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Library Bookwatch

Volume 16, Number 10 October 2021 Home | LBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Writing/Publishing Shelf Health/Medicine Shelf
Psychology Shelf Science Shelf Cookbook Shelf
American History Shelf World History Shelf Civil War Shelf
Military Shelf Egyptology Shelf Theatre/Cinema/TV Shelf
General Fiction Shelf Western Fiction Shelf Fantasy/SciFi Shelf
Political Science Shelf Gardening Shelf Art Shelf
Mythology Shelf Nautical Shelf Photography Shelf
Graphic Novel Shelf Library CD Shelf Library DVD Shelf
Computer Shelf Mathematics Shelf Sports Shelf
Native American Studies Shelf Literary Studies Shelf Criminology Shelf


Reviewer's Choice


The Uncommon Knowledge of Elinor Ostrom
Erik Nordman
Island Press
https://islandpress.org
9781642831559, $35.00 pbk / $14.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Uncommon-Knowledge-Elinor-Ostrom-Collective/dp/1642831557

Synopsis: In the 1970s, the accepted environmental thinking was that overpopulation was destroying the earth. Prominent economists and environmentalists agreed that the only way to stem the tide was to impose restrictions on how we used resources, such as land, water, and fish, from either the free market or the government. This notion was upended by Elinor Ostrom, whose work to show that regular people could sustainably manage their community resources eventually won her the Nobel Prize. Ostrom's revolutionary proposition fundamentally changed the way we think about environmental governance.

In The Uncommon Knowledge of Elinor Ostrom, author Erik Nordman brings to life Ostrom's brilliant mind. Half a century ago, she was rejected from doctoral programs because she was a woman; in 2009, she became the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Economics. Her research challenged the long-held dogma championed by Garrett Hardin in his famous 1968 essay, "The Tragedy of the Commons," which argued that only market forces or government regulation can prevent the degradation of common pool resources. The concept of the "Tragedy of the Commons" was built on scarcity and the assumption that individuals only act out of self-interest. Ostrom's research proved that people can and do act in collective interest, coming from a place of shared abundance. Ostrom's ideas about common resources have played out around the world, from Maine lobster fisheries, to ancient waterways in Spain, to taxicabs in Nairobi. In writing The Uncommon Knowledge of Elinor Ostrom, Nordman traveled extensively to interview community leaders and stakeholders who have spearheaded innovative resource-sharing systems, some new, some centuries old. Through expressing Ostrom's ideas and research, he also reveals the remarkable story of her life.

Ostrom broke barriers at a time when women were regularly excluded from academia and her research challenged conventional thinking. Elinor Ostrom proved that regular people can come together to act sustainably - if we let them. This message of shared collective action is more relevant than ever for solving today's most pressing environmental problems.

Critique: The Uncommon Knowledge of Elinor Ostrom: Essential Lessons for Collective Action examines the environmental and economic wisdom Elinor Ostrom (1933-2012), a winner of the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences. Her life's research included evidence against the idea that individuals always act out of self-interest, instead revealing how communities can and do share resources or act sustainably for the common good. Her ideas are far more than abstract theory; their practical implications can be seen in Maine lobster fisheries, European waterways, and among the taxis of Nairobi. A handful of black-and-white photographs, extensive notes, and an index round out this expertly researched and thoughtfully presented rendition of an intelligent, persevering, and insightful woman's contribution to economic studies and behavioral science. Highly recommended, especially for public and college library collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that The Uncommon Knowledge of Elinor Ostrom is also available in a Kindle edition ($14.99).

Editorial Note: Dr. Erik Nordman is Professor of Natural Resources Management and Adjunct Professor of Economics at Grand Valley State University, Michigan, and an Affiliate Scholar at Indiana University's Ostrom Workshop. Nordman has written on a wide variety of environmental topics, from urban stormwater management and land preservation to renewable energy. His work has also appeared in mass-market publications such as Quartz, The Conversation, and Bridge (a Michigan public affairs magazine). Nordman holds an M.S. in forest ecosystem management and a Ph.D. in natural resource policy and economics, both from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse University. He served as a Fulbright Scholar and visiting professor at Kenyatta University in Nairobi, Kenya, 2012-13. His publications are available at: https://works.bepress.com/erik_nordman


The Writing/Publishing Shelf

Tips to Writers from a Book Publisher
John Schmidt
Path Publishing
www.pathpublishing.com
9781891774959, $9.99, PB, 143pp

https://www.amazon.com/Tips-Writers-Book-Publisher-Publishing/dp/1891774956

Synopsis: "Tips to Writers from a Book Publisher" by John Schmidt is a compact, helpful, practical, informative, 'real world' guide that opens up the world of book publishing seen through the eyes of a book publisher who is also an author. Packed from cover to cover hundreds of practical tips drawn from Schmidt's fifty years of experience in the publishing industry, "Tips to Writers from a Book Publisher" is extraordinarily well written, organized and presented.

Critique: Simply stated, "Tips to Writers from a Book Publisher" should be considered essential reading by any and all aspiring writers wanting to be published. Comprehensive and thoroughly 'user friendly', "Tips to Writers from a Book Publisher" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, college, and university library Writing/Publishing instructional reference collections.


The Health/Medicine Shelf

Controlling High Blood Pressure through Nutrition, Supplements, Lifestyle and Drugs
Mark C. Houston & Lee Bell
CRC Press
https://crcpress.com
9780367647797, $64.95 pbk / $48.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Controlling-Pressure-Nutrition-Supplements-Lifestyle/dp/0367647796

Synopsis: High blood pressure or hypertension is the most common primary diagnosis in the United States and a leading cause of heart attack, heart failure, kidney failure, and stroke. Despite extensive research over the past several decades, the cause of most cases of adult hypertension is still unknown and thought to be genetic. Current methods of controlling blood pressure in the general population need to be improved. Controlling High Blood Pressure through Nutrition, Nutritional Supplements, Lifestyle, and Drugs provides an integrative approach on how to prevent and treat high blood pressure. It includes scientific research, clinical evaluation, and applications which help patients learn easy solutions to implement treatments to prevent and manage hypertension.

Key features:

Includes recommendations and clinical studies on ideal drugs to reduce blood pressure with fewest side effects and optimal efficacy.

Presents a nutrition program for patients to manage high blood pressure and reduce weight which, if followed, helps lower the risk of heart attack, heart failure, stroke, kidney failure, and early death.

Provides a comprehensive review of nutritional supplements to improve blood pressure control and reduce cardiovascular disease.

Written by leading experts in hypertension and nutrition, this book presents a unique and optimal approach to reducing cardiovascular problems related to high blood pressure, it serves as a guide for both health practitioners and their patients.

Critique: Written by expert specialists in both medicine and nutrition, Controlling High Blood Pressure through Nutrition, Supplements, Lifestyle and Drugs is intended for medical professionals and lay readers alike. Impressing the need of more effective measures against high blood pressure that can benefit the general population, chapters discuss how high blood pressure is harmful, clinical symptoms of hypertension, the limitations of the DASH diet ("Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension" promoted by the US-based National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute), an extensive list of nutritional supplements and what is known about their potential benefits or drawbacks, a survey of drugs used to treat hypertension, and much more. An index rounds out this highly informative resource especially recommended for college libraries and hypertension patients seeking to learn all they can about how to improve their lifestyle and well-being. It should be noted for personal reading lists that Controlling High Blood Pressure through Nutrition, Supplements, Lifestyle and Drugs is also available in a Kindle edition ($48.99).

Editorial Note: Mark C. Houston, MD, MS, MSc, FACP, FAHA, FASH, FACN, ABAARM, FAARM, DABC, is the Director of the Hypertension Institute and Vascular Biology, Medical Director of the Division of Human Nutrition and Medical Director of Clinical Research at the Hypertension Institute in Nashville, TN. He is a Clinical Instructor in the Department of Physical Therapy and Health Care Sciences at George Washington University (GWU) School of Medicine and Health Science. Dr. Houston has presented over 10,000 lectures, nationally and internationally and published over 250 medical articles, scientific abstracts in peer reviewed medical journals, books and book chapters. He has published nine books.

Lee Bell, NC, BCHN, is board certified in holistic nutrition, earned a Bachelor's degree from University of Southern California and is also a graduate of the Bauman College of Holistic Nutrition in Berkeley, CA. She is a member of both the NANP, National Association of Nutrition Professionals and the AANC, American Association of Nutrition Consultants. Lee has completed Dr. Ben Lynch's program on Methylation and Clinical Nutrigenomics as well as the Institute for Functional Medicine's Methylation Strategies in the Clinical Management of Depression and Cardiovascular Disease. She holds certification in plant-based nutrition through the T. Colin Campbell Institute at Cornell University.

8 Keys to Recovery from an Eating Disorder
Carolyn Costin & Gwen Schubert Grabb
W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
https://wwnorton.com
9780393706956, $24.95 pbk / $11.31 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Keys-Recovery-Eating-Disorder-Therapeutic/dp/0393706958

Synopsis: This is no ordinary book on how to overcome an eating disorder. The authors bravely share their unique stories of suffering from and eventually overcoming their own severe eating disorders. Interweaving personal narrative with the perspective of their own therapist-client relationship, their insights bring an unparalleled depth of awareness into just what it takes to successfully beat this challenging and seemingly intractable clinical issue.

For anyone who has suffered, their family and friends, and other helping professionals, this book should be by your side. With great compassion and clinical expertise, Costin and Grabb walk readers through the ins and outs of the recovery process, describing what therapy entails, clarifying the common associated emotions such as fear, guilt, and shame, and, most of all, providing motivation to seek help if you have been discouraged, resistant, or afraid. The authors bring self-disclosure to a level not yet seen in an eating disorder book and offer hope to readers that full recovery is possible.

Critique: Written by medical and psychology professionals, 8 Keys to Recovery from an Eating Disorder: Effective Strategies from Therapeutic Practice and Personal Experience lives up to its title as a compassionate resource for professionals and lay readers alike, especially those who have personally suffered from an eating disorder. Chapters discuss what therapy for eating disorders entails, and offer writing assignments to aid the journey toward healing. 8 Keys to Recovery from an Eating Disorder is a welcome contribution to public library Health/Medicine shelves, highly recommended. It should be noted for personal reading lists that 8 Keys to Recovery from an Eating Disorder is also available in a Kindle edition ($11.31).

Editorial Note: Carolyn Costin MA, MEd, MFT, founder of Monte Nido Treatment Center, is a therapist, activist, author, and renowned eating disorder expert. Gwen Schubert Grabb is a psychotherapist in private practice. Babette Rothschild, MSW, internationally recognized PTSD specialist, has authored seven books and edits the 8 Keys to Mental Health series for W. W. Norton.


The Psychology Shelf

How We Practice Therapy Now
Chante D. DeLoach
W. W. Norton & Company
https://wwnorton.com
9780393714708, $28.95 pbk / $18.89 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/How-We-Practice-Therapy-Now/dp/0393714705

Synopsis: Future psychotherapy is not confined to the office: it can be online, virtual, wellness-oriented, flexible, racially conscious, and in service of public wellness. COVID-19 has forever changed the landscape of psychotherapy in these ways, and in ways we have yet to discover.

Practicing psychologist Chante D. DeLoach invites readers to reflect on the state of psychotherapy and emerging potentialities forged through crisis. She presents key concepts of telemental health, concierge therapy, and other out-of-office approaches to psychological well-being.

DeLoach provides step-by-step guidance on getting started in telemental health, and points to clinical, ethical, and legal considerations for clinicians working in a digital space and other nontraditional formations. Topics covered include: how to screen clients for the appropriateness of teletherapy; the required equipment and infrastructure, demystifying the different online platforms; ways to set up a warm and inviting online office, and legal and ethical issues of remote therapy. It also considers business and practice management issues such as what to include in an informed consent for teletherapy. Important discussions of race, intersectionality, and justice in teletherapy round out the book. Readers will be invited to critically reflect on their own identities and comfort in integrating the challenging issues of race, power, and privilege in clinical work.

Through interwoven examples and reflective exercises, Dr. DeLoach provides tools to support practitioners as they reimagine their clinical identities to meet the needs of today's clients. This book offers keen insights and learning for all clinicians, from trainees to seasoned practitioners, who are embarking on this new terrain.

Critique: Licensed clinical psychologist Chante D. DeLoach, PsyD presents How We Practice Therapy Now, a psychotherapy book about how the COVID-19 pandemic has transformed modern psychotherapy. The need to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus has sparked advances in online, virtual therapy over in-person sessions. What was once an optional convenience has become more and more mandatory. Chapters discuss how to set up teletherapy or virtual therapies, out-of-office therapies, the rising phenomenon of concierge therapy ("one can think of it as having a psychologist or other mental health professional on retainer"), legal and ethical issues, and much more. How We Practice Therapy Now is an absolute "must-have" for any aspiring or practicing psychotherapist today, and a welcome addition to public and college library Psychology collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that How We Practice Therapy Now is also available in a Kindle edition ($18.89).

Editorial Note: Chante D. DeLoach, PsyD, is a licensed clinical psychologist practicing for almost fifteen years helping individuals, couples, and families create healthier, more meaningful relationships. For almost twenty years, she has taught various psychology and social science courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels in the U.S. and abroad. As an international consultant with expertise in clinical traumatology, cultural, community, and liberation psychologies, she has conducted research, provided clinical services, consultation and workshops in Mexico, Ecuador, Haiti, Ukraine, Ghana, Ethiopia, and Zambia to name a few.

Subconsciousness: Automatic Behavior and the Brain
Yves Agid
Columbia University Press
https://cup.columbia.edu
9780231201278, $24.00 pbk / $11.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Subconsciousness-Automatic-Behavior-Yves-Agid/dp/0231201273

Synopsis: We are conscious of only a small fraction of our lives. Because the brain constantly receives an enormous quantity of information, we need to be able to do things without thinking about them - to act in "autopilot" mode. Automatic behaviors - the vast majority of our activities - occur without our conscious awareness, or subconsciously. Yet the physiological basis of subconsciousness remains poorly understood, despite its vast importance for physical and mental health.

The neurodegenerative disease expert Yves Agid offers a groundbreaking and accessible account of subconsciousness and its significance. He pinpoints the basal ganglia - the ancient "basement of the brain" - as the main physiological hub of the subconscious. Agid examines its roles in the control and production of automatic behavior, including motor, intellectual, and emotional processes. He highlights the consequences for various brain pathologies, showing how malfunctions of the subconscious have clinical repercussions including not only abnormal involuntary movements, as seen in Parkinson's disease, but also psychiatric disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorders and depression. Based on this understanding, Agid considers how seeing the basal ganglia as a therapeutic target can aid development of potential new treatments for neurological and psychiatric disorders.

Shedding new light on the physiological bases of our behavior and mental states, this book provides an innovative exploration of the complexities of the mind, with implications ranging from clinical applications to philosophy's thorniest problems.

Critique: Thoroughly accessible to lay readers and professionals alike, Subconsciousness: Automatic Behavior and the Brain examines both the physiological and the psychological aspects of the human subconscious. Chapters explore the basal ganglia, also known as the "basement of the brain", and how abnormalities in this part of the brain can manifest as various pathologies. Notes, a list of suggested further reading, and an index round out this choice pick for public and college library Psychology shelves. It should be noted for personal reading lists that Subconsciousness is also available in a Kindle edition ($11.99).

Editorial Note: Yves Agid is founder of ICM, the International Brain Institute in Paris, and professor emeritus of neurology and cell biology at the Pitie-Salpetriere University Hospital. He is a member of the French Academy of Sciences. His research has made major contributions to the understanding of neurodegenerative disorders, in particular Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.


The Science Shelf

Introducing Meteorology: A Guide to the Weather, second edition
Jon Shonk
Dunedin Academic Press
https://www.dunedinacademicpress.co.uk
c/o ISBS (dist.)
www.isbs.com
9781780460918, $16.50 pbk / $12.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Introducing-Meteorology-Weather-Environmental-Sciences/dp/1780460910

Synopsis: In many parts of the world the weather forms a daily topic of conversation, In others it hardly changes from one week to the next. However, human life is governed by the weather which affects much of our activity, from farming to fishing and from shopping to holiday-making. Introducing Meteorology has been written to provide a succinct overview of the science of the weather for students and for interested amateurs wanting a topical guide to this complex science. The initial chapters describe the development of the science, the atmosphere and the forces which govern the weather. The author then discusses weather influences at global and local scales before describing the science of weather forecasting.

Copiously illustrated, this book is intended for those whose interest in meteorology has been stimulated, perhaps by media coverage of dramatic weather events, and who want to know more. Technical terms are kept to a minimum and are explained in a glossary.

Critique: Now in an updated second edition, Introducing Meteorology: A Guide to the Weather is an educational primer for students and lay readers alike. Illustrated with color illustrations and diagrams on virtually every page, Introducing Meteorology describes the components of Earth's atmosphere, mid-latitude and tropical weather systems, convective systems such as tornadoes and thunderstorms, models used to forecast weather, and much more. A glossary rounds out this excellent reference and resource, highly recommended especially for high school, college, and public library science collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that Introducing Meteorology, second edition is also available in a Kindle edition ($12.99).

Editorial Note: Dr Jon Shonk is a researcher in the Department of Meteorology at the university of Reading, one of the leading meteorology centres in the world.


The Cookbook Shelf

More Veggies Please!
Nikki Dinki
www.NikkiDinkiCooking.com
BenBella Books
www.benbellabooks.com
9781953295569, $24.95, PB, 288pp

https://www.amazon.com/More-Veggies-Please-Kid-Approved-Family-Friendly/dp/1953295568

Synopsis: As a chef and cookbook author, Nikki Dinki loves veggies. But like most parents, getting her kids to love them is a work in progress. There will always be a side of veggies on their dinner plates, but when those veggies go untouched, Nikki doesn't stress. That's because her cooking incorporates vegetables at every turn: the kids may not have eaten their sides of peas, but they ate cauliflower and sweet potatoes in their Mac and Cheese, devoured Green Eggs (with spinach) and White Bean Pancakes for breakfast, and asked for seconds of the Zucchini Crust Pizzas at lunch!

Although the veggies are sometimes hidden in some of the recipes comprising "More Veggies Please!", your kids will be eating mushrooms and eggplant without thinking twice! The real goal is using the qualities of each vegetable to make each classic, family meals even better than the original version. In these recipes, mushrooms enhance the beefy taste of the Mushroom and Onion Burgers, while eggplant replaces egg for breading on Chicken Tenders and Chicken Parmesan, which keeps them irresistibly moist.

Inside, discover other delicious recipes that will become mealtime staples ranging from Chicken Pot Pie with a Sweet Potato Crust; Taco Meat (with Pinto Beans), Mac and Cheese with Cauliflower + Sweet Potato; and Chicken Nuggets with Beans + Carrots; Eggplant Marinara Sauce; Brooklyn Blackout Cake (with Beets + Avocado); and more!

There are no fancy ingredients or complicated cooking techniques. These easy, accessible recipes have been tested hundreds of times, by Nikki and other parents, for surefire family food wins! This collection of tried-and-true dishes will wow picky eaters and foodie parents alike with creative veggie twists on breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks, sides, and dessert.

Critique: Nicely illustrated throughout with full color photography, "More Veggies Please!: Easy Kid-Approved Meals and Family-Friendly Comfort Foods with Surprising Veggie Twists" is especially recommended for parents with kids that spurn their vegetables at dinner time (or any time!). Certain to be a prized addition to family and community library cookbook collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "More Veggies Please!: Easy Kid-Approved Meals and Family-Friendly Comfort Foods with Surprising Veggie Twists" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).

Editorial Note: Nikki Dinki is a chef, author, mom, TV host and picky-eater-turned-veggie-lover who is spreading the delicious veggie word! She is also the author of "Meat On The Side", and has food-driven adventures and unique creations on multiple Food Network and Cooking Channel series, sharing recipes regularly on the Wendy Williams and Dr. Oz shows. She maintains an informative website at www.NikkiDinkiCooking.com

One Pan, One Meal
Elena Silcock
Hamlyn
c/o Octopus Books
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9780600637097, $19.99, HC, 208pp

https://www.amazon.com/One-Pan-Meal/dp/0600637093

Synopsis: Compiled by Elena Silcock, "One Pan, One Meal" is a compendium of 85 easy, budget-friendly recipes to suit busy lifestyles and limited kitchen space. All the delicious dishes can be made in one of two pans (either a large saucepan or a non-stick frying pan) and require little to no skill, as directions are just for cooking over a high, medium or low heat. All the recipes can be cooked on a gas, electric or induction stove and you will get the same incredible result every time. The entire meal can be made in a single pan, with no sides to be cooked separately, making these perfect lazy dishes that will keep the washing up to a bare minimum. Featuring easy cheats and supermarket ingredients, these are handy recipes to cook every night of the week and great for feeding a family on a budget.

From light and speedy dishes including Just-add-water beef pho and Vodka risotto with fresh tomatoes, to indulgent and comforting meals like Sausage and broccoli gnocchi and Sweet potato, kale and cashew nut curry, alongside speedy sweet treats such as Chocolate-centre French toast and Baby doughnuts, there are plenty of surprising, nourishing options that the whole family can enjoy together.

Critique: Profusely illustrated with full color photography of completed dishes, "One Pan, One Meal" is an extraordinary and highly recommended addition to personal, professional, and community library cookbook collections. Showcasing thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' recipes suitable for any and all dining occasions, it should be noted that "One Pan, One Meal" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.99).

Editorial Note: Elena Silcock is a food writer, chef and food stylist. She has worked for various magazines and brands, including BBC Good Food, Coop magazine, Nando's, Kellogg's and Flora. She runs her own supper clubs and is the creator of the Feed Them Pasta e-book as well as the online recipe and social platform You Bring the Wine.

The Provider Cookbook
Chad Belding, author
Chad Mendes, author
BenBella Books
www.benbellabooks.com
9781637740163, $35.00, HC, 264pp

https://www.amazon.com/Provider-Cookbook-Recipes-Eating-Living/dp/1637740166

Synopsis: In our modern ways of cooking and eating, we've gotten out of touch with Mother Nature. Those who hunt, fish, and enjoy wild game know that we should always respect and cherish our food and where it comes from.

For hunter/chef Chad Belding and MMA star Chad Mendes, hunting and ethical farming are crucial ways to reinforce our connection to nature. In "The Provider Cookbook: Fish and Game Recipes for Eating Wild and Living Off the Land", Belding and Mendes share recipes and stories to celebrate this way of life and keep it alive for generations to come.

The recipes comprising "The Provider Cookbook" range from Wild Game Stroganoff; Elk Pizza Meatballs; Korean Barbecue Venison Street Tacos, and Wild Turkey and Dumplings; to Mossy Pond's Smother-Fried Quail; Duck Egg Rolls; Pulled Goose Barbecue Sandwiches; Cajun Fried Catfish Sandwiches; and Brian's Coconut Curry Halibut. "The Provider Cookbook" also includes tips for properly storing food, plus recipes for domestic meats and their favorite vegetable sides and sauces.

Critique: Beautifully and profusely illustrated with full color photography throughout, "The Provider Cookbook: Fish and Game Recipes for Eating Wild and Living Off the Land" is a pleasure to simply browse through one page at a time. An ideal culinary resource replete with kitchen cook recipes for palate pleasing and appetite satisfying recipes, "The Provider Cookbook" will prove to be an enduringly welcome and appreciated addition to personal, professional, and community library cookbook collections, It should be noted that "The Provider Cookbook" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).

Egyptian Flavors: 50 Recipes
Dyna Eldaief
American University in Cairo Press
200 Park Avenue, Suite 1700, New York, NY 10166
www.aucpress.com
9789774169274, $16.95, HC, 160pp

https://www.amazon.com/Egyptian-Flavors-Recipes-Dyna-Eldaief/dp/9774169271

Synopsis: Egyptian cuisine is one of the world's oldest and yet least known food traditions. Knowledgeably compiled by Dyna Eldaief, "Egyptian Flavors: 50 Recipes" is charming, pocket-sized collection of recipes is the perfect introduction to Egyptian cooking.

From classic starters and breakfast dishes like ta'miya (falafel) and fuul medammis (slow-cooked fava beans), to well-loved main meals such as stuffed cabbage leaves (mahshi cromb), and mouthwatering almond pudding and fritter balls soaked in syrup, Egyptian Flavors leads you on a wonderful discovery of this unique and delightful cuisine.

Celebrated chef Dyna Eldaief offers 50 easy-to-follow recipes that are rich with the vegetables, legumes, and meats that are central to Egyptian cooking, calling forth the sun-baked land of the Nile and inviting expert and novice alike to bring exciting new flavors to their home kitchen.

Critique: Authentic, kitchen cook friendly, palate pleasing and appetite satisfying, the fifty recipes comprising "Egyptian Flavors" makes it a unique, desirable, and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, and community library Ethnic Cookbook collections.

Nordic Family Kitchen
Mikkel Karstad
Prestel Publishing
www.prestel.com
9783791387413, $35.00, HC, 256pp

https://www.amazon.com/Nordic-Family-Kitchen-Seasonal-Cooking/dp/3791387413

Synopsis: With the publication of "Nordic Family Kitchen: Seasonal Home Cooking" by Copenhagen Mikkel Karstad (a consultant chef and the former culinary advisor to the NOMA team, and best known for his modern and natural approach to food and cooking) will enable even the most novice of kitche cooks to achieve Nordic elegance while cooking with their kids. For years this Danish chef has been teaching his own four kids the joys of simple, eco-conscious cooking. Working at the famed NOMA restaurant Karstad helped put Northern European gastronomy on the map. But Karstad is happiest when he is cooking with his family, either at home or on their frequent foraging trips.

In this visually beautiful cookbook Karstad shares his genius for taking simple ingredients and combining them in exciting ways that every family member will enjoy. Divided into ten chapters, the book offers 73 recipes for breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and gatherings in the woods, garden, and beach. There are dishes that anyone, including kids, can prepare and serve including quick breads, sandwiches, cakes, spreads and jams, as well as more advanced projects that will hone young people's culinary skills.

Karstad takes the family chef to the beach to roast marshmallows with strawberries; to the woods to grill flatbread with mushrooms; and to the garden, where fresh herbs enhance everyday dishes such as pancakes and baked potatoes. Loaded with fruit, vegetables, whole grains and herbs, these meals are largely meat-free, and will help your family adapt to a cleaner way of eating that is both satisfying and delicious.

Critique: Beautifully Illustrated with Anders Sch nnemann's stunning full color photography, "Nordic Family Kitchen: Seasonal Home Cooking" is a simply fabulous cookbook that will be a welcome and highly prized addition to personal, professional, and community library ethnic cookbook collections.

Tarkari
Rohit Ghai
Kyle Books
c/o Octopus Books
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9780857839329, $29.99, HC, 208pp

https://www.amazon.com/Tarkari-Innovative-Vegetarian-Indian-Dishes/dp/0857839322

Synopsis: With culinary recipes inspired by India's incredibly rich and varied food scene, chef Rohit Ghai has gained a reputation for colorful, flavor-rich curries that showcase both classic and lesser-known Indian flavors. Tarkari, meaning 'vegetable' in Urdu, and "Tarkari: Innovative Vegetarian and Vegan Indian Dishes with Heart and Soul" is Rohit's first cookbook and celebrates this diverse ethnic heritage -- but on a more personal note.

Packed from cover to cover with innovative vegetarian and vegan dishes, "Tarkari: Innovative Vegetarian and Vegan Indian Dishes with Heart and Soul" pays homage to the food his parents ate. The showcased dishes range from creative starters like Malabar Cauliflower, to big, bold curries such as Jackfruit Masala and Lotus Root Kofta, as well as breads, rice, dips and pickles. "Tarkari: Innovative Vegetarian and Vegan Indian Dishes with Heart and Soul" includes everything needed to cook truly spectacular Indian vegetarian and vegan meals at home.

Critique: Beautifully illustrated throughout, "Tarkari: Innovative Vegetarian and Vegan Indian Dishes with Heart and Soul" is delightfully inspiring to plan menus with. Offering a wealth of palate pleasing, appetite satisfying, authentically Indian dishes, "Tarkari: Innovative Vegetarian and Vegan Indian Dishes with Heart and Soul" is highly recommended for personal, professional, and community library collections. It should be noted that "Tarkari: Innovative Vegetarian and Vegan Indian Dishes with Heart and Soul" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.99).

Editorial Note: Rohit Ghai's love affair with food began in his mother's kitchen, in his native Punjab, India. He went on to study Indian cuisine at the Institute of Hotel Management in New Delhi, before perfecting his craft at esteemed hotel groups across the country. After moving to the UK, Rohit worked in and headed kitchens at some of London's leading Indian restaurants including Benares, Trishna, Gymkhana, Hoppers and most recently Jamavar and Bombay Bustle. Rohit is the first Indian chef to have won a Michelin star for Jamavar within ten months of the restaurant's opening. In 2018, he and Abhishake Sangwan (formerly Gymkhana and Jamavar) launched their first solo London restaurant, Kutir.


The American History Shelf

Facing Georgetown's History
Adam Rothman & Elsa Barraza Mendoza, Editors
Lauret Savoy, Foreword
Georgetown University Press
http://press.georgetown.edu
9781647120962, $29.95 hc / $28.45 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Facing-Georgetowns-History-Slavery-Reconciliation/dp/1647120969

Synopsis: Georgetown University's early history, closely tied to that of the Society of Jesus in Maryland, is a microcosm of the history of American slavery: the entrenchment of chattel slavery in the tobacco economy of the Chesapeake in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries; the contradictions of liberty and slavery at the founding of the United States; the rise of the domestic slave trade to the cotton and sugar kingdoms of the Deep South in the nineteenth century; the political conflict over slavery and its overthrow amid civil war; and slavery's persistent legacies of racism and inequality. It is also emblematic of the complex entanglement of American higher education and religious institutions with slavery.

Important primary sources drawn from the university's and the Maryland Jesuits' archives document Georgetown's tangled history with slavery, down to the sizes of shoes distributed to enslaved people on the Jesuit plantations that subsidized the school. The volume also includes scholarship on Jesuit slaveholding in Maryland and at Georgetown, news coverage of the university's relationship with slavery, and reflections from descendants of the people owned and sold by the Maryland Jesuits.

These essays, articles, and documents introduce readers to the history of Georgetown's involvement in slavery and recent efforts to confront this troubling past. Current efforts at recovery, repair, and reconciliation are part of a broader contemporary moment of reckoning with American history and its legacies. This reader traces Georgetown's "Slavery, Memory, and Reconciliation Initiative" and the role of universities, which are uniquely situated to conduct that reckoning in a constructive way through research, teaching, and modeling thoughtful, informed discussion.

Critique: Facing Georgetown's History: A Reader on Slavery, Memory, and Reconciliation gathers primary sources about the relationship between slavery and Georgetown University, up to the American Civil War. Contributions of scholarship and journalism add perspective to this stark examination of the negative side of Georgetown University's past. An index rounds out this seminal, extensively documented resource, highly recommended especially for college and university American History collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that Facing Georgetown's History is also available in a Kindle edition ($28.45).

Editorial Note: Adam Rothman is a professor in Georgetown University's Department of History. He is the author of Beyond Freedom's Reach: A Kidnapping in the Twilight of Slavery, which was named the Humanities Book of the Year by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities and received the American Civil War Museum's book award. He is also the author of Slave Country: American Expansion and the Origins of the Deep South and the coauthor of Major Problems in Atlantic History. He served on Georgetown's Working Group on Slavery, Memory, and Reconciliation from 2015-16, and is currently the principal curator of the Georgetown Slavery Archive.

Elsa Barraza Mendoza is a PhD candidate in history at Georgetown University and the assistant curator of the Georgetown Slavery Archive. She is a former Fulbright-Garcia Robles fellow. Her research has been supported by the Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism and the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture.


The World History Shelf

The Sea Kings
R. Andrew McDonald
John Donald
c/o Casemate Publishers
1940 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083
www.casematepublishers.com
9781910900376, $45.00, PB, 464pp

https://www.amazon.com/Sea-Kings-Norse-Kingdoms-c-1066-1275/dp/1910900370

Synopsis: The archipelagic kingdoms of Man and the Isles that flourished from the last quarter of the eleventh century down to the middle of the thirteenth century represent two forgotten kingdoms of the medieval British Isles. They were ruled by powerful individuals, with unquestionably regnal status, who interacted in a variety of ways with rulers of surrounding lands and who left their footprint on a wide range of written documents and upon the very landscapes and seascapes of the islands they ruled. Yet British history has tended to overlook these Late Norse maritime empires, which thrived for two centuries on the Atlantic frontiers of Britain.

"The Sea Kings: The Late Norse Kingdoms of Man and the Isles c.1066 - 1275" by R. Andrew McDonald represents the first ever overview of both Manx and Hebridean dynasties that dominated Man and the Isles from the late eleventh to the mid-thirteenth centuries. Coverage is broad and is not restricted to politics and warfare. An introductory chapter examines the maritime context of the kingdoms in light of recent work in the field of maritime history, while subsequent chronological and narrative chapters trace the history of the kingdoms from their origins through their maturity to their demise in the thirteenth century. Separate chapters examine the economy and society, church and religion, power and architecture.

Critique: Enhanced with the inclusion of illustrations, maps, genealogies, seventy-three pages of notes, a thirty-five page bibliography, and a thirteen page index, "The Sea Kings: The Late Norse Kingdoms of Man and the Isles c.1066 - 1275" is an extraordinary and comprehensively detailed work of meticulous and exhaustive research. While highly recommended, especially for community, college, and university library Medieval History collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Sea Kings" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $42.75) for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject.

Editorial Note: R. Andrew McDonald is Professor of History at Brock University, Canada, where he was the founding director of the Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies. He is the author of many books, book chapters and articles on medieval Scottish, Hebridean and Manx history, including "The Kingdom of the Isles: Scotland's Western Seaboard, c.1100 - c.1336", and is co-editor of :The Viking Age: A Reader and Alba: Celtic Scotland in the Middle Ages".

Women and Weapons in the Viking World
Leszek Gardela
Casemate Publishers
1940 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083
www.casematepublishers.com
9781636240688, $39.95, HC, 216pp

https://www.amazon.com/Women-Weapons-Viking-World-Amazons/dp/1636240682

Synopsis: The Viking Age (c. AD 750-1050) is conventionally portrayed as a tumultuous time when hordes of fierce warriors from Scandinavia wreaked havoc across the European continent and when Norse merchants traveled to distant corners of the world in pursuit of slaves, silver and exotic commodities. Until fairly recently, Norse society during this pivotal period in world history has been characterized as male-dominated, with women's roles dismissed or substantially downplayed.

There is, however, ample textual and archaeological evidence to suggest that many of the most spectacular achievements of Viking Age Scandinavians in craftsmanship, exploration, cross-cultural trade, warfare and other spheres of life, would not have been possible without the active involvement of women, and that both within the walls of the household and in the wider public arena women's voices were heard, respected and followed.

Lavishly illustrated throughout, "Women and Weapons in the Viking World: Amazons of the North" by Leszek Gardela is pioneering book explores the stories of the female warrior and women's links with the martial sphere of life in the Viking Age, using literature and archaeological evidence from Scandinavia and the wider Viking world to examine the motivations and circumstances that led women to engage in armed conflict.

Critique: Bringing out of historical obscurity the role of 'Shield Maiden' in Viking culture, "Women and Weapons in the Viking World: Amazons of the North" is a unique and extraordinary study. While an essential and core addition to community, college, and university library Viking History & Culture collections, it should be noted that "Women and Weapons in the Viking World: Amazons of the North" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.99) for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist readers with an interest in the subject.

Editorial Note: Leszek Garde a is a researcher at the National Museum of Denmark. He completed his PhD in archaeology at the University of Aberdeen in 2012 and has since participated in numerous research projects in Germany, Iceland, the Isle of Man, Norway and Poland. He has published extensively on Viking Age beliefs, ritual practices, warfare, identity and cultural interactions.

Mughals and the Sufis
Muzaffer Alam
State University of New York Press
State University Plaza, Albany, NY 12246-0001
www.sunypress.edu
9781438484891, $115.50, HC, 450pp

https://www.amazon.com/Mughals-Sufis-Political-Imagination-1500-1750/dp/1438484895

Synopsis: "Mughals and the Sufis, The: Islam and the Political Imagination in India, 1500 - 1750" by Professor Muzaffer Alam examines the relationship between Mughal political culture and the two dominant strains of Islam's Sufi traditions in South Asia: one centered around orthodoxy, the other focusing on a more accommodating and mystical spirituality.

Based on a critical study of a large number of contemporary Persian texts, court chronicles, epistolary collections, and biographies of sufi mystics, "The Mughals and the Sufis" examines the complexities in the relationship between Mughal political culture and the two dominant strains of Islam's Sufi traditions in South Asia: one centered around orthodoxy, the other focusing on a more accommodating and mystical spirituality.

Professor Alam analyses the interplay of these elements, their negotiation and struggle for resolution via conflict and coordination, and their longer-term outcomes as the empire followed its own political and cultural trajectory as it shifted from the more liberal outlook of Emperor Akbar "The Great" (r. 1556 - 1605) to the more rigid attitudes of his great-grandson, Aurangzeb 'Alamgir (r. 1658 - 1701). Professor Alam brings to light many new and underutilized sources relevant to the religious and cultural history of the Mughals and reinterprets well-known sources from a new perspective to provide one of the most detailed and nuanced portraits of Indian Islam under the Mughal Empire available today.

Critique: An exceptional work of meticulous research and detailed scholarship, "Mughals and the Sufis, The: Islam and the Political Imagination in India, 1500 - 1750" is an extraordinary and comprehensive history that is especially and unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library Islamic History and India History in general, and Sufis supplemental curriculum studies lists in particular. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Mughals and the Sufis, The: Islam and the Political Imagination in India, 1500 - 1750" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $26.49).

Editorial Note: Muzaffar Alam is George V. Bobrinskoy Professor in South Asian Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago. He is the author of several books, including, The Languages of Political Islam: India 1200-1800 and The Crisis of Empire in Mughal North India: Awadh and the Punjab, 1707-1748.

Julia Velva, A Roman Lady from York: Her Life and Times Revealed
Patrick Ottaway
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
9781526710970, $60.00, HC, 336pp

https://www.amazon.com/Julia-Velva-Roman-Lady-York/dp/1526710978

Synopsis: One of the best-preserved examples from Roman Britain, the tombstone of Julia Velva was found close to a Roman road just outside the center of York. Fifty years old when she died in the early third century, Julia Velva was probably from a wealthy family able to afford a fine monument.In "Julia Velva, A Roman Lady from York: Her Life and Times Revealed" archaeologist and historian Patrick Ottaway uses the tombstone as the starting point to investigate what the world she lived in was like.

Drawing on the latest archaeological discoveries and scientific techniques, this erudite work of original scholarship describes the development of Roman York's legionary fortress, civilian town and surrounding landscape. It also looks at manufacturing and trade, and considers the structure of local society along with the latest analytical evidence for people of different ethnic backgrounds.

Aspects of daily life discussed include literacy, costume, cosmetics and diet. There are also chapters dedicated to the abundant York evidence for religion and burial customs. "Julia Velva, A Roman Lady from York: Her Life and Times Revealed" presents a picture of what one would have found on the edge of a great Empire at a time when York itself was at the height of its importance. Illustrated with dozens of photographs, specially prepared plans and illustrations, "Julia Velva, A Roman Lady from York: Her Life and Times Revealed" is an excellent study of one of Roman Britain's most important places.

Critique: Enhanced for academia and the non-specialist general reader with an interest in the subject, "Julia Velva, A Roman Lady from York: Her Life and Times Revealed" is enhanced wit the inclusion of numerous illustrations, twenty-two pages of notes, a fifteen page bibliography, and a four page index. While a prized and recommended addition to community, college, and university library Roman History, Culture & Biography collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Julia Velva, A Roman Lady from York: Her Life and Times Revealed" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $36.99).

Editorial Note: Patrick Ottaway runs an archaeological consultancy, PJO Archaeology, based in York, providing a wide range of services to commercial and academic clients all over the UK. Educated at Oxford, Leeds and with a PhD from York in Viking Age ironwork, He has over 30 years of experience as a field archaeologist, notably as the former Head of Fieldwork at York Archaeological Trust, and has a particular expertise in researching the archaeology of towns.


The Civil War Shelf

The Summer of '63: Vicksburg and Tullahoma
Chris Mackowski, editor
Dan Welch, editor
Savas Beatie
PO Box 4527, El Dorado Hills, CA 95762
www.savasbeatie.com
9781611215724, $29.95, HC, 244pp

https://www.amazon.com/Summer-Vicksburg-Perspectives-Historians-Anniversary/dp/1611215722

Synopsis: The fall of Vicksburg in July 1863 fundamentally changed the strategic picture of the American Civil War, though its outcome had been anything but certain. Union general Ulysses S. Grant tried for months to capture the Confederate Mississippi River bastion, to no avail. A bold running of the river batteries, followed by a daring river crossing and audacious overland campaign, finally allowed Grant to pen the Southern army inside the entrenched city. The long and gritty siege that followed led to the fall of the city, the opening of the Mississippi to Union traffic, and a severance of the Confederacy in two.

In middle Tennessee, meanwhile, the Union Army of the Cumberland brilliantly recaptured thousands of square miles of territory while sustaining fewer than 600 casualties. Commander William S. Rosecrans worried the North would "overlook so great an event because it is not written in letters of blood" -- and history has proved him right. The Tullahoma Campaign has stood nearly forgotten compared to events along the Mississippi and in south-central Pennsylvania, yet all three major Union armies scored significant victories that helped bring the war closer to an end.

The public historians writing for the popular Emerging Civil War blog, speaking on its podcast, or delivering talks at its annual Emerging Civil War Symposium at Stevenson Ridge in Virginia always present their work in ways that engage and animate audiences. Their efforts entertain, challenge, and sometimes provoke readers with fresh perspectives and insights born from years of working at battlefields, guiding tours, presenting talks, and writing for the wider Civil War community.

The Summer of '63: Vicksburg and Tullahoma: Favorite Stories and Fresh Perspectives from the Historians at Emerging Civil War is a compilation of some of their favorites, anthologized, revised, and updated, together with several original pieces. Each entry includes helpful illustrations. This important study, when read with its companion volume "The Summer of '63: Gettysburg", contextualizes the major 1863 campaigns in what arguably was Civil War's turning-point summer.

Critique: Comprised of favorite stories and fresh perspectives from the dedicated American Civil War historians and scholars, "The Summer of '63: Vicksburg and Tullahoma" is an extraordinary contribution to the growing library of Civil War histories, biograpies, and commentaries. While unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, college, and university library American Civil War collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Summer of '63: Vicksburg and Tullahoma" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.49).

Editorial Note: Chris Mackowski is the editor-in-chief and co-founder of the online resource Emerging Civil War. A writing professor in the Jandoli School of Communication at St. Bonaventure University in Allegany, NY, Chris is also historian-in-residence at Stevenson Ridge, a historic property on the Spotsylvania battlefield in central Virginia. The series editor of the award-winning Emerging Civil War Series, he has authored or co-authored a dozen books on the Civil War, and his articles have appeared in major Civil War magazines.


The Military Shelf

The Tudor Arte of Warre 1485-1558
Jonathan Davies
Helion and Company
c/o Casemate Publishers
1940 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083
www.casematepublishers.com
9781913336417, $59.95, PB, 442pp

https://www.amazon.com/Tudor-Arte-Warre-1485-1558-Regiment/dp/1913336417

Synopsis: Traditionally, Tudor history seems to concern itself with Monarchy (mostly wives), religion (for or against the Reformation), and with a side order of cookery (pies and pottage). Tudor warfare has either been dismissed as unimportant or criticized for its 'backwardness'. There have, however, been recent attempts to reevaluate the achievements of the Tudors at war, especially the part played by Henry VIII in the 'modernization' of the army, in the context of the continuing military revolution debate.

"The Tudor Arte of Warre 1485-1558: The Conduct of War from Henry VII to Mary I" by Jonathan Davies provides a broad and comprehensive survey of the Tudor army, explaining its campaigns and battles in the context of its monarchs and their diplomatic and foreign policy priorities. This detailed historical study also provides a thematic examination of key issues, such as recruitment, fortification, equipment, tactics and supply.

While much has been written about how far the Tudor military does or does not fit into a perceived pattern of European military development, "The Tudor Arte of Warre 1485-1558" argue that it can only be understood if the unique political, social and economic background of England is appreciated. The conclusion drawn is that for all the 'failings' identified by historians, it was a system that was not only 'fit for purpose' but it could on occasion achieve extraordinary feats, whether those be the Device forts of Henry VIII or the stunning victories at Flodden and Pinkie.

Critique: An exceptional work of meticulous and exhaustive research based scholarship, "The Tudor Arte of Warre 1485-1558: The Conduct of War from Henry VII to Mary I" is an extraordinary contribution to the study of Tudor England in general, and military history in particular. Impressively well written, organized and presented, "The Tudor Arte of Warre 1485-1558" is a highly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note: Jonathan Davies has spent the last forty years teaching medieval and Tudor history as well as leading a medieval/Tudor re-enactment group. He has written extensively on a wide range of historical subjects both civilian and military, including a book on the navy in the reign of Henry VIII. Most recently he completed a title for Osprey, The Medieval Cannon 1326-1494. He brings a lifetime of practical and academic experience to the subject. providing new insights into a topic which has often been little regarded.


The Egyptology Shelf

Abu Simbel: A Short Guide to the Temples
Nigel Fletcher-Jones
American University in Cairo Press
200 Park Avenue, Suite 1700, New York, NY 10166
www.aucpress.com
9789774169700, $12.95, PB, 200pp

https://www.amazon.com/Abu-Simbel-Short-Guide-Temples/dp/9774169700

Synopsis: The three-thousand-year-old rock-cut temples at Abu Simbel and the story of their rescue from the rising waters of Lake Nasser in the 1960s are almost as familiar worldwide as the tale of the gold funerary mask and brief life of the boy king Tutankhamun. Yet although they are among the most celebrated, visited, and photographed archaeological sites in the world, the two temples are among the least understood by the visitor.

"Abu Simbel: A Short Guide to the Temples" is a lucidly written, beautifully illustrated guide, in which archaeologist and Egyptologist Nigel Fletcher-Jones explains the main features of both temples, discusses what they teach us about ancient Egypt during the reign of Rameses II (1265 - 1200 BC), and illustrates which gods and goddesses were worshipped here.

With over 50 new photographs, drawings, and diagrams, and packed with fascinating insights, "Abu Simbel: A Short Guide to the Temples" is an indispensable companion and souvenir to one of the world's great archaeological sites.

Critique: Impressively informed and informative, "Abu Simbel: A Short Guide to the Temples" is a pleasure to simply browse and will prove to be a welcome addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library Egyptology, Egyptian History, and Travel collections.

Editorial Note: Nigel Fletcher-Jones, with a PhD in archaeological anthropology from Durham University, UK, was director of the American University in Cairo Press from 2012 to 2020. He is the author of Treasures of Ancient Egypt (2019), Abu Simbel and the Nubian Temples (2019), and Ancient Egyptian Jewelry (2020).

On the Nile in the Golden Age of Travel
Andrew Humphreys
American University in Cairo Press
200 Park Avenue, Suite 1700, New York, NY 10166
www.aucpress.com
9781649031129, $29.95, PB, 184pp

https://www.amazon.com/Nile-Golden-Age-Travel/dp/1649031122

Synopsis: Since Antony and Cleopatra honeymooned on the Nile on a gilded barge, visitors to Egypt have taken to the river as the best way to experience the country's wonders. Early travelers took a dahabiya, an elegant triangular-sailed houseboat, and leisurely meandered from riverside site to site, for three months or more.

Then from the late nineteenth century, Thomas Cook of Leicester, England, revolutionized the journey with a fleet of specially built paddle steamers. For the next sixty years these 'floating palaces,' with their private cabins, and dining, smoking, and viewing salons, red-uniformed dragoman guides, and organized donkey excursions, carried the aristocratic, moneyed, and adventurous of international society of the time.

Using period photography, and colorful vintage posters and advertising material, "On the Nile in the Golden Age of Travel" by Andrew Humphreys tells the story of the people, the places, and the boats, from pioneering Nile travelers like Amelia Edwards and Lucie Duff Gordon, through to famed later passengers, such as Rudyard Kipling, Arthur Conan Doyle, and, of course, Agatha Christie, whose staging of a death on the Nile only added to the allure.

Critique: Profusely illustrated throughout, "On the Nile in the Golden Age of Travel" is an extraordinary and unique history that will prove to be an enduringly popular and welcome addition to personal reading lists and community library Travel History & Guide collections.

Editorial Note: Andrew Humphreys is also the author of National Geographic Traveler Egypt (AUC Press, 2009), Grand Hotels of Egypt in the Golden Age of Travel (AUC Press, 2012), and The American University in Cairo: 100 Years, 100 Stories (AUC Press, 2020).


The Theatre/Cinema/TV Shelf

Editing for Directors
Gael Chandler
Michael Wiese Productions
www.mwp.com
9781615933280, $29.95, PB, 288pp

https://www.amazon.com/Editing-Directors-Guide-Creative-Collaboration/dp/161593328X

Synopsis: "Editing for Directors: A Guide for Creative Collaboration" by Gael Chandler guides the novice director through post-production, starting with planning for editing during the shoot and ending with the completion of their film.

A thoroughly comprehensive and well-illustrated instruction manual, "Editing for Directors" describes the artistic, organizational, and technical skills editors bring to the party; Tells directors what to look for when hiring an editor and the best ways to work with an editor; Explains how and why directors should plan for editing before they shoot a frame; Devotes a full chapter to relating the history of editing and cutting tools and how they have affected the language of cinema and present-day editing; Defines and discusses cutting-room terms, practices, and workflows; Reveals how editors approach footage and put shows together;

Details the postproduction process from dailies to director's cut to locked cut; Covers creating and overseeing VFX (video effects); Demystifies spotting the show with the sound and music crew and creating, editing, and mixing sound and music; Describes titling, color grading, the DI (digital intermediate) process, and producing a show's final deliverables; as well as spelling out ways to archive a show and why doing so matters.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Editing for Directors: A Guide for Creative Collaboration" is the ideal curriculum textbook on the subject and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and film school library collection. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of film students and novice directors that "Editing for Directors: A Guide for Creative Collaboration" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $28.45).

Editorial Note: Gael Chandler has spent over three decades in Los Angeles editing comedies, dramas, documentaries, features, corporate videos, and promos. She cut in every medium: film, tape, and digital, and has trained hundreds of professionals, professors, independent filmmakers, and students to operate digital editing equipment. Chandler worked on The New Leave It to Beaver, the first show to edit on Ediflex, a groundbreaking nonlinear editing system, and was nominated two years in a row for a Cable ACE award for Best Editing of a Comedy Series. As a member of the Editors Peer Group of the Television Academy of Arts and Sciences, she judged the Emmys and student contests for years. The author also taught classes on editing history, theory, and practice to college students at Loyola Marymount University and California State Universities at Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Northridge.


The General Fiction Shelf

My Good Son: A Novel
Yang Huang
University of New Orleans Press
https://www.uno.edu/unopress
9781608012015, $18.95 pbk / $9.49 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/My-Good-Son-Yang-Huang/dp/1608012018

Synopsis: From award-winning author Yang Huang, My Good Son explores the power-and the cost-of parental love. A tailor in post-Tiananmen China, Mr. Cai has one ambition: for his son, Feng, to make something of himself. With harsh discipline and relentless pressure, Mr. Cai succeeds in getting Feng ready to attend a U.S. college, but Feng needs a sponsor.

When Mr. Cai meets a closeted American art student named Jude, they hatch a plan to benefit them both: get Feng to the US and help Jude come out to his conservative father. Their scheme will expose the fault lines in both Chinese and American cultures, father-son relationships, familial expectations, gender and sexuality, social status, and mobility. Huang's writing abounds with sharp insights and a quiet humor, revealing the complexity of family relationships amidst two rapidly changing cultures.

Critique: My Good Son: A Novel is a thoughtful, cross-cultural novel about the quandaries of family relationships and social expectations. A Chinese tailor who yearns for his son to become successful forms an unlikely alliance with a closeted gay American art student, but there carefully constructed plan has pivotal weaknesses. Written by an author who grew up in China and lived in the United States since 1990, My Good Son offers unique insights attuned to life in both nations, and is highly recommended especially for public library General Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that My Good Son is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.49).

Editorial Note: Yang Huang grew up in Yangzhou, China and has lived in the United States since 1990. Her linked story collection, My Old Faithful, won the Juniper Prize for fiction. Her debut novel, Living Treasures, won the Nautilus Book Award silver medal in fiction.


The Western Fiction Shelf

Reuben's Revenge
Ben Ray
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781444847185, $22.50, PB, Large Print, 256pp

https://www.ulverscroft.com/title.php?sqlCmd=isbn%3D9781444847185

Synopsis: Reuben and Grace Chisholm led a happy, almost idyllic, life on a small homestead -- until the day that of the infamous Quantrill raiders were to change their lives. In the saloon, Reuben heard that their closest neighbours, the Carver family, had been murdered and their home destroyed. His first thought was for Grace, and he set off to return to her. But he was too late. The house had been burned to the ground and there was no sign of his wife. Now he must find her -- and so began his career of bounty hunting with Bloody Bill Anderson as his target, along with the notorious Jesse James gang.

Critique: As a western action/adventure novelist, Ben Ray is a master of the genre and "Reuben's Revenge" is one of his best. This large print edition from the Linford Western Library is unreservedly recommended for the personal reading lists of all western fans, and certain to be an enduring favorite for community library Western Fiction collections.

Merriweather Rides West
Lee Lejeune
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781444847123, $22.50, PB, Large Print, 272pp

https://www.ulverscroft.com/title.php?sqlCmd=isbn%3D9781444847123

Synopsis: Failed law student and ex-outlaw Jacob Merriweather is riding west to start a new life when he strikes up a friendship with Sam Critchley, an eccentric traveling preacher. Sam suggests that they call in at a smallholding owned by his friends Stan and Beth Salinger, only to find that the young couple has been shot dead. They report the murder to the local sheriff and return to town, where they meet Marie Silversmith, a close friend of the Salingers. Marie is determined to bring the killers to justice and she persuades Jacob and Sam to help her. They are joined by an Indian tracker called Running Deer, and together this unlikely posse sets out on a mission that proves to be both challenging and extremely dangerous!

Critique: Gun play, plot twists, right vs. wrong, "Merriweather Rides West" by Lee Lejeune is a simply riveting read from first page to last. This large print paperback edition is strongly recommended reading for all dedicated western novel fans and will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to community library Western Fiction collections.

Beware the Guns of Iron Eyes
Rory Black
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781444847178, $22.50, PB, Large Print, 224pp

https://www.ulverscroft.com/title.php?sqlCmd=isbn%3D9781444847178

Synopsis: Iron Eyes finds himself staring at a forest. A forest that reminds him of a time long before he had become the scarred infamous bounty hunter he now was. As he waits for his beloved Squirrel Sally to show up on her stagecoach, his mind drifts back to how it had all started - in the forest where he had been abandoned as a baby and raised by timber wolves, and his first introduction to the white man's world.

Critique: Simply stated, the origin story of Iron Eyes the bounty hunter is a must for the legions of Iron Eyes fans. "Beware the Guns of Iron Eyes" by Rory Black is unreservedly recommended for the personal reading lists of all dedicated western fans and will prove to be a welcome and appreciated addition to community library Western Fiction collections.

Vulture Wings
Dirk Hawkman
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781444847161, $22.50, PB, Large Print, 248pp

https://www.ulverscroft.com/title.php?sqlCmd=isbn%3D9781444847161

Synopsis: Infamous outlaws, the Strong brothers will do anything for a quick buck and that is includes kidnaping. They are paid to abduct two young Connor men -- don't ask too many questions when their paymaster gives them some unusual instructions. Then, as the boys' father races to rescue his sons, he realises that their snatching is linked to dark secrets from his old life as a bounty hunter.

Critique: Another spell binding western novel by a master of the genre, Dirk Hawkman's "Vulture Wings" is an original and deftly crafted read from first page to last. Certain to be a favorite for all dedicated western buffs, this large print edition from the Linford Western Library is especially recommended for personal reading lists and community library Western Fiction collections.


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

In the Land of Dead Horses
Bruce McCandless III
Greenleaf Book Group Press
PO Box 91869, Austin, TX 78709
www.greenleafbookgroup.com
9781626348639, $19.95, HC, 264pp

https://www.amazon.com/Land-Dead-Horses-Bruce-McCandless/dp/1626348634

Synopsis: A novel by Bruce McDandless II, "In the Land of Dead Horses" tells the story of Texas Ranger Jewel T. Lightfoot's pursuit of and confrontation with a resurrected horror from another age - a manifestation of the Mayan god of darkness, unearthed from its subterranean crypt in the wastelands of the Chihuahuan Desert and set loose on an unsuspecting world.

Lightfoot, a hard-drinking Texas Ranger, is aided by an aging silver miner named Ernesto Zavala and his grandson Antonio, a rangy firebrand who longs to free his people from the rule of Porfirio Diaz's corrupt Mexican government. Together, these unlikely heroes face off against a sinister German academic, a trio of religious fanatics who wants to restore the glory of the Mayan empire, and a horror from the depths of history that grows stronger with each setting sun.

Critique: What can be best described as a 'paranormal whodunnit' that deftly combines elements of fantasy and mystery set in the American West of 1908, "In the Land of Dead Horses" is a unique and riveting read from cover to cover. Very highly recommended, especially for community library collections, "In the Land of Dead Horses" clearly showcases author Bruce McCandless genuine flair for originality and distinct narrative storytelling. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "In the Land of Dead Horses" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).


The Political Science Shelf

Why Political Democracy Must Go
John Reed, author
Gaudium
c/o Histria Books
www.histriabooks.com
9781592110995, $29.99, HC, 128pp

https://www.amazon.com/Why-Political-Democracy-Must-Socialism/dp/1592110991

Synopsis: "Why Political Democracy Must Go: The Origins of Socialism in the United States" by John Reed is an insightful analysis of the origins of the socialist movement in the United States. Although one of socialism's fiercest proponents, Reed exposes the myth of 'democratic socialism' by providing an overview of the development of socialist thought in America. His devastating critique of political democracy argues that socialism cannot be achieved through democratic means.

Originally published in 1919 in serial form, "Why Political Democracy Must Go" provides critical historical insight on the evolution of socialist thought in the United States. Today, when there is renewed interest in socialism on the American political scene, this notable series of essays reveals the underpinnings of socialist thought. Reed's analysis will be of interest to those on all sides of the political spectrum.

"Why Political Democracy Must Go: The Origins of Socialism in the United States" is deftly edited, with an introduction by Dr. A.K. Brackob, a noted historian, and editor of John Reed's collection of writings, Romania during World War I: Observations of an American Journalist (2018).

Critique: An inherently fascination read of a political commentary and analysis that has stood the test of time, "Why Political Democracy Must Go: The Origins of Socialism in the United States" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library Political Science collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Why Political Democracy Must Go: The Origins of Socialism in the United States" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9781592111503, $18.99).

Editorial Note: Born in Portland, Oregon, on October 22, 1887, Harvard educated John Reed was considered one of the most remarkable journalists of his generation. He became famous for his first-hand accounts of the Mexican Revolution, where he rode alongside Pancho Villa, and for his acclaimed account of the Russian Revolution, Ten Days that Shook the World. Reed was also a political activist and a founding member of the Communist Labor Party of America. He died in Russia on October 17, 1920, and is one of only three Americans buried in the Kremlin Wall.


The Gardening Shelf

Grow Easy
Anna Greenland, author
Mitchell Beazley
c/o Octopus Books
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9781784727352, $24.99, HC, 224pp

https://www.amazon.com/Grow-Easy-Organic-crops-plots/dp/1784727350

Synopsis: A new generation of growers are hungry for the know-how to transform their balconies, front steps and back gardens into edible spaces. Whether it's due to vulnerabilities in our global food system or the simple realization that gardening makes you feel good, now is the time for "Grow Easy: Organic Crops for Plots & Small Plots"/

Organic gardening expert Anna Greenland offers the jargon-free information, inspiration and confidence you need to get growing from scratch with absolutely no prior knowledge. Growing in an organic, sustainable way is central to "Grow Easy" and it doesn't need to be difficult or more expensive.

"Grow Easy" features Anna's 30 top crop choices (10 vegetables, 10 herbs, 10 flowers/fruit) that are perfect for small spaces. Plant 'spotlights' give in-depth advice on how to grow each crop in a pot, in the ground or on a windowsill; A year-round planner keeps you on track with monthly tasks; Seasonal crop plans for those with small gardens, with a blueprint for two small raised beds that gives continuous harvests and avoids gluts; Suggested planting combinations for striking pots or windowsills inspire creativity.

Critique: Specifically designed for urban and suburban gardening enthusiasts and profusely illustrated throughout, "Grow Easy: Organic Crops for Plots & Small Plots" will prove to be a highly valued addition to community library Contemporary Gardening instructional reference collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Grow Easy" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).


The Art Shelf

Patrick Mehaffy
Patrick Mehaffy
University of New Mexico Press
1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque NM 87131-0001
www.unmpress.com
9781934491843, $70.00, HC, 200pp

https://unmpress.com/books/patrick-mehaffy/9781934491843

Synopsis: Published by the University of New Mexico Press, "Patrick Mehaffy" explores and showcases the pathos and promise of the human experience in truly memorable images created by New Mexico artist Patrick Mehaffy through his sculptures, drawings, and, more recently, his paintings that harken back to the timelessness of cultures past while affirming human relevance in a precarious world. Beneath the sensual surfaces of his works lies a keen understanding of the liminal spaces between nature and society and the impact of human activity on Earth, now known as the Anthropocene.

Critique: Featuring 146 color plates, "Patric Mehaffy" is coffee-table style volume (10.5 x 12 in.) that will be a prized and enduringly welcome addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library Contemporary American Art & Artists collections.

Editorial Note: Throughout his thirty-five-year career, Mehaffy has approached his art from the perspective of the unconscious. His work is informed by his education and training in anthropology and museology as well as his experiences in the wilderness and, ultimately, as an artist. He reveres animals while admiring how past cultures have done the same through their art and objects of veneration. Mehaffy's reveries are aesthetically perceptive and keep the past alive while interpreting it in new ways, reigniting our own need to appreciate and honor nature and culture, both past and present.


The Mythology Shelf

Oriental Mythology: The Masks of God, Volume II
Joseph Campbell
New World Library
https://newworldlibrary.com
9781608687282, $29.95 hc / $9.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Oriental-Mythology-Masks-God-2/dp/1608687287

Synopsis: It has perhaps never been more important than it is today to understand the world around us and the world's religions. It is now well understood that health, climate, and economic issues are truly global. On completing The Masks of God, Campbell wrote, "Its main result for me has been the confirmation of a thought I have long and faithfully entertained: of the unity of man, not only in its biology, but also in its spiritual history, which has everywhere unfolded in the manner of a single symphony... irresistibly advancing to some kind of mighty climax, out of which the next great movement will emerge."

Upon the publication of this volume, in which Campbell delves into the fables and folklore of Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Shintoism, Professor Robert Gorham Davis of Columbia University wrote, "It is impossible to read this startling and entertaining book without an enlarged sense of total human possibility." Oriental Mythology remains mesmerizing in its eloquence, its scope, and its tantalizing vision of what may next emerge.

Critique: Oriental Mythology: The Masks of God, Volume II continues Joseph Campbell's seminal series about the mythology, folklore, and philosophies that have shaped human civilization. Volume II especially focuses on the mythologies of India, China, and Japan. A seminal, in-depth analysis, Oriental Mythology: The Masks of God, Volume II is a "must- have" for college library Mythology shelves, as are the other volumes of the series, "Primitive Mythology" and "Occidental Mythology". It should be noted for personal reading lists that Oriental Mythology is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).

Editorial Note: Joseph Campbell (1904 - 1987) is widely credited with bringing mythology to a mass audience through his many lectures and books, including his masterwork The Hero with a Thousand Faces and the phenomenally popular PBS series Joseph Campbell and The Power of Myth with Bill Moyers.


The Nautical Shelf

Seamanship 2.0
Mike Westin, Olle Landsell, Nina Olofsson, Par Olofsson
Adlard Coles
c/o Bloomsbury
https://www.bloomsbury.com
9781472977021, $20.00 pbk / $9.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Seamanship-2-0-Everything-yourself-trouble/dp/1472977025

Synopsis: The basic knowledge to sort yourself out when encountering problems at sea is largely forgotten. How to find your way when the GPS plotter has a blackout, how to save the life of someone in your crew when the ambulance or SAR helicopter is hours away... Too many rely on technology to navigate and run their boats, and this beautifully illustrated handbook will be a literal backup when the tech fails, as well as a bible of core knowledge - seamanship - that all skippers should know anyway, whether they're in the middle of an emergency or not.

Covering all the basics, with handy fact boxes to highlight especially important information, the authors have lent a modern, real-world approach to the subject matter, and the wonderful illustrations bring it to life.

Critique: Seamanship 2.0: Everything You Need to Know to Get Yourself out of Trouble at Sea lives up to its title as a practical handbook of vital seamanship skills, clarified with colorful illustrations. From preparing for a storm at sea, to fixing sails or gas leaks, responding to emergencies such as "man overboard", to basic first aid for everything from burns to hypothermia, Seamanship 2.0 is a potentially lifesaving "must-have" for everyone who plans to ride or skipper a boat, and also highly recommended for public library nautical shelves. It should be noted for personal reading lists that Seamanship 2.0 is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).

Editorial Note: Mike Westin has been a boating journalist since 1997, and was Editor-in-Chief of of two Swedish boating magazines between 2003-2015. He's been a lifeboat cox'n for ten years with the Swedish Lifeboat Institution, and a fast craft navigation trainer for other skippers.


The Photography Shelf

Masahisa Fukase: Sasuke
Masahisa Fukase
Atelier EXB/Editions
c/o Distributed Art Publishers
155 Sixth Avenue, 2nd floor, New York, NY 10013-1507
www.artbook.com
9782365113106, $55.00, HC, 192pp

https://www.amazon.com/Masahisa-Fukase-Sasuke-Beaux-livres/dp/2365113109

Synopsis: In 1977, photographer Masahisa Fukase turned his lens toward a new companion: his cat, Sasuke. "That year I took a lot of pictures crawling on my stomach to be at eye level with a cat and, in a way, that made me a cat. It was a job full of joy, taking these photos playing with what I liked, in accordance with the changes of nature." A year later, he acquired a second cat, named Momoe. "I didn't want to photograph the most beautiful cats in the world but rather capture their charm in my lens, while reflecting me in their pupils," he wrote of these images. "You could rightly say that this collection is actually a 'self-portrait' for which I took the form of Sasuke and Momoe."

Featuring tipped-on cover images, "Masahisa Fukase: Sasuke" is a gorgeously book that is arranged in four chapters, organized around the chronology of Fukase's life with his cats. As so often in his work, these tender images also express the photographer's subjectivity and his connection to his subject.

Critique: A true cat lover's delight, "Masahisa Fukase: Sasuke" showcases a seminally Japanese approach to photography- as-art and is a book of memorable images that will be savored page by page, and image by image -- making it an unique and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library Photography collections.

Editorial Note: Born in 1934 on the island of Hokkaido, in the north of Japan, into a family of studio photographers, Masahisa Fukase was meant to take over the family business, but instead he launched a career as a freelance reporter in the late 1960s. In 1971 he published his first photography book, dedicated to his family. In 1974, he cofounded the Workshop Photography School with Shomei Tomatsu, Eikoh Hosoe, Noriaki Yokosuka, Nobuyoshi Araki and Daido Moriyama. That same year, MoMA dedicated a milestone exhibition New Japanese Photography to their work; but it was the 1986 book The Solitude of Ravens that was to make Fukase a revered photographer worldwide.


The Graphic Novel Shelf

Romeo and Juliet: Modern English Edition
William Shakespeare
Story adaptation by Crystal S. Chan
Illustrated by Julien Choy
Modern English adaptation by Michael Barltrop
Manga Classics
www.mangaclassics.com
9781947808225 $19.99

https://www.amazon.com/Manga-Classics-Juliet-Modern-English/dp/1947808222

Part of the Manga Classics series that transforms great works of literature into graphic novels drawn in the art style of Japanese manga, Romeo and Juliet: Modern English Edition presents the story of Shakespeare's memorable play about feuding families and star-crossed lovers, brought to life with gorgeous black-and-white artwork. The text of the "Modern English Edition" has been smoothly adapted from the original phrasing of Shakespeare's work into modern English parlance that is much easier to read, without sacrificing any of the original's heart-wrenching tragedy. Romeo and Juliet: Modern English Edition is a new, reader-friendly way to experience Shakespeare's great work, ideal for both high school and public library collections. Also highly recommended is the original Manga Classics: Romeo and Juliet (9781947808041, $17.99), the version of this graphic novel which features the unabridged and unmodified text of Shakespeare's play.

Macbeth: Modern English Edition
William Shakespeare
Story adaptation by Crystal S. Chan
Illustrated by Julien Choy
Modern English adaptation by Michael Barltrop
Manga Classics
www.mangaclassics.com
9781947808218 $19.99

https://www.amazon.com/Manga-Classics-Macbeth-Modern-English/dp/1947808214

Part of the Manga Classics series that transforms great works of literature into graphic novels drawn in the art style of Japanese manga, Macbeth: Modern English Edition is a rendition of Shakespeare's tragedy about the lust for power that consumes a nobleman and his wife, leading them commit treason and murder. The striking black-and-white artwork brings intrigue, battles, and bloodshed to life. The text of the "Modern English Edition" has been adapted from the play's original phrasing into modern English parlance, making the dark story more accessible to readers of all backgrounds. Macbeth: Modern English Edition is an excellent way to introduce a new generation of readers to the pathos of Shakespeare's dark parables, and a choice pick for both high school and public library graphic novel collections. Also highly recommended is the original Manga Classics: Macbeth (9781947808089, $17.99), the version of this graphic novel which features the unabridged and unmodified text of Shakespeare's play.


The Library CD Shelf

This Pale
Shujaat Husain Khan, Katayoun Goudarzi, Shaho Andalibi, and Shariq Mustafa
Privately Published
$TBA

Iranian-American vocalist Katayoun Goudarzi, Grammy-nominated master sitar player Shujaat Khan, Iranian ney player Shaho Andalibi, and tabla player Shariq Mustafa present This Pale, an album that revolves around the classic love poems of the Sufi mystic Rumi (1207-1273). An emotional work, created in hope of inspiring compassion, discourse, and sympathy. This Pale is heartfelt, inspirational, spiritually moving, and highly recommended. The tracks are "Wild", "One", "Tender", "Sweetest", "Still Here", and "All I've Got".


The Library DVD Shelf

Discoveries Costa Rica: Architecture & Religion
Bennett-Watt Entertainment
www.Bennett-Watt.com
9781604903010 $24.95 DVD / $9.95 download

https://www.bennett-watt.com/products/copy-of-discoveries-costa-rica-architecture-religion

The fifth program in the "Discoveries Costa Rica" DVD series of beautiful video essays, Architecture & Religion showcases the extraordinary, beautiful, and historic Catholic Church architecture near the central valley of Costa Rica. An eye-opening tour of grand and pious institutions, Discoveries Costa Rica: Architecture & Religion is the next best experience to witnessing Costa Rica's memorable religious institutions in person. Discoveries Costa Rica: Architecture & Religion is highly recommended especially for armchair travelers and public library DVD collections. 52 min.

Discoveries Costa Rica Birds - Quetzals to Cuckoos
Bennett-Watt Entertainment
www.Bennett-Watt.com
9781604903027 $24.95 DVD / $9.95 download

https://www.bennett-watt.com/products/discoveries-costa-rica-birds-quetzals-to-cuckoos

The sixth program in the "Discoveries Costa Rica" DVD series of beautiful video essays, Birds - Quetzals to Cuckoos is a captivating documentary showcasing rare, exotic, and striking birds native to Costa Rica. Since Costa Rica has over 900 bird species, only a fraction of its avian diversity can be portrayed in a single program, yet here are the honeycreeper, the rufous tailed hummingbird, the black vulture, the northern emerald toucanet, and much more. Birds - Quetzals to Cuckoos is the next best thing to personally visiting Costa Rica on a birdwatching expedition, and highly recommended for both avian aficionados and public library DVD collections. 63 min.


The Computer Shelf

BIM-enabled Cognitive Computing for Smart Built Environment
Ibrahim Yitmen
CRC Press
https://crcpress.com
9780367861834, $160.00

https://www.amazon.com/BIM-enabled-Cognitive-Computing-Smart-Environment/dp/0367861836

Synopsis: The book provides knowledge in the Building Information Model (BIM)-enabled cognitive computing methods for smart built environment involving cognitive network capabilities for smart buildings, integrating Augmented Reality/Mixed Reality in cognitive building concepts, cognitive Internet of Things (CIoT) for smart cities, Artificial Intelligence applications for cognitive cities, and cognitive smart cities using big data and machine learning. It focuses on the potential, requirements and implementation of CIoT paradigm to buildings, Artificial Intelligence techniques, reasoning, and Augmented Reality/Mixed Reality in cognitive building concepts, the concept of cognitive smart cities in its complexity, heterogeneity, and scope, and the challenge of utilizing the big data generated by smart cities from a machine learning perspective.

The book comprises BIM-based and data-analytic research on cognitive IoT for smart buildings and cognitive cities using big data and machine learning as complex and dynamic systems. It presents applied theoretical contributions fostering a better understanding of such systems and the synergistic relationships between the motivating physical and informational settings. It reviews ongoing development of BIM-based and data science technologies for the processing, analysis, management, modeling, and simulation of big and context data and the associated applicability to cognitive systems that will advance different aspects of future cognitive cities.

The book also analyses the required material to inform pertinent research communities of the state-of-the-art research and the latest development in the area of cognitive smart cities development, as well as a valuable reference for planners, designers, strategists, and ICT experts who are working towards the development and implementation of CIoT based on big data analytics and context-aware computing.

Critique: BIM-enabled Cognitive Computing for Smart Built Environment: Potential, Requirements, and Implementation is a scholarly analysis written especially for researchers and professionals in the field. BIM stands for "Building Information Model"; the analyzed computing techniques include cognitive networks for "smart buildings", Cognitive Internet of Things for "smart cities", artificial intelligence applications designed for cognitive cities, and more. Lists of references and an index rounds out this highly technical and detailed resource, highly recommended especially for university library collections.

Editorial Note: Ibrahim Yitmen received his PhD in Architecture from Istanbul Technical University, Turkey. He is currently an Associate Professor in Management of Construction Production at Jonkoping University, Sweden since February 2018. His research focus is mainly on Innovation in Construction involving socio-technical issues regarding digital transformation in AEC industry, and his recent special interest is on BIM-Enabled Cognitive Computing for Smart Built Environment, Augmented Reality/Mixed Reality for Cognitive Buildings, Blockchain Technology in Construction Supply Chains, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and BIM Integration for Construction Safety Planning and Monitoring, and Automated BIM-based Construction Project Progress Monitoring. Dr. Yitmen have published more than 70 research papers in refereed international journals and in peer reviewed conference proceedings.


The Mathematics Shelf

An Introduction to Bond Graph Modeling with Applications
J. A. Tenreiro Machado and Vitor M. R. Cunha
CRC Press
https://crcpress.com
9780367523411, $120.00 hc / $44.49 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Bond-Graph-Modeling-Applications/dp/0367523418

Synopsis: An Introduction to Bond Graph Modeling with Applications presents a collection of exercises on dynamical systems, modeling and control for university students in the areas of engineering, physics and applied mathematics. We can find several books on bond graphs, but most merely a small set of exercises and, in a few cases, some commands for computer packages like MATLAB or Mathematica. It is di cult to nd books with a broad set of solved exercises and proposed exercises with solutions, guiding researchers starting their work with bond graphs, or students who are just beginning their study of the topic. This book aims to fill that gap, and provide a comprehensive, reader-friendly introduction to the Bond Graph modeling tool.

An Introduction to Bond Graph Modeling with Applications gives in-depth theoretical background coupled with practical, hands-on instructions; provides a clear pedagogical framework, with numerous exercises and problems; and is suitable for students and researchers who work with bond graphs. An Introduction to Bond Graph Modeling is especially ideal for applied mathematicians, physicists, and engineers.

Critique: A bond graph is a graphical representation of a physical dynamic system (such as a swinging clock pendulum, the flow of water through a pipe, or any other physical system that involves movement). An Introduction to Bond Graph Modeling with Applications lives up to its title as a reference that provides both theoretical background and step-by-step instructions for bond graph modeling, with exercises and problems for readers to practice. Familiarity with mathematics is presumed as chapters jump into basic mathematical models of dynamic systems, the elements of bond graph modeling, ways to assign causality to a bond graph, and much more. An Introduction to Bond Graph Modeling with Applications is an invaluable resource of mathematicians, physicists, engineers, and college library reference collections, highly recommended. It should be noted for personal reading lists that An Introduction to Bond Graph Modeling is also available in a Kindle edition ($44.49).

Editorial Note: J. A. Tenreiro Machado was born at 1957. He earned his PhD. (1989) and 'Habilitation' (1995), in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Porto. He started his teaching and research activity in 1980. He is currently the Principal Coordinator Professor at the Dept. of Electrical Engineering, Institute of Engineering, Polytechnic Institute of Porto,. His research interests include complex systems, nonlinear dynamics, fractional calculus, modeling, entropy, control, evolutionary computing, and others.

Vitor M. R. Cunha graduated in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Porto in 1999. He completed his master's degree also in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the Polytechnic Institute of Porto in 2009. He started to work as a research assistant after graduating and began teaching at the Dept. of Electrical Engineering, Institute of Engineering, Polytechnic Institute of Porto in 2001. He works in a wide spectrum of subjects such as Information Technology, Virtual Reality, Realtime Simulation, Robotics, Electronics, Modeling and Control of Dynamical Systems.


The Sports Shelf

The Brain on Youth Sports
Julie M. Stamm
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
https://rowman.com
9781538143193, $30.00 hc / $28.50 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Brain-Youth-Sports-Science-Future/dp/1538143194

Synopsis: "They're just little kids, they don't hit that hard or that much." "Girls soccer is the most dangerous sport." "Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy only happens to former NFL players." "Youth sports are safer than ever." These are all myths propagated with the goal of maintaining the status quo in youth sports, which can subject young, rapidly maturing brains to hundreds of impacts each season. In this book, Julie Stamm dissects the issue of repetitive brain trauma in youth sports and their health consequences, explaining the science behind concussions, CTE, and subconcussive impacts written in an easy-to-understand approach, so you can be a well-informed consumer and decision maker. It's not all about concussions. Those repetitive impacts that happen on every play in football or with every header in soccer can damage the brain, too. The consequences can be even worse for a child's developing brain. Stamm counters the myths, bad arguments, and propaganda surrounding the youth sports industry. This book also provides guidance for those deciding whether or not their child should play sports with a high risk of repetitive brain trauma as well as for those hoping to make youth sports truly as safe as possible for young athletes.

Stamm, a former three-sport athlete herself, understands the many wonderful benefits that come from playing youth sports and believes all children should have the opportunity to play sports without the risk of long-term consequences. No athlete has to sustain hundreds of impacts and repetitive brain trauma in order to gain the benefits of sports. This work is a must-read before you suit up your child for another practice or send your team out for another game.

Critique: Clinical assistant professor Julie Stamm, Ph.D applies her expertise in anatomy, childhood development, and athletics in The Brain on Youth Sports: The Science, the Myths, and the Future, a balanced scrutiny of the risks to the brain involved in youth sports. Stamm explains the science and medical knowledge behind concussions, CTE, and subconcussive impacts in terms accessible to parents, educators, and readers of all backgrounds. Stamm is emphatically not against youth sports; she is an ardent advocate of the physical and social benefits of athletic competition, but stresses that those benefits do not have to come at the cost of potential brain trauma. The Brain on Youth Sports offers practical suggestions for making youth sports safer for everyone, and is highly recommended especially for parents, educators, and youth coaches. It should be noted for personal reading lists that The Brain on Youth Sports is also available in a Kindle edition ($28.50).

Editorial Note: Julie Stamm, PhD, is a clinical assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She brings a unique perspective on the issues of repetitive head impacts in youth sports as a scientist and expert in the field, an anatomist with knowledge of childhood development throughout the body and the brain, and an athletic trainer who has provided medical care for athletes in a variety of sports. As an avid sports fan and a three-sport high school athlete from a small town in Wisconsin, she values the importance of sports participation for children.


The Native American Studies Shelf

Coming Home to Nez Perce Country
Trevor J Bond
Washington State University Press
https://wsupress.wsu.edu
9780874224054, $24.95 pbk

https://www.amazon.com/Coming-Home-Nez-Perce-Country/dp/0874224055

In 1847, missionary Henry Spalding shipped two barrels to Dr. Dudley Allen in Kinsman, Ohio. The "Indian curiosities" inside included exquisite Nez Perce shirts, dresses, baskets, and horse regalia-some decorated with porcupine quills and others with precious dentalium shells and rare elk teeth. Donated to Oberlin College in 1893 and transferred to the Ohio Historical Society (OHS) in 1942, the collection languished in storage until Nez Perce National Historic Park curators rediscovered it in 1976. The OHS loaned most of the artifacts to the National Park Service. After receiving conservation treatment, the pieces were placed on display in climate-controlled cases.

Twelve years later, the OHS abruptly recalled the collection, but after public pressure and extended negotiations, agreed to sell the articles to the Nez Perce at their full appraised value of $608,100, with a seemingly impossible six-month payment deadline. The tribe formed the Nez Perce Heritage Quest Alliance and mounted a brilliant grassroots fundraising campaign. One day before the time limit, they met their goal.

Josiah Pinkham, Nez Perce cultural specialist, notes that they embody "the earliest and greatest centralization of ethnographic objects for the Nez Perce people. You don't have a collection of this size, this age, anywhere else in the world." The author draws on interviews with Nez Perce experts and extensive archival research to tell the collection's remarkable story. He also examines the ethics of acquiring, bartering, owning, and selling Native cultural history, as Native American, First Nation, and Indigenous communities continue their efforts to restore their exploited cultural heritage from collectors and museums-pieces that are living, breathing, intimately connected to their home region, and inspirational for sustaining cultural traditions.

Critique: Coming Home to Nez Perce Country: The Niimiipuu Campaign to Repatriate Their Exploited Heritage is the true story of a collection of cultural artifacts of the Nez Perce people, donated to the Oberlin College and later transferred to the Ohio Historical Society. After years of storage, the collection's display led to public pressure to return the collection to the Nez Perce. This ultimate involved a negotiated sale of the collection's appraised value of $608,100, and a grassroots funding campaign to aid the Nez Perce. Constructed from interviews with Nez Perce experts and in-depth archival research, Coming Home to Nez Perce Country is more than a historical record; it also explores philosophical and ethical questions about trading, buying, owning, and selling artifacts of Native American history and culture. Notes and an index round out this welcome addition to public and college library Native American Studies collections.

Editorial Note: Trevor James Bond is the co-director of the Center for Digital Scholarship and Curation and the associate dean for digital initiatives and special collections at the Washington State University Libraries. He holds a Ph.D. in history.

I Will
Sheron Wyant-Leonard
Skyhorse Publishing
https://www.skyhorsepublishing.com
9781951627768, $27.99 hc / $18.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Will-American-Indians-Changed-History/dp/1951627768

Synopsis: In I Will, Sheron Wyant-Leonard weaves the personal recollections of four members of the American Indian Movement--Leonard Peltier, Dennis Banks, Dorothy Ninham, and her husband Herb Powless--into a unique narrative to expose their trials and tribulations over the course of two decades.

When the last gunshots of the Indian Wars of the nineteenth century faded away, a dark and desperate time began for Native American people. Poverty, neglect, and hopelessness hung over the land. But as the seventies dawned, a powerful movement for change by newly urban Indians was born with the words "American Indian Movement." This story includes a brief look at their childhoods as told by the people who lived it, including their government boarding schools, reservation life, the fight against termination, and the founding of their resistance with building takeovers and government saboteurs, a prison escape, including the largest FBI manhunt in history. They walked the line between courage and fear and changed the direction of Native history forever.

Critique: I Will: How Four American Indians Put Their Lives on the Line and Changed History presents the true stories of four members of the American Indian Movement, a peaceful grassroots movement founded in 1968 to address systemic poverty, discrimination, and police brutality against Native Americans. The story of each leader covers a look at their childhood, their experience at government boarding schools, their resistance to government termination or disbandment of the tribes, and their efforts to change Native American history. I Will is profound and inspirational reading, highly recommended especially for public library Native American Studies collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that I Will is also available in a Kindle edition ($18.99).


The Literary Studies Shelf

Impressions
Ameya Pandit
Independently Published
9781737104506 $6.99

https://www.amazon.com/Impressions-Short-Letters-Ameya-Pandit/dp/1737104504

Ameya Pandit's debut collection Impressions: Short Letters symbolize his thoughts throughout a span of years, and represents a search for life meanings through an examination of memories and world experience.

If this sounds like heady reading, be advised that the short pieces in Impressions cultivate a tone and inspection that is meant to linger in the mind without challenging the reader's ability to easily absorb their messages.

Take "On Childhood," for example - the opening piece in the collection. Pandit's memories and reflections of youth are presented in a series of vignettes, some of which may be accused of being run-on sentences unless the reader absorbs that these stream-of-thought associations are actually connected jigsaw pieces of impressions that, when linked together, form a uniform evolutionary experience: "I hear an anthem, I see the march of the troops, there is a show of strength, of stature; this is the anthem of a nation, a nation celebrating the continuance of a new era, the birth of its freedom; then after a while as the celebrations wind down, I hear a cry, a cry of a new life, one who may be a few months old; this I say is also an anthem, perhaps a far superior one, one that our ears invariably tune in to; one that needs no salute, no flag, no armor; one that lives in all yet unique to each, and one that a child speaks well before he knows his nation or his God; even the brave soldier lends his hand to protect such a one, for this anthem transcends every other, this is the anthem of life, the anthem of our humanity."

This is just one example of the form these reflections cultivates: a blend of metaphor, meaning, and memory that serve as testimonies to the rhythms and sequences of life.

As readers progress through the collection, it's evident that Pandit's works are diverse, philosophical, and reflective in nature. They hold the ability to link individual experience with the broader historical backdrop that is the human condition.

Presented in the short forms they are, these impressions serve up digestible thoughts cemented by real-world contacts that make them particularly accessible to either busy readers or those with short attention spans: "Every feeling of happiness, every celebration of victory, every excitement of a journey, and even every moment of joy comes to an end in due course. These rules apply to one and all, to every life, as history repeats, civilizations rise and fall, species come and go, to make way for what is new in form but carries much the same in spirit - the spirit of nature herself."

Perhaps there was no better time to publish Impressions than now, when the Twitter generation and others look for meaning in succinct, brief form rather than in "longhand."

With its focus on a variety of topics, from music and the arts to poetic metaphors of life experience and growth, Impressions is an item of choice for a variety of readers. It will reach literature enthusiasts and philosophy students as well as those who look for beautiful expressions that use the mechanism of language to translate the thoughts and experiences of life into a meaningful draw that illustrates both the "power of the pen" and the ability to assemble "worthy thoughts" that lend to discussion and life celebration alike.

As debut collections go, Impressions is a clear literary winner.


The Criminology Shelf

Redeeming Justice
Jarrett Adams
Convergent Books
c/o The Random House Publishing Group
www.randomhouse.com
https://crownpublishing.com/archives/imprint/convergent-books
9780593137819, $27.00, HC, 304pp

https://www.amazon.com/Redeeming-Justice-Defendant-Defender-Equity/dp/0593137817

Synopsis: Seventeen years old and facing nearly thirty years behind bars, Jarrett Adams sought to figure out the why behind his fate. Sustained by his mother and aunts who brought him back from the edge of despair through letters of prayer and encouragement, Adams became obsessed with our legal system in all its damaged glory. After studying how his constitutional rights to effective counsel had been violated, he solicited the help of the Wisconsin Innocence Project, an organization that exonerates the wrongfully convicted, and won his release after nearly ten years in prison.

But the journey was far from over. Adams took the lessons he learned through his incarceration and worked his way through law school with the goal of helping those who, like himself, had faced our legal system at its worst. After earning his law degree, he worked with the New York Innocence Project, becoming the first exoneree ever hired by the nonprofit as a lawyer. In his first case with the Innocence Project, he argued before the same court that had convicted him a decade earlier -- and won.

"Redeeming Justice: From Defendant to Defender, My Fight for Equity on Both Sides of a Broken System" is an illuminating story of hope and full-circle redemption in which Adams draws on his life and the cases of his clients to show the racist tactics used to convict young men of color, the unique challenges facing exonerees once released, and how the lack of equal representation in our courts is a failure not only of empathy but of our collective ability to uncover the truth. "Redeeming Justice" is an unforgettable firsthand account of the limits (and possibilities) of our country's system of law.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Redeeming Justice: From Defendant to Defender, My Fight for Equity on Both Sides of a Broken System" is an extraordinary story that is impressively informative, thoughtful, thought-provoking, and inspiring. While unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library Judicial Studies, Criminology, and American Biography collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Redeeming Justice: From Defendant to Defender, My Fight for Equity on Both Sides of a Broken System" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99).

Editorial Note: Jarrett Adams earned his Juris Doctorate from Loyola University Chicago School of Law in May 2015 and started a public-interest law fellowship with Ann Claire Williams, judge for the Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, the same court that reversed his conviction. Jarrett also clerked in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York with the late Honorable Deborah Batts. After working for the Innocence Project in New York, he launched the Law Office of Jarrett Adams, PLLC, in 2017, and now practices in both federal and state courts throughout the country.


James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Diane C. Donovan, Editor
Midwest Book Review
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Oregon, WI 53575-1129
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e-mail: mbr@execpc.com
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