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Small Press Bookwatch

Volume 2, Number 1 January 2003 Home | SPBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Fiction Shelf Self-Help Shelf
Money/Finance Shelf Biography Shelf Health/Medicine Shelf
Poetry Shelf Metaphysical Shelf Business Shelf
Religion/Spirituality Shelf Cookbook Shelf Fantasy/Sci-Fi Shelf


Reviewer's Choice

Calabrian Tales
Peter Chiarella
Regent Press
6020-A Adeline Street, Oakland, CA 94608
1587900300 $20.00 www.regentpress.net

Drawn from a true succession of personal family incidents, Calabrian Tales: A Memoir Of 19th Century Southern Italy by Peter Chiarella is a compelling saga about a family who lived in one of Italy's poorest regions more than a hundred years ago. Here are memorably crafted stories of inexplicable injustice, poverty, avarice, indomitable pride, and survival. Marianna (who is the author's great aunt) is a woman who mortifies her family by becoming the mistress of a wealthy noble. The resulting familial clashes, the trials of emigration, and the struggle to make a new life in America enhance this engaging and deftly written tale of enduring humanity, pride, and culture.

Celebrity Stew
Leo Pearlstein
Hollywood Circle Press
PO Box 48051, Los Angeles, CA 90048
0971130604 $32.95 www.celebritystew.com

Written by Leo Pearlstein, a food publicity pioneer informally known as the unofficial "king of culinary public relations", Celebrity Stew is an amalgamation of unique and fascinating stories about Hollywood stars and their menus. Encounters with Bob Hope, Steve Allen, Bing Crosby, Danny Thomas, Groucho Marx, Mickey Rooney, Diana Shore, Phillis Diller, Abbott & Costello, and a great many more entertainment industry notables are anecdotally detailed in this veritable treasure trove of wit, wisdom, and brushes with celebrity figures. Also available in a trade paperback format (0971130612, $22.95), Celebrity Stew is very highly recommended reading, especially for the legions of fans for radio, film, and television celebrities and stars!

The Stranger In My Bed
Marvin H. Berenson, M.D.
Cove Books
Box 11688, Beverly Hills, CA 90213-4688
0970088531 $24.95 1-800-537-6727

Assembled by Marvin H. Berenson (Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the USC School of Medicine), The Stranger In My Bed And Other Real Life Stories Of Hope And Change is a compelling collection of eight psychological case histories of men and women who undertook guided imagery during their individual psychotherapies. Struggles with severe eating disorders and weight control, repressed memories, personal trauma, the strength to open oneself to change for the better, and more, fill these profound and moving accounts which read more like literary short stories than dryly functional medical accounts, The Stranger In My Bed is highly recommended reading for students of psychotherapy, as well as anyone struggling to overcome despair and hopelessness.

There Is A River
Charlotte Miller
NewSouth Books
PO Box 1588, Montgomery, AL 36102
1588380904 $25.95 newsouthbooks.com

There Is A River by Charlotte Miller is the final novel in an outstanding trilogy of stories about Janson Sanders, a half-Cherokee, half-white yeoman farmer from the Alabama hill country. As Jason emerges from the grinding hunger and poverty of the Great Depression, he must now face a new challenge: World War II, and the land and economic crises that follow. There Is A River is heartfelt, powerfully written saga of love for one's land and the will to make a better future. Also highly recommended are the first two novels of the series, Behold, This Dreamer (1588380025; $27.95) and Through A Glass, Darkly (1588380548; $27.95).

Black Novel With Argentines
Luisa Valenzuela
Latin America Literary Review Press
PO Box 17660, Pittsburgh, PA 15235
1891270133 $17.95 www.lalrp.org

Black Novel With Argentines by Luisa Valenzuela is a grimly compelling story of obsession and murder. Two strangers, a man and a woman actress, cross paths one fateful night, and the meeting results in the woman's death. A dark and twisted saga of seemingly inexplicable motivations and cold-blooded ruthlessness, Black Novel With Argentines clearly documents Luisa Valenzuela as having a first-rate literary mastery of the suspense genre with an uncanny ability to fully engage her readers from first page to last.

On The Fringe
Gregory G. Barton
Triple Tree Publishing
PO Box 5684, Eugene, OR 97405
0966627288 $19.95 www.TripleTreePub.com

On The Fringe And Other Uncommon Tales Of Golf by Gregory G. Barton is an eclectic and adventurous anthology of fourteen off-the-wall tales of life, golf, and mystical mysteries. From the hidden secrets of the Bermuda Triangle, to what it's like to have a clairvoyant caddie, On The Fringe And Other Uncommon Tales Of Golf blends fantasy with golf gaming enthusiasm for a unique experience which is enthusiastically recommended for golfers who are also connoisseurs of original and inventive storytelling.

The Gold Of Cape Giradeau
Morley Swingle
Southeast Missouri State University Press
MS 2650 English Dept. One University Plaza, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701
0972430407 $19.95 1-800-444-0435

Intertwining a contemporary, modern-day setting with the Civil War past of a small Mississippi town which had divided loyalties during the Civil War, The Gold Of Cape Giradeau is a riveting novel about a treasure trove of gold, a history of murder and betrayal, and Allison Culbertson, a young female lawyer who must battle in the courtroom to prove that the gold belongs to her client. An exciting and multilayered tale of love, greed, history, and hidden secrets, The Gold Of Cape Giradeau is the debut and highly recommended novel by Morely Swingle that will leave the reader looking eagerly toward his next literary effort.

Luna's California Poppies
Alma Luz Villanueva
Bilingual Press
Hispanic Research Center, Arizona State University, PO Box 872702, Tempe, AZ 85287-2702
0927534991 $14.00 www.asu.edu/brp

The first half of Luna's California Poppies by Alma Luz Villanueva is the story of twelve-year old Luna, a girl who is deserted by her mother and taken into the home of a kind stranger who provides her with food, shelter, and security -- and who also encourages her to read, write, and study. The second half of this outstanding novel (which is written in the form of a diary), showcase's Luna's move to the country with her family. Now being a mother herself, Luna muses on her past as she and her own children find themselves confronted with bigotry. Luna's California Poppies is a cleverly crafted, reader engaging, and highly recommended novel from beginning to end.

Visions Through A Shattered Lens
Gerard Houarner
Delirium Books
PO Box 338, North Webster, IN 46555
1929653336 $45.00 deliriumbooks.com

Visions Through A Shattered Lens is an impressive 428-page compendium of memorable short stories by Gerard Houarner, showcasing him as a truly talented writer at the top of his form. This outstanding anthology includes: Visions Through a Shattered Lens; Find The Lost Children; Bui Do; The Chain-Lynched Man; Children In The Moonless Night; Signs Of Death; Born From The Womb Of Forever; On The Road; The Unborn; Out Of The Shadows; Like Tears, Cast In The Steps Of Her Mother; The Precipice, In Moonlight, Offers Its Depths; Bone House; Those Who Cast The Shadows; Dead Ground; Mutilation Missionary; Clown Fish; Bones Of The Maker; The Changeover; Things I Wish I Had Not Seen. Enhanced with a one-page biography for those unfamiliar with Gerard Houarner, Visions Through A Shattered Lens is very highly recommended for horror fantasy and supernatural fiction enthusiasts, - and for any discriminating reader who appreciates the discovery a genuine literary talent.

The Secret Court Martial Of Admiral Kimmel
James Edwin Alexander & William R. Burkett
Macedon Publishing Company, Inc.
PO Box 60773, Oklahoma City, OK 73146
0939965283 $16.50 www.macedonpublishing.com

Collaboratively written by James Edwin Alexander and William R. Burkett, The Secret Court Martial Of Admiral Kimmel: Pearl Harbor Revisited is a fictional courtroom drama concerning a court-martial trial that never took place -- but perhaps should have. It revolves around Admiral Kimmel, Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Fleet at Pearl Harbor and the man who received the lion's share of the blame for the Japanese sneak attack that took place on December 7, 1941. Admiral Kimmel asked for a court martial to clear his name, but his request was never granted by the War Department. Highly recommended reading, especially for World War II military buffs, The Secret Court Martial Of Admiral Kimmel is a tightly-written testimony, composed and presented in the style of a courtroom transcript, and with a dialogue as sharp as a cutting-edge radio play, so deftly endowed with a powerful sense of tone and conviction that the reader will find it hard to believe that this is, in fact, a work of historical fiction.

Sweet Sacrifice
Crystal Rhodes
Crystal Ink Publishing
PO Box 53511, Indianapolis, Indiana 46253
0971958610 $11.95 1-317-328-1704 www.amazon.com

Sweet Sacrifice by Crystal Rhodes is a dynamic and attention engaging novel about Sash Adams, an unemployed law school graduate striving to raise her young brother by herself. When her brother's sudden kidnaping turns her world upside-down, she must join forces with Brandon Plaine, a deceitful and dangerous media mogul, for any hope of her sibling's safe return. A tautly written novel, Sweet Sacrifice clearly documents Crystal Rhodes as a novelist of considerable talented.

Femininity (The Other Half)
Ganesh Samant
Trafford
2333 Government Street, Suite E, Victoria, BC, Canada, V8T 4P4
155369094X $24.63 Canadian www.trafford.com

Ganesh Samant's Femininity (The Other Half) is a wry, tongue-in-cheek, and highly recommended collection of platitudes, tidbits, anecdotes, jokes (which range in tone from wicked to obnoxious), and commentary on femininity and male-female relations. Unafraid to mercilessly bash individuals of any gender, Femininity (The Other Half) offers a deceptively humorous, no-holds-barred, candidly informative perspective meant for those with a strong sense of humor.

Being A Bride
Lori J. Osterberg & Andrew J. Osterberg
EOP Publishing
820 South Monaco Parkway, #277, Denver, CO 80224-3703
0971968802 $14.95 www.beingabride.com

Combining Lori J. Osberger's truly "reader friendly" text with Andrew J. Osterberg's superb photographic images, Being A Bride is an inspired and inspiring celebration of what it means to become a married woman through the celebrational rituals of our culture. The profusion of black and white images, as well as the wealth of color photographs, perfectly capture the joy of the moment. These images, underscored with brief yet heartfelt snippets of poetry and prose, make Being A Bride a superbly presented, heartwarming, and memorable tribute to a very special form of personal and familial happiness.

The Search For Peter Hunt
Lynn C. Van Dine
The Local History Company
112 North Woodland Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15232-2849
0971183546 $34.95 www.TheLocalHistoryCompany.com

The Search For Peter Hunt by Lynn C. Van Dine is an adventurous fictionalized biography about a dynamic twentieth-century artist. Born in 1896 in Jersey City, Peter Hunt reinvented his life and work as he matured through such experiences as serving in World War I, falling in love, and experimenting with numerous different styles and artistic talents. A fresh and vibrantly told narrative story, The Search For Peter Hunt is a very highly recommended and deftly written novel from beginning to end.

How To Play Bridge With Your Spouse... And Survive!
Roselyn Teukolsky
Master Point Press
KSB Promotions (publicity)
331 Douglas Ave., Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5M 1H2
1894154509 $14.95 www.masterpointpress.com

How To Play Bridge With Your Spouse... And Survive! bridge enthusiast and expert Roselyn Teukolsky is an engaging and informative guide to useful skills and strategies in the famously complex game of bridge when one is either married to or dating one's bridge partner. The intricate nuances of balancing one's relationship dynamics with the ever-changing needs of the game itself, from a novice pastime pleasure with friends, up to the competitive level of tournament-quality play, make How To Play Bridge With Your Spouse... And Survive! a truly first-rate resource for bridge-playing couples of all ages and backgrounds.

Uncle John's Presents Blame It On The Weather
David Phillips, Michael Parfit, and Suzanne Chisholm
Portable Press
c/o Advantage Publishers Group
5880 Oberlin Drive, San Diego, CA 92121-4794
1571458689 $12.00 www.advantagebooksonline.com

Uncle John's Presents Blame It On The Weather: Amazing Weather Facts is an amazing and collaborative compilation by weather experts and science writers David Phillips, Michael Parfit, and Suzanne Chisholm of exciting and little-known facts about weather in general, and North American weather patterns in particular, ranging from a bizarre thirty hours when Niagra Falls ran dry, to the worst ice storm in recorded history in the year 1998. Trivia, charts, quotes, and an inset section of full-color plates embellish this informed and informative, "reader friendly", and highly recommended survey guide to the weird and wonderful weather workings.

Toilet Training
Vicki Lansky
Book Peddlers
15245 Minnetonka Blvd., Minnetonka, MN 55345
0916773647 $12.95 www.bookpeddlers.com

Now in a completed revised and updated edition, Toilet Training by Vicki Lansky is a first-rate resource for new parents on the art of teaching toddlers how to take care of themselves in the bathroom. Step-by-step instructions, wisdom from experts, advice on the question of whether to use potty chairs or adapters, means to deal with bed wetting, and more fill this pages of this welcome, necessary, and "user friendly" guidebook. A bonus children's book, "Koko Bear's New Potty," is included for reading aloud to one's toddler to help him or her become used to the transition. Also very highly recommended are Vicki Lansky's earlier parenting guides, Feed Me! I'm Yours (Meadowbrook; ISBN: 0671884433, $9.00); Games Babies Play: From Birth To Twelve Months (Book Peddlers; ISBN: 0916773582, $10.95); and Practical Parenting Tips: Over 1,500 Helpful Hints For The First Five Years (Meadowbrook; ISBN: 0671792059, $8.00).

The Archetype Of Renewal
D. Stephenson Bond
Inner City Books
PO Box 1271, Station Q, Toronto, ON M4T 2P4, Canada
1894574052 $16.00 1-416-927-0355

The Archetype Of Renewal: Psychological Reflections On The Aging, Death And Rebirth Of The King by D. Stephenson Bond, (Faculty Member, C.G. Jung Institute, Boston, Massachusetts) is a learned treatise on the eternal theme of "the King is dead, long live the King", and all that such transitions metaphorically symbolize, including exorcizing old processes and systems of understanding for new views and perspectives that are more accurate and effective. From ceremonial renewals of the King practiced in ancient Babylon, to the ever-changing challenges of the modern day, The Archetype Of Renewal embraces both Jungian psychology and the evolving human spirit. The Archetype Of Renewal is a welcome and very highly recommended addition to Jungian Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Alger Hiss, Whittaker Chambers, And The Schism In The American Soul
Patrick A. Swan, editor
ISI Books
PO Box 4431, Wilmington, DE 19807-0431
1882926919 $16.95 www.isibooks.org

Carefully compiled and deftly edited by Patrick A. Swan (Public Affairs Liaison in the Chief Information Office of the United States Army), Alger Hiss, Whittaker Chambers, And The Schism In The American Soul is a cornerstone marker of the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of "Witness", a memoir of Whittaker Chambers' childhood, as well as his years as a communist writer, his work as a Soviet spy, and the trials in which he served as the U.S. government's primary witness against Alger Hiss. A compilation of scholarly and analytic essays by twenty-three learned authors, Alger Hiss, Whittaker Chambers, And The Schism In The American Soul offers a series of impressive, informative discourses upon some of the most divisive and paranoid years in American history. Alger Hiss, Whittaker Chambers, And The Schism In The American Soul is a very highly recommended addition to 20th Century American History reference collections.


The Fiction Shelf

At The Manger
Peter V. Orullian
Descant Publishing
PO Box 12973, Mill Creek, WA 98208
0971290903 $16.95 www.atthemanger.com

At The Manger: The Stories Of Those Who Were There by Peter V. Orullian is a touching and imaginative novel about what it must have truly been like to witness the birth of Jesus Christ. Presenting viewpoints of this monumental event from a wide variety of perspectives imbued with humility and respectful wonder, At The Manger is highly recommended as uplifting, thoughtful, and thoroughly entertaining reading.

The Flower Of Clear Burning
Joel Van Valin
NovelBooks Inc.
PO Box 661, Douglas, MA 01516
159105026X $17.95 www.novelbooksinc.com

Set in the 14th century, The Flower Of Clear Burning by Joel Van Valin is the impressively written story of Theresa Winered, a married witch, who is accompanied by a midwife and a bar wench, all of whom must seek a legendary flower with the power to cure any sickness before a deadly plague consumes their home. The Flower Of Clear Burning is confidently recommended as being an adventurous and highly entertaining novel of courage and determination.

The Great Pretender
Millenia Black
Infinity Publishing.com
519 West Lancaster Avenue, Haverford, PA 19041-1413
0741412780 $16.95 1-877-BUY-BOOK www.amazon.com

The Great Pretender by Millenia Black is an original and deftly written novel about Reginald Brooks, a bigamist who for over six years, has successfully concealed his secret of having two separate families. But now the deception is beginning to unravel and it seems that the truth must win out. The Great Pretender is warmly recommended as an emotionally charged, superbly presented saga of human failings and frailties, -- and the need to measure up and transcend the habit-forming lies of the past.

The Holy
Daniel Quinn
Context Books
368 Broadway, Suite 314, New York, NY 10013
189395630X $25.00 www.contextbooks.com

The Holy by Daniel Quinn is a dark, metaphysical thriller of a novel about a parallel race of beings, worshiped throughout human history as pagan gods, guardian spirits, shape-shifters, and mythical tricksters. But now they have decided that humanity is a threat to life itself, and their invitations to rapture and enlightenment are leading their followers and the rest of humanity down a very destructive road. The Holy is highly recommended as a unique and grippingly written saga of the weaknesses of human nature and its tenuous relationship with the consciousness beyond

Mittens In The Boundary Waters
Larry Ahlman
Kodiak Publishing
9525 W. 230 St., Morristown, MN 55052
0971290601 $14.95 www.ahlmans.com/mittens.html

Set in 1931, Mittens In The Boundary Water by Larry Ahlman is an adventurous novel about Charles "Mittens" Perkins, a dedicated man who dared to brave the Boundary Waters Wilderness of northern Minnesota in pursuit of his dream. Danger, humor, a love of the outdoors, and the insistent demands of survival are deftly blended together in this engaging, thoroughly entertaining, and highly recommended read.

Rainbow's End
Bob Adamov
Packard Island Publishing
c/o Greenleaf Book Group, dist.
660 Elmwood Point, Aurora, OH 44202
1929774168 $24.95 1-800-932-5420 www.greenleafbookgroup.com

Rainbow's End is a thrilling novel by Bob Adamov that connects a shady raid during the American Civil War with modern-day black ops machinations and clandestine schemes. An active and attention gripping saga, Rainbow's End is peppered with remorseless murder, sailing, danger, deadly chases, and much more. Rainbow's End is highly recommended as an adventurous story of how greed twists human nature and the hidden depths of strength that lie beneath the surface.

Duck Blood Soup
Joseph Molea, MD
Mystery and Suspense Press
c/o iUniverse.com, Inc.
2021 Pine Lake Road, #100, Lincoln, NE 68512
0595218431 $18.95 iuniverse.com

In Duck Blood Soup, author Joseph Molea (a nationally recognized addiction medicine specialist and director of HealthCare Connection, Tampa, Florida) draws upon his medical expertise and professional experience to write an eerie and suspenseful novel of drug addiction among those charged with the highest responsibility and power over human lives -- physicians. At times shocking, but always gripping and intense, Duck Blood Soup is highly recommended as being a first-rate, cover-to-cover saga that can't be put down until the very end.

When The Ravens Die
Cameron Kent
Alliance Books
c/o Harlan Publishing Company
5710-K High Point Road #280, Greensboro, NC 27407
0967652871 $22.00 www.harlanpublishing.com/alliance_books

When The Ravens Die by Cameron Kent is a chilling mystery that blends political intrigue and the machinations of the British Royal Family into a suspenseful, attention gripping tale about the passing of legends and the onset of mortality. Background secrets and aggressive political cover-ups abound in this twisted and exciting tale. When The Ravens Die is highly recommended reading, and clearly documents author Cameron Kent as having a genuine literary talent with a flair for the mystery/suspense genre.

Bet, Raise, Or Fold
Jillian Levin
Dorrance Publishing Co., Inc.
643 Smithfield Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
0805953515 $20.00 1-800-788-7654

Jillian Levin's deftly written novel, Bet, Raise, Or Fold is the engaging and complicated story of Jaimie, a woman who emerges from a troubled marriage plagued with drug addiction to independence and single motherhood. It is her surprising skill in playing the game of poker which helps her to cope with the demands of her life and circumstances, but will it be enough to win the one man she truly loves? Bet, Raise, Or Fold is very highly recommended as a tightly written and captivating read from cover to cover.

White Lies
Michael R. Salinas
Privately Published
Rt. 4 Box 163A, Mercedes, TX 78570
1929072333 $13.95 www.amazon.com www.booklocker.com/bookpages/white.html

White Lies by Michael R. Salinas is a compelling and adroitly written tale of murder and deceit. When law-school alumnus John Abrams returns home to his Texas small town, he learns that his uncle has been killed and his father has been arrested for the murder. In defending his father, John is gradually exposed to a myriad foundation of lies that has colored his family's past for years, in this shocking, compelling, highly recommended work of mystery and suspense.

The New Girl
Edwin Perley
Virtualbookworm.com Publishing, Inc.
PO Box 9949, College Station, TX 77842
1589392167 $13.95 www.virtualbookworm.com

The New Girl is the debut novel by Edwin Perley . An emotional and thought-provoking story of Chris Harris, a 12- year-old hermaphrodite who must suddenly adjust to change from life as a boy to life as a girl, The New Girl is original and thought-provoking reading. The Harris family strives to conceal the secret, and Chris must deal with personal mortification both inward and out as she struggles to accept who she is, and begins an unusual romance with a boy who was once her best friend -- when she was male. A compelling saga of the search for human identity, The New Girl is a truly compelling read from first page to last.

Tales Of Psychology
Alma H. Bond, Ph.D.
Paragon House
2700 University Avenue West, St. Paul, MN 55114
1557788065 $26.95 www.paragonhouse.com

Painstakingly compiled by psychoanalyst Alma H. Bond (who was in private practice for 37 years), Tales Of Psychology: Short Stories To Make You Wise is an impressive anthology of short stories which were specifically crafted by their authors to provide meaningful insights into the nature and workings of the human mind. Ranging from Raymond Carver's "A Small, Good Thing", to Woody Allen's "My Apology", nineteen intellectually and literarily gifted authors proffer their short story revelations into the human psyche in a compelling, highly readable, enthusiastically recommended collection.

1853 Los Angeles Gangs
Steven W. Knight
Hard Shell Word Factory
PO Box 161, Amherst Junction, WI 54407
075990345X $10.95 www.hardshell.com

1853 Los Angeles Gangs by Steven W. Knight is an impressively written, historical novel of the lawless gangs of Los Angeles, and the determined Rangers who stood against them. The superbly drawn story of a turbulent "yesteryear" city is populated with such memorable characters as Juan Flores who intends for his gant to dominant a rapidly expanding and ethnically diverse city by first killing off the Chinese, and then the Americans; Don Thomas Sanchez struggling to preserve political power in the face of American landgrabs; and Horace Bell with his implacable dedication to the law. Drama, action, bloodshed, love and great courage fill the pages of this exciting and entertaining saga from cover to cover.

The Spider's Touch
Patricia Wynn
Pemberley Press
PO Box 5840, Austin, TX 78763-5840
097027274X $25.95 www.pemberlypress.com

Set in Europe of the early 1700's, The Spider's Touch is the latest volume of the "Blue Satan" series of intriguing historical novels by Patricia Wynn. Gideon Viscount St. Mars, a.k.a. "Blue Satan," has been branded an outlaw in his beloved home nation of England; now residing in France, Gideon receives a call for help from the Jacobites. Entangled in a mesh of rebellion, an intricate web of cross-motives, dangerous political machinations, and more, the Blue Satan is caught between his namesake and the deep blue sea. The Spider's Touch is a sweeping, exciting, engaging historical saga. Also very highly recommended is the debut volume of this outstanding series: The Birth Of Blue Satan (0970272707; $25.95)

Autumn Was Our Season
Stan Hager
Castle Peak Editions
PO Box 277, Murphy, Oregon 97533
0965793826 $22.95 www.castlepeakeditions.com

Enhanced with an informative Foreword by Art Petersen, the article "Remembering Stan" by Lee-Marie Varner, an Afterword by Bill Hotchkiss, and Notes by Claude Sanders, Autumn Was Our Season presents a impressive collection of short stories and poems by Stan Hager, including his unpublished stories; as well as most of his published articles, a few of his letters, and a previously unpublished novella: "The Woman Who Drank Her Own Blood." Some of Hager's unfinished works, left behind after his tragic and sudden death at age forty-nine, are offered with conclusions written by his close friend Claude Sanders. Wry, insightful, tautly compelling writing characterizes Autumn Was Our Season, a remarkable and memorable anthology that well serves to document Hager's quite genuine and diverse literary talents.

The Headmaster's Papers
Richard A. Hawley
Paul S. Eriksson, Publisher
PO Box 125, Forest Dale, VT 05745
0839731949 $16.95 1-802-247-4210

The Headmaster's Papers by Richard A. Hawley is the literate and engaging story of John Greeve, headmaster for a small, independent New England boys' school, whose personal and professional life begins to disintegrate around him. Faced with the crumbling of his meticulously ordered routine, Greeve must accept the challenge and fight for his school, his family, and even his own life. Originally published almost twenty years ago, Richard Hawley's The Headmaster's Papers continues to be very highly recommended as a powerful saga of courage and adapting to the unexpected.

The Education Of Annie
Angie Cameron
AMK Publishing
2037 Erie Lane, Superior, CO 80027
0971761000 $28.95 www.AMKpublishing.com

The Education Of Annie by Angie Cameron is the story of Annie Rochelle Lee, a college-bound young woman who is caught between a dysfunctional home life and intense pressures to succeed in the outside world. When Annie falls in love with a young man, her habit of lying to herself about how things are (a survival tactic adopted while growing up), threatens to destroy any hope of a meaningful and successful relationship. The Education Of Annie is recommended as a powerfully written "coming of age" story about a young woman's heart-felt search for emotional stability and personal independence.

Finding The Path
Jeffrey P. Kaplan, Ph.D. & Abby Lederman M.Ed.
Hawk Mountain Press
PO Box 1721, Norristown, PA 19404-1721
097203580X $14.95 www.ilovemyteen.com

Collaboratively written by Jeffrey P. Kaplan (a licensed psychologist with a full-time practice specializing in adolescent psychology and stress management) and Abby Lederman (a freelance journalist who facilitates workshops for parents of teens, and who teaches parenting courses), Finding The Path is a unique kind of parenting self-help guide that presents its "love-based parenting" plan showcased within the context of a fiction novel about a single mother and her rebellious teenage son. Extensive endnotes and appendices help bring into relief the practical and sound advice for parents everywhere trying to figure out their teenagers. Sometimes fiction can be effectively in the service of providing useful and usable information -- Finding The Path is highly recommended as being just such a novel.

Children Of Paper
Martha Blum
Coteau Books
401-2206 Dewdney Ave., Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada S4R 1H3
1550502085 $16.95 www.coteaubooks.com

Set in a Jewish village in turn-of-the-century rural Ukraine, Children Of Paper by Martha Blum is an impressively written novel of unique and memorable characters, each of whom are searching for their own path and identity, ranging from the village idiot who communicates with bees, to an artist blessed with wondrous talent, to a scroll writer who discovers the merits of science and urban life. Children Of Paper is especially recommended for its engaging and vivid drawn portrait of truly memorable characters.

The Hoopster
Alan Lawrence Sitomer
Milk Mug Publishing
9190 West Olympic Blvd., Suite 253, Beverly Hills, CA 90212
0972188207 $15.95 www.thehoopsterbook.com

The Hoopster by Alan Lawrence Sitomer is a compelling novel about Andre Anderson, a black teenager who is skilled at basketball, and the hopes, dreams, and friends he enjoys spending time with. A sudden and brutal attack wrenches Andre's life around, and compels him to discover for himself how to pick up the pieces and rebuild the life he wants to live. The Hoopster is a powerful written, attention compelling, and highly recommended work.

As If Nothing Happened
Monica Carter
RootSky Publishing
c/o Morris Publishing
3212 East Highway 30, Kearney, NE 68847
0971843600 $14.95 www.rootskypublishing.com

As If Nothing Happened by Monica Carter, is the deftly told story of Joya, Yvonne, and Jennifer, three female friends whose lives suffer major upheavals where one is in the midst of a career disaster, another is facing the possible end of her marriage, and the third seems to be losing her grip on daily life itself. Yet each of them acts as if nothing happened as they seem to be gradually losing touch with one another. Is there any hope of regaining their sisterhood? As If Nothing Happened is confidently recommended as an attention engaging, emotionally powerful and thoughtfully entertaining tale of learning to recognize and empathize.


The Self-Help Shelf

Unspeakable
Herb Orrell
Bayou Publishing
2524 Nottingham, Houston, TX 77005-1412
1886298149 $24.95 1-770-953-0850 www.BayouPublishing.com

Unspeakable: The Truth About Grief by Herb Orrell is an unusual "self-help" book written specifically for those people who find themselves entrapped in endless grief. Orrell (an ordained pastor with years of experience helping people to deal with grief in all its forms) offers informative guidance regarding the healing process, as well as cogent advice for when grieving includes being angry at God, at oneself, or at others. Unspeakable: The Truth About Grief is strongly recommended as being a powerful, meaningful, reader accessible guide to finally achieving and embracing peace of mind, peace of heart, and peace of spirit.

Becoming Soul Mates
Elva Anson, M.A., MFT
Emidra Publishing
PO Box 770, Fair Oaks, CA 95628
0972356932 $14.95 www.emidrapublishing.com

Alva Anson is a successful and happily married woman who is nearing her 50th wedding anniversary and draws upon her years of experience of assisting couples of all ages and backgrounds to transform their deteriorating relations into dynamic, deepening, life-long and life-lasting intimate unions to write Becoming Soul Mates: How To Create The Lifelong Relationship You Always Dreamed Of. This is a very practical and insightfully thoughtful, "reader friendly" guide to finding the right person and then allowing the connection to grow and evolve into a priceless, rewarding relationship. From viewing intimacy with both God and one's partner as the ultimate goal, to the language of sex itself, to the importance of taking responsibility for one's own feelings, Becoming Soul Mates is a meaningful and strongly recommended personal, marital, and spiritual guidepost.


The Money/Finance Shelf

Ease The Squeeze
Doug Hagedorn
Xulon Press
11350 Random Hills Road, Suite 800, Fairfax, VA 22030
159160172X $18.99 www.financialfoundationbuilders.com

Ease The Squeeze: Develop A Life Plan, A Giving Plan, And A Financial Plan is a straightforward, "reader friendly" guide to developing personally-based financial plans to living a comfortable, debt-free, worry free life. From getting a handle on spending, to sound advice regarding charitable giving and socially responsible stewardship, to a variety of checklists, self-tests, and worksheets for easy reference and assistance, Ease The Squeeze is very strongly recommended as being a truly first-rate instructional manual appropriate for readers of all economic and educational backgrounds, and is a "must" for anyone wanting to prepare for a secure retirement or who is feeling seriously squeezed by bills and creditors.

When Death Occurs
John M. Reigle
Consumer Advocate Press
PO Box 64, Curran, MI 48728
0971651809 $19.95 1-989-370-7116

When Death Occurs: A Practical Consumer's Guide by consumer rights advocate John M. Reigle is a comprehensive, "user friendly", step-by-step guide to dealing with the practical and financial realities of funerals, memorial services, burials, cremations, and body donation. When Death Occurs is not a guide for dealing with the emotional pain of losing a loved one; it is a specific manual for handling what must be financially and physically necessarily done with respect to burial or cremation matters, concerns, and decisions. Because of its necessary information, enhanced with an abundance of practical advice (including identifying seven alternatives to traditional funerals), which is presented in a no-nonsense manner, When Death Occurs has the highest recommendation and could result in the savings of thousands of dollars of unnecessary, unneeded, or unwanted expenses.

You Can Retire Young
Larry A. Ferstenou
American Book Business Press
325 East 2400 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84115
1589820088 $19.95 www.american-book.com

You Can Retire Young: How To Retire In Your 40s Or 50s Without Being Rich by Larry A. Ferstenou is a financial self-help guide based upon the author's personal life experiences and specifically written for the benefit of anyone who wants to retire before age 60. Practical, easy to understand, step-by-step instructions and tips for keeping strict financial self-discipline, managing investments for the long run, balancing personal interests with the possibility of light part-time work, and a great deal more, make You Can Retire Young! a solidly practical and enthusiastically recommended instructional guide and reference to living well without immersing oneself in the excruciating daily grind well into old age.

Let's Get Financial Savvy!
Dr. Lois Center-Shabazz
CenNet Systems
PO Box 1335, Chesapeake VA 23327-1385
0971979502 $16.95 www.amazon.com

Those new to personal finance concepts, such as young adults newly out of college, will find Let's Get Financial Savvy!: From Debt-Free To Investing With Ease an important guide; as will many an adult. The author persevered through a financial crisis and here imparts his tips on how to invest, handle money, and protect against risky ventures. From online investments to mortgages, Let's Get Financial Savvy! comes packed with charts and calculations.


The Biography Shelf

From London To New Delhi By Car In 1951
Dean Warren
Xlibris Corporation
436 Walnut Street, 11th floor, Philadelphia, PA 19106
1401051561 $20.99 www.xlibris.com

From London To New Delhi By Car In 1951 is a memoir and travelogue by Dean Warren which is beautifully illustrated throughout with numerous full-color photographs. Combined with an engaging text, these photos bring to life the yesteryear wonder and experience of traveling through Asian and African nations by automobile. Narrating what was demonstrably an exciting journey with matter-of-fact realism, From London To New Delhi By Car In 1951 is a particularly enjoyable and memorable autobiographically oriented snapshot of lands fifty years since gone by.

Forgiving Dad
Anthony T. Campo, Ph.D.
Page 1 Publishing
PO Box 181, Killington, VT 05751-0181
0970766149 $14.95 page1publishing.com

Forgiving Dad: A Therapist's Journey To Forgiveness is the testimony of Anthony T. Campo, a therapist and faithful son whose birthday was devastated by the death of his father in 1992. Opening the path of his long journey through grief, anger, denial, and forgiveness, Forgiving Dad is a powerful story of love, healing, and moving on past misery to emotional wellness. Forgiving Dad is especially recommended reading for anyone struggling with issues of love, loss, and the need to come to terms with their own troubled past.

From CP to CPA
Robin Pritts
Weyant Press, Inc.
27765 McKee Road, Toney, Alabama 35773
0972271937 $11.99 www.weyantpress.com

From CP to CPA: One Man's Triumph Over the Disability of Cerebral Palsy is an uplifting personal testimony of Robin Pritts drive to achieve his dreams and overcome barriers set in his path by having contracted Cerebral Palsy. Tracing his journey from a Special Education classroom to the University of Illinois where he successfully obtained CPA certification, From CP to CPA is a motivational and inspirational life journey which is very highly recommended reading for anyone having to cope with a life-altering disability, injury, or illness.

Kriegsgefangenen #6410: Prisoner Of War
John L. Lenburg
iUniverse.com, Inc.
2021 Pine Lake Road, #100, Lincoln, NE 68512
0595223052 $14.95 www.iuniverse.com

Kriegsgefangenen #6410: Prisoner Of War is the memoir of John L. Lenburg, a World War II serviceman who served with the 460th Bomb Group, and became prisoner of war in German custody when his B-24 was shot out of the sky. Lenburg was given the code name Kriegsgefangenen #6410 by his captors, and was compelled to brave truly horrific conditions of captivity for nearly a year, ultimately surviving to eventually walk to freedom. A powerful saga of violence, suffering, strength of character and the determination to persevere, Kriegsgefangenen #6410: Prisoner of War is a welcome and much appreciated contribution to the growing library of World War II combatant biographies and eye-witness memoirs.


The Health/Medicine Shelf

Therapeutic Touch
Dolores Krieger, Ph.D., R.N.
Lantern Books
One Union Square West, Suite 201, New York, NY 10003
1590560108 $20.00 www.lanternbooks.com

Therapeutic Touch As Transpersonal Healing by Dolores Krieger (who developed Therapeutic Touch in collaboration with Dora Kunz) is a an explanatory presentation of the practice of "Therapeutic Touch", including its origins, its applications to promote healing, and much, much more. Designed especially for hands-on therapists and a highly recommended addition to Alternative Medicine reference collections and reading lists, Therapeutic Touch As Transpersonal Healing offers a an accessible and superbly organized body of practical information, useful guidelines, and invaluable resources for anyone with an interest in learning about this remarkable, gentle, non-invasive healing technique for repairing and maintaining human health.

Is Your House Making You Overweight, Sick Or Tired?
Margaret Rouse Shontz
Basic Truths Publishing
PO Box 503, Cedar Falls, IA 50613-0503
0972324372 $29.95 1-319-983-2142

Is Your House Making You Overweight, Sick Or Tired? by Margaret Rouse Shontz is an informative, insightful, and very practical guide to the household causes of a variety of health problems including weight gain, stress, and insomnia. From the deleterious effects of improper electricity, to how the direction one sleeps affects how one feels, to being wary of poisons from water pipes or dysfunctional filters, Is Your House Making You Overweight, Sick Or Tired? is an informed and informative, thoughtful and thought-provoking, health and safety guide which is especially recommended reading for anyone suffering from chronic health problems. Is Your House Making You Overweight, Sick Or Tired? is a unique and welcome addition to any personal, professional, or community library Alternative Medicine reference collection.

The Art Of War Plus The Art Of Love
Gary Gagliardi
Clearbridge Publishing
PO Box 33772, Seattle, WA 98133
1929194145 $9.95 www.clearbridge.com

The Art of War Plus The Art of Love: The Ancient Chinese Science Of Strategy, Bing-Fa, Applied To The Challenge Of Finding, Winning And Keeping Love by Sun Tzu "Bing-Fa" authority Gary Gagliardi is a unique relationship self-help guide that incorporates the tactics of the eternal Chinese classic "The Art of War" to the process of finding love against all odds. Each two-page spread contains timeless quotes from "The Art of War" on one side, and reinterpretations of the quotes as applied to getting and keeping a life-long mate on the other. The Art Of War Plus The Art Of Love is enthusiastically recommended to anyone seeking to improve their social and personal communication skills (especially with respect to decision making matters relevant to romance and courtship), as a particularly insightful blending and interpretation of an ancient wisdom with contemporary realities.

Health And Nutrition Secrets That Can Save Your Life
Russell L. Blaylock, M.D.
Health Press
PO Box 37470, Albuquerque, NM 87176-7470
0929173422 $29.95 www.healthpress.com

Health And Nutrition Secrets That Can Save Your Life by Russell L. Blaylock (Certified Neurosurgeon and Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery, Medical University of Mississippi), is a 459-page holistic instructional manual and guide for improving personal health while avoiding common toxins and other environmental health hazards. Warnings about mercury, lead, aluminum, and food additives that can kill (Monsodium Glutamate is an especial ubiquitous offender), steps to reduce the risk of a heart attack, avoiding health problems associated with aging such as adult-onset diabetes, and much, much more fill this practical and savvy guide to living a happier and healthier life.

Taking Care Of Your Eyes
Melvin L. Rubin & Lawrence A. Winograd
Triad Publishing Company
PO Box 13355, Gainesville, FL 32604
0937404616 $24.95 www.triadpublishing.com

Taking Care Of Your Eyes: A Collection Of The Patient Education Handouts Used By America's Leading Eye Doctors is a unique and succinct guide to eye care and health, consisting of the handouts utilized by America's leading eye doctors to provide their patients with practical, applicable, relevant information. All of these handouts were originally written and used to educate patients about everything from first aid for eye injuries, to using the right glasses or contacts, to common eye conditions, the condition of glaucoma, common myths about the eyes, and much, much more. An index for easy reference rounds out this superbly informative, highly accessible, and strongly recommended medical information resource.

Cancer Involvement Program
Sandy Jost, Ph.D.
One Health Publishing
PO Box 31073, St. Louis, MO 63131-1073
1932153225 $169.95 1-877-795-5824 www.ONEhealthpublishing.com

Cancer Involvement Program: An Integrative & Holistic Approach To Conventional Medical Treatment is an CD format, self-help, audiobook guide which focuses upon an holistic, mind-body approach to combating cancer. Tips, tricks, and techniques for using the power of the mind fill this meaningful collection from beginning to end. Listeners will learn how to make the most of guided imagery to help themselves upon a personal journey toward improved physical and spiritual health. Listeners will learn how to reduce their feelings of fear and powerlessness; reduce their mental and emotional depression; reduce their tension and stress levels; be able to enhance their body's immune response; enhance their ability to manage pain and reduce their physical suffering; deepen and hone their intuitive skills and decision making abilities; strengthen their will to live; and to identify, evaluate, and amend any unhealthy beliefs detrimental to the physical and emotional quality of their daily life. Sandy Jost's Cancer Involvement Program is strongly recommended for anyone who is having to deal with cancer in any of its forms.

Returning To Health With Dance, Movement, And Imagery
Anna Halprin
LifeRhythm
PO Box 806, Mendocino, CA 95460
0940795221 $20.00 1-707-937-1825 www.liferhythm.com

A revised edition of "Dance As A Healing Art" by Anna Halprin, Returning to Health with Dance, Movement, and Imagery is the personal and compelling memoir of a cancer survivor and dance teacher who navigated the difficult road to wellness and healing. Telling her courageous, inspiring story in her own words, Returning To Health With Dance, Movement, And Imagery is highly recommended reading, especially for anyone having to deal with cancer and in need of an uplifting, positive read.

How To Quit Smoking
Steve McCall
Eagle Reef Publishing
PO Box 270314, Littleton, CO 80127-0006
0965259463 $8.95 info@coldeagle.com www.coldeagle.com

How To Quit Smoking: The Cold Eagle Method by Steve McCall could, quite literally, prove to be a life saving book for the reader who is addicted to tobacco nicotine. The "Cold Eagle Method" is a quick, practical, "doable" approach to kicking the smoking habit without resort to problematic patches or elaborate gimmicks. Complete within this little 76 page do-it-yourself smoking cessation guide is all that non-specialist general readers will need to free themselves from the increasingly expensive, health degrading, and ultimately lethal effects of tobacco addition.

Smoking Cigarettes: The Unfiltered Truth
Janet Benner, Ph.D.
Joelle Publishing
PO Box 91229, Santa Barbara, CA 93190-1229
0942723163 $14.95 www.joellepublishing.com

Now in an updated and expanded second edition, Smoking Cigarettes: The Unfiltered Truth by residential treatment for youth addictions expert for Janet Benner, is a straightforward, fact-filled account of exactly how smoking cigarettes harms one's health, shortens one's life, and how to most effectively quit the addiction to tobacco. Smoking Cigarettes pulls no punches, informing readers of exactly what negative effects to expect if they do quit (withdrawal, craving, insomnia) or if they don't (cancer, organ failure, etc.) This edition is enhanced with a chapter which focuses on chewing tobacco. A detailed tour guide of the many different options and alternatives to those seeking to quit, Smoking Cigarettes should be in the Health and Medicine collections of every highschool and every community library in the country.


The Poetry Shelf

Runes: A Review Of Poetry
CB Follett and Susan Terris, editors
Arctos Press
PO Box 401, Sausalito, CA 94966
0965701557 $10.00 www.members.aol.com/runes

Collaboratively compiled and edited by C.B. Follett and Susan Terris, Runes: A Review Of Poetry is an eclectic collection of original free-verse by a very wide assortment of quiet talented poets. From reverence for the seasons, to practical difficulties of daily life, to solemn homages to the dead, Runes presents a series of vivid, inspirational, and memorable readings. Jesus in America: He stands on the corner/of Market Street/with hands agape at his sides./Each Tear from his eye reflects/the city's starvation./He opens his doors, the robes/of his church,/to reveal the neon heart/blinking through its thorns;/he looks up the huge golden arcs/of fast food reaching for heaven/from across the street./He is the bun of God, the cola of deliverance. Dancing Bear

Tangled Hair
Akiko Yosano
Sanford Goldstein and Seishi Shinoda, translators
Cheng & Tsui Company
25 West Street, Boston, MA 02111-1213
0887273734 $15.95 www.cheng-tsui.com

Tangled Hair: Selected Tanka From Midaregami is a selection of Akiko Yosano's rather impressive Japanese poetry, which was originally published in 1901, and is here superbly translated by the combined efforts of Sanford Goldstein (Professor Emeritus, Purdue University and Keiwa College, Japan) and Seishi Shinoda (Niigata University, Japan) into English for a new generation of readers. The "tanka" is the most popular form of Japanese poetry, representing 1,200 years of literary history and tradition. These translations are sensitive to context and subtle word meaning, are presented with extensive notes concerning the poems themselves, and include facets relating to the author's life. 95: Through these pines/The breeze equally/On her cheeks and mine,/Yet how like strangers/Our thoughts.

Without Paradise
Richard Hoffman
Cedar Hill Publications
c/o Maggie Jaffe
3730 Arnold Avenue, San Diego, CA 92104
1891812335 $15.00 1-800-869-7553 www.spdbooks.org cedarhill_bks@hotmail.com

Richard Hoffman is an experienced and talented poet of considerable expertise who has heretofore been published in numerous literary magazines and anthologies. Without Paradise brings his work under one cover and will well serve to introduce a major poetic talent to a whole new generation of readers. Ghazal: Spare us from men who believe in another world./Save us from men who only believe in this world.//Look at the thief, the murderer, the rapist getting away!/The world is his, the one he believes in, this world.//The martyr's myth-enchanted mind and mumbling lips/and every atom of him gone. See? Believe in this world.//Can we please return to the theme of romantic love?/The killers called it womanly, our belief in this world.//There must be a place where lovers never part and yet/one must be in love and lonely to believe in this world.//I ought to know. I've seen both enemies and lovers die./I ought to but I don't see how to be alive in this world.

To Whom It Must Concern
Claire van Breemen Downes
North Star Press of St. Cloud, Inc.
PO Box 451, St. Cloud, MN 56302
0878391851 $9.95 1-888-820-1636

To Whom It Must Concern is an impressive and highly recommended compilation of poetry the Claire van Breemen Downes has memorably created from her personal observations and life experiences. Woven Life: Tight-woven textures of our yesterdays/wrap us more warmly than the airy gauze/we spun of feather dreams and autumn haze/when we were young.//Then we thought life a waltz without a pause/and planned our fashionings to suit our dance./We disregarded minor flecks and flaws/when we were young.//Although we left the fabric all to chance,/life put some sturdy fibers in the loom/among the rainbow threads of bright romance/when we were young.//Therefore, though drafts blow cold in winter's room,/snug in the radiant total of our days,/we bask in surer warmth than love's new bloom/when we were young.

Ashes, Jade, Mirrors
Patricia Corbus
Volcanic Ash Books
5934 Creola Road, Charlotte, NC 28270
0970098022 $14.00 www.word-press.com volcanicashbooks@aol.com

The poetry of Patricia Corbus comprising Ashes, Jade, Mirrors showcases a controlled skill of diction and syntax blended with a sensitive perspective enriched with candor, dignity, and joy. Please: Please don't talk about the weather/Here in Florida. It's like talking//About the size of someone's nose/Or their big breasts--a gift of nature.//It's all the same here or there, small/Slackenings of this or that. You are not//At the end of the world; the same rules/Apply. If truth were known, you couldn't//Get anything done at home, either./You bought a little time and illusion.//This is the same earth your grandmother/inhabited. It can be very cold here./Very hot at your place. These small/Differences are not crucial, not enough,//To make you throw off your clothes and/Your wife. Try not to be too offensive.

Colors
Jack L. Bartlett
Rexdale Publishing Company
PO Box 563, Hackensack, NJ 07602-0563
0967566762, $9.95, www.rexdalepublishing.com

The very best poets use words like the very best painters use color, form, texture, and composition. Jack Bartlett employs his verse on the pages of Colors, like a kind of verbal Rembrandt is a series of memorably impressive poems that linger in the mind well after the volume is placed back upon the shelf. Trout Water: In cold water with a line/it is not just the fish or the catch,/not the mountains cracked by water,/not the boulders painted with impasto moss,/the hemlocks and spruces hanging/over deep eddies and shallow shoals;/it is not just the rocks polished/like marbles at my feet,/the offerings of cold springs/and fern framed seeping pools.//It is not the complex circle/of creature dependencies,/not the wonder of where all this water goes,/but the water itself, the perpetual flow,/shaping all in its path, even trees.//It is knowing that if I were a fish/and had a wish it would be/to be a cutthroat waiting here timelessly,/methodically, for a caddis fly to come my way.

The Soldiers Of Year II
Medbh McGuckian
Wake Forest University Press
PO Box 7333, Winston-Salem, NC 27109
1930630085 $TBA 1-336-758-5448

The Soldiers Of Year II is a compilation of the poetry of Medbh McGuckian and documents him as a major literary talent in the difficult field of crafted verse. A Mantra of Submission: My miniature shore is a lick of gold/iced over as his singing dated head.//From the caged area of the garden,/he murmurs across newly found pillows/furring my single hearted arteries.//At midnight like a storm that feels/my presence,/twelve raw Muse-grapes/free me from all the years of blame//of being ill at ease among pacifists,/war-harnessed as a soldier to his voice.

The Real Moon Of Poetry And Other Poems
Tina Brown Celona
Fence Books
University Press of New England, dist.
14 Fifth Avenue, #1A, New York, NY 10011
097131893X, $12.00, 1-800-421-1561, www.fencebooks.com

The poetry of Tina Brown Celona as showcased in The Real Moon Of Poetry And Other Poems, is by turns lucid, dark, comic, explicit, focused, and meticulous. Our Youth: It is said the simple cannot deceive. But/that is philosophy/Loose ends of a painting/causing the faculties to idle./Where there was no you/a whole temperament/provided the representation/of an animal gazing/at a copy of sky. Dark water/appeared, red-veiled insects/A drowned mouse. Where with one/motion the object of/countless syntheses was revealed./You and I, two innumerable/among the wastes of Poland, fields/of burnt cornstalks/The yellow surface of the mind.

Walking Barefoot In The Glassblowers Museum
Ellyn Maybe
Manic D Press
PO Box410804, San Francisco, CA 94141
0916397807 $13.95 www.manicdpress.com

Ellyn Maybe's poetry showcases her beliefs in family, love, and identity, along with an anti-establishment idealism. She also presents the reader with a truly impressive control of language and imagery. Desert Grain: It's as if you put 5 pennies in a gumball machine/and out came grace./Sometimes vocabulary does the shimmy with humility./You make parentheses bend over in a choreography worthy/of Merce Cunningham./You've learned the capital city of Psyche is empathy./You are brilliance blinded with candor./You don't act as though you keep a dictionary in your underwear./There's an astronomy to knowing which way/the planetarium's beard points tonight./There's a hymn crossing your cheekbones./There's a sand glass painting with your name on it/and I'd steal a desert grain by grain to give you more time.

Sheaves Of Silence
Adams
Lost Coast Press
155 Cypress Street, Fort Bragg, CA 95437
1882897706 $14.95 1-800-773-7782 www.cypresshouse.com

Adams raises the writing of poetry to the level of a fine literary art in the pages of Sheaves Of Silence as she uses brief and succinct verse to explore human passions, interconnectedness, future and past, and the dualities of life and experience. Silence: Noise bothers me. The sound of/radio, television, speeding cars,/talking laughing, voices -- any/noise invades my inner silence/where thoughts spring new and/wander in a nebulous world spread/out beyond my usual self. There, in/my inner silence, lies an unknown/realm for exploration, challenging/my imagination to carry me beyond/the present known to that final/unlimited forever.

Bittersweet Wine
Charles E. Miller
Elderberry Press
1393 Old Homestead Drive, Second floor, Oakland, Oregon 97462-9506
1930859368 $24.95 www.elderberrypress.com

Bittersweet Wine is an extensive compilation of Charles E. Miller's original, free-verse short poems embracing Western civilization and the togetherness and ideals it arises from and stands for. Influences from the Old West seeps through at times, yet the central themes of human life and virtues transcend all time and any setting. Bittersweet Wine is a welcome and much appreciated contribution to any personal or academic poetry collection or reading list. "Glorious was her captain and brave to her heart/Whose saber brightly flashed like his lingering smile./Fallen among those who never again rose,/Immortal - she still loves him, beyond life's breath."

Notations On The Visible World
Kathleen Wakefield
Anhinga Press
PO Box 10595, Tallahassee, FL 32302
0938078666 $12.00 www.anhinga.org

A skilled and attentive poet, Kathleen Wakefield is able to engage and keep the reader's total attention from first verse to last. Botany: In the center of the large white flower/observe the bearded face,/how the two lowest stamens are purple feelers,/the yellow anthers like clever hands.//On nights such as these/the luminous petals seem to hover by themselves./See how the moth flies to the dark center --/it leaves a scattering of gold dust:/we are not who we appear to be.//Each day I watch the blossoms close,/then open skyward, as if aspiring to something./By night, the moth mullein, named/for beast and flower, practices its cool white deceit/by which its stationary blooms in darkness/endlessly repeat.

Snakeskin Stilettos
Moyra Donaldson
CavanKerry Press
6 Horizon Road, #2901, Fort Lee, NJ 07024
0970718608 $14.00 www.cavankerrypress.org

Snakeskin Stilettos is the debut and introduction to an American readership of Irish poet Moyra Donaldson's abilities to craft verse that is simultaneously accessible, disciplined, imaginative, entertaining, and memorable. Lust: Bearded old satyr,/the wind from the hills/is thick with your scent,/musty yet fresh,/a confusion of seasons.//Comfortable in the house of Pentheus,/with its fitted concepts,/its rational doors, leading always/from one place to the next,/she forgot you--became only human.//Then you rear again at her window,/swirled in your own myth./Lines from an ancient script/calling her out into the hills,/where coiled snakes will lick her face/in the back seat of a parked car.


The Metaphysical Studies Shelf

Dreams: The Window Into Your Soul
Donna D'Amore
Angel Dream Productions
PO Box 822, Glendora, CA 91740-0822
097242220X $12.95 www.angeldreams.net

Dreams: The Window Into Your Soul by spiritual communicator and dream interpretation expert Donna D'Amore is an enlightening and engaging guide to understanding dreams as potential communications from the spiritual realm, a key component to the enhancement of memory, enlightening visits from departed loved ones, and as cherished gifts from God. A thoughtful and spiritual account, blending anecdotes with advice and interpretive wisdom, Dreams: The Window Into Your Soul is a welcome and much appreciated contribution of Metaphysical Studies in general, and the interpretation of dreams in particular.

Sex, Symbols, & Dreams
Janice Hinshaw Baylis, Ph.D.
Sun, Man, Moon, Inc.
1180 Oakmont Road, #51-J, Seal Beach, CA 90740
0917738055 $17.00 www.amazon.com

Sex, Symbols, & Dreams by educator and dream interpretation expert Janice Hinshaw Baylis is a thoughtful, in-depth discussion of sexual imagery and symbols in dreams; their meaning; their reflection upon life; the depth of Freudian style dreams about sexual issues; and much, much more. An extensive analysis highlighted with numerous anecdotes and references, to both the sensual and unconscious worlds, document Sex, Symbols, & Dreams as an invaluable and enthusiastically recommended reading for students of psychology, human sexuality, metaphysics, and a welcome addition to the growing library of dream interpretation literature and analysis.

In The Realm Of Ghosts And Hauntings
E. Randall Floyd
Harbor House
3010 Stratford Drive, Augusta, Georgia 30909
1891799061 $16.95 harborbook@aol.com www.amazon.com

Painstakingly researched, compiled and written by E. Randall Floyd, In The Realm Of Ghosts And Hauntings is a truly fascinating and highly recommended anthology of folklore stories showcasing more than forty famous as well as obscure supernatural occurrences and encounters with spirits. Ranging from the story of a haunted Alcatraz prison, to the legend of the Flying Dutchman, to ghosts of Gettysburg, In The Realm Of Ghosts And Hauntings provides contemporary readers with a spine-chilling introduction into the veiled and often terrifying world of supernatural encounters.

The Lightbearer
Bonnie Cox
Black Heron Press
PO Box 95676, Seatte, Washington 98145
0930773659 $22.95 www.blackheronpress.com

The Lightbearer: A True Story Of Love, Death And Lessons Learned On The Other Side is the spiritual memoir of Bonnie Cox, a psychic woman who lost her beloved husband to a tragic parachuting accident, yet who was able to communicate with him, and even visit him on the other side of life's veil. Through her psychic experiences, Bonnie slowly overcame her grief and learned to love again. Highly recommended reading for students of metaphysics, The Lightbearer is a profound and insightful journey past the veil of death itself.

Exploring The World Within
Margaret Miller
Nanca Press
Cordon & Riggs (publicity)
800 S. Florida St., Amarillo, TX 79106
0972096701 $14.95 www.amazon.com

Exploring The World Within: A Road Map by New Age spiritualist Margaret Miller is a metaphysical "self-help" guide offering guided meditations, descriptions of physical and etheric planes and how they affect one's life and harmony, the Tableland as an energy center, and much, much more. A deeply profound and informative guide to exploring the vast and mystical worlds both without and within, Exploring The World Within is a welcome and valued contribution to Metaphysical Studies reference collections and New Ages Studies self-help reading lists.

The Challenge Of Contact
Phillip H. Krapf
Origin Press
204 West Lake Street, Suite C, Mt. Shasta, CA 96067
1579830099 $12.95 www.originpress.com www.amazon.com

Deftly written by Phillip H. Krapf (a 25-year veteran of the L.A. Times), The Challenge Of Contact: A Mainstream Journalist's Report On Interplanetary Diplomacy is an informed and informative report on a diplomatic and negotiated coalition between humans and aliens. A Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Krapf is particularly candid in recounting his own three on-board contacts with an advanced ET race and their invitation for Earth to join an intergalactic federation of planets. A fascinating study that presents our world as close to induction into an intergalactic federation of planets, The Challenge Of Contact is a welcome very highly recommended addition to the growing library of UFOlogy Studies.


The Business Shelf

Marketing To Seniors
Michael C. Walker
1st Books Library
2595 West Vernal Pike, Bloomington, IN 47404-2782
0759691150 $17.50 1-800-839-8640 www.1stbooks.com

Marketing To Seniors: Are You Ready To Profit As This Market Soars? by Michael C. Walker (creator of the award-winning Club 24 Senior Living At Home program) is a solid, step-by-step, "user friendly", resource to forming a marketing plan based around and upon a close understanding of, and harmony with, senior citizen purchasing decisions. A thorough and practical guide to expanding one's market base and improving sales, Marketing To Seniors is a highly recommended instructional text that will prove to be invaluable for anyone marketing any category of service or type of product directed towards an increasingly aging and expanding customer base.

Millionaire Women
Jeanne Torrence Hauer
Barrington Publishing
c/o Greenleaf Book Group, LLC
660 Elmwood Pint, Aurora, OH 44202
0972108106 $14.95 www.greenleafbookgroup.com

In Millionaire Women: Success Secrets Of Sixteen Who Made It From Home, marketing professional and lecturer Jeanne Torrence Hauer draws upon her more than twenty years of experience to create a primer for financial success, enhanced with the careers of women who achieved millionaire status in the male-dominated business world. Written specifically for women who aspire to become millionaires in their own right, Millionaire Women combines brief biographies with savvy strategies and sound advice for making a business grow into a major operation. Millionaire Women is enthusiastically recommended as an upbeat, go-getter guide which is packed from cover to cover with examples and advice applicable to women seeking to make their mark in the highly competitive marketplace, be it local, regional, national, or international.

The Marketing Toolkit For Growing Business
Jay B. Lipe
Chammerson Press
4315 Aldrich Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55409-1810
0972034501 $19.95 1-612-824-2198 www.emergemarketing.com

The Marketing Toolkit For Growing Business: Tips, Techniques And Tools To Improve Your Marketing by Jay B. Lipe (President of Emerge Marketing) is a step-by-step guided tour through the basic essentials of developing a successful marketing process regardless of the product or service being offered in local, regional, national, or international marketplace of commerce. Readers will learn what marketing is and is not; the most common marketing mistakes made by growing business and how to avoid them; how to quickly develop an effective marketing plan; how to efficiently implement a marketing plan; how to write promotional copy; how to measure the results of marketing efforts; as well as how to brand a company so that it will stand out and apart from any competitor. Enhanced with an extensive glossary of more than two hundred marketing terms, The Marketing Toolkit For Growing Business is ideal for the novice entrepreneur, and has much of value to offer even the more experienced businessman or businesswoman.

The ABCs Of Building Better Boards
Jean Block
Jean Block Consulting, Inc.
7624 Verona NW, Albuquerque, NM 87120
0971452709 $24.95 www.jblockinc.com

In The ABCs Of Building Better Boards, non-profit organizations consultant Jean Block draws upon her more than 30 years of experience to present a handy, effective, spiral-bound, and "user friendly" primer on the art of recruiting for, planning, organizing, and running more effective corporate boards. From making the most of an annual planning retreat, to structuring committees for maximum efficiency, to the importance of recognizing jobs well done, The ABCs of Building Better Boards is a very highly recommended primer for employees at an level of middle management and above, whether the corporation is a for-profit or a non-profit organization.

Speaking Globally
Elizabeth Urech
Book Network International, Inc.
3 Front Street, Suite 331, PO Box 338, Rollinsford, NH 03869
0971761507 $19.95 www.speak4yourself.com www.amazon.com

Speaking Globally: Effective Presentations Across International And Cultural Boundaries by speech specialist and communication consultant is a straightforward and effectively presented instructional guide to improving one's speeches and presentations, especially when communicating to an audience from a dramatically different culture. From guidelines expressly useful for helping female speakers get taken seriously, to avoiding common and embarrassing communication pitfalls, to designing a truly "go-getter" motivational speech, Speaking Globally is first-rate and very highly recommended reading for business travelers and international speakers.

Inside Out
Myron J. Radio and Rod N. Johnson
Beaver's Pond Press
7104 Ohms Lane, Suite 216, Edina, MN 55439
1931646937 $16.95 www.BeaversPondPress.com

Collaboratively written by Myron J. Radio (President of the Minnesota-based Giro Group consulting firm)and Rod N. Johnson (President of The R Group, a corporate leadership oriented consulting firm), Inside Out: Using Classic Children's Stories For Personal And Professional Growth showcases both a personal and a professional self-discovery journey utilizing a framework of familiar children's tales to facilitate wisdom, teamwork, leadership qualities, and much more. A useful exploration guide with both character-building and professional-tactic advantages, Inside Out is a very highly recommended and "reader friendly" addition to both Business Management and Personal Development reading lists and reference collections.


The Religion/Spirituality Shelf

Tripura Rahasya
Swami Sri Ramanananda Saraswathi, translator
World Wisdom, Inc.
PO Box 2682, Bloomington, Indiana 47402-2682
0941532496 $15.95 www.worldwisdom.com

Ably translated into English by Swami Sri Ramananda Saraswathi, Tripura Rahasya: The Secret Of The Supreme Goddess is essentially a dialogue of instruction given by the guru Dattatreya to his the truth seeker Parasurama. Through a series of stories that can be read with amusement and the greatest of imaginative pleasures, the tales also provide a series of wisdoms and insights that illustrate and represent theological implications within Hindu theology and Goddess traditions. Tripura Rahasya is a confidently recommended addition to Comparative Religion collections in general, and Hindu Studies reading lists in particular.

The Spiritual Recovery Manual
Patrick Gresham Williams
Incandescent Press
PO Box 50622, Palo Alto, CA 94303
0970907818 $35.00 www.incandescentpress.com

The Spiritual Recovery Manual: Vedic Knowledge And Yogic Techniques To Accelerate Recovery For Addicts, Codependents And Adult Children Of Dysfunctional Families by Patrick Gresham Williams is an impressive and "reader friendly" compendium of advice and healing written especially for addicts, codependents, adult children of alcoholics, and their friends and family. The Spiritual Recovery Manual offers practical and insightful ways to balance one's mind and body, thereby living a happy life which is in harmony with the needs of the self and the needs of the world. Focusing on recovery techniques in fifteen specific areas, including lifestyle, meditation, self-diagnosis, detoxifying, herbal healing, sense therapy, food, exercise, yoga, advanced mental techniques, life-patterns, intellect, group dynamics of consciousness, bless, and relationships. The Spiritual Recovery Manual is a solid, practical, user-oriented guide to achieving enlightenment about the oneself and rebuilding a great personal life.

How To Find The Truth
J. J. Brink II
Americans in Alliance
Smith Publicity (publicity)
5082 East Hampden Avenue, Suite 223, Denver, CO 80222
0970882408 $21.50 www.trualliance.org

How to Find the Truth: A Truth-Seeking Guide For Christians, Jews, Muslims, Pagans And Anyone With A Desire To Find The Truth by Joseph J. Brink II (in cooperation with non-profit group Americans In Alliance) is a 443-page compendium of informative instructions for developing a simple to use, systematic and sound approach to discovering and determining what is true in life situations regardless of religious affiliation or background. A great deal of the world's troubles are the result of miscommunication, misstatement, and misunderstanding between (and among) different religious and cultural groups. Stressing how the similarities between differing peoples and faiths are more critical to achieving harmony than emphasizing the differences, How To Find The Truth can effectively assist anyone to winnow out the sound from the unsound, the true from the false, the essential from the superfluous, the benign from the malignant. How To Find The Truth should be considered essential and ecumenical reading for anyone who seeks to understand themselves and others within any religious, philosophic, political, cultural, or societal context.


The Cookbook Shelf

Gourmet Mustards
Helene Sawyer & Cheryl Long
Sibyl Publications
1007 SW Westwood Drive, Portland, OR 97239
1889531049 $7.95 1-800-240-8566

Collaboratively written by mustard experts Helen Sawyer and Cheryl Long, Gourmet Mustards: The How-Tos Of Making & Cooking With Mustards features more than 125 recipes showcasing the versatility and diversity of mustards. Whether making a mustard or utilizing it in one of the delicious, health-friendly recipes, the preparatory instructions are clear, concise, and "kitchen friendly". From classic standards like Honey-Lemon Glazed Chicken; Curry Mustard Fish Fillets; and Champagne Mustard; to newer culinary creations like Creole Remoulade Sauce; Herbed Mustard Butter; and Dill Mustard Seafood Sauce; Gourmet Mustards truly lives up to its name and is an enthusiastically recommended addition to speciality and gourmet cookbook collections. Also very strongly recommended is a companion cookbook from Sibyl Productions, Marsha Peters Johnson's newly revised and expanded Gourmet Vinegars: The How-Tos Of Making & Cooking With Vinegars (1889531057, $6.95).

Not Just Beans
Tawra Jean Kellam
Privately Published
PO Box 4252, Wichita, KS 67204-4252
0967697425 $17.95 www.notjustbeans.com

Tawra Kellam has lived a genuinely frugal lifestyle for the past 30 years. Out of her experience she has compiled Not Just Beans, a outstanding cookbook offering a wealth of budget-friendly and highly recommended recipes that are as inexpensive as they are nutritious and delicious. From Chicken Barley Soup; Mexican Hamburger Casserole; Tuna Chowder; and Navajo Tacos; to Maple-Glazed Chicken; Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles; Onion Rings; and Roasted Pumpkin Seeds, Not Just Beans offers a cornucopia of frugal but scrumptious eating that will be as easy on the pocketbook as they are welcome at the dinner table!

Quick Lunches & Brunches
Cyndi Duncan & Georgie Patrick
C & G Publishing, Inc.
PO Box 5199, Greeley, CO 80634
0970025327 $14.95 ccgcook@aol.com

Featuring more than 150 superbly presented recipes ideal for the time-constrained kitchen cook, Quick Lunches & Brunches offers a compendium of wonderful eating. Featuring common ingredients, informative tips to make cooking easier, calorie and fat gram counts, and enhanced with humorous anecdotes about the heritage of recipes, Quick Lunches & Brunches is ideal for use by novice cooks and has much to recommend it to even the more experienced kitchen chef. From Bacon and Mushroom Quiche; Sweet Poppy Seed Bread; Hash Brown Potato Casserole; and Deviled Eggs in Cheese Sauce; to Tomato Basil Square; Croissant Chicken Salad Sandwich; Shrimp Stuffed Potatoes; and Better Than Sex Cake, Quick Lunches & Brunches will rapidly become a family favorite culinary resource for all those occasions where time is of the essence!

Jerky People
Mary Bell
The Dry Store Publishing Company
Route #2, Box 156B, Lanesboro, MN 55949
0965357252 $14.00 www.drystore.com

Mary Bell's Jerky People is more than just a collection of recipes featuring the dehydrated method of meat preservation called "jerky". This is a highly recommended compendium which is filled with practical, do-it-yourself "how-to" advice, as well as a wealth of tips, tricks, and techniques for making all manner of jerky-based cuisine. From preparing dishes featuring wild catfish jerky, to chicken jerky, to possum jerky, and more, Jerky People is enhanced with black-and-white photographs and fascinating anecdotes, which make it a first-rate guide for jerky enthusiasts everywhere. Also very highly recommended is the first book in Mary Bell's series for jerky gourmets, Just Jerky: The Complete Guide To Making It (0965357201; $14.00).

The Real Jerk
Lily Pottinger & Ed Pottinger
Arsenal Pulp Press
1014 Homer Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6B 2W9
1551521156 $18.95 www.arsenalpulp.com

Lily and Ed Pottinger own and operate The Real Jerk, a premier Caribbean restaurant in Toronto, Canada. In The Real Jerk: New Caribbean Cuisine, the Pottinger's draw from their more than eighteen years of experience to compiled list of helpful cooking tips, as well as recipes from sauces, salsas, dips, and dressings. Then they go on to showcase outstanding recipes for fish and seafood, meat and poultry, side dishes, breads and snacks, drinks and desserts. Of special interest is a section devoted to Menu Ideas. From Cool & Creamy Carrot Salad; Mashed Coco & Codfish; Jamaican Pot Roast; and Stewed Cow's Foot; to Sweet Potato Balls; Baked Bananas; Easter Spice Buns; Coconut Pudding Surprise; and Ginger Beer, The Real Jerk: New Caribbean Cuisine is a welcome and highly recommended addition to multi-cultural and ethnic cookbook collections.

Par Fork!
Gwen Ashley Walters, CCP
Pen & Form Communications
PO Box 5165, Carefree, AZ 85377
0966348621 $23.95 penandfork.com

Par Fork!: The Golf Resort Cookbook by food writer, cooking teacher, and award-wining cookbook author Gwen Ashley Walters showcases menus and recipes drawn from nineteen of America's top golf resorts including The Greenbrier, The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess; Doral Golf Resort & Spa; and The Lodge at Pebble Beach. These world class golf resorts also provide "kitchen friendly" world-class recipes that range from Butternut Squash & Green Pea Risotto; Double-Cut Grilled Pork Chops with Apple Pear Habanero Chutney; Grilled Salmon with a Scallion Caper Beurre Blanc; and Apricot Ginger Sea Bass; to Braised Pineapple Rum Tarts with Pineapple Saffron Compote; Roasted Corn & Lobster Salad; Chocolate Charlotte with Whipped Mascarpone & Mocha Broth; and Macadamia Nut-Crusted Chicken. Nicely illustrated with color photography, Par Fork! would make an elegant addition to any dedicated gourmet golfer's personal or professional cookbook collection.

Witch In The Kitchen
Titania Hardie
Cedco Publishing Company
100 Pelican Way, San Rafael, CA 94901
076832498X $19.95 1-800-233-2624

Witch In The Kitchen: Titania's Book Of Magical Feasts is a unique and very highly recommended cookbook by Titania Hardie that is entertainingly illustrated with unusual photography by Sara Morris and offers recipes that introduce a kind of "culinary magic" which is especially appropriate to pagan celebrations and events from Summer Weddings, and Harvest Celebrations to Winter Solstice and Halloween. From Salad of Warm Goat Cheese; Eggplant Confit with Pita Bread; and Salmon Baked in a Tent; to Barbecued Potatoes with Basil Butter; Summer Fruit Champagne Jelly; and Ginger Divination Cookies, Witch In The Kitchen offers delicious recipes with special metaphysical applications. Of special interest is the section devoted to "The Witch's Herbal". If you'd like a little culinary magic in your life, then Witch In The Kitchen is the cookbook for you!

The Jewish Vegetarian Year Cookbook
Roberta Kalechofsky & Rosa Rasiel
Micah Publications, Inc.
255 Humphrey Street, Marblehead, MA 01945-1645
0916288439 $16.95 www.micahbooks.com

Collaboratively compiled and presented by Roberta Kalechofsky and Rosa Rasiel, The Jewish Vegetarian Year Cookbook offers 150 superb vegetarian dishes ideal for the Jewish Holidays and combine Judaic traditions with innovative recipes, complete with explanatory holiday notes and prayers. From Moc Chopped Liver; Spinach-Apricot Salad; Spicy Peanut Pasta; and Vegetarian Chili; to Oriental Style Ratatouille; Roasted Veggie Pizza; Cream of Cauliflower Soup; and Quick Cashew Nut Milk, The Jewish Vegetarian Year Cookbook is an ideal and very highly recommended addition to both Jewish and Vegetarian cookbook collections.

The New Polish Cuisine
Michael J. Baruch
La Baruch/Cuisine Moderne
5036 Ashley Falls Court, San Diego, CA 92130
0971531307 $32.00 1-858-509-8589 www.thenewpolishcuisine.com

In his impressive and photographically enhanced cookbook, The New Polish Cuisine, professional chef Michael J. Baruch (formally of Le Francais, Lake Point Tower Club, Jovans, Le Perroquet, and Cafe Provencal), draws upon both his formal and classical training, as well as his personal ethnic background, to showcase Polish cuisine in the form of original recipes that have never before been available to the general public. The recipe entries range from Fancy Smoked Salmon Roulade; Hunter's Delight with Pancetta and Marjoram; Cinnamon Apple with Warm Chocolate Sauce; and Polish Ham and Cheese; to Slow Grilled Salmon with Pesto; Honey Mustard Pork Shoulder with Caraway Potatoes; Buttery Kolaczki with Polish Fruit Preserves; and Caramel Strawberry Ice Cream. From breads and salads, to soups and side dishes, to fish, meat, poultry and game entrees, to pastry desserts, (and with a "Glossary of Cooking Terms" and "Conversion Charts"), The New Polish Cuisine offers easy-to-follow, enthusiastically recommended recipes that will enhance any meal from simple family dining to celebratory dinners and special events.

Soul Cookin' Southern Style
Melvett Chambers
Privately Published
PO Box 165, Hennepin, OK 73444
1890994340 $10.95 melvettc@tds.net

In Soul Cookin' Southern Style: A Collection Of Old-Time Southern Recipes, Melvett Chambers shares recipes and cooking techniques that have their roots in Louisiana. From Fried Hot Water Cornbread; Red Beans with Rice and Sausage; Jamabalya; Fried Catfish with Hush Puppies; and Gumbo; to Chit'lins; Southern Fried Chicken; Collard Greens; Spoon Bread; and Sweet Potato Pie, Soul Cookin' Southern Style offers up 98 pages of an authentic and highly recommended Southern cuisine that has formed an integral part of authentic Black American cuisine.

Barbecue Biscuits & Beans
Bill Cauble & Cliff Teinert
Bright Sky Press
PO Box 416, Albany, TX 76430
1931721009 $24.95 www.brightskypress.com

Colorfully enhanced throughout with thematically appropriate photography, Barbecue Biscuits & Beans: Chuck Wagon Cooking by native Texans and chuck wagon cooking experts and enthusiasts Bill Cauble and Cliff Teinert have compiled a mouth-watering wealth of down-home recipes using authentic chuck wagon cooking methods to dishes that are meal-time appropriate and all around palate pleasing! From Sourdough Biscuits; Chicken-Fried Steak with Gravy; Tart Honeyed Game Hens; and Fresh Pork Ham on the Pit; to Grilled Marinated Shrimp; Cowboy Favorite Oven-Fried Potatoes; Black-Eyed Peas and Okra; and Pear-Apple Crunch, Barbecue Biscuits & Beans is a cookbook treasury that is as much fun to browse through as it is "kitchen friendly" to cook from!

Cooking With Bananas
David Woods
Writers Club Press/iUniverse.com, Inc.
2021 Pine Lake Road, #100, Lincoln, NE 68512
0595242731 $14.95 www.iuniverse.com

David Woods first learned to cook at the age of 12. He found that he not only liked it, he had a flair for developing original and creative recipes of his own and did so as a life-long hobby. In Cooking With Bananas we find that bananas have a lot more going for them than just being sliced up on our morning cereal, split along side scoops of ice cream, or made into banana bread! Indeed, Cooking With Bananas features wealth of enthusiastically recommended, banana oriented recipes well suited for breakfast and brunch; drinks, shakes and punches; soups, salads, and sandwiches; main dishes and side dishes, breads; desserts; treats for kids of all ages; even salsas, sauces, and jams! From Baked Banana with Almonds and Honey; Banana Apricot Salad; Sweet Potato and Banana Casserole; and Banana, Wild Rice, Chicken and Apple Hash; to Banana Coconut Bread; Banana Satin Smooth Cream Pie; Banana Granola Bars; Strawberry Banana Freeze; and Apple Banana Papaya Salsa, Cooking With Bananas offers a cornucopia of easy-to-make, delicious to eat dishes showcasing the versatility and palate pleasing properties of one of America's most popular fruits!

Bern's Steak House
Joyce LaFray
Seaside Publishing, Inc.
PO Box 14441, St. Petersburg, FL 33733
0942084950 $29.95 1-888-352-2665

Bern's Steak House: Reflections & Recipes From A Remarkable Restaurant is an elegant, extravagant, epicurean cookbook superbly illustrated with black-and-white photographs and featuring careful "kitchen friendly" instructions for preparing some of the most sumptuous restaurant dishes imaginable, including Vichyssoise, Pompano en Papillote, Brazilian Snow and many more culinary delights. Memoirs and restaurant history enhance and balance the mouth-watering recipes in this enthusiastically recommended combination of memoir, testimony, and high-quality cookery.


The Fantasy/Sci-Fi Shelf

Mistress Of The Dragon
Michael R. Mennenga
AmErica House Publishing
c/o PublishAmerica
PO Box 151, Frederick, MD 21705-0151
1588515923 $19.95 1-877-333-7422 www.publishamerica.com

Mistress Of The Dragon by Michael R. Mennenga is the fantastic fantasy tale of Petrill, a half human half dragon child born from the love between Tigora (a powerful and majestic dragon), and Morana, a noble-hearted woman whose love for her dragon mate provides the strength to escape her tormenting captors. With kinship to two worlds, Petrill searches for a sense of belonging - what love can come for one who is descended from scales as well as skin? Mistress Of The Dragon is recommended as an imaginative and adventurous story embracing themes of defining humanity and finding a balance in an unusual and diverse heritage.

Megamorphis
Sandy S. Ayala
Unlimited Publishing
P.O. Box 3007, Bloomington, IN 47402
1588320316 $22.99 www.unlimitedpublishing.com www.amazon.com

Megamorphis by Sandy S. Ayala is an adventurous science fiction novel of Sarah and her disintegrating marriage and the fantasy world and mate she consequently creates in her head which transforms into an amazing planetary shelter. Sarah's journey through wonders and psyche, and more, as well as her fateful meeting with an imperfect yet utterly human rescuer, ultimately lead to an amazing destination of wonder and self-realization in this forceful written tale of the power of the mind. Megamorphis is confidently recommended to the community of science fiction enthusiasts as a unique, imaginative, and thoroughly entertaining story from beginning to end.

Slayer: Black Miracles
Karen Koehler
Black Death Books
c/o KHP Industries
0967922011 $18.00 www.khpindustries.com

Slayer: Black Miracles collects two horror novellas by Karen Koehler under one cover and features the adventures of a half-breed supernatural and vampire hunter named Alek Knight. "Slayer: Dragon's Blood" resumes Alek's journey two years after destroying the Coven, when he learns of a new, soul-destroying evil that only his immortal blade can oppose. "Slayer: Immortal" is the fascinating saga of the Slayer's encounter with a lost immortal and predatory Phoenix, as ruthless as she is deathless. Slayer: Black Miracles is an engaging, action-packed double horror and fantasy read. Also very highly recommended is the first of the Alek Knight dark fantasy vampire adventures, Slayer (0967922003, $12.00) and Karen Koehler's Scarabus (096792202X, $12.00), the story of a three thousand year old demon who wages war on the cult of mad zealots who created him.

Portrait Of Lydia
Hollie Van Horne
Time Travelers
PO Box 361, Columbiana, Ohio 44408
0967455227 $16.50 1-330-482-3708

Portrait Of Lydia by Hollie Van Horne is an simply enthralling novel of time travel being used (or abused) for a once-in-a-lifetime vacation. Or perhaps an end-of-a-lifetime vacation, when the time traveler's dreams of dominating the ancient Roman Empire of 200 A.D. all turn sour and a woman named Lydia of the house of Marcus Flavius Antonious holds his fate in her slender hands. An exciting and adventurous saga, Portrait Of Lydia is confidently recommended to dedicated science fiction enthusiasts in general, and time-travel buffs in particular.

Hawaiian Earthling: Killer Sky
Soma Vira
Space Links Books
77 W 55th St., New York, NY 10019
1892158132 $15.95 www.spacelinkbooks.com

Hawaiian Earthling Volume 1: Killer Sky is a suspenseful and adroitly written science fiction novel by Soma Vira that blends space travel, alien intrigue, and the majesty of Hawaii and its people into one far-ranging and exciting saga. Highly recommended reading for science fiction fans, Killer Sky is an adventurous, fast-paced, thoroughly entertaining tale that keeps the reader quickly turning pages from beginning to end -- and eagerly anticipating the promised sequel.

Mind & Body
Cecilia Tan, editor
Circlet Press, Inc.
1770 Massachusetts Avenue #278, Cambridge, MA 02140
188586521X $14.95 www.circlet.com

Compiled and edited by Cecilia Tan, Mind & Body is a unusual and thoroughly entertaining anthology of eleven outstanding science fiction short stories exploring the themes of human connection and sexuality ranging from extra-sensory perceptions and telepathy, to psychic connections and dreams with a visionary purpose. Erotic, intriguing, and showcasing with both the pleasures of the flesh and the yearnings of the spirit, Mind & Body is enthusiastically recommended reading for the mature minded science fiction buff and erotica enthusiast.


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


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