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Wisconsin Bookwatch

Volume 13, Number 4 April 2018 Home | WBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Health/Medicine Shelf Cookbook Shelf
Self-Help Shelf Money/Finance Shelf Fiction Shelf
Mystery/Suspense Shelf Fantasy/SciFi Shelf Metaphysical Studies Shelf
Christian Studies Shelf Judaic Studies Shelf Buddhist Studies Shelf
Travel Shelf Photography Shelf Theatre/Cinema Shelf
American History Shelf Education Shelf Automotive Shelf
Graphic Novel Shelf Audiobook Shelf Music CD Shelf
DVD Shelf Business Shelf Antiques/Collectibles Shelf
Sports Shelf Relationship Shelf Needlecraft Shelf
Woodworking Shelf Architecture Shelf Beer/Wine/Spirits Shelf
Science Shelf Gaming Shelf  


Reviewer's Choice

Blooming Marvellous: A Wildflower Hunter's Year
Zoe Devlin
The Collins Press
c/o Dufour Editions, Inc.
PO Box 7, 124 Byers Road, Chester Springs, PA 19425-0007
www.dufoureditions.com
9781848893276, $31.00, HC, 306pp, www.amazon.com

After Zoe Devlin retired, she combined her interests in botany and photography by developing her website, an enormously popular forum for those interested in seeking out, identifying and sharing wildflowers in Ireland. She writes a monthly article for The Irish Garden and for Woodland, the magazine of the Native Woodland Trust. She regularly gives lectures and guided walks, and was named Distinguished Recorder of the Year 2016 by the National Biodiversity Data Centre. Drawing upon her years of experience and expertise, in "Blooming Marvellous: A Wildflower Hunter's Year" she skillfully weaves captivating memories with her naturalist's expertise, with individual each chapter celebrating a particular month, and capturing the beauty and joy it has to offer -- including birds, butterflies, mammals, and even tasty recipes. Devlin also writes fondly of those who helped her knowledge of flora, particularly members of her extended family. By turns witty, informative, dark, and bizarre, "Blooming Marvellous" opens our eyes to the beauty all around us, whatever the time of year. The uplifting recollections comprising "Blooming Marvellous" will encourage readers to identify, understand, and savor the plant life that so often goes unnoticed beneath our feet. Richly illustrated with the author's striking photos throughout, "Blooming Marvellous" would prove to be an extraordinary, very special, and enduringly popular addition to personal and community library collections. .

2018 National Renovation & Insurance Repair Estimator
Jonathan Russell, editor
Craftsman Book Company
6058 Corte del Cedro, Carlsbad, CA 92009
www.craftsman-book.com
9781572183391, $89.50, PB, 486pp, www.amazon.com

The premier reference resource for professionals and homeowners alike, "2018 National Renovation & Insurance Repair Estimator" provides current prices in dollars and cents and detailed descriptions for hard-to-find items needed on most insurance, repair, remodeling, and renovation jobs. All price items include labor, material, and equipment breakouts, plus special charts that tell you exactly how these costs are calculated. Included are many reinstall/salvage cost estimates, hundreds of sample product images and unique architectural items. This edition of "2018 National Renovation & Insurance Repair Estimator" also includes a free estimating software download. Alphabetically organized from Appliances to Windows, and including free and automatic quarterly based price updates on the web throughout 2018, the "2018 National Renovation & Insurance Repair Estimator" is especially and unreservedly recommended for professional, trade school, and community library reference collections.

Travels in a Dervish Cloak
Isambard Wilkinson
Eland Books
c/o Dufour Editions, Inc.
PO Box 7, 124 Byers Road, Chester Springs, PA 19425-0007
www.dufoureditions.com
9781780600789, $52.00, HC, 256pp www.amazon.com

Spellbound by his grandmother's Anglo-Indian heritage and the exuberant annual visits of her friend the Begum, Isambard Wilkinson became enthralled by Pakistan as a teenager, eventually working there as a foreign correspondent during the War on Terror. Seeking the land behind the headlines, he sets out to discover the essence of a country convulsed by Islamist violence. What of the old, mystical Pakistan has survived and what has been destroyed? We meet charismatic tribal chieftains making their last stand, hereditary saints blessing prostitutes, gangster bosses in violent slums and ecstatic Muslim pilgrims. Navigating a minefield of coups, conspiracies, cock-ups and bombs, Bard is reluctant to judge; his is a funny, hashish- and whisky-scented travel book from the frontline, full of open-hearted delight and a poignant lust for life. Enhanced with photographs by Chev Wilkinson, "Travels in a Dervish Cloak" is an absorbing, entertaining, and interestingly informative read from cover to cover. While very highly recommended for both community and academic library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Travels in a Dervish Cloak" is also available in a paperback edition (9781780601502, $11.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Tucker & Me
Andrew J. Harvey
MSI Press
1760-F Airline Hwy, #203, Hollister, CA 950243
http://msipress.com
9781942891857, $19.95, PB, 179pp, www.amazon.com

"Tucker & Me: Growing Up A Part-Time Southern Boy" by Andrew J. Harvey is the story of his childhood growing up in the Mad Men era of the 1960's. Filled with humor, sadness, and harrowing incidents, Harvey's personal memoir deftly reflects all the emotions of life one experiences growing up, in this case, with a single mom who lived in Los Angeles and a father who lived in a small town suburb of Atlanta, Georgia known as Tucker. Traveling in the summers to the alternate universe in Tucker, Harvey experienced a roller coaster ride of two completely different lifestyles. "Tucker & Me" is an extraordinary and inherently fascinating read that offers a unique and entertaining perspective of an American yesteryear. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community Contemporary American Biography collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Tucker & Me" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $1.99).


The Health/Medicine Shelf

Enlightened Eating: The Eightfold Path to Health
Cassandra Ohlsen, MD
Cypress House
155 Cypress Street, Fort Bragg, CA 95437
www.cypresshouse.com
9781879384996, $16.95, PB, 176pp, www.amazon.com

Few Americans need to worry about having enough to eat; instead, we worry about how to lose weight. We ve settled on eating animals as the way to control weight and satisfy hunger, yet over 70 percent of us remain overweight. We need to learn a new hunger a hunger for a way to eat that benefits us, other people, and the Earth. We can ask ourselves How should I think about my food? How does it affect the world around me? What's my relationship to where my food comes from and how it's produced? The answers lead us to eat nutrient-rich, calorie-sparse food and that food is plants! In the pages of "Enlightened Eating: The Eightfold Path to Health" Dr. Cassandra Ohlsen explores the extensive health benefits, food-enjoyment issues, and psychological considerations of a plant-based diet. Her practical advice on how to change our eating habits uses Buddhist psychology and an Eightfold Path to keep us on track. There is nothing esoteric or religious about how Dr. Ohlsen interweaves nutrition and spirituality mindful thinking about what we eat simply makes good sense. Dr. Ohlsen also takes us on her own personal journey from overweight meat eater suffering many health challenges to slim, healthy individual whose diet is entirely plant-based whole foods. "Enlightened Eating" even shares a variety of flavorful recipes to boost health and delight taste buds. Exceptionally well organized and presented, "Enlightened Eating" is unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists and community library Health/Medicine instructional reference collections.

Turbo Metabolism
Pankaj Vij, MD
New World Library
14 Pamaron Way, Novato, CA 94949
www.newworldlibrary.com
9781608684984, $16.95, PB, 304pp, www.amazon.com

As the modern Western lifestyle spreads around the globe, so too does the diagnosis of metabolic syndrome -- a cluster of symptoms that increases the risk of developing heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and other conditions. The good news: metabolic syndrome can be tamed by a sensible program of exercise, natural foods, stress management, and quality sleep. "Turbo Metabolism: 8 Weeks to a New You: Preventing and Reversing Diabetes, Obesity, Heart Disease, and Other Metabolic Diseases by Treating the Causes" by is a concise and thoroughly reader friendly instructional guide by doctor of internal medicine, Pankaj Vij that distills a mass of medical research into a simple, effective program for vibrant health. Avoiding fads and gimmicks, "Turbo Metabolism" provides practical advice, case studies of ordinary people, and brief sections that debunk common medical myths. By following Dr. Vij's evidence-based methods, anyone can manage their diabetes, avoid related metabolic conditions, lose weight, and live a healthier, happier life with energy to spare. Certain to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library Health/Medicine collections and supplemental studies reading lists, it should be noted for personal reading lists "Turbo Metabolism" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).


The Cookbook Shelf

Cuban Flavor
Liza Gershman
Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018
www.skyhorsepublishing.com
9781510710122, $29.99, HC, 240pp, www.amazon.com

Much more than a just another ethnic regional cookbook, "Cuban Flavor: Exploring the Island's Unique Places, People, and Cuisine" is an introduction to a revolutionary era of Cuban cuisine that ranges from the succulent spiced meat of the national Ropa Viejo, simmered in a tomato-based criollo sauce; to the sweet and sticky Arroz Con Leche; or the local favorite, Flan served in a soda can. Cuban cuisine has something for every palate and this visually arresting culinary compendium showcases more than fifty Cuban recipes, from appetizers to main courses and drinks to desserts. Along with color photographs of the dishes, there are introductions to the people who create them. An impressive and thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' collection of authentic, palate pleasing, appetite satisfying Cuban dishes suitable for any and all dining occasions, "Cuban Flavor" is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, and community library cookbook collections. It should be noted that "Cuban Flavor" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $16.19).

Hardcore Carnivore
Jess Pryles
Surrey Books
c/o Agate Publishing
1328 Greenleaf Street, Evanston, IL 60202
www.agatepublishing.com
9781572842519, $29.95, HC, 224pp, www.amazon.com

"Hardcore Carnivore: Cook Meat Like You Mean It" by Jess Pryles (who is a respected authority on Texas- and competition-style barbecue. She is the cofounder of the Australasian Barbecue Alliance) is a protein-packed cookbook for truly dedicated meat lovers. From slow-smoked barbecue ribs to perfect cowboy steaks, "Hardcore Carnivore" recipes superbly illustrated and thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' in organization and presentation. Featuring dozens of recipes for chicken, game, pork, lamb, and beef, "Hardcover Carnivore" covers all the basics, finishes, and tricks of the trade, ensuring even the most novice kitchen cook will be preparing meat like a seasoned pro. Featuring practical advice ranging from grinding your own burger meat, to various knives for cutting and slicing, to the various types of smokers, and a great deal more, "Hardcore Carnivore" isn't just another cookbook, but an entire course of instruction for the culinary art of preparing, cooking, and serving all manner of meats. A unique addition to personal, professional, and community library cookbook collections, "Hardcore Carnivore" is unreservedly recommended.

Super Fast Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Cookbook
Elia Sanders & Heather Rodino
Castle Point Books
http://www.castlepointpub.com
c/o St. Martin's Press
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
www.stmartins.com
9781250149237, $19.99, PB, 160pp, www.amazon.com

Showcasing 100 thoroughly kitchen cook friendly recipes for every Multi-Cooker, "Super Fast Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Cookbook" is the collaborative culinary project of comfort food enthusiast Elia Sanders and editor, writer and food lover Heather Rodino. Featuring an impressive variety of tasty soups, starters, sides, hearty dinners and desserts that can be on dining table in 60 minutes or less, the recipes range from Takeout Chinese Spareribs; Veggie Chili; Mediterranean Chicken with Olives; and Sirloin Tips in Mushroom and Onion Gravy; to Chorizo and Chickpea Stew; French Potato Salad; and White Wine-Poached pears. It should be noted that Instant Pot is a registered trademark of Double Insight Inc., and that "Super Fast Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Cookbook" is an independently created book and is not endorsed, sponsored, or authorized by Double Insight Inc. While highly recommended, especially for personal, family, and community library cookbook collections, it should be noted that the "Super Fast Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Cookbook" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Hip Pressure Cooking: Fast, Fresh, and Flavorful
Laura D. A. Pazzaglia
St. Martin's Griffin
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
www.stmartins.com
9781250026378, $26.99, HC, 304pp, www.amazon.com

Laura Pazzaglia picked up her first pressure cooker after seeing a friend make dinner in ten minutes flat. She quickly realized that the flavor of pressure cooked food is like tasting food in high definition! In 2010 Laura launched a web site at www.hippressurecooking.com to share her discoveries, recipes, reviews and tips. Now in the pages of "Hip Pressure Cooking: Fast, Fresh, and Flavorful" she draws upon her years of experience and expertise to provide a truly impressively culinary compendium of pressure cooker based recipes for dishes that are as palate pleasing and appetite satisfying, as they are kitchen cook friendly to prepare and serve. With recipes ranging from Classic Pasta and legume Minestrone; Red, White, and Blue Potato Salad; Nona Laura's Meatballs; and Cuban Pulled Beef; to Mexican Shredded Chicken, Bain-Marie Brown Rice with Salted Peanuts, and Corn Salsa; Bread Pudding with Brandy Sauce; and Cherry Preserves, "Hip Pressure Cooking: Fast, Fresh, and Flavorful" will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to personal and community library cookbook collections. It should be noted for family chefs that "Hip Pressure Cooking: Fast, Fresh, and Flavorful" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99).

Dharma Realm Vegetarian Cookbook
Buddhist Text Translation Society
4951 Bodhi Way, Ukiah, CA 95482
www.buddhisttexts.org
9780881398304, $8.00, PB, 256pp, www.amazon.com

The illustrated, bilingual (Vietnamese/English) recipes comprising the "Dharma Realm Vegetarian Cookbook" range from wholesome veggie soups to gluten-free noodles, homemade soy-milk and more. Thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' in organization and presentation, the "Dharma Realm Vegetarian Cookbook" offers a variety of quintessentially Vietnamese cuisine recipes that are refreshingly light, yet full of flavor using fresh vegetables, herbs and spices. Palate pleasing, appetite satisfying, authentically ethnic, the recipes range from Homemade Rice Noodles - The Quick Way; Vegetarian Rice noodle Soup; Roasted Bean Curd Roll; and Vegetarian Thai Curry; to Baked Bean Curd on Sugar Cane Sticks; Roasted Eggplant and Bell Pepper; Tomato Pie; and Steamed Banana Cake. A pleasure to browse through and inspiring to plan menus with, the "Dharma Realm Vegetarian Cookbook" is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, family, and community library Ethnic Cookbook collections.

Cooking the Native Way
Barbara Drake, et al.
Heyday Books
PO Box 9145, Berkeley, CA 94709
www.heydaybooks.com
9781597144186, $22.00, PB, 160pp, www.amazon.com

"Cooking the Native Way: Chia Cafe Collective" showcases the Native American cultures of Southern California through their foods. Full-color photos and detailed recipes showcase the diversity, health, and flavor of modern cuisine made from Southern California native plants in combination with other foods. The results are mouth-watering: mesquite-rubbed quail marinated in prickly pear juice, "superfood" cookies featuring chia and pine nuts, acorn dumplings, and tepary tart topped with an elderberry reduction. Accompanied by informative essays that bring to life the rich history and the hopeful future of the Native people of the area, "Cooking the Native Way" impressively showcases the luscious scents and tastes of vibrant indigenous cultures and is for all who wish to reconnect with the land through gathering, cooking, and savoring. The Chia Cafe Collective is a grassroots group dedicated to honoring all the indigenous peoples of Southern California and their connection to the land and native plants. Working with various agencies, organizations, schools, and tribal communities, the Collective offers Native food workshops and classes; gathers, processes, and distributes plants to elders and others; and transplants native plants in areas slated for development, cultivating them in gardens in order to share seeds and cuttings. Now with the publication of "Cooking the Native Way" they have successfully expanded their mission with an superbly presented culinary collection that is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, family, and community library cookbook collections.

Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Cake Decorating
Carol Deacon
IMM Lifestyle Books
c/o Fox Chapel Publishing Company
1970 Broad Street N., East Petersburg, PA 17520
www.FoxChapelPublishing.com
9781504800945, $19.99, PB, 168pp, www.amazon.com

Carol Deacon is an award-winning cake designer and the author of thirteen cake books who also designs and writes for many food and cake magazines. In "Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Cake Decorating: 40 Stunning Cakes for All Occasions" she draws upon her years of experience and expertise to offer tantalizing cake ideas for all occasions including birthdays, anniversaries, children's parties, christenings, weddings and more. All the most popular methods of icing and decorations are covered, from buttercream, fondant and chocolate to royal icing and marzipan. Detailed, easy-to-follow instructions explain the basics of preparing and using the different types of icing, followed by recipes for imaginative designs. Beginners will pick up the basics fast and experienced cake decorators will find inspirational new ideas. Now even the most novice of family kitchen bakers can produce truly memorable cakes for all manner of celebratory occasions. While unreservedly recommended for community library cookbook collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists and references that the "Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Cake Decorating: 40 Stunning Cakes for All Occasions" is available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.99).

Char-Broil Great Book of Grilling
Creative Homeowner Editorial Staff
Fox Chapel Publishing Company
1970 Broad Street N., East Petersburg, PA 17520
www.FoxChapelPublishing.com
9781580118019, $24.99, PB, 304pp, www.amazon.com

The definitive cookbook and how-to guide for everyone who loves preparing meals in the great outdoors, "Char-Broil Great Book of Grilling" is comprised of 300 easy-to-follow grill recipes that will have family and friends licking their fingers. Each individual recipe includes delicious grilled & barbecued appetizers, main courses, salads, vegetables, and desserts; There are step-by-step instructions and color photographs for each recipe. There is a wealth of tips & techniques for the juiciest steaks, roasts, ribs, chops, wings, shrimp, kabobs and more. Also features is expert advice for great results on charcoal and gas grills, grill rotisseries, infrared cookers, and 'The Big Easy Oil-less Turkey Fryer'. Especially appreciated are the backyard-tested techniques for grilling, barbecuing, brining, and smoking, along with everything else you need to know for a fun & memorable grilling fiesta. It is interesting to note that "Char-Broil Great Book of Grilling" is the result of a partnership between the editorial staff of Creative Homeowner and Char-Broil, one of North America's leading grill manufacturers. A simple delight to browse through and thoroughly practical to grill with, the "Char-Broil Great Book of Grilling" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, and community library cookbook collections.

Craft Coffee: A Manual
Jessica Easto
Agate Surrey
c/o Agate Publishing
1328 Greenleaf Street, Evanston, IL 60202
www.agatepublishing.com
9781572842335, $19.95, HC, 272pp, www.amazon.com

"Craft Coffee: A Manual" is comprehensive but accessible handbook is for the average coffee lover who wants to make better cup of coffee at home. Unlike other coffee books, this one focuses exclusively on coffee (not espresso) and explores multiple pour-over, immersion, and cold-brew techniques on 10 different devices. Thanks to a small but growing number of dedicated farmers, importers, roasters, and baristas, coffee quality is at an all-time high. But for nonprofessionals, achieving cafe quality at home can seem out of reach. With dozens of equipment options, conflicting information on how to use that equipment, and an industry language that, at times, doesn't seem made for the rest of us, it can be difficult to know where to begin. "Craft Coffee: A Manual", is written by Jessica Easto, a coffee enthusiast for coffee enthusiasts, and is a truly comprehensive guide to improving the brewing of coffee at home. "Craft Coffee: A Manual" provides all the information readers need to discover what they like in a cup of specialty coffee -- and how to replicate the perfect cup day after day. From the science of extraction and brewing techniques to choosing equipment and deciphering coffee bags, "Craft Coffee: A Manual" focuses on the issues (cost, time, taste, and accessibility) that home coffee brewers negotiate and shows that no matter where you are in your coffee journey, you can make a great cup at home. As informed and informative as it is 'real world practical' and thoroughly user friendly in organization and presentation, "Craft Coffee: A Manual" is unreservedly recommended for personal and community library cookbook collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated coffee drinkers that "Craft Coffee: A Manual" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).


The Self-Help Shelf

Unlocking Greatness
Charlie Harary
Rodale Press
733 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
www.rodalepress.com
9781623369767, $25.99, HC, 304pp, www.amazon.com

More often than not, our own mental obstacles are holding us back from the joy, fulfillment, and meaning that we all crave, but by retooling our perspectives, we gain the ability to see the path toward the life we truly desire. In the pages of "Unlocking Greatness: The Unexpected Journey from the Life You Have to the Life You Want", business executive, professor, speaker, and radio host Charlie Harary combines the wisdom of science, spirituality, and personal growth in practical and understandable terms so you can take the life you have and make it the life you want. Everyone has the extraordinary capacity to transform their life. And it's easier to do than you might think -- in order to get what you want, to achieve that sense of greater life satisfaction, all you need to do is learn how to best use the resources you already have. Based on the latest research into the brain's neuroplasticity, analysis of ancient wisdom, and exploration of the practices of today's greatest achievers, he offers guidance and inspiration so you can break through the clutter and confusion of your life and find your true purpose. A compendium of 'real world practical' insights, strategies and tips, "Unlocking Greatness" is thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, making it an ideal and highly recommended addition to both community and academic library Self-Help/Self-Improvement collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Unlocking Greatness" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.89).

Activating Happiness
Rachel Hershenberg
New Harbinger Press
5674 Shattuck Avenue, Oakland, CA 94609
www.newharbinger.com
9781626259430, $16.95, PB, 176pp, www.amazon.com

Rachel Hershenberg is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in the research and treatment of depression. She is also an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Emory University, as well as the Director of Psychotherapy in Emory's Treatment Resistant Depression program. In "Activating Happiness: A Jump-Start Guide to Overcoming Low Motivation, Depression, or Just Feeling Stuck" she draws upon her years of experience and expertise to show readers who have depression or simply suffer from low mood and lack of motivation, that their life isn't going to change with one grand, sweeping gesture. But can improve significantly by make important decisions every day -- whether it's just getting off the couch and going for a walk, signing up for a course in pottery or screenwriting, or quietly setting aside some time to meet and chat with a good friend over coffee. These little things won't change a life all at once. But over time, they will shape the way we live and see the world, keeping us on a path to wellness. "Activating Happiness" offers solid strategies based in behavioral activation and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) to help break the cycle of avoidance, guilt, shame, and hopelessness that can take hold when feeling our lowest. Exceptionally well written, organized, presented, and above all, real world practical and 'user friendly', "Activating Happiness" is especially and unreserved recommended for both community and academic library Self-Help/Self-Improvement collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Activating Happiness" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

My Life Goals Journal
Andrea Hayes
Gill Books
c/o Dufour Editions, Inc.
PO Box 7, 124 Byers Road, Chester Springs, PA 19425-0007
www.dufoureditions.com
9780717174362, $30.00, PB, 320pp, www.amazon.com

A trained clinical hypnotherapist and Bethany Grief Minister., Andrea Hayes is also an Irish broadcaster and television producer. Andrea's first book, "Pain-Free Life: My Journey to Wellness" chronicles how journaling helped her to overcome her health challenges, and now in her second publication, "My Life Goals Journal" she shares the practical plan she used to create change in her life so that anyone who aspires to creating a change in their life but feel stuck or unsure where to start can have the benefit of her inspirational and practical journal that will effectively help them clarify what they really want for the year ahead -- and so they too can begin to manifest the life of their dreams. A combination of deftly written, inspired and inspiring, instructional guide and work book, "My Life Goals Journal" is exceptionally well organized and presented, making especially and unreservedly recommended to the attention of anyone seeking to change their lives for the better and realize whatever personal growth and improvement goals they have for themselves. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "My Life Goals Journal" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $6.99).

Your Best Year Ever
Michael Hyatt
Baker Books
c/o Baker Publishing Group
6030 East Fulton, Ada, MI 49301
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
9780801075254, $24.99, HC, 272pp, www.amazon.com

Basic to any effort to improve our lives or reach a specific goal, some method or plan is essential. In "Your Best Year Ever: A 5-Step Plan for Achieving Your Most Important Goals", Michael Hyatt shares a powerful, proven, research-driven system for setting and achieving goals. Readers learn how to design their best year ever in just five hours. "Your Best Year Ever" includes: Three simple ways to triple the likelihood of achieving their goals; How to quit-proof their goals; What to do when they feel stuck; and a great deal more! Anyone who is tired of not seeing progress in their personal, intellectual, business, relationship, or financial goals will treasure the field-tested wisdom found in the pages of "Your Best Year Ever". While very highly recommended for community and academic library Self-Help/Self-Improvement instructional reference collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Your Best Year Ever" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.50) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Mission Audio, 9781545900659, $15.98, CD).


The Money/Finance Shelf

Wealthfulness: Simple Steps to Financial Health and Happiness
Lance Alston
Brown Books Publishing Group
16250 Knoll Trail Drive, Suite 205, Dallas, TX 75248
www.BrownBooks.com
9781612548692, $22.95, HC, 150pp, www.amazon.com

We live in financially volatile times. Ordinary working people are justifiably worried about their budgets, unsure of how they should be saving and investing, and feeling financially trapped. With all this unease and uncertainty, happiness seems to be leveling off, if not declining. To change this process for the better, experienced financial planner and consultant Lance Alston introduces his effective and mindful approach to discovering your combined emotional and financial needs in "Wealthfulness: Simple Steps to Financial Health and Happiness". By the term Wealthfulness, Alston means the balancing of wealth and happiness, the combination of monetary success and meaningfulness. What financial endeavors are the wisest choices for us? How much time should we be spending, investing, saving, and planning? How much money do we need to be truly happy in life? Although the answers to these questions are highly personal and individualistic, "Wealthfulness" helps the reader to find each one, and plan accordingly by taking into account their individual personalities and circumstances. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Wealthfulness" is unreservedly recommended for community library Money/Finance instructional reference collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Wealthfulness" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.99).


The Fiction Shelf

Borrowed Dream
Amanda Cabot
Revell
c/o Baker Publishing Group
6030 East Fulton, Ada, MI 49301
www.bakerbooks.com
9780800734893, $25.99, HC, 352pp, www.amazon.com

Catherine Whitfield is sure that she will never again be able to trust anyone in the medical profession after the town doctor's excessive bleeding treatments killed her mother. Despite her loneliness and her broken heart, she carries bravely on as Cimarron Creek's dutiful schoolteacher, resigned to a life without love or family, a life where dreams rarely come true. Austin Goddard is a newcomer to Cimarron Creek. Posing as a rancher, he fled to Texas to protect his daughter from a dangerous criminal. He's managed to keep his past as a surgeon a secret. But when Catherine Whitfield captures his heart, he wonders how long he will be able to keep up the charade. With a deft hand, Amanda Cabot teases out the strands of love, deception, and redemption in this charming tale of dreams deferred and hopes becoming reality. Another deftly crafted gem of a novel by a true master of the romance genre, Amanda Cabot's "Borrowed Dream" is very highly recommended for community library collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Borrowed Dream" is also available in a paperback edition (9780800727574, $15.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.99).

Sycamore Promises
Paul Colt
Five Star Books
10 Water Street, Suite 310, Waterville, ME 04901
http://gale.cengage.com/fivestar
9781432838218, $25.95, HC, 381pp, www.amazon.com

A young couple leaves Ohio for the promise of a new life on the Kansas plains. They settle a prime tract of farm land near Lawrence, Kansas. A second young couple slips the bonds of slavery in Missouri. Circumstance brings them together. Set against the backdrop of a nation divided over the issue of slavery, the young settlers fight to hold their land and realize the future that unites them. Opposed by powerful forces they face human treachery, hostile Indians, prejudice, and a bloody, burning prelude to war as they battle to hold a hard-won home and fulfill the promises of their future. "Sycamore Promises" is a sweeping personal saga told with attention to history so as to both entertain and inform. An impressively original, deftly crafted, fully engaging, and consistently entertaining read from cover to cover, "Sycamore Promises" will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library General Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Sycamore Promises" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99).

American Stranger
David Plante
Delphinium Books
PO Box 803, Encino, CA 91456
http://www.delphiniumbooks.com
9781883285739, $24.95, HC, 275pp, www.amazon.com

Brought up in a secularized Jewish household on Manhattan's upper Eastside, Nancy Green knows suspiciously little about her parents' past. She knows they were World War II Jewish refugees who were able to escape Germany with precious family heirlooms that are constant reminders of a lost life and world Nancy knows very little about. The longing she has for some kind of spiritual connection first leads her into an encounter with an Hassidic Jewish man who, unable to find meaning in his own religion, has taken vows to becomes a monk; and then an involvement with a Catholic boy in Boston where she is studying for her masters degree in English literature. Yvon, trying to escape the clutches of Catholicism and his overbearing mother, finds temporary refuge in Nancy and sees her as an escape from the insular enclave of Franco-Americans where he has spent most of his life. Their highly erotic, tempestuous relationship is frightening to both of them and a tragedy in Yvon's life eventually pulls them apart. Devastated by the breakup, Nancy ends up marrying a Jewish man from London, hoping to find herself with a man of her own religion. However, this new relationship, pale in comparison to her relationship with Yvon, ends very sadly and regrettably, inspiring Nancy to go back to Boston to track down the man who, she realizes, is the great love of her life. A deftly crafted and brilliantly entertaining novel by an author with a genuine flair for narrative fiction storytelling, David Plante's "American Stranger" is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition for community library Contemporary Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "American Stranger" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9781538479889, $59.99, CD).

The Contraband Shore
David Donachie
Allison and Busby
c/o Casemate
1940 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083
www.casematepublishers.com
9780749021658, $25.00, HC, 320pp, www.amazon.com

In 1787, Captain Edward Brazier is on a mission: recently paid off from his frigate and comfortably off with hard won prize money, he is headed to Deal to propose marriage to the young and lovely widow Betsy Vaughan. He must navigate the bustle of the town's narrow streets that are busy with legal, illicit and depraved business flowing from and around the ships at dock. But all does not go well; between Betsy's brother and guardian Alexander Langridge prohibiting the match, and Brazier marked out for trouble by a local smuggling gang, his plans are in disarray. And when it slowly emerges that there may have been a decades old injustice closer to home, Brazier is caught up in more than he'd bargained for. Another deftly crafted and consistently entertaining historical novel by a master of the genre, "The Contraband Shore" by David Donachie is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to community library collections. Of special note for those to whom this would be their first introduction to the literary storytelling talents of Donachie, this edition includes a complete one-page Bibliography of his published work. It should also be noted for personal reading lists that "The Contraband Shore" is also available in a paperback edition (9780749021061, $12.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Keturah
Lisa T. Bergren
Bethany House Publishers
c/o Baker Publishing Group
6030 East Fulton Road, Ada, MI 49301
www.bethanyhouse.com
9780764230240, $14.99, PB, 352pp, www.amazon.com

In 1773 England, Lady Keturah Banning Tomlinson and her sisters find themselves the heiresses of their father's estates and know they have one option: Go to the West Indies to save what is left of their heritage. Although it flies against all the conventions for women of the time, they're determined to make their own way in the world. But once they arrive in the Caribbean, proper gender roles are the least of their concerns. On the infamous island of Nevis, the sisters discover the legacy of the legendary sugar barons has vastly declined--and that's just the start of what their eyes are opened to in this unfamiliar world. Keturah never intends to put herself at the mercy of a man again, but every man on the island seems to be trying to win her hand and, with it, the ownership of her plantation. She could desperately use an ally, but even an unexpected reunion with a childhood friend leaves her questioning his motives. Set on keeping her family together and saving her father's plantation, can Keturah ever surrender her stubbornness and guarded heart to God and find the healing and love awaiting her? Another deftly crafted and unfailingly entertaining novel from a true master of the Historical Romance genre, "Keturah" by Lisa T. Bergren will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated romance buffs and Lisa Bergren fans that "Keturah" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.87).

Check Me Out Becca Wilhite
Shadow Mountain Publishing
P.O. Box 30178, Salt Lake City, Utah 84130-0178
www.shadowmountain.com
9781629723273, $15.99, PB, 368pp, www.amazon.com

Greta loves her job as assistant librarian. She loves her best friend, Will, the high school civics teacher and debate coach. She even loves her mother despite her obvious disappointment that Greta is still single. Then she meets Mac in the poetry section of the library, and she is smitten. Mac is heart-stoppingly gorgeous and showers her with affection, poetic text messages, and free hot chocolate at the local cafe where he works. The only problem is that he seems to be a different person in his texts than in his face-to-face conversation. When the Franklin Library is threatened with closure, Greta leaps into action. She arranges for a "battle of the bands" book jam, hosts a book signing by a famous author, and finally, stages a protest that raises more than a few eyebrows. Through it all, she slowly realizes that it is Will, not Mac, who she turns to for support and encouragement. Mac has the looks; Will has the heart. How can she choose between them? Another gem of a novel by an author with a genuine flair for writing romance fiction that will linger in the mind and memory long after the book itself has been finished and set back upon the shelf, "Check Me Out" is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to community library Contemporary Romance Fiction collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated romance fans that "Check Me Out" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.15) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9781538488058, $29.95, MP3 CD).

Kostas's Convenient Bride
Lucy Monre
Harlequin Presents
c/o Harlequin Books
225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada, M3B 3K9
9781335419323, $6.25, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com

Discovering her boss, billionaire tycoon Andreas Kostas, must marry is devastating for Kayla. Then Andreas proposes that Kayla wear his ring! Having experienced the incandescent pleasure of his touch, she's hidden her yearning for him ever since. It's the proposal Kayla's always dreamed of, but dare she risk her body and heart to become a convenient wife? Can she step out of the shadows and down the aisle? Another deftly crafted, unfailingly entertaining, and inherently engaging read from cover to cover by an exceptional novelist with a genuine mastery of the genre, "Kostas's Convenient Bride" by Lucy More is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to community library Romance Fiction collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists that "Kostas's Convenient Bride" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $3.99).

Sea Before Us
Sarah Sundin
Revell
c/o Baker Publishing Group
6030 East Fulton, Ada, MI 49301
www.bakerbooks.com
9780800734879, $25.99, HC, 386pp, www.amazon.com

As D-Day approaches, American naval officer Lt. Wyatt Paxton is teamed up with Dorothy Fairfax, a British officer. Once they piece together family and reconnaissance photos to map Normandy, will Wyatt's bombardment plans destroy what Dorothy loves most? "The Sea Before Us" is another deftly crafted gem of a novel by Sarah Sundin and showcases her genuine flair for creating a simply riveting and entertaining read from beginning to end. The first volume of Sarah Sundin's new 'Sunrise at Normandy' series, "The Sea Before Us" is very highly recommended for community library collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Sea Before Us" is also available in a paperback edition (9780800727970, $15.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.63).

The Wanderers
Tim Pears
Bloomsbury Press
175 Fifth Avenue, Suite 315, New York, NY 10010
www.bloomsbury.com
9781408892336, $28.00, HC, 384pp, www.amazon.com

The year is 1912 and Leo Sercombe is on a journey. Aged thirteen and banished from the secluded farm of his childhood, he travels through Devon, grazing on berries and sleeping in the woods. Behind him lies the past, and before him the West Country, spread out like a tapestry. But a wanderer is never alone for long, try as he might - and soon Leo is taken in by gypsies, with their wagons, horses and vivid attire. Yet he knows he cannot linger, and must forge on towards the western horizon. Leo's love Lottie is at home. Life on the estate continues as usual, yet nothing is as it was. Her father is distracted by the promise of new love and Lottie is increasingly absorbed in the natural world: the profusion of wild flowers in the meadow, the habits of predators, and the mysteries of anatomy. And of course, Leo is absent. How will the two young people ever find each other again? In "The Wanderers", (which is the second volume in author Tim Pears's 'West Country' trilogy) the writing is both transcendental and sharply focused, reaches new heights, revealing the beauty and brutality that coexist in nature. Timeless, searching, charged with raw energy and gentle humor, "The Wanderers is a delicately wrought tale of adolescence; of survival; of longing, loneliness and love. While unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Wanderers" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.99).

Before I Let You Go
Kelly Rimmer
Graydon House
195 Broadway, 24th Floor, New York, NY 10007
http://graydonhousebooks.com
9781525820847, $16.99, PB, 384pp, www.amazon.com

The 2:00 a.m. call is the first time Lexie Vidler has heard her sister's voice in years. Annie is a drug addict, a thief, a liar -- and in trouble, again. Lexie has always bailed Annie out, given her money, a place to sleep, sent her to every kind of rehab. But this time, she's not just strung out -- she's pregnant and in premature labor. If she goes to the hospital, she'll lose custody of her baby -- maybe even go to prison. But the alternative is unthinkable. As the weeks unfold, Lexie finds herself caring for her fragile newborn niece while her carefully ordered life is collapsing around her. She's in danger of losing her job, and her fiance only has so much patience for Annie's drama. In court-ordered rehab, Annie attempts to halt her downward spiral by confronting long-buried secrets from the sisters' childhoods, ghosts that Lexie doesn't want to face. But will the journey heal Annie, or lead her down a darker path? Although a work of inherently fascinating fiction, in the pages of "Before I Let You Go", author Kelly Rimmer deftly explores a hotly divisive topic and asks how far the ties of family love can be stretched before they finally break. While unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Before I Let You Go" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9781538510483, $39.99, CD).

In Another Country, and Besides
Maxwell Jacobs
Morgan James Publishing
11815 Fountain Way, Suite 300, Newport News, VA 23606-4448
www.morganjamespublishing.com
9781683505310, $15.95, PB, 266pp, www.amazon.com

During a time of moral bankruptcy, dissolution, and unrealized love, Harry Hoffman is a lost soul with a sinister past. In Venice, he meets Cleo, who offers him an unexpected love affair and a chance to start over. But when this newfound happiness is threatened and their affair is strained by new passions, jealousies and other men, Harry slips back to his old ways and plots his revenge. This takes him on a great variety of adventures and experiences -from Zurich, and the Swiss Alps, to the Cote d'Azur and finally to Paris, irresistibly drawn back to the great, sprawling city he had once fled in bitterness and disgust. An epic saga of a novel, "In Another Country, and Besides" documents author Maxwell Jacobs as a storyteller with an genuine flair for originality and narrative driven surprises with unexpected twists and turns. While very highly recommended, especially for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "In Another Country, and Besides" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99).

The Other Side of the Bridge
Camron Wright
Shadow Mountain Publishing
P.O. Box 30178, Salt Lake City, Utah 84130-0178
www.shadowmountain.com
9781629724102, $19.99, HC, 304pp, www.amazon.com

Katie Connelly has lived in San Francisco all her life. Her late father made his career as an ironworker on the Golden Gate Bridge, and the many stories of him trying to save jumpers still haunt her. When she's asked to write a history about the bridge, her research uncovers a secret journal hidden in her father's desk, pages of familiar advice penned by the hand of a stranger. The scribbled words tell of a promise ring and a distant love, clues that Katie hopes may answer her own unresolved sorrow. Across the country, Dave Riley, a marketing executive in New York, encounters sorrows of his own. As he grasps at straws after tragedy strikes his family, a once whimsical daydream quickly turns into an obsession: he must ride his motorcycle across the Golden Gate Bridge on the Fourth of July. Does the bridge hold answers for both Katie and Dave? Or will it only add to their heartache? The puzzling words left behind in a long-forgotten journal hold the key to the truth they will discover on the Other Side of the Bridge. An entertaining read from beginning to end, "The Other Side of the Bridge" reveals author Camron Wright's genuine flair for engagingly descriptive, narrative driven, artfully scripted storytelling. While unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Other Side of the Bridge" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $17.29) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (9781629724218, $39.99, CD).

The Radicals
Ryan McIlvain
Hogarth
c/o Crown Publishing Group
www.crownpublishing.com
9780553417883, $26.00, HC, 288pp, www.amazon.com

When Eli first meets Sam Westergard, he is dazzled by his new friend's charisma, energy, and determined passion. Both graduate students in New York City, the two young men bond over their idealism, their love of poetry, and their commitment to socialism, both in theory and in practice -- this last taking the form of an organized protest against Soline, a giant energy company that has speculated away the jobs and savings of thousands. As an Occupy-like group begins to coalesce around him, Eli realizes that some of his fellow intellectuals are more deeply (and dangerously) devoted to the cause than others. A deftly written and inherently fascinating new novel from Ryan McIlvain,"The Radicals" will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library Contemporary General Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Radicals" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).

Isaiah's Daughter
Mesu Andrews
WaterBrook Press
c/o Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group
10807 New Allegiance Drive Suite 500, Colorado Springs, CO 80921
http://waterbrookmultnomah.com
9780735290259, $14.99, PB, 400pp, www.amazon.com

A young woman taken into the prophet Isaiah's household rises to capture the heart of the future king. Isaiah adopts Ishma, giving her a new name Zibah (which means delight of the Lord) thereby ensuring her royal pedigree. Ishma came to the prophet's home, devastated after watching her own family destroyed and now living as a captive of the Israelis. But as the years pass, Zibah's lively spirit wins Prince Hezekiah's favor, a boy determined to rebuild the kingdom his father has nearly destroyed. But loving this man will awake in her all the fears and pain of her past and she must turn to the only One who can give life, calm her fears, and deliver a nation. A deftly crafted and absorbingly entertaining read from cover to cover, "Isaiah's Daughter" by Mesu Andres is certain to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library Historical Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Isaiah's Daughter" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).

Syllables of Rain
D. S. Lliteras
Square One Publishers
115 Herricks Road, Garden City Park, NY 11040
www.squareonepublishers.com
9781937907525, $16.95, PB, 152pp, www.amazon.com

Cookie is a man trapped by his own memories; and as he struggles to cope with both grief and regret, he gradually descends into a perpetual cycle of self-destruction. His friend Llewellen is doing his best to help, but is himself tormented by his own memories of Jansen, a Zen Master who, many years back, left Llewellen with more questions than answers about life. He is also conflicted about his relationship with Sandy, the woman he loves. His past overshadows their present (his illusions collide with her reality) and this rift between them leads to their separation. Both Cookie and Llewellen must eventually decide if they will be defined by their past or learn to move beyond it, even if some emotional scars are too deep to ever fully heal; even when there are no definitive answers to their many questions. An inherently compelling and fully engaging read from beginning to end, "Syllables of Rain reviews novelist D. S. Lliteras as having a genuine flair for originality, deftly crafted characters, and a distinctively poetic style of storytelling. The result is a novel that will linger in the mind and memory long after the book itself is finished and set back upon the shelf. While very highly recommended, especially for community library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Syllables of Rain" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $3.99).

Girl Unknown
Karen Perry
Henry Holt & Company
175 Fifth Avenue, Suite 400, New York, NY 10010-7725
www.henryholt.com
9780805098747, $28.00, HC, 304pp, www.amazon.com

David and Caroline Connolly are swimming successfully through their marriage's middle years -- raising two children; overseeing care for David's ailing mother; leaning into their careers, both at David's university teaching job, where he's up for an important promotion, and at the ad agency where Caroline has recently returned to work after years away while the children were little. The recent stresses of home renovation and of a brief romantic betrayal (Caroline's) are behind them. The Connollys know and care for each other deeply. Then one early fall afternoon, a student of sublime, waiflike beauty appears in David's university office and says, "I think you might be my father." And the fact of a youthful passion that David had tried to forget comes rushing back. In the person of this intriguing young woman, the Connollys may have a chance to expand who they are and how much they can love, or they may be making themselves vulnerable to menace. They face either an opportunity or a threat -- but which is which? What happens when their hard-won family happiness meets a hard-luck beautiful girl? An inherently riveting psychological thriller of a read from cover to cover, "Girl Unknown" is unreservedly recommended, especially for community library collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Girl Unknown" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).

The Dishonorable Miss DeLancey
Carolyn Miller
Kregel Publications
2450 Oak Industrial Drive, NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49505
www.kregel.com
9780825444524, $14.99, PB, 296pp, www.amazon.com

Tainted by scandal and forced to leave London for the quieter Brighton countryside, the Honorable Miss Clara DeLancey is a shadow of her former society self. She's lost the man she loved to another and, in a culture that has no patience for self-pity, is struggling with depression. A chance encounter brings her a healing friendship with the sisters of an injured naval captain. But Clara's society mama is appalled at the new company she's keeping. Captain Benjamin Kemsley is not looking for a wife. But his gallant spirit won't let him ignore the penniless viscount's daughter -- not when she so obviously needs assistance to keep moving forward from day to day. Can he protect his heart and still keep her safe? When they're pushed into the highest echelons of society at the Prince Regent's Brighton Pavilion, this mismatched couple must decide if family honor is more important than their hopes. Can they right the wrongs of the past and find future happiness together -- without finances, family support, or royal favor? While a very highly recommended and unfailingly entertaining read from Historical Romance fiction fans, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Dishonorable Miss DeLancey" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $2.51). Librarians should note that there is also a large print edition of "The Dishonorable Miss DeLancey" (Thorndyke, 9781432845803, $30.99, HC).


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

Sunday Silence
Nicci French
William Morrow & Company
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
195 Broadway New York, New York 10007
www.harpercollins.com
9780062819840, $26.99, HC, 416pp, www.amazon.com

Frieda Klein is many things including a lover of London, a gifted psychologist, and a frequent police consultant. And now she's a person of interest in a murder case. A body has been discovered in the most unlikely and horrifying of places: beneath the floorboards of Frieda's house. The corpse is only months old, but the chief suspect appears to have died more than seven years ago. Except as Frieda knows all too well, he's alive and well and living in secret. And it seems he's inspired a copycat. As the days pass and the body count rises, Frieda finds herself caught in a fatal tug-of-war between two killers: one who won't let her go, and another who can't let her live. A deftly crafted and inherently riveting psychological thriller of a read from cover to cover, "Sunday Silence" reveals author Nicci French's genuine flair for narrative driven storytelling replete with unexpected twists and turns. While "Sunday Silence" is wholeheartedly and unreservedly recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that it is also available in a paperback edition (9780062676689, $15.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.99).

Queen Anne's Lace
Susan Wittig Albert
Berkley Books
c/o Penguin Group
375 Hudson Street, 4th floor, New York, NY 10014
www.penguin.com
9780425280058, $27.00, HC, 304pp, www.amazon.com

While helping Ruby Wilcox clean up the loft above their shops, China comes upon a box of antique handcrafted lace and old photographs. Following the discovery, she hears a woman humming an old Scottish ballad and smells the delicate scent of lavender. Soon, strange happenings start to occur in Thyme and Seasons: misplaced items, a ringing bell, and the appearance of lavender sprigs in odd places. When a customer mentions seeing a mysterious woman picking flowers nearby and then suddenly disappearing, China must finally admit what Ruby has always known--their building is haunted. But by whom? As China investigates, the tragic story of a woman in one of the old photographs unfolds. Annie Laurie was a young widow who'd lost both her husband and her child in the same day. She manages to survive through her lace-making business and finds happiness again only to have a suspicious death overshadow her new life. China delves into Annie's century-old mystery and realizes that solving it could have unimaginable repercussions in the here and now. Another truly riveting read for dedicated mystery buffs by a true master of the genre, Susan Albert's "Queen Anne's Lace" is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Queen Anne's Lace" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99).

A Cold Day in Hell
Lissa Marie Redmond
Midnight Ink
2143 Wooddale Drive, Woodbury, MN 55125-2989
www.midnightinkbooks.com
9780738754109, $15.99, PB, 384pp, www.amazon.com

Lauren Riley is an accomplished detective who has always been on the opposite side of the courtroom from slick defense attorney Frank Violanti. But now he's begging to hire her as a private investigator to help clear his client of murder. At first Lauren refuses, wanting nothing to do with the media circus surrounding the case until she meets the eighteen-year-old suspect. To keep an innocent teen from life in prison, Lauren must unravel the conflicting evidence and changing stories to get at the buried facts. But the more she digs, the more she discovers that nothing is what it first appears to be. As Lauren puts her career and life in danger, doubt lurks on every corner -- and so does her stalker. A deftly crafted and riveting novel by a master of the mystery genre, "A Cold Day in Hell" by Lissa Marie Redmond will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs that "A Cold Day in Hell" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.59).

A Death of No Importance
Mariah Fredericks
Minotaur Books
c/o St. Martin's Publishing Group
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
www.minotaurbooks.com
9781250152978, $24.99, HC, 288pp, www.amazon.com

Invisible until she's needed, Jane Prescott has perfected the art of serving as a ladies' maid to the New York City upper echelons of 1910. When she takes up a position with the Benchley family, dismissed by the city's elite as "new money", Jane realizes that while she may not have financial privilege, she has a power they do not -- she understands the rules of high society. The Benchleys cause further outrage when their daughter Charlotte becomes engaged to notorious playboy Norrie, the son of the eminent Newsome family. But when Norrie is found murdered at a party, Jane discovers she is uniquely positioned because she is a woman no one sees, but who witnesses everything; who possesses no social power, but that of fierce intellect, and therefore she has the tools to solve his murder. There are many with grudges to bear: from the family Norrie was supposed to marry into, to the survivors of a tragic accident in a mine owned by the Newsomes, to the rising anarchists who are sick of those born into wealth getting away with anything they want. Jane also knows that in both high society and the city's underbelly, morals can become cheap in the wrong hands: scandal and violence simmer just beneath the surface -- and can break out at any time. Another deftly crafted novel by an author with a genuine flair for originality and a total mastery of the mystery genre, "A Death of No Importance" by Mariah Fredericks is certain to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs that "A Death of No Importance" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).

Death of an Unsung Hero
Tessa Arlen
Minotaur Books
c/o St. Martin's Publishing Group
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
www.minotaurbooks.com
9781250101440, $26.99, HC, 320pp, www.amazon.com

In 1916 the world is at war and the energetic Lady Montfort has persuaded her husband to offer his family's dower house to the War Office as an auxiliary hospital for officers recovering from shell-shock with their redoubtable housekeeper Mrs. Jackson contributing to the war effort as the hospital's quartermaster. Despite the hospital's success, the farming community of Haversham, led by the Montfort's neighbor Sir Winchell Meacham, does not approve of a country-house hospital for men they consider to be cowards. When Captain Sir Evelyn Bray, one of the patients, is found lying face down in the vegetable garden with his head bashed in, both Lady Montfort and Mrs. Jackson have every reason to fear that the War Office will close their hospital. Once again the two women unite their diverse talents to discover who would have reason to murder a war hero suffering from amnesia. Brimming with intrigue, "Death of an Unsung Hero" is the fourth title in author Tessa Arlen's simply outstanding Lady Montfort Mystery series. While certain to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs that "Death of an Unsung Hero" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99).

A Well-Timed Murder
Tracee de Hahn
Minotaur Books
c/o St. Martin's Publishing Group
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
www.minotaurbooks.com
9781250110015, $25.99, HC, 352pp, www.amazon.com

Swiss-American police officer Agnes Luthi is on leave in Lausanne, Switzerland, recovering from injuries she sustained in her last case, when an old colleague invites her to the world's premier watch and jewelry trade show at the grand Messe Basel Exhibition Hall. Little does Agnes know, another friend of hers, Julien Vallotton, is at the same trade show -- and he's looking for Agnes. Julien Vallotton was friends with Guy Chavanon, a master of one of Switzerland's oldest arts: watchmaking. Chavanon died a week ago, and his daughter doesn't believe his death was accidental. Shortly before he died, Chavanon boasted that he'd discovered a new technique that would revolutionize the watchmaking industry, and she believes he may have been killed for it. Reluctantly, Agnes agrees to investigate his death. But the world of Swiss watchmaking is guarded and secretive, and before she realizes it, Agnes may be walking straight into the path of a killer. The latest addition to author Tracee de Hahn's deftly crafted 'Agnes Luthi Mystery Series, "A Well-Time Murder" once again reveals her mastery of the mystery genre. Unreservedly recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs, "A Well-Time Murder" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99).

The Paris Spy
Susan Elia MacNeal
Bantam Books
c/o The Random House Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, 17th floor, New York, NY 10019
www.randomhouse.com
9780399593802, $26.00, HC, 320pp, www.amazon.com

Maggie Hope has come a long way since serving as a typist for Winston Churchill. Now she's working undercover for the Special Operations Executive in the elegant but eerily silent city of Paris, where SS officers prowl the streets in their Mercedes and the Ritz is draped with swastika banners. Walking among the enemy is tense and terrifying, and even though she's disguised in chic Chanel, Maggie can't help longing for home. But her missions come first. Maggie's half sister, Elise, has disappeared after being saved from a concentration camp, and Maggie is desperate to find her - that is, if Elise even wants to be found. Equally urgent, Churchill is planning the Allied invasion of France, and SOE agent Erica Calvert has been captured, the whereabouts of her vital research regarding Normandy unknown. Maggie must risk her life to penetrate powerful circles and employ all her talents for deception and spycraft to root out a traitor, find her sister, and locate the reports crucial to planning D-Day in a deadly game of wits with the Nazi intelligence elite. Another elegantly crafted mystery by Susan Elia MacNeal that is replete with unexpected twists and turns, "The Paris Spy" is the latest Maggie Hope novel and a truly riveting read from beginning to end. While certain to be come an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs that "The Paris Spy" is also available in a paperback edition (9781101965993, $16.00) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).

The God Game
Jeffrey Round
The Dundurn Group
3 Church Street, Suite 500, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5E 1M2
www.dundurn.com
9781459740105, $16.99, PB, 328pp, www.amazon.com

When the husband of a Queen's Park aide runs off to escape his gambling debts, private investigator Dan Sharp is hired to track him down. As the city's political landscape verges on the bizarre (with a crack-using mayor and a major scandal looming) Dan finds himself pitted against a mysterious figure known for making or breaking the reputations of upcoming politicians. It's not until a body turns up on his doorstep that Dan realizes he's being punished for sticking his nose into dirty politics. It's left to him to catch the killer and prove his own innocence. Another deftly crafted novel by a master of the genre, "The God Game" is the fifth title in author Jeffrey Round's outstanding Dan Sharp Mystery series. While very highly recommended for both the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs, as well as community library Mystery/Suspense collections.

Survival of the Fritters
Ginger Bolton
Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street, Floor 21, New York, NY 10018-2522
www.kensingtonbooks.com
9781496711878, $15.95, PB, 256pp, www.amazon.com

If Emily has learned anything from her past as a 911 operator, it's to stay calm during stressful situations. But that's a tall order when one of her regulars, Georgia Treetor, goes missing. Georgia never skips morning cappuccinos with her knitting circle. Her pals fear the worst -- especially Lois, a close friend who recently moved to town. As evening creeps in, Emily and the ladies search for Georgia at home. And they find her -- murdered among a scattering of stale donuts. Disturbingly, Georgia's demise coincides with the five-year anniversary of her son's murder, a case Emily's late detective husband failed to solve before his own sudden death. With Lois hiding secrets and an innocent man's life at stake, Emily's forced to revisit painful memories on her quest for answers. Though someone's alibi is full of holes, only a sprinkling of clues have been left behind. And if Emily can't trace them back to a killer in time, her donut shop will end up permanently closed for business. Another deftly crafted mystery from author Ginger Bolton in her 'Deputy Donut Mystery' series, "Survival of the Fritters" is a simply compelling and unfailingly entertaining read from cover to cover. While very highly recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs that "Survival of the Fritters" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Tantor Audio, 9781977355201, $29.99, MP3 CD).


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

Echoes of Understorey
Thoraiya Dyer
Tor
c/o Tor/Forge Books
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
www.tor-forge.com
9780765385956, $16.99, PB, 352pp, www.amazon.com

Great deeds are expected of Imeris. She has trained endlessly to become an extraordinary fighter. Yet she wants more than to compete against the glories of her divine sister and the charms of her courtesan brother. Imeris thought she could prove her worth during a mission to kill a body-snatching sorceress, but fails disastrously. With death on her conscience and in hiding from her peers, Imeris is determined to find a way to redeem herself. What she doesn't expect is to be recruited in a Hunt for the Ages, chasing a terrifying, magical beast that will take all her skills to stop. An epic saga of a fantasy action/adventure novel, "Echoes of Understorey" is the second title in author Thoraiya Dyer's outstanding 'Titan's Forest' series. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Science Fiction & Fantasy collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Echoes of Understorey" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

St. Martin's Press
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
www.stmartins.com
$7.99 pbk / $7.99 Kindle each amazon.com

Two sexy, steamy fantasy-romance novels from St. Martin's Press are a rapacious treat for connoisseurs of the genre. Christine Warren's "Baby I'm Howling For You" (9781250120724) is part of the Alphaville series, where shape-shifting werewolves are bound by pack leader hierarchy. Renny Landry, a she-wolf forced to flee for her life, crosses paths with a gorgeous, powerful alpha male, who has his own past as a hunted quarry... a meeting that brings out the protective and passionate instincts of both! Donna Grant's "Heat: A Dragon Romance" (9781250109576) lives up to its title as a sensual story about the simmering bond between a strong-willed Dragon King and a woman with a past shrouded in magic, hidden even to herself. Both are highly recommended, and sure to be popular lending library picks!


The Metaphysical Studies Shelf

Astrology for Success
Cass Jackson & Janie Jackson
Hampton Roads Publishing Company
65 Parker St., Ste. 7, Newburyport, MA 01950
www.hrpub.com
9781571747945, $16.95, PB, 160pp, www.amazon.com

"Astrology for Success: Make the Most of Your Sun Sign Potential" by Cass and the late Janie Jackson (who are authors of over a dozen books on astrology and alternative health topics) is a beginner's guide to sun sign astrology, with an emphasis on what your sign can tell you about your potential for achieving success. "Astrology for Success" will help the reader to identify goals and provide a road map for achieving them. The individual chapters comprising "Astrology for Success" cover: Each of the 12 signs of the zodiac; Positive and negative traits; Career paths; Relationship issues and health concerns. Even for the reader who knows nothing about astrology, "Astrology for Success" will help to identify the negative traits that may be holding them back and shows how to make use of the positive traits that will propel them to reach their maximum potential. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Astrology for Success" is thoroughly 'reader friendly' from beginning to end and very highly recommended for both personal reading lists and community library Metaphysical Studies & Astrology instructional reference collections. Of special note for astrology students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Astrology for Success" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.95).

Icelandic Magic for Modern Living
Boff Konkerz
Andrews McMeel Publishing
1130 Walnut Street, Kansas City, MO 64106-2109
www.andrewsmcmeel.com
9781449489779, $9.99, PB, 72pp, www.amazon.com

Do you need a faster WiFi, more likes on social media, or to become a hit on Tinder? The playful spells and magical symbols in "Icelandic Magic for Modern Living" by Islandic sorcerer Boff Konkerz will have you covered. "Icelandic Magic for Modern Living" is comprised of an impressive collection of staves, spells, and rituals to help you get more likes on Instagram, find happy hour at whatever bar you enter, to grow the mightiest eyebrows, and more. Readers are advised to approach the claims of this sorcery with extreme caution as the spells themselves are sometimes dangerous to perform and their effects are not guaranteed. An inherently fascinating read from cover to cover, "Icelandic Magic for Modern Living" is an extraordinary and highly recommended addition to the personal reading lists of dedicated metaphysical studies students and magic users -- and is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99).

Peace Oracle: Guidance for Challenging Times
Toni Carmine Salerno & Leela J. Williams
Llewellyn Publications
2143 Wooddale Drive, Woodbury, MN 55125
www.llewellyn.com
9780738759395, $23.95, Boxed Set, 72pp, www.amazon.com

Even those who are born into peace can succumb to the hurries and pressures of daily life and find themselves despairing at the loss of harmony, accord, and contentment. However, peace is an art that can be developed and nurtured just like any other quality or skill. Beautiful, thoughtful, and lovingly crafted, this boxed set of oracle cards from the team of Toni Carmine Salerno and Leela Williams will support peace seekers on their personal journeys to compassion and confidence. The sublime images and insightful messages offer practical advice, higher guidance, and affirmations to help cultivate peace in our hearts, our heads, and our homes so that serenity can blossom into all areas of our lives. Inspired and inspiring, "Peace Oracle: Guidance for Challenging Times" is unreservedly recommended for the personal collections of all metaphysical science students and practitioners.

Secrets of Chinese Divination
Sasha Fenton
Hampton Roads Publishing Company
65 Parker St., Suite 7, Newburyport, MA 01950
www.hrpub.com
9781571747969, $16.95, PB, 256pp, www.amazon.com

Baffled by Chinese astrology? Confused by Feng Shui? Author Sasha Fenton (who became a professional astrologer, palmist, and tarot card reader in 1974, and who has written 127 books, mainly on mind, body, and spirit subjects) now draws upon her years of experience and expertise to delve into 11 major Chinese divination systems based on ancient practices in "Secrets of Chinese Divination: A Beginner's Guide to 11 Ancient Oracle Systems" to provide novice diviners by providing easily accessible introductions and instructions so the beginner can put these methods to use. "Secrets of Chinese Divination" covers such matters as: Chinese astrology; Feng Shui; I Ching; Chinese hand reading; Face reading; Lunar oracle; Mah Jong reading; Lo Shu Square; Weighing the bones; Yarrow stick divination; and the Four Pillars of Destiny. Comprehensive, authoritative, and thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Secrets of Chinese Divination" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library Metaphysical Studies collections and supplemental studies lists. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Secrets of Chinese Divination" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $16.08).

A Course in Mysticism and Miracles
Jon Mundy
Weiser Books
c/o Red Wheel/Weiser/Conari
65 Parker Street, Suite 7, Newburyport, MA 01950
www.redwheelweiser.com
9781578636013, $24.95, PB, 320pp, www.amazon.com

Jon Mundy, PhD, is the executive director of All Faiths Seminary International in New York City and hosts the web site www.drjonmundy.com. In "A Course in Mysticism and Miracles: Begin Your Spiritual Adventure", Mundy explores the tenets of mysticism and the teachings of A Course in Miracles, a book now regarded as a modern spiritual classic. Mysticism is the core of all true religions, and its teachings offer a way, or a path, to living in harmony with the Divine. The Course offers deep insight into the workings of the mind. When studied together, they provide spiritual awakening, clarity, and understanding. Both informative and inspirational, A Course in Mysticism and Miracles can motivate us to do the work required to develop a contemplative life. Its insights reveal that peace is available to us all. Thoroughly 'reader friendly' in tone, organization and presentation, "A Course in Mysticism and Miracles" is very highly recommended and potentially life enhancing reading. It should be noted that "A Course in Mysticism and Miracles" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.72) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (HighBridge Audio, 9781684412501, $34.99, CD).


The Christian Studies Shelf

Paul: An Apostle's Journey
Douglas A. Campbell
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
2140 Oak Industrial Drive, NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49505
www.eerdmans.com
9780802873477, $22.00, PB, 219pp, www.amazon.com

Douglas A. Campbell is a professor of New Testament at Duke Divinity School who is known for studies of Paul's writings that command the respect of scholars worldwide. ampbell has made a name for himself as one of Paul's most insightful and provocative interpreters and in this short and spirited book he introduces readers to the apostle he has studied in depth over his scholarly career. With "Paul: An Apostle's Journey", readers will enter into Paul's world, reliving the story of Paul's action-packed ministry, and follow the development of Paul's thought throughout both his physical and his spiritual travels. Ideal for students, individual readers, and study groups, "Paul: An Apostle's Journey" dramatically recounts the life of one of early Christianity's most fascinating figures -- and offers powerful insight into his mind and his influential message. Exceptionally informative, impressively well written, organized and presented, "Paul: An Apostle's Journey" is very highly recommended for all members of the Christian community. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Paul: An Apostle's Journey" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.20).

Kingdom of Happiness
Fr. Jeffrey Kirby, STD
Saint Benedict Press
PO Box 410487, Charlotte, NC 28241
https://www.saintbenedictpress.com
9781505105902, $14.95, PB, 260pp, www.amazon.com

Father Jeffrey Kirby was ordained into the priesthood on July 27th, 2007. He received his Masters in Bioethics from Queen of the Apostles in Rome, and his Masters of Arts in Philosophy from Franciscan University where he graduated summa cum laude. Since 2010, he has been the Vicar of Vocations for the Diocese of Charleston where he has guided numerous young men and women in the spiritual life and in the process of discernment. In 2011, he founded the Drexel House, a Catholic Residence for Men. In "Kingdom of Happiness: Living the Beatitudes in Everyday Life" Father Jeffrey Kirby offers hope to the tired, overburdened, and unhappy. He reminds us that we are made for happiness. But he goes beyond that, showing us the path to achieving happiness. It's not a new path. In fact, Jesus showed us the way in the Beatitudes, but Kingdom of Happiness reveals how these aren't merely nice sayings, they are powerful ways of living. To unveil the path to happiness in Jesus Christ, Kirby does not rely on emotional arguments or soft spirituality. He turns to the boldness of the Lord's Beatitudes, the real promises to true happiness. He teaches about the love, power, and self-control within them by showing their practical, life-application in today's world. "Kingdom of Happiness" reveals that the Beatitudes are not a self-help guide or a boring list of eight more things to do, but are a series of grace-filled, life-giving promises that excite our souls and point us along a way of life that assures us of true, lasting happiness. Inspired and inspiring, "Kingdom of Happiness: Living the Beatitudes in Everyday Life" is unreservedly recommended reading for all members of the Christian community. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Kingdom of Happiness: Living the Beatitudes in Everyday Life" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.98).

Jesus and His Enemies
Robert R. Beck
Orbis Books
Price Building, Box 302, Maryknoll NY 10545-0302
www.orbisbooks.com
9781626982437, $35.00, PB, 248pp, www.amazon.com

Robert R. Beck is a Catholic priest and Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa. In the pages of "Jesus and His Enemies: Narrative Conflict in the Four Gospels", he provides narrative analysis, the message expressed in each of the four gospels is conveyed not just through Jesus's teachings or particular stories but through the overall narrative itself -- particularly through the introduction and resolution of conflict. Through dramatic narrative the evangelists show Christians how they are to act in situations of conflict without abandoning the demands of love. As Professor Beck reflects, "This is the real test of the command to love one another, which finds its most exacting demand when we are in firm opposition." The Gospels have much to say about this, though the answers are found in a place we seldom look: in the qualities of dramatic narrative itself. Also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $15.39), "Jesus and His Enemies" offers a fresh contribution to biblical teaching on violence, ethics, and the Christian pursuit of peace, making it unreservedly recommended for seminary, community, and academic library Christian Studies collections.

Bible Matters: Making Sense of Scripture
Tim Chester
InterVarsity Press
PO Box 1400, Downers Grove, IL 60515-1426
www.ivpress.com
9780830845316, $16.00, PB, 192pp, www.amazon.com

For all Christians, the Bible is God's Word. The Bible teaches us how we should live. The Bible is something we should read every day. The Bible is something we should delight to read. Most of us agree with these statements. At least in theory. But what's our reality? Sometimes reading the Bible is a delight. But if we're honest, many other times reading the Bible feels like hard work. We read out of a sense of obligation. And some of us have given up entirely. With the publication of "Bible Matters: Making Sense of Scripture", Tim Chester (who is a pastor of Grace Church in Boroughbridge, North Yorkshire, and a faculty member with the Acts 29 Oak Hill Academy) reminds us that every time we read the Bible we hear the voice of God. The One who spoke and brought the universe into existence, whose voice thundered from Mount Sinai, and whose words healed the sick is who speaks to us today. So as we read the Bible we don't merely learn information about God-we hear his voice and encounter his presence. Including a study guide for group use, "Bible Matters: Making Sense of Scripture" helps us approach reading the Bible with an eager anticipation, expecting to hear God's voice and meet him in his Word. It's up to us to listen. While very highly recommended ans inspired and inspired reading for all members of the Christian community, it should be noted that "Bible Matters: Making Sense of Scripture" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.16).

The Easter Letters
Joel S. Goldsmith
Acropolis Books
www.acropolisbooks.com
9781939542625, $14.95, PB, 208pp, www.amazon.com

The late Joel S. Goldsmith (1892-1964), was a monumental teacher of practical mysticism, devoted most of his life to the discovery and teaching of spiritual principles which he founded and called The Infinite Way. As his teaching and healing ministry began to take him to the far corners of the world, he decided to send out a Monthly Letter to his students near and far who were studying The Infinite Way message. "The Easter Letters" is comprised of ten of these letters each of which beautifully commemorate the mystery and majesty of Easter. Whereas Christmas brings the promise of peace on earth to all, within all, Easter reveals the achievement of full Christhood by the Master and reveals the way by which we can attain immortality. It is here, early in "The Easter Letters", that Goldsmith seems to step from behind a dais to sit down with the readers who are seeking this ascension above material sense. With warmth and clarity, he lays out these steps in the form of a concise outline entitled, What the Infinite Way Reveals. With that masterful blueprint as a guide, "The Easter Letters" comes into sharp focus as the narrative of the life of the Master, Jesus, provides powerful instruction and revelation about the living Easter experience happening day by day in the lives of every seeker of truth. "The Easter Letters" guides and inspires. It invites readers to consciously experience and embrace the ever-expanding life of birth, death (dying to concepts), and resurrection welling up within every living moment, a true celebration of Easter. "The Easter Letters" is especially and unreservedly recommended to the attention of all members of the Christian community regardless of denominational affiliations. It should be noted for personal reading lists that this edition of "The Easter Letters" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

God Isn't Finished with Me Yet
Barbara Lee
Loyola Press
3441 North Ashland Avenue, Chicago, IL 60657
www.loyolapress.com
9780829446616, $12.95, PB, 136pp, www.amazon.com

As we see fewer years ahead than behind, it can be easy to question our value or what we have left to contribute to our communities. How can we continue to give back and live with purpose in our later years? Barbara Lee (is a spiritual director and a retired lawyer) is living this reality every day, and in the pages of "God Isn't Finished with Me Yet" she describes the intersection of aging with the timelessness of Ignatian spirituality. "God Isn't Finished with Me Yet" shows readers how God meets us with unexpected grace. In five succinct chapters, Lee shows how Ignatian prayer and discernment offer those in later life a path to discovering previously unknown vocations and new ways of living and being of service. Inspired and inspiring, "God Isn't Finished with Me Yet" is unreservedly recommended for all members of the Christian community. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "God Isn't Finished with Me Yet" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.74).

The Theology of Sergius Bulgakov
Robert F. Slesinsky
SVS Press
575 Scarsdale Road, Yonkers, NY 10707
www.svspress.com
9780881416015, $35.00, PB, 280pp, www.amazon.com

Robert F. Slesinski received his doctorate in philosophy from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, and served on the faculty of the John XXIII Institute for Eastern Christian Studies (Bronx, NY). The author of "The Theology of Sergius Bulgakov", he now provides best one volume introductory critical study of Sergius Bulgakov for an American readership. In a time when Bulgakov's complex theology and profound legacy in modern theology in Christian East and West is finally being widely appreciated, Fr. Slesinkski's study has given us a sure conceptual guide, with marked critical analysis, not a mere summary, to the major themes and words of Bulgakov's massive oeuvre. Setting a standard for all future academic work that attempts to understand Bulgakov, who is the awakening giant of modern Orthodox theology, "The Theology of Sergius Bulgakov" is a truly extraordinary and definitive study that is unreservedly recommended, especially for college and university library Orthodox Christian Studies collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, clergy, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Theology of Sergius Bulgakov" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Merton's Palace of Nowhere
James Finley
Ave Maria Press
PO Box 428, Notre Dame, IN 46556
www.avemariapress.com
9780877930419, $16.95, PB, 157pp, www.amazon.com

As a young man of eighteen, James Finley left home for an unlikely destination: the Abbey of Gethsemani, where Thomas Merton lived as a contemplative. Finley stayed at the monastery for six maturing years and later wrote "Merton's Palace of Nowhere" in order to share with his readers a taste of what he had learned on his spiritual journey under the guidance of one of the great religious figures of our day. At the heart of the quest for spiritual identity are Thomas Merton's illuminating insights -- leading from an awareness of the false and illusory self to a realization of the true self. For over twenty-five years "Merton's Palace of Nowhere" has been the standard for exploring, reflecting on, and understanding this rich vein of Merton's thought. Now brought back into print in a 40th Anniversary Edition by Ave Maria Press, and featuring a new foreword by Br. Patrick Hart, "Merton's Palace of Nowhere" is once again available to a whole new generation of appreciate students of the life and work of Thomas Merton. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Merton's Palace of Nowhere" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.44).

Grace for the Unexpected Journey
Deborah Barr
Moody Publishers
820 N. LaSalle Blvd., Chicago, IL 60610
www.moodypublishers.com
9780802416780, $14.99, HC, 304pp, www.amazon.com

"Grace for the Unexpected Journey: A 60-Day Devotional for Alzheimer's and Other Dementia Caregivers" was specifically written by Deborah Barr for anyone who is a caregiver to someone with Alzheimer's or any another type of dementia. On top of having to watch someone you love suffer, you are probably losing sleep, growing frustrated, and struggling with loneliness or even depression. With little to no help and no time for a break, this unrelenting stress is hard to carry. "Grace for the Unexpected Journey provides that support with a series of succinct daily devotions that: Are short and ideal for demanding schedules; Reflect on a relevant Scripture passage; Features a relatable caregiving story; Offers a key Scripture for meditation. As a health educator with a deep concern and compassion for dementia caregivers, Deborah saw their need for faith-based encouragement. With compassion and understanding, and uses Scriptures to address their practical hardships and spiritual concerns. When the struggles seem insurmountable, this devotional offers strength. "Grace for the Unexpected Journey" is an ideal gift to give a caretaker, and would be an enduringly popular addition to community library collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Grace for the Unexpected Journey" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.59).

Made for Love
Fr. Michael Schmitz
Ignatius Press
PO Box 1339, Fort Collins, CO 80522
www.ignatius.com
9781621642190, $16.95, PB, 208pp, www.amazon.com

In "Made for Love: Same-Sex Attraction and the Catholic Church", Fr. Michael Schmitz (Director of the Newman Center at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry for the diocese) presents the Catholic teaching on same-sex attraction and same-sex "sexual" relations. He begins by giving background information regarding the different worldviews of the human person, the philosophical ideas of nature and purpose, the differences between objective and subjective truth, the principal of non-contradiction, and the fallen human nature that resulted from Original Sin. He then discusses in great detail the nature and ends of human sexuality and the nature of true love, while, in a compassionate and non-judgmental way, explaining the flawed nature of same-sex "sexual" relations. While "Made for Love" is intended primarily for those who have same-sex attraction and their family and friends, its presentation of the compassionate truth of Catholic teaching on same-sex attraction will be of great benefit to everyone in today's society. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Made for Love" is an especially recommended addition to Human Sexuality and Catholic Doctrine supplemental studies reading lists and library collections.


The Judaic Studies Shelf

From Forbidden Fruit to Milk and Honey
Diana Lipton
Urim Publications
c/o Lambda Publishers
527 Empire Boulevard, Brooklyn, New York 11225
www.UrimPublications.com
9789655242522, $28.95, HC, 236pp, www.amazon.com

For millennia, food is at the heart of Jewish life and culture. It's the subject of many studies, popular and academic, as well as countless Jewish jokes. "From Forbidden Fruit to Milk and Honey: A Commentary on Food in the Torah", a collection of contributions by scholarly contributors that is compiled by Diana Lipton (Adjunct Lecturer in Bible at Hebrew University's Rothberg International School) deftly spotlights and showcases food as written about in the pages of the Torah itself, where, as still today, it's used to explore themes including love and desire, compassion and commitment, social justice, memory, belonging and exclusion, control, deception, and life and death. Originally an online project to support the food rescue charity, Leket Israel, "From Forbidden Fruit to Milk and Honey" comprises short essays on food in the parasha by 52 internationally acclaimed scholars and Jewish educators, and features a verse by verse commentary by Diana Lipton on food and eating in the Torah. Enhanced for academia with the inclusion of a glossary, a list of abbreviations, and a three page listing of sources for further reading, "From Forbidden Fruit to Milk and Honey" is a unique and very highly recommended addition to synagogue, community, and academic library Judaic Studies collections, as well as the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject.

Tastes of Faith: Jewish Eating in the United States
Leah Hochman, editor
Purdue University Press
504 West State Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2058
www.thepress.purdue.edu
9781557537997, $25.00, HC, 160pp, www.amazon.com

Jewish food practices and products expose and explain how different groups within American society think about what it means to be Jewish and the values (as well as the prejudices) people have about what "Jewish" means. Food (identified and defined as what one eats, how one eats it, when one eats it) is a fascinating entryway into identity; for Jews, it is at once a source of great nostalgia and pride, and the central means by which acculturation and adaptation takes place. Individual chapters trace the importance and influence of the triad of bagels, lox, and cream cheese, southern kosher hot barbecue, Jewish vegetarianism, American recipes in Jewish advice columns, the draw of eating treyf (nonkosher), and the geography of Jewish food identities, Impressively informative "Tastes of Faith: Jewish Eating in the United States" deftly explores American Jewish foodways, predilections, desires, and presumptions. While especially and unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Judaic Culture collections and supplemental studies lists, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Tastes of Faith" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $22.86).

Heal Us O Lord
Rabbi Sidney Goldstein
Urim Publications
c/o KATV Publishing House
527 Empire Boulevard, Brooklyn, New York 11225
www.UrimPublications.com
9789655242751, $19.95, HC, 160pp, www.amazon.com

"Heal Us O Lord: A Chaplain's Interface With Pain" is the personal memoir of Rabbi Sidney Goldstein. It's the deftly told story of a chaplain who encounters the traumas of life as he visits with those who are in the throes of experiencing them. "Heal Us O Lord" expresses the challenges faced by chaplains in providing support during some of the most crucial and painful times of life without being enveloped by them personally. Rabbi Goldstein offers a source of encouragement and council for those whose lives might crave spirituality but do not know where to turn. A candid and impressively informative memoir, "Heal Us O Lord" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to personal reading lists, as well as synagogue, community, and academic library Contemporary American Biography in general, and Judaic Studies supplemental studies lists in particular.


The Buddhist Studies Shelf

Buddhism Beyond Gender
Rita M. Gross
Shambhala Publications, Inc.
300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, MA 02115-4544
www.shambhala.com
9781611802375, $24.95, PB, 192pp, www.amazon.com

At the heart of Buddhism is the notion of egolessness, of "forgetting the self", as the path to awakening. In fact, attachment to views of any kind only leads to more suffering for ourselves and others. In "Buddhism beyond Gender: Liberation from Attachment to Identity" by the late Rita Gross (1943 - 2015) who was a Professor Emerita of Comparative Studies in Religion at the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, asks what has a greater hold on people's imaginations or limits them more than ideas about biological sex and what she calls "the prison of gender roles"? Yet if clinging to gender identity does, indeed, create obstacles for us, why does the prison of gender roles remain so inescapable? Professor Gross uses the lenses of Buddhist philosophy to deconstruct the powerful concept of gender and its impact on our lives. In revealing the inadequacies involved in clinging to gender identity, Professor Gross illuminates the suffering that results from clinging to any kind of identity at all. A truly exceptional, thoughtful and thought-provoking work, "Buddhism Beyond Gender" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, community, and academic library Buddhism & Gender studies collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Buddhism Beyond Gender" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.99).


The Travel Shelf

Along Interstate-75, 19th edition
Dave Hunter
Mile Oak Publishing Inc
9781896819198, $26.95, Spiral PB, 208pp, www.amazon.com

Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north - south route, one of the longest in the U.S., from southern Florida to the northern tip of Michigan. Now in a newly updated 19th edition, Dave Hunter's "Along Interstate-75" is an impressively informative and thoroughly 'user friendly' guide book for anyone driving it's entire length to and from Florida. Featuring a spiral bound paperback format, "Along Interstate-75" is packed with 'insider tips', illustrations, map sections, and local information. Of special note is the little 'info block' featuring 'Herb's ten funny reasons to drive to Florida -- rather than fly.' Sized to easily fit in an automobile glove box, "Along Interstate-75" is unreservedly recommended for anyone traveling along Interstate-75 for business or for pleasure.

61 Gems on Highway 61, second edition
William Mayo & Kathryn Mayo
Adventure Publications
330 Garfield Street South, Cambridge, MN 55008
www.adventurepublications.net
9781591937944, $12.95, PB, 136pp, www.amazon.com

Highway 61 goes from Duluth, Minnesota, to the Canadian border, and is peppered with tourist hotspots that Minnesotans love. But even the most devout North Shore traveler doesn't know Lake Superior like William and Kathryn Mayo do. In the pages of "61 Gems on Highway 61: Your Guide to Minnesota's North Shore, from Well-Known Attractions to Best-Kept Secrets", these intrepid explorers and informationally savvy residents of the region outline the best sites that you may not know about in this newly revised and updated second edition of the popular guide to the best sites and experiences along one of the state's most scenic roads. The entertaining guide spotlights 61 of the North Shore's hidden treasures and tourist favorites, offering complete site details and need-to-know information, such as driving directions, accessibility, and fun facts. Full-color photographs and maps further enhance the usefulness of this handy guidebook. An ideal source of practical information and ideas, "61 Gems on Highway 6" is an especially fun and useful itinerary planning resource for anyone traveling on this fabled Minnesota highway!


The Photography Shelf

The Postcards of L.A. Huffman
Gene Allen & Bev Allen
Sweetgrass Books
c/o Farcountry Press
PO Box 5630, Helena, MT 59604
www.farcountrypress.com
9781591522126, $24.95, PB, 128pp, www.amazon.com

Laton Alton Huffman (October 31, 1854 - February 28, 1931) was an American photographer of Frontier and Native American life. Born in Winneshiek County, Iowa, he spent most of his life photographing the area around his Montana home. Having initially worked at Fort Keogh, he started to sell prints of his glass plate negatives. He was especially known for producing photographs using a variety of formats over the course of his 52-year career. From 1906 to 1928 he published four different groups of postcards -- three sets of printed cards and an unknown but relatively few real photo cards. Today his real photo postcards are rare and hard to find. Compiled with captions and commentary by the team of Gene and Bev Allen, "The Postcards of L.A. Huffman" provides new information about a previously little-known dimension of Huffman's work. Featuring several sets of printed postcards and his real photo postcards, "The Postcards of L.A. Huffman" will be a welcome addition to any L.A. Huffman or postcard collector's library, and is unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library History of Photography collections.


The Theatre/Cinema Shelf

Contemporary Monologues for Twentysomethings
Jessica Bashline, editor
Applause Books
c/o Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group
19 West 21st Street, Suite 201, New York, NY 10010
www.applausebooks.com
9781495064852, $14.99, PB, 184pp, www.amazon.com

The theater of the 21st century, in many ways, is expanding to require new muscles of its actors, and so should their monologue choices. "Contemporary Monologues for Twentysomethings", deftly edited by Jessica Bashline (who a New York City based director, playwright, and teacher, as well as the artistic director and cofounder of Strange Sun Theater) is a compilation of monologues for actors ages 15 to 30, incorporating characters from a variety of backgrounds with different stories to tell, giving you the chance to explore those who are close to you and those who may come from someplace else. These monologues are compiled in order of length, with the shortest coming in a little under a minute and the longer pieces running closer to four minutes. All from plays written between 2000 and 2016, the monologues in this thoroughly 'user friendly' volume are useful both for exploration in a classroom setting as well as for auditions. This comprehensive and outstanding collection features work written by Neil LaBute, Sarah Ruhl, Zach Braff, Naomi Iizuka, and many more. Every playwright in "Contemporary Monologues for Twentysomethings" is currently writing. Some of these plays have been produced on Broadway and some in tiny theaters in New York, Minneapolis, San Diego, or other cities around the country. "Contemporary Monologues for Twentysomethings" offers a chance for emerging actors to explore work by playwrights, both emerging and established, that is truly contemporary. Also very highly recommended for personal, community center, school, and community library Acting/Auditioning instructional reference collections is Jessica Bashline's companion volume, "Contemporary Scenes for Twentysomethings" (9781495065446, $14.99, PB, 294pp).


The American History Shelf

The Slave-Trader's Letter-Book
Jim Jordan
University of Georgia Press
Main Library, Third Floor, 320 South Jackson Street, Athens, Georgia 30602
www.ugapress.org
9780820351964, $32.95, HC, 352pp, www.amazon.com

In 1858 Savannah businessman Charles Lamar organized the shipment of hundreds of Africans to Jekyll Island, Georgia. Deftly edited with commentary and notations by Jim Jordan (who researches and writes about the colonial, antebellum, and Civil War South), "The Slave-Trader's Letter-Book: Charles Lamar, the Wanderer, and Other Tales of the African Slave Trade" is comprised of seventy long-lost letters that shed light on the lead-up to the I from the remarkable perspective of a troubled, and troubling, figure. Organized and presented chronologically, and enhanced with the inclusion of fifty-two pages of Notes, an eleven page Selected Bibliography, and a ten page Index, "The Slave-Trader's Letter-Book" is an impressively informative and engaging read from cover to cover. While unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library 19th Century American History collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Slave-Trader's Letter-Book" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $23.55).

Troopers with Custer
E. A. Brininstool
Stackpole Books
5067 Ritter Road, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055-6921
www.stackpolebooks.com
9780811737401, $20.95, PB, 368pp, www.amazon.com

No one survived in Custer's immediate command, but other soldiers fighting in the Battle of the Little Big Horn on June 25-26, 1876, were doomed to remember the nightmarish scene for decades after. Their true and terrible stories are included in "Troopers with Custer: Historic Incidents of the Battle of the Little Big Horn". Some of the veterans who corresponded with E. A. Brininstool were still alive when his book first appeared in a shortened version in 1925. It has long been recognized as classic Custeriana. More incisively than many later writers, Brininstool considers the causes of Custer's defeat and questions the alleged cowardice of Major Marcus A. Reno. His exciting reenactment of the Battle of the Little Big Horn sets up the reader for a series of turns by its stars and supporting and bit players. Besides the boy general with the golden locks, they include Captain Frederick W. Benteen, the scouts Lieutenant Charles A. Varnum and "Lonesome Charley" Reynolds, the trumpeter John Martin, officers and troopers in the ranks who miraculously escaped death, the only surviving surgeon and the captain of the steamboat that carried the wounded away, the newspaperman who spread the news to the world, and many others. While an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to both community and academic library American History collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Troopers with Custer" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $3.99).


The Education Shelf

Interactions in Ecology and Literature
Tamra Stambaugh, Eric Fecht, Emily Mofield
Prufrock Press
PO Box 8813, Waco, TX 76714-8813
www.prufrock.com
9781618217929, $45.00, PB, 258pp, www.amazon.com

"Interactions in Ecology and Literature: Integrated Science and ELA Lessons for Gifted and Advanced Learners in Grades 2-3" by Tamra Stambaugh (who is a Research Assistant Professor of Special Education and Director of Programs for Talented Youth at Vanderbilt University) deftly and effectively integrates ecology with fictional and informational texts. This classroom educational unit, developed by Vanderbilt University's Programs for Talented Youth, is fully aligned to the Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards. Students will research questions such as "Should animals be kept in zoos?" and "Should we kill spiders in our house?" They will examine relationships among living things and the environment as well as relationships between literary elements in texts through accelerated content, engaging activities, and differentiated tasks. An ideal curriculum supplement that is both teacher and student friendly in terms of tone, commentary, organization and presentation, "Interactions in Ecology and Literature" is an especially and unreservedly recommended for classroom teachers, as well as an addition to college and university library Teacher Education & Resources collections.

Attack of the Teenage Brain!
John Medina
ASCD
1703 North Beauregard Street, Alexandria, VA 22311-1714
www.ascd.org
9781416625490, $28.95, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com

In accessible language and with periodic references to Star Trek, motorcycle daredevils, and near-classic movies of the '80s, developmental molecular biologist John Medina (who is a developmental molecular biologist with special research interests in the isolation and characterization of genes involved in human brain development and the genetics of psychiatric disorders), has written "Attack of the Teenage Brain! Understanding and Supporting the Weird and Wonderful Adolescent Learner" to deftly explore the neurological and evolutionary factors that drive teenage behavior and can affect both achievement and engagement. Medina also proposes a research-supported counterattack: a bold redesign of educational practices and learning environments to deliberately develop teens' cognitive capacity to manage their emotions, plan, prioritize, and focus. "Attack of the Teenage Brain!" is an enlightening and entertaining read that will change the way we think about teen behavior and prompt us to consider how parents, educators, and policymakers might effectively collaborate to help our challenging, sometimes infuriating, often weird, and genuinely wonderful kids become more successful learners, in school and beyond. While unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Psychology & Education collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of psychology students, classroom teachers, parents, and non-specialists general readers with an interest in the subject that "Attack of the Teenage Brain!" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $21.12).


The Automotive Shelf

The Definitive Chevelle SS Guide 1964-1972
Dale McIntosh
CarTech Inc.
838 Lake Street South, Forest Lake, MN 55025
www.cartechbooks.com
9781613253656, $34.95, PB, 192pp, www.amazon.com

Chevelles have always carried a certain aura about them. As Chevrolet's entry into the mid-sized muscle car market, they provided high sales numbers across many platforms as Chevrolet won the manufacturers crown six of nine years from 1964 to 1972. At the tip of the Chevrolet sales spear resided the Chevelle SS. Beginning in 1969, the Chevelle SS was no longer its own model and was relegated to being an option package. Hence, it can become difficult to determine if a 1969-1972 model was ordered from the factory with Super Sport equipment. In "The Definitive Chevelle SS Guide 1964-1972", Dale McIntosh (who became a Chevelle enthusiast when he purchased his first black/black 1967 SS396 in the fall of 1967, and who in the 1990s, created a website (Team67.com) that morphed into ChevelleStuff.net and became a major resource for Chevelle information) discusses each model in a year-by-year format, providing correct information on what was and wasn't part of the Malibu SS, SS396, and SS-optioned Chevelle. Crucial to this is a firm understanding of plant-by-plant variances along with mid-year changes that he has identified to make your Chevelle SS factory correct. Very highly recommended for personal, community, and academic library Automotive History collections in general, and Chevell supplemental studies reading lists in particular, "The Definitive Chevelle SS Guide 1964-1972" is an impressive compilation of hard data in an easy, concise, and profusely illustrated format.

Damsels in Design
Constance A. Smith
Schiffer Publishing Ltd.
4880 Lower Valley Road, Atglen, PA 19310
www.schifferbooks.com
9780764354359, $34.99, HC, 192pp, www.amazon.com

In the mid-1950s, an innovative group of women at General Motors (dubbed the Damsels of Design by marketers) and their counterparts at Ford, Hudson, Studebaker, Packard, and Tucker changed automotive history forever. "Damsels in Design: Women Pioneers in the Automotive Industry, 1939-1959" by Constance A. Smith reveals in documented detail the untold story of the women who excelled in the Mad Men era of automobile and industrial design. Recruited by top CEOs at automotive companies, they developed many of the products we take for granted today. "Damsels in Design" includes Helene Rother, who designed the instrument panel, hardware, and seat construction for midcentury Cadillacs; and Elizabeth Thatcher Oros, the first female trained in industrial design; and discover the history behind the child safety seat latch and car doors with lights. An extraordinary story of exceptional women, "Damsels in Design" sheds light on those who have too long been in the shadows and is unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library 20th Century Automotive History collections, as well as the person reading lists of automotive history buffs.

Racing Colours
Simon Owen
Veloce Publishing Ltd.
www.veloce.co.uk
9781845846527, $32.50, HC, 192pp, www.amazon.com

A well known artist specializing in racing car subjects, the late Simon Owen's detailed, expertly executed work conveys the life, the vibrancy, the essence and passion of motor sports and racing cars, like no other. Simon's work is a visual feast for lovers of automotive art and motor sport. Over the last few years, Simon had worked on developing a series of stunningly detailed computer-generated digital images, focusing on individual racing cars and their liveries. Seventy-seven of these images have been compiled to create "Racing Colours: Motor Racing Compositions 1908-2009", and each one is individually presented with a relevant quote from a legend of the motor racing world. Along with these beautiful and unique artworks, "Racing Colours" represents a chance to gain a rare peek into the artist's working methods, revealing some of his developmental work. A simply fascinating browse for dedicated automotive racing buffs, "Racing Colours" is very strongly recommended for personal reading lists of dedicated motor sports fans, as well as community and academic library Automotive History collections. It should be noted that "Racing Colours" is also available in a paperback edition (9781787111943, $24.95).


The Graphic Novel Shelf

Death To The Tsar
Fabien Nury, author
Thierry Robin, illustrator
Titan Comics
https://titan-comics.com
9781785866418, $24.99, HC, 112pp, www.amazon.com

In 1904 political tension is at an all time high in the Russian Empire. Under the rule of the Tsar and the Russian aristocracy the country is failing and the effects of that failure are falling on its people. Hungry and deeply impoverished, the living standards for the citizens is falling daily. They protest calling on the Governor of Moscow for help. Suddenly, the Governor's soldiers launch an attack. People are murdered in the forecourt of the palace. Was this Governor Alexandrovitch's plan or the result of a tragic miscommunication? The answer seems clear to the Russian people, with whispers of revolution in the streets -- and plots for his assassination commence in earnest. A riveting great story from cover to cover by Fabien Nury, "Death To The Tsar" is visually augmented on every page by the compelling artwork of illustrator Thierry Robin. The result is an unreservedly recommended addition to personal and community library graphic novel collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Death To The Tsar" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.74).

Doctor Who: The Lost Dimension
Nick Abadzis, et al.
Titan Comics
https://titan-comics.com
9781785863479, $24.99, HC, 112pp, www.amazon.com

"Doctor Who: The Lost Dimension" is the second of two volumes collecting 2017's giant Doctor Who crossover event, the lives of the Twelfth Doctor and the Tenth Doctor collide in the most unexpected way, as their TARDISes become fused... and the whole of humanity seems turned against them! Only by linking together all of the Doctor's lives - and delving deep into the horror of the Void - do the Doctors stand any chance of uncovering the mystery at its heart... and of saving the known universe from total annihilation! But what they find at the center of the Universe That Never Was will prove the most shocking discovery of all. Plus, Doctor Who fans will discover what River Song and the Fourth Doctor have been up to during this mega-event, and how they played a part in its unexpected resolution! "Doctor Who: The Lost Dimension" is a beyond-epic entertainment, and essential reading for any Doctor Who fan! While unreservedly recommended for community library graphic novel collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Doctor Who: The Lost Dimension" is also available in a paperback edition (9781785865916, $16.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Doctor Who: Facing Fate - Vortex Butterflies
Nick Abadzis, et al.
Titan Comics
https://titan-comics.com
9781785860881, $22.99, HC, 112pp, www.amazon.com

Besieged by an evil red TARDIS and bounced around from the inside of a living nightmare to ancient China, the Doctor (in his tenth incarnation) and his companions have had a tough time of late! As Cindy recovers from the splitting headache she developed on her most recent adventure, Gabby's mysterious block-transfer butterfly powers continue to develop -- and Noobis, the amnesiac offshoot of a former god, continues to grow as his own entity. But the TARDIS team put all that to one side when they visit the distant past of Venus. What strange civilization once lurked in its now-poisonous depths? And what connection does it have to the Doctor's own history? And out in the darkness of the vortex, the Time Sentinel lurks. What nefarious plan does it have for the Doctor and his friends? Another thrilling adventure that is a 'must' for the legions of Doctor Who fans, "Doctor Who: Facing Fate - Vortex Butterflies" is certain to be an enduringly popular addition for community library graphic novel collections. For personal reading lists of Doctor Who fans is should be noted that ""Doctor Who: Facing Fate - Vortex Butterflies" is also available in a paperback edition (9781785860928, $16.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).

Black Panther: The Official Movie Special
Titan Comics
https://titan-comics.com
9781785866531, $19.99, HC, 96pp, www.amazon.com

With exclusive behind the scenes full color photos from the movie sets, stunning concept art revealing the beautiful, secretive nation of Wakanda as portrayed in the newest Marvel Comics Universe movie, "Black Panther". Featuring exclusive interviews with the stars of the film, including Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Andy Serkis, Martin Freeman, Forest Whitaker and Danai Gurira, "Black Panther: The Official Movie Special" is a must-have for all fans of everything Marvel! While very highly recommended for community and academic library Cinematic Studies reference collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of all dedicated Black Panther fans that this beautifully informative volume is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.20).

Erekose - The Swords of Heaven, The Flowers of Hell
Howard V. Chaykin
Titan Comics
https://titan-comics.com
9781782763307, $19.99, HC, 80pp, www.amazon.com

The latest addition to the simply outstanding 'Michael Moorcock Library graphic novel series form Titan Comics, "Erekose - The Swords of Heaven, The Flowers of Hell" is another extraordinary fantasy action/adventure adapted by Howard Chaykin from the novels of a consummate master of the sword & sorcery fantasy genre and featuring Chaykin's exquisite artwork. In this story Erekose (one aspect of Michael Moorcock's 'Eternal Champion') assumes the role of "Clen of Clen-Gar," a noble of the land called the "Dream Marches", part of a greater land called "Heaven". He befriends a peaceful race of beings known as "Angels", who can best be described in one of their forms as flying manatees. In the day-time, they gracefully float through Heaven, absorbing water vapour from the air, and by night they release the stored water as acid rain upon a neighboring land coincidentally called "Hell", whose savage inhabitants live in poverty compared to the luxury of Heaven and the Dream Marches. The angels can also assume an insectoid form similar to human sized ant-men. A fully absorbing entertainment from cover to cover, "Erekose - The Swords of Heaven, The Flowers of Hell" is 'must' for the personal reading lists of dedicated Michael Moorcock fans, and will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library graphic novel collections.

Dishonored: The Peeress and the Price
Michael Moreci, author
Andrea Olimpieri, illustrator
Titan Comics
https://titan-comics.com
9781785852343, $16.99, HC, 64pp, www.amazon.com

Written by science fiction writer Michael Moreci and distinctively illustrated with the artwork of Andrea Olimpieri, "Dishonored: The Peeress and the Price", follows the continuing adventures of Corvo Attano and the now Empress Emily Kaldwin in a graphic novel sequel based upon the highly anticipated upcoming game Dishonored 2 as they come up against brand new threats and foes. Once again producing a truly riveting read from cover to cover, the team of Moreci and Olimpieri are acknowledged masters of the genre and this Titan Comics edition of "Dishonored: The Peeress and the Price" is unreservedly recommended for community library Science Fiction graphic novel collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated science fiction fans that "Dishonored: The Peeress and the Price" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $2.99).

Dan Dare: He Who Dares
Peter Milligan, author
Alberto Foche, illustrator
Titan Comics
https://titan-comics.com
9781785861475, $16.99, PB, 112pp, www.amazon.com

The futuristic hero Dan Dare returns in an all new adventure in "Dan Dare: He Who Dares". Written by Peter Milligan and illustrated by Alberto Foche, Dan now must deal with a captive Mekon while facing a sinister new foe sent by a deadly ancient evil that threatens not only all life in the solar system, but the very galaxy itself! Written and illustrated in an impressive homage to Golden Age science fiction comics of the 1930s and 40s, "Dan Dare: He Who Dares" is pure entertainment that combines originality with nostalgia. The result is a graphic novel that will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to personal reading lists and community library collections.

Dan Dare: Earth Stealers
Eric Eden, Don Harley, Bruce Cornwell
Titan Comics
https://titan-comics.com
9781785862915, $34.99, HC, 106pp, www.amazon.com

In "Dan Dare: Earth Stealers", Dan Dare and his every faithful companion Digby awaken after an unknown number of years, from deep-space hibernation to find themselves lost and adrift in an unknown region and orbiting a mysterious planet, seemingly made of platinum. Now our two plucky heroes must free an enslaved race of aliens and fight to return to their home world, although what they discover there remains a terrible mystery. Comprised of two consecutive science fiction adventures, "Dan Dare: Earth Stealers" harkens back to the Golden Age of science fiction newspaper strips and comic book stories. Certain to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library graphic novel collections, it should be noted for the legions of Dan Dare fans that "Dan Dare: Earth Stealers" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $33.24).

Dawn of War III - The Hunt for Gabriel Angelos
Ryan O'Sullivan, author
Daniel Indro, illustrator
Titan Comics
https://titan-comics.com
9781785858147, $16.99, PB, 112pp, www.amazon.com

The latest volume in the science fiction action/adventure series 'Warhammer 40,000', author Ryan O'Sullivan and illustrator Daniel Indro's "Dawn of War III - The Hunt for Gabriel Angelos" is a simply riveting graphic novel from first page to last! The Blood Ravens' Chapter Master Gabriel Angelos is missing in action, at a time when the Space Marines under his command need him most. The orks are massing on Cyprus-Ultima, and the threat of the eldar refuses to lessen. With the future of the war resting on Angelos's leadership, superhuman abilities and ancient weaponry, acting commander Balthazar tasks a small squad of close allies to track down the Chapter Master, but they'll need to strike far behind enemy lines, travel light, and think faster and fight harder than ever before, if they're to prevail! Especially recommended for personal reading lists and community library graphic novel collections, it should be noted that "Dawn of War III - The Hunt for Gabriel Angelos" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).

Under: Scourge of the Sewer Collection
Stefano Raffaele, author
Christopher Bec, illustrator
Titan Comics
https://titan-comics.com
9781785864834, $16.99, PB, 112pp, www.amazon.com

For Lieutenant Wilson Jericho, Hell is real: and it's in the sewers of the sprawling city Megalopolis. As an officer of the Sewer Police, he's responsible for ensuring the bowels of the city are kept running smoothly. Disgraced from his position above ground and now an officer in the Sewer Police, Lt. Jericho thinks he knows everything there is to know about what lies beneath. But scientist Sandra Yeatman is determined to discover the truth behind the legends, and something is threatening to crawl out and rip the city apart. Christophe Bec is a comics writer and writer, best known for his series Pandemonium and Prometheus. Stefano Raffaele is an Italian comic book artist, known for his work on New Gods, Birds of Prey, Batman, X-Men Adventures, X-Factor and the Conan the Barbarian series. Now together they have created in the pages of "Under: Scourge of the Sewer Collection", a deftly crafted, inherently compelling graphic novel that is unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists and community library collections. It should be noted that "Under: Scourge of the Sewer Collection" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.61).

The Orbital: Implosion
Sylvain Runberg, author
Serge Pelle, illustrator
Cinebook Ltd.
www.cinebook.com
c/o National Book Network (dist.)
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
www.nbnbooks.com
9781849183789, $13.95, PB, 56pp, www.amazon.com

After the events in Stockholm, Caleb and Mezoke have become renegades and are hunted by the entire Confederation. Inevitably they end up on Tetsuam, a gigantic itinerant space station that's the capital of crime in the galaxy. But while they attempt to sort out a future for themselves, and as Confederate space is recovering from the civil war, the Neuronomes (sentient ships previously thought eradicated) appear to launch random, devastating suicide attacks that kill thousands. The seventh volume of science fiction author Sylvain Runberg and renowned illustrator Serge Pelle's outstanding graphic novel series, 'The Orbital: Implosion"' is especially and unreservedly recommended to the attention of all dedicated science fiction buffs and graphic novel fans. While certain to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Orbital: Implosion" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.99).

Entropy
Aaron Costain
Secret Acres
200 Park Avenue South, 8th floor, New York, NY 10003
www.secretacres.com
9780996273985, $19.95, PB, 144pp, www.amazon.com

Aaron Costain is a Canadian cartoonist and architect in based in Toronto. "Entropy" is his graphic novel story that follows a golem with a surprisingly modern sensibility, and an even more modern sense of style, as he backtracks through millennia to understand his own creation. "Entropy" takes place at the intersection of the world's cultures. Mythologies and religions cross-pollinate, bleed into one another, and form a new soul from synthesis -- or they will if our epic hero can outrun man-eating giants, a vicious army of crows, a mute doppelganger, an angel and one very manipulative, slave-driving cat. With its black-and-white illustrations,"Entropy" is an inherently fascinating, singularly unique, and 'reader compelling' story that is unreservedly recommended for personal and community library graphic novel collections.

It Crept From The Tomb
Peter Normanton, editor
TwoMorrows Publishing
10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614
www.twomorrows.com
9781605490816, $29.95, PB, 192pp, www.amazon.com

Just when you thought it was safe to walk the streets again, From The Tomb (the UK's preeminent magazine on the history of horror comics) digs up more tomes of terror from the century past with "It Crept From The Tomb: The Best of From The Tomb, Volume 2" which uncovers atomic comics lost to the Cold War, rarely seen (and censored) British horror comics, the early art of Richard Corben, Good Girls of a bygone age, Tom Sutton, Don Heck, Lou Morales, Al Eadeh, Bruce Jones' Alien Worlds, HP Lovecraft in Heavy Metal, and a myriad of terrors from beyond the stars and the shadows of our own world! It features comics they tried to ban, from Atlas, Charlton, Comic Media, DC, EC, Harvey, House of Hammer, Kitchen Sink, Last Gasp, Pacific, Skywald, Warren, and more from the darkest of the horror genre's finest creators! Profusely illustrated from cover to cover, "It Crept From The Tomb" is an inherently fascinating and impressively informative read that will have very special appeal to all horror fiction comics and graphic novels fans.

The Young Master's Revenge 1
Meca Tanaka
Viz Media LLC
1355 Market Street, Suite 200, San Francisco CA 94103
9781421598970 $9.99 www.viz.com

The Young Master's Revenge 1 begins a black-and-white manga (Japanese graphic novel) series about a young man named Leo, and Tenma, a girl from a wealthy background who wounded his pride and dragged him into trouble again and again in their childhood. Years later, Leo has become the heir to a highly profitable family business. With his newfound advantage, Leo decides to exact a devious revenge plan on Tenma - he'll get her to fall in love with him! Or will he? Why does nothing in Leo's scheme seem to go as planned? A whimsically lighthearted romantic (or hatemantic?) comedy, The Young Master's Revenge 1 is highly recommended.

Kaguya-sama Love is War 1
Aka Akasaka
Viz Media LLC
1355 Market Street, Suite 200, San Francisco CA 94103
9781974700301 $9.99 www.viz.com

Kaguya-sama Love is War 1 is the first black-and-white manga (Japanese graphic novel) series blending elements of comedy and high school drama into a vivacious competition! Kaguya and Miyuki are two highly intelligent young women attending a prestigious academy's student council. Both of them have fallen in love, but each girl's pride and ferocious competitive instincts drive her to get the object of her affection to confess their innermost feelings first! Love truly is a subtly manipulated war, in this unique twist on the romantic comedy genre, highly recommended.


The Audiobook Shelf

The Thin Light of Freedom
Edward L. Ayers, author
Performed by James Edward Thomas
Brilliance Corporation
PO Box 887, Grand Haven, MI 49417
www.brillianceaudio.com
9781543691122 $14.99

Prize-winning author and professor Edward L. Ayers presents The Thin Light of Freedom: The Civil War and Emancipation in the Heart of America, an unabridged audiobook on MP3-CD (plays on MP3-CD enabled players or transfers to portable devices) is a historical scrutiny of the American Civil War from the perspectives of civilians near the border on both sides. Examining communities separated by the Mason-Dixon Line, The Thin Light of Freedom shows how the war became a scourge, leading to vicious cycles of attack and reprisal, leading to armies burning entire towns out of retribution. Extensively researched, yet thoroughly accessible to listeners of all backgrounds, The Thin Light of Freedom is a choice pick for anyone seeking to better understand the bitter legacy of the Civil War - including modern-day controversies over Confederate flags and statues of Confederate generals. Highly recommended. 2 discs, 18 hours 10 min.

The Bishop's Pawn: A Novel
Steve Berry, author
Read by Scott Brick
www.steveberry.org
Macmillan Audio
175 Fifth Avenue, Suite 315, New York, NY 10010
www.macmillanaudio.com
9781427293176 $39.99 amazon.com

The Bishop's Pawn: A Novel is the unabridged audiobook rendition of a mystery novel laced with historical fiction, featuring the iconic Justice Department operative Cotton Malone. Eighteen years ago, Malone was a young Navy lawyer called to investigate a delicate matter involving a stolen rare coin and a rogue FBI faction. The mystery rapidly escalates into a clash between the Justice Department and the FBI over a cadre of secret files with a scandalous hidden truth about what really happened on April 4, 1968, the day legendary civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. The Bishop's Pan skillfully blends a fictional, alternate history interpretation of King's life with masterful storytelling and knife-edge suspense, brought to life with the consummate performance of narrator Scott Brick. A special bonus "writer's cut" read by author Steve Berry further enhances this engaging audiobook, highly recommended for both personal and public library collections. 9 CDs, 11.5 hours.

Buried on the Fens
Joy Ellis
Read by Henrietta Meire
Tantor Media, Inc.
6 Business Park Road, Old Saybrook, CT 06475
9781977306029 $39.99 www.tantor.com

Buried on the Fens is the unabridged audiobook adaptation of a dark crime thriller. The corpse of a decades-decayed victim is found in a shallow churchyard grave; at the same time, Detective Nikki Galena and her team are searching for the culprit who cruelly murdered a local businesswoman who belonged to an exclusive drinking club called The Briar Patch. With no suspects, no leads, and no one willing to talk, Nikki has her work cut out for her even as more women from The Briar Patch are threatened. Voice-over artist and actress Henrietta Meire brings to life this tense, shocking mystery with multiple twists and turns. Buried on the Fens keeps the listener riveted to the very end, and is highly recommended for connoisseurs of the genre. 7 CDs, 9 hours.

Gunslinger Girl
Lyndsay Ely
Hachette Audio
1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104
www.HachetteAudio.com
9781478923640, $30.00, CD, www.amazon.com

Living in a post-holocaust world, seventeen-year-old Serendipity "Pity" Jones inherited two things from her mother: a pair of six shooters and perfect aim. Running away from a brutal father who sought to trade her off to a mining camp needing breedable females, she's been offered fame and fortune in Cessation, a glittering city where lawlessness is a way of life. But the price she pays for her freedom may be too great. In this extraordinary debut action/adventure dystopian novel by Lyndsay Ely, the West is once again wild after a Second Civil War fractures the U.S. into a broken, dangerous land. Pity's struggle against the dark and twisted underbelly of a corrupt city will haunt you long after the final bullet is shot. Deftly narrated by Christie Moreau, this complete and unabridged audio book will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library collections, as well as the personal lists of dedicated science fiction fans. (11.5 Hours, 9 CDs).

Frankenstein: Prodigal Son
Dean Koontz, author
Christopher Lane, narrator
Brilliance Corporation
PO Box 887, Grand Haven, MI 49417
www.brillianceaudio.com
ASIN: B077V4BB1P, $14.95, MP3 CD, www.amazon.com

Every city has its secrets. But none as terrible as his. He is Deucalion, a tattooed man of mysterious origin, a sleight-of-reality artist who has traveled the past two centuries with a secret worse than death. He arrives in New Orleans as a serial killer stalks the streets, a killer who carefully selects his victims for the humanity that is missing in himself. Deucalion's path will lead him to cool, tough police detective Carson O'Connor and her devoted partner, Michael Maddison, who are tracking the slayer but will soon discover signs of something far more terrifying: an entire race of killers who are much more (and less) than human and, deadliest of all, their deranged, near-immortal maker: Victor Helios - a scientist who was once known as Frankenstein. A riveting read and an impressive homage to the Frankenstein novel of Mary Shelley, "Frankenstein: Prodigal Son" is deftly narrated by Christopher Lane. The result is a true and memorable 'theatre of the mind' experience, making this an unreservedly recommended addition to personal and community library audio book collections (9 Hours, 3 Minutes).

Death of an Honest Man
M.C. Beaton
Read by Graeme Malcolm
Hachette Audio
1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104
www.HachetteAudio.com
9781478950257 $30.00 amazon.com

Death of an Honest Man is the unabridged audiobook rendition of a novel in the bestselling Hamish Macbeth mystery series, featuring a mentally sharp yet languidly unambitious Scottish police sergeant. In Death of an Honest Man, local newcomer Paul English inflames everyone around him with his unflinching, unrelenting honesty - including such unbridled veracity as telling Mrs. Wellington she is too fat, and accusing Hamish of having dyed his red hair. Almost every target of English's honesty has a deep-seated twinge of desire to kill him... so when English abruptly turns up murdered, then Macbeth has no shortage of suspects! Complicating matters is Chief Inspector Blair's complicated scheme to get rid of Hamish's less-than-coordinated associate Charlie. Can Hamish track down the killer alone? Brought to life with the expert performance of Broadway, television, and film actor Graeme Malcolm, Death of an Honest Man is a "must" for connoisseurs of detective fiction, and highly recommended for personal and public library audiobook collections. 5 CDs, 5.5 hours.


The Music CD Shelf

All Their Many Miles
The Super Saturated Sugar Strings
Privately Published
$TBA CD / $9.49 MP3 amazon.com

All Their Many Miles is a new album from Alaska indie folk band The Super Saturated Sugar Strings. The CD was recorded live to capture the energy of the moment, and convey the joy of performing. Freewheeling and fantastic, All Their Many Miles is enthusiastically recommended to folk music connoisseurs. The tracks are "All Their Many Miles", "Love Cocoon", "Precipice", "The Vow", "Crocodile", "Amplified", "Float", "The Duchess of Comfort", "Long Road" and "Heart of Stone".

The Turbans
The Turbans
Six Degrees Records
https://www.sixdegreesrecords.com
$12.98 CD / $9.49 MP3 amazon.com

The Turbans is the self-titled debut album of a band of musicians from different places in Europe, including Turkey, Bulgaria, Israel, Iran, Greece, Spain, and England. Their songs span genres, transcend borders, and eschew politics in favor of music that appeals to the world at large. Their exuberant passion shines through in this unique, original collection, highly recommended especially for connoisseurs of world music. The tracks are "Riders", "Sinko Moy" (featuring the London Bulgarian Choir), "Zami", "Samia", "Kansianitsa", "Aman", "Hamouda", "Chubby" (featuring Simo Lagnawi), "Madhavski Horo", "Ruuah", and "Hackney".

North of Despair
Wood & Wire
Blue Corn Music
$TBA www.woodandwireband.com

North of Despair is the latest album from Texas bluegrass band Wood & Wire. The original songs celebrate honest labor, and pride in one's own hard work. A joy to listen to, North of Despair is especially recommended to fans of country and bluegrass, and highly recommended. The tracks are "Kingpin", "Eliza", "North of Despair", "Summertime Rolls", "As Good As It Gets", "Just Don't Make 'em", "Texas", "Awake in the Wake", "Lies & Money", "Wingding", and "Out With The Tide".

The Cage
Bob Holroyd
Privately Published
$TBA bobholroyd.com

The Cage is an avant-garde music album by British multi-instrumentalist and sound designer Bob Holroyd. The title reflects a self-imposed cage, that blocks out "negative" emotions at terrible cost; perhaps true freedom comes not from escaping the cage, but rather widening it enough to allow everything in. The instrumental music experiments with genres ranging from ambient to new age, modern classical, chill, and more. An exceptionally vibrant and captivating album, The Cage is highly recommended for connoisseurs of original work. The tracks are "Inner Mind Sigh", "Enough", "Falling Together", "Longing", "Possibilities", "Into the Light", "Identity", "Woven", "If Ever There Was a Time", "What We Do", "Wings Clipped", and "The Cage".


The DVD Shelf

The Accident
Acorn Media
c/o RLJ Entertainment
www.us.RLJEntertainment.com
$39.99 www.acornonline.com

The Accident is the DVD debut of a French drama with English subtitles. Construction boss Gabriel Cauvy (played by Bruno Solo) is devastated to learn that his wife has perished in an automobile accident, but the circumstances surrounding her death don't add up. Why was her car stopped in the middle of the road, facing the wrong way? Why was there an empty bottle of vodka in the passenger seat when she didn't drink liquor? The police dismiss the accident as drunk driving, but when Cauvy attempts his own investigation, he uncovers perilous secrets in an otherwise quaint small town. A gripping mystery, The Accident is especially recommended for connoisseurs of the genre. It should be noted that The Accident contains strong language, sexual situations, and violence. 6 episodes on 2 DVDs, 326 min., SDH subtitles.

A Place to Call Home, season 5
Starring Marta Dusseldorp
Acorn Media
c/o RLJ Entertainment
www.us.RLJEntertainment.com
$59.99 www.acornonline.com

An Australian romantic drama set in 1958, A Place to Call Home, season 5 is set four years after previous volumes. Nurse Sarah Nordmann (played by Marta Dusseldorp) and her son are doing well, although they keep their distance from wealthy patriarch George Bligh. George's strong- willed mother, Elizabeth has married a new husband, and her granddaughter Anna is a head- turning socialite. But George's murderous wife, Regina (played by Jenni Baird), petitions for release from the insane asylum...! Talented actors bring to life complex characterizations in this thoroughly engaging drama, highly recommended for connoisseurs of the genre. Bonus materials include an exclusive 22 min. Q&A with Jenni Baird. It should be noted that A Place to Call Home, season 5 contains scenes of violence, sexual situations, and nudity. 12 episodes on 4 DVDs, 619 min. plus bonus, SDH subtitles.

Tai Chi Fusion series
David-Dorian Ross
YMAA Publications
PO Box 480, Wolfeboro, NH 03894-0480
$29.95 each www.ymaa.com

Two DVDs in the Tai Chi Fusion series offer a physical fitness workout that draws upon the ancient Chinese health practice of tai chi physical movements. Tai Chi Fusion: Iron (9781594395826) combines resistance training with tai chi. Expensive equipment is not required; if one does not wish to separately purchase weighted "Tai Chi Fit Stix" created for the purpose of enhancing the exercise, then any short sticks or even wooden kitchen spoons will prove adequate. The overall experience is designed to tone and strengthen the upper body, as well as expand mindfulness. Tai Chi Fusion: Fire (9781594395635) is a workout that combines tai chi movements with kung fu to create an intense, satisfying experience ideal for a cardio fitness or weight loss program. Both Tai Chi Fusion DVDs are designed to be thoroughly accessible to viewers with no prior experience in tai chi or martial arts, and make excellent additions to any DVD fitness library.


The Business Shelf

Strategic Decision Making
Simon Haslam & Ben Shenoy
Kogan Page
c/o Courtney Dramis
Martin P Hill Consulting
122 W 27th Street, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10001
www.koganpage.com
9780749472603, $39.95, PB, 256pp, www.amazon.com

Making strategic decisions is a fundamental skill for leaders and managers. However, in a business environment that is in a constant state of change, making strategic decisions has never been more difficult. "Strategic Decision Making: A Discovery-led Approach to Critical Choices in Turbulent Times" by Simon Haslam is (Chartered Director, Strategy Consultant and Strategy Programme Lead at the Institute of Directors, and Visiting Fellow at Durham University Business School) and Ben Shenoy (Visiting Professor at The London School of Economics and Director of the Business Insights Lab at the University of Surrey) addresses this challenge by providing a framework that can be used to make sound decisions in an uncertain world. Structured around the core concepts of framing, experimenting and scaling, this book will ensure that efforts are focused where the need is greatest, that interventions are tested, evaluated and revised if necessary and that successful initiatives are effectively rolled out across the business. Comprised of real world examples and backed up by academic research, "Strategic Decision Making" will allow today's leaders and the leaders of tomorrow to make successful and defensible business choices. It shows how to: avoid decision-making bias; overcome organizational inertia; manage the difficulties of rigid organizational structures and avoid being side tracked by outdated or irrelevant experience. Essential reading for business practitioners and management students, "Strategic Decision Making" is thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, making it an ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to corporate, community, and academic library Business Management collections and supplemental studies reading lists. It should be noted for students, academia, business managers, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Strategic Decision Making" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $34.85).


The Antiques/Collectibles Shelf

Miller's Encyclopedia of World Silver Marks
Judith Miller
Mitchell Beazley
c/o Octopus Publishing
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9781784721329, $175.00, HC, 1032pp, www.amazon.com

Judith Miller began collecting in the 1960s while a student at Edinburgh University in Scotland. She has since extended and reinforced her knowledge of antiques through international research, becoming one of the world's leading experts in the field. In 1979 she co-founded the international best-seller Miller's Antiques Price Guide and has since written more than 100 books which are held in high regard by collectors and dealers. With "Miller's Encyclopedia of World Silver Marks" she has designed as the essential reference tool for appraisers, collectors and dealers of silverware. "Miller's Encyclopedia of World Silver Marks " is an indispensable guide for anyone researching silver hallmarks, offering clear and wide-ranging reproductions of thousands of hallmarks from more than 60 countries and regions, past and present, on every continent. It is also clearly and logically organized into two volumes for ease of reference: in the first volume are hallmarks listed by visual type and category, fully cross-referenced to information in the second volume on country of origin (in order of importance), centre of assaying or making, date and silver standard marks, special marks such as import/export marks, and selected maker's marks. Vetted by an international team of experts, "Miller's Encyclopedia of World Silver Marks" will help even the most novice appraiser to confidently identify silver hallmarks quickly, easily and reliably. It also includes brief historical overviews of hallmarking in each country, a description of the hallmarking process, and a guide to identifying fake and forged marks. Practical, comprehensive and up to date, "Miller's Encyclopedia of World Silver Marks" is an invaluable aid to identifying silverware from around the world, and unreservedly recommended for professional, community, and academic library Antiques/Collectibles reference collections.


The Sports Shelf

Home of the Braves
Patrick W. Steele
University of Wisconsin Press
1930 Monroe Street, Third Floor, Madison, WI 53711-2059
www.uwpress.wisc.edu
9780299318109, $26.95, HC, 272pp, www.amazon.com

When the struggling Boston Braves relocated to Milwaukee in March 1953, the city went wild for its new baseball team. Soon, the Braves were winning games, drawing bigger crowds than any team but the Brooklyn Dodgers, and turning Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews, and Warren Spahn into Hall of Famers. Within five years the team would win a World Series and two pennants. It seemed the dawn of a new dynasty. Impassioned fans wore their hearts on their sleeves. Yet in October 1964 team owners made a shocking announcement: the Braves were moving to Atlanta. In the decades since, many have tried to understand why the Braves left Milwaukee. Fans blamed greedy owners and the lure of Coca Cola cash. Team management claimed they weren't getting enough local support. In the pages of "Home of the Braves: The Battle for Baseball in Milwaukee", Patrick Steele (who is an Associate Professor of History at Concordia University Wisconsin, as well as a member of the Milwaukee Braves Historical Association) delves deeply into all facets of the story, looking at the changing business of baseball in the 1960s, the interactions of the team owners with the government officials who controlled County Stadium, the surging success of the Green Bay Packers, and so much more. A unique and extraordinarily informative history, "Home of the Braves" will have a very special and particular appeal for baseball history buffs in general, and die-hard Milwaukee Braves fans in particular. Exceptionally well researched, written, organized and presented, "Home of the Braves" is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to both community and academic library Sports History collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Home of the Braves" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).


The Relationship Shelf

Avoiding the Greener Grass Syndrome, second edition
Nancy C. Anderson
Kregel Publications
2450 Oak Industrial Drive, NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49505
www.kregel.com
9780825444968, $12.99, PB, 152pp, www.amazon.com

Extramarital affairs are certainly not the social taboo that they once were, and may be more prevalent now than ever. Unfortunately, Christians are not exempt. With the anonymity of the Internet and the privacy of personal mobile phones, the temptation to cheat on one's spouse has fertile ground to grow. After straying to the other side of this marital fence and returning to find forgiveness and restoration, Nancy Anderson brings her personal experiences and insights to the pages of "Avoiding the Greener Grass Syndrome: How to Grow Affair-Proof Hedges Around Your Marriage", a practical book about predicting and preventing an extramarital affair. Based on the principle that the grass is always greener when it's watered, "Avoiding the Greener Grass Syndrome" focuses on how to grow a beautiful marriage by establishing six protective hedges around it. This newly updated and expanded second edition of "Avoiding the Greener Grass Syndrome" includes a new chapter on repairing marriage following infidelity, as well as an appendix considering the Andersons' own marriage before and after the affair from her husband Ron's point of view. Very highly recommended for anyone, especially Christians, having to deal with marital infidelity past or present, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Avoiding the Greener Grass Syndrome" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.17).


The Needlecraft Shelf

Easy Home Sewing Projects
Charlie Moorby
CompanionHouse Books
Fox Chapel Publishing Company
1970 Broad Street N., East Petersburg, PA 17520
www.FoxChapelPublishing.com
9781620082843, $19.99, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com

Specifically designed by Charlie Moorby (who is the editor of Simply Sewing magazine, has contributed to a number of Mollie Makes craft books, and writes two personal craft blogs: The Savvy Crafter (www.thesavvycrafter.co.uk); and The Lucky Bluebird (www.theluckybluebird.com) to let even the most novice needlecrafter to give a home or apartment a speedy fabric make over, "Easy Home Sewing Projects: 101 Projects to Transform Every Room of Your Home" offers inspirational ideas for every room. Now anyone can transform the heart of their home with bright kitchen accessories, or create the perfect table linen setting; create a bold boudoir with bright bedroom designs; make tactile toys for the nursery; or revamp a home office with a functional organizer. Guaranteed to inspire creativity with clear step-by-step instructions and gorgeous color photography, "Easy Home Sewing Projects" is an especially recommended addition to personal and community library Needlecraft instructional reference collections.


The Woodworking Shelf

Making Tiny Toys in Wood
Howard Clements
Fox Chapel Publishing Company
1970 Broad Street N., East Petersburg, PA 17520
www.FoxChapelPublishing.com
9781565239159, $12.99, PB, 48pp, www.amazon.com

Now with "Making Tiny Toys in Wood: Ornaments & Collectible Heirloom Accents" by Howard Dlements, even the most novice of woodworkers can learn how to create charming holiday decorations that double as small toys with this easy-to-follow guidebook. Full-size patterns and step-by-step instructions are provided for 20 working wooden toy ornaments. From tugboats and tractors to windmills and wagons, these nostalgic moving toys make great Christmas ornaments as well as keepsake gifts for family and friends. And these simple projects do not take a lot of time, wood, or tools to make. They are a great way to reuse and repurpose scrap wood, and require only minimal painting. All that is needed is a scroll saw, a drill, and some glue to create memorable family heirlooms. Profusely illustrated and thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Making Tiny Toys in Wood" is a fun, easy, and highly recommended for personal and community library Wood Working instructional reference collections.


The Architecture Shelf

Weird Homes
David J. Neff & Chelle Neff
Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018
www.skyhorsepublishing.com
9781510723603, $24.99, HC, 224pp, www.amazon.com

Profusely and beautifully illustrated from cover to cover, "Weird Homes: The People and Places That Keep Austin Strangely Wonderful" by David J. Neff and Chelle Neff (who both share a love for interesting design, eye catching architecture, and all things weird and whimsical) is a simply gorgeous book that showcases the one-of-a-kind Austin homes that started the Weird Homes Tour. Page by page, "Weird Homes" present both the homes themselves and the weird people who live in them -- many of whom designed and built their awe-inspiring dwellings by hand. From grand, historic haunts to treehouses and dumpster dwellings, "Weird Homes" is replete with real live examples of domestic architecture that can inspire design elements in the reader's own home! While very highly recommended and certain to be a popular addition to both community and academic library Contemporary American Architecture collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Weird Homes" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.74).


The Beer/Wine/Spirits Shelf

The Whisky Dictionary
Iain Hector Ross, author
Ben Averis, illustrator
Sandstone Press
c/o Dufour Editions, Inc.
PO Box 7, 124 Byers Road, Chester Springs, PA 19425-0007
www.dufoureditions.com
9781910985922, $26.00, HC, 350pp, www.amazon.com

Iain Hector Ross is a Gaelic speaking Highlander with a lifelong love of whisky, Scottish music, and folklore. He now works in the industry and is a key figure in the establishment of the new distillery now under construction on the island of Raasay. In "The Whisky Dictionary" he draws upon his years of experience and expertise to provide his readers with both a celebration of the world of whisky and a window into it. Ross has ranged deep, far, and wide into the industry to capture whisky speak in a single guide. He has literally climbed inside the distilling process to feel the heat, savor the aromas, and absorb the words that swirl around the making and sharing of whisky. Now this language itself has been 'casked' between the covers of this delightfully guide, and whisky enthusiasts the world over can understand, explore and enjoy Scotch in all its wondrous diversity. Impressively informative and presented in an alphabetical format, "The Whiskey Dictionary" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library collections.


The Science Shelf

101 American Fossil Sites You've Gotta See
Albert B. Dickas
Mountain Press Publishing Company
PO Box 2399, Missoula, MT 59806
www.mountain-press.com
9780878426812, $26.00, PB, 254pp, www.amazon.com

Examining in detail at least one amazing fossil site in every state in "101 American Fossil Sites You've Gotta See ", Albert Dickas clearly explains the critters preserved in the rocks, from sharks and rhinoceroses to trilobites and horn corals. At some sites, you can sift through the shale in search of fossils to keep; at other sites, you can watch professionals excavate museum-quality specimens. The entertaining introduction discusses the history of paleontology, including nineteenth-century arguments about the age of Earth. "101 American Fossil Sites You've Gotta See " also features a short history of life on Earth, from microbes in 3-billion-year-old chert to massive mammals of the Pleistocene ice ages. Contained within this profusely illustrated study of the last 541 million years are the Cambrian explosion, the age of crinoids, and five mass extinctions, including the one that wiped out the dinosaurs. This compendium of 101 fossil sites is the companion volume to Albert Dickas previous study, "101 American Geo-Sites You ve Gotta See". Impressively informative, expertly written, accessibly organized and presented to both entertain and inform the amateur and the seasoned fossil buff alike, "101 American Fossil Sites You ve Gotta See" is especially and unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library collections, as well as the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in paleontology.


The Gaming Shelf

World of Warcraft Chronicle Volume III
Dark Horse Comics
10956 SE Main Street, Milwaukie, OR 97222
www.darkhorse.com
9781616558475 $39.99 hc / $23.99 Kindle amazon.com

Featuring a wealth of gorgeous full-color, full-page artwork, World of Warcraft Chronicle Volume III is part of a series about the lore of the immensely popular World of Warcraft massively multiplayer online role-playing game, set on the fantasy world of Azeroth. Volume III covers the Third War that raged across Azeroth, including the rise of the Lich King, the Burning Crusade, and the corrupt dragon Deathwing's attempt to destroy the planet. These events correspond to the later Warcraft real-time strategy games, and the World of Warcraft expansions Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King, and Cataclysm. World of Warcraft Chronicle Volume III reads like a grand history, and is a "must-have" treasure for fans of the beloved, long-running MMORPG.


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Diane C. Donovan, Editor
Midwest Book Review
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Oregon, WI 53575-1129
phone: 1-608-835-7937
e-mail: mbr@execpc.com
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