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Wisconsin Bookwatch

Volume 8, Number 12 December 2013 Home | WBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Christmas Shelf Health/Medicine Shelf
Cookbook Shelf Photography Shelf Music Shelf
Gaming Shelf American History Shelf Parenting Shelf
Christian Studies Shelf Automotive Shelf Needlecraft Shelf
Hobby Shelf Memoir Shelf Education Shelf
Audiobook Shelf Music CD Shelf DVD Shelf
Multimedia Shelf Agriculture Shelf Business Shelf
Sports Shelf Interior Design Shelf Gardening Shelf
Art Shelf Fiction Shelf Woodworking Shelf
Calendar Shelf    


Reviewer's Choice

The Poor Man's Wilderness Survival Kit
James Ballou
Paladin Press
7077 Winchester Circle, Boulder, CO 80301
www.paladin-press.com
9781610048606, $15.00, www.amazon.com

Whether an intentional trip into the wilderness for recreation or an unintentional foray due to natural or man-made catastrophe, in order to survival men and women will need a fundamental foundation of basic knowledge in order to survive for a night, a week, a month, or even longer. That's why Jame Ballou's "Poor Man's Wilderness Survival Kit: Assembling Your Emergency Gear for Little or No Money" will prove to be invaluable. This 170 page compendium is packed from cover to cover with practical information, instruction, commentary and advice for assembling what is needed to live safely in the wilderness. From finding standard survival kit components at the lowest prices; to utilizing common household items as part of a survival kit; to collecting or creating edged tools, water containers, cookwear, fire and shelter materials, and even firearms, everything is covered. "Poor Man's Wilderness Survival Kit: Assembling Your Emergency Gear for Little or No Money" shows that it is even possible to assemble a complete kit of new gear for under ten dollars! Profusely illustrated throughout, "Poor Man's Wilderness Survival Kit: Assembling Your Emergency Gear for Little or No Money" may just be the best investment any householder can make for themselves and their families.


The Christmas Shelf

Savor Sweet Chrismas
Ann Cogswell
Sweetgrass Books
PO Box 5630, Helena, MT 59604
www.sweetgrassbooks.com
9781591521204, $17.95, www.amazon.com

"Savor Sweet Christmas: A Collection Of Poems For The Season" is a 48 page compendium showcasing thirty-one superbly crafted poems by Ann Cogswell honoring a great many aspects of the Christmas season. A perfect 'stocking stuffer', "Savor Sweet Christmas" is enthusiastically recommended for family and community library poetry collection. Rose* : Crimson beams broke the morning sky / and stretched gossamer fingers / across the dry plain. // They came to rest on a cattle shed / warmed the splintered straw / and lingered over // The Christmas Rose (*from Isaiah 11-1).

Decorating Christmas Cakes
Paul Bradford & David Brice
Search Press USA
1338 Ross Street, Petaluma, CA, 94954-1117
www.searchpress.com
9781844488834, $24.95, www.amazon.com

Created and compiled by the team of Paul Bradford and David Brice, "Decorating Christmas Cakes" is a wonderfully illustrated, 144 page compendium comprised of thoroughly 'user friendly' instructions on creating fourteen spectacular cakes with distinctive Christmas motifs and designs. Templates for each design is provided, along with clear, simple techniques, and step-by-step photographically illustrated instructions. Inspiring to browse through and kitchen cook friendly to create, "Decorating Christmas Cakes" is a welcome addition to any personal, professional, family, or community library holiday cookbook collection.


The Health/Medicine Shelf

The IBD Healing Plan And Recipe Book
Christie A. Korth, CHC, AADP
Hunter House Publishers
PO Box 2914, Alameda, CA 94501-2914
www.hunterhouse.com
9780897936125, $16.95, www.amazon.com

In medicine, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of inflammatory conditions of the colon and small intestine. The major types of IBD are Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Christie A. Korth is a Crohn's disease survivor, a certified health coach, and a holistic nutritionist who draws upon her years of experience and expertise to write "The IBD Healing Plan and Recipe Book: Using Whole Foods to Relieve Crohn's Disease and Colitis", a 264 page compendium that includes lists of 'flare-up friendly foods' to avoid; sample menus (including ideas for lunches while 'on the move'); quizzes for keeping track of food habits; and shopping substitution cards. Enhanced with the inclusion of 99 palate pleasing and appetite satisfying recipes suitable for anyone with IBD, "The IBD Healing Plan and Recipe Book: Using Whole Foods to Relieve Crohn's Disease and Colitis" should be considered a "must" culinary and health reference for IBD sufferers and is strongly recommended for community and academic library Health/Medicine reference collections. It should also be noted that "The IBD Healing Plan And Recipe Book" is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).

Yoga For Emotional Trauma
Mary NurrieStearns & Rick NurrieStearns
New Harbinger Press
5674 Shattuck Avenue, Oakland, CA 94609
www.newharbinger.com
9781608826421, $17.95, www.amazon.com

Yoga is the physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India with a view to attain a state of permanent peace. A psychological trauma is a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a severely distressing event. Psychological or emotional trauma can lead to serious long-term negative consequences that are often overlooked even by mental health professionals. Yoga can provide an invaluable approach to dealing with both the short term and the long term effects of emotional distress. "Yoga for Emotional Trauma: Meditations and Practices for Healing Pain and Suffering" by psychotherapist and yoga teacher Mary NurrieStearns and meditation teacher Rick NurrieStearns is a 216 page instructional guide organized into seven sections: Healing Involves Compassion; Trauma, Thoughts, and Healing; Emotional Trauma, Physiology, and Healing; Healing Trauma with a Physical Practice of Yoga; Paying Attention to Life in the Present Moment; Dealing with Physical and Emotional Pain; Trauma, Difficult Life Transitions, and the Spiritual Journey. Thoroughly 'user friendly', "Yoga for Emotional Trauma: Meditations and Practices for Healing Pain and Suffering" is an extraordinary work and a strongly recommended addition to personal, professional, academic, and community library Health/Medicine collections. It should be noted that "Yoga For Emotional Trauma" is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.39).

Never Feel Old Again
Raymond Francis
Health Communications, Inc.
3201 S.W. 15th Street
Deerfield Beach, FL 33442-8190
www.hcibooks.com
Ascot Media Group (publicity)
9780757317323, $15.95, www.amazon.com

Age is both a physical thing that happens naturally and inevitably to the human body. Age is also very much a state of mind! "Never Feel Old Again: Aging Is a Mistake--Learn How to Avoid It" by Raymond Francis is a 336 page compendium showing how anyone can be biologically younger than their chronological age, and that the aging process is basically a cellular phenomena that underlies all manner of illnesses and disabilities typically associated with old age. Readers will learn about how some of the so-called 'healthy foods' can actually age the body faster; what toxins are embedded in our homes and how to remove them; how some supplements harm and the body's natural immune system; and perhaps most importantly -- how to be your own effective health advocate. Comprehensive, persuasive, nicely organized, and thoroughly 'user friendly', "Never Feel Old Again: Aging Is a Mistake--Learn How to Avoid It" is very highly recommended to readers of all ages! Certain to be an enduringly popular addition to community library Health & Medicine instructional reference collections, it should also be noted that "Never Feel Old Again: Aging Is a Mistake--Learn How to Avoid It" is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).

There Is a Cure for Diabetes, revised edition
Gabriel Cousens, MD
North Atlantic Books
2526 Martin Luther King Jr. Way
Berkeley, CA 94704-2607
www.northatlanticbooks.com
9781583945445, $22.95, www.amazon.com

Now in a newly revised and expanded edition, Diabetes mellitus, or simply diabetes, is a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has high blood sugar, either because the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, or because cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced. This high blood sugar produces the classical symptoms of polyuria (frequent urination), polydipsia (increased thirst), and polyphagia (increased hunger). There are three main types of diabetes mellitus (DM): Type 1 DM results from the body's failure to produce insulin, and currently requires the person to inject insulin or wear an insulin pump. This form was previously referred to as "insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus" (IDDM) or "juvenile diabetes". Type 2 DM results from insulin resistance, a condition in which cells fail to use insulin properly, sometimes combined with an absolute insulin deficiency. This form was previously referred to as non insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) or "adult-onset diabetes". The third main form, gestational diabetes, occurs when pregnant women without a previous diagnosis of diabetes develop a high blood glucose level. It may precede development of type 2 DM. Other forms of diabetes mellitus include congenital diabetes, which is due to genetic defects of insulin secretion, cystic fibrosis-related diabetes, steroid diabetes induced by high doses of glucocorticoids, and several forms of monogenic diabetes. Untreated, diabetes can cause many serious and potentially lethal complications. "There Is a Cure for Diabetes: The 21-Day+ Holistic Recovery Program" by Dr. Gabriel Cousens is a 616 page compendium that provides the non-specialist general reader with a comprehensive program for containing diabetes, both in terms of treating the symptoms as well as their underlying causes. It is possible for diabetics to go into remission. "There Is a Cure for Diabetes: The 21-Day+ Holistic Recovery Program" is highly recommended for personal and community library Health/Medicine instructional reference collections. It should be noted that "There Is a Cure for Diabetes: The 21-Day+ Holistic Recovery Program" is also available in a Kindle edition ($11.99).


The Cookbook Shelf

Copykat.com's Dining Out At Home Cookbook 2
Stephanie Manley
Ulysses Press
PO Box 3440, Berkeley CA 94703-3440
www.ulyssespress.com
9781612431819, $14.95, www.amazon.com

Featuring 312 pages packed from cover to cover with palate pleasing, appetite satisfying, kitchen cook friendly recipes drawn from popular American restaurants from around the country, "Copykat.com's Dining Out At Home Cookbook 2" will make an outstanding addition to personal, family, professional, and community library cookbook collections. Nicely organized into nine specific sections (Drinks; Appetizers; Soups; Main Dishes; Sides; Dessert; Breakfast; Sauces and Dressings; and Favorites), the recipes range from Caramel Frappe; Fried Mushrooms; Tomato Basil Soup; and Grilled Sausage Pepper Rustica; to Lemon Greek Penne Pasta; Eggnog Shake; Smart Choice Omelet; and Cheddar Bay Biscuits. Enhanced with the inclusion of two Conversion Charts, a Recipe Index, and a Recipe Index by Restaurant, "Copykat.com's Dining Out At Home Cookbook 2" is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).

365 Comfort Foods
Better Homes and Gardens
c/o Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
215 Park Avenue South
New York, NY 10003
9781118629123 $19.99 www.hmhpub.com

365 Comfort Foods is a softcover cookbook packed with recipes for appetizers, breakfasts, lunches, dinners, sides, salads, slow cookers, desserts, and more. All of have been evaluated in the Better Homes and Gardens Test Kitchen, and have the flavorful, down-to-earth quality of traditional home cooking. In addition to easy-to-follow instructions, each recipe also has basic nutrition facts (with regard to calories, fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbs, fiber, and protein per serving), and sometimes suggested variants. Recipes also span cultural traditions; the common thread is food that hearkens to the hearth. From Florida Crab Cakes, to Pacific Northwest Paella, Potluck Chicken Tetrazzini, Vegetable Egg Salad Wraps, Golden Layer Cake with Chocolate Icing, and more, 365 Comfort Foods is a treasury of dishes to savor.

A Taste of Montana
Seabring Davis
Farcountry Press
PO Box 5630, Helena, MT 59604
www.farcountrypress.com
9781560375623, $29.95, www.amazon.com

A beautifully illustrated, 152 page compendium of authentic Montana recipes compiled and presented by food journalist Seabring Davis, "A Taste of Montana: Favorite Recipes from Big Sky Country" offers a cornucopia of thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' recipes that range from Oatmeal Pie; Pheasant Emanada; Roasted Acorn Squash Soup; and Buffalo hash Parmentier; to Russet Potato Gnocchi with Roasted Mushroom Veloute; Huckleberry-Lemon Bread Pudding; Rustic Flathead Cherry Tart; and Shenandoah Apple Cake. Of special note are the recipe instructions for Bistro Seasoning Salt; Black Peeper Vinaigreete; and Honey-Butter Cechamel Sauce. "A Taste of Montana: Favorite Recipes from Big Sky Country" is certain to be an enduringly popular addition to personal, family, and community library cookbook collections!

Sweet
Levi Roots
Mitchell Beazley
c/o Octopus Publishing
236 Park Avenue
New York NY 10017
9781845336653 $29.99 www.octopusbooksusa.com

Sweet: Irresistible Desserts and Drinks, Cakes and Bakes lives up to its title as a hardcover compendium of delectible desserts. Author and Caribbean culinary master Levi Roots, of "Caribbean Food Made Easy" primetime BBC fame, applies a unique regional twist to many of these indulgent delights. Unforgettable confections include Coconut Biscuits, Pear Cake with Crunchy Pecan Topping, Elderflower Jelly Trifle, Rum & Raisin Fudge, and much more. Frequent color photographs intersperse this sumptuous collection, highly recommended for any chef with a sweet tooth!

Lily Vanilli's Sweet Tooth
Lily "Vanilli" Jones
www.lilyvanilli.com
Canongate Books Ltd.
c/o Trafalgar Square Publishing
c/o Independent Publishers Group
814 North Franklin Street
Chicago, IL 60610
9780857864413 $29.95 www.ipgbook.com

Lily Vanilli's Sweet Tooth: Recipes and Tips from a Modern Artisan Bakery is a compendium of creative and delicious baked desserts. Peppered with full-color photography on almost every other page, Lily Vanilli's Sweet Tooth is thoroughly accessible to bakers of all skill and experience levels. An introduction as well as in-depth recipes for core dessert baking "components" such as coulis, buttercream, frangipane, custard, and ganache supplement the easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions to create such delights as Cherry and Seed Madeira Cake, Biscuit Brownies, Cocoa Meringues with Dark Chocolate and Pistachio, Whisky Salt Caramel Popcorn, and much more. Lily Vanilli's Sweet Tooth is a treasury for any cook who wishes to create professional-quality baked delicacies at home!

Couture Chocolate
William Curley
Photography by Jose Lasheras
Jacqui Small, LLC
c/o Aurum Press Ltd.
c/o Dalyn Miller Public Relations
9781909342453 $29.95

William Curley, four-time winner of the Academy of Chocolate's award, presents Couture Chocolate - a guide for intermediate to advanced dessert chefs and chocolatiers to creating the finest gourmet delicacies. Professional restaurateurs and chocolate hobbyists alike will find the wealth of methodical instructions and full-color illustrations invaluable. Extraordinary chocolate creations include Chocolate & Pistachio Cake, Chocolate Mont Blanc, Dark Chocolate & Sesame Parfait Sandwiched with Chocolate Galettes, and of course, an immense array of couture (designer) chocolates, from fruity to herb-touched to caramel-filled and more bite-sized chocolate delicacies. Highly recommended for chocolate lovers!

Around the World in a Dutch Oven
Mark Hansen
www.marksblackpot.com
Hobble Creek Press
c/o Cedar Fort, Inc.
2373 West 700 South
Springville, Utah 84663
9781599559728 $16.99 www.cedarfort.com

Mark Hansen (family cook and creator of the Dutch Oven blog marksblackpot.com) presents Around the World in a Dutch Oven, an anthology of easy-to-follow, user-friendly Dutch Oven recipes from all over the world. Although basic familiarity with Dutch Oven cooking is presumed, all the recipes are designed so that even novice Dutch Oven users will be able to perform them with success. The text thoughtfully discusses the origins and artistry of each dish, in addition to the practical and straightforward preparation instructions! Recipes include international culinary delights such as Philly Steak Sandwiches, Red Pork Tamales, Mongolian Stir-Fry, Spaetzle with Onions, and much more. A handful of black-and-white photographs illustrate this "must-have" for anyone intrigued by the delicious possibilities of Dutch Oven cooking!

Mac & Cheese
Ellen Brown
Running Press
2300 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103-4371
www.runningpress.com
9780762446599, $20.00, www.amazon.com

Mac & Cheese is a favorite of children everywhere and one of the ultimate 'comfort foods' for adults. Most of the time it's an 'out of the box' kitchen quicky, but now with Ellen Brown's "Mac & Cheese: More than 80 Classic and Creative Versions of the Ultimate Comfort Food" this family staple has been elevated to high cuisine with recipes taken from elegant restaurants from around the country. Beautifully illustrated with full color photography and featuring thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' step-by-step recipes, the featured dishes range from Cheddar and Jack Mac and Cheese (T. W. Martin's Public House, Waupaka, Wisconsin); to Parisian Mac and Cheese with Shiitake Mushrooms and Figs (S'MAC, New York, New York); to Mayan Chipotle Chicken Mac and Cheese (Macbar, New York, New York); to Aged Gouda mac and Cheese with Country Ham (Jasper's, Austin, Texas). A superb anthology of palate pleasing, appetite satisfying dishes for any and all occasions from simple family dining to elegant catered affairs, "Mac & Cheese: More than 80 Classic and Creative Versions of the Ultimate Comfort Food" will prove to be a very popular addition to personal, professional, family, and community library cookbook collections. It should be noted that "Mac & Cheese: More than 80 Classic and Creative Versions of the Ultimate Comfort Food" is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).

200 Easy Homemade Cheese Recipes, second edition
Debra Amrein-Boyes
Robert Rose Inc.
120 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 800
Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M4P 1E2
www.robertrose.ca
9780778804659, $27.95, www.amazon.com

There are hundreds more varieties and kinds of cheese that are to be found on the shelf of your local grocery store. But perhaps the best way to acquire truly flavorful cheeses is to make them yourself. Now in a thoroughly updated and expanded second edition, "200 Easy Homemade Cheese Recipes: From Cheddar and Brie to Butter and Yogurt" by Debra Amrein-Boyes (one of the top Canadian artisanal cheese makers and owner of The Farm House Natural Cheeses), is a 400 page compendium that provides recipe instructions for making all manner of general and specialty cheeses including Fresh Cheeses (traditional Ricotta and fresh goat cheeses); Stretched-Curd Cheeses (Bocconcini, Provolone and Mozzarella); Mold-Ripened Cheeses (Brie, Camembert with Calvados); Blue-Veined Cheeses (Gorgonzola, Roquefort, White Stilton); Washed-Rind Cheeses (Muenster, Brick, Limburger); Washed-Curd and Semisoft Cheeses (Colby, Edam, Fontina); Semifirm and Hard Cheeses (Emmental, Jarlsberg, Cheddar); Ethnic & Regional Cheeses (Feta, Paneer, Domiati); Yogurt & Kefir (Bulgarian-Style Yogurt, Kefir Cheese); Butter, Buttermilk and CrŠme FraŒche (Orange Honey Butter, Clotted Cream). Of special note is a new 32 page troubleshooting section, a new inclusion of preparation times with each recipes, and new step-by-step illustrative photos. "200 Easy Homemade Cheese Recipes" truly lives up to its title and is highly recommended for personal, family, and community library cookbook collections.


The Photography Shelf

Walking Magpie: On and Off the Leash
Chuck Forsman
George F. Thompson Publishing
c/o International Publishers Marketing
22841 Quicksilver Drive, Dulles, VA 20166
www.internationalpubmarket.com
9781938086113, $45.00, www.gftbooks.com

"Walking Magpie: On and Off the Leash" is a 136 page compendium showcasing the black-and-white photography of Chuck Forsman. Enhanced with an informative introduction by Eric Paddock, "Walking Magpie: On and Off the Leash" presents visual imagery focused on what a dog sees, smells, and is drawn by canine curiosity to investigate. The premise of the project was quite simple, take a camera along when Chuck Forsman walked his dog in the neighborhood and surrounding hills near where they live, along with adventures in other parts of the country ranging from Alaska and the Northwest Territories of Canada, to Florida, Ohio, and New York City. The result is a compilation of truly impressive and occasionally meditative images. "Walking Magpie: On and Off the Leash" is a highly recommended photographic study.


The Music Shelf

Carl F. Schlak: A Life In Song
Nancy M. Raabe
Concordia Publishing House
3558 South Jefferson Avenue
Saint Louis, MO 63118-3968
www.cph.org
9780758641540, $29.99, www.amazon.com

Dr. Carl Flentge Schalk (born 1929) is a noted Lutheran composer, author, and lecturer. Between 1965 and 2004 he taught church music at Concordia University Chicago. Schalk was a member of the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship, which produced Lutheran Book of Worship in 1978. He was also the editor of the journal Church Music from 1966 to 1980. Additionally, he is a member of the Music Advisory Committee of Concordia Publishing House and of the board of directors of Lutheran Music Program, the parent organization of the Lutheran Summer Music Academy and Festival. Schalk is well known for his numerous choral compositions as well as his hymn tunes and carols, which number over one hundred. He had ongoing collaborations with poets Jaroslav Vajda and Herbert Brokering, producing tunes for several of their hymn texts. Schalk's hymn tunes may be found in modern Christian hymnals of various denominations. He is also the author of several books on Lutheran music and hymnody. "Carl F. Schalk: A Life in Song" by classical music critic Nancy M. Raabe is a 208 page compendium providing readers with informative insight into the life and work of a master musician and devout Christian. Enhanced with an Index of titles of Hymns and Songs; an Index of Hymn Tunes; and a General Index, "Carl F. Schalk: A Life in Song" is highly recommended reading and a welcome addition to academic library 20th Century Musician Biography collections. It should be noted that "Carl F. Schalk: A Life in Song" is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).


The Gaming Shelf

Heads-Up Tournament Poker: Hand-by-Hand
Annie Duke, Vanessa Rousso, Josh Doody
Cardoza Publishing
5473 South Eastern Avenue
Las Vegas, NV 89119
www.cardozapub.com
9781580423205, $34.95, www.amazon.com

'Heads Up' play in poker means the last two players of a tournament battling it out for who will finish in first place and who will get second place. Often in professional poker tournaments like those of the World Poker Tour (WPT) and the World Series of Poker (WSOP) it is as much a matter of personal pride and bragging rights as it is of prize pool winnings. Drawing upon their many years of experience and expertise, three outstanding players, Annie Duke, Vanessa Rousso, and Josh Doody, have collaborated to write "Heads-Up Tournament Poker: Hand-by-Hand", a 386 page compendium that takes the reader through more than 600 hands as played out in the annual NBC Heads'Up Championship. Showcases is the players decision making with respect to how each hand was played. As informed and informative as it is thoughtful and thought-provoking, "Heads-Up Tournament Poker: Hand-by-Hand" is a 'must read' for any poker player who aspires to win a tournament when it all boils down to just two players left!


The American History Shelf

Wisdom From The Oval Office
Pierce Word
History Publishing Company, LLC
PO Box 700, 15 Heyhoe Woods Road
Palisades, New York 10964-0700
www.historypublishing.com
9781933909493, $18.95, www.amazon.com

"Wisdom from the Oval Office" is a 323 page compendium comprised of quotations from American presidents from George Washington to Barack Obama and on forty different subject areas ranging from America, Education, Happiness, and Leadership, to Politics, Religion, War, and Wisdom. "The name 'American' must always exalt the just pride of patriotism." (George Washington, Farewell Address, September 19, 1796). "Let us resolve that we will not leave our children a world where the oceans rise and famine spreads, and terrible storms devastate our lands." (Barack Obama, Speech in Berlin, Germany, July 24, 2008). Wonderful for browsing, informed, informative, and occasionally inspiring, "Wisdom from the Oval Office" will prove to be a welcome and enduringly popular addition to personal, academic, and community library American History reference collections and supplemental studies reading lists. It should also be noted that "Wisdom From The Oval Office" is also available in a Kindle edition ($8.49).


The Parenting Shelf

Get Your Kids Hiking
Jeff Alt
Beaufort Books
27 West 20th Street, Suite 1102, NY, NY 10011
www.beaufortbooks.com
9780825306914, $13.95, www.amazon.com

Hiking in a natural wilderness is good for the body, the mind, and the human soul. "Get Your Kids Hiking: How to Start Them Young and Keep It Fun!" by hiking expert and naturalist Jeff Alt is a 240 page, pocket sized instructional reference guide and manual that parents can utilize to introduce and educate their children of all ages into the joys and benefits of a hiking trip. Parents are shown age-appropriate ways to include a child in all aspects of the hike. "Get Your Kids Hiking" also features checklists of what to pack for any type of hike, kid-friendly menus of what to take along on a hike, and a wealth of practical advice for hiking with a child who has special needs. Thoroughly 'user friendly' from beginning to end, "Get Your Kids Hiking: How to Start Them Young and Keep it Fun!" is confidently recommended for family and community library Parenting Skills reference collections. It should be noted that "Get Your Kids Hiking: How to Start Them Young and Keep it Fun!" is also available in a Kindle edition ($6.59).

Cure Your Child With Food
Kelly Dorfman
Workman Publishing Company
225 Varick Street, NY, NY 10014-4381
www.workman.com
9780761175834, $13.95, www.amazon.com

The quality of children's diets has a profound impact upon their physical, mental, and even emotional development. "Cure Your Child with Food: The Hidden Connection Between Nutrition and Childhood Ailments" by nutrition expert and dietician Kelly Dorfman is a 386 page compendium packed from cover to cover with sound, practical, documented information revealing the connections between nutrition and chronic childhood ailments and habits ranging from stomach aches, rashes, and sleep problems, to ear infections, hyperactivity, and constipation. There is even a nutritional link to picky eating!. Deftly written, comprehensive, and 'reader friendly', "Cure Your Child with Food: The Hidden Connection Between Nutrition and Childhood Ailments" is especially appropriate for non-specialist general readers seeking to improve their child's health through nutritional approaches to common ailments. Also available in Kindle ($9.39) and audio book ($22.08) editions, "Cure Your Child with Food: The Hidden Connection Between Nutrition and Childhood Ailments" is a very strongly commended addition to community library Health & Medicine as well as Parenting Studies reference collections. It should be noted that "Cure Your Child With Food" is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.39).


The Christian Studies Shelf

Becoming Human
John Behr
St. Vladimir's Seminary Press
575 Scarsdale, Road, Crestwood, NY 10707-1699
www.svspress.com
9780881414394, $26.00, www.amazon.com

"Becoming Human: Meditations on Christian Anthropology in Word and Image" by John Behr (Dean of St. Vladimire's Orthodox Theological Seminary and Professor of Patristics) is a 136 page compendium of reflections and commentaries offering an Orthodox Christian framework to our roles in our respective journeys thoroughly life, concluding with our inevitable experience of death. A meditative compilation of texts and illustrations, "Becoming Human: Meditations on Christian Anthropology in Word and Image" is a book that is ideal for browsing, contemplation, deliberation, musings, reverie and rumination -- rather than a straight read from beginning to end in a single sitting. Inspired and inspiring, "Becoming Human: Meditations on Christian Anthropology in Word and Image" is highly recommended for all Christians regardless of their denominational affiliations.

The Way of the Cross
Joan Chittister
Art by Janet McKenzie
Orbis Books
PO Box 308
Maryknoll, NY 10545-0308
9781626980440 $25.00 www.orbisbooks.com

"National Catholic Reporter" columnist Joan Chittister presents The Way of the Cross, a collection of inspirational meditations inspired by the crucifixion, death, and resurrection of the Savior, Jesus Christ. Beautiful, full-color illustrations by award-winning artist Janet McKenzie, perhaps best known for her powerful "Jesus of the People" image, enhance this invitation to share in the redemption that Jesus Christ freely offers to all of humanity. Divided into sections corresponding to "stations" or phases of Jesus Christ's path to crucifixion, The Way of the Cross is spiritually moving and insightful. "The spiritual life is not a walk in the breeze. It is the solemn sacred effort to make life count, to make good on what we set out to make of ourselves, to become the wholeness of our spiritual selves. And the energy it takes is exhausting. But the spirit it takes to keep going on past the physical, psychological, spiritual ability to go on is of the essence of greatness. The call to holiness, to witness, to commitment is undeniable now: The Jesus who falls a second time gets up a second time determined to see this cross through to the end." Highly recommended.


The Automotive Shelf

How to Restore Your C3 Corvette: 1968-1982
Walt Thurn
CarTech Inc.
39966 Grand Avenue, North Branch, MN 55056
www.cartechbooks.com
9781613250372, $29.95, www.amazon.com

The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car by the Chevrolet division of General Motors. The first model, a convertible, was designed by Harley Earl and introduced at the GM Motorama in 1953 as a concept show car. Myron Scott is credited for naming the car after the type of small, maneuverable warship called a corvette. Originally built in Flint, Michigan and St. Louis, Missouri, the Corvette is currently manufactured in Bowling Green, Kentucky and is the official sports car of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. "How to Restore Your C3 Corvette: 1968-1982" by Corvette enthusiast and automotive historian Walt Thurn is a profusely illustrated, 176 page restoration instruction guide that begins with a succinct history of the C3 Corvette and then covers every aspect of restoring the vehicle to showroom condition ranging from bodywork and painting, to frames, suspensions, differentials, brakes, engines, transmissions, wiring, and more. Of special note is the Source guide which will prove invaluable to C3 Corvette enthusiasts. Informed, informative, practical, authoritative, "How to Restore Your C3 Corvette: 1968-1982" will prove to be enduringly popular and a 'must' for anyone planning a C3 Corvette restoration. It should be noted that "How to Restore Your C3 Corvette: 1968-1982" is also available in a Kindle edition ($16.49).


The Needlecraft Shelf

Simple Sewing
Katie Lewis
Plain Sight Publishing
c/o Cedar Fort, Inc.
2373 West 700 South
Springville, Utah 84663
9781462112883 $18.99 www.cedarfort.com

Full color photography on every page enhances Simple Sewing: 30 Fast and Easy Projects for Beginners, an excellent starter guide to creating functional, handcrafted sewing projects for personal use or gift-giving. Sewing templates are included! The projects range from a basic tote bag to reversible place mats, stockings, a swaddling blanket, pocket hand warmers, simple cloth toys and more. Step-by-step discussion of basic sewing terms and techniques, as well as meticulous instructions for the projects themselves, make Simple Sewing as novice-friendly as can be!

First-Time Machine Applique
Janet Pittman
Landauer Corporation
3100 NW 101st Street, Suite A
Urbandale, Iowa 50322
9781935726340 $24.95 www.landauercorp.com

First-Time Machine Applique: Learning to Applique in Nine Easy Lessons lives up to its title as a step-by-step, how-to guide to creating wonderful needlecraft decorations with machine applique. Full-color photography illustrating nearly every action, reproducible patterns for hands-on practice, and step-by-step instructions fill this user-friendly guide. Highly recommended, especially for needlecrafters seeking to take their hobby to the next level!


The Hobby Shelf

Realistic Modern Railroad Operation, second edition
Tony Koester
Kalmbach Publishing Company
21027 Crossroads Circle
Waukesha, WI 53186
9780890249390 $19.95 www.kalmbachbooks.com

Now in an updated second edition, Realistic Modern Railroad Operation is a hobbyist's guide to applying real-life timetable and train-order principles in order to make one's model railroad layout operate as realistically as possible. Author and hobbyist Tony Koester, a contributing editor for "Model Railroader" magazine, covers the workings of signal system, controlling the purposeful movement of both passenger trains and cars, easy-to-use waybills that mimic the real thing, and much more. Full color photography on virtually every page enhances this excellent guide for the model railroading enthusiast interested in taking their hobby to the next level.


The Memoir Shelf

The Hoggs of Texas
Virginia Bernhard, editor
Texas State Historical Association
1155 Union Circle #311580
Denton, TX 76203-5017
9781625110015 $35.00 www.TSHAonline.org

The Hoggs of Texas: Letters and Memoirs of an Extraordinary Family, 1887-1906 gathers the heretofore unpublished correspondence of one of Texas' most prominent families. Editor Virginia Bernhard places the writings in full historic context of local events, as well as the titanic technological and cultural shifts of the dawn of the twentieth century. Interleaved with portions of Ima Hogg's personal memoir, The Hoggs of Texas is thoroughly accessible to lay readers, yet also a valuable primary testimony for Texas historians. Highly recommended.


The Education Shelf

6 Successful Strategies for Teaching Common Core State Standards
Bree Jimenez, PhD, Ginevra Courtade, PhD, and Diane Browder, PhD
Attainment Company, Inc.
PO Box 930160, Verona, WI 53593-0160
1578618363 $79.00 www.AttainmentCompany.com

Spiral-bound for ease of use, 6 Successful Strategies for Teaching Common Core State Standards to Students with Moderate to Severe Disabilities is hands-on resource created especially for classroom teachers. Chapters detail six invaluable strategies: "Apply Universal Design for Learning for ALL Students", "Facilitate Student-Directed Learning", "Use Assistive Technology and Peer Supports", "Use Systematic Instruction", "Apply Research to Practice", and "Train to Generalize". Packed with specific instructions, sample lessons, personal testimonies, and much more, 6 Successful Strategies for Teaching Common Core State Standards will prove useful to teachers responsible for instructing students of all backgrounds - not just those with disabilities. "To increase the likelihood students will make the desired response again in the future, it is important to reinforce their best performance. For example, if a students begins to get an answer without prompting, only praise unprompted correct responses." 6 Successful Strategies for Teaching Common Core State Standards comes with a K-12 Classroom License with a PDF on Win/Mac CD, granting permission to print PDF pages for personal classroom use/email pages to parents or professionals associated with one's class/post pages on a classroom-only website. Highly recommended.


The Audiobook Shelf

Candlelight Christmas
Susan Wiggs, author
Joyce Bean, narrator
Brilliance Corporation
PO Box 887
Grand Haven, MI 49417
9781455836895 $19.99 www.brillianceaudio.com

Candlelight Christmas is the unabridged audiobook adaptation of a holiday love story, set in the wooded Catskills. Logan O'Donnell is a single father who wants his son Charlie to enjoy a special Christmas with the whole family. He and the O'Donnell clan have arranged the spend the Christmas season in the quiet town of Avalon on the shores of Willow Lake. A new person has also come to Willow Lake - Darcy Fitzgerald, a keenly intelligent, independent woman. Neither Logan nor Darcy were intending to have a Christmas romance, but the indefinable magic of the season connects them, allowing them to experience the joy of togetherness, friendship, and eventually love. Candlelight Christmas is a heartwarming, gentle story, perfect for lifting one's spirits to while savoring a cup of hot chocolate! 6 CDs, 6 hours 49 min.

The Dogs of Christmas
W. Bruce Cameron, author
Kirby Heyborne, narrator
Tantor Media, Inc.
2 Business Park Road, Unit 2
Old Saybrook, CT 06475
9781452614526 $34.99 www.tantor.com

The Dogs of Christmas is a heartwarming holiday story, now available as an unabridged audiobook. Josh Michaels is still recovering from a broken heart when his neighbor abandons a pregnant dog named Lucy. Josh tries to care for the unfortunate canine, but looking after a litter of puppies is more than one man can handle! A call to the animal shelter enlists the help of the beautiful and compassionate Kerri, an animal lover at heart, who teaches Josh how to care for the puppies and prepare them for adoption in the shelter's "Dogs of Christmas" program. As Christmas and the adoption date come closer, Josh wonders if he can bear to be separated from Kerri, or even from the litter of adorable puppies. Can he find a way to tell her his true feelings, let alone sort out the complexities of looking after a surprise puppy litter? Dog lovers everywhere will thoroughly enjoy this heartwarming holiday romance! 6 CDs, 6.5 hours.

Dust: A Scarpetta Novel
Patricia Cornwell, author
Kate Reading, narrator
Penguin Audio
c/o The Penguin Publishing Group
375 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10014
9781611761979 $39.95 http://us.penguingroup.com

Dust: A Scarpetta Novel is the unabridged audiobook adaptation of a gripping, brutal crime thriller. Massachusetts Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta has been working on a grisly mass murder, when she becomes informed of a suspicious homicide. The body of a woman who was about to bring a $100 million lawsuit has appeared on the MIT campus. The corpse is covered with a fine mineral dust that shines brilliantly in ultraviolet light. Could Scarpetta's computer genius niece Lucy be connected to the case? Could the death be the work of the Capital Murderer, who has been raping and killing victims in Washington, D.C.? Scarpetta uncovers evidence of organized crime, corrupt government officials, and designer drug dealers cooperating to horrific ends, in this shocking mystery with a strong grounding in forensic science. 12 CDs, 14 hours.


The Music CD Shelf

The Flood and the Mercy
Ed Kowalczyk
Harbour Records
c/o Missing Piece Group (publicity)
45 Academy Street, Suite 307, Newark, NJ 07102
missingpiecegroup.com
$11.74 www.amazon.com

The Flood and the Mercy is the second (mostly) solo album by singer/songwriter/guitarist Ed Kowalczyk, formerly of the popular band Live. (Peter Buck and Rachel Yamagata are featured in some tracks). Lyrically and musically, The Flood and the Mercy is emblematic of humanity's eternal quest to comprehend the Divine. The search for answers is itself an experience of revelation and wonder, in this extraordinary, niche-defying embodiment of the pure emotional power of music. Highly recommended. The tracks are "The One", "Seven", "Angels on a Razor", "Parasite", "All That I Wanted", "Take Me Back", "Holy Water Tears", "Supernatural Fire", "Bottle of Anything", "The Watchman's Lament", and "Cornerstone".

Canyon Records Productions
3131 West Clarendon Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85017
$14.98 each www.canyonrecords.com

Canyon Records continues their tradition of sharing music by skilled and talented Native American performers, with four new CDs for the winter season. Randall Paskemin's "Christmas Cheer" is a collection of Plains Cree Round Dance and original Christmas songs, brimming with the joy and celebration. Grammy nominee Cheevers Toppah's "A Good Day, A Better Tomorrow" is an anthology of original Native American Church songs, performed in loving memory of those who taught Toppah about the beauty and exuberation of singing. Nitanis "Kit" Largo's "Serenity", featuring collaborations with Alex E. Smith, Algin Scabby Robe, Randall Paskemin and Wayne Silas Jr., is a debut solo recording; Largo's cadance and grace shines through her songs about Native womanhood and the magical dreams of winter. Grammy-nominated Ojibwe drum group Bear Creek's "Kaagige - 'Forever'" collects pow-wow songs recorded live in Rocky Bay. Upbeat and energetic, Kaagige is an excellent addition to pow-wow and round dance music collections. All four CDs make excellent gifts for connoisseurs of Native American music.


The DVD Shelf

The Citizen
A film by Sam Kadi
Monterey Media Inc.
566 St. Charles Drive
Thousand Oaks, CA 91360-3901
9781569943724 $26.95 www.montereymedia.com

Inspired by true events, The Citizen is a captivating movie about pursuing the American dream in the shadow of the 9/11 attacks. Ibrahim Jarrah has led a life of unhappiness and misfortune in the Middle East; at first, winning the U.S. Green Card Lottery seemed like a dream come true. Ibrahim arrives in New York a day before the September 11 attacks, which have severe repercussions on his efforts to earn a stable life as the citizen of a new country. Complex, emotional, and highlighting the human qualities of courage and perseverance, The Citizen is highly recommended. 99 min., PG-13 (bonus features not rated), widescreen, closed captioned.

Zetman: The Complete Series
Based on the manga by Masakazu Katsura
Viz Media LLC
295 Bay Street
San Francisco, CA 94133
$44.98 www.viz.com

Also available in a Blu-ray version ($54.98), Zetman: The Complete Series collects the entire thirteen-episode anime series based on the manga (Japanese comics) by Masakazu Katsura. An intense saga not for the faint of heart - it's rated TV MA, for viewers age 18+ due to graphic violence - Zetman is a dark deconstruction of the traditional superhero narrative. Jin and Kouga are two young men with sharply contrasting personalities. Jin lives an impoverished but normal life until chance reveals his inborn, superhuman powers; Kouga is the heir of a wealthy family, driven by his own convictions to fight for justice. A nefarious conspiracy manipulating artificial humans for unknown goals surrounds both of them, and innocent people's lives are endangered. Neither Jin nor Kouga has reason to trust the other, but each will need all the help he can get to simply survive, let alone unmask the scheming puppet master pulling the strings! A thrilling odyssey from beginning to end, sure to satisfy fans of no-holds-barred action! 2 DVDs, English & Japanese audio, English subtitles, widscreeen.

Shiva Rea: Yoga in Greece
Acacia
8515 Georgia Avenue, Suite 650
Silver Spring, MD 20910
9781598288346 $19.99 www.acacialifestyle.com

Expert yoga instructor Shiva Rea presents Shiva Rea: Yoga in Greece, a DVD that guides the viewer through a multitude of calming yoga poses against the captivating beauty of a Greece - a hillside town, a volcanic crater, or sunset at the water's edge. Designed to let the viewer mix or match seven different 20-minute segments, Shiva Rea: Yoga in Greece promotes fitness and body sculpting as well as balance and flexibility. An excellent resource for yoga practitioners of all skill and experience levels! 140 min. plus 83 min. of meditations and bonus (including a 26-min. interview with Shiva Rea), widescreen.

Escape Your Shape: 21-Day Body Makeover
Based on the fitness system by Edward Jackowski, PhD
Acacia
8515 Georgia Avenue, Suite 650
Silver Spring, MD 20910
9781621721222 $16.99 www.acacialifestyle.com

Escape Your Shape: 21-Day Body Makeover is more than just a fitness DVD; it's a 21-day workout plan based on the patented system by Edward Jackowski, PhD. Featuring exercises tailored to one's personal physique (whether that resembles an hourglass, ruler, or spoon), Escape Your Shape offers two 20-minute circuit workouts for each type. Bonus exercise tips for each body type round out the solid self-improvement program, which utilizes no equipment other than light hand weights and a mat. A vigorous collection ideal for targeting one's problem areas, Escape Your Shape is a highly recommended addition to personal fitness DVD libraries. 120 min. (40 min. for each body type), widescreen.

Shazzy Fitness series
www.shazzyfitness.com
c/o 411 Video Information (publicity)
PO Box 1223
Pebble Beach, CA 93953
$19.99 each www.411videoinfo.com

Two dance exercise DVDs from Shazzy Fitness encourage people to move to Christian hip-hop! "Shazzy Fitness: In the Beginning" (37 min.) introduces the viewer to a beginner-friendly dance party chock full of cardio music, led by energetic choreographers. "Shazzy Fitness: A Time to Dance" (37 min.) kicks the movement up a notch with an especially high-energy dance workout, overflowing with vigor and enthusiasm. Step-by-step instructions and 10-minute workout options enhance these excellent fitness DVDs, which feature only Christian music throughout, plus a handful of inspirational messages! Both are excellent additions to Christian fitness collections, encouraging the viewer to exercise their soul as surely as the body.


The Multimedia Shelf

Home for Christmas: Live from Dubin
Celtic Woman
celticwoman.com
c/o Missing Piece Group (publicity)
45 Academy Street, Suite 307, Newark, NJ 07102
missingpiecegroup.com
$15.88 www.amazon.com

Also available in Blu-ray format, Home for Christmas: Live from Dublin is a deluxe CD and DVD combo package; the CD is a music album and the DVD is of a live concert, in which the Celtic Woman band performs classic Christmas carols and joyful songs. Festive, beautiful, and respectful of the true meaning of the holiday, Home for Christmas is perfect for family get-togethers and a wonderful choice for personal listening pleasure. Highly recommended. The CD tracks are "I'll Be Home for Christmas", "Hark the Herald Angels Sing", "Santa Claus is Coming to Town", "Silent Night", "We Three Kings", "We Wish You a Merry Christmas", "What Child Is This", "Adeste Fideles", "Winter Wonderland", "Mary's Boy Child", "Auld Lang Syne", and "Joy to the World". The DVD songs are "Winter Wonderland", "What Child Is This", "We Wish You a Merry Christmas", "Hark the Herald Angels Sing", "Santa Claus is Coming to Town", "We Three Kings", "Carol of the Bells", "O Tannenbaum", "Silent Night", "It's Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas", "The Light of Christmas Morn", "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear", "Auld Lang Syne", and "Joy to the World", with special features "Away in a Manger", "The Christmas Song", "In the Bleak Midwinter", and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas".


The Agriculture Shelf

Harvest Heritage
Richard D. Scheuerman and Alexander C. McGregor
WSU Press
PO Box 645910
Pullman, WA 99164-5910
9780874223163 $32.95 www.wsupress.wsu.edu

Harvest Heritage: Agricultural Origins and Heirloom Crops of the Pacific Northwest chronicles the origins and history of agricultural crops in the region from the colonial era to the green revolution. Heirloom crops transformed the Pacific Northwest's economy, and innovations such as mechanization, improved seed quality, and sustainable dramatically impacted agriculture in the 1800's, even before the rise and dominance of agribusiness. Black-and-white and a handful of color photographs illustrate this extraordinary chronicle of the people, plants, and great agricultural events that helped keep America fed. Highly recommended, especially for college library Agricultural Studies collections.


The Business Shelf

The Financial Menu, fourth edition
Klaus Theyer, CCC
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company
4050 Westmark Drive
Dubuque, IA 52002
9781465231864 $47.00 www.kendallhunt.com

Now in an updated fourth edition, The Financial Menu: A Chef's Companion to Cost Control is a no-nonsense reference created especially for professional chefs, food and beverage managers, and college students. Packed with charts, tables, and even lists of things such as common acronyms of the hospitality industry, The Financial Menu is primarily a resource devoted to cost control - filled with ways to track and monitor expenses, the most commonly used methods to determine a "selling price", labor cost control and scheduling techniques, and much more. Access to web support with updated materials and examples that can be used to practice the instructed techniques round out this "must-have" for any food-related business owner or manager.


The Sports Shelf

Packers Pride
LeRoy Butler and Rob Reischel
Triumph Books LLC
814 North Franklin St., Chicago, IL 60610
www.triumphbooks.com
c/o Independent Publishers Group
814 North Franklin Street, Chicago, IL 60610
9781600788802 $25.95 www.ipgbook.com

Packers Pride: Green Bay Greats Share Their Favorite Memories is compiles a wealth of amazing true anecdotes about the Green Bay Packers team - from the mouths of the players themselves! Dozens of Packers professionals speak out, telling stories of practice, rivalries, and high-stakes Superbowl tension. Occasional black-and-white photographs embellish this fascinating and thoroughly accessible primary source of Packers history, sure to intrigue casual browsers and sports historians alike. An excellent giftbook for Wisconsin's football fans!


The Interior Design Shelf

Reflections on Swedish Interiors
Rhonda Eleish & Edie van Breems, authors
Neil Landino, photography
Gibbs Smith, Publisher
PO Box 667, Layton UT 84041
9781423625285 $50.00 www.gibbs-smith.com

Reflections on Swedish Interiors is an oversized hardcover packed with full-color, photographic portraits of the interiors of Swedish homes, with an eye for elegant, graceful, and coordinated designs. Thumbnail descriptions of each photograph and the occasional text essay enrich the experience, but in Reflections on Swedish Interiors, it is the images themselves that are the most eloquent. Some pictures also step outside the hearth, to glimpse the beauty of quality of landscaping or balanced architecture, but most show aesthetically pleasing living spaces. Highly recommended not just for interior designers, but also for anyone in search of ideas to beautify their home.


The Gardening Shelf

The Edibile Garden
Alys Fowler
Viva Editions
2246 Sixth Street
Berkeley, CA 94710-2219
9781936740543 $19.95 www.vivaeditions.com

Expert gardener and BBC television celebrity Alys Fowler presents The Edible Garden: How to Have Your Garden and Eat It, Too, a practical-minded guide to gardening, pickling, and preserving one's own vegetables, as well as brewing teas and being a responsible steward of the environment. Colorful photography intersperses the accessible, user-friendly instructions and wealth of tips, tricks, and techniques. Highly recommended for any gardener who wishes to truly savor the fruits (and veggies) of their labor!


The Art Shelf

Fernando Botero: Celebration
La Fabrica
c/o Distributed Art Publishers
155 Sixth Avenue, 2nd floor
New York, NY 10013-1507
9788415303947 $50.00 www.artbook.com

Fernando Botero: Celebration is a softcover, full-color artbook retrospective in tribute to the eightieth birthday of Fernando Botero, one of Colombia's best-known artists. Botero and his daughter Lina were personally involved in the selection of 79 paintings that encapsulate Botero's storied career of 60+ years. All of the text and essays about Botero's books is bilingual, presented in both English and Spanish. Botero's unique, unmistakable style - typically showing chubby to morbidly obese people engaged in various activities - immediately seizes the viewer's attention. Subject matters range from still life, picnics, and dancing, to grim massacres, and the depictions of the scandal of Abu Ghraib (in these artworks, a nude male subject is restrained and subjected to state-sponsored tortures). A vividly memorable showcase and tribute, Fernando Botero: Celebration is a choice pick for artbook shelves.


The Fiction Shelf

Badlands: A Collection of Stories
Thomas Biel
www.thomasbiel.com
Three Towers Press
c/o HenschelHaus Publishing
2625 S. Greeley St., Suite 201, Milwaukee, WI 53207
9781595982308 $14.95 pbk. / $9.99 Kindle www.amazon.com

Badlands: A Collection of Stories is an original anthology set in 1960's small town Montana. The stories are linked together, weaving a vivid chronicle about daily life amid rabbit hunts, dry grass, and muddled whispers about the oversea horrors of the Vietnam War. A soulful coming-of-age narrative threads its way through the tales of ordinary people earning an honest, if sometimes strained living. Badlands evokes strong memories of the countryside baby-boom generation, and is a choice pick for casual browsing or book club reading lists.


The Woodworking Shelf

Christmas Ornaments for Woodworking, revised edition
Rick and Karen Longabaugh
Fox Chapel Publishing Company
1970 Broad Street N.
East Petersburg, PA 17520
9781565237889 $16.99 www.FoxChapelPublishing.com

Now in a revised edition, Christmas Ornaments for Woodworking features 300 patterns ideal for creating unique, handmade Christmas tree ornaments. A brief text introduction with demonstrative color photographs offers novice woodworkers tips, tricks, and techniques for securely setting up a workspace, copying patterns, and using a scroll saw, especially on thin pieces of wood. However, most of the book is devoted entirely to holiday patterns, including those of angels, Santas, wildlife, vehicles, religious icons, wreaths, holiday greetings, and more. Christmas Ornaments for Woodworking is an excellent resource for creating distinctive and decorative Christmas gifts!


The Calendar Shelf

Stoecklein Publishing, LLC
1730 Lear Lane, Unit A
Hailey, Idaho 83333
www.thestoeckleincollection.com

Stoecklein Publishing is a premier publisher of superbly produced photographic images so it is no wonder that their annual calendars are equally extraordinary. Their particular niche is Western Americana and six of the western themed calendars are especially recommended to grace the walls of homes and offices for 2014. These selected recommendations include: The Western Horse 2014 (9780922029419, $12.99); Cowgirls 2014 (9780922029365, $12.99); The Cowboy Classic 2014 (9780922029358, $12.99); Cowboy Gear 2014 (9780922029426, $12.99); Cattle 2014 (9780922029471, $12.99); and Sun Valley Images 2014 (9780922029464, $12.99). For a complete roster for all of their outstanding publications, visit the Stoecklein Publishing web site at www.thestoeckleincollection.com


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


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