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Wisconsin Bookwatch

Volume 3, Number 1 January 2008 Home | WBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Business Shelf Travel Shelf
Social Issues Shelf Literary Shelf Music Shelf
Theatre/Cinema/TV Shelf Biography Shelf Fiction Shelf
Nautical Shelf Education Shelf Language Studies Shelf
Health/Medicine Shelf Art Shelf Fashion Shelf
Needlecraft Shelf Cookbook Shelf Hunting/Fishing Shelf
Agricultural Studies Shelf Crafts Shelf Automotive Shelf
Railroading Shelf American History Shelf Photography Shelf
Parenting Shelf Christian Studies Shelf Political Science Shelf
Self-Help Shelf Poetry Shelf Real Estate Shelf
Money/Finance Shelf Buddhist Studies Shelf Pets/Wildlife Shelf
Islamic Studies Shelf Metaphysical Studies Shelf Architecture Shelf
International Studies Shelf Judicial Studies Shelf Sports Shelf
Military Shelf Economics Shelf World History Shelf


Reviewer's Choice

Potluck!
Toni Brandeis Streckert
Trails Books
c/o Big Earth Publishing
145 North Commercial Street, Suite 100, Neenah, WI 54956
9781931599887, $16.95 www.bigearthpublishing.com 1-800-258-5830

Wisconsin author and farmer's market enthusiast Toni Streckert has compiled recipes from a series of local church and civic group cookbooks that, taken cumulatively, offer a kind of culinary window into Wisconsin traditions in "Potluck! Home Cooking From Wisconsin's Community Cookbooks". Enhanced with anecdotal stories, these are recipes that range from classic casseroles, to kugels, to mead loaf, to traditional desserts. There are also a great many new favorites that have made their way to Wisconsin tables. From Pepperoni Biscotti; Marinated Melon Salad; Trudy's Beef Burgundy; and Two-Sauce Lasagna; to Hot Sin Apple Bread; Sour Cream Chocolate Cookies; Zucchini Pie; and Dandelion Wine, "Potluck!" offers a wealth of good eating in celebration of Wisconsin's culinary heritage. All Wisconsin family and community library cookbook collections should include a copy of Toni Streckert's "Potluck!"


The Business Shelf

Private Label
Keith Lincoln & Lars Thomassen
Kogan Page USA
525 South 4th Street, #241, Philadelphia, PA 19147
9780749450274, $39.95 www.koganpage.com 1-800-232-0223

"Private Label; turning The Retail Brand Threat Into Your Biggest Opportunity" is the collaborative work of Keith Lincoln (one of the world's leading authorities and corporate consultants on brands and global trends) and Lars Thomassen (whose 30 year career in advertising includes involvement with developing many major global brands). The focus on the advertising concept of a 'Private Label' that is the basis of a one trillion dollar industry world wide. Readers will learn about the facts and the myths associated with the concept of Private Labels, issues that are directly relevant to the establishing, maintenance, and exploitation of Private Labels, opportunities for brand owners, opportunities for retailers, and the commercial future of Private Labels in a highly competitive and increasingly global marketplace. Informed and informative, "Private Label" is especially recommended reading for entrepreneurs and corporate executives seeking to develop and expand their products as distinctive, premiere, and high-end.

Why We Talk
Bolivar J. Bueno
Creative Crayon Publishers
230 Kings Mall Court, Suite 142, Kingston, NY 12401
Phenix & Phenix Literary Publicists (publicity)
2100 Kramer Lane, Suite 300, Austin, TX 78758
9780971481534, $24.95 www.phenixpublicity.com

In "Why We Talk: the Truth Behind Word-of-Mouth", retail advertising and marketing expert Bolivar Bueno (a partner in Nonbox consulting, an Orlando, Florida-based consumer insight think tank) lays out seven principles for creating memorable customer experiences that will prompt those customers to share with their friends and families those favorable impressions that successful commercial transactions produce. Businessmen and marketing directors will learn just what motivates a consumer or a customer to 'spread the word' about a company and its products -- producing an unpaid advertising benefit that can insure a prosperous bottom line to any corporate endeavor. "Why We Talk" is a solidly informative and 'reader friendly' addition to any personal, professional, corporate, academic, or community American Business Studies reference collection or supplemental reading list.


The Travel Shelf

Midwest: Getaway Guide
Rand McNally
Rand McNally & Company
8255 North Central Park, Skokie, IL 60076
9780528939600, $14.95 www.randmcnally.com 1-800-678-7263

Profusely illustrated throughout with full color photography of the people and places highlighted, Rand McNally's "Midwest: Getaway Guide" is the perfect planning guide to what the American Midwest has to offer the traveler, whether the itinerary is for a day-trip, a weekend, or an extended vacation. Embellished with maps enhancing an informed and informative text, "Midwest: Getaway Guide" also features a wealth of festival information for communities in Illinois, Indiana; Iowa, Kentucky; Michigan, Minnesota; Ohio; and Wisconsin. With its detailed articles about exciting destination choices, advice for shopping and dinning; and Rand McNally quality maps, "Midwest: Getaway Guide" is thoroughly 'user friendly' and enthusiastically recommended for personal, family, and community library Travel Resource collections.

Here Be Yaks
Manosi Lahiri
The Intrepid Traveler
PO Box 531, Branford, CT 06405
9781887140720, $17.95 www.intrepidtraveler.com

Here Be Yaks: Travels in Far West Tibet is a travelogue chronicling a group of ordinary people who embarked upon an extraordinary journey to Tibet's Mount Kailash, a peak revered by four faiths. They battled physical exhaustion and altitude sickness on their arduous journey, all to perform the sacred kora (circumambulation) of Mount Kailash and seek religious inspiration. Author Manosi Lahiri was one of this group, searching for consolation after the loss of her ancestors; in the course of journey, she solved a geographic mystery concerning the source of the river Sutlej, a matter that had been contended for centuries. Part adventure, part scholarly narrative, Here Be Yaks is an amazing look at Tibet through a visitor's eyes, and highly recommended.

101 Reasons To Visit Israel
Estie Solomon & Dovid Solomon
Artsy
c/o Stuart Schnee PR
10 Haportzim Street, Jerusalem, Israel
9781934440025, $12.95 stu@stuartschnee.com

A superbly composed collection of photographs which offers a full color panorama of Israel, "101 Reasons To Visit Israel" showcases the beauty of daily life in Israel. Replete with examples of how children live in Israel, how Shabbat and other holidays are celebrated in Israel, the natural landscape and resources of Israel, as well as Israeli cuisine, culture, institutions, and spiritual pursuits, "101 Reasons To Visit Israel" is an ideal and very highly recommended guide for armchair travelers and on-site visitors alike.

The Little Black Book Of Walt Disney World
Rona Gindin
Peter Pauper Press, Inc.
202 Mamaroneck Avenue, White Plains, NY 10601
9781593598921, $12.95 www.peterpauper.com

Resturant critic and travel writer Rona Gindin's "The Little Black Book Of Walt Disney World" is a pocket-sized, 248-page guide to the many features and aspects of Florida's famous Walt Disney World theme park. Enhanced with illustrations by Kerren Barbas Steckler and the cartography of David Lindroth, "The Little Black Book Of Walt Disney World" includes seven fold-out maps and a wealth of color coded 'insider info' that will prove invaluable for Walt Disney World visitors. In addition to spotlighting landmarks and attractions, local writer Rona Gindin offers practical tips on restaurants, nightlife, shops and hotels throughout Walt Disney World including the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studies, the Animal Kingdom, and Downtown Disney. Of special note are the 'Top Picks' directing visitors to a variety of 'not-to-be-missed' experiences. The inclusion of 'Notes' pages allows for the recording of personal impressions. Portable, informative, superbly organized, and thoroughly 'user friendly', "The Little Black Book Of Walt Disney World" is the perfect itinerary planning guide for anyone preparing for a trip to Walt Disney World!

Utah: The Complete Ski & Snowboard Guide
Michael R. Fine
The Countryman Press
PO Box 478, Woodstock, VT 05091
9780881507423, $19.95 www.countrymanpress.com 1-800-245-4151

A superbly organized and profusely illustrated guide to Alpine, Nordic, and Telemark skiing, along with several other increasingly winter sports such as snowboarding, "Utah: The Complete Ski & Snowboard Guide" by skiing and winter sports enthusiast Michael Fine provides the reader with all the information necessary to enjoy memorable winter athletic activities whether as a recreational weekend or part of an extended winter vacation in the mountains and high valleys of Utah. Accessible organized to be thoroughly 'user friendly', aspiring skiers and winter sports recreationists will learn of each major Utah resorts' terrain type, as well as such amenities as restaurants, rentals, transport, and more. Thirteen Utah destination resorts are showcased and range from the Alta Mountain Resort to the Wolf Mountain Resort. "Utah: The Complete Ski & Snowboard Guide" will prove an invaluable, essential itinerary planning resource for enjoying Utah's winter sports resources and opportunities.

Moon: Walt Disney World & Orlando
Laura Reiley
Moon Handbooks
c/o Avalon Travel Publishing
1400 - 65th Street, Suite 250, Emeryville, CA 94608
9781598800012, $17.95 www.moon.com

Walt Disney World Resort in Florida is some 47 square miles in size. About 30,000 acres (about one-fourth of the property) has been developed, and another quarter designated as a wilderness preserve. It is justifiably considered to be the world's premier theme park. Disney enthusiast and Florida resident Laura Reiley has presented a compact, informationally enriched, and thoroughly 'user friendly' "Walt Disney World & Orlando" guidebook to all of the Disney attractions in all of the Disney 'worlds' (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney-MGM Studies, Disney's Animal Kingdom), as well as two other major recreations in Orland, Florida -- Universal Studios Resort and SeaWorld Orlando. She even includes such lesser known vacation resources as Gatorland and Cypress Gardens Adventure Park. Of special note is the wealth of practical advice, suggestions, and recommendations relevant to planning a trip that is customized to the reader's particular interests, budget, and available time. Enhanced with thirty detailed maps, this newest addition to the impressive Moon Handbooks travel guide series, "Walt Disney World & Orlando" should be considered a 'must' for planning a visit to these popular attractions whether it is as a day trip, a week end, or an extended vacation.


The Social Issues Shelf

Cinica
Daniel Martinez, Ph.D.
Florida Academic Press, Inc.
PO Box 540, Gainesville, FL 32602-0540
9781890357160, $39.95 www.amazon.com

Cinica: Delusions in American Culture is a no-holds-barred, opinionated deconstruction of myths, euphemisms, misperceptions, and social ills as seen by author Daniel Martinez, Ph.D. Sharply denouncing feminism, liberalism, female masturbation (though Martinez consider male masturbation acceptable, explaining the logic behind his double standard at length), lies endemic to religion, criminal behavior, mathematic rounding conventions and much more, Cinica is utterly absorbing whether the reader agrees with Martinez's assertions or not. Entries are listed as informal definitions of terms and phrases, all expressed with witty panache. A one-of-a-kind manifesto that lends itself to being read bit by bit or all at once. "Net Worth of a Capitalist: The difference between what he steals from the general public and what his fellow capitalists steal from him."

In Praise of Prejudice
Theodore Dalrymple
Encounter Books
900 Broadway, Suite 400, New York, NY 10003
9781594032028, $20.00 www.encounterbooks.com 1-800-786-3839

"Is it not true that many prejudices are harmful, cruel, stupid, and vicious? Certainly it is. But... it does not follow that because some prejudices are harmful, we can do without prejudices altogether." In Praise of Prejudice: The Necessity of Preconceived Ideas is an intellectual yet accessible essay by retired physician and psychiatrist Theodore Dalrymple, calling for a re-examination of the knee-jerk belief that every last form of prejudice is inherently bad. Dalrymple instead points out how, in some cases, prejudice is helpful or even necessary to survival. Thirteen-year-old girls are not old enough to fully understand the consequences and responsibility of having children, and some mistakenly choose to become pregnant in hope of having a baby to love; to protect them, it is vital to inculcate them with a prejudice against underage, out-of-wedlock pregnancy until they're old enough to make adult decisions. Many a battered woman has knowingly become involved with a man of bad reputation, in part because she didn't want to prejudge - and later she or her children paid the brutal price. A philosophical treatise that condemns racism and harmful prejudices, even as it observes a common human tendency to replace one prejudice with another as well as the necessity of pre-judgments and preconceived ideas to form any kind of moral system, even something as simple as "thou shalt not kill" (such a proscription against murder, for example, contains the preconceived idea that taking human life is a bad thing). Thoughtful and thought-provoking, "In Praise of Prejudice" is highly recommended reading.

The Great Neighborhood Book
Jay Walljasper
New Society Publishers
PO Box 189, Gabriola Island, British Columbia V0R 1X0, Canada
9780865715813, $19.95 www.newsociety.com

Written by Jay Walljasper, a Senior Fellow of the Project for Public Spaces, The Great Neighborhood Book: A Do-It-Yourself Guide to Placemaking is a how-to guide for local communities to improve the quality of life for their residents through building shared bonds. From creating great places to hang out (a park with few hidden spaces and scattered vendors selling refreshments is more likely to deter homeless people and drug dealers from using it), to reducing crime (ordinary people's eyes and physical presence on the street are much more likely to deter crime than iron bars on windows), foster economic vitality (promoting locally grown/cooked/made food is kind to the environment as well as the local economy), and much more. Drawing heavily upon real-life examples in communities that made a measurable positive difference, The Great Neighborhood book blends practicality and inspiration into an uplifting whole and is enthusiastically recommended reading for concerned citizens, neighborhood watch groups, and municipal boards, among many others.

The Arts of Democracy
Casey Nelson Blake, editor
University of Pennsylvania Press
3905 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-4011
9780812240290, $49.95 www.upenn.edu/pennpress

The Arts of Democracy: Art, Public Culture, and the State is an anthology of essays by learned authors concerning the historical interplay between the arts, public culture, and the state in modern-day America. Individual contributions include "Norman Rockwell, Public Artist", "Exporting America: The U.S. Propaganda Offensive, 1945-1959", "The Public Display of Religion", and much more. Written in a scholarly tone, with extensive notes, an index, and a handful of black-and-white illustrations, The Arts of Democracy dares to break fresh ground in the vibrant academic confluence between aesthetics and public policy. "The postmodern aesthetic begins with a challenge to realism. It is by no means the only art hostile to realism. Nor is hostility to realism the sole defining feature of the postmodern aesthetic. Nor is all contemporary art postmodern... Important recent forms of art, though markedly different in many ways, nevertheless shared a common way of distrusting realism."


The Literary Shelf

Kenneth Burke in the 1930s
Ann George and Jack Selzer
University of South Carolina Press
1600 Hampton Street, 5th Floor, Columbia, South Carolina 29208
9781570037009, $49.95 www.sc.edu/uscpress 1-803-777-5243

Ann George (associate professor, Texas Christian University) and Jack Selzer (professor of English, Pennsylvania State University) combine their insight in Kenneth Burke in the 1930s, a thoughtful study of author Kenneth Burke's work during the restless 1930s. Chapters examine how Burke's literary contribution reflected and influenced cultural history, and Burke's philosophy of the literary form. Of especial interest is Burke's association with intellectual communities of his era, including the leftists in the League of American Writers, activist contributors to "Partisan Review", southern Agrarians, the New Critics, and more. A scholarly, in-depth literary analysis of Burke's classic 1930's period work as well as an exploration of the principles and life of the man himself, ideal for college library literary studies shelves. Also highly recommended is Selzer's previous study of Burke, "Kenneth Burke in Greenwich Village: Conversing with the Moderns, 1915-1931".


The Music Shelf

The Magnificent Guitar of Jorge Morel
John McClellan & Deyan Bratic
Mel Bay Publications
PO Box 66, Pacific, MO 63069
9780786677245, $29.95 www.melbay.com 1-800-863-5229

Jorge Morel is a gifted Argentinean guitarist and "The Magnificent Guitar of Jorge Morel: A Life Of Music" combines biographical elements, anecdotal commentaries, and examples of sheet music that combine to tell the personal story of a truly legendary musician who composed and performed through good times and bad. Twenty-one of Maestro Morel's greatest compositions and arrangements (nine of which appear here for the first time) make "The Magnificent Guitar of Jorge Morel" a definitive work by co-authors John McClellan (one of America's premier guitarists, educators, and writers) and Deyan Bratic (who is in his own right an accomplished guitarist) that can be confidently and enthusiastically recommended for personal, professional, academic, and community library reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Miles Davis, Miles Smiles, and the Invention of Post Bop
Jeremy Yudkin
Indiana University Press
601 N. Morton Street, Bloomington, IN 47404
9780253219527, $19.95 http://iupress.indiana.edu 1-800-842-6796

Written by music professor Jeremy Yudkin, Miles Davis, Miles Smiles, and the Invention of Post Bop is a thoughtful exploration of jazz sensation Miles Davis' contribution to music of the mid-1960s, with an especial focus upon the evolution of the new style of "post bop". From the story of trumpeter Davis' life and creative works, to his confrontation of both personal and musical problems, to his legacy for future generations, Miles Davis, Miles Smiles and the Invention of Post Bop leaves no stone unturned. Occasional passages of musical notation intersperse this thoughtful commentary, rounded out by extensive notes. Highly recommended especially for American music history and college music studies shelves.


The Theatre/Cinema/TV Shelf

Gem of the Ocean
August Wilson
Theatre Communications Group
520 Eighth Avenue, 24th floor, New York, NY 10018-4156
9781559362801, $13.95 www.amazon.com

Broadway theater playwright August Wilson presents Gem of the Ocean, the first play in a ten-play cycle about the African-American experience during the modern twentieth century. Set in 1904 Pittsburgh, Gem of the Ocean follows a long-lived, fierce-willed matriarch and the two men she welcomed into her Hill District home: Solly Two Kings, who was born into slavery and served the Union Army in the Civil War, and Citizen Barlow, a man from Alabama seeking a better life. A richly textured exploration of the challenges faced in adapting to a new environment, no matter how many hardships one faced in the past, Gem of the Ocean is highly recommended.

The Philosophy Of Science Fiction Film
Steven M. Sanders, editor
The University Press of Kentucky
663 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY 40508-4008
9780813124728, $35.00 www.kentuckypress.com 1-800-839-6855

Expertly compiled and edited by Steven M. Sanders (emeritus Professor of Philosophy, Bridgewater State College, Massachusetts), "The Philosophy Of Science Fiction Film" focuses upon science fiction films in terms of their philosophical implications and issues including 'Engimas of Identity and Agency'; 'Extraterrestrial Visitation, Time Travel, and Artificial Intelligence; and Brave Newer World: Science Fiction Futurism. From Deborah Knight and George McKnight's 'What Is It to Be Human? Blade Runner and Dark City'; to Aeon J. Skoble's 'Technology and Ethics in The Day the Earth Stood Still'; to Jerold J. Abrams' 'The Dialectic of Enlightenment in Metropolis, "The Philosophy Of Science Fiction Film" offers erudite insights that are thoughtful and thought-provoking, superb examples of scholarship, and a seminal contribution to the study of science fiction films. "The Philosophy Of Science Fiction Film" is highly recommended for academic library collections, as well as the supplemental reading lists for students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in Cinematic Studies, Science Fiction & Fantasy, and Philosophy.

Clint Eastwood, Actor and Director
Leonard Engel, editor
University of Utah Press
1795 E. South Campus Drive, #101, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112-9402
9780874809008, $21.95 www.UofUpress.com

Clint Eastwood, Actor and Director: New Perspectives is an anthology of essays by learned authors discussing Hollywood star Clint Eastwood, who has made a stand-out name for himself as a top-notch director through films such as "Unforgiven" and "Million Dollar Baby". Individual essays include "Mocking Success in 'Every Which Way but Loose'", "Irony as Absolution", "Mystic Moral Miasma in 'Mystic River'", and much more. The essays have a scholarly tone and a perceptive eye toward meticulous analysis of theme; Clint Eastwood, Actor and Director is especially recommended for film studies students and professionals who would learn from Eastwood's work, as well as cerebral Clint Eastwood fans.

A Jesuit Off-Broadway
James Martin, SJ
Loyola Press
3441 North Ashland Avenue, Chicago, IL 60657
DeChant-Hughes Associates (publicity)
1440 North Kingsbury, Chicago, IL 60622
9780829425826, $22.95 www.LoyolaBooks.org 1-800-621-1008

Jesuit priest James Martin presents A Jesuit Off-Broadway: Center Stage With Jesus, Judas, and Life's Big Questions, a memoir recounting the six months during which he served as a theological consultant for the New York theater production of "The Last Days of Judas Iscariot", directed by Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman and starring Sam Rockwell and Eric Bogosian. Even as Martin taught his charges about religion and spirituality, he learned about the amazing labor of love that is the theater, as well as the toll it takes upon a cast and crew to pour their blood, sweat and tears into a successful play. A wondrous journey into two worlds: the world of the stage and the inner world of the humanity's soul-searching questions.


The Biography Shelf

Forging Fame
Craig Abbott
Northern Illinois University Press
2280 Bethany Road, DeKalb, IL 60115
9780875803760, $34.00 www.niupress.niu.edu 1-815-753-9905

Craig Abott (Professor Emeritus of Northern Illinois University) presents Forging Fame: The Strange Career of Scharmel Iris, the intriguing biography of poet, plagiarist, imposter, and forger Scharmel Iris, whose unusual self-aggrandizing life linked him to wide variety of writers and public figures ranging from T.S. Eliot to Salvador Dali to Eleanor Roosevelt. Forging Fame examines both the mundane details of Iris' life and the grandiose lies that Iris recklessly embraced to bolster his fame and his image of a neglected poetic genius. The result is the biography of a con man that once picked up, cannot easily be put down.

Goddesses, Goddesses
Janine Canan
Regent Press
2747 Regent Street, Berkeley, CA 94705
9781587901294, $16.00

Poet, psychiatrist, and award-winning author Janine Canan presents Goddesses, Goddesses, a memoir comprised of essays recounting her encounters with visionary writers and poets. Among the individuals whose lives touched hers are Iris Murdoch, Else Lasker-Schuler, Marija Gimbutas, James Broughton, Diane Di Prima, Alma Villanueva, Ali Akbar Khan, Mata Amritanandamayi, and more. Poetic snippets written by these illuminating individuals intersperse the thoughtful discussion, fond memories, and moments of epiphany. An enlightening amalgam of reflections upon spirituality, feminism, the Great Mother, and the nature of love itself.

Witnessing History
Jennifer Zeng
Soho Press
853 Broadway, New York, NY 10003
9781569474211, $25.00 www.sohopress.com

Witnessing History: One Chinese Woman's Fight for Freedom is the true-life memoir of Zheng (Jennifer) Zeng, once a graduate of in science at the prestigious Beijing University and granted the honor Communist party membership, who was caught in the crossfire when the government chose to crack down on Falun Gong, the spiritual practice she followed. Sentenced without trial to indefinite term re-education through forced labor, she suffered beatings, electric prods, starvation, and sleep deprivation. After enduring months of being compelled under deplorable conditions to produce goods for sale in the U.S. market, she recanted her beliefs under the rationalization that a forced retraction had no validity. After her release, though, she came to terms with the realization that she had betrayed herself and her principles. Witnessing History is Zheng's own words, offered in testimony of the ordeal she endured and that thousands of other Falun Gong practitioners continue to suffer for their faith, and a necessarily harsh assault on a nation that does not respect civil rights or freedom of religion. Highly recommended.

The Right Place, The Right Time
Donald Peck
Indiana University Press
601 North Morton Street, Bloomington, IN 47404-3797
9780253349149, $24.95 www.iupress.indiana.edu 1-800-842-6796

Orchestral soloist and principal flute emeritus Donald Peck has toured the world with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra; The Right Place, The Right Time: Tales of Chicago Symphony Days is his memoir of the inner workings of musical prestige. Packed with true tales of working with some of the greatest musicians and singers in the industry, as well as anecdotes about coping with guest conductors, making recordings, or even accepting "outside jobs" for one's music, The Right Place The Right Time reveals the ups, downs, quirks, and foibles of life as one professional artist among an interdependent team. Peck himself did not so much choose life in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as he was guided to it by fate; The Right Place, The Right Time is his testimony of a life touched by chance and fortune as surely as it was by music.

The Secret Life of a Snowbird
Len Schritter
Five Star Publications, Inc.
1193 392nd Road, Utica, NE 68456
9781589850743, $15.95 www.fivestarpublications.com

The Secret Life of a Snowbird: An Inside Look at Retirement in America's Sunbelt is the delightful memoir of Len Schritter, telling of how he and his wife chose to join tens of thousands of other "snowbirds" and migrate from blizzard-prone Idaho to retirement in sunny Arizona. From Len's introduction to the cult-like ritual of Wednesday night bingo, to the merciless inspections of the resort community's weed police, the ups and downs of Len's adjustment are recounted in gentle vignettes. A tongue-in-cheek accounting marked by insight into retirement community life as only an ex-potato farmer can see it, highly recommended.


The Fiction Shelf

The Book of Marie
Terry Kay
Mercer University Press
1400 Coleman Avenue, Macon, GA 31207-0001
9780881460827 1-800-634-2378 www.mupress.org

Written by Georgia Writers Hall of Fame author Terry Kay, The Book of Marie is a novel centered upon the fiftieth reunion of the Overton High School class of 1955. Protagonist Cole Bishop remained friends with high school classmate Marie Fitzpatrick well after graduation, yet has been struck by her surprisingly accurate predictions. Each of them witnessed America itself changing, sometimes violently; in 1962, a young black girl was killed at a civil rights demonstration, and the next day a Georgia home was burned. These and many more events reveal the at time painful tribulations a nation went through, as changes were made in the lives of whites and blacks alike. The Book About Marie is as much about individual bonds and knowing a place as home as it is about the turbulent spectrum of history, and evokes emotion, connection, heartbreak and hope. Highly recommended.

Swords Of Ice
Latife Tekin
Marion Boyars Publishers
24 Lacy Road, London, England, SW15 1NL
Meryl Zegarek Public Relations (publicity)
225 West 108 Street, Suite 901, New York, NY 10025
9789714531350, $14.95 www.marionboyars.com.uk

Translated from the Turkish language by Saliha Paker and Mel Kenne, "Swords Of Ice" by Latife Tekin (a major best-selling Turkish author) is the story of Halilhan Sunteriler, an aspiring entrepreneur who rescues a red Volvo from the scrap heap thinking that this will help him to be successful in his business ventures. Soliciting the help of his friend Gogi, as well as Halilhan's two younger brothers Hazmi and Mesut in this enterprise, the result is a tragi-comic hunt for money in the surreal world of commerce, complicated by unending family struggles, illicit affairs, and insights into the human condition. Part of a trilogy that includes "Dear Shameless Death" and "Berji Kristin: Tales From The Garage Hills" (both of which are also available from Marion Boyars Publishers), "Swords Of Ice" is a work of literary excellence and an exemplary example of contemporary Turkish fiction at its best.


The Nautical Shelf

Celestial Navigation in the GPS Age
John Karl
Paradise Cay Publications
PO Box 29, Arcata, CA 95518-0029
9780939837755, $24.95 www.paracay.com 1-800-736-4509

Written by physicist, pilot, sailor, and fifty-year veteran of celestial navigation John Karl, Celestial Navigation in the GPS Age is a practical guide to the skill and science of celestial navigation for offshore navigators. Compact without being abridged, Celestial Navigation in the GPS Age is tailor-written for the modern era of computers, calculators, and online resources. Though the traditional methods of "working a sight" is covered, the meat of Celestial Navigation in the GPS Age carefully instructs the reader in the use of a simple and inexpensive scientific calculator. From the basics of coordinates, to sun sight reductions and lunar distance sights, to sextant adjustments and altitude corrections, and an exhaustive wealth of appendices, Celestial Navigation in the GPS Age is an absolute "must-have" for offshore navigators and a readily accessible self-teaching tool.

Lessons From My Good Old Boat
Donald Launer
Sheridan House Inc.
145 Palisade Street, Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522
9781574092509, $23.95 www.sheridanhouse.com 1-888-743-7425

Author Donald Launer, who has held a U.S. Coast Guard license for over 25 years and served as a contributing editor to "Good Old Boat" magazine, pens his nautical wisdom and experience in Lessons From My Good Old Boat. A solid all-around primer to the art of sailing, Good Old Boat covers everything from sails and rigging to navigation, the hull, the cabin, sailing life and culture, to issues of winter storage. Black-and-white photographs and diagrams add a strong visual aid to this handy and user-friendly guide, enthusiastically recommended for aspiring sailors everywhere.


The Education Shelf

Is Literacy Enough?
Catherine E. Snow, Michelle V. Porche, Patton O. Tabors, & Stephanie Ross Harris
Paul H. Brookes Publishing Company
PO Box 10624, Baltimore, MD 21285-0624
9781557669148, $29.95 www.brookespublishing.com 1-800-638-3775

Four literacy experts combine their experience to investigate why strong literacy skills are necessary but no sufficient to ensure students' academic success in Is Literacy Enough?: Pathways to Academic Success for Adolescents. Surveying a group of children from low-income families from preschool through high school, and charting the students' outcomes using test data of language and literacy skills as well as interviews and self-report data of motivation and engagement in a classroom setting, Is Literacy Enough? offers insight and revelations borne directly from controlled and diligent social science. Critical protective and risk factors key to students' success are analyzed, including the presence of academic and motivational support, poverty, whether a student attends multiple schools, family disruption, social-emotional difficulties, and much more. A serious and scientific-minded dissection of the elements necessary to help students reach their full potential, brimming with recommendations to enhance the quality of learning programs for adolescents.

The Courage to Teach
Parker J. Palmer
Jossey-Bass, Inc.
989 Market Street, 5th floor
San Francisco, CA 94103-1741
9780787996864, $27.95 www.josseybass.com 1-800-225-5945

Now in its tenth anniversary edition, The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life is the testimony of veteran educator Parker J. Palmer, created to help fellow teachers take heart in the face bureaucratic systems that are sometimes outright hostile, among other obstacles. The Courage to Teach is centered upon the basic premise that truly good teaching comes not merely from technique, but rather is rooted in the identity and integrity of the instructor. Chapters tell of the critical importance of forming a connection with students, forming a positive community network, and the invaluable role of an indomitable spirit within teachers. An accompanying audio CD of a conversation with Parker J. Palmer and associates rounds out the inspirational guide by a passionate professional, for professionals seeking to revitalize their inner fire.

The Exchange Student Survival Kit
Bettina Hansel
Intercultural Press
20 Park Plaza, Suite 1115A, Boston, MA 02116
9781931930314, $21.95 www.interculturalpress.com 1-866-372-2665

The Exchange Student Survival Kit is a solid primer for foreign exchange students and host families alike. Now in a completely revised and updated second edition that includes references to the latest communications technology (e-mail, instant messaging, cell phones, online games, etc.), crucial advice with regard to personal safety, and notes concerning ongoing changes in society and family life that affect travelers, The Exchange Student Survival Kit covers everything from practical packing to learning to identify "red flag" emotions that are likely triggered by culture shock to preparing for reverse culture shock on the trip home. Peppered throughout with anecdotes of young people from various different nations adjusting to a new way of life, The Exchange Student Survival Kit is an absolute "must-read" for any prospective exchange student or host family.


The Language Studies Shelf

It's Not What You Sign, It's How Your Sign It
Jack Hoza
Gallaudet University Press
800 Florida Avenue, NE, Washington, DC 20002-3695
9781563683527, $49.95 http://gupress.gallaudet.edu 1-800-621-2736

Written by Jack Hoza (Director of the Sign Language Interpretation Program at the University of New Hampshire, Manchester) It's Not What You Sign, It's How Your Sign It: Politeness In American Sign Language is an analysis of linguistic strategies employed by ASL signers as compared to English speakers, with regard to the social variables of specific contexts. Chapters contrast requests in ASL and English, rejections in ASL and English, the interconnection between fluency and politeness, and much more. A scholarly text ideal for intermediate to advanced linguistic students and scholars, It's Not What You Sign, It's How You Sign It is a welcome contribution to language and communication studies shelves.

Lots Of Languages
Susan A. Worline
Infini Press
1120 Avenue of the Americas, 4th floor, New York, NY 10036
Master Communications (publicity)
4480 Lake Forest Drive, Suite 302, Cincinnati, OH, 45242-3726
9781932457056, $19.95 www.infinipress.com

Holding a Masters Degree in the field of Education, Susan Worline became frustrated and the expense involved with purchasing several language dictionaries, books and CDs in preparation of becoming an English as a second language (ESL) teacher. This frustration resulted in her writing "Lots Of Languages: Phrasebook & Reference". Thoroughly 'user friendly' and featuring a 'Reader's Pronunciation Guide' in plain English, "Lots Of Languages" enables the expression of more than two hundred essential phrases in seventeen different languages. The languages include Arabic, Brazilian, Portuguese, Chinese, Farsi, French, German, Gujarati, Hindi, Hmong, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, and Vietnamese. Just 96-pages, "Lots Of Languages" is specifically recommended as an instructional reference and curriculum supplement for teachers, tutors, and language students. It will also prove to be of immense and practical value for travelers and tourists as well.


The Health/Medicine Shelf

10 Simple Solutions to Chronic Pain
Blake H. Tearnan, Ph.D.
New Harbinger Publications, Inc.
5674 Shattuck Avenue, Oakland, CA 94609
9781572244825, $12.95 www.newharbinger.com

Behavioral medicine expert Blake H. Tearnan, Ph.D. presents 10 Simple Solutions to Chronic Pain: How To Stop Pain from Controlling Your Life, a straightforward guide to the most effective pain management techniques. 10 Simple Solutions to Chronic Pain does not deny the value or unilaterally condemn the use of painkiller drugs, but rather teaches the reader alternative methods that can be used in conjunction with medication, or by themselves. Chapters discuss better ways to communicate with doctors and learn which treatment options are most likely to prove beneficial, enhancing emotional well-being, improving one's sleep, the option of biomedical treatments, changing one's nonproductive beliefs about pain through personal experimentation, and much more. A step-by-step demystification process of pain and one's options for dealing with it, highly recommended.

Cancer
Liz Armstrong, Guy Dauncy, Anne Wordsworth
New Society Publishers
PO Box 189, Gabriola Island, BC, Canada, V0R 1X0
9780865715424, $22.95 www.newsociety.com 1-800-283-3572

Cancer comes in many forms and affects every population demographic. "Cancer: 101 Solutions To A Preventable Epidemic" is the collaborative work of Liz Armstrong (photographer and environmental activist), Guy Dauncey (author and founder of the Solutions Project), and Anne Wordsworth (writer and environmental researcher). The primary focus is upon those environmental poisons and other factors that have so substantially contributed to the growing numbers of cancer cases appearing in America and around the world. The focus is also upon possible solutions to avoiding, preventing, and ameliorating those environmental factors by community activists, healthcare workers, labor unions, city and county municipalities, businesses, state and federal government agencies. Of special note are the ten proposed and specific global solutions to the problems identified. "Cancer: 101 Solutions To A Preventable Epidemic" is very strongly recommended reading for medical professionals, governmental policy makers, environmental activists, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in cancer and cancer prevention.

Diets And Dieting
Sander L. Gilman
Routledge
270 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016
0415974208, $150.00 www.routledge.com 1-800-634-7064

Written and compiled by cultural historian Sander Gilman (Distinguished Professor of the Liberal Arts and Sciences at Emory University), "Diets And Dieting: A Cultural Encyclopedia" is superbly organized and alphabetically presented encyclopedia comprised of biographies and survey essays covering the scope, history, and culture of diets an dieting. From Robert Atkins and Anorexia, to Fast Food and Globalization, to John Harvey Kellogg and Vegetarianism, "Diets And Dieting" is a wealth of information that offers a unique, comprehensive, informed, informative, 'user friendly', and very highly recommended contribution to personal, professional, academic, and community library Health & Medicine and Cultural Studies reference collections.

The Diabetes Lifestyle Book
Jennifer A. Gregg, Glenn M. Callaghan, Steven C. Hayes
New Harbinger Press
5674 Shattuck Avenue, Oakland, CA 94609
9781572245167, $16.95 www.newharbinger.com 1-800-748-6273

Simply stated, every newly diagnosed diabetic should read and would substantially benefit from "The Diabetes Lifestyle Book" which is the collaborative work of clinical psychologist Jennifer A. Gregg (Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, San Jose State University, San Jose, California), Glenn M. Callaghan (Professor of Psychology, San Jose State University), and Steven C. Hayes (University of Nevada Foundation Professor of Psychology, University of Nevada, Reno). The life-style changes that a diabetes diagnosis compels is often daunting and very difficult to sustain until and unless the diabetics are able to face their fears, voice their concerns, and maintain the changes in their diets, activity levels, and medical services required for a long and healthy life. The psychology, the motivation, the mental management techniques that must go along with changes in diet, medication schedules, and exercise programs are fundamental and precisely the 'how to' information and inspiration provided by "The Diabetes Lifestyle Book". No personal diabetes reading list or community library Health & Medicine reference collection should be without a copy of "The Diabetes Lifestyle Book".

Death By Supermarket
Nancy Deville
Barricade Books, Inc.
185 Bridge Plaza North, Suite 308-A, Fort Lee, NJ 07024
9781569803325, $16.95 www.barricadebooks.com 1-800-592-6657

Nancy Deville is a medical writer who became alarmed at the national upward trends regarding obesity and other health problems of the general American public. In her researches she uncovered an unpleasant truth -- the food industry has a significant responsibility for what is happening to American public health. The result of her research is "Dead By Supermarket" in which she reveals the benefits of real food while exposing the health risks of eating factory foods, serial dieting, taking drugs. Of special note is what Deville discovered concerning the intrigue, corruption, and simple ineptness within the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Using sold research to show just how the government and the medical community collude in the propagation of disastrous nutritional advice, "Death By Supermarket" is a vital and necessary call to action on both a personal and a political level. Informed and informative, "Death By Supermarket" needs to be on the Health & Medicine shelves of every community library in the country -- and considered an essential study for health and nutrition advocates, as well as non-specialist general readers with an interest in personal and public health.


The Art Shelf

William Aiken Walker
August P. Trovaioli & Roulhac B. Toledano
Pelican Publishing Company
1000 Burmaster Street, Gretna, LA 70053-2246
9781589805095, $50.00 www.pelicanpub.com 1-800-843-1724

William Aiken Walker was born in 1838 in South Carolina and grew up to become one the South's most gifted artists. After serving in the Confederate Army during the Civil War, Walker traveled and painted throughout the South. Then sold his paintings to tourists in cities such as New Orleans, Charleston, and the communities that dotted post-civil war Georgia. Known for his paintings of black Southerners, he was also noted for his lush and vivid landscapes. Now in a new and expanded edition from the Pelican Publishing Company, "William Aiken Walker: Southern Genre Painter" is an informed and informative history of his life and work, enhanced with the inclusion of 157 color illustrations and 58 black-and-white paintings and drawings. A welcome and enthusiastically recommended addition to personal, academic, and community library American Art History reference collections, "William Aiken Walker: Southern Genre Painter" is an ideal memorial tribute to a truly talented 19th century American artist.


The Fashion Shelf

Dressed To Rule
John E. Vollmer
University of Alberta Press
Ring House 2, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 2E1
9781551952147, $29.95 www.uap.ualberta.ca

Among its aristocracy, Chinese clothing is an art form distinctively traceable down through the centuries. In Dressed To Rule: 18th Century Court Attire In The Mactaggart Art Collection, John E. Vollmer (an internationally known curator and well regarded scholar in Asian art, textiles, costumes, decorative arts and design) focuses upon Chinese court dress dating from the Quin dynasty (1644-1911) back through the 13th century Jin dynasty. The examples are taken from the renowned Mactaggart Art Collection housed at the University of Alberta. Enhanced with more than fifty color photographs showcasing the garments provided as examples, period portraits, and details from a rare hand scroll illustrating the Chinese emperor's tour of cities along the Grand Canal, "Dressed To Rule" provides interested readers with an informed and informative overview of the importance, relevance, and utilization of clothing to represent imperial status, prestige, and position. A seminal contribution, "Dressed To Rule" is a strongly recommended addition to personal, professional, and academic library Chinese Culture, Chinese History, and Textile History reference collections and supplemental reading lists.


The Needlecraft Shelf

Soft + Simple Knits For Little Ones
Heidi Boyd
North Light Books
c/o F&W Publications, Inc.
700 East State Street, Iola, WI 54990
9781581809657, $19.99 www.fwpublications.com 1-800-726-9966

Featuring more than forty-five delightful and easy-to-make knitted garments for preschool children, "Soft + Simple Knits For Little Ones" by needlecraft and knitting expert Heidi Boyd is an impressive compilation of superbly illustrated instructions and patterns ranging from a Peek-a-Boo Bear Stroller Blanket, to a Fuzzy Bolero Sweater, to an Animal Applique Tote. Enhanced with sage and practical advice on choosing the right yarn, to assembling the required tools, to learn knitting basics, "Soft + Simple Knits For Little Ones" is thoroughly 'user friendly' and an especially ideal reference for beginning needlecrafters wanting to knit a very special garment for a very special little person!

Son Of Stitch 'N Bitch
Debbie Stoller
Workman Publishing Company
708 Broadway, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10003-9555
9780761146179, $15.95 www.workman.com 1-800-722-7202

Compiled and organized by needlecraft expert Debbie Stoller, "Son Of Stitch 'N Bitch: 45 Projects To Knit & Crochet For Men" provides 'guy-vetted and approved' make-it-yourself knitting and crochet projects that were either designed by male knitters or by women using men as design partners. here is a compendium of forty-five projects ranging from sweaters, scarves, and socks, to mittens, vests, and accessories. Profusely illustrated with color photography, the step-by-step instructions are thoroughly 'user friendly' and will result in needlecrafted garments that will prove especially ideal for those very special gift giving occasions. Of special note is the advice provided on such dangerous questions as 'what's your favorite color', getting size information without giving away your intent, not including a guy in the process of yarn or other material selections, and avoiding 'the curse of the boyfriend sweater'. "Son Of Stitch 'N Bitch" is an ideal and unique selection to add to personal Needlecraft reference collections.

A Maryland Sampling
Gloria Seaman Allen
Maryland Historical Society
201 West Monument Street, Baltimore, MD 21201-4674
Alan C. Hood & Company (distributor)
PO Box 775, Chambersburg, PA 17201
0938420984, $75.00 www.hoodbooks.com 1-888-844-9433

A former curator and then director of the Daughters of the American Revolution Museum in Washington, D.C., Gloria Seaman Allen brings to bear her considerable years of experience and expertise in "A Maryland Sampling: Girlhood Embroidery 1738-1860". A beautifully illustrated history of Maryland samplers and pictorial embroideries that were the instructed obligation of young girls who were thereby able to showcase their needlecraft skills and abilities. Now these samplers are highly prized among collectors and antiques dealers. Allen focuses specifically on Maryland and how needlework traditions from its 18th and early 19th century English, German, and French settlers were carried on down through the end of the American Civil War. A truly seminal work of painstaking scholarship, "A Maryland Sampling" is especially recommended as an addition to academic library American Cultural History reference collections, and to the attention of needlecrafters, as well as Americana collectors and dealer.

The Quilter's Workbook
Editorial Staff
Landauer Corporation
3100 NW 101st Street, Suite A, Urbandale, IA 50322
9780979371103, $26.00 www.landauercorp.com 1-800-557-2144

Enhanced with a refillable 3-ring binding, "The Quilter's Workbook" was created by the editors at Landauer to be the perfect organizer for dedicated quilters. Featured are quilt reference cards; tabbed dividers for easy reference; a total of 48 pages of lined paper for quilting notes; 32 pages of graph paper for quilting designs; 6 top loading poly-vinyl pouches for organizing quilting materials; and 4 plastic zipper pouches for storage. "The Quilter's Workbook" features include: Fabric Know-How (including preparing fabrics for quilting); The Color Wheel; Rotary Cutting Basics; Piecing Blocks (both patchwork and hand piecing); Learning Applique Basics (including both machine and hand appliques); Assembling a Quilt Top (straight-set, diagonal set, and borders); Finishing the Quilt; a Quick-Pieced Block Gallery; and a Hand or Machine Appliqued Block Gallery. The addition of a glossary, an index, and a resources list make "The Quilter's Workbook" a perfect addition to personal and professional Needlecraft collections.


The Cookbook Shelf

500 Soups
Susannah Blake
Sellers Publishing
81 West Commercial Street, Portland, ME 04101
9781569069783, $15.95 www.makefun.com 1-800-625-3386

A London-based food writer and editor, Susannah Blake's "500 Soups: The Only Soup Compendium You'll Ever Need" is one cookbook that truly lives up to its title! Featuring five hundred different kinds of soup, each with clear, easy-to-follow instructions that include tips on accompaniments, garnishes and toppings, "500 Soups" also includes an informative and comprehensive introductory section covering all the preparation and cooking in essentials such as soup-making techniques, equipment, soup stocks, and even troubleshooting. With variations on each of the showcased recipes and more than 120 full-color photographs illustrated a diverse variety of savory soups, "500 Soups" is a true gem of a cookbook and a welcome addition to personal and community library collections. It should also be noted that there are five other highly recommended '500' cookbook titles available from Sellers Publishing: "500 Chocolate Delights" (9781569069943, $15.95); "500 Pies & Tarts" (9781569069844, $15.95); "500 Appetizers" (9781569069769, $15.95); "500 Cupcakes" (9781569065976, $15.95); and "500 Cookies" 9781569065921, $15.95).

The Complete Idiot's Guide To The College Diet Cookbook
Shelly Vaughan James
AlphaBooks
c/o New American Library
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014-3658
9781592576807, $16.95 www.idiotsguides.com 1-800-847-5515

In "The Complete Idiot's Guide To The College Diet Cookbook", cookbook author and culinary expert Shelly Vaughan James has compiled a wealth of nutritional information, quick tips for cooking with electric skillets, microwaves, and other small appliances, and easy-to-understand explanations of common cooking terms and techniques with 150 quick and easy-to-make meals, snacks and desserts. Specifically designed for college students (notorious for living off of raman noodles and order-in pizzas), "The Complete Idiot's Guide To The College Diet Cookbook" is an ideal culinary reference for time stressed, budget limited, cramped quarter living students who would appreciate being able to make a Grab-n-Go Burrito, a Grilled Veggie Wrap, a Turkey and White Bean Chili, an Olive and Pimiento Tuna Salad; an Authentic Lasagna Micro-Quick; some No-Bake Peanut Butter Apple Cookies; or an Hawaiian Island Shake. Although specifically intended for the college crowed, "The Complete Idiot's Guide To The College Diet Cookbook" is also ideal for anyone living alone in the big city and wanting to learn how to cook create meals for themselves.

Grill It! Plank It! Wrap It! Smoke It!
Tiffany Haugen
Frank Amato Publications
PO Box 82112, Portland, OR 97282
9781571884169, $19.95 www.amatobooks.com

Spiral bound so as to lay flat on the kitchen counter for ease of use, "Grill It! Plank It! Wrap It! Smoke It!" is a compilation of recipes and culinary instructions for the principle ways of infusing the smoky essence of wood into appetizers, vegetables, meats, seafoods, desserts, marinades, rubs, salsas, and sauces. More than three hundred dishes, ranging from a Mediterranean-Style Sausage; to Cornbread-Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms; to Coconut-Coated Stone-Fruit Wraps; to Sweet Pacific Northwest Almonds & Pecans; to Apple-Smoked Trout with Avocado Cream; to Lemony Spinach Pesto, fill the illustrated pages of this impressive, 'kitchen cook friendly', and enthusiastically recommended cookbook which would make an ideal and unique addition to any family or community library cookbook collection!

Vietnamese Fusion
Chat Mingkwan
The Book Publishing Company
PO Box 99, Summertown, TN 38483
9781570672071, $14.95 www.bookpubco.com 1-800-695-2241

The distinctive local herbs and produce of Vietnamese cuisine has been heavily impacted French, Chinese, and Indian influences with respect ingredients and techniques. Now this culinary tradition has been further influenced and developed by Chat Mingkwan who transforms classic ethnic recipes into gourmet quality vegetarian dishes through utilizing customary Vietnamese seasons and ingredients, but substituting innovative animal-free alternatives for meat or fish in the recipes comprising "Vietnamese Fusion: Vegetarian Cuisine". After informing the kitchen cook about the characteristics of Vietnamese cuisine, soy products, and other ingredients fundamental to Vietnamese dishes including herbs and spices, vegetables and fruits, rice, noodles, wrappers, and seasonings, "Vietnamese Fusion" organizes the recipes themselves into sections on sauces, snacks and appetizers, soups and salads, main dishes, sweets and beverages. The easy -o-follow, step-by-step recipes themselves range from Sot Dau Phong (Peanut Sauce); to Canh Chua Thom (Hot-and-Sour Soup with Pineapple and Tamarind); to Nam Rom Nhung Dam (Mushrooms in Vinegar Fondue); to Banh Goi (Steamed Rice Cakes in Banana Leaves). Enhanced with color photographs of completed dishes, a list of references, mail order sources, an author biography, and an index, "Vietnamese Fusion" is especially recommended for personal and community library multi-ethnic and vegetarian cookbook collections.


The Hunting/Fishing Shelf

The Pocket Deer Hunting Guide
Steve Carpenteri
Stoeger Publishing
17603 Indian Head Highway, Suite 200, Accokeek, MD 20607-2501
9780883173312, $7.95 www.stoegerpublishing.com

In "The Pocket Deer Hunting Guide: Successful Hunting With A Rifle Or Shotgun", author and avid deer hunter Steve Carpenteri draws upon his more than forty years of experience and expertise to create an invaluable, practical, and thoroughly 'user friendly' reference guide that is ideal for the novice and of significant utility for even the experienced hunter. A concise 168-page pocket-sized instructional reference book, "The Pocket Deer Hunting Guide" is packed from cover to cover with useful information and facts that every deer hunter needs -- but might not recall when actually in the field and in mid-hunt. Step-by-step information about hunting the most popular big game animal, this is a guide that covers all the essentials for a successful and enjoyable hunt. Whether going into the field on a first hunt, or continuing a generational hunting experience, "The Pocket Deer Hunting Guide" is as an informed and informative, superbly organized and enthusiastically recommended precursor and accompaniment.


The Agricultural Studies Shelf

Breeding Major Food Staples
Manit S. Kang & P.M. Priyadarshan, editors
Blackwell Publishing
c/o Wiley-Blackwell
350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148
9780813818351, $169.99 www.blackwellpublishing.com 1-800-216-2522

The collaborative work of Manit S. Kang (Vice Chancellor of Punjab Agricultural University) & P.M. Priyadarshan (a plant breeder at the Rubber Research Institute of India), "Breeding Major Food Staples" is comprised of a number of informed and informative essays by agricultural scholars and researchers offering state-of-the-art technical information on improving yield and quality of key crops through combining traditional and cutting-edge plant breeding techniques. "Breeding Major Food Staples" is organized into three major sections. The first section provides basic information applicable to all crops. The second section focuses upon cereal and oil/protein crops. The third section addresses carbohydrate suppliers in the form of root crops and the banana. Of special note are the individual chapters 'Crop Breeding Methodologies: Classic and Modern'; 'Soybean Breeding Achievements and Challenges'; and 'Breeding Potato as a Major Staple Crop'. An impressive body of scholarship, "Breeding Major Food Staples" should be considered a fundamental cornerstone acquisition for all academic library Agriculture Studies reference collections.


The Crafts Shelf

Period Ship Modelmaking
Philip Reed
Naval Institute Press
291 Wood Road, Annapolis, MD 21402
9781591146759, $42.95 www.navalinstitute.org 1-800-233-8764

Making ship models has been a popular pastime as old as the history of sailing. "Period Ship Modelmaking: An Illustrated Masterclass" by award-winning and professional modelmaker Philip Reed is a beautifully illustrated and instructive introduction into building early to mid-19th century full masted sailing vessels. Of special note are the chapters dedicated to "The Masterclass" and "The Model Gallery". Enhanced with a chapter of "Materials and Tools" and a thematically appropriate bibliography of suggested reading, Informed and informative, "Period Ship Modelmaking" is an ideal addition to personal and community library instructional and informational reference collections for aspiring and practicing model ship builders and hobbyists..

Seed Beat Stitching
Beth Stone
Kalmbach Publishing Company
21027 Crossroads Circle, Waukesha, WI 53186
9780871162526, $19.95 www.kalmbachbooks.com 1-800-533-6644

"Seed Bead Stitching: Creative Variations On Traditional Techniques" by needlecraft and beadcraft expert Beth Stone offers aspiring beaders with easy-to-follow, superbly illustrated, step-by-step, do-it-yourself instructions through the process of creating stylish jewelry with seed beads. Readers will learn how to make distinctive and unique jewelry pieces (including necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and rings) using the peyote stitch, the brick stitch, the right-angle wave, the spiral rope, the St. Petersburg chain, and more. Informed, informative, and thoroughly 'user friendly', "Seed Beat Stitching" is an enthusiastically recommended addition to personal and community library instructional reference collections.


The Automotive Shelf

Hot Rod Roots
Dain Gingerelli, editor
Motorbooks
c/o MBI Publishing Company
380 Jackson Street, Suite 200, St. Paul, MN 55101-3885
9780760328187, $34.95 www.mbipublishing.com 1-800-458-0454

Deftly edited by Dain Ginerelli, "Hot Rod Roots: A Tribute To The Pioneers" is profusely illustrated with images selected from the more than 20 photographs and thousands of hours of videotaped interviews with the people and cars that broke records on drag strips and in dry lake beds with their ingeniously adapted motor vehicles that transformed discarded car bodies, flatheads, and four-bangers into the American automotive phenomena that would become universally recognized as the 'hot rod'. Comprised of informed and informative essays by seven experts, "Hot Rod Roots" covers such diverse issues as hot rodding and World War II, belly tanks and other speed related changes, track roadster racing, and drag racing, the spreading popularity of hot rods through magazines and car shows. Of special note are A. B. Shuman's essay 'From Out of the East' and Mark A. Morton's 'Hot Rod Heritage'. Simply stated, "Hot Rod Roots" is a 'must read' for anyone who has every owned, worked on, ridden in, or spent their youth admiring the great American hot rod!


The Railroading Shelf

North American Railroad Bridges
Brian Solomon
Voyageur Press
380 Jackson Street, Suite 200, St. Paul, MN 55101
9780760325278, $36.95 www.mbipublishing.com 1-800-458-0454

Superbly illustrated throughout with color photography, "North American Railroad Bridges" by railroad historian Brian Solomon focuses upon railroad bridges and trestles that have been a feature (and often a quite dramatic feature) of the American landscape for the past century. Each particular bridge, whether traversing rivers or roadways, creeks or canyons, were individually engineered for a particular terrain and were of varied construction methodologies including trussells, trestles, viaducts (both stone and steel), suspension, and even with movable spans. The informed and informative text is highlighted with landmark patent drawings, period postcards, as well as modern photography by some of today's best rail photographers. The result is a wealth of information and a book that can be confidently recommended for community libraries in general, and railroad buffs in particular!


The American History Shelf

Atlas Of African-American History
James Ciment
Facts On File, Inc.
c/o Infobase Publishing
132 West 31st Street, 17th Floor, New York, NY 10001
www.factsonfile.infobasepublishing.com
9780816067138, $85.00 1-800-322-8755

Featuring 31 color and 113 black-and-white photographs, 73 maps, 30 line illustrations and graphs, numerous box features and chronologies, this newly revised and expanded edition of James Ciment's "Atlas Of African-American History" provides highschool and college students with a visually rich volume of history with respect to the experience and contributions of African Americans from their first introduction as slaves in the 16th century down through their emancipation in the mid-19th century, to their accomplishments and difficulties throughout the 20th century. An impressively definitive body of scholarship, "Atlas Of African-American History" should be a fundamental part of every academic and community library American History and Black Studies reference collection.


The Photography Shelf

The Lens Of Time
Cliff White & E. J. (Ted) Hart
University of Calgary Press
2500 University Drive, N.W., Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 1N4
9781552382370, $69.95 www.uofcpress.com 1-800-565-3770

Part of the University of Calgary Press unique 'Parks and Heritage' series focusing on North American national parks and historic sites, "The Lens Of Time: A Repeat Photography Of Landscape Change In The Canadian Rockies" is the collaborative Project of Cliff White and Ted Hart which compares yesteryear black-and-white photographs in side-by-side arrangement with contemporary full color photographs of the same landscapes, taken from the same positional perspectives, and revealing the changes that have taken place during the intervening 125 years. Enhanced with an informed and informative commentary text, "The Lens Of Time" is an enthusiastically recommended addition to professional, academic, and community library collections, and would prove of immense and particular interest to environmental activists and non-specialist general readers with an appreciation of Canadian Rockies landscapes -- then and now!


The Parenting Shelf

Is This A Phase?
Helen F. Neville
Parenting Press
PO Box 75267, Seattle, WA 98125
9781884734632, $22.95 www.parentingpress.com 1-800-992-6657

Featuring charming illustrations by Jenny Williams, "Is This A Phase?: Child Development & Parent Strategies, Birth To 6 Years" by health educator, pediatric advice nurse, inborn temperament specialist and researcher Helen F. Neville is a thoroughly 'parent friendly' guide to common behavioral issues with babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. The advice ranges from having realistic expectations with respect to developmental milestones, to ways of making life easier until various phases are passed through, to reassurance about the range of normal development and when to get help, even instructional advice on how to talk about such issues as sex and death to a child. Of special note are the charts of quick information when a parent is short on time. "Is This A Phase?" is very highly recommended reading for all new (and not-so-new) parents having questions or concerns about kids and their quirks.

Positive Options for Children with Asthma
O.P. Jaggi, M.D., Ph.D.
Hunter House Publishers
PO Box 2914, Alameda, CA 94501-2914
9780897934534, $12.95 www.hunterhouse.com 1-800-266-5592

Positive Options for Children with Asthma: Everything Parents Need to Know is a no-nonsense guide written especially for parents and caretakers of children who suffer from asthma, including severe asthma attacks. Written by asthma expert O.P. Jaggi, Positive Options for Children with Asthma discusses how to create an allergen-free environment, how to pre-empt attacks or lower their intensity, teaching a child about asthma medication and how to use it safely, enhancing a child's immunity and tolerance to allergens, teaching a child effective "belly breathing" technique, helping a child incorporate physical activity into their lives while successfully coping with exercise-induced asthma, and much more. An easy-to-use, absolute "must-have" for anyone responsible for an asthmatic child, and also a very practical guide for asthmatics of any age seeking to learn more about their condition and what to do about it.


The Christian Studies Shelf

The Way of Humility
Andre Louf, OCSO
Lawrence S. Cunningham, translator
Cistercian Publications
Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI 49008-5415
9780879070113, $10.95

Written by Cistercian Abbey monk Andre Louf and smoothly translated from the original French by theology professor Lawrence S. Cunningham, The Way of Humility is a serious-minded essay upon the nature of humility itself. Describing humility as an essential Christian virtue, seeking to reclaim this high quality as respected in ancient sources of the monastic tradition. Drawing upon selected primary texts including writings of the early desert fathers and Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, The Way of Humility strives to enlighten the spirit as well as set guidelines for understanding an intangible human quality that nevertheless reflects the divine.

Queen Esther's Reflection
Ann Platz
New Hope Publishers
100 Missionary Ridge, Birmingham, AL 35242-5235
9781596690127, $10.99 www.newhopepublishers.com

Queen Esther's Reflection: A Portrait of Grace, Courage, and Excellence is a thoughtful examination of the role Queen Esther played in God's divine plan, and the lessons that every Christian woman can learn from Queen Esther's ascent to grace. Chapters recount Queen Esther's story, then go on to show how Esther's experiences apply to modern women's lives, especially with regard to tending to one's marriage. Study guide questions for personal or group reflection enhance this wonderful discussion of gracious living for Christian daughters, wives, and mothers.

Ironies of Faith
Anthony Esolen
ISI Books
PO Box 4431, Wilmington, DE 19807-0431
9781933859316, $18.00 www.isibooks.org 1-800-526-7022

Anthony Esolen (Professor of English, Providence College) presents Ironies of Earth: The Laughter at the Heart of Christian Literature, a thoughtful examination of irony in Christian art and life. Ironies of time, power, and love are discussed, as are the insights and interpretations of classic authors: Augustine, Dante, Shakespeare, Tolkien, Mauriac, Milton, Herbert, Hopkins, Dickens, Dostoyevsky, and the anonymous author of the medieval poem "Pearl", among others. Esolen seeks to reveal the qualities of irony that deserve more than simply being pointed out - irony has the potential to transform worldviews and even bring redemptive laughter. A scholarly scrutiny that dares to define the virtually indefinable.

Living Loved
Peter Wallace
Seabury Books
445 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016
9781596270657, $16.00 www.churchpublishing.org 800-242-1918

Vice President of the Atlanta, Georgia Alliance for Christian Media Peter Wallace presents Living Loved: Knowing Jesus as the Lover of Your Soul, a heartfelt tour of Jesus' overflowing love as seen in the scripture of the New Testament. Offering in-depth reflection upon Jesus' words, emphasizing on the glory of knowing, experiencing, and sharing His love, Living Loved quite literally lives up to its title. "When we live in his love, experience it as real, and let it overflow our hearts and spread to others, there can be no doubt that we too are disciples that Jesus loves."

Why I Still Believe the Gospel
Clarence Boomsma
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
2140 Oak Industrial Drive, NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49505
9780802827364, $12.00 www.eerdmans.com 1-800-253-7521

Author Clarence Boomsma served as a pastor in the Christian Reformed Church in North America for forty years. Why I Still Believe the Gospel is Boomsma's response to cultural and intellectual challenges to Christianity, as well as an honest accounting of his own crisis of faith. Boomsma's conclusion is that the cornerstone of faith lies in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. A simple and straightforward rebuttal to modern denials that the resurrection of Jesus never happened, written with passion and abiding faith, Why I Still Believe the Gospel shines as a testimony directly from the soul.

Introduction to the Bible
Gregory W. Dawes
The Liturgical Press
St. John's Abbey, PO Box 7500, Collegeville, MN 56321-7500
9780814628355, $6.95 www.litpress.org 1-800-858-5450

Author Gregory W. Daws, a senior lecturer in religious studies and philosophy for the University of Otago New Zealand, has created Introduction to the Bible especially for novice students who might be put off by their first glance at the Bible's great length. Discussing how the Old and New Testaments came to be assembled, Introduction to the Bible offers an overview of the biblical history, thereby giving a framework by which the Bibles tales can be better understood, as well as a solid grounding in basic biblical vocabulary and concepts. "The modern biblical interpreter is inclined to judge the correctness of an interpretation by the method through which it is achieved... if one observes certain safeguards in dealing with the text, then one can be confident about one's result. The church fathers and medieval scholars, on the other hand, enjoyed a great freedom when it came to methods of interpretation... at the end of the day an interpretation was judged acceptable primarily on the basis of its content. St. Augustine, for instance, can accept the possibility of many legitimate interpretations, but only if they are all 'in harmony with our faith.'" Highly recommended for novice to intermediate biblical students and scholars.


The Political Science Shelf

Coining Corruption
Kurt Hohenstein
Northern Illinois University Press
2280 Bethany Road, DeKalb, IL 60115
9780875803777, $45.00 www.niupress.niu.edu 1-815-753-9905

Author Kurt Hohenstein (Assistant Professor of History, Winona State University) has served as a Research Assisstant on the National Commission on Election Reform. In Coining Corruption: The Making of the American Campaign Finance System, Hohenstein reveals the untold story about the triumphs and pitfalls of political reform. The landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Buckley v. Valeo (1976) defined "corruption" as quid pro quo ("get for giving"), meaning that Congress only had authority over corruption that involved a campaign contributor receiving political favors from the candidate. This limited definition has since curtailed efforts at campaign finance reform, with harsh and unintended consequences - the Buckley decision turned a blind eye to massive differences in funding between individual candidates, and the ability that some candidates have to control communication channels. Coining Corruption follows the evolution of the campaign finance system through the end of the 20th and into the 21st century, with an especial eye toward the ramifications of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2001 and the Supreme Court's decisions in McConnel v. FEC (2001) and Landell v. Sorrell (2006). An eye-opening examination of the history, flaws, and bright points of America's modern political system.

Giuliani: Nasty Man
Edward I. Koch
Barricade Books, Inc.
185 Bridge Plaza North, Suite 308-A, Fort Lee, NJ 07024
9781569803370, $14.95 www.barricadebooks.com 1-800-592-6657

Giuliani: Nasty Man is a collection of articles that Democrat and former New York City mayor Ed Koch wrote about Rudy Giuliani in the late 90's. When Koch first assembled Giuliani: Nasty Man, Rudy was considering running for Senator against Hillary Clinton; now that Rudy has presidential ambitions, Giuliani: Nasty Man is in a new edition revealing Giuliani's darker side. Koch does not shy from acknowledging Giuliani's successes, notably his role in a drastic reversal of the downward crime spiral that took place under Mayor Dinkins' inept watch and his strong leadership in the wake of the September 11th attacks. Yet Giuliani: Nasty Man reveals the side of Giuliani's politics and attitude that is not so photogenic - from his less-than-stellar response to incidents of police killing unarmed immigrant Diallo or sadistically torturing a detainee, to his questionable crackdowns on peaceful dissent, to his hubris in dismissing the positive labors of his predecessors while relentlessly extolling his own. A keen-minded examination of flaws that deserve inspection, especially in a presidential candidate.


The Self-Help Shelf

Say Goodbye to Your PDI
Stan Kapuchinski, M. D.
Health Communications, Inc.
3201 S.W. 15th Street, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442-8190
9780757306150, $14.95 www.hcibooks 1-800-441-5569

Say Goodbye to Your PDI (Personality Disordered Individual): Recognize People Who Make You Miserable and Eliminate Them From You Life Is Good! is a no-nonsense guide to identifying people who are toxic, or beyond toxic - so engrossed in their own needs (which no mortal can satisfy, such as "make me the center of attention at all times"), set in their ways, and oblivious to the needs of others that there is no reasoning with them and nothing positive to be gained from interacting with them. Types of PDIs covered including passive-aggressive "blamers", the histrionic personality disorders characterized by emotional and erratic personalities, the smooth-talking anti-social con men and sociopaths, the unstable borderline personality disorders, and the egotistical narcissistic personality disorders. Peppered cover to cover with true-life examples of destructive individuals and practical advice for minimizing or eliminating contact with them, Say Goodbye to Your PDI is highly recommended.

The Open-Focus Brain
Les Fehmi, Ph.D. and Jim Robbins
Trumpeter Books
c/o Shambhala Publications, Inc.
300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, MA 02115
9781590303764, $22.95 www.shambhala.com 1-800-733-3000

Neurofeedback pioneer Les Fehmi, Ph.D. and award-winning journalist Jim Robbins present The Open-Focus Brain: Harnessing the Power of Attention to Heal Mind and Body, a straightforward guide to reducing stress, enhancing performance, and even helping to manage pain through simple mental exercises anyone can do. Too many of us have become overly invested in "narrow-focus attention", the tense, survival-mode of laser-like focus and hypervigilance that promotes chronic stress if overused. "Open focus" is a much more relaxed and less taxing form of paying attention. Knowing when to apply the different types of attention is crucian to improving health and enjoying life more. Because of its practical "how-to" methodology and easy-to-follow recommendations, The Open-Focus Brain is highly recommended for readers of all walks of life, from college students to businessmen to busy parents.


The Poetry Shelf

O Woolly City
Priscilla Sneff
Tupelo Press
PO Box 539, Dorset, VT 05251
9781932195538, $16.95 www.tupelopress.org 1-800-283-3572

Priscilla Sneff presents O Woolly City, a compilation of brief, free-verse poetry interspersed with moments of stream-of-consciousness writing. Sneff earned the Kenyon Review Poetry Prize for O Wooly City when it was a manuscript; problems with publication have finally been resolved, allowing readers to savor the rich, yearning verses for themselves. Dancing across the fleeting moments of human life and the endless cycles of nature, O Wooly City alights the mind with the keen observations of a scientist and the reflective contemplation of the mystic. "Picture": Having rolled my old glance / Like an agate well out of my twenties, now / I'm wearing a mother's eye, and a broom then a mop / Waltzes past; it is / Hat-clap't with some capstan. O / Mirth! and mistressing that mirror, my / Daughter; her armful of frail sleeve, her face flushed with the warmth.

Stones In Our Pockets
Michael Salcman
Parallel Press
372 Memorial Library
728 State Street, Madison, WI 53575
9781893311947, $10.00, http://parallelpress.library.wisc.edu 1-800-636-0071

A physician, a brain scientist, an essayist on the visual arts, Michael Salcman is also a gifted poet who latest 43-page volume of verse, "Stones In Our Pockets" has been published and made available by Parallel Press. Several of his poems reflect his medical background, others are more philosophical in nature. But all of them are perfectly crafted gems comprising a thoughtful and thought-provoking chapbook of free verse poetry. 'Rilke in the Morning': We imagine dying as drowsiness/and death as dreamless sleep./To wake in the early morning/is not the same as not to sleep--/traffic first, then robins speak/a gray dawn, and small thoughts/like knives, nerve me to boil/water for tea and light a corner/to read an elegy for angels./Who is this pantherine being/who seeks meaning/in the death of roses?/A century of woe blooms/in his garden, a false spring/kills the forsythia. -- Also very highly recommended is Salcman's first published volume of poetry, "The Clock Made of Confetti" (Orchises Press, 2007).


The Real Estate Shelf

Buying a House on a Shoestring
Piper Nichole
Career Press Inc.
PO Box 687, Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417
9781564149398, $14.99 www.careerpress.com 1-800-227-3371

Buying a House on a Shoestring: Find and Purchase the Home of Your Dreams Without Breaking the Bank lives up to its title and then some. Award-winning journalism writer with real estate training Piper Nichole walks the reader through the home-buying process step by step, from how to assess one's finances to improving and understanding one's credit to smart house-hunting, making the offer, selecting the best mortgage, being mindful of one's legal rights, and much more. An equally methodical, easy-to-follow home-selling guide round out this solid primer that takes the mystery out of the work needed to secure one's dream dwelling.


The Money/Finance Shelf

The Credit Repair Handbook
John Ventura
Kaplan Publishing
1 Liberty Plaza, 24th floor, New York, NY 10006
9781427755025, $19.95 www.kaplanpublishing.com 1-800-223-2336

The ability to borrow money at reasonable rates of interest is a critically important aspect of personal finance and fiscal well-being. Millions of people, ever year, find themselves blocked from pursuing their personal financial goals because of a bad credit history resulting in low credit scores. This can handicap them in many unexpected ways including being denied a job or being turned down for insurance. A bad credit record occur through the non-payment of debt, but also from such unforeseen circumstances as being the victim of an identity theft, divorce, medical bills, and job loss. A bankruptcy attorney and Director of the Texas Consumer Complain Center at the University of Houston Law School, John Ventura writes with a very special expertise as he offers the reader germane and accessible information and advice for understanding what a credit history is and how it affects people; how to correct problems in a credit history; how to qualify for new credit after experiencing severe financial difficulty; how to raise a credit score; the imperative necessity of avoiding credit-repair scams; as well as how to protect against identity theft and minimize its effect. Of special note is what Ventura has to advise about avoiding future money trouble. Practical, 'user friendly', comprehensive, and immediately applicable, "The Credit Repair Handbook" should be considered a critically important instructional reference for anyone having difficulty with their own credit history -- and a fundamentally necessary addition to all community library Money & Finance reference collections.


The Buddhist Studies Shelf

Mapping the Dharma
Paul Gerhards
Parami Press
13023 NE Hwy 99, Ste. 7, #193, Vancouver, WA 98686-2767
9780977977406, $15.95 www.paramipress.com

Mapping the Dharma: A Concise Guide to the Middle Way of the Buddha is an easy-to-use atlas of nearly one hundred key concepts of Buddhism. Accessible to Buddhist practitioners and curious lay readers alike, Mapping the Dharma offers straightforward explanations of concepts such as "The Eightfold Path", "The Ten Perfections", "The Twelve Links of Dependent Origination", and much more. Simple diagrams and page cross-references further enhance the ease with which Mapping the Dharma can quickly be internalized. An invaluable "Cliff's Notes"-style primer enthusiastically recommended for novice students, scholars, and practitioners of the Middle Way.

Introduction To Tibetan Buddhism
John Powers
Snow Lion Publications
PO Box 6483, Ithaca, NY 14851
9781559392822, $22.95 www.SnowLionPub.com 1-800-950-0313

Now in a newly revised and expanded edition, "Introduction To Tibetan Buddhism" by John Powers is a comprehensive and informative introduction that covers a wide range of topics including Tibetan Buddhist history, doctines, meditation practices, schools, religious festivals, and major historical figures. Of special not in this revised edition are the expanded discussions of recent Tibetan history and tanta, and significant new publications in the field. Articulate, superbly organized and presented, "Introduction To Tibetan Buddhism" is thoroughly 'reader friendly' and an excellent, highly recommended addition to personal, academic, and community library Buddhist Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.


The Pets/Wildlife Shelf

The Wild Horses of Shackleford Banks
Carmine Prioli & Scott Taylor
John F. Blair, Publisher
1406 Plaza Drive, Winston-Salem, NC 27103
9780895873347, $16.95 www.blairpub.com 1-800-222-9796

The Wild Horses of Shackleford Banks is a fascinating examination of the wild horse herd that exists on an island at the remote southern end of North Carolina's Outer Banks. This wild animals are protected from direct human intrusion, and their natural herd behavior studied by scientists; at the same time, circumscribed "wilderness management" involving genetic testing and immunocontraception is necessary to prevent the herd from overgrazing its own food supply. Are these animals truly horses, or ponies? Did the originate from horses that were cast off from foundering Spanish galleons, or did they come to the island much more recently? Are they a threat to the island's ecology? Readily accessible to readers of all backgrounds, The Wild Horses of Shackleford Banks offers a sweeping overview of perspectives and theories concerning the herd, the history of how it came to be protected, and why they are popularly beloved among visitors. Black-and-white photographs illustrate this "must-have" for equine fans.


The Islamic Studies Shelf

The Essential Seyyed Hossein Nasr
Seyyed Hossein Nasr, author
William C. Chittick, editor
World Wisdom
1501 East Hillside Drive, Bloomington, IN 47401
9781933316383, $24.95 www.worldwisdom.com

The Essential Seyyed Hossein Nasr is a carefully selected anthology of scholarly writings key to understanding the philosophy Seyyed Hossein Nasr, a leading world-wide spokesman for moderate Islam. Embracing the value of traditional belief practices while keeping an open albeit critical mind with regard to modern developments, Nasr writes about the dilemma of keeping one's faith in a multi-religious world, philosophical and spiritual aspects of Islam, and the valuable role tradition has played since the beginning of human consciousness. "Along with providing a sound basis for ethics, perhaps the most important role of religion in the understanding of the roots of the environmental crisis... is that religion possesses an extensive doctrine about the natural world in which we live." Highly recommended as an invaluable contribution to Islamic studies and religious philosophy shelves.


The Metaphysical Studies Shelf

A Wizard's Bestiary
Oberon Zell-Ravenheart and Ash DeKirk
New Page Books
c/o Career Press
3 Tice Road, PO Box 687, Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417
9781564149565, $19.99 www.NewPageBooks.com

A Wizard's Bestiary is an amazing, encyclopedia-style reference describing over 1,000 fantastic creatures - far beyond the traditional phoenix, pegasus, unicorn, and dragons to legends such as the Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, Chupacabra, and Mokele-Mbembe, to Aataxe, Zyphoeus, and just about every mythological beast in between. Black-and-white woodcuts, engravings, and other images from historical sources illustrate the accessible yet matter-of-fact text, accessible to readers of all backgrounds. A "must-have" for paranormal and magickal bookshelves, as well as anyone interested in expanding their knowledge of fabled creatures.


The Architecture Shelf

Architecture Of The Absurd
John Silber
The Quantuck Lane Press
c/o W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
9781593720278, $27.50 www.wwnorton.com 1-800-233-4830

"Architecture Of The Absurd: How 'Genius' Disfigured A Practical Art" by academician John Silber (who was named an honorary member of the American Institute of Architecture in 2002) is an expose of how some very well known architects disregarded or had disdain for their clients, their budgets, and the people who would have to live and/or work within their architectural creations. By 'absurd' as applied to architecture, Silber means buildings designed in a blatant disregard for the needs of the building and is to be found in structures ranging from student centers and music halls, to corporate headquarters and commercial buildings, to libraries and museums. Profusely illustrated with color photography, Silber's informed and informative text draws upon his personal experience and expertise gained as a builder, a client, and a candid critique of contemporary architecture. Thoughtful and thought-provoking, "Architecture Of The Absured" is a work of seminal and compelling scholarship that should be a part of every personal, professional, academic, and community library Architectural Studies reference collection and contemporary architecture supplemental reading list.


The International Studies Shelf

Cuba: A Global Studies Handbook
Ted A. Henken
ABC-CLIO
PO Box 1911, Santa Barbara, CA 93116-1911
9781851099849, $55.00 www.abc-clio.com 1-800-368-6868

The newest addition to the ABC-CLIO 'Global Studies: Latin America & The Caribbean' series, "Cuba: A Global Studies Handbook", compiled and written by Ted Henken (a Fellow at the Bildner Center for Western Hemisphere Studies, CUNY Graduate Center, new York) and an academic specialist in Cuban Economics) provides a detailed overview of Cuba's geography and history, its economics and development, as well as its institutions, culture and society. Of special note is the Reference Section highlighting key events in Cuban history; significant people, places, and events; Cuban language, food, etiquette, and holidays; Cuba-related organizations, on-line publications, and websites. Enhanced with the inclusion of an extensive bibliography and a detailed index, "Cuba: A Global Studies Handbook" is an especially appropriate addition to academic and community library International Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Democratizing the European Union
Catherine Hoskyns & Michael Newman, editors
Transaction Publishers
35 Berrue Circle, Piscataway, NJ 08854-8042
9781412805698, $29.95 www.transactionpub.com 1-888-999-6778

Democratizing the European Union: Issues for the Twenty-First Century is an anthology of scholarly essays by learned authors addressing the European Union's "democratic deficit" and ways that might help resolve it. Individual essays include "Reconciling Suprastatism and Accountability: A View from Sweden", "How Democratic is the European Parliament?", "Controlling Monetary Union", "Democratization: A Constitutionalizing Process", and much more. Democratizing the European Union delivers into both abstract theory and modern real-life practice, and is enthusiastically recommended for college library shelves and anyone interested in the current and future state of the EU.


The Judicial Studies Shelf

Powers Of Attorney Simplified
Daniel Sitarz
Nova Publishing Company
1103 West College Street, Carbondale, IL 62901
National Book Network (distributor)
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Lanham, MD 20706
9781892949400, $24.95 www.novapublishing.com

On the faculty of Southern Illinois university in Carbondale, Illinois, Danial Sitarz is an experienced business attorney and has authored more than two dozen legal and small business books. He therefore brings considerable expertise to the latest addition to the Nova Publishing Company's 'Law Made Simple' series in "Powers Of Attorney Simplified" in which he provides the non-specialized general reader with a comprehensive guide to the use of powers of attorney and the legal forms (valid in all fifty states and Washington D.C.) associated with them. The legal authorities including: Limited Power of Attorney; Durable Power of Attorney; health Care power of Attorney; general Power of Attorney; Unlimited power of Attorney; Advance Health Care Directives, and more. The forms are on an accompanying CD and can be easily filled in and printed out on any home or office computer. Thoroughly 'user friendly' from beginning to end, "Powers Of Attorney Simplified" is a confidently recommended addition to personal and community library reference collections.


The Sports Shelf

Sport, Physical Activity, and the Law
Neil Dougherty, Alan S. Goldberger, & Linda Jean Carpenter
Sagamore Publishing Company
804 North Neil Street, #100, Champaign, IL 61824
9781571675279, $54.95 www.sagamorepub.com 1-800-327-5557

Written by exercise science professors Neil Dougherty & Linda Carpenter and attorney/sports official Alan Goldberger, an Sport, Physical Activity, and the Law is a no-nonsense, in-depth survey of the American legal system as it applies to sports and physical activity. Now in an updated third edition, Sport, Physical Activity, and the Law covers first, fourth, and fifth amendment issues in sports; legal responsibility for participant safety; legal issues of exclusion versus inclusion; and much more. The text is accessible to readers of all background without being dumbed down, and is especially helpful for its in-depth descriptions of common legal pitfalls. An absolute "must-have" for physical education instructors, sports coaches, and anyone else involved in teaching, conducting, or supervising sports and physical activity, particularly when responsible for minors.

Lombardi And Me
Paul Hornung & Billy Reed
Triumph Books
542 South Dearborn Street, Suite 750, Chicago, IL 60605
9781600780394, $14.95 www.triumphbooks.com

More than thirty-five years after his death, Vince Lombardi is still identified with an almost legendary status with respect to his practices, attitudes and accomplishments coaching the Green Bay Packer football team from 1959 to 1967. Written by Paul Hornung (one of Lombardi's best players) with the assistance of Billy Reed, "Lombardi And Me: Players, Coaches, And Colleagues Talk About the Man And the Myth" offers Packer fans truly insider stories about one of professional football's enduring men of legend as revealed in anecdotal stories obtained through interviews with Bart Starr, Lary Brown, Fuzzy Thurston, Frank Gifford, Sam Huff, Lee Remmel, Willie Davis, George Dixon, Marv Fleming, Bill Cury, Vince Lombardi Jr., and many others. "Lombardi And Me" is a 'must' for all Wisconsin community library collections, and should be considered mandatory reading for Lombardi's legions of fans and admirers who remember the football glory days of the Packers under one of the most successful and charismatic coaches in the history of the game.


The Military Shelf

Nightmare on Iwo Jima
Patrick F. Caruso
The University of Alabama Press
PO Box 870380, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0380
9780817354480, $19.95 www.uapress.ua.edu 1-800-621-2736

Now in a new edition with a forward by David G. Rathgeber, Nightmare on Iwo Jima: A Marine in Combat is the true-life memories of author Pat Caruso, who was a green lieutenant in the Marines who rapidly became the company commander when the five officers who ranked above him were killed or wounded in the bloodshed of the Pacific Theater. Unflinchingly honest descriptions of terrible fighting, incredible bravery, and the intense stress of being in constant contact with an implacable enemy characterize Nightmare on Iwo Jima. A handful of black-and-white photographs illustrate this eyewitness account, not for the weak-stomached yet highly recommended.

A Military History of Modern Spain
Wayne H. Bowen and Jose E. Alvarez, editors
Praeger Publishers
c/o Greenwood Publishing Group
88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
9780275993573, $49.95 www.praeger.com

A Military History of Modern Spain: From the Napoleonic Era to the International War on Terror is an anthology of essays by a variety of learned authors that live up to the collection's title. The first chapter discusses the nineteenth century Spanish Army; subsequent chapters discuss the Spanish Military throughout the twentieth century and into the modern-day war on terror, through 2006. Individual essays include "World War I: Unarmed Neutrality", "The Spanish Military During World War II", "Rejoining Europe: From Isolation to Integration, 1945-2006" and much more. Extensively researched, with a bibliography and index, A Military History of Modern Spain is a welcome contribution to international history and college library shelves.


The Economics Shelf

The New Service Economy
Luis Rubalcaba
Edward Elgar Publishing
9 Dewey Court, Northampton, MA 01060-3815
9781845425852, $135.00 www.e-elgar.com 1-800-390-3149

Written by Luis Rubalcaba (Associate Professor of Economic Policy, University of Alcal, Madrid, Spain), The New Service Economy: Challenges and Policy Implications for Europe is a serious-minded assessment of the modern challenges involved in the new global economy, including dynamic changes in employment, productivity, innovation, and competitiveness. Especial focus is placed upon the case of European services, as compared and contrasted to America. Chapters discuss the historical and anthropological origin of the service economy, the globalization of services and offshoring, policy implications for the European Union, and much more. "Increased innovation and productivity are needed in order to meet the new competitive requirements arising out of globalization. Services have been, and still are, active agents of globalization, although they themselves face the challenges of competitiveness. Services are starting to copy the relocation trends that have characterized manufacturing industry for the past thirty years. Services-offshoring is emerging strongly, although the statistics might lead us to think that it is not a very significant and generalized phenomenon." Supported by extensive scientific research, graphs, and notes, The New Service Economy is an utterly indispensable addition to college and graduate-level economic studies shelves, rife with insights into the rapidly changing modern world and the resulting implications especially for Europe.


The World History Shelf

Mosaics in the Eternal City
Michael G. Sundell
Arizona Center for Medieval & Renaissance Studies
Arizona State University
P.O. Box 874402, Tempe, AZ 85287-4402
9780866983761, $39.00 www.asu.edu/clas/acmrs 1-480-965-5900

Professor Emeritus of Humanities Michael G. Sundell presents Mosaics in the Eternal City, a scholarly portrait of Rome between 400 and 1300 as gathered through study of the major works of its monumental public visual art that have survived: the mosaics in the apses, on the arches, and on the walls of eight churches. Drawing on recent findings in archaeology, art history, and the history of religion, Mosaics in the Eternal City explores the influence of pagan, Jewish, and Christian traditions on civic identity and public art, as well as the repercussions of religious and political conflicts and the demographic shifts in Rome over time. Written to be accessible to the informed general reader as well as the specialist, Mosaics in the Eternal City is enhanced with sixty-five color and six black-and-white illustrations, including maps, plans, archival drawings, and photographs of architectural and urban sites. A welcome addition to art history shelves.


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Midwest Book Review
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