Hope
Cynthia Ruchti
Abingdon Press
2222 Rosa L. Parks Blvd.
PO Box 280988, Nashville, TN 37228-0988
www.abingdonpress.com
9781426791505, $14.99, PB, 320pp, www.amazon.com

Josiah Chamberlain's life's work revolves around repairing other people's marriages. When his own is threatened by his wife's unexplained distance, and then threatened further when she's unexpectedly plunged into an unending fog, Josiah finds his expertise, quick wit and clever quips are no match for a relationship that is clearly broken. Feeling betrayed, confused, and ill-equipped for a crisis this crippling, he reexamines everything he knows about the fragility of hope and the strength of his faith and love. Love seems to have failed him. Will what's left of his faith fail him, too? Or will it be the one thing that holds him together and sears through the impenetrable wall that separates them? "A Fragile Hope" showcases author Cynthia Ruchti's genuine flair for deftly created and memorable characters involved in a multilayered story of unexpected twists and turns that are inherently compelling and provide a thoroughly entertaining read from cover to cover. While very highly recommended for community library General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "A Fragile Hope" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.81). Librarians should be aware that "A Fragile Hope" is available in a large print edition as well (Thorndike Press, 9781432841706, $39.99).

A Minor Fall
Price Ainsworth
SelectBooks, Inc.
87 Walker Street, Suite B1, New York City, NY 10013
www.selectbooks.com
9781590794098, $24.95, HC, 320pp, www.amazon.com

Davy Jessie seems to have everything going for him. He's a young personal injury lawyer working at a top Houston law firm. He has won a few cases on his own and has had the opportunity to work closely with the firm's flashy senior partner, Tim Sullivan, who is a simply brilliant lawyer. His undeniable gift for delivering an elegant turn of phrase, coupled with his bon vivant lifestyle, make him the center of attention wherever he goes. He's a man of the world who travels through life with near-mystifying facility. His charisma, command, and poise make him a role model for everything that an aspiring attorney should want in life -- at least in the impressionable young minds of the junior associates who are all too willing to overlook his glaring flaws. Is Davy Jessie also about to fall under his hypnotic spell? As Jessie's orbit draws nearer to Sullivan's shining star, the inalterable forces of tragedy are set in motion. The two men will ultimately be set at odds while Jessie's family, career, and life careen into a downward spiral. Original, deftly crafted, and thoroughly entertaining from beginning to end, "A Minor Fall" reveals author and trial lawyer Price Ainsworth's genuine flair as a novelist. While very highly recommended, especially for community library General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "A Minor Fall" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99).

The Path of the Wind
James A. Misko
Square One Publishers
115 Herricks Road, Garden City Park, NY 11040
www.squareonepublishers.com
9780757004445, $17.95, PB, 304pp, www.amazon.com

Miles Foster is a newly minted teacher who dreams of getting a teaching job in the highly respected and financially stable Portland, Oregon school system where everything is available, and where he and his wife call home. But the only opening for his talents is in a remote lumber mill town in central Oregon, two hundred miles away. It is a poor school with forty students, and is controlled by a jealous superintendent and school board who tolerate no thinking outside the box and who conspire to destroy his teaching career. Miles must find a way to educate students who have been passed along regardless of what they learned, and defeat the damaging control of the school board and superintendent without losing his marriage or his job, or both. A thoroughly entertaining and compelling read from beginning to end, "The Path of the Wind" clearly showcases author James Misko's undeniably flair for originality and deftly crafted storytelling. While also available for personal reading lists in a Kindle format ($10.99), "The Path of the Wind" is very highly recommended for community library General Fiction collections.

Under a Sardinian Sky
Sara Alexander
Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street, Floor 21, New York, NY 10018-2522
www.kensingtonbooks.com
9781496706362, $15.00, PB, 416pp, www.amazon.com

In 1952, Simius is a busy Sardinian town surrounded by fertile farms and orchards. Carmela Chirigoni, a farmer's daughter and talented seamstress, is engaged to Franco, son of the area's wealthiest family. Everyone agrees it's a good match. But Carmela's growing doubts about Franco's possessiveness are magnified when she meets Captain Joe Kavanagh. Joe, an American officer stationed at a local army base, is charismatic, intelligent, and married. Hired as his interpreter, Carmela resolves to ignore her feelings, knowing that any future together must bring upheaval and heartache to both families. Mina is a London-based travel writer, and the enigmatic silence surrounding her aunt Carmela has become a personal obsession. Carmela disappeared from her Italian hometown long ago and is mentioned only in fragments and whispers. Mina has resisted prying, respectful of her family's Sardinian reserve. But now, with her mother battling cancer, it's time to learn the truth. As Mina follows the threads of Carmela's life to uncover her fate, she will discover a past still deeply alive in the present, revealing a story of hope, sacrifice, and extraordinary love. Sara Alexander is a gifted novelist whose "Under a Sardinian Sky" reveals her mastery of the Romance Suspense genre. While certain to be an enduringly popular addition to community library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Under a Sardinian Sky" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99). Librarians should be aware that there is also a large print edition of "Under a Sardinian Sky" (Thorndike Press, 9781432840464, $30.99).

Besieged
A. J. Tata
Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street, Floor 21, New York, NY 10018-2522
www.kensingtonbooks.com
9781496706638, $25.00, HC, 344pp, www.amazon.com

"Besieged" by A. J. Tata is a deftly crafted novel that starts with the unthinkable -- a school under siege, a shooter in the classroom. This is a nightmare scenario that has become all too common in today's United States. But this time, former Delta Captain Jake Mahegan is there when it happens. Checking in on the schoolteacher daughter of a colleague, Mahegan finds himself face to face with a merciless gunman rigged as a suicide bomber. Without warning, the school is attacked from the outside as well -- all hell breaks loose. The teacher shoots the gunman, Mahegan is knocked unconscious, and a twelve-year-old autistic girl named Misha is kidnaped. When the smoke clears, Mahegan is left with a long list of unanswered questions -- and a deeply personal mission to rescue Misha. Racing against the clock, his search will take him from the tech-fueled think-tanks of a North Carolina factory to the top-secret nerve centers of embedded Iranian agents. It's all part of a bigger, darker conspiracy that's taking domestic terrorism to a whole new level. And it's up to Mahegan to stop what could be the most devastating attack in U.S. history. A simply riveting read from cover to cover, "Besieged" is strongly and unreservedly recommended for community library collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Besieged" is also available in a paperback edition (Pinnacle, 9780786039517, $9.99) and in a Kindle format ($2.99).

Land of Wolves
T. J. Turner
Oceanview Publishing
595 Bay Isles Road, 120-G, Longboat Key, FL 34228
www.oceanviewpub.com
9781608092024, $26.95, HC, 304pp, www.amazon.com

T. J. Turner's deftly crafted novel, "Land of Wolves", finds Joseph Foster with Molly settling into a new-found life in the hills of Tennessee. But Abraham Lincoln's former bodyguard, the man who saved the President's life, cannot escape the Consortium as they come roaring back, killing his mother, abducting his daughter -- all to coerce his Congressional testimony on their behalf. Instead, Joseph and Molly strike the Consortium in their own safe haven of New York City. In a Bonnie an unexpected twist, they rob from the Consortium to draw out their leader -- the infamous General Dorsey. But the hidden plan reveals more than they counted on, exposing the true intention to steal the Black Hills and the gold underneath from the Lakota Sioux. "Land of Wolves" is an inherently fascinating, compelling, and fully entertaining read from cover to cover. While unreservedly recommended, especially for community library General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Land of Wolves" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99).


The Parenting Shelf

Lord, Have Mercy
Ellen Miller
Tyndale Momentum
c/o Tyndale House Publishers
351 Executive Drive, Carol Stream, IL 60188
www.tyndale.com
9781496419378, $14.99, PB, 240pp, www.amazon.com

While motherhood is often a hysterical ride of pure joy, it can also hold some of the most mind-numbing, heartbreaking, and sacrificial moments of a woman's life. In "Lord, Have Mercy: Help and Hope for Moms on Their Last Nerve", author Ellen Miller specifically writes to moms who could use a good laugh (and sometimes a good cry) as they live through the trials and triumphs of parenting in the 21st century. All-too-real, always honest, and often hilarious, each devotional is filled with personal stories to remind mothers that God is with them in both the big and small moments of motherhood, but most especially when the children are getting on their last nerve! Written with practical insight, profound empathy, appreciated humor, and ultimate inspiration, "Lord, Have Mercy" is wholeheartedly and unreservedly recommended, especially for community library Parenting instructional reference collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Lord, Have Mercy" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99).


The Money/Finance Shelf

How to Profit from the Next Bull Market
Alan Dustin
Dundurn
c/o The Dundurn Group
3 Church Street, Suite 500, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5E 1M2
www.dundurn.com
9781459737495, $24.99, PB, 272pp, www.amazon.com

Whether you're a seasoned investor or just joining the game, "How to Profit from the Next Bull Market" by experienced financial advisor Alan Dustin will teach you valuable skills and secrets to investing and succeeding in the Canadian stock market. Dustin shows how technical analysis will reliably forecast when to buy and sell with certainty, interpret and understand a company's financial statements with ease, master seven proven strategies that will protect you from losing money in the market today, and how understanding market cycles can be used to predict the future. "How to Profit from the Next Bull Market" shows how to research, select, and manage their own stock portfolios using easily accessible resources, and provides an analysis of twenty Canadian and American companies that have demonstrated their financial strength, staying power, and incredible rates of return over repeated market cycles. Offering an honest, candid, and understandable approach to investing, "How to Profit from the Next Bull Market" will serve Canadian investors well for the rest of their lives. While highly recommended for personal and academic library Money/Finance, it should be noted that "How to Profit from the Next Bull Market" is also available in a Kindle format ($4.99).


The Cookbook Shelf

The World's Best Superfoods
Lonely Planet Food
Lonely Planet Publications
150 Linden Street, Oakland CA 94607
www.lonelyplanet.com
9781786574022, $14.99, PB, 208pp, www.amazon.com

Each of the 66 recipes showcased in "The World's Best Superfoods" includes easy-to-use instructions and is beautifully illustrated with full color photography, as well as including an 'origins' section detailing how that particular dish has evolved. There are also tasting notes that explain how best to sample each dish (whether that's at dawn by a Vietnamese street stall, or in the zen calm of a Japanese tea ceremony) to truly give you a flavor of the place and help you reap the benefits of sampling nutritious superfood in its natural habitat. An absolutely fascinating little volume to browse through and inspiring to plan menus with, "The World's Best Superfoods" is very highly recommended for personal, family, and community library cookbook collections. It should be noted that "The World's Best Superfoods" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.68).

The China Study Family Cookbook
Del Sroufe
BenBella Books
10300 N. Central Expressway, Suite 400, Dallas, TX 75204
www.benbellabooks.com
9781944648114, $19.95, PB, 288pp, www.amazon.com

Compiled by Chef Del Sroufe, "The China Study Family Cookbook" is a beautifully illustrated, family-friendly cookbook showcases one hundred easy to prepare, palate pleasing, and nutritious recipes for every mealtime occasion including breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. There are recipes for sides and sauces, salads, salads, sandwiches, soups, entrees, casseroles, and desserts. Of special note is the opening section 'Getting Started' the covers such issues as Easing the Transition to a Plant-Based Diet, Cooking at Every Age, Kitchen Safety, Tips for New Cooks, and Nutritional Value. A delight to browse through and inspiring to plan menus with, "The China Study Family Cookbook" is an enthusiastically and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, family, and community library cookbook collections.

Ducksoup: The Wisdom of Simple Cooking
Clare Lattin & Tom Hill
Chronicle Books
680 Second Street, San Francisco, CA 94107
www.chroniclebooks.com
9781452161792, $35.00, HC, 352pp, www.amazon.com

"Ducksoup: The Wisdom of Simple Cooking" is the debut cookbook from Clare Lattin and Tom Hill, who are the chefs of London's popular restaurant Ducksoup. Deftly organized into seven chapters, "Ducksoup" takes the family kitchen cook through the restaurants "clean" cooking philosophy and shares the inspiration for the restaurant, from international travels to growing up in England, as well as Clare and Tom's essentials for a stocked larder. The recipes are organized by cooking method, and range from Pan-roasted Carrots, Goat's Milk Yogurt & Za'atar; Spring Vegetable Fritters, Cucumber Yogurt & Curry Leaves; Shaved Squash, Feta, Cumin & Mint; and Angel Hair Pasta, Sage, Rosemary & Parmesan; to Orzo Pasta, Spicy Tomato Sauce & Feta; Salt Cod, Tomato & Olive Oil; Lamb Chops, Cumin & Garlic Yogurt; Summer Zucchini, Orecchiette, Parmesan & Oregano; and Poached Rhubarb, Creme Fraiche Ice Cream & Hazelnut Crumb. Featuring informative essays on creating the full dining experience, such as assembling a successful charcuterie platter, selecting music, how to present dishes, and the case for biodynamic wine, "Ducksoup" captures the fun and excitement of one of London's most exciting restaurants and allows even the most novice of family cooks to recreate the experience of elegant restaurant dining at home. While enthusiastically and unreservedly recommended for personal, family, and community library cookbook collections, it should be noted that "Ducksoup: The Wisdom of Simple Cooking" is also available in a Kindle format ($13.19).

Plenty: Good Uncomplicated Food
Diana Henry
Mitchell Beazley
c/o Octopus Publishing
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9781784723002, $29.99, HC, 320pp, www.amazon.com

Kitchen cooks browsing through the pages of Diana Henry's "Plenty: Good Uncomplicated Food" will discover how to cook well, eat deliciously and produce plenty, all while saving money, reducing waste and availing of local resources. "Plenty" is a culinary compendium about creating great, satisfying meals without being extravagant or spending a fortune. By planning ahead, shopping carefully, using value cuts, cooking seasonally and making the most of left-overs, James Beard Award-Winning food writer Diana Henry shows that less can be more and flavor still plentiful. "Plenty: Good Uncomplicated Food" is packed with 300 beautifully illustrated recipes drawn from around the world. Of special note is the section on using less expensive cuts of meat will to create mealtime favorites such as Roast Pork Shoulder with Baked Squash and Braised Lamb Shanks. There are also great ideas for using the best value fish, from Baked Mackerel on Potatoes with Thyme, Onions and Lemon to Fish Pie with Leek Mash. Leftovers are also at the heart of "Plenty: Good Uncomplicated Food" offering an abundance of ideas for transforming roasts and other big family meals, for example taking what's left of a simple Roast Chicken and turning it into a fabulous Greek Chicken, Pumpkin, Feta Pie. A simple pleasure to browse through and inspiring to plan menus with, "Plenty: Good Uncomplicated Food" is strongly recommended for personal, family, and community library cookbook collections.

Sweet, Savory, and Free
Debbie Adler
BenBella Books
10300 N. Central Expressway, Suite 400, Dallas, TX 75204
www.benbellabooks.com
9781944648046, $19.95, PB, 288pp, www.amazon.com

Debbie Adler is the owner of the nationally renown, allergy-free, vegan, gluten-free and sugar- free bakery Sweet Debbie's Organic Cupcakes in Los Angeles. In "Sweet, Savory, and Free: Insanely Delicious Plant-Based Recipes without Any of the Top 8 Food Allergens" she draws upon her years of experience and expertise to create a compendium of recipes for dishes that are as palate pleasing as they are delicious, nutritious, and specifically crafted for anyone having to avoid the top eight food allergens. Beautifully and profusely illustrated in full color, the recipes range from Raspberry Hemp Pancakes; Spicy Tortilla Soup; Cajun Wild Mushroom Ristto; and Lo Mein with Brown Sauce; to Spinach & Basil Dumplings; Rainbow Quinoa & Portobello Pilaf; Rye Bread Focaccia; and Caramel Macchaiato Sandwich Cookies, "Sweet, Savory, and Free" is an extraordinary culinary compendium that will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to personal, professional, family, and community library cookbook collections. It should be noted that "Sweet, Savory, and Free" is also available in a Kindle format ($11.99).

Savage Salads
Davide Del Gatto & Kristina Gustafsson
Gibbs Smith, Publisher
PO Box 667, Layton UT 84041
www.gibbs-smith.com
9781423644927, $19.99 HC, $12.99 Kindle, 192pp, www.amazon.com

Davide Del Gatto is a chef, from Naples, Italy. He began working in restaurants when he moved to London in 2001. Kristina Gustaffson is a former restaurant manager and food enthusiast from Sweden. Together, with Davide Del Gatto, they run the Savage Salads stall in Soho, London, serving fresh gourmet salads to hundreds of adoring fans. In "Savage Salads: Fierce Flavors, Filling Power-Ups" the both draw upon their years of experience and expertise to showcase more than 50 salad recipes as well as 20 dressings and dips. Beautifully and profusely illustrated throughout, "Savage Salads" has something for everyone, from the quinoa enthusiast to the dedicated carnivore with recipes ranging from Mustard Marinated Pork Fillet, Couscous, Caramelized Grapes, Radicchio, Crackling, Cilantro; to Ricotta and Raisin Stuffed Zucchini Flowers, Watercress, Black Sesame Seeds; and White Crab, chilli Oil, Avocado, Red Onion, Lime, Chives; to Grilled Halloumi, Golden Beetroot, Orange, Red Chard, Walnuts; and Warm Goat Cheese, Lentils, Pear, Golden Raisins, Chicory. Of special note are the recipes for Watercress Mayonnaise; Tarragon Dressing; Orange and Honey Dressing; and Basil-Infused Oil. Unique and thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' in organization and presentation, "Savage Salads" is especially recommended for personal, family, and community library cookbook collections.

Taste of Home Brownies & Bars
Editors at Taste of Home
c/o Reader's Digest Trade Publishing
44 South Broadway, White Plains, NY 10601
www.rdtradepublishing.com
9781617656064, $15.99, PB, 256pp, www.amazon.com

No matter what the occasion, brownies and bars are universally popular as handheld treats and after meal desserts. Exceptionally well organized and presented by Catherine Cassidy and her editorial staff at 'Taste of Home', this dedicated culinary compendium showcases 263 homemade brownies and bars that are certain to please any palate and enhance any dining occasion. Of special note is the chapter devoted to speedy sweets and a "5-Ingredient" icon helping even the most novice of time-stressed kitchen cooks to expertly whip up a favorite even when the kitchen clock is ticking. A "Freeze It" icon even spotlights those snacks the hold up in the freezer! Baking a sweet sensation has never been easier. Beautifully and profusely illustrated from cover to cover, the thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' recipes range from Frosted Banana Bars; Swedish Raspberry Almond Bars; Caramel Brownies; and Irish Butterscotch Bars; to Nutty Cheesecake Squares; Frosted Peanut Butter Bars; Strawberry Almondine; Fudge Brownie Pie; and Cherry-Coconut Chocolate Torte. An enormous pleasure to simply browse through, "Taste of Home Brownies & Bars" is ideal for planning dessert menus with and will prove to be an extraordinarily popular addition to personal, family, professional, and community library cookbook collections. It should be noted that "Taste of Home Brownies & Bars" is also available in a Kindle format ($11.99).

The Savvy Cook
Izy Hossack
Mitchell Beazley
c/o Octopus Publishing
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9781784722708, $19.99, HC, 240pp, www.amazon.com

The recipes collected and showcased by Izy Hossack in "The Savvy Cook" were specifically selected for those cooking for themselves for the first time, as well as for anyone who wants the weekly budget to go a bit further without sacrificing flavor. Although many of the recipes are gluten-free and/or vegan, "The Savvy Cook" is not about health fads, "antioxidants" or obscure ingredients; it's about honest, nourishing and delicious cooking that will result in palate pleasing, appetite satisfying, 'kitchen cook friendly' meals for any and all dining occasions. With recipes ranging from profusely illustrated recipes ranging from Scrambled Chick Pea Tacos with Peach Salsa; Sweet Miso Eggplant & Walnut Salad; Lazy Potato Hash with Kale, Pesto & Eggs; to Easy Summer Pasta; Stir-Fry Quinoa, Pea & Broccoli; Oaty Snack Cake; and Easy Freezer Chocolate Chip Cookies, "The Savvy Cook" is a delight to browse through and practical for planning menus with. Other features include proposed menu plans, as well as effective ways to cut down on meat and giving last-night's leftovers a make-over. While very highly recommended for personal, family, and community library cookbook collections, it should be noted that "The Savvy Cook" is also available in a Kindle format ($6.99).

Aquafabulous!
Rebecca Coleman
Robert Rose Inc.
120 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 800, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M4P 1E2
www.robertrose.ca
9780778805649, $19.95, PB, 192pp, www.amazon.com

Rebecca Coleman is a food blogger (Cooking by Laptop) and she works primarily with small businesses, arts and non-profit organizations to help them to create social media marketing plans. In "Aquafabulous!: 100+ Egg-Free Vegan Recipes Using Aquafaba" she has compiled a unique culinary compendium of recipes based on Aquafaba which is the water that's drained off neutral-colored beans like chickpeas, white beans and cannellini beans. Vegans have had limited choices when it came to baked goods. The existing substitutes did not have the chemical properties of eggs which made them integral for binding and leavening. But now there is the perfect substitute and it's aquafaba. And it's blown open the world of vegan baking. It's proof that you can go egg-free and still enjoy delicious recipes. The general rule of thumb is 3 tbsp of aquafaba equals one egg. The protein in aquafaba, when mixed with some sugar and a pinch of cream of tartar, perfectly simulates egg whites. Neutral in taste, you don't have to worry about your dishes tasting beany. The recipes comprising "Aquafabulous!" range from a Red Pepper and Cheese Omelet, to Pasta with Cashew Chickpea Alfredo Sauce, to Meatless Loaf with Miso Gravy, to French Macarons. Beautifully illustrated with full color photography, "Aquafabulous!" is an impressive collection of palate pleasing, appetite satisfying recipes, that will be appreciated by vegans and anyone who has an allergy to dairy and eggs.

Fairy House Cooking
Liza Gardner Walsh
Down East Books
c/o Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
4501 Forbes Blvd., Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
www.rowman.com
9781608936410, $16.95, HC, 112pp, www.amazon.com

Following up on her popular Fairy House and Fairy Garden handbooks, Liza Gardner Walsh presents a new dimension in fairy-themed cooking activities with Fairy House Cooking: Simple Scrumptious Recipes & Fairy Party Fun!" A distinctly delightful culinary compendium, "Fairy House Cooking " is comprised of delicious recipes ranging from pretty fairy muffins, to tiny confetti cookies, to candied violets, and many more. There are also recipes for tiny snacks meant for fairies, and fun recipes for treats to leave out for the animal friends of fairies. Complementing the recipes are fun sidebars of fairy lore and guides for hosting fairy-themed teas and birthday parties. Simple steps and easy-to-follow recipes will help kids and their parents make yummy food for parties, friends, or just for fun. Original, unique, beautifully illustrated, and thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Fairy House Cooking" will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to family and community library cookbook collections.

Cook Lively!
Laura-Jane Koers
Lifelong Books / Da Capo Press
c/o Perseus Book Group
250 W. 57th St., Suite 1500, New York, NY 10107
www.perseusbooksgroup.com
9780738219677, $24.99, PB, 256pp, www.amazon.com

Canadian Laura-Jane Koers is a food writer, stylist, and photographer and the blogger behind TheRawtarian.com, one of the most popular raw vegan communities online. She also hosts the Raw Food Podcast on iTunes. In "Cook Lively!: 100 Quick and Easy Plant-Based Recipes for High Energy, Glowing Skin, and Vibrant Living - Using 10 Ingredients or Less" she showcases thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' dishes that are palate pleasing, as they are appetite satisfying. Beautifully and profusely illustrated throughout, the "Cook Lively! recipes range from Simply Chocolate Milk the Easy Way; Neapolitan Chia Pudding with Raspberry Cashew Cream; Spiced-Right Yam Wedges with Paprika and Garlic Powder; and Cheesy Burrito Bowl with Black Beans and Chopped Tomatoes; to Rich Strawberry Cheesecake with Pecan Crust; Black Bean Cookies with Vanilla and Cinnamon; Golden Baked Bananas with Coconut Oil; and Smooth Almond Butter. Of special note is the section offering a Gran, Lentil & Sprout Guide. While unreservedly and enthusiastically recommended for personal, family, and community library cookbook collections, it should be noted that "Cook Lively!" is also available in a Kindle format ($15.99).

A Farmgirl's Table
Jessica Robinson
Gibbs Smith, Publisher
PO Box 667, Layton UT 84041
www.gibbs-smith.com
9781423642183, $24.99 HC, $9.99 Kindle, 176pp, www.amazon.com

Jessica Robinson is a New England farmgirl who was raised on a small Connecticut farm and then found herself transplanted to a small farm in Graham, North Carolina, shares in "A Farmgirl's Table" heartwarming stories and personal advice along with a bushel of new recipes for using produce from the garden or farmers market, stocking a pantry with canned goods, making homemade bread and traditional family recipes, and entertaining guests at get-togethers with recipes for lemonades and drinks, salads, hearty main courses, pies, cakes, and more. Profusely illustrated and showcasing recipes for dishes ranging from Red Velvet Marble Cake; Raspberry-Apricot Jam; Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta; and Peach Sweet Tea; to Country-Style Meatloaf; Farmhouse Sourdough Bread; Lemon-Blueberry Scones; and Strawberry Lemonade, "A Farmgirl's Table" is certain to be an enduringly popular addition to personal, family, and community library collections. Of special note is culinary author Jessica Robinson's popular blog: Carolina Farmhouse Kitchen.

Bites on a Board
Anni Daulter
Gibbs Smith, Publisher
PO Box 667, Layton UT 84041
www.gibbs-smith.com
9781423645740, $24.99, HC, 176pp, www.amazon.com

In her beautifully illustrated cookbook "Bites on a Board", food stylist Anni Daulter shows creative hosts how to make the most of their boards and serving platters with dishes that range from classic charcuterie boards with prosciutto, olives, and roasted figs to luscious dessert boards with mini cheesecakes and red-wine ice-cream bites. Comprised of rustic, trendy, pickled, and even culturally-inspired boards and recipes, "Bites on a Board" reveals that the last thing any kitchen cook will want to do when finished cooking is put away the cutting board! While very highly recommended for personal, family, and community library cookbook collections, it should be noted that "Bites on a Board" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99).


The Metaphysical Studies Shelf

Kitchen Table Tarot
Melissa Cynova
Llewellyn Publications
2143 Wooddale Drive, Woodbury, MN 55125
www.llewellyn.com
9780738750774, $16.99, PB, 288pp, www.amazon.com

From the early ages of 14, Melissa Cynova has been sitting down with friends and neighbors who are curious about the tarot. She's heard all the questions and misconceptions that can confuse newcomers (and sometimes more experienced readers, too). Drawing upon her many years of experience and expertise, "Mellisa has now written "Kitchen Table Tarot" as an instructional guide and reference for anyone looking for no-nonsense lessons with a warm, friendly, and knowledgeable teacher. Readers will benefit from Melissa's sharing of straightforward guidance on decks, spreads, card meanings, and symbols. Filled with real-life examples and personal explanations of what it's like to read the cards, "Kitchen Table Tarot" tells it like it is and provides the information even the most novice of tarot readers will need to use their decks with confidence. Impressively informative, exceptionally well written, thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Kitchen Table Tarot" is a complete course of training in the use of the tarot under one cover. While very highly recommended for personal, community, and academic library Metaphysical Studies collections in general, and Tarot supplemental studies reading lists in particular, it should be noted that "Kitchen Table Tarot" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99).

Fortune Telling by Tarot Cards
Sasha Fenton
Hampton Roads Publishing Company
65 Parker St., Ste. 7, Newburyport, MA 01950
www.hrpub.com
9781571747679, $16.95, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com

Knowing how to interpret tarot cards can enable us to understand ourselves and others better and be able to accurately predict what's going to happen in the future. "Fortune Telling by Tarot Cards" by professional astrologer, palmist, and tarot card reader Sasha Fenton is an accessible and easy guide that teaches how to use the tarot. Fenton's guidelines combined with the reader's intuition makes using the cards easy and fun. She provides the meaning of each card and suggestions for spreads that can be used for a variety of purposes -- from focusing on the consequences of a particular situation to resolving a particular question to providing clarity on personal relationships. She also shows us how to link the cards together in a life narrative. Thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "Fortune Telling by Tarot Cards" is an ideal instruction manual and guide for novice tarot readers and is very highly recommended for personal, community, and academic library Metaphysical Science collections in general, and Tarot Cards supplemental studies reading lists in particular.

Origins of the Sphinx
Robert M. Schoch & Robert Bauval
Inner Traditions International, Ltd.
One Park Street, Rochester, VT 05767
www.innertraditions.com
9781620555255, $24.95, PB, 528pp, www.amazon.com

New research and evidence that the Sphinx is thousands of years older than previously thought. In "Origins of the Sphinx: Celestial Guardian of Pre-Pharaonic Civilization" Robert M. Schoch (a tenured faculty member at Boston University who earned his doctorate in geology and geophysics at Yale University, and is known for his research on the Sphinx), contrasts what Egyptologists claim about the Sphinx with historical accounts and new research including reanalysis of seismic studies and updates to Schoch's water weathering research and Bauval's Orion Correlation Theory. Professor Schoch also examines how the Sphinx is contemporaneous with Gobekli Tepe, aligned with the constellation Leo, and was recarved during the Old Kingdom era of Egypt. Of special note is the revelation that the Sphinx was built during the actual historical Golden Age of ancient Egypt, the period known in legend as Zep Tepi. Impressively informed and informative, exceptionally thoughtful and thought-provoking, thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "Origins of the Sphinx" is enhanced with illustrations, the inclusion of a twelve page Bibliography, an eleven page Index, and a one page listing of Books Of Related Interest. While very highly recommended for both community and academic library collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Origins of the Sphinx" is also available in a Kindle format ($12.99).


The Needlecraft Shelf

The Fussy Cut Sampler
Nichole Ramirez & Elisabeth Woo
Lucky Spool Media
www.luckyspool.com
c/o The Taunton Press
63 South Main Street, Newtown, CT 06470
www.taunton.com
9781940655222, $27.95, PB, 144pp, www.amazon.com

A favorite part of quilting for many needlecrafters is fussy cutting -- and it usually involves figuring out how to enhance an interesting quilt block by framing a favorite element in most-loved fabrics! With "The Fussy Cut Sampler: 48 Quilt Blocks from Your Favorite Fabrics" by quilting experts Nichole Ramirez and Elisabeth Wood, fussy cutting becomes more than just showing a single design. By following along with how Nichole and Elisabeth create drastically different samplers from each of their 48 unique patchwork blocks, quilt makers will see how those same 9'' blocks can easily be adapted to your own personal taste. Compare their blocks (and their samplers!) side by side, aspiring quilters will be inspired to use the fabrics they love to create their own sampler blocks. "The Fussy Cut Sampler shows how to navigate those pesky stripes, how to work with either a limited palette or an eclectic scrappy one, and how to incorporate improvisational piecing to fussy cut even the smallest parts of anyone's favorite designs. "The Fussy Cut Sampler" reveals the endless possibilities in a fabric stash and quilters simply won't be able to resist creating a fussy-cut sampler all their own. Beautifully illustrated and thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "The Fussy Cut Sampler" is very highly recommended for personal, professional, and community library Needlecraft collections in general, and Quilt Making supplemental studies reading lists in particular.

Pin Loom Weaving to Go
Margaret Stump
Stackpole Books
5067 Ritter Road, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055-6921
www.stackpolebooks.com
9780811716130, $17.95, PB, 120pp, www.amazon.com

Expert weaver Margaret Stump draws upon her more than forty years of experience and expertise to provide step-by-step instructions for 25 portable pin loom weaving projects in "Pin Loom Weaving to Go". Palm-sized weaving looms go anywhere and make just about anything imaginable ranging from fashionable wrist cuffs to full-sized blankets. Featured are elegant wraps, a fun fox bag, an American flag blanket, pillows, pins, stylish scarves, and more. With beginning weavers in mind, "Pin Loom Weaving to Go" walks aspiring needlecrafters through how to weave on a 2" and 4" loom. Once knowing how to make a basic square and connect pieces, pin loom weavers will be well on their way to making any of these specific projects. "Pin Loom Weaving to Go" divides the projects into those that use a 2", 4", adjustable fine-gauge, and even a pot holder loom, and those that combine pieces from different looms, so it is easy to find a project and get started. "Pin Loom Weaving to Go" includes all the basics of pin loom weaving, beginning and medium level projects can be made on the go, simple weaving techniques for portable looms, instructions for making a simple 2" loom, and projects for standard 2" and 4" looms, as well as potholder looms and knitting looms. Unique and thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Pin Loom Weaving to Go" is very highly recommended for community library Needlecraft collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Pin Loom Weaving to Go" is also available in a Kindle format ($16.99).

Little Loom Weaving
Andreia Gomes
Ulysses Press
PO Box 3440, Berkeley CA 94703-3440
www.ulyssespress.com
9781612436630, $16.95, PB, 128pp, www.amazon.com

Andreia Gomes is a self-taught weaver, creative thinker, compulsive maker and interior stylist. Her work has been featured in CYL Collective, Makers Movement, Future Positive, Koel Magazine, A Montra/The Window and more. In "Little Loom Weaving: Quick and Clever Projects for Creating Adorable Stuff " she draws upon her years of experience and expertise to present a beautifully and profusely illustrated instruction manual covering everything needed to create trendy and timeless woven pieces on a small, portable loom. Packed with step-by-step 'user friendly' instructions, "Little Loom Weaving" covers such techniques as: Tabby Weave; Looping; Hemstitch; Open Slit; Rya Knot; and Soumak. Aspiring weavers will enjoy a range of projects that include: Wall Hangings; Bracelets; Pillows; Keychains; Recycled Materials; and Planters. While "Little Loom Weaving" is very highly recommended for personal and community library Needlecraft instructional reference collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of aspiring little loom weavers that it is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99).

Martingale & Company
19021 - 120th Avenue NE, Suite 102, Bothell, WA 98011
www.shopmartingale.com

Two fine books should be in any avid quilter's collection, packing in a wide range of quilting projects and offering keys to producing standout quilts. That Patchwork Place's The Big Book of Strip Quilts: Start with Strips to Make 60 Stunning Quilts (9781604688542, $27.99) tells how to cut strips from a stash or use precuts to make fine strip quilt patterns, and explores projects that range from wall hangings and baby quilts to bed-sized quilts. Various designers contribute their ideas to this collection, which means that styles are satisfyingly diverse and beginners and experienced quilts alike receive a good diversity of choices and results. Full-page color photos of the quilts accompany materials lists, step-by-step instructions, and visually illustrated keys to making blocks from strips. Polly Minick and Laurie Simpson's Blue & White: Living with Textiles You Love (9781604688689, $34.99) isn't a needlework guide per say, but a key to incorporating textiles into interior decorating strategies. Because needleworkers face additional challenges in this department, beyond constructing their works, it's especially recommended for this audience who may have needlework design strategies well in hand, but now need advice on how to incorporate textiles and fibers into the home. Color and style in American folk art are discussed as part of the focus on American hooked rugs, quilts, and other blue and white themes that can easily translate to a warm incorporation into a home's style. The focus on blue and white colors narrows the field and allows for specific references and recommendations that impart the basics of home interior design into the needleworker's world. Both are wonderful additions highly recommended for any needlework collection.


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

The Halcyon Fairy Book
T. Kingfisher, author
Sheila Perry, editor
NESFA Press
PO Box 809, Framingham, MA 01701
www.nesfapress.com
9781610373265, $30.00, HC, 380pp, www.amazon.com

Written by Ursula Vernon under the pen name of T. Kingfisher, and deftly compiled and edited by Sheila Perry, "The Halcyon Fairy Book" is a wonderfully original and entertaining collection of wry and insightful comments on traditional fairy tales, that first appeared in the T. Kingfisher blog, along with Ursula's first collection of fairy-tale inspired original work, Toad Words, that was previously only available as a self-published eBook. A truly extraordinary, inherently fascinating, unfailingly entertaining read from beginning to end, "The Halcyon Fairy Book" is unreservedly recommended for the personal reading lists of dedicated Fantasy Fiction fans, and is certain to be an enduringly popular addition to community library Science Fiction & Fantasy collections.

The Bones of the Past
Craig A. Munro
Inkshares
99 Linden Street, Oakland, CA 94607
https://www.inkshares.com
9781942645337, $16.99, PB, 450pp, www.amazon.com

The Night Guard walk the streets of the old kingdom of Bialta seeking out threats that are beyond the abilities of the common soldier. As a girl changed into something "other" and on the hunt for human souls, Nial is one such threat. Salt, a sailor recently rescued by the Night Guard, has been inducted into their ranks. He's a quick study, but as new threats multiply all around them, will he have what it takes to survive? Bialta is not alone in its woes. Sacral, a city that vanished in the distant past, has reappeared where it once stood at the heart of the Wastes. Like many of Sacral's people, Maura is content living a quiet life, ignoring the outside world. But she finds herself desperately fighting to save her home as war comes to the city returned. Meanwhile, across the Great Desert, creatures are stirring. Carver, the last living master of the magic known as fleshcarving, has won the support of the tyrant of Tolrahk Esal. Together they will unleash his twisted creations to sweep across the land and forever disrupt the balance of power. "The Bones of the Past" is epic tale in which armies march, demons feed, and deities unleash their powers on a world that will never be the same. Author Craig Munro demonstrates originality and a genuine flair for deftly crafted fantasy action/adventure, making "The Bones of the Past" a very highly recommended addition to community library Science Fiction & Fantasy collections. For the personal reading lists of dedicated fantasy fans it should be noted that "The Bones of the Past" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99).

The Sacrifice of Sunshine Girl
Paige McKenzie
Weinstein Books
250 West 57th Street, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10107
www.weinsteinbooks.com
9781602862982, $17.99, HC, 336pp, www.amazon.com

Is Sunshine Griffith who she thinks she is? Now that her powers are fully awakened, and having barely survived an abyss full of demons, Sunshine must figure out who-or what-has been organizing the forces of darkness against her. Thanks to her brainiac boyfriend, Nolan, they not only unearth that Sunshine's death would trigger a calamitous event, but that all civilization depends on her survival. So when an unexpected event unleashes a fierce war between the luiseach and the demon army, Sunshine will learn a shocking truth about herself. Can she bring herself to make the ultimate sacrifice to save humankind? The third and final volume of Paige McKenzie's outstanding fantasy action/adventure trilogy will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to community library collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Sacrifice of Sunshine Girl" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99). Also highly recommended are the first two books in the trilogy, "The Haunting of Sunshine Girl" and "The Awakening of Sunshine Girl".


The Health/Medicine Shelf

Insane Consequences
D.J. Jaffe
Prometheus Books
59 John Glenn Drive, Amherst, NY 14228-2197
9781633882911, $25.00, www.prometheusbooks.com

Insane Consequences: How the Mental Health Industry Fails the Mentally Ill provides a critical consideration of America's failing mental health system and comes from a critic who identifies why, despite large budgets, the mentally ill in this country continue to fall through the cracks. Jaffe maintains that the mental health industry and government is to blame for creating situations that focus on and document improvements on those only lightly disturbed while leaving in limbo those who suffer from severe disorders. Industry and government documents, science studies, and insights from the author's thirty-plus years in mental health contribute to a damning survey from the MentalIllnessPolicy.org executive director.

Living Well on the Road
Linden Schaffer
Rowman & Littlefield
c/o Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
4501 Forbes Blvd., Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
www.rowman.com
9781442262102, $18.95, PB, 296pp, www.amazon.com

"Living Well on the Road: Health and Wellness for Travelers" by Linden Schaffer (a wellness travel expert, consultant, and founder of the first wellness travel company, Pravassa) was specifically written for men and women who find themselves stressed out, eating badly, skipping the gym, sleeping with a phone rather than a partner, as well as experiencing brain fog and lack of focus. Schaffer herself was an overworked, stressed out, on-the-go professional who was able to find the time to refocus, to recharge, and to recommit to wellness on the road. Now she is sharing her secrets, identifying the obstacles that keep us from experiencing true wellness and, with scientifically backed-data, showing how we too can learn to embrace wellness, recommit to the things that help us feel more energized, more focused, and more mindful of those activities in which we engage. "Living Well on the Road" is especially recommended to the attention of readers seeking identify those areas of their life that need recharging, and will bring greater awareness to those in search of a way to find wellness, happiness, and overall well-being through busy days. Whether on the road, in the office, or at home, "Living Well on the Road" will provide information and insight into ways that will dramatically improve mental focus and physical wellness. Thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "Living Well on the Road" is very highly recommended for personal reading lists, as well as community and academic library Health/Medicine collections. It should be noted that "Living Well on the Road" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99).

The Untold History of Healing
Wolf D. Storl
North Atlantic Books
2526 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Berkeley, CA 94704-2607
www.northatlanticbooks.com
9781623170936, $24.95, PB, 344pp, www.amazon.com

"The Untold History of Healing: Plant Lore and Medicinal Magic from the Stone Age to Present" by anthropologist, ethnobotanist and international natural horticulture advocate Wolf Strol takes the reader on a exciting, expansive journey of the history of medicine from the Stone Age to modern times, explaining that Western medicine has its true origins in the healing lore of Paleolithic hunters and gatherers, herding nomads, and the early sedentary farmers rather than in the academic tradition of doctors and pharmacists. This absorbing history of medicine takes the reader on a sweeping journey from the Stone Age to modern times, showing that Western medicine has its origins not only in the academic tradition of doctors and pharmacists, but in the healing lore of Paleolithic hunters and gatherers, herding nomads, and the early sedentary farmers. "The Untold History of Healing" vividly describes the many ways that ancient peoples have used the plants in their immediate environment, along with handed-down knowledge and traditions, to treat the variety of ailments they encountered in daily life. A truly impressive, informative, and deftly presented work of seminal scholarship, "The Untold History of Healing" is exceptionally well organized and is highly recommended for both scholars and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject. While unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Health/Medicine collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Untold History of Healing" is also available in a Kindle format ($15.99).


The Crafts Shelf

The Absolute Beginners Guide: Jewelry Making with Resin
Theresa D. Abelew
Kalmbach Books
21027 Crossroads Circle, Waukesha, WI 53187-1612
www.kalmbachstore.com
9781627004022, $21.99, PB, 96pp, www.amazon.com

Theresa D. Abelew is the Editorial Associate for Art Jewelry magazine. She sells her work in galleries and fairs and can be found on Pinterest and Etsy (her shop is 2 Dog Studios). With "The Absolute Beginners Guide: Jewelry Making with Resin" she draws upon her years of experience and expertise to offer 20 projects that go beyond simple resin pourings. Aspiring resin jewelry makers will learn to fold and form resin into lightweight and dramatic cuffs, layer colored resin into dimensional pendants, embed bits of wood, metal, or wire into unusual rings, and so much more. Each individual project includes clear, profusely illustrated, and easy-to-follow instructions with step-by-step instructional color photographs that are perfect for beginners new to the material. The focus is on the resin elements, but instructions and suggestions are included to complete each necklace, bracelet, ring, earring, and cuff. The techniques are simple enough for beginners to master and the results sophisticated enough to wear anywhere. An ideal instruction guide, "The Absolute Beginners Guide: Jewelry Making with Resin" is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, and community library crafts collections in general, and jewelry making supplemental studies reading lists in particular.


The Railroading Shelf

Great Western Star Class Locomotives
Laurence Waters
Pen & Sword Books
47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England, S702AS
https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
9781473871021, $50.00, HC, 152pp, www.amazon.com

Designed by G.J. Churchward, no. 40 was constructed at Swindon in April 1906\. It was Swindons first 4 cylinder simple engine and was the forerunner of Churchwards famous 4 cylinder Star Class 4-6-0s. Initially built as a 4-4-2 Atlantic, no. 40 was named North Star in September 1906, rebuilt as a 4-6-0 in 1909, and renumbered 4000 in 1913. Including no. 40, the Star class eventually numbered seventy-three locomotives, all built at Swindon in batches between 1906 and 1923. In service the Stars proved to be both free-running and reliable locomotives, and for many years were used to haul the Great Westerns top link services, including the world-famous Cornish Riviera Express. The introduction of the Collett Castle Class 4-6-0s in 1923, and the King Class 4-6-0s in 1927, saw the Stars relegated to secondary passenger, freight and parcels services. A number of Stars were rebuilt by Collett as Castles, including the prototype no. 4000 North Star, but the remaining Stars continued to give good service. At Nationalisation in 1948, no less than forty-seven of these fine locomotives passed into Western Region ownership, the last example, no. 4056 Princess Margaret, being withdrawn in October 1957. In "Great Western Star Class Locomotives", Laurence Waters (Honorary Photo Archivist of the Great Western Trust at the Didcot Railway Centre) deftly charts the history of the class from the prototype, right through to the final workings in October 1957. Using many previously unpublished photographs from the Great Western Trust photographic collection, accompanied by informative captions, every member of the Class is illustrated. "Great Western Star Class Locomotives" will have special appeal to those interested in the history of Great Western locomotive development as well as dedicated railroad modelers. Impressively informative and profusely illustrated form cover to cover, "Great Western Star Class Locomotives" is certain to be an enduringly popular addition to personal, community, and academic library Railroading History collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Great Western Star Class Locomotives" is also available in a Kindle format ($30.00).


The Comix/Graphic Novel Shelf

The Count of Monte Cristo
Original novel by Alexandre Dumas
Story adaptation by Crystal S. Chan
Art by Nokman Poon
Udon Entertainment
www.udonentertainment.com
Morpheus Publishing
www.morpheuspublishing.com
9781927925614 $17.99 amazon.com

Part of the "Manga Classics" series adapting great works of literature to graphic novel format with manga-style black-and-white artwork, The Count of Monte Cristo brings to life Alexandre Dumas' timeless tale of revenge and moral dilemmas, set in post-Napoleonic France. (Alexandre Dumas is also well-known for writing "The Three Musketeers" and its sequels, among other novels.) In The Count of Monte Cristo, protagonist Edmond Dantes was once a young man about to achieve success and marry the love his life, when three nefarious villains betrayed him, and condemned him to prison for no crime. A combination of miraculous fortune and unyielding determination enabled Dantes to escape, acquire wealth, and return under a new identity as The Count of Monte Cristo. The Count of Monte Cristo's burning drive is to bring kindness to his former friends - and revenge upon his enemies! But what of the children of the Count's enemies? Is it truly just to take vengeance even if innocents may suffer from it? Although this one-volume graphic novel adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo necessarily abridges the lengthy original to a degree, extreme pains have been taken to preserve the saga's core and spirit. The Count of Monte Cristo is an excellent way for a new generation of readers to discover (or re-experience!) Dumas' masterpiece, and is highly recommended for high school and public library collections.

The Jungle Book
Original anthology by Rudyard Kipling
Story adaptation by Crystal S. Chan
Art by Julien Choy
Udon Entertainment
www.udonentertainment.com
Morpheus Publishing
www.morpheuspublishing.com
9781772940190 $17.99 amazon.com

Part of the "Manga Classics" series adapting great works of literature to graphic novel format with manga-style black-and-white artwork, The Jungle Book is a rendition of Rudyard Kipling's classic, animal-themed anthology for readers of all ages. Three stories are about Mowgli, a human boy raised by wolves and caught between two worlds. The other four stories are "Rikki- Tikki-Tavi", about a heroic mongoose's deadly battle with a snake family, "Toomai of the Elephants", about a young boy's unique connection with the proud and loyal elephants that serve the East Indian government, "The White Seal", about a seal who desperately searches for a refuge safe from the cruel depredations of man, and "Her Majesty's Servants", about various animals pressed into military service. Kipling's timeless poems are also incorporated into these lively tales. The Jungle Book is a great way to introduce a new generation of animal lovers to Kipling's classics, and is highly recommended for both public and school library graphic novel collections.

The Far Side of the Moon
Written by Alex Irvine
Illustrated by Ben Bishop
Tilbury House, Publishers
12 Starr Street, Thomaston, ME 04861
www.tilburyhouse.com
9780884484523 $16.95 hc / $8.95 Kindle amazon.com

The Far Side of the Moon is a black-and-white nonfiction graphic novel about astronaut Michael Collins and the historic Apollo 11 moon-landing mission of 1969. The stark, visually striking artwork captures the loneliness and dangers of space travel. Readers of all ages will find The Far Side of the Moon a captivating and inspirational true story not only of scientific history, but also of human fortitude and ingenuity. Highly recommended, especially for high school and public library graphic novel collections.

Princeless: Raven the Pirate Princess, Book 3
Action Lab Entertainment
www.actionlabcomics.com
9781632291400 $14.99 pbk / $5.99 Kindle amazon.com

Set in the fantastic world of "Princeless", where women are often (by necessity or by their own will) as fierce and daring adventurers as men, Princeless: Raven the Pirate Princess - Two Boys, Five Girls and Three Love Stories continues the full-color, graphic novel saga of Raven, a pirate princess determined to take back the inheritance stolen by her violent brothers. But Ximena, one of Raven's female crew members, has suffered an injury that may yet be fatal. Raven tries to get medical help from the Island of Free Women, but its legendary healer hates pirates with a passion! Two Boys, Five Girls and Three Love Stories lives up to its title with self-contained, flashback legends and love stories that interconnect with the present-day dilemma. And there might just be a budding love between Raven and Ximena - if Ximena doesn't die, and if Raven doesn't chicken out! Princeless: Raven the Pirate Princess, Book 3 is a no-holds-barred adventure for readers ages nine to ninety, highly recommended.

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap / Phantom Hourglass Legendary Edition
Akira Himekawa
Viz Media LLC
1355 Market Street, Suite 200, San Francisco CA 94103
www.viz.com
9781421589626 $17.99 amazon.com

Consisting of a single omnibus volume, The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap / Phantom Hourglass Legendary Edition retells the stories of two beloved Legend of Zelda video games in black- and-white manga (Japanese graphic novel) format. Both games are part of the classic "Wind Waker" lineage featuring cartoon-style graphics (to the extent that their rendition of the hero Link has been informally dubbed "Toon Link"), and the free-flowing art style perfectly captures the games' visual aesthetics. The two stories have a timeless, fairy-tale fantasy quality that will appeal to readers of all ages. Each follows young Link on a journey to battle an evil force plaguing the land... or the sea! A smattering of concept art and a brief "behind-the-scenes" glimpse into the creation of other Legend of Zelda manga round out this treasure for fans of the series.

Dragonball Super 1
Story by Akira Toriyama
Art by Toyotarou
Viz Media LLC
1355 Market Street, Suite 200, San Francisco CA 94103
9781421592541 $9.99 www.viz.com

Set after the hero Goku's epic quest to defeat the evil Boo, Dragonball Super 1 is a new black- and-white manga (Japanese graphic novel) adventure crafted by Akira Toiryama and brought to life with Toyotarou's dynamic artwork. Goku's peaceful days are interrupted by a new danger - the God of Destruction, Beerus, who threatens to annihilate Earth unless provided with sufficient entertainment! Can Goku revive the legendary "Super Sayan God" before Beerus destroys the planet out of boredom? An action-packed saga of power that literally transcends the universe, Dragonball Super 1 is a "must" especially for fans of the series.

Immortal Hounds 4
Ryo Yasohachi
Vertical, Inc.
451 Park Avenue South, 7th floor, New York, NY 10016
9781942993872 $12.95 www.vertical-inc.com

Immortal Hounds 4 continues the surreal, postmodern saga set in a world where all human beings naturally resurrect from death. Resurrection is the perfect cure for every possible injury or illness, except one: Resurrection Deficiency Syndrome, or RDS. RDS permanently takes away a person's ability to resurrect, and often is not discovered until too late. The "vectors" who knowingly spread RDS - supposedly by getting their victims to fall in love with them - effectively act as serial killers in a world of immortals! Vectors come from another world, spread RDS to earn "points" to buy immortality, and receive protection from "Escape Artists" when they are caught. In Immortal Hounds 4, the conflict between Detective Shin'ichi Kenzaki (whose sister was murdered by a vector) and Rin Kazama (a skilled Escape Artist) comes to a crucial turning point, during Rin's risky attempt to rescue the vector Snow White. More is also revealed about Rin's master, the mysterious Mama, and Rin's own blood-soaked history. Immortal Hounds is highly recommended for mature readers ages 16+, due to scenes of violence.

Devils' Line 6
Ryo Hanada
Vertical, Inc.
451 Park Avenue South, 7th floor, New York, NY 10016
9781942993919 $12.95 www.vertical-inc.com

Devils' Line 6 continues the black-and-white manga (Japanese graphic novel) set in a world where a fraction of the human population are "devils" or "vampires". Though devils appear like ordinary humans at first glance, they are far stronger and more agile, and arousal or exposure to human blood can drive them into a frenzy that causes them to kill or rape. A mysterious organization known as the CCC is trying to incite and escalate fear of devils, and to further their cause, the CCC will kill both humans and devils without remorse. The half-devil police officer Anzai and his associates have acquired leverage over members of the CCC, including Seven, who originally joined the CCC because a devil raped and murdered her mother. Volume 6 explores Seven's tragic past in-depth, and Anzai's suppressed memories bubble to the surface with a surprising revelation. Devils' Line is a fascinating examination of the dark side of humanity, highly recommended for readers age 13+ due to mature themes and some scenes of graphic violence.

Red Range: A Wild Western Adventure
Joe R. Lansdale, author
Sam Glanzman, illustrator
IDW Publishing
2765 Truxtun Road, San Diego, CA 92106
www.idwpublishing.com
9781631409943, $19.99, HC, 112pp, www.amazon.com

In a tale of hope set amidst the hyper violence of America's 19th century, this new edition of "Red Range" tells the tale of Red Mask, a tough as nails vigilante who rides to fight the tragic racism of a Klan-dominated Texas. This simply outstanding western action/adventure story also entails a bit of 'Hollow Earth' science fiction. Written by multiple Bram Stoker Award winner Joe Lansdale and illustrated by Golden Age comic book master and Sam Glanzman, this outstanding and inherently compelling graphic novel (in color for the first time) includes an informative Introduction by Mojo Press' Richard Klaw and an Afterword by Stephen R. Bissette. As a bonus, this edition of "Red Range" includes a little-seen story by Glanzman, "I Could Eat a Horse!" A gripping and starkly presented tale of savage vengeance, stone cold justice, "Red Range" is an extraordinary and highly recommended story that is especially to any and all graphic novel fans. It should be noted that "Red Range" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99).

Love: The Dinosaur
Frederic Brremaud and Federico Bertolucci
Magnetic Press
www.magnetic-press.com
9781942367369 $17.99 amazon.com

Fourth in the "Love" series of color graphic novels about wildlife, "Love: The Dinosaur" is visually stunning, wordless, realistically drawn saga. No single dinosaur is the sole focus of Love: The Dinosaur; species that appear include Bambiraptor Feinbergi, Dimetrodon, Triceratops Horridus, the flying Cnetochasma, and the indomitable Tyrannosaurus Rex. Every day is a struggle to survive in the prehistoric era, especially for smaller dinosaurs who are at constant risk of being trampled or eaten! A lavish, immersive saga of predators and prey in their natural habitat, Love: The Dinosaur is a "must-read" for dinosaur fans of all ages. Highly recommended.

Hero-A-Go-Go!
Michael Eury
TwoMorrows Publishing
10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614
www.twomorrows.com
9781605490731, $36.95, www.amazon.com

Hero-A-Go-Go! Campy Comic Books, Crimefighters & Culture of the Swinging Sixties discusses the 'camp age' of comics, when puns, sexuality, and the political and social atmosphere of the 1960s came to life to be reflected in comics. Former DC Comics editor Michael Eury examines particular characters from a range of comics, includes interviews with artists, actors, and personalities involved in the superhero subculture both in print and on screen, and packs his presentation with a wealth of color and black and white images of comics and insights from those who lived the era. From focuses on Bill Mumy from Lost in Space to Irwin Allen's impact on sci-fi, this will neatly reach beyond the comics crowd to appeal to the interests of anyone interested in how the culture of the 1960s translated to crimefighting and hero figures of the times.


The Audiobook Shelf

Aesop's Fables with Colin Hay
Tom Graves
www.authortomgraves.com
Devault-Graves Digital Editions
www.devault-gravesagency.com
9781942531241, $6.66 audiobook
9781942531234, $9.95 ebook

Almost anyone who has read a book well knows of the classic Aesop's Fables, one of the cornerstones of parables and moral fables - but the audio production of these tales is unexpected and delightful enough to make it a recommendation beyond its intended 6 to 11-year-old age group. The power of Aesop's fables might seem to speak for themselves in print version; but the audio needed this extra boost to attract listeners of all ages, and one of the special delights here is Hay's ability to dramatize his reading while lending an accent that flavors the story without being unintelligibly thick. Many an adult will want to listen, because lessons such as a parent/child encounter with greed in 'The Boy and the Jar of Peanuts' may have been forgotten by many an adult over the years. Their lovely resurrection here, in a powerful audio, makes for a winning production recommended for all ages. (It should also be noted that the ebook format contains lovely illustrations throughout, many in full color, that perfectly capture both the antique feel of Aesop's works and the sentiments of each story.)

A Generation of Sociopaths
Bruce Cannon Gibney
Hachette Audio
1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104
9781478945291, $35.00, www.hachetteaudio.com

A Generation of Sociopaths: How the Baby Boomers Betrayed America enjoys an unabridged reading by Wayne Pyle as it provides a controversial discussion of antisocial leaders in America and shows how Boomers' self-indulgence eroded American values. This discussion comes not from a radical left activist, but from a former partner in a leading venture capital firm who considers the policies and perceptions that have lead Boomers to capitalize on future generations. Anyone interested in the consequences of Boomer activities must listen to this thought-provoking, absorbing indictment of not individuals, but an entire generation.

Thinking Machines
Luke Dormehl, author
Read by Gus Brown
Highbridge Audiobooks
270 Skip Jack Road, Prince Frederick, MD 20678
www.highbridgeaudio.com
9781681684314 $29.99 amazon.com

Thoroughly accessible to readers of all backgrounds, Thinking Machines is the unabridged audiobook rendition of technology journalist Luke Dormehl's history of artificial intelligence (AI), the guiding force behind modern machines and programs from video games to fitness trackers to smartphones. An extraordinary glimpse into the workings of everyday miracles, and a premonition of how machines capable of unprecedented learning might change the future, Thinking Machines is utterly fascinating. Highly recommended, especially for public and college library audiobook collections! 7 CDs, 8.25 hours.

Journey to the Centre of the Earth
Jules Verne
Read by Bill Homewood
Naxos of America, Inc.
1810 Columbia Avenue, Suite 28, Franklin, TN 37064
www.naxosaudiobooks.com
9781781980095 $47.98 CD / $31.00 download

Part of the Naxos "Complete Classics" series of unabridged works of literature transformed into audiobook format, Journey to the Centre of the Earth brings to life Jules Verne's classic, sci-fi saga of exploration and discovery, set during the mid 1800's. Read aloud by the experienced and talented television actor Bill Homewood, Journey to the Centre of the Earth follows the brilliant Professor Liedenbrock, his reluctant nephew Axel, and their bold Icelandic guide Hans into the depths of the Earth via volcanic tunnels. As Axel finds himself amid increasingly beautiful, foreign, and potentially savage landscapes underneath the Earth's surface, he fears that he may never escape alive to see his beloved fiance again! Journey to the Centre of the Earth is a sublime way to experience a timeless classic, and is highly recommended especially for public library audiobook collections. 7 CDs, 8 hours 35 min. 09 sec.

Beauty and the Beast
Disney
Blackstone Audiobooks
31 Mistletoe Road, Ashland, OR 97520
www.BlackstoneAudio.com
9781504752582, $19.95, CD, www.amazon.com

Belle wants more out of life than the small provincial town of Villeneuve can offer. There she stands out from the crowd with her unique point of view, her strong-willed independence, and her love of books. She longs for travel and adventure, for a life as exciting as the stories she reads. But when Belle's beloved father is taken prisoner by a beast in an enchanted castle, her path is forever changed. Risking her freedom and her future, she takes her father's place, secretly vowing to escape. But as she learns more about the Beast and his mysterious castle, Belle realizes that there may be more to his story (and her own) than she ever could have imagined. Superbly narrated by Jenna Augen, this complete and unabridged audio book edition of Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" is an extraordinary, memorable, entertaining, and highly recommended addition to personal, family, school, and community library audio book collections.

The Midas Legacy: A Novel
Andy McDermott, author
Read by Gildart Jackson
HighBridge Audio Books
270 Skip Jack Road, Prince Frederick, MD 20678
9781681684758 $49.99 https://highbridgeaudio.com

Superbly performed Gildart Jackson, by The Midas Legacy is the unabridged audiobook rendition of a globe-spanning thriller. Discovering the fabled city of Atlantis was just the beginning for Nina Wilde and her ex-SAS husband Eddie Chase; for the sake of humankind, they must race against implacable enemies to uncover the truth about the legend of King Midas. Extraordinary and captivating, The Midas Legacy is highly recommended for action-intrigue connoisseurs. 17 CDs, 20.5 hours.

Enchanted Islands
Allison Amend, author
Performed by Dina Pearlman
Brilliance Corporation
PO Box 887, Grand Haven, MI 49417
$9.99 www.brillianceaudio.com

Enchanted Islands is an unabridged MP3 audiobook (plays on MP3-CD enabled players or transfers to portable devices) of a novel following Frances Frankowski, a woman who came of age at the beginning of the twentieth century, only to suffer bitter betrayal from her closest female friend. As she approaches middle age, she works as a secretary for the Office of Naval Intelligence, where she meets Ainslie Conway, an intelligence operator ten years younger. The two are arranged to be married and carry out an operation in the Galapagos Islands. Though their new home is beautiful, it surrounds them with daunting wildlife and unfriendly neighbors. Yet the greatest threat does not lie without; it lies within, amid the secrets each of them harbors. A complex, interpersonal saga, Enchanted Islands will keep the listener captivated to the very end. 1 MP3 CD, 11 hours.


The Library CD Shelf

92 Years Young: Jammin' at the Gibbs House
Terry Gibbs
Whaling City Sound
1310 Tucker Road, No. Dartmouth, MA 02747
www.whalingcitysound.com
c/o Naxos (distribution)
www.naxosaudiobooks.com
$12.99 CD / $8.99 MP3 amazon.com

Long-lived vibraphonist and jazz icon Terry Gibbs presents 92 Years Young: Jammin' at the Gibbs House, and album proving that age is irrelevant to celebrating the joy of music! Accompanied by his son Gerry on drums, Mike Gurrola on bass, and John Campbell on piano, Terry Gibbs vibraphone playing is as vivacious as ever. 92 Years Young: Jammin' at the Gibbs House is a "must" for jazz connoisseurs, and highly recommended for public library music collections! The tracks are "Back Home In Indiana" (4:33), "Yesterdays" (5:29), "The Shadow of Your Smile" (5:41), "What's New?" (4:36), "Take the 'A' Train" (5:18), "Blues for Hamp" (6:24), "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You" (6:51), "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" (6:30), "Autumn Leaves" (6:38), "Yardbird Suite" (3:23), "All the Things You Are" (7:28), "Just Some G Minor Blues" (5:21), "Imagination" (4:46), "Here It Is" (4:04) and "Closing Remarks" (0:20).

Shifting Sands
Lynn Tredeau
www.lynntredeau.com
Privately Published
$12.99 CD / $9.49 MP3 amazon.com

Shifting Sands is the fourth solo piano album by award-winning music artist Lynn Tredeau. Inspiration for the individual songs range from witnessing a wildfire burn (at once both destructive and preparing the land for new growth), to the yearning to return home during one's journey, to experiencing the last, cherished moments of a loved one's life before parting forever. Shifting Sands is an evocative album with sublime, windswept beauty, highly recommended. The tracks are "Lost in Familiar Surroundings" (4:43), "Shifting Sands" (3:46), "Warm Embrace" (3:16), "Dance of the Unknown" (3:46), "Looking to Lowman" (3:53), "Travel Me Home" (4:48), "Life at Four" (3:06), "To Breathe at Last" (4:28), "The Last Mile" (3:45), "Oasis" (3:12), "Whispers of Hope" (4:07), and "If Ever in My Life" (3:34).

Part of a Kindly Plan
Nathan Speir
www.nathanspeir.com
Neptic Music
$TBA CD / $9.49 MP3 amazon.com

Part of a Kindly Plan is the ninth instrumental album by music artist Nathan Speir, and features primarily acoustic instruments including acoustic piano, steel and nylon; string acoustic guitars; wooden flute; cello; harmonica; rain-stick and singing bowls. (A couple tunes involve synthesizer to replicate a string-section). The result is a glowing, ambient river of mellifluous dreams. Part of a Kindly Plan is a pleasure to experience, and highly recommended for instrumental music connoisseurs. The tracks are "Hued Embowment" (6:10), "As We Turn" (3:55), "Good Seasons" (4:35), "A Taste of Solace" (4:59), "Open Ranges" (6:02), "Passing Charcoal Clouds" (3:08), "Serenity In This House" (4:58), "Praxis" (5:25), "Familiar Orbits" (7:00), and "Breathing On The Shore" (8:55).

Nightfall London
Rick Sparks
www.ricksparksmusic.net
Privately Published
$9.99 CD / $7.99 download cdbaby.com

Nightfall London is a beautiful new age album designed to aid relaxation with its tranquil piano music, gently arranged with synthesizer to add layers and depth. Some electronic keyboards and individual string instruments, flutes, chimes, and choirs enrich this restful, revitalizing collection, highly recommended especially when winding down after a long day. The tracks are "Across the River" (5:25), "Nightfall London" (4:58), "Little Angel" (3:08), "First Love" (4:28), "Tokyo Rain" (4:29), "Beyond the Stars" (4:03), "In the Bleak Midwinter" (4:19), "Hearts As One" (4:29), "Highland Rose" (4:58), and "Evening Prayer" (5:28).

Open Sea / Mar Abierto
Jenny and the Mexicats
Mexciat Records
www.jennyandmexicats.com
$TBA CD / $8.99 MP3 amazon.com

Open Sea / Mar Abierto is a music CD by Jenny and the Mexicats, featuring lively, original songs in both Spanish and English. Freely mixing elements of jazz, rockabilly, folk, flamenco, and reggae. A flamboyant celebration open to all, Open Sea / Mar Abierto is as rich and boundless as the ocean, and a vivacious treat for international music connoisseurs. The tracks are "La Primera Desperada", "Boxes", "Born in the City", "Aprendimos", "La Diabla", "ApliFire", "Lion", "Ausencia", "Fantasmas", "Canela y Azabache", "Tanto Tiempo", "Under my Skin", and "Why Why".

Wood and Strings
John Stein and Dave Zinno
Whaling City Sound
1310 Tucker Road, No. Dartmouth, MA 02747
www.whalingcitysound.com
c/o Naxos (distribution)
www.naxosaudiobooks.com
$14.99 http://johnstein.com

Wood and Strings is a jazz album featuring an unusual duet for the genre - guitar paired with bass, played by John Stein and Dave Zinno. An adventurous leap forward in harmony, experimentation, and conversational interplay between instruments, Wood and Strings is unique, exciting, and highly recommended. The tracks are "I Remember You" (4:17), "Modinha" (4:44), "Up and at 'Em" (3:21), "Out of Nowhere" (5:37), "Switch-a-roo" (5:45, "Sarlat" (4:40), "Labor of Love "(4:51), "Estate" (4:46), "Song for Now" (6:01), "But Beautiful" (5:51), "Beatrice" (4:53), "Birk's Works" (5:42), "Til There Was You" (6:19), and "When Lights are Low" (4:48).

duende libre
duende libre
Privately Published
duendelibre.rockpaperscissors.biz
$TBA CD / $9.49 MP3 amazon.com

This self-titled debut album of Latin music trio duende libre (Alex Chasey on piano and keyboards, Farko Dosumov providing electric bass and voice, and Jeff "Bongo" Busch on drums and percussion) is a liberating mix of creativity, community, and collective expression. Rich and resounding, duende libre is an up-and-coming wonder highly recommended especially to connoisseurs of the genre seeking bold, fresh new talent. The tracks are "Rio Pescadores" (6:09), "Forgotten Well" (5:51), "Michel" (5:42), "Funkination" (6:59), "Razzle Dazzle" (4:39), "Sevilla" (8:00), "Moon Waltz" (5:43), "For the Rekkerd" (4:20), "Salif" (4:42), "Still" (8:37), and "Sinister Minister" (6:41).


The Library DVD Shelf

Midwest Heartland: Theodore Roosevelt to The Homestead Act
Bennet Watt HD Productions, Inc.
13021 - 244th Avenue SE, Issaquah, WA 98027
9781604902129 $24.95 www.Bennett-Watt.com

Part of the "Discoveries ... America National Parks" series of high-definition video essays, Midwest Heartland: Theodore Roosevelt to The Homestead Act is a beautifully filmed tour of national parks and highlights throughout the American Midwest. From Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota, to Isle Royale National Park in Michigan, to Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in Wisconsin, Grand Portage National Monument in Minnesota, Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in Kansas and much more, Midwest Heartland is a captivating tour of sites rich in both historical importance and natural splendor. Highly recommended for armchair travellers and prospective tourists alike! 56 min.

A Matter of Time
Featuring Kathryn Calder
Directed by Casey Cohen
First Run Features
630 Ninth Avenue, Suite 1213, New York, NY 10036
$24.95 www.firstrunfeatures.com

A Matter of Time is a nonfiction documentary about keyboardist Kathryn Calder, known both for her solo work and her role in the Canadian indie-rock group the New Pornographers. Yet while she is touring with her band, she learns the heartbreaking news that her mother Lynn has been diagnosed with ALS, a progressive, paralyzing and terminal illness requiring full-time care. Kathryn decides to be her mother's primary caregiver during their final months together. A Matter of Time is about the bond between mother and daughter, a shared love of music, and learning to say goodbye. Profound and powerful, A Matter of Time is highly recommended for public library DVD collections and personal viewing lists. Bonus materials include two live Kathryn Calder performances, Kathryn's "ALS ice bucket challenge", and more. 85 min., optional English subtitles.

Maiko: Dancing Child
A documentary by Ase Svenheim Drivenes
First Run Features
630 Ninth Avenue, Suite 1213, New York, NY 10036
$24.95 www.firstrunfeatures.com

Maiko: Dancing Child is a documentary about the demanding occupation of Maiko Nishino, a prima ballerina for the Norwegian National Ballet. Maiko has put years of training and dedication into dancing, ever since she was 14 and her mother sold their house and car to send her to the most prestigious dancing academies in Europe. But now Maiko is 32, and younger newcomers with talent are competing for her position. Then Maiko decides to start a family, a choice that could place her professional career in jeopardy. Maiko: Dancing Child is a candid, extraordinary true-life story, highly recommended especially for the words of wisdom that Maiko herself has to offer to women of all walks of life. 70 min.

Jeff Miracola's Fantasy Art Workshop: Oil Painting Techniques
Three Points Publishing
PO Box 210861, Milwaukee, WI 53221
threepointspublishing.com
$49.95 www.fantasyartworkshop.com

Jeff Miracola's Fantasy Art Workshop: Oil Painting Techniques is a four-disc DVD set for artists of all skill and experience levels, from beginner to hobbyist to professional. Miracola's impressive credentials from his 22 years of experience include illustrations for properties such as "Dungeons & Dragons", "World of Warcraft", "Star Wars", "Planescape", "Shadowrun", "Magic: The Gathering", among numerous others. Viewers will witness Miracola's oil painting process in detail, as he creates the image of a majestic dragon and answers questions from start to finish. Topics covered include thumbnail drawing, final sketch, color study, solvents and mediums, underpainting, glazing, varnishing, safety, cleaning brushes, wet-on-wet painting, and much more. Highly recommended! 4 DVDs, 6 hours 49 min.

Tai Chi for Body and Mind Fitness
Traditional Yang Style Tai Chi with Pat Akers
White Crane Productions
9781684183647 $34.95 www.whitecranevideo.com

Hosted by traditional Yang style Tai Chi instructor Pat Akers, Tai Chi for Body and Mind Fitness is a DVD designed for both beginner and advanced students of the art. Featuring step-by-step instructions, front and rear demonstrations of every tai chi movement, advice for improved balance and posture, tips especially for individuals with physical limitations, and more, Tai Chi for Body and Mind Fitness is an excellent addition to fitness DVD collections and a great way to learn Tai Chi for benefits in health and mental focus. Highly recommended! 2 DVDs, 283 min.

Beginner Qigong for Women
Daisy Lee, instructor
YMAA Publications
PO Box 480, Wolfeboro, NH 03894-0480
$29.95 each www.ymaa.com

Two DVDs in the Beginner Qigong for Women series demystify the ancient practice of qigong (energy cultivation) for health, stress relief, and improved quality of life. Both feature Radiant Lotus Women's Qigong, a practice crafted by instructor Daisy Lee after years of study with several qigong masters, and intended especially to support women's wellness. The movements can be performed while sitting or standing. "Radiant Lotus Healing Qigong Exercises with Daisy Lee" is a one-hour lesson that includes shaking and cupping to bolster immunity; self-massage to release stagnant qi; Tibetan vibrational sound healing; and more. "Radiant Lotus Medical Qigong Forms with Daisy Lee" is a one-hour lesson that covers balancing movement; anti-aging exercises; a bonus section on acupressure points for health and longevity; and more. Both DVDs are a user-friendly introduction to the benefits of Qigong, and especially recommended for health and fitness DVD collections.

Golden Years: Armed and Elderly
Acorn Media
c/o RLJ Entertainment
www.us.RLJEntertainment.com
$29.99 www.acornonline.com

Golden Years: Armed and Elderly is a feature-length British drama-comedy about an elderly couple pushed by injustice to embark on a criminal heist. The financial industry stole their pensions, so to make ends meet, they decide to steal their pensions back and help their impoverished friends! High-stakes humor laces this exciting "revenge of the retied" adventure! Bonus features include interviews with the cast and crew (15 min). 1 DVD, 96 min. plus bonus, SDH subtitles.

Wentworth Season 3
Acorn Media
c/o RLJ Entertainment
www.us.RLJEntertainment.com
$59.99 www.acornonline.com

Wentworth Season 3 continues the acclaimed Australian television drama set in the confines of a women's prison. Prisoner Bea Smith (played by Danielle Cormack), sentenced to life without parole, asserts herself as the dominant alpha among the inmates; with the aid of both prisoners and officers, she wages a cunning war against the cruel governor Joan "The Freak" Ferguson (played by Pamela Rabe). But the conflict has damaging repercussions that neither strong-willed woman could have anticipated! A gritty, tense story of hard choices and moral dilemmas, "Wentworth" is a "must-see" for connoisseurs of Australian drama. Bonus materials include 44 min. of behind-the-scenes featurettes and a photo gallery. 12 episodes on 4 DVDs, 580 min plus bonus, widescreen, SDH subtitles.


The Social Issues Shelf

Fighting the Death Penalty
Eugene G. Wanger
Michigan State University Press
1405 South Harrison Road, Suite 25, East Lansing, MI 48823-5245
www.msupress.msu.edu
9781611862317, $39.95, HC, 300pp, www.amazon.com

Michigan is the only state in the country that has a death penalty prohibition in its constitution, and in "Fighting the Death Penalty: A Fifty-Year Journey of Argument and Persuasion" by lawyer and longtime opponent of capital punishment Eugene G. Wanger presents a series of compelling arguments for its abolition. The forty pieces comprising "in "Fighting the Death Penalty" are writings created or used by Wanger, who penned the prohibition clause regarding the death penalty, during his fifty years as a death penalty abolitionist. Wanger's extraordinary background in forensics, law, and political activity as constitutional convention delegate and co-chairman of the Michigan Committee Against Capital Punishment has produced this remarkable collection. "Fighting the Death Penalty" is not only a fifty-year history of the anti - death penalty argument in America, it also is a detailed and challenging example of how the argument against capital punishment may be successfully made. An inherently thoughtful and thought-provoking read from beginning to end, "Fighting the Death Penalty" is very highly recommended for both community and academic library collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Fighting the Death Penalty" is also available in a Kindle format ($31.95).


The Technology Shelf

A Practical Guide to EMC Engineering
Levent Sevgi
Artech House
685 Canton Street, Norwood, MA 02062
9781630813833, $159.00, www.artechhouse.com

A Practical Guide to EMC Engineering explores the basics of EMC engineering and electromagnetics, considering both design and marketing aspects and various EMC tests, measurements, and basic electrical engineering applications. Different circuit models, antennas, noise analysis, and EMC testing devices are contrasted in chapters filled with graphs, charts, equations, and technical support. Electrical engineering collections will consider this a 'must have' reference for any in-depth review of EMC Engineering basics.

The ABCs of Fiber Optic Communication
Sudhir Warier
Artech House
685 Canton Street, Norwood, MA 02062
www.artechhouse.com
9781630814144, $149.00, HC, 322pp, www.amazon.com

"The ABCs of Fiber Optic Communication" by Sudhir Warier (Principle Mentor at Cognitio) is unique and practical handbook providing the conceptual framework and troubleshooting tactics related to the manufacturing, selection, and installation of modern photonic networks, including optical fiber plants, optical transceivers, test and measurement equipment, and network architecture of SDH, OTN, IP/MPLS, FTTx networks, and PON. This resource includes the latest technological advancements and industry applications while covering the entire fiber ecosystem from installation to troubleshooting including the use of common tools like LPM (laser source and power meter) to overcome common issues related to optical patching and fiber plants and also discusses the use of specialized tools including the optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR) for issues with fiber plants and locating fiber breaks. Readers will gain an understanding of the architecture of core TDM, IP, and Optical Access Networks including PON. Specific methodologies are explored for assessing OTN, DWDM, IT/MPLS, Optical Access Networks - PON/GPON or FTTx networks. Key parameters that influence the choice of fiber based on the network and application type are discussed. Exceptionally well organized, presented, and unreservedly recommended for both professional and academic library collections, "The ABCs of Fiber Optic Communication" also provides an overview of the current and future developments in optical fibers, interfaces, transceivers and backbone networks.


The Jobs/Careers Shelf

The Irresistible Consultant's Guide to Winning Clients
David A. Fields
www.davidafields.com/winclients
Morgan James Publishing
11815 Fountain Way, Suite 300, Newport News, VA 23606-4448
www.morganjamespublishing.com
9781683501640, $18.95, PB, 272pp, www.amazon.com

It's a stark and surprising fact that most solo consultants and boutique consulting firms are perpetually within six months of bankruptcy due to the sputtering unreliability of their new business engines. The problem, according to international consulting expert David A. Fields, is twofold: 1) lack of a consistent, proven plan, and 2) fundamental misunderstanding about what clients want in a consultant. Fields, who has helped hundreds of consultants and boutique firms worldwide build lucrative, sustainable practices, replaces the typical consultant's mindset of emphasizing expertise and differentiated processes with a focus on building relationships, engendering trust, and solving clients' existing problems. In "The Irresistible Consultant's Guide to Winning Clients: Six Steps to Unlimited Clients and Financial Freedom", Fields synthesizes his decades of experience into a step-by-step approach to winning more projects from more clients at higher fees. From nuts-and-bolts business advice and tactics to a deeply insightful breakdown of the human side of a very human profession, Fields delivers a comprehensive guidebook that is at once highly approachable and satisfyingly detailed. Comprehensive, practical, informed and informative, "The Irresistible Consultant's Guide to Winning Clients" is unreservedly recommended for corporate, community, and academic library Business Management instructional reference collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of aspiring or practicing business consultants, as well as non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Irresistible Consultant's Guide to Winning Clients" is also available in a Kindle format ($7.99).

Reinvention Roadmap
Liz Ryan
BenBella Books
10300 N. Central Expressway, Suite 400, Dallas, TX 75204
www.benbellabooks.com
9781942952688, $19.95, PB, 288pp, www.amazon.com

The underlying message of Liz Ryan in "Reinvention Roadmap: Break the Rules to Get the Job You Want and Career You Deserve" is that traditional job-search approaches just don't work anymore, and the days of trusting your career to your employer are long over. The new-millennium workplace requires all of us to rewrite the rules and start treating our careers like we're running a business - which means understanding the markets for our talents, knowing our value, and looking out over the horizon to plot our paths going forward. A former Fortune 500 HR SVP and the world's most widely read workplace thought leader, Ryan understands the recruiting system as only an insider can, and she shows how to stay focused on goals and distinguish oneself from masses of competing job seekers. "Reinvention Roadmap" offers new tools, such as a "Pain Letter" and your "Human-Voiced Resume" to land not just any job, but a job that celebrates the readers' own unique talents and takes them to the level where they want to be. Whether entering the workplace or looking to switch careers, with the help of "Reinvention Roadmap" anyone can get the perfect job if they step off the beaten path and follow the approaches insiders use to gain access to the best positions. Colorful, fun, irreverent, and a deeply practical guide to getting the job you want and building the career of your dreams, "Reinvention Roadmap" is thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, making it very highly recommended for community and academic library Jobs/Careers instructional reference collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Reinvention Roadmap" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99).


The Computer Shelf

Computer Graphics Programming in OpenGL with Java
V. Scott Gordon & John Clevenger
Mercury Books
c/o International Publishers Marketing
22841 Quicksilver Drive, Dulles, VA 20166
www.internationalpubmarket.com
9781683920274, $64.95, HC, 346pp, www.amazon.com

The collaborative work of computer experts and California State Univeristy academicians V. Scott Gordon and John Clevenger, and appropriate for both the computer science undergraduate course in 3D graphics programming using OpenGL and for professionals who are interested in mastering 3D graphics skills, "Computer Graphics Programming in OpenGL with Java" has been specifically designed in a 4-color, "teach-yourself" format with numerous examples that the reader can run just as presented. "Computer Graphics Programming in OpenGL with Java" is unique because it teaches OpenGL programming in Java, using JOGL - a standard Java "wrapper" for OpenGL's native C calls. Enhanced with the inclusion of companion files with source code and images, "Computer Graphics Programming in OpenGL with Java" is impressively 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, making it very highly recommended for personal, professional, community and academic library Computer Science collections. For the personal reading lists of students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject it should be noted that "Computer Graphics Programming in OpenGL with Java" is also available in a Kindle format ($39.95).


The Beer/Wine/Spirits Shelf

The Wildcrafted Cocktail
Ellen Zachos
Storey Publishing
210 Mass MoCA Way, North Adams, MA 01247
www.storey.com
9781612127422, $18.95, HC, 240pp, www.amazon.com

Unique and profusely illustrated, "The Wildcrafted Cocktail: Make Your Own Foraged Syrups, Bitters, Infusions, and Garnishes; Includes Recipes for 45 One-of-a-Kind Mixed Drinks" by Ellen Zachos (who teaches mixology workshops for bartenders and a longtime instructor at the New York Botanical Garden) combines the popular local-foods movement and craft cocktail scene to show just how easy it is to make delicious, one-of-a-kind mixed drinks with common flowers, berries, roots, and leaves that can be found along roadsides or in a backyard. An experienced foraging expert, Ellen Zachos has compiled recipes for more than 50 garnishes, syrups, infusions, juices, and bitters, including Quick Pickled Daylily Buds, Rose Hip Syrup, and Chanterelle-infused Rum. With "The Wildcrafted Cocktail" anyone can incorporate their own handcrafted components into 45 surprising and delightful cocktails ranging from Stinger in the Rye, to Don't Sass Me, to Tree-tini, and more. While very highly recommended, especially for community and academic library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Wildcrafted Cocktail" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99).


The Gaming Shelf

Tricky Trivia Party Games
Birke Duncan
Northwest Folklore
PO Box 253, Poulsbo, WA 98370
9780971058231, $9.99, PB, 60pp, www.amazon.com

The word 'trivia' refers to bits of information, often of little importance, and are the basis of popular general information-based games at home and in such public places as bars and pubs. "Tricky Trivia Party Games" is a 60 page compilation of game-worthy trivia assembled by author, folklorist, historian, dramatist and magician Birke Duncan. A thoroughly fun read in its own right, "Tricky Trivia Party Games" touches upon miscellaneous facts arising from movies, television shows, sports, politics, and more. Enhanced with the inclusion of a suggested list of Recommended Readings and a Selected Bibliography, "Tricky Trivia Party Games" is an ideal and highly recommended addition to community and academic library trivia reference collections, as well as the personal reading lists of anyone wanting to conduct a trivia contest of their own -- or simply improve their own performance at trivia contests at their favorite watering hole.


The Sports Shelf

1001 NASCAR Facts
John Close
CarTech Inc.
838 Lake Street South, Forest Lake, MN 55025
www.cartechbooks.com
9781613253106, $24.95, PB, 376pp, www.amazon.com

Stock car racing has its origins with moonshine runners during the Prohibition era. For nearly 70 years, NASCAR has been the premier sanctioning body for organized Stock Car Racing in the United States. During that time, the sport has grown from a Southern, regional series to a global brand with its races telecast in more than 100 countries around the world. In "1001 NASCAR Facts", NASCAR journalist, author, team member, race-day Spotter, and fan John Close details the earliest races of the 20th Century that laid the groundwork for the formation of NASCAR through today's modern events at mega-race stadiums across the country. Presented in an easy-to-read decade-by-decade "Fact Format," "1001 NASCAR Facts" allows you to learning about the Cars (and Trucks), Personalities, Tracks, and Milestones of NASCAR, America's most popular and attended form of motorsports at your own pace. Enhanced with the inclusion of dozens of rare and informative photos that take you from the famed "Beach Course" at Daytona to the high banks of today's NASCAR tracks, "1001 NASCAR Facts" is a must read for any NASCAR, Stock Car Racing, and American Motorsports fan and will prove to be an enduringly popular addition for both community and academic library Automotive History collections in general, and NASCAR History supplemental studies reading lists in particular.

St. Louis Cardinals Where Have You Gone?, revised edition
Rob Rains with Keith Schildroth
Sports Publishing
www.sportspubbooks.com
c/o Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018
www.skyhorsepublishing.com
9781683580300 $19.99 hc / $9.99 Kindle amazon.com

Now in a newly updated and revised edition, St. Louis Cardinals Where Have You Gone? chronicles the lives of legendary baseball stars who were once part of the St. Louis Cardinals team. From All-Star catcher Ted Simmons, to 2011 NLDS hero Skip Schumaker, to 2014 Basball Hall of Fame inductee Tony La Russa and many more, here's the true-life scoop about what dozens of star Cardinals players have been up to! Occasional black-and-white photographs round out this anthology of brief yet intriguing biographies, especially recommended for Cardinals fans.


The Interior Design Shelf

Creative Living Country
Chloe Grimshaw, author
Luke White, photographer
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110-0017
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500519097, $35.00, HC, 288pp, www.amazon.com

The countryside has always been a breath of fresh air for those trapped in the urban jungle. With a greater appetite for "authentic" experiences, working practices, and creative inspiration, metropolitan talents are setting up studios far from the madding crowd. Combining a more relaxed lifestyle with budding entrepreneurship, and capturing it all on social media, a new generation of young creatives is redefining "country living". In "Creative Living Country", Chloe Grimshaw (who writes frequently on style and interiors for London's leading newspapers and lifestyle magazine) celebrates this new approach to a quintessentially British shelter: the country cottage, as envisioned by a new breed of artists and creatives from photographers to textile designers, from ceramicists to musicians who make their homes, work, and lifestyle away from the city lights. Looking at twenty-five houses across the United Kingdom, Chloe Grimshaw and Luke White provide a glimpse into a broad range of truly original country homes. From the hills of the Lake District to the moors of Scotland, the unique landscapes that make up the British experience take on new meaning in the hands of these creative pioneers and provide inspiration for all of us, no matter where we live. Enhanced with the inclusion of more than 500 full color photographs, "Creative Living Country" is an inherently informative and fascinating study that will prove to be enduringly popular addition to professional, community, and academic library Interior Design collections in general, and supplemental studies reading lists in particular.

New Bathroom Idea Book
Jamie Gold
The Taunton Press
63 South Main Street, Newtown, CT 06470
www.taunton.com
9781631864056, $21.95, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com

The bathroom continues to be one area of the house that homeowners are willing to spend money on. This all-new edition of the Taunton Press "Bathroom Idea Book" (a virtual designer's notebook of ideas, inspiration, and information) will be a homeowner's first step in turning a dream bath into a real one, whether it's new construction or a remodel. Author Jamie Gold (is a Certified Kitchen Designer and Certified Aging in Place Specialist in the greater San Diego area) draws upon his years of experience and expertise in this lavishly illustrated (325 photos and 15 illustrations) edition of the "New Bathroom Idea Book" to provide design options for all areas of the bathroom, ranging from vanities and countertops, to fixtures, flooring, and finish details. Up-to-the-minute information on new trends like digital integration in the bathroom, new materials that mimic natural materials, accessibility and aging-in-place options, and code changes that mandate water and energy conservation make this new edition of "New Bathroom Idea Book" is the practical go-to resource for all things bathroom. Thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "New Bathroom Idea Book" is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library Interior Design reference collections in general, and Bathroom Remodeling supplemental studies lists in particular.


The Biography Shelf

Over the Hills and Far Away
Matthew Dennison
Pegasus Books
80 Broad Street, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10004
www.pegasusbooks.com
9781681773506, $27.95, HC, 272pp, www.amazon.com

Featuring 8 pages of color illustrations and inspired by the twenty-three Beatrix Potter "tales", biographer Matthew Dennison takes a selection of quotations from Potter's stories and uses them to explore her multi-faceted life and character in "Over the Hills and Far Away: The Life of Beatrix Potter". Presented is the personal story of a repressed Victorian daughter; thwarted lover; artistic genius; formidable countrywoman. They chart Potter's transformation from a young girl with a love of animals and fairy tales into a best-selling author and canny businesswoman, so deeply unusual for the Victorian era in which she grew up. Embellished with photographs of Potter's life and her own illustrations, this biography will delight anyone who has been touched by Beatrix Potter's work. Enthusiastically recommended for community and academic library biography collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of her legions of fans interested in knowing the real-life animals behind Mrs. Tiggy Winkle, Jemima Puddle duck, and of course, Peter Rabbit, it should be noted that "Over the Hills and Far Away: The Life of Beatrix Potter" is also available in a Kindle format ($14.16).

Major General Israel Putnam
Robert Ernest Hubbard
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
www.mcfarlandpub.com
9781476664538, $35.00, PB, 256pp, www.amazon.com

A colorful figure of 18th-century America, Israel Putnam (1718-1790) played a key role in both the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War. In 1758 he barely escaped from being burned alive by Mohawk warriors. He later commanded a force of 500 men who were shipwrecked off the coast of Cuba. It was he who reportedly gave the command "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes" at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Detailing Putnam's close relationships with Aaron Burr, Alexander Hamilton, and John and Abigail Adams, "Major General Israel Putnam: Hero of the American Revolution" by Robert Ernest Hubbard (who is a retired professor from Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, Connecticut, an adjunct faculty member in the college's Master of Fine Arts in Writing Program, and who has long been webmaster for web sites on General Israel Putnam) is the first full-length biography of Putnam in more than a century and re-examines the life of a revolutionary whose seniority in the Continental Army was second only to that of George Washington. A product of outstanding scholarship and impressively well written, organized and presented, "Major General Israel Putnam" is a basic and core addition to both community and academic library American History, American Biography, and American Revolution War collections and supplemental studies reading lists. It should be noted for students and non-specialist general readers that "Major General Israel Putnam" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99).

Mickey Rooney: A Show Business Life
James A. MacEachern
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
www.mcfarlandpub.com
9780786496396, $35.00, PB, 270pp, www.amazon.com

Mickey Rooney (born Joseph Yule, Jr.; September 23, 1920 - April 6, 2014) was one of Hollywood's most prolific and long-lived stars, with film credits spanning the silent and CGI eras. Despite his Broadway acclaim and gift for character acting, he is remembered mainly for his comedies and tumultuous personal life. Most biographies have focused on these, neglecting his long and varied career, which was marked by sharp declines and meteoric comebacks. Drawing on interviews with coworkers, "Mickey Rooney: A Show Business Life" is an inherently fascinating and impressively informative biography by James A. MacEachern that reveals Rooney as a skilled actor who settled for less in an industry that relegated him to lesser roles, and built a body of work admired by audiences and actors alike. Simply stated, "Mickey Rooney: A Show Business Life" is a 'must-read' for the legions of Mickey Rooney fans, and no community or academic library American Biography or Hollywood History collections would be complete with a copy of this extraordinary biography in their collection.

John Ringo: King of the Cowboys
David Johnson
University of North Texas Press
1155 Union Circle #311336, Denton, TX 76203-5017
www.untpress.unt.edu
9781574416725 $19.95 pbk / $11.99 Kindle amazon.com

John Ringo: King of the Cowboys is the fascinating biography of Western gunman John Ringo, best known for backing the Cowboys against the Earps in Tombstone. His life reads like a pulp fiction western - he was embroiled in blood fueds during his youth in post-Reconstruction Texas and during the Mason County "Hoo Doo" War; he was part of a shootout with Victorio's raiders in New Mexico; he championed Democratic ranchers against the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday; and in the end, he died in the Arizona desert to mysterious circumstances. Extensive notes and an index enrich this in-depth chronicle, written with scholarly precision yet thoroughly accessible to readers of all backgrounds. Highly recommended, especially for public and college library biography shelves.

A Witness to History
Janet M. Neugebauer, author
Texas Tech University Press
PO Box 41037, Lubbock, TX 79409-1037
www.ttupress.org
9780896729889, $45.00, HC, 576pp, www.amazon.com

"A Witness to History: George H. Mahon, West Texas Congressman" by Janet M. Neugebauer (Deputy Director of the Southwest Collection at Texas Tech University) is the story of a man who went to Congress in 1935, when the House Committee on Appropriations still allocated a small amount of money to buy military horses. Forty-four years later, when Congressman Mahon retired as Chairman of that same committee, the committee was debating funds to purchase a bomber capable of traveling at 2,000 miles an hour. With a career spanning nearly a half century-including almost the entire Cold War, Mahon grew from a West Texas country lawyer to one of the most powerful men in the US House of Representatives, serving twenty-two consecutive terms from 1935-1978. During his time in Congress, Mahon worked easily with the giants of government, enjoying the friendship and confidence of seven of the eight presidents with whom he served. He worked just as comfortably with his constituents in the Nineteenth Congressional District of Texas. Mahon served on several Congressional committees, but it is through his service on the House Appropriations Committee and the Subcommittee on Defense Appropriations that he had the greatest national impact. He often bragged that under his leadership the Subcommittee on Defense Appropriations was the most non-partisan committee in Congress. Mahon led the subcommittee with a strong but gentle hand that earned him the respect of all who served with him. An extraordinary, comprehensive, informed and informative political biography that is impressively well organized and presented, "A Witness to History" is enhanced with illustrations, fifty-two pages of Notes, a twenty page Bibliography, and a twenty-three page Index, making is a very highly recommended addition to community and academic library Biography and Political Science collections and supplemental studies reading lists.

Graham Barnett
James L. Coffey, Russell M. Drake, John T. Barnett
University of North Texas Press
1155 Union Circle #311336, Denton, TX 76203-5017
www.untpress.unt.edu
9781574416671, $29.95, HC, 400pp, www.amazon.com

Graham Barnett was killed in Rankin, Texas, on December 6, 1931. His death brought an end to a storied career, but not an end to the legends that claimed he was a gunman, a hired pistolero on both sides of the border, a Texas Ranger known for questionable shootings in Company B under Captain Fox, a deputy sheriff, a bootlegger, and a possible "fixer" for both law enforcement and outlaw organizations. In real life he was a good cowboy, who provided for his family the best way he could, and who did so by slipping seamlessly between the law enforcement community and the world of illegal liquor traffickers. Stories say he killed unnumbered men on the border, but he stood trial only twice and was acquitted both times. Barnett lived in the twentieth century but carried with him many of the attitudes of old frontier Texas. Among those beliefs was that if there were problems, a man dealt with them directly and forcefully with a gun. His penchant to settle a score with gunplay brought him into confrontation with Sheriff W. C. Fowler, a former friend, who shot Barnett with the latter's own submachine gun on loan. One contemporary summed it up best: "Officers in West Texas got the best sleep they had had in twenty years that Sunday night after Fowler killed Graham." A simply riveting, comprehensively detailed, and definitive account that is enhanced with the inclusion of illustrations, fifty-four pages of Endnotes; an eight page Bibliography; and a ten page Index, by the team of James L. Coffey (a former education consultant who worked with school districts in West Texas and lives in San Angelo, Texas), Russell M. Drake (a journalist who worked in Texas and California), and John T. Barnett (who is Graham Barnett's grandson), "Graham Barnett: A Dangerous Man" is very highly recommended for community and academic library American Biography collections in general, and the personal reading lists of anyone with an interest in true life stories of real Texas gunfighters.


The Travel Shelf

Yucatan Peninsula
Liza Prado and Gary Chandler
Moon Handbooks
c/o Avalon Travel
1700 Fourth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
www.moon.com
9781631214103 $23.99 pbk / $14.99 Kindle amazon.com

Part of the "Moon Handbooks" series of top-rate travel guides, Yucatan Peninsula is packed with maps, color photographs, and a propensity of information about the Yucatan Peninsula in southeastern Mexico. From the opportunity to explore Maya ruins, to the best spots for diving and snorkeling, to wildlife tours, sunny beaches, safety tips, and more. "Beware of any taxi driver who tries to convince you that the hotel you're going to is closed, roach infested, flooded, burned down, has no running water... As sincere as the driver might seem, he is more often that not retaliating against hotels that refuse to pay a finder's fee... You may have to be firm, but insist that your driver take you to the hotel of your choice. Your best option is to call ahead for a room reservation, which also serves to confirm that the hotel actually is open and operational." Yucatan Peninsula is a "must-have" for anyone traveling to this gorgeous region for business or pleasure, highly recommended.


The Writing/Publishing Shelf

Make a Zine, third edition
Joe Biel with Bill Brent
Microcosm Publishing
2752 N Williams Avenue, Portland, OR 97227
https://microcosmpublishing.com
9781621067337, $9.95, PB, 160pp, www.amazon.com

In this new third edition of Microcosm's popular do-it-yourself guide to publishing an "underground" magazine, author Joe Biel draws upon his years of experience and expertise in the field to update the information provided in the first edition to address zine making in today's digital and social-media-obsessed world. Covering all the bases for beginners, "Make a Zine: Start Your Own Underground Publishing Revolution" covers more advanced topics like Creative Commons licenses, legality, and economic sustainability. Illustrated by a variety of artists and cartoonists, "Make a Zine" addresses independent comic book publishing, with a solid and comprehensive chapter by punk illustrator Fly (Slug and Lettuce, Peops). Part history lesson, part how-to guide, and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "Make a Zine" should be considered a 'must read' by anyone considering trying their hand at publishing a magazine or comic book.

The Story You Need to Tell
Sandra Marinella, MA, MEd
New World Library
14 Pamaron Way, Novato, CA 94949
www.newworldlibrary.com
9781608684830, $17.95, PB, 328pp, www.amazon.com

In the pages of "The Story You Need to Tell: Writing to Heal from Trauma, Illness, or Loss", Sandra Marinella draws upon her many years of experience and expertise as a writing instructor who has taught thousands of students and fellow educators and presented hundreds of workshops to veterans, educators, and cancer patients to provide a practical and inspiring guide to transformational personal storytelling. "The Story You Need to Tell" features riveting true stories illustrating Marinella's methods for understanding, telling, and editing personal stories in ways that foster resilience and renewal. She also shares her own experience of using journaling and expressive writing to navigate challenges including breast cancer and postpartum depression. Each of the writing techniques, prompts, and exercises she presents helps us "to unravel the knot inside and to make sense of loss". Thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "The Story You Need to Tell" is especially commended for community and academic library Writing/Publishing instructional reference collections and supplemental studies reading lists. It should be noted for students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Story You Need to Tell" is also available in a Kindle format ($10.97).


The Theatre/Cinema Shelf

105 Five-Minute Plays for Study and Performance
John Capecci & Irene Ziegler, editors
Smith & Kraus Publishers
177 Lyme Road, Lyme NH 03755-6610
www.smithandkraus.com
9781575259109, $24.95, PB, 524pp, www.amazon.com

A five-minute play can be as entertaining as any two-hour production. "105 Five-Minute Plays for Study and Performance" is a compendium of 105 theatrical gems that are perfect for classroom study or a rollicking performance evening. these short and succinct theatrical works offer rich, complete worlds that are alternately lyrical, narrative, concrete and abstract. Some pack a wallop with powerful images while others use crackling dialogue to quickly establish character and motivation some move at the speed of light. Others freeze moments fo calm meditation. Still others capture historic moments, dream states or slapstick absurdity. Along with contemporary works by both new and established playwrights, editors Capecci and Ziegler have gathered historical examples-such as those of the Italian Futurists and an early playlist by Thornton Wilder-and they offer useful tips for the study and performance of these brief and bright works. "105 Five-Minute Plays for Study and Performance" is an ideal and highly recommended addition to school drama department, community theatre group, community and academic library Theatrical Studies collections.


The Education Shelf

From Staff Room to Classroom, second edition
Robin J. Fogarty and Brian M. Pete
Corwin Literacy
c/o Corwin Press, Inc.
2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320-2218
9781506358277, $27.00, www.corwin.com

The second updated edition of From Staff Room to Classroom: A Guide for Planning and Coaching Professional Development covers the basics of staff development and strategies for translating new information to classroom use, and covers some six methods of supporting teachers as they take content learned during professional development and apply it to student needs. From how professional learning processes may be updated using new technologies to how such opportunities can be designed and fostered, this focus on professional development should be in the hands of any educator looking to better encourage teacher growth and its incorporation into better classroom and learning experiences.

Mentor Texts, second edition
Lynne R. Dorfman & Rose Cappelli
Stenhouse Publishers
480 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101-3451
www.stenhouse.com
9781625311313, $37.33, PB, 382pp, www.amazon.com

The collaborative work of independent literacy consultant Rose Cappelli (who is active in the Keystone State Reading Association and her local reading council) and Lynne R. Dorfman (who teaches graduate level courses at Arcadia University and works as an independent literacy consultant), and now in a fully updated second edition, "Mentor Texts: Teaching Writing Through Children's Literature, K-6" includes brand-new "Your Turn Lessons", section built around the gradual release of responsibility model, offering suggestions for demonstrations and shared or guided writing. Reflection is emphasized as a necessary component to understanding why mentor authors chose certain strategies, literary devices, sentence structures, and words. New children's book titles are featured in each chapter and as part of a carefully curated and annotated Treasure Chest. At the end of each chapter there is a "Think About It - Talk About It - Write About It" section which invites reflection and conversation with colleagues. "Mentor Texts" is organized around the characteristics of good writing of focus, content, organization, style, and conventions. Written, organized and presented in a friendly and conversational style, employing numerous anecdotes to help teachers visualize the process, and offer strategies that can be immediately implemented in the classroom, "Mentor Texts" is a practical resource that demonstrates the power of learning to read like writers -- making it a critically important, core addition to school district, college, and university library Teacher Education collections and supplemental studies reading lists.

Veterinary Medical Education
Jennifer L. Hodgson & Jacquelyn M. Pelzer
Wiley-Blackwell
350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148
www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell
9781119125006, $99.99, PB, 656pp, www.amazon.com

Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by Jennifer L. Hodgson (Associate Dean for Professional Programs at the Virginia Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia) and Jacquelyn M. Pelzer (Director of Admissions and Student Services at the Virginia Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia) "Veterinary Medical Education: A Practical Guide" is a complete and comprehensive resource of fundamental information on key areas of veterinary education. "Veterinary Medical Education" provides a practical guide to the key principles of veterinary medical education; takes a real-world approach, with concrete guidance for teaching veterinary skills and knowledge; covers all aspects of designing and implementing a veterinary curriculum; emphasizes key points and helpful tips; and offers a veterinary-specific resource for any veterinary educator worldwide. Comprised of 38 informed and informative articles by experts in the field of veterinary education, "Veterinary Medical Education" is organized into seven major sections (The Curriculum; Learning and Teaching Strategies; Learning Opportunities; Assessing the Student; Assessing the Program; Teaching and Assessing Professional Competencies; The Educational Environment), as well as including a listing of the contributors and their credentials and a thirteen page Index. An ideal and exhaustive resource, "Veterinary Medical Education: A Practical Guide" is very highly recommended for college and university veterinary school libraries. It should be noted for students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Veterinary Medical Education: A Practical Guide" is also available in a Kindle format ($59.99).

College 101, revised edition
Julie Zeilinger
Prufrock Press
PO Box 8813, Waco, TX 76714-8813
www.prufrock.com
9781618216267 $14.95 amazon.com

Now in a revised edition, College 101: A Girl's Guide to Freshman Year lives up to its title as a no-nonsense compendium of practical advice. Chapters address the practical ramifications of debt, balancing academics with daily life, staying healthy both physically and emotionally, and much more. "I'm constantly astonished by how many young women I know who, although they have taken out loans, are barely educated about the types of loans they're saddled with and how those loans can and will impact them in the future... their financial decision could lead to delaying motherhood, could put undue strain on their romantic relationships, could sentence them to night after night of watching 60 Minutes on their parents' couches into their 30s." Although College 101 is written especially for girls, young men shouldn't consider it forbidden knowledge - college is a tough enough, and costly enough, that students of both genders need all the help preparing for it that they can get! Highly recommended.

Colleges That Create Futures, second edition
Robert Franek
The Princeton Review
c/o Random House Inc.
1745 Broadway, New York NY 10019
www.PrincetonReview.com
9780451487834 $14.99 pbk / $9.99 Kindle amazon.com

Now in an updated second edition, Colleges That Create Futures is a solid guide to selecting the college that will best launch one's future career. Entries for each college cover career services, internship support, student group activity, alumni satisfaction, noteworthy facilities and programs, and more. As college tuition continues to revise, and "return on investment" becomes more and more important, Colleges That Create Futures is absolutely invaluable and indispensable!


The Philosophy Shelf

The Philosophy of Umberto Eco
Sara C. Beardsworth & Randall E. Auxier, editors
Open Court Publishing Company
70 East Lake Street, Suite 800, Chicago, IL 60601
www.opencourtbooks.com
9780812699623, $189.95, HC, 920pp, www.amazon.com

The late Umberto Eco (5 January 1932 - 19 February 2016) was an Italian novelist, literary critic, philosopher, semiotician, and university professor. Compiled and edited by the team of Sara G. Beardsworth (Associate Professor and Editor of the Library of Living Philosophers, Department of Philosophy, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale) and Randall E. Auxier (Professor of Philosophy at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale), "The Philosophy of Umberto Eco" is the newest addition to the outstanding Library of Living Philosophers series. Umberto Eco's works are well known in the humanities, with both his philosophical and literary works being translated into fifteen or more languages. Eco is a founder of modern semiotics and widely known for his work in the philosophy of language and aesthetics. He is also a leading figure in the emergence of postmodern literature, and is associated with cultural and mass communication studies. His writings cover topics such as advertising, television, and children's literature as well as philosophical questions bearing on truth, reality, cognition, language, and literature. The critical essays comprising this memorial volume cover the full range of this output. "The Philosophy of Umberto Eco" will have wide appeal not only because of its interdisciplinary nature but also because of Eco's famous "high and low" approach, which is deeply scholarly in conception and very accessible in outcome. Of special note is the short essay "Why Philosophy?" which is exemplary in this regard and will appeal to scholars for its wit and to high school students for its intelligibility. Simply stated, now community or academic library's Contemporary Philosophy collections will be considered comprehensive or complete without the inclusion of "The Philosophy of Umberto Eco". It should be noted for students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Philosophy of Umberto Eco" is also available as an eTextbook (9780812699623, $189.95 Trade; Amazon.com $122.70).


The LGBT Studies Shelf

Understanding and Teaching U.S. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender History, 2nd ed.
Lelia J. Rupp & Susan K. Freeman, editors
University of Wisconsin Press
1930 Monroe Street, Third Floor, Madison, WI 53711-2059
www.uwpress.wisc.edu
9780299313043, $29.95, PB, 408pp, www.amazon.com

Now in an updated and expanded second edition, "Understanding and Teaching U.S. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender History" is an extraordinary and seminal study that fills an important niche in understanding and appreciating American cultural and political history. Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by Lelia J. Rupp and Susan K. Freeman, this groundbreaking study is comprised of twenty-eight erudite, insightful, and informative essays that are deftly organized into three major sections: The Challenge of Teaching Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender History; Topics in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender History; Discovery and Interpretation of lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender History. Exceptionally well organized and presented, "Understanding and Teaching U.S. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender History" includes a list of the contributors and their credentials, as well as a thirteen page index. While very highly recommended as a critically important addition to both community and academic library LGBTQ collections and supplemental studies reading lists, it should be noted for students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Understanding and Teaching U.S. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender History" is also available in a Kindle format ($14.99).


The Photography Shelf

Dancers in Motion
Susan Michal
Amherst Media, Inc.
175 Rano Street, Suite 200, Buffalo, NY 14207-2176
www.amherstmedia.com
9781682032046, $29.95, PB, 128pp, www.amazon.com

"Dancers in Motion: The Art and Technique of Dance Photography" by award-winning photographer Susan Michael is a collection of breath taking images that showcase the essence of the dancer's gesture. These images combine Susan's love of visual storytelling and the compelling subject to produce studying visual images, by capturing the beauty of the physical body in motion. When Susan photographs dancers she fully captures their movement and tension. "Dancers in Motion" will also teach the reader how to direct and work with dancers. It will also provide usefully practical advice on the workspace and the equipment needed to get the most out of every dance session. The posing examples provided will spark the reader's creativity and passion for photographing dancers and inspire ideas for working with dance schools as well as advanced dancers. "Dancers in Motion" answers questions and will enthuse the reader into working and producing images in the field of dance photography. While very highly and enthusiastically recommended for both community and academic library Photography collections, it should be noted for aspiring professionals and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Dancers in Motion" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99).

From Italy to the North End
Anthony V. Riccio
Excelsior Editions
c/o State University of New York Press
State University Plaza, Albany, NY 12246-0001
www.sunypress.edu
9781438466996, $34.95, HC, 193pp, www.amazon.com

As a young boy, Anthony V. Riccio listened to his grandparents' stories of life in the small Italian villages where they had grown up and which they had left in order to emigrate to the United States. In the early 1970s, he traveled to those villages (Alvignano and Sippiciano) and elsewhere in Italy, taking photographs of a way of life that had persisted for centuries and meeting the relatives who had stayed behind. Several years later, he found himself in Boston's North End, again with camera in hand, photographing an Italian American immigrant neighborhood that was fast succumbing to the forces of gentrification. In a race against time, Riccio photographed the neighborhood and its residents, capturing images of street life, religious festivals, and colorful storefronts along with cellar winemaking sessions, rooftop gardens, and the stark interiors of cold-water flats. Taken together, the photographs compiled and showcased in "From Italy to the North End: Photographs, 1972-1982" documents the arc of the Italian American experience on both sides of the Atlantic. Even as they forged new identities and new communities in the United States, Italian American immigrants kept many of their Old World traditions alive in their New World enclaves. Although elevators have replaced walkups and fancy Italian restaurants and upscale boutiques have replaced mom-and-pop storefronts, the "old neighborhood" and its Italian village roots survive in these historic photographs. Featuring an informative Foreword by James Pasto, and organized into three major sections (Part 1 - Italy, 1972-1975; Part 2 - The North End of Boston, 1979-1982; Part 3 - Stories and Reflections), "From Italy to the North End" is an extraordinary body of work and a very highly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library Photography collections.

Badlands Impressions
Chuck Haney, photographer
Farcountry Press
PO Box 5630, Helena, MT 59604
www.farcountrypress.com
9781560375791, $12.95, PB, 80pp, www.amazon.com

To photographer Chuck Haney, the badlands of North America's high plains are a photographer's paradise and spiritual places that touch the soul. In these striking, arid landscapes, the only constant is change and erosion is king. Here, water and wind are nature's artists and historians, sculpting haunting landforms of sandstone and clay, and recounting the land's prehistory in layers of ancient sediments studded with fossils and bones. Packed from cover to cover with 83 striking color photographs, "Badlands Impressions" truly captures the rugged terrain of these harsh and beautiful landscapes. In a journey spanning multiple states, including Kansas, Montana, Nebraska and North and South Dakota, "Badlands Impressions" will transport readers to the very best scenery the Badlands have to offer. Highlights include visits to Badlands National Park, Makoshika State Park in Montana, Little Missouri National Grasslands, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and more! An immensely pleasurable browse for the armchair traveler, and a 'must' for Badlands geography enthusiasts, the breathtakingly beautiful images by Chuck Haney are informatively captioned by journalist Dick Kettlewell. The result of this impressive collaboration is a visual study that is especially recommended for personal, community, and academic library Contemporary American Photography collections.

Jerry Dantzic: Billie Holiday at Sugar Hill
Jerry Dantzic, photographer
Grayson Dantzic, author
Zadie Smith, contributor
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110-0017
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500544655, $40.00, HC, 144pp, www.amazon.com

In 1957, New York photojournalist Jerry Dantzic spent time with the iconic singer Billie Holiday during a week-long run of performances at the Newark, New Jersey, nightclub Sugar Hill. The resulting images offer a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse of Billie with her family, friends, and her pet chihuahua, Pepe; playing with her godchild (son of her autobiography's coauthor, William Dufty); washing dishes at the Duftys' home; walking the streets of Newark; in her hotel room; waiting backstage or having a drink in front of the stage; and performing. The years and the struggles seem to vanish when she sings; her face lights up. Later that same year, Dantzic photographed her in color at the second New York Jazz Festival at Randall's Island. Only a handful of the photographs in "Jerry Dantzic: Billie Holiday at Sugar Hill" have ever been published. In her informative reflections, Zadie Smith evokes Lady Day herself and shows us what she sees as she inhabits these images and reveals what she is thinking. Comprising 90 b/w photographs, "Jerry Dantzic: Billie Holiday at Sugar Hill" is an inherently fascinating and impressive portrayal of one of America's truly outstanding and influential African American female performers of the 20th Century. Simply stated, "Jerry Dantzic: Billie Holiday at Sugar Hill" will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to community and academic library Photography collections -- and a 'must' for all dedicated Billie Holiday fans.


The Anthropology Shelf

Road Through Time
Mary Soderstrom
University of Regina Press
University of Regina
3737 Wascana Parkway, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, S4S 0A2
www.uofrpress.ca
9780889774773, $22.95, PB, 256pp, www.amazon.com

Accessible and entertaining, Mary Soderstrom begins "Road Through Time: The Story of Humanity on the Move" with the story of how anatomically modern humans left Africa to populate the world. She then carries us along the Silk Road in central Asia, and tells of roads built for war in Persia, the Andes, and the Roman Empire. She then sails across the seas, and introduces the first railways, all before plunking us down in the middle of a massive, modern freeway. "Road Through Time" closes with a view from the end of the road, literally and figuratively: asking, can we meet the challenges presented by a mode of travel dependent on hydrocarbons, or will we decline, as so many civilizations have in the past? With by an author with a genuine flair for storytelling, "Road Through Time" is an inherently fascinating, entertaining, and informative read from cover to cover. Certain to be an enduringly popular addition to community and academic library Anthropology & History collections, "Road Through Time" is especially commended to the attention of non-specialist general readers with an interest in the global history of humanity.


The Pets/Wildlife Shelf

Detector Dog
Pam Mackinnon
Hubble & Hattie
www.hubbleandhattie.com
9781845849634, $17.99, PB, 112pp, www.amazon.com

Pam Mackinnon has been a professional dog trainer for almost 30 years. As a drug detector dog handler with HM Customs & Excise, Pam has used canine companions to conduct searches all over the UK, from oil rigs to cruise ships, postal depots to airports and vehicles to houses. Combining her detection skills with her work as a dog training and behavior consultant, Pam developed the UK's most successful scent work training program that teaches all dogs to become detector dogs. In "Detector Dog: A Talking Dogs Scentwork Manual" Pam draws upon her nearly three decades of experience and expertise to take the reader through each stage of scent work, beginning with introducing the dog to a specific scent, through starter searches, and on to advanced work, indoors and out. Aided by illustrations and full color photographs of many different breeds at work, "Detector Dog" is thoroughly 'user friendly' step-by-step instruction manual that will open up a whole new world of activities readers and their own canine companions can enjoy together. Impressively informative and profusely illustrated, "Detector Dog" is very highly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library Pets/Wildlife collections in general, and Dog Training supplemental studies reading lists in particular.


The Art Shelf

Why Draw?
Joachim Homann, et al.
DelMonico Books
c/o Prestel Publishing
900 Broadway, Suite 603, New York, NY 10003
www.prestel.com
9783791356068, $60.00, HC, 176pp, www.amazon.com

Compiled by Joachim Homman (Curator of the Bowdoin College Museum of Art), with commentaries by twenty knowledgeable contributors, "Why Draw?: 500 Years of Drawings and Watercolors from Bowdoin College" presents historic and contemporary selections from one of the nation's oldest collections of drawings. This richly illustrated and highly engaging volume explores the significance and pleasures found in tracing movements of the hand on paper by asking the question Why Draw? An intimate art form, drawing offers a direct connection to one's imagination; a means of exercising the eye, brain, and the hand; and a way to spark new ideas and resolve pictorial challenges. "Why Draw?" features more than 100 exceptional drawings, pastels, watercolors, and collages from the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, which has been collecting drawings since the 1811 bequest of James Bowdoin III. The works exemplify what compels artists to draw and thus illustrate the ongoing relevance of drawing as the most foundational artistic practice. Gathered here for the first time in this extraordinary study, the range, quality, and uniqueness of the drawings will captivate anyone interested in drawing as an art form. Reproduced in gorgeous color illustrations, works from Peter Paul Rubens to Mary Cassatt, Ed Ruscha, and Jim Dine are accompanied by brief commentary. Statements from acclaimed contemporary artists, leading curators, and distinguished scholars provide insights into the creative process. "Why Draw?" grants personal access to this singular, evolving collection and will appeal to art lovers everywhere. Simply stated, "Why Draw?" will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library American Art History collections and supplemental studies reading lists.

A Reservoir of Ideas
Glyn Davies
Paul Holberton Publishing
https://www.paulholberton.com
c/o Casemate (distribution)
9781911300168, $65.00, HC, 292pp, www.amazon.com

Compiled and edited by Glyn Davies (curator of medieval sculpture at the Victoria and Albert Museum), "A Reservoir of Ideas: Essays in Honour of Paul Williamson" is an impressive collection of over twenty fully illustrated articles covers an array of medieval topics, with a particular emphasis on sculpture. The contributors are all friends and colleagues of Paul Williamson, and, drawn from the United Kingdom, Europe, and the united States, are all prominent experts in their different fields. The wide range of subjects covered includes ivories, wood carvings, alabaster, architectural sculpture, caskets, reliquaries, and questions of imagery and iconography. With a full scholarly apparatus, "A Reservoir of Ideas" is an invaluable and beautifully illustrated reference work. An invaluable reference for students, scholars, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the history of sculpture and medieval art, "A Reservoir is an impressively instructional, illuminating, and celebratory tribute to the leading scholar and curator Paul Williamson who was formerly Keeper of Sculpture, Metalwork, Ceramics & Glass at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Exceptional, original, informed and informative, "A Reservoir of Ideas" is unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and academic library Medieval Art History collections and supplemental studies reading lists.


The Gardening Shelf

Urban Flowers
Carolyn Dunster, author
Jason Ingram, photography
Frances Lincoln Publishers
www.franceslincoln.com
c/o Quarto Publishing Group
400 First Avenue North, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55401-1722
www.quartoknows.com
9780711238626, $29.99, HC, 192pp, www.amazon.com

Creating color and interest in a small urban garden by growing a range of flowers and other decorative plants brings with it many rewards for the home gardening enthusiast. In "Urban Flowers: Creating Abundance in a Small City Garden), Carolyn Dunster (who trained in floristry with Jane Packer and now works as a florist and planting designer, running her business, Urban Flowers, from her home in north London) shows what to grow and how to use a gardeners' own blooms, leaves and berries in a range of indoor displays and hand-tied bouquets. Locally-grown flowers in season is a significant and welcome trend in floristry and "Urban Flowers" is an ideal instructional guide and manual for aspiring gardens living in an urban environment. Profusely and beautifully illustrated throughout, and thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Urban Flowers" is very highly recommended for community and academic library Gardening/Horoticultural instructional reference collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated home gardeners that "Urban Flowers" is also available in a Kindle format ($19.37).


The American History Shelf

Civil War Pharmacy: A History, second edition
Michael A. Flannery
Southern Illinois University Press
1915 University Press Drive, SIUC Mail Code 6806, Carbondale, IL 62901
www.siupress.com
9780809335923 $34.50 pbk / $29.49 Kindle amazon.com

Now in an updated second edition, Civil War Pharmacy: A History is a scholarly chronicle of the rise of the U.S. pharmaceutical industry. Once concentrated almost entirely in Philadelphia, the industry embarked on a nationwide expanse after the war. Civil War Pharmacy explores how this field of medicine gained traction and popularity; how large-scale manufacture and dispensation of drugs became feasible during and after the war; and much more. The second edition particularly focuses upon societal involvement in providing and distributing medical drugs, both among the Union and Confederate sides of the Civil War. Expertly researched, and enhanced with extensive notes, Civil War Pharmacy: A History is highly recommended especially for public and college library American History collections.


The Civil War Shelf

The Cavalries at Stones River
Dennis W. Belcher
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
www.mcfarlandpub.com
9781476665368, $39.95, PB, 304pp, www.amazon.com

At the Civil War Battle of Stones River, General David Stanley's Union cavalry repeatedly fought General Joseph Wheeler's Confederate cavalry. The campaign saw some of the most desperately fought mounted engagements in the Civil War's Western Theater and marked the end of the Southern cavalry's dominance in Tennessee. "The Cavalries at Stones River: An Analytical History" by Civil War historian Dennis Belcher is a comprehensively detailed history that describes the events leading up to the battle and the key actions, including the December 31 attack by Wheeler's cavalry, the Union counterattack, the repulse of General John Wharton by the 1st Michigan Engineers and Wheeler's daring raid on the rear of Williams Rosecrans' army. Of special note is Belcher's informative reassessment of the actions of General John Pegram's cavalry brigade. Enhanced with twenty-two pages of Notes, a ten page Bibliography, and a six page Index, "The Cavalries at Stones River" is an inherently fascinating read and very highly recommended for both community and academic library Civil War History collections, as well as the personal reading lists of all dedicated Civil War buffs.


The Military Shelf

Call Sign: Lightning
Scott Messmore
Stackpole Books
5067 Ritter Road, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055-6921
www.stackpolebooks.com
c/o National Book Network (dist.)
9780811715850 $29.95 pbk / $15.65 Kindle amazon.com

Call Sign: Lightning is a vivid history of the U.S. Marine Corps' Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Companies, also known as ANGLICOs. Small squads of these Marines infiltrate deep behind enemy lines to identify targets and direct fire from aircraft, ground artillery, and naval guns. Their dangerous task requires them to be the best of the best. Call Sign: Lightening examines their earliest origins in the Pacific theater of World War II, their effective establishment in Korea, and their participation in operations in Vietnam, Beirut, Grenada, and Desert Storm. Author and former ANGLICO member Scott Messmore seamlessly weaves testimony from his own experiences, journalistic reporting, and historical narrative into this immensely fascinating chronicle. Call Sign is highly recommended especially for public and college library military history collections, as well as personal reading lists.

Blitzkrieg: From the Ground Up
Niklas Zetterling
Casemate
1940 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083
www.casematepublishers.com
9781612004600, $32.95, HC, 288pp, www.amazon.com

A comprehensively detailed work of definitive scholarship, "Blitzkrieg: From the Ground Up" by Niklas Zetterling (a military historian and researcher at the Swedish Defense College) is an examination of the German Blitzkrieg operations from Poland to Operation Barbarossa, as experienced by junior commanders and enlisted men, exploring why they were so successful. The successes of the German Blitzkrieg in 1939 - 41 were as surprising as they were swift. Allied decision-makers wanted to discover the secret to German success quickly, even though only partial, incomplete information was available to them. The false conclusions drawn became myths about the Blitzkrieg that have lingered for decades. It has been argued that German victories in the early part of the war rested less upon newly developed tanks and aircraft and more on German military traditions: rather than creating a new way of war based on new technology, the Germans fitted the new weapons into their existing ideas on warfare. These doctrines focused on independent action, initiative, flexibility, decentralized decision-making and mobility. The conduct of German soldiers, particularly the lower-ranking men, on the battlefield was at the core of the concept and German victories rested upon the quality of the small combat units. "Blitzkrieg: From the Ground Up" focuses on the experience of the enlisted men and junior officers in the Blitzkrieg operations in Poland, Norway, Western Europe and Russia. Using accounts previously unpublished in English, "Blitzkrieg: From the Ground Up" explores how they operated, for example how a company commander led his tanks, how a crew worked together inside a tank, and the role of the repair services. These narratives are fitted into a broader perspective to give the reader a better understanding of why the Germans were so successful in 1939 - 41. Enhanced with the inclusion of twenty-two pages of Notes, an eight page Bibliography, and a five page Index of Place Names, "Blitzkrieg: From the Ground Up" is an extraordinary and highly recommended addition to community and academic library World War II Military History collections. It should be noted for students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Blitzkrieg: From the Ground Up" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99).

Camouflage at War
Martin J. Dougherty
Chartwell Books
Quarto Publishing Group USA
400 First Avenue North, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55401-1722
www.quartoknows.com
9780785835097, $17.99, HC, 224pp, www.amazon.com

Profusely illustrated with informative commentary, "Camouflage at War: An Illustrated Guide from 1914 to the Present Day" explores uniforms, military vehicles and buildings from World War I to the present day. From a dummy tank in North Africa in World War II to the different uniforms of Waffen-SS on the Eastern Front soldiers to zebra-striped dazzle ships in the north Atlantic to today's digital pixelated pattern uniforms used by US soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, "Camouflage at War" is a wide-ranging examination of the developments and wrong turns in military camouflage all around the world. Although this was military work, the inspiration often came from the natural world and the designers were civilian artists. As we move further into the 21st century, the use of camouflage is changing. Straightforward visual camouflage is less important for aircraft as they can be picked up by heat sensors, so the task becomes to create non-visual camouflage, deflect radar signals and reduce their signature. New technology is being developed to project live images on to bodies, so that they appear invisible. From uniforms to tanks, from ships to aircraft to military buildings disguised as civilian ones, "Camouflage at War" is an expert account of how different countries have sought to hide their forces in plain view for the past century. An impressively informed and informative history that is exceptionally well organized and presented, "Camouflage at War" is an ideal and unreservedly recommended addition community and academic library Military History & Technology collections, as well as the personal reading lists of dedicated military history buffs.


The Economic Studies Shelf

The Debt of the Living
Elettra Stimilli, author
Arianna Bove, translator
State University of New York Press
State University Plaza, Albany, NY 12246-0001
www.sunypress.edu
9781438464152, $85.00, HC, 199pp, www.amazon.com

In "The Debt of the Living: Ascesis and Capitalism", Elettra Stimilli (Research Fellow of Theoretical Philosophy at Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa, Italy.) returns to the Max Webber idea of restraint as ascesis (the exercise of self-discipline) by analyzing theological and philosophical understandings of debt drawn from a range of figures, including Saint Paul, Schmitt and Agamben, Benjamin and Marx, Nietzsche and Freud, and Foucault. Central to this analysis is the logic of "profit for profit's sake", which is an aspect of Weber's work that Stimilli believes has been given insufficient attention. Following Foucault, Stimilli identifies this as the original mechanism of a capitalist dispositif that feeds not on a goal-directed rationality, but on the self-determining character of human agency. Ascesis is fundamental not because it is characterized by renunciation, but because the self-discipline it imposes converts the properly human quality of action without a predetermined goal into a lack, a fault, or a state of guilt: a debt that cannot be settled. Stimilli argues that this lack, which is impossible to fill, should be seen as the basis of the economy of hedonism and consumption that has governed global economies in recent years and as the premise of the current economy of debt. An extraordinary and impressive work of original and seminal scholarship, "The Debt of the Living: Ascesis and Capitalism" is unreservedly recommended for community and academic library Economics collections and supplemental studies reading lists. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Debt of the Living: Ascesis and Capitalism" is also available in a Kindle format ($68.00).

Household Spending, 21st edition
LLC New Strategist Press, author
Editorial Staff at New Strategist Press, editor
New Strategist Press
106 North Dunton Avenue, East Patchogue, NY 11772
www.newstrategist.com
9781940308951, $149.00, HC, 612pp, www.amazon.com

This all-new and completely updated 21st edition of "Household Spending: Who Spends How Much on What" reveals who spends and the products and services they buy. Included in this 21st edition is a look at the spending recovery of 2014 as well as the long decline from the peak-spending year of 2006 to the post-Great Recession low of 2013. This unique resource gives corporate executives and economists dollar-for-dollar answers to the questions: Who buys? What do they buy? How much do they spend? It also provides market shares and spending indexes. Based on unpublished data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2014 Consumer Expenditure Survey "Household Spending" is comprised of data that examines how much American households spend on hundreds of products and services by the demographics that count: age, income, household type, region of residence, race and Hispanic origin, and educational attainment. The individual products and services are organized into chapters on apparel; entertainment; financial products; food and alcohol; gifts; household operations; shelter and utilities; personal care, reading, education, and tobacco; and transportation. A part of the New Strategist Press 'American Money' series, "Household Spending is critically and unreservedly recommended for corporate, governmental, college, and university Contemporary Economics collections and supplemental studies reading lists.


The Music Shelf

Recording Unhinged
Sylvia Massy with Chris Johnson
Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing
33 Plymouth St, Suite 302, Montclair, NJ 07042
www.halleonardbooks.com
9781495011276, $29.99, HC, 258pp, www.amazon.com

Sylvia Massy has been producing, engineering, and mixing popular music for decades. With the help of Chris Johnson, Massy draws upon her years of experience and expertise to writ "Recording Unhinged: Creative and Unconventional Music Recording Techniques" so that aspiring musicians can "unlearn" safe record-making, discarding fixed notions about how music should be recorded and explore techniques that fall outside the norm and yield emotionally powerful, incredibly personal, gut-wrenching, and even scary recordings. "Recording Unhinged" is features stories, tips, recipes, photos, advice, diagrams, exercises, illustrations, and jokes that are unique to Massy's approach and will not be found in any other instructional manual. "Recording Unhinged" also contains many eye-popping illustrations by Sylvia herself, bringing real and imaginary recording situations to life. As informed and informative as it is thoughtful and thought-provoking, "Recording Unhinged" is thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, making it an ideal and appreciated addition to personal reading lists, and a core addition to both community and academic library Contemporary Music Technology collections.


The Native American Studies Shelf

Voices of Victory
Catherine Ritch
CRM Books
PO Box 935, Indian Trail, NC 28079
9781933341415 $18.95 www.ciridmus.com

Thoroughly accessible to scholars and lay readers alike, Voices of Victory examines the lives of Native Americans whose mastery of their native language - once strictly forbidden on pain of punishment at boarding school - formed the basis of coded messages in World War II. An initial group of 29 Native American men, expanded to approximately 420 by the war's end, aided the Allies in the Pacific Theater, saving the lives of countless soldiers and enabling them to gain ground. Voices of Victory emphasizes the personal and individual experiences of the Code Talkers, in their own words whenever possible. "Perhaps it was a combination of experiencing the value of education firsthand - by being proficient in both Navajo and English, and seeing where language skills could take one in the world - that led [former Code Talker] Draper to devoting his life to keeping his native language alive. After returning home from the war and finding his peace, Draper began to teach the Navajo language to high schoolers, and then to all ages, all the way through college." Voices of Victory is an excellent resource for public, high school, and college library collections, highly recommended.

Lines Drawn upon the Water
Karl S. Hele, editor
Wilfrid Laurier University Press
Wilfrid Laurier University
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, N2L 3C5
wlupress.wlu.ca
9781554584871, $39.99, PB, 378pp, www.amazon.com

The First Nations who have lived in the Great Lakes watershed have been strongly influenced by the imposition of colonial and national boundaries there. The knowledgeably compiled and deftly edited by Karl S. Hele (who is a member of the Garden River First Nation community of Anishinaabeg, as well as an Associate Professor and the Director of First Peoples Studies at Concordia University), the twelve essays comprising "Lines Drawn upon the Water: First Nations and the Great Lakes Borders and Borderlands" examine the impact of the Canadian/American border on indigenous communities, with reference to national efforts to enforce the boundary and the determination of local groups to pursue their interests and define themselves. Although both governments regard the border as clearly defined, local communities continue to contest the artificial divisions imposed by the international boundary and define spatial and human relationships in the borderlands in their own terms. The debate is often cast in terms of Canada's failure to recognize the 1794 Jay Treaty's confirmation of Native rights to transport goods into Canada, but ultimately the issue concerns the larger struggle of First Nations to force recognition of their people's rights to move freely across the border in search of economic and social independence. As informed and informative as it is thoughtful and thought-provoking, "Lines Drawn upon the Water" is a model of contemporary scholarship and enhanced with the inclusion of seventy-four pages of Notes, a thirty-two page Biblibliography, a three page listing of contributors and their credentials, and a ten page Index -- making it an unreservedly and critically important addition to community and academic library Native American/Indigenous Peoples reference collections and supplemental studies reading lists.

The Nature of Empires and the Empires of Nature
Karl S. Hele, editor
Wilfrid Laurier University Press
Wilfrid Laurier University
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, N2L 3C5
wlupress.wlu.ca
9781554583287, $85.00, HC, 288pp, www.amazon.com

Compiled and edited by Karl S. Hele (a member of the Garden River First Nation community of Anishinaabeg, is an associate professor and the director of First Peoples Studies at Concordia University) and drawing on themes from John MacKenzie's Empires of Nature and the Nature of Empires (1997), "The Nature of Empires and the Empires of Nature: Indigenous Peoples and the Great Lakes Environment" explores, from Indigenous or Indigenous-influenced perspectives, the power of nature and the attempts by empires (United States, Canada, and Britain) to control it. "The Nature of Empires and the Empires of Nature" also examines contemporary threats to First Nations communities from ongoing political, environmental, and social issues, and the efforts to confront and eliminate these threats to peoples and the environment. It becomes apparent that empire, despite its manifestations of power, cannot control or discipline humans and nature. Taken collectively, the fifteen erudite and informative essays suggest new ways of looking at the Great Lakes watershed and the peoples and empires contained within it. A volume of impressively presented scholarship, "The Nature of Empires and the Empires of Nature" includes a thirty-two page Bibliography, a four page listing of the contributors and their credentials, and a thirteen page Index. While very highly recommended for community and academic library Native American/Indigenous People collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Nature of Empires and the Empires of Nature" is also available in a paperback edition (978-1554584888, $39.99) and in a Kindle format ($49.95).


The Library Science Shelf

Fundamentals of Library Supervision, third edition
Beth McNeil
Neal-Shuman Publishers
c/o American Library Association
50 East Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611
www.alastore.ala.org
9780838915547 $59.00 amazon.com

Now in an updated third edition, Fundamentals of Library Supervision is an instructional guide written by Beth McNeil (professor and dean of the library, Iowa State University) focusing on everyday, real-world problems that challenge library managers. Chapters discuss how to efficiently interview, hire, train, and manage individual workers; how to deal with group dynamics and foster teamwork; safety concerns; communication skills; inclusiveness and diversity; and much more. "Allow people to express risky ideas without immediately shooting them down. Saying 'Let me play devil's advocate' is the surest way to cut creative thinking off at the knees because it sets a negative tone." Fundamentals of Library Supervision is a "must-read" for anyone working their way toward a managerial career in library science, and an excellent "refresher course" for professionals in the field.


The Women's Studies Shelf

Fairly Equal
Linda Silver Dranoff
Second Story Press
20 Maud Street, Suite 401, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5V 2M5
http://secondstorypress.ca
9781772600223, $24.95, PB, 376pp, www.amazon.com

In "Fairly Equal: Lawyering the Feminist Revolution", lawyer, activist, and former Chatelaine legal columnist Linda Silver Dranoff details her trailblazing journey from a traditional 1950s childhood to the battlegrounds of the courts of law and the halls of power where she and a generation of women lawyers, supporting a larger feminist movement, championed the rights of Canadian women and families. Through a combination of memoir and social history, Dranoff brings to life the struggles around family law, pay and employment equity, violence against women, abortion rights, childcare, pension rights, political engagement, public policy, and access to legal justice. From backroom battles to public and private protest, the stories are inspiring -- and reflect a sisterhood and solidarity that ensures that the many hard-won gains of the feminist movement will be maintained and expanded for the next generation of women. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Fairly Equal" is very highly recommended, especially for community and academic library Women's Studies and Contemporary American Biography collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Fairly Equal" is also available in a Kindle format ($16.99).


The Literary Studies Shelf

Saving the World Through Science Fiction
Michael R. Page
McFarland
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
www.mcfarlandpub.com
9781476663098, $35.00, PB, 296pp, www.amazon.com

One of the major figures in science fiction for more than sixty years, James Gunn has been instrumental in making the genre one of the most vibrant and engaging areas of literary scholarship. His genre history Alternate Worlds and his The Road to Science Fiction anthologies introduced countless readers to science fiction. He founded the Gunn Center for the Study of Science Fiction in 1982. But Gunn has also been one of the genre's leading writers. His classic novels Star Bridge (with Jack Williamson), The Joy Makers, The Immortals and The Listeners helped shape the field. Now in his nineties, he remains a prominent voice. His forthcoming novel is Transformation. Drawing on materials from Gunn's archives and personal interviews with him, "Saving the World Through Science Fiction" by Michael R. Page is the first and groundbreaking study to examine the life, career and writing of this science fiction grandmaster. Enhanced with the inclusion of an informative Foreword (Science Fiction's Dad) by Christopher McKitterick, eight pages of Chapter Notes, a four page Bibliography, and a eleven page Index, "Saving the World Through Science Fiction" is unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Contemporary American Literature Studies collections. For the personal reading lists of students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject it should be noted that "Saving the World Through Science Fiction" is also available in a Kindle format ($18.99).


The Agriculture Shelf

Growing a Revolution
David R. Montgomery
W. W. Norton & Company
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
97803935608328, $26.95, www.wwnorton.com

Growing a Revolution: Bringing Our Soil Back to Life belongs in agriculture, science, and social issues collection alike as it discusses regenerative agriculture that builds soil health while offering financial benefits to farmers. Soil degradation has already ruined much of the world's croplands and threatened both environmental and political circles. This book surveys the use of chemical fertilizers around the world, food shortages which have sparked revolutions and riots, and common myths about modern agricultural practices.


The Terrorism Studies Shelf

Anatomy of Terror
Ali Soufan
W. W. Norton & Company
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
9780393241174, $27.95, www.wwnorton.com

Anatomy of Terror: From the Death of Bin Laden to the Rise of the Islamic State isn't just about ISIS, as so many terrorist discussions focus on, but upon the rise of other jihadi armies loyal to Al Qaeda, and appears on the sixth anniversary of bin Laden's death to present a former FBI special agent's review of the rise of the organization's structure and attacks since that time. Chapters survey both bin Laden's vision of an Islamic force in the world and the new realities of various nations seeing a rise in such forces on their own shores. From biographical sketches of individuals who would become leaders in this new arena to Syrian wars, camp inmates, and other influences on jihadi popularity and evolution, this is a wide-ranging, in-depth survey that combines research with the author's own inside experiences, and should be on the reading lists of any interested in the rise of terrorist forces around the world.


The Autism Shelf

How to Start, Carry On and End Conversations
Paul Jordan
Jessica Kingsley Publishers, Inc.
400 Market Street, Suite 400, Philadelphia, PA 19106
9781785922459, $14.95, www.jkp.com

Readers in social situations who are on the autism spectrum will find this simple collection of scripts a fine guide to conversational etiquette and approaches which belays the notion that conversation is an inherent skill that can't be taught. Chapters explain how to interpret everyday social situations at school or in other group settings and provide a simple connection between a little over sixty simple words and scripts that help readers understand how conversations evolve and how they are structured. The result should be in any collection strong in autism skills approaches.

Autism in My Family
Sandra Tucker
Jessica Kingsley Publishers, Inc.
400 Market Street, Suite 400, Philadelphia, PA 19106
9781785927072, $19.95, www.jkp.com

Although Autism in My Family: A Journal for Siblings of Children with ASD is intended for ages 8-12, it's recommended here because many an adult will wish to review this journal and its strategies. An interactive workbook introduces autism using simple language directed to non-autistic siblings and encouraging them to better understand the feelings and perceptions of those on the autism spectrum. Thoughts, games, writing, and photography and other visual exercises encourage a high degree of emotional connection and better understanding and is especially recommended as a tool the entire family can utilize to open dialogue.


The Genealogy Shelf

Evidence Explained, third edition
Elizabeth Shown Mills
Genealogical Publishing Company
3600 Clipper Mill Road, Suite 260, Baltimore, MD 21211
www.genealogical.com
9780806320175, $59.95, HC, 892pp, www.amazon.com

Now in a fully updated and significantly expanded third edition, "Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace", by genealogist Elizabeth Shown Mills (an award-winning historical writer with decades of research experience in public and private records of many Western nations) is justifiably considered by genealogy professionals as the definitive guide to the citation and analysis of historical sources. It is a genealogy research guide so thorough that it leaves nothing to chance. Yet advances in genealogy and history research, changes at major repositories and online information providers, and the ever-evolving electronic world have generated new citation and analysis challenges for genealogy researchers. While countless websites now suggest ways to identify their offerings, few of those address the analytical needs of a researcher concerned with the nature and provenance of web material, whose numerous incarnations and transformations often affect the reliability of their content. Added to this newly revised third edition is: a QuickStart Guide; and expanded 3x3 Evidence Analysis Process Model; Expanded coverage for genetic citations; Expanded coverage of layered citations. As with the previous two editions, "Evidence Explained" also covers the latest concepts in evidence analysis; coverage of latest media and delivery systems; expanded glossary; handling of cached materials at Wayback Machine and elsewhere; privacy standards for genetic research; updates in National Archives citations after changes at NARA and TNG; updates for major online providers after acquisitions and mergers; when to cite DOIs vs. URLs; when to cite Stable URLs vs. paths and keywords; the 4 Basic Rules for citing websites; and a great many other issues raised by users of past editions. Comprehensive, reliably informative, thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "Evidence Explained" is an indispensable and core addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library Genealogy Instructional Reference collections and supplemental studies reading lists. It should be noted for students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in genealogy that "Evidence Explained" is also available in a Kindle format ($32.95).

Tips & Quips for the Family Historian
Elizabeth Shown Mills & Ruth Brossette Lennon
Genealogical Publishing Company
3600 Clipper Mill Road, Suite 260, Baltimore, MD 21211
www.genealogical.com
9780806320410, $14.95, HC, 173pp, www.amazon.com

"Tips & Quips for the Family Historian" is an inherently compelling compendium bon mots and wise words for everyone who pursues genealogy as a hobby or a profession. The sayings and writings assembled by the genealogical team of Elizabeth Mills and Ruth Lennon here are divided into some 86 categories relevant to both aspiring or seasoned genealogists. The categories range from Analysis, Ethnic Research, and Genetic Genealogy, to the Internet, Land, and Names; and from Photographs, Plagiarism, and Proof, to Research, Sources, and Tax Records. It's easy to find just the quip you need from the book's detailed table of contents, or you can search the author index or consult the glossary of key words at the back. Thoroughly and impressively 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Tips & Quips for the Family Historian" is unreservedly and enthusiastically recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library Genealogy collections and supplemental studies reading lists.


The Aviation Shelf

Aviation Records in the Jet Age
William A. Flanagan, Lt. Col, USAF (Ret.)
Specialty Press
99 Spring Street, 3rd floor, New York, NY 10012
www.specialtypress.com
9781580072304, $39.95, www.cartechbooks.com

Aviators have focused on breaking flight records for as long as new planes have been invented, and Aviation Records in the Jet Age: The Planes and Technologies Behind the Breakthroughs is a fine documentary of jet-age efforts, documenting national and international competitions and famous record-breaking flights from World War II onward. Chapters packed with vintage black and white and contemporary color photos throughout accompany maps, portraits of aviators, close-ups of planes on the ground and in the air, and discussions that survey speed and altitude records set in a range of environmental and political conditions. The result is a beautifully done aviation history chronicle that could almost be a coffee table addition, but holds far more detail and history than a visual production alone.


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


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