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Wisconsin Bookwatch

Volume 3, Number 7 July 2008 Home | WBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Cookbook Shelf Economics Shelf
Psychology Shelf Literary Shelf Political Science Shelf
Nautical Shelf Black Studies Shelf Social Issues Shelf
Poetry Shelf Mystery/Suspense Shelf Travel Shelf
Religion/Spirituality Shelf Music Shelf Self-Help Shelf
Christian Studies Shelf Fiction Shelf Islamic Studies Shelf
Metaphysical Studies Shelf Health/Medicine Shelf Biography Shelf
Pets/Wildlife Shelf American History Shelf Photography Shelf
Computer Shelf Business Shelf Mystery/Suspense Shelf
Women's Studies Shelf Fantasy/SciFi Shelf Money/Finance Shelf
Science Shelf Education Shelf Military Shelf
International Studies Shelf World History Shelf Martial Arts Shelf
Civil War Shelf Gaming Shelf Archaeology Shelf
Antiques/Collectibles Shelf Needlecraft Shelf Woodworking Shelf


Reviewer's Choice

Guide To Wisconsin Vegetable Gardening
James A. Fizzell
Cool Springs Press
101 Forrest Crossing Blvd., Suite 100, Franklin, TN 37064
9781591864066, $12.95 www.coolspringspress.com

Wisconsin gardeners are long accustomed to growing vegetables, fruits, herbs, nuts, and berries in their garden plots. Those new to gardening in the Badger state now have available to them an invaluable instruction manual as to which food plants grow best in Wisconsin soils and under what conditions. "Guide To Wisconsin Vegetable Gardening" by gardening expert James A. Fizzell offers informed and informative advice and commentary on planning, selecting, and planting edible plants that are especially suited for Wisconsin's climate. Enhanced with helpful charts on the number of days required from planting to harvest for each item discussed and recommended, "Guide To Wisconsin Vegetable Gardening" clearly indicates when each edible plant should be planted, where it should be planting, and planting tips to insure the best possible harvest. Ideal for the novice Wisconsin gardener and an especially recommended addition to all personal, professional, as well as Wisconsin community library gardening reference collections, "Guide To Wisconsin Vegetable Gardening" also has enduring value as a reference for even the more experienced Badger State gardener from Janesville in the south to Hudson in the north.

10 Books That Screwed Up The World
Benjamin Wiker
Regnery
1 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington DC 20001
9781596980556, $27.95

Words have power. While a great book can bring joy to thousands, some books can bring pain and misery to the same amount. "10 Books That Screwed Up the World And 5 Others That Didn't Help" is a look at volumes throughout history that have allegedly done serious damage to the world – to the point where some say humanity would be better off if they were never written. From obvious inclusions such as Adolph Hitler's "Mein Kampf" to surprising inclusions like Charles Darwin's "Origin of Species", to the just plain weird in the piece on Alfred Kinsey's "Sexual Behavior in the Human Male", "10 Books That Screwed Up the World" is a witty, if a bit macabre examination of the monumental impacts of these titles.

God, Evolution, Natural Selection
Kenneth H. Nelder
Vantage Press Inc.
419 Park Ave. South, New York, NY 10016
9780533155569, $13.95, www.vantagepress.com

Too often books in the Creationism vs. Evolution debate are released with such a radical tilt in either direction that one knows the argument they will put forth without opening the front cover. "God, Evolution, Natural Selection" is author Kenneth H. Nelder's attempt to be a neutral moderator in the debate, and offers much food for thought. A top pick for both religion and science community library collections.

Rivers of Words
Pamel Michael (editor)
Milkweed Edtions
1011 Washington Avenue South, Open Book, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55415-1246
9781571316851, $30.00, www.milkweed.org

Art and poetry are two things that go together like bread and butter. "River of Words: Young Poets and Artists on the Nature of Things" is exactly what its title says: an anthology of both full color art and poetry by poets and artists under the age of eighteen. Sure to bring readers face to face with the world as seen through the eyes of the young, "River of Words: Young Poets and Artists on the Nature of Things" is a must for community library poetry and art collections alike. "Water", by Helena Leech, Age 7: Water glistens on the rocks,/ flowing down to the sea,/ gurgling, splishing, splashing, crashing,/ never stopping/ for a cup of tea.

Terrorism and Global Security
Ann E. Robertson
Facts On File, Inc.
c/o Infobase Publishing
132 West 31st Street, 17th Floor, New York, NY 10001
www.factsonfile.infobasepublishing.com
9780816067664, $45.00 1-800-322-8755

Terrorism and Global Security is a straightforward reference and resource concerning the definition, causes, and goals of terrorism, as well as the history of terrorism, backgrounds of perpetrators, and the complex issues surrounding the balance between security and liberty. Case studies of terrorism within the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Peru, and Columbia reveal how each nation has been affected by terrorism; chapters compare and contrast the effectiveness of measures each nation undertook in response. Accessible to readers of all backgrounds, Terrorism and Global Security is a detailed introduction to this complicated, world-spanning issue. Highly recommended, especially for public library collections.


The Cookbook Shelf

Cheese Hors d'Oeuvres
Hallie Harron
Harvard Common Press
535 Albany Street, Boston, MA 02118
9781558323711, $12.95 www.harvardcommonpress.com 1-888-657-3755

Cheese Hors d'Oeuvres: 50 Recipes for Crispy Canapes, Delectable Dips, Marinated Morsels, and Other Tasty Tidbits is a superb cookbook for cheese lovers and party hosts everywhere. Simple, step-by-step instructions walk the reader through how to create such tasty delights as Mini Swiss Pinwheels, Italian Cheese Torta, Grilled Shiitakes with Taleggio, Parmesan Biscotti, and many more. Gorgeous, full-color photographs of each dip, sandwich, or baked cheese snack illustrate this handy and accessible recipe guide. Especially recommended for Wisconsin cookbook shelves!

Recipe of the Week: Ice Cream
Sally Sampson
Wiley Publishers
111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
9780470169452, $16.95, www.wiley.com

Recipe of the Week: Ice Cream is a welcome addition to culinary writer Sally Sampson's "Recipe of the Week" series, featuring fifty-two tasty recipes for fans of frozen delights. From Banana Sorbet (the perfect dish for using up overripe bananas), to Fresh Fig Gelato with Orange and Cinnamon, to Sour Cream Brown Sugar Ice Cream and much more, Recipe of the Week: Ice Cream offers a broad assortment of classic flavors as well as unique original delights. Mouth-watering color photography illustrates this treasure for ice cream lovers everywhere, highly recommended.

Terrine
Stephane Reynaud
Phaidon
180 Varick Street, Fourteenth Floor, New York, NY 10014
9780714848488, $29.95, www.phaidon.com

One way to wow guests at one's next dinner party is with a lesser known by delicious dish – the terrine (so called because of the glazed earthenware baking dish in which it is cooked). "Terrine" takes a look at this French dish and inflects a simple and pure taste upon it, rare in this day of complex gourmet food. Covering vegetable, meat, cheese, and dessert terrines, "Terrine" is a top pick for any cookbook collection looking for something different, and for community libraries looking for a new addition.

Carluccio's Complete A-Z Of Italian Food
Antonio Carluccio & Priscilla Carluccio
Quadrille Publishing
525 South Street, #241, Philadelphia, PA 19147
9781844005291, $29.95, www.quadrilleusa.com

One of the most popular cuisines world wide, Italian cuisine is comprised of dishes and culinary styles from several different and differing regions of the country. For the benefit of the novice kitchen chef, London-based Italian chef, restauranteur and food expert Antonio Carluccio (founder of Carluccio's caffes) and his wife Priscilla have drawn upon their many years of experience and expertise in all facets of Italian cuisine to create "Carluccio's Complete A-Z Of Italian Food", a thoroughly 'user friendly' and encyclopedic compendium of detailed information and authentic recipes associated with Italy's diverse culinary accomplishments. Beginning with an informative introduction and a map of Italy, there are superbly illustrated and presented chapters on fish and shellfish; eggs, poultry and game; fresh and cured meats; vegetables and legumes; pasta; rice and grains; fungi; oils, vinegars, herbs, spices and flavorings; dairy products; fruits and nuts; breads and baking; wines and liqueurs. Enhanced with a comprehensive index for ease of use, "Carluccio's Complete A-Z Of Italian Food" is an ideal and highly prized addition to personal, professional, and community cookbook collections and reference guides.


The Economics Shelf

Aging Nation
James H. Schulz & Robert H. Binstock
The John Hopkins University Press
2715 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218
9780801888649, $25.00, www.press.jhu.edu

When the social security system was invented, few people lived past the age of seventy. But in the modern era, it's almost a given that seeing eighty is an easy feat. "Aging Nation: The Economics and Politics of Growing Older in America" is a look America's problem of the impeding retirement of its baby boomer generation. Postulating that the collapse of Social Security is not entirely unavoidable, "Aging Nation" is an in depth look at every aspect of age and its politics, not just concerning Social Security but health care and many other issues as well. Highly recommended for community library economics collections.


The Psychology Shelf

Their Finest Hour
Jeffrey Kottler & Jon Carlson
Crown House Pulishing Limited
6 Trowbridge Drive, Ste. 5, Bethel, CT 06801
9781845900885, $29.95, www.chpus.com

There are those patients who make everything their psychiatrist went through worthwhile; "Their Finest Hour: Master Therapists Share Their Greater Success Stories" is a compilation of these shining cases. Filled with prose based on notes from success stories of patient recovery and breakthroughs, "Their Finest Hour" is an optimistic and refreshing view of the mental health profession in general. A top pick for community library psychology and biography collections.

Social & Emotional Development
Dave Riley & Collaborators
Redleaf Press
10 Yorkton Court, St. Paul, MN 55117-1065
9781933653303, $24.95, www.redleafpress.com

The earlier years of a child's life make them a sponge for knowledge; being in child care centers is simply another educational experience, even when doing things that are not typically viewed as educational. "Social & Emotional Development: Connecting Science and Practice in Early Childhood Settings" is a guide for day care center educators to making every day into a day where children learn something invaluable. Valuable lessons include teaching children how to find security in trusted adults, how to form good friendships, and how to control their behavior. "Social & Emotional Development: Connecting Science and Practice in Early Childhood Settings" is a top pick for community library child psychology collections and highly recommended to child care professionals.


The Literary Shelf

New Paths to Raymond Carver
Sandra Lee Kleppe and Robert Miltner, editors
University of South Carolina Press
718 Devine Street, Columbia, SC 29208
9781570037245, $39.95 www.sc.edu/uscpress 1-800-768-2500

New Paths to Raymond Carver: Critical Essays on His Life, Fiction, and Poetry is an anthology of essays by learned authors concerning Raymond Carver's body of prose and poetry. Among the authors are renowned Carver scholars Randolph Paul Runyon and Kirk Nesset, Carver's longtime friend and compatriot writer William Kittredge, and others from such diverse nations as France, Norway, Canada, and the United States. The first half of New Paths to Raymond Carver consists of six essays discussing Carver's poems throughout his career, while the second half interprets Carver's fiction. Rounding out New Paths to Raymond Carver is the very first English-language publication of the introduction to the Japanese edition of "Ultramarine" by Carver's widow, Tess Gallagher. A thoughtful, in-depth literary analysis that surveys themes stretching across the whole of Carver's works. Highly recommended, especially for college library collections and anyone seeking to better understand the nuances of Carver's literature.

Eighteenth-Century Literature and Culture
Paul Goring
Continuum
4775 Linglestown Road, Harrisburg, PA 17112
9780826485656, $19.95, www.continuumbooks.com

The Eighteenth Century was the start of the Enlightenment in Europe. "Eighteenth Century Literature and Culture" is a look at this exciting time in the world and its literature, which leads its readers to learn much about the people and society of the day. With focuses on the many writers of the era and their common techniques, enhanced with a chronology of world history's major writings, "Eighteenth Century Literature and Culture" is a top pick for anyone who wants to educate themselves on the era and for community library literary studies collections.

An Irish Literature Reader, new edition
Maureen O'Rourke Murphy & James MacKillop
Syracuse University Press
1600 Jamesville Avwenue, Syracuse, NY 13244-5160
0815630468, $29.95, www.syracuseuniversitypress.syr.edu

Ireland has more to offer the literary world than just limericks (although those are good too). "An Irish Literature Reader: Poetry, Prose, Drama" is a complete and comprehensive look at Irish creative writing through the ages, with countless samples and examinations of their creators. Now in a brand new edition, "An Irish Literature Reader" features a larger focus on Irish women writers and their contributions to the craft. A top pick for community library world literature collections.

Approaches to Teaching Pynchon's The Crying of Lot 49 and Other Works
Thomas H. Schaub
Modern Language Association
26 Broadway, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 1004-1789
9780873528146, $19.75, www.mla.org

While entertaining and incredibly thought provoking, the works of Thomas Pynchon can be very draining to study. "Approaches to Teaching Pynchon's The Crying of Lot 49 and Other Works" is a literary teacher's guide to teaching Pynchon's literature and without driving students insane over the endless complexities and references. Filled with essays explaining classroom techniques, "Approaches to Teaching Pynchon's The Crying of Lot 49 and Other Works" is highly recommended for college library literary studies collections.


The Political Science Shelf

The Collected Papers of Anthony de Jasay
Anthony de Jasay
Liberty Fund, Inc.
8335 Allison Pointe Trail, Suite 300, Indianapolis, IN 46250-1684
9780865977013, $12.00, www.libertyfund.org

Does society truly need the government acting as a parental figure? "The Collected Papers of Anthony de Jasay: Social Contract, Free Ride, A Study of the Public-Goods Problem" presents several radical ideas for the reader to ponder. Arguing that through the social contract and morality inherent in Americans, voluntary contributions of the people would solve many of society's problems – because under the social system, everyone would feel urged to contribute if they had the ability to do so. The possibility that many would prefer to take the free ride is not discounted, however. Thoughtful and thought provoking throughout, "The Collected Papers of Anthony de Jasay: Social Contract, Free Ride, A Study of the Public-Goods Problem" is highly recommended for community library political collections.


The Nautical Shelf

The Year of the Boat
Lawrence W. Cheek
Sasquatch Books
119 South Main Street, Suite 400, Seattle, WA 98104
9781570615443, $23.95, www.sasquatchbooks.com

The craft of building sailboats was commonly practiced thousands of years ago; in the modern era, it is a lost art. "The Year of the Boat: Beauty, Imperfection, and the Art of Doing It Yourself" tells of author Lawrence W. Cheek's struggles as he strives to construct his own sailboat in spite of his ineptness at carpentry and even the act of sailing. A charming memoir about one man's efforts to construct a magnificent wooden vessel he could call his own (a plan that should have taken a hundred hours, but ended up taking him an entire year), "The Year of the Boat: Beauty, Imperfection, and the Art of Doing It Yourself" is a memoir that many can relate to. A top pick for community library memoir and nautical collections.

The Boating Companion
Rob Beattie
Running Press
2300 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103-4371
9780762431861, $19.95 www.runningpress.com 1-800-345-5359

Packaged in a water-resistant zippered slipcover for protection from stray waves, The Boating Companion: All You Need to Know for Life on the Water is an accessible step-by-step guide packed with everything one needs to know before venturing aboard a nautical vessel. From what to pack, to basic signaling and navigation, first aid, vital safety procedures, recommended troubleshooting, and much more, The Boating Companion enhances its advice with simple black-and-white line diagrams on almost every page. "If you see a tug and then a barge some way behind it, don't think you can squeeze through the gap - there may be a gap, but there may also be a submerged cable between them that you can't see. All large ships have a blind spot that can extend for a considerable distance; this won't matter if you steer clear of them. Very large ships may act as windbreaks, decreasing your speed and making it difficult for you to maneuver; they also create a large wake which can make life very uncomfortable if you are in a small boat." A solid resource highly recommended for anyone intending to spend time on a boat, whether it's thirty minutes, thirty days, or thirty years.


The Black Studies Shelf

Sing for Freedom
Guy & Candie Carawan
New South Books
PO Box 1588, Montgomery, AL 36102
9781588381934, $21.95, www.newsouthbooks.com

Music is powerful; it can bring joy, laughter, sadness, and most importantly, change. "Sing for Freedom: The Story of the Civil Rights Movement Through Its Songs" is a look at music and its impact on the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Packed with sheet music, lyrics, and information on various major songs and how they pushed progress in history, "Sing for Freedom" is enhanced with black and white photographs. A fresh perspective on the period, "Sing for Freedom" is highly recommended for community library black studies and music collections.

Why Scouting Works for Black Boys
Justin Lewter
African American Images
PO Box 1799, Chicago Heights, IL 60412
9781934155103, $12.95, www.africanamericanimages.com

Too many young black Americans, are falling into exactly what the worst stereotypes depict. Is there a way for parents to help their children avoid this fate? "Why Scouting Works for Black Boys" is a guide focusing on young African American children and how increased enrollment in the Boy Scouts could help the country – while realistically realizing that the Boy Scouts are not a panacea for the world's ills. Pushing improved values all around, "Why Scouting Works for Black Boys" is a top pick for any community library black studies collection and for any parent who wants the best for their child.


The Social Issues Shelf

When the Prisoners Ran Walpole
Jamie Bissonette
South End Press
7 Brookline Street #1, Cambridge, MA 02139
9780896087705, $20.00, www.southendpress.org

Is the current prison system in desperate need of reform? "When the Prisoners Ran Walpole: A True Story in the Movement For Prison Abolition" is a look at the concept of prisons and how a group of prisoners in 1973 managed to set forth change successfully, by keeping the peace within their ranks as their guards went on strike. An optimistic yet critical to both sides of the debate, "When the Prisoners Ran Walpole: A True Story in the Movement For Prison Abolition" is highly recommended for community library social issues collections and for any prison administrator.

A Choice of Enemies
Lawrence Freedman
Public Affairs Books
250 West 57th Street, Suite 1321, New York, NY 10107
9781586485184, $29.95, www.publicaffairsbooks.com

The black and white battle between good and evil is a common element of fantasy. But that's all it is – fantasy. "A Choice of Enemies: America Confronts the Middle East" is an examination of America's involvement in the growing conflicts with the middle east, conflicts which are almost as far from black and white as something can possibly be. Many of America's alleged 'enemies' are not in fact working together, and are just as antagonistic towards each other as they are America. An intriguing look at America, its enemies, and their countless interrelations with one another, "A Choice of Enemies: America Confronts the Middle East" is a top pick for community library current events collections.


The Poetry Shelf

Elegy for the Floater
Teresa Carson
CavanKerry Press
6 Horizon Road, No. 2901, Fort Lee, New Jersey 07024
9781933880075, $16.00, www.cavankerrypress.org

"Elegy for the Floater" explores the human elements of love, death, and life, with a primary focus on healing from psychological damage inflicted by the sudden suicide of a loved one. Deftly crafted with beautiful imagery throughout, "Elegy for the Floater" is highly recommended to any who have lost a loved one to this terrible occurrence. "Webs": my mother drew spider webs/on any paper with her reacher// my mother on the telephone/drew webs across names in our address book//my mother in her rocker/drew webs on bills and Christmas cards//my mother in my bedroom drew/webs deep in diaries//everywhere in that house I found/ink pencil crayon.

My Piece of the Puzzle
Doren Robbins
Eastern Washington University Press
534 E. Spokane Falls, Blvd. Suite 203, Spokane, WA 99202
9781597660389, $14.95, www.ewu.edu/ewupress

Highly experienced and prolific poet Doren Robbins presents his sixth full length volume of poetry in "My Piece of the Puzzle". Filled with simple yet delicate observations of the world around us, and touching on the various eccentricities of human nature be they mean, idiotic, or magnificent, Robbins' poetry is sure to move readers in one way or another. "My Piece of the Puzzle" is a top pick for poetry lovers and community library collections catering to them. "The Rains": At a hotel off the Deschutes River, recorded in Bend, Oregon, the same/night going down for ice when I found a large moth inside from the rain.//Even dead it looked vibrant, resting on the inside corner/of a louvered windowsill.//Heavy layered fur neck, buffalo thick head. I saw all the way into the pearl/ of running surf inside the moth's unshuttered eye, and the bloom in there/became clear a little piece of peel at a time.//Saw the loomed pieces stacked layers new petals lapped over a face within/the increased undergrowth, steadily withheld, unknown till then.

Two Off Q
June Nirschl, Nancy Rafal, & Judy Roy
Marsh River Edtions
M233 Marsh Road, Marshfield, WI 54449
9780977276844, $10.95, www.marshrivereditions.com

"Two Off Q: A Conversation In Poetry" is one of the most distinctive and novel approaches to the publishing of poetry. Two outstanding masters of verse, June Nirschl and Judy Roy, have a kind of off-beat collaboration in that "Two Off Q" showcases their poetry in sequence, evoking the feeling of listening to two distinctive voices communicating in the ephemeral language of poetry with another and with the reader. Organized into four major sections (Whimsy; Whispers from the Past; Among those We've Loved; Presence), we are presented with the first poem ('The Most Important Light in the County') followed by a poem by Judy Roy ('A Cook's Lament'), and this pattern with but is form of presentation principally followed throughout with but a few exceptions. The result is impressive individually, and fascinating in the collective whole. "Two Off Q" is especially recommended and rewarding reading for any and all who appreciated well crafted poetry superbly presented. 'Phoning Home': It's what we've done forever--call each other./We talked about our parents, always laughed/and shared small secrets, each convinced the other/could take away the sadness, make us laugh./And so we did. We giggled at the boys/until we double-dated, then came home/and telephoned. We shared, compared the boys,/our husbands now. Worlds apart, yet home,/we are each other's history. Through the phone/we spoke of children growing up, of loss/and hope, the awful fear of when a phone/might ring for boys grown old, the one great loss./And still we call, we speak, and sometimes weep/the quiet tears that aged women weep. (Judy Roy) 'Lullaby for My Little Sister': You were the child with colic who cried/for more than a year while Mama tried/to shush and soothe to no avail/the pain in your gut. Not this tale/or another speaks to what frayed//the mother-daughter tie, once ignited,/fanned hungry flames that putrefied/all hope. But we viewed through a veil --/you were a child.//Rest now, mischievous imp, bright-eyed/girl. Your laughter long nullified/sours like wisps on the wind, sails/sails like spirit, still hush-a-byed./Forever, child.

The Morning Will Come
Seamus Cashman
Salmon Poetry
c/o Dufour Editions
PO Box 7, Chester Springs, PA 19425
9781903392638, $21.95, www.salmonpoetry.com

Experienced and prolific author and poet Seamus Cashman returns with his third anthology, "That Morning Will Come", a focus on spirituality and musings on life drawn from Cashman's visit to the holy land and Palestine – with a side look at human rights. Cashman also touches on parenthood and other commonly faced problems of life. A deftly written and highly recommended piece of poetry, perfect for community library poetry collections. "Poised on the Edge": I would have been a pharaoh/to your Nile, a sunbeam to your cist/a button on your belly tying up ends/in my beginnings, fits, and enterprises.//I could go for days on your breathings/But to end all that I stand here/poised on the edge of waking/ready for a drought.

Controlled Decay
Gabriela Jauregui
Black Goat
c/o Akashic Books
PO Box 1456, New York, NY 10009
9781933354521, $15.95 www.akashicbooks.com

Mexican-born poet Gabriela Jauregui presents Controlled Decay, her debut poetry collection. The works range in setting from Jauregui's native Mexico City to a dance hall in East Los Angeles to a steam bath in Morocco to the quietude of the grave. Blending elements of narrative, thought processes, and open rhythm, Controlled Decay taps into the immense power of human consciousness and the eternal story that is the endless circle of life. "For Nietzsche": Between truth and fiction / a soap washes/clears ambiguity / dispels/destroys ambivalence / a vegetable soap / that leaves no trace / clean / like a button / ripped from an overcoat / on a winter morning.

Colosseum
Katie Ford
Graywolf Press
2402 University Avenue, Suite 203, Saint Paul, MN 55114
9781555975012, $15.00 www.graywolfpress.org 1-651-641-0077

Colosseum is a brief collection of free-verse poems by award-winning poet Katie Ford. Drawing upon the lessons of history embedded within historical ruins, contrasted with modern-day ruins such as the devastation of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina (an experience the author encountered firsthand), Colosseum speaks of catastrophes throughout time, emphasizing that natural disasters deliver their wrath with equal fury to all people. A singularly compelling and thought-provoking poetry experience. "Earth": Wild horses folded into their last night. / One burrowed against the dead's descending heat / as three cantered from the threadbare wood. // You must leaving everything lit / by city light and Damascus light, anything fueled / except by your eyes on these animal bodies. // Species by species, light by light. // As for the tarpan it shall be for you. / A reckoning so slow you aren't even frightened.

Unspoiled Air
Kaisa Ullsvik Miller
Fence Books
New Library 320, University at Albany,
1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12222
9781934200124, $15.00 www.fenceportal.org

The debut collection by 2008 Motherwell Prize winner Kaisa Ullsvik Miller, Unspoiled Air is an anthology of brief, free-verse poems winding in undulating, soothing patterns that dare to offer a glimmer of hope against the stark indifference of the universe. Encapsulating instants in time and emotion, Unspoiled Air affects the senses like a deep breath of its titular subject. "A Flower's Work": a flower's intention is / of a flower work // you are the center // of the flower, // The vivid, delicate petals / delight / and health

In the Silence of the Migrated Birds
Austin Smith
Parallel Press
372 Memorial Library, 728 State Street, Madison, WI 53575
9781893311985, $10.00 http://parallelpress.library.wisc.edu 1-800-636-0071

In the Silence of the Migrated Birds is a flat-spined chapbook of free-verse poetry expressing the transitory moment of experience - whether witnessing one's mother baking bread or observing the constellation Pleiades for the first time. Avian imagery abounds, as migratory birds are symbolic of the eternal, cyclic change that is the hallmark of life itself. In the Silence of the Migrated Birds deserves to be savored, whether in the comfort of one's own home or during a break in a nature hike. "Christmas": Winter sets like a broken / bone, painful and white. // Winter has a way / of making war seem more futile. // And when sleet riddles the angels / the children swam into the snow, // who can resist the urge / to visit the Veterans' Museum // to touch the cold bronze / faces of their grandfathers?

The Hands of Day
Pablo Neruda, author
William O'Daly, translator
Copper Canyon Press
PO Box 271, Port Townsend, Washington 98368
9781556592720, $17.00 www.coppercanyonpress.org

The Hands of Day is the seventh bilingual translation of the poetry of Chile-born diplomat and political activist Pablo Neruda (1904-1973). Sixty-seven lyric poems are presented in both their original Spanish and in English. At times the verse dips away from the mundanities of daily life and into the wonders existing just beyond the senses. A poignant collection, tinged with the depth of human emotion and a "must-have" for anyone with an interest in Neruda's classic works. "The Hands of the Days": by the accident of the rose / the hour is born, irascible / or yellow. / Thin layer of volcano, petal of hatred, / carnivorous throat, / such is a day, and the next one / is tenderly, / yes resolutely, a wedding song.


The Travel Shelf

Eat Smart In Sicily
Joan Peterson & Marcella Croce
Ginkgo Press
PO Box 5346, Madison, WI 53705
9780977680115, $13.95 www.ginkgopress.com

Joan Peterson has now authored and/or co-authored nine superbly crafted and incredible informative travel guides with a distinctive culinary orientation. The newest addition to her impressive roster of titles is "Eat Smart In Sicily: How To Decipher The Menu, Know The Market Foods & Embark On A Tasting Adventure" which she co-authored with Sicilian native, journalist and author Marcella Croce. Enhanced for the armchair browser with a section of color photography showcasing dishes, foods, and chefs, "Eat Smart In Sicily" truly lives up to its name and the sterling reputation of the entire 'Eat Smart' series. Along with an historical overview focused on the origins of Sicily's culinary diversity and a quick tour of local Sicilian foods and their variations, travelers are providing with invaluable tips for shopping in both the Sicilian open air food markets as well as their modern supermarkets. With the inclusion of resource lists, helpful phrases, a menu guide, recommended restaurants, and even a thoroughly 'user friendly' Menu Guide, "Eat Smart In Sicily" is a 'must' for anyone traveling there for either business or pleasure or both!

Paris
Measom Shaner
Welcome Books
6 West 18th Street, New York, NY 10011
9781599620435, $24.95, www.welcomebooks.com

Paris - one of the most famous cities in the world. "Paris: Wish You Were Here" is an examination of the city's history and image in the eyes of the world throughout the centuries, from ancient Gaul to modern France. Enhanced with writing from countless famous authors such as Hemingway, Twain, and a guide to more traditional aspects of Paris tourism (the food, the museums, the monuments, and more), "Paris: Wish You Were Here" contains almost everything anyone would want to know about the city, and is essential reading for anyone thinking of planning a trip to Paris, or for arm chair travelers worldwide.

Twenty West
Mac Nelson
State University of New York Press
State University Plaza, Albany, NY 12246-0001
9780791474693, $25.00 www.sunypress.edu 1-800-666-2211

Twenty West: The Great Road Across America in an engaging travelogue about journeying upon America's longest road, US Route 20, a coast-to-coast road crossing twelve states as it stretches 3,300 miles from Boston, Massachusetts to Newport, Oregon. Written by Mac Nelson (Distinguished Teaching Professor of English at SUNY Fredonia) and drawing heavily from his personal experience touring its length, Twenty West gives an up close and personal tour of parks (especially the "peaceable kingdom" of Yellowstone), historical landmarks, Americana and much more. "Yellowstone's famous wildlife doesn't pay much mind to artificial boundaries, so it's wise to start watching for bear and deer and moose as soon as you reach Wapiti, twenty miles west of Cody." A wonderful read for armchair travelers, and the next best thing to touring the length of US Route 20 in person.

Traveler's Advisory
Jessia Lehrer, Rick Lightstone, & Alice Murray
Mark Batty Publisher
36 W 37th St. Penthouse, New York 10018
9780979554636, $14.95, www.markbattypublisher.com

Not all trips go as planned, and being far from home invites misfortunes. "Traveler's Advisory" is a small puffy handbook of humor for those who are traveling or about to travel. The wisdom, while meant to be humorous, is very real and sound advice when attempting to expect the unexpected. Whether one is staying in the finest accommodations in the world or roughing it, "Traveler's Advisory" is a must-read. A superb giftbook for travel enthusiasts and highly recommended for both community library Travel and Humor collections.


The Religion/Spirituality Shelf

Yoga Beyond Belief
Ganga White
North Atlantic Books
2526 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Berkeley, CA 94704
9781556436468, $19.95, www.northatlanticpress.com

Yoga is not spiritual hooha; there is a scientific element to the healing it provides alongside the spiritual. "Yoga Beyond Belief: Insights to Awaken and Deepen Your Practice" is a guide for Yoga users to enhance their experiences with their meditations and rituals. Although aimed at those with some experience, "Yoga Beyond Belief" is simple enough for novices to read and learn the art. A top pick for community library spirituality collections.

Esther
Debra Reid
InterVarsity Press
PO Box 1400, Downers Grove, Illinois 60515-1426
9780830842131, $16.00, www.ivpbooks.com

A comprehensive guide to understanding the Bible and what it means, "Esther: Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries" offers readers a complete examination of each biblical text's authorship, date of creation, setting, and what it was meant to do. A comprehensive analysis enhanced with further notes and opinionated commentaries, "Esther: Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries" is highly recommended for community library religious collections.


The Music Shelf

It Was All Right
James A. Mitchell
Wayne State University Press
4809 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI 48201-1309
9780814333372, $24.95, www.wsupress.wayne.edu

The rock-and-roll lifestyle of the second half of the twentieth century the was the hectic lifestyle that so many people want to live. "It Was All Right: Mitch Ryder's Life in Music" follows famed artist Mitch Ryder as he relates his life story of nearly half a century in the music industry, making over 8,000 performances. Ryder's biography is well-written and enthralling, sprinkled with great road stories, and highly recommended for community library music collections as well as to any fan of the man himself.


The Self-Help Shelf

Speak with Success
Susan J. Benjamin
Good Year Books
PO Box 91858, Tucson, AZ 85752-1858
9781596471276, $14.95, www.goodyearbooks.com

Public speaking – the key is not imagine everyone in their underwear, as pop culture often suggests. "Speak with Success: A Student's Step-by-Step Guide to Fearless Public Speaking" is a complete and comprehensive guide to overcoming stage fright and speaking in front of a crowd as if it were second nature. Covering how to give a proper speech depending on the speech's purpose, how to avoid having a nervous breakdown on stage, and much more, "Speak with Success: A Student's Step-by-Step Guide to Fearless Public Speaking" is a top pick for anyone facing the microphone and dreading it, and for community library self-help collections.

Hypnotize Yourself Out of Pain Now!
Bruce N. Eimer
Crown House Publishing
6 Trowbridge Drive, Suite 5, Bethel, CT 06801
9781845900878, $24.95, www.crownhouse.co.uk

The mind is what tells one that the body is in pain; but one can tell the mind what to do at the same time. "Hypnotize Yourself Out of Pain Now! A Powerful, User-Friendly Program for Anyone Searching for Immediate Pain Relief" is a guide to using the skill of self-hypnosis to make one's mind ignore the pain of the body, so that one can get on with life. Claiming to be tried, tested, and proven by medical professionals, "Hypnotize Yourself Out of Pain Now! A Powerful, User-Friendly Program for Anyone Searching for Immediate Pain Relief" is highly recommended to anyone willing to attempt a new approach to their chronic pain management, and for community library self-help collections.

I'll Stop Tomorrow
Paul Campell
Mercier Press
c/o Dufour Editions
PO Box 7, Chester Springs, PA 19425
9781856355384, $19.95, www.dufoureditions.com

"I'll Stop Tomorrow: Alcoholism and the Journey to Recovery" - the titular words are a common excuse, uttered by those who want to quit but simply can't. Paul Campbell was one of those people; he had it all and lost it due to his demons. "I'll Stop Tomorrow: Alcoholism and the Journey to Recovery" covers his journey back to sobriety, and puts forward step by step guides, along with countless tips for stopping the drinking. Highly recommended for community library self-help collections.

A Cancer Patient's Guide to Overcoming Depression & Anxiety
Derek R. Hopko & Carl W. Lejuez
New Harbinger Publications
5674 Shattuck Avenue, Oakland, CA 94609
9781572245044, $19.95, www.newharbinger.com

Sheer force of will can do wonders for the psyche, and can help versus anything. If one lets something beat them mentally, they will also be beaten physically. "A Cancer Patient's Guide to Overcoming Depression & Anxiety: Getting Through Treatment & Getting Back to Your Life" is a guide to training one's mind and spirit to overcome cancer, one of the most soul-crushing things a person can be diagnosed with. Packed with non-stop tips to help one overcome the negative emotions that a cancer diagnosis generates, "A Cancer Patient's Guide to Overcoming Depression & Anxiety" offers an upbeat and optimistic outlook that will help readers steady their mind to fight alongside their body and defeat the cancer. "A Cancer Patient's Guide to Overcoming Depression & Anxiety" is a must for any cancer patient, and recommended for community library health & self-help shelves everywhere.

I Created The Life of My Wildest Dreams – You Can Too!
Krista Kay Carlton
Vantage Press
419 Park Avenue, South, New York, NY 10016
9780533157518, $8.95, www.vantagepress.com

The edge of pulling the trigger and taking one's own life – is there a point of no return – a point where happiness is impossible? Not so, claims author Krista Kay Carlton in "I Created The Life of My Wildest Dreams – You Can Too! Simple Steps You Can Take to Create a Magnificent Life". In this quick, to the point handbook, she explains how she dragged herself out of that pit of misery and turned herself around using her own free will, determination, and faith in God. Saying everyone is a master of their own destiny, "I Created The Life of My Wildest Dreams – You Can Too! Simple Steps You Can Take to Create a Magnificent Life" is an uplifting tale, highly recommended to anyone who may be nearing that edge, and for community library self-help collections.

Journey from Head to Heart
Nancy Oelklaus
Loving Healing Press
5145 Pontiac Trail, Ann Arbor, MI 48105
9781932690439, $21.95, www.headtoheart.info

Getting one's head on straight is something highly underrated in today's society. "Journey from Head to Heart: Living and Working Authentically" is a guide to doing just that - living life while putting one's A-game and heart into it. The goal is to live one's life with personal gravitas and gusto, rather than the half-hearted shambling of someone living as an automaton. Designed to avoid being too touchy-feely (a common pitfall of many self-help guides), "Journey from Head to Heart" is highly recommended for community library collections.

Fishing in Heaven
Janet Childress
Outskirts Press
10940 S. Parker Rd – 515, Parker, CO 80134
9781432719418, $9.95, www.outskirtspress.com

To be alongside a parent faced with a terminal illness is a horrifying prospect. "Fishing in Heaven" is author Janet Childress's memoir of being faced with her father's inevitable death. An inspirational recollection of Janet's final days with her father and how she prayed to God for a miracle, and then praying for her father's soul as he passed on, "Fishing in Heaven" is an ideal gift for anyone with a parent nearing their last hours. An ideal pick for community library self-help collections.

How to Hit a Curve Ball, Grill the Perfect Steak, and Become a Real Man
Stephen James & David Thomas
Tyndale
351 Executive Drive, Carol Stream, IL 60188
9781414318622, $12.99, www.tyndale.com

What is a man? What is expected of an adult male in today's society? "How to Hit a Curve Ball, Grill the Perfect Steak, and Become a Real Man: Learning What Our Fathers Never Taught Us" is a handbook acknowledging that no father is a perfect father, just as no human is a perfect human. Tackling countless little tidbits of conventional male wisdom such as campfire building, fixing the toilet, and more, "How to Hit a Curve Ball, Grill the Perfect Steak, and Become a Real Man" is charming in its writing. A great pick for any man, and for community library self-help collections.


The Christian Studies Shelf

Jesus, Engaging Theology
Gerard S. Sloyan
Liturgical Press
Saint John's Abbey, 31802 County Rd. 159, PO Box 7500, Collegeville, MN 56321-7500
9780814659915, $19.95, www.litpress.org

Though Jesus Christ is one of the most famous men to ever walk the earth, his life is constantly disputed. "Engaging Theology: Catholic Perspectives" tries to view Jesus in a more historical nature during his life, examining the impact of his deeds on the Christian world following his death and supposed resurrection. "Engaging Theology: Catholic Perspectives" is a deftly written examination, and a top pick for Christian studies collections.

The Formation of Christian Doctrine
Malcolm B. Yarnell III
B&H Publishing Group
127 Ninth Avenue North, Nashville, TN 37234-0143
9780805440461, $19.99 www.bhpublishinggroup.com 1-800-251-3225

Theology is a funny but frank conversation. In "The Formation of Christian Doctrine", author and assistant dean for Theological Studies at Oxford University Malcolm B. Yarnell III demonstrates what is at stake, attempting to speak of truth and love to the broader Christian community. Possibly the most important book in Baptist theology in the past fifty years, "The Formation of Christian Doctrine" has the highest recommendation to college Christian study shelves and for anyone seeking a more in depth understanding of Christianity's doctrine.

Too Busy Not to Pray, revised edition
Bill Hybels
InterVarsity Press
PO Box 1400, Downers Grove, IL 60515-1426
9780830834747, $20.00, www.ivpress.com

The numbers of people attending church on Sunday is dwindling year after year. "Too Busy Not to Pray" urges Christians around the globe to reconsider this act of cutting God's time when their own world is too busy. "Too Busy Not to Pray" also offers insightful advice on how to squeeze time into one's life to pray once more, enhancing one's relationship with God and finding one's own happiness in the process. Now in a special revised and enhanced twentieth anniversary edition, "Too Busy Not to Pray" is highly recommended for community library Christianity collections.

Walking on a Rolling Deck
Kathleen C. Berken
The Liturgical Press
St. John's Abbey, PO Box 7500, Collegeville, MN 56321-7500
9780814618615, $14.95 www.litpress.org 1-800-858-5450

Walking on a Rolling Deck: Life on the Ark is the true-life memoir of author Kathleen C. Berken, of her life-changing choice to work as a live-in assistant in a L'Arche community in Clinton, Iowa, aiding men with developmental disabilities. A deeply spiritual testimony, Walking on a Rolling Deck tells of the inevitable difficulties of adjusting to change, confronting the specter of breast cancer, but most of all, of the benevolent power of God's love - a power all too often ignored, neglected, or obscured in today's world. Ultimately a simple story of Christian life and the resonance of faith, illustrated with a handful of black-and-white photographs, Walking on a Rolling Deck is highly recommended for Christian readers and anyone seeking to quietly contemplate the mystery of God that permeates even the most mundane aspects of daily life.

Engaging with the Holy Spirit
Graham A. Cole
Crossway
1300 Crescent Street, Wheaton, IL 60187
9781581349726, $12.99, www.crossway.org

God is always around us, and one's relationship with Him depends on one's actions. "Engaging With the Holy Spirit: Real Questions, Practical Answers" is a book dedicated to helping those who have lost their way to return to the path of wholeness and stop blaspheming. Answering questions on prayer, just what blasphemy is, why some resist God's love, and more, "Engaging with the Holy Spirit: Real Questions: Practical Answers" is a essential pick for any Christian and for community library Christian studies collections.

Compelled By Love
Ed Stetzer & PhilipNation
New Hope Publishers
Post Office Box 12065, Birmingham, AL 35202-2065
9781596692275, $14.99, www.newhopepublishers.com

Love for one's neighbor was one of the core teachings of Jesus Christ. "Compelled by Love: The Most Excellent Way to Missional Living" is a handbook for Christians to find the love of God, use it to complete themselves, and spread it to others as well. Also included is a crash course in basic theology, enhanced with biblical texts and advice on applying what one learns. "Compelled by Love: The Most Excellent Way to Missional Living" is a top pick for community library Christian studies collections.

Calling Your Angel
Ann B. Martin
Paja Books
c/o Sterling House
7436 Washington Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15218
1585011134, $18.95, www.pajabooks.com

The spiritual guidance one needs to get through life is always there – it just needs to be found. "Calling Your Angel: Getting In Touch With Your Angel Self" is a guide to improving one's own connection to faith and spirituality, the better to draw oneself closer to God and prepare to deal with the myriad problems of life. Quoting the Bible and other great written pieces, "Calling Your Angel: Getting In Touch With Your Angel Self" is a top pick for anyone looking to restore their faith, and for community library Christian collections.


The Fiction Shelf

Daughter of War
Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch
Fitzhenry & Whiteside
311 Washington Street, Brighton, MA 02135
9781554550449, $14.95, www.fitzhenry.ca

Who's real and who's hiding? "Daughter of War" follows Marta as she must hide her true nature, disguising herself as a Muslim woman during the genocide of the Armenian people. Separating from her friends and family, she hopes they have hidden from their oppressors as well – but if they are hiding, how on earth will she find them once more? "Daughter of War" is a deftly written historical fiction novel, sure to enthrall readers with a story set amid events that truly happened. A top pick for community library literary collections.

Chicken Foot Farm
Anne Estevis
Pinata Books
c/o Arte Publico Press
425 Cullen Perfomance Hall, Houston, TX 77204-2004
9781558855052, $10.95, www.artepublicopress.com

Life goes on – it always goes on, and one has to keep up with it to survive. "Chicken Foot Farm" is the story of a Mexican American family, set just after World War II has begun in Europe. They deal with random events that life throws at them – consuming fires, the senility of old age, sibling rivalry, approval of one's parents, and the omnipresent influence of a world war. Though all these things are horrible, it is heartwarming to see how the family copes with each of them. "Chicken Foot Farm" is a deftly written literary novel, highly recommended for community library collections.

The Aquarians
Eric Rankin
iUniverse
2021 Pine Lake Road, Suite 100, Lincoln NE 68512
Star Treatment (publicity)
PO Box 133, Beaver Crossing, NE 68313
9780595443024, $14.95, www.iuniverse.com

2012 is the end of the Mayan calendar, and what some hold as the forthcoming apocalypse. "The Aquarians: An Ancient Mayan Prophecy – a Modern Phenomenon" tells of author Troy Wallace's research on the edge of a major scientific breakthrough in his study of the dolphins. His companion Rebecca Larson, also a student of the dolphins, believes that 2012 is when Humanity will begin to learn from the dolphins how to integrate their peaceful society, and live in harmony. As Wallace and Larson collide with a shallow Hollywood celebrity, their quest for the truth takes a surprising turn. A story which will intrigue the reader from page to page, "The Aquarians: An Ancient Mayan Prophecy – a Modern Phenomenon" is a top pick for community library fiction collections and for fans of conspiracy fiction.

Wise as a Serpent... Harmless as a Dove
Dana Mask
Outskirts Press
10940 S. Parker Rd – 515, Parker, CO 80134
9781432720742, $15.95, www.outskirtspress.com

If you were responsible for something horrible, would you have the courage to confess for your sins? "Wise as a Serpent... Harmless as a Dove" follows Darrel Lavar Love as he faces an internal conflict of overwhelming guilt within himself. His secret may be responsible for rise of crime and corruption in the city of Gary, Indiana – a city that Love was suppose to be watching over as its guardian. "Wise as a Serpent... Harmless as a Dove" is a deftly written novel for Christian readers, and should find a place in every community library Christian fiction collection.

The Possessed
Ronald Dondiego
Publish America
P.O. Box 151, Frederick, MD 21705
1424139295, $16.95, www.publishamerica.com

Writer's block is when a writer simply cannot make himself come up with anything, even if a gun is held to his head. "The Possessed" follows Johnny Dove as he faces this problem and his world falls apart. With nowhere to turn, Johnny accepts a risk and buys what is promoted as a haunted antique pen. What's the worst that could happen? "The Possessed" is highly recommended to horror fans and for community library collections.

Whispers from the Bay
John Tkac
Southeast Books
PO Box 7813, Delray Beach, FL 33482
9780979445408, $22.95, www.whispersfromthebay.com

Speaking to dolphins is one thing – discovering their secret is another. "Whispers from the Bay" follows Mike Connelly as he finds he has a connection with these sea mammals, and soon develops a method of communication with them. Through his adventures with his new found aquatic friends, everything seems fine as first, but he discovers something the dolphins want him to keep secret. Can he stay true to his word when faced with such knowledge? "Whispers from the Bay" is sure to please dolphin lovers, and is a top pick for community library fiction collections.


The Islamic Studies Shelf

Faith and Politics in Nigeria
John N. Paden
United States Institute of Peace Press
1200 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036
9781601270290, $14.95, www.usip.org

When people speak of world influencing countries, Nigeria is almost never mentioned. "Faith and Politics in Nigeria: Nigeria as a Pivotal State in the Muslim World" examines Nigeria, a major oil producer and the most populous country in Africa, and already a definite major influence in its region. Yet this African country's influence could be much more; its population is split between Muslims and Christians, and they live with little conflict. Proposing a model for other Islamic countries to follow, "Faith and Politics in Nigeria: Nigeria as a Pivotal State in the Muslim World" is highly recommended for personal, academic, and community Islamic Studies and International Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.


The Metaphysical Studies Shelf

The Harmonic Conquest of Space
Bruce Cathie
Adventures Unlimited Press
303 Main Street, Kempton, IL 60946
0932813623, $16.95

Those who love space and its study are in for a treat with "The Harmonic Conquest of Space". Veteran author on the subject Bruce Cathie covers a wide array of topics, focusing on the harmonic qualities of astrological bodies such as the Moon. An intriguing and educational read from page one to page two hundred seven, "The Harmonic Conquest of Space" is highly recommended for community library metaphysical studies collections.

Tarot for Life
Prospero
Aeon
c/o Stylus Publishing, Inc.
22883 Quicksilver Drive, Sterling, VA 20166-2012
1904658032, $25.00 www.styluspub.com 1-800-232-0223

Written by a full-time Tarot reader and teacher, Tarot for Life is a straightforward introduction to the art and practice of Tarot readings. Each chapter is centered upon a different Major Arcana or relevant Minor Arcana; ethics, affirmations, guided meditations, and the relationships of the Tarot to everyday life are discussed as well as the basics of how to properly interpret the cards. The true goal of Tarot for Life is not only to prepare the willing student to undertake Tarot readings, but also to communicate the spirit behind the Tarot itself. Black-and-white illustrations enhance this enthusiastically recommended primer. "Curses and hexes are extremely rare, not because they are difficult but because anyone who is mentally focused enough to use them effectively can usually find a way to get what they want without hurting anybody. Many people believe themselves cursed because of a run of bad luck, perhaps preceded by an argument with someone believed to have 'the power'. The best way to deal with this is to show the person how to raise their own energy level, perhaps through something like the Grounding or Shielding exercise but with a different emphasis."

Enochian Vision Magick
Lon Milo DuQuette
Red Wheel/Weiser
65 Parker Street, Suite 7, Newburyport, MA 01950-4600
9781578633821, $19.95 www.redwheelweiser.com 1-800-423-7087

Enochian Vision Magick: An Introduction and Practical Guide to the Magick of Dr. John Dee and Edward Kelley is an extensive reference to the system of Enochian Magick, as communicated to Elizabethan magus Dr. John Dee (1527-1608) and his clairvoyant associate Edward Kelley by the same angels that delivered sacred scripture to Adam, Enoch, and the patriarchs of the Old Testament. Enochian Magick became more widely known due to the 20th-century research and practice of Aleister Crowley. Now, readers have access to an intuitive, step-by-step guide to the processes of the Enochian Magick system, complete with in-depth background, black-and-white diagrams, and historical notes. Author Lon Milo DuQuette presents a solid reference grounded in experience, as he has practiced Enochian Vision Magick for over 25 years. A user-friendly guide, recommended for anyone interested in learning about this mind and soul-expanding mystical practice.

The UFO Experience Reconsidered
Robert L. Mason
Schooner Moon Books
PO Box 377, Mendocino, CA 95460
9780615190457, $19.95

"The UFO Experience Reconsidered: Science and Speculation" is not a typical UFO book. Hoping to tactfully and thoroughly attack potential concepts on all sides of the debate of 'Are We Alone?', "The UFO Experience Reconsidered" focuses on hard science, and avoids falling into the trap of simply recounting abduction stories and conspiracy theories. Highly recommended for community library metaphysical studies collections and for anyone who wants a rational look at the debate.


The Health/Medicine Shelf

Markets Without Magic
Mark V. Pauly
American Enterprise Institute
1150 Seventeenth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036
9780844742618, $15.00, www.aei.org

Could free market competition be what that saves medicine? "Markets Without Magic: How Competition Might Save Medicine" is an examination of the current health care epidemic with a focus on Medicare. Claiming that promoting competition between private health care companies by encouraging them to insure the uninsured could save American health care as a whole, "Markets Without Magic" is a dissenting viewpoint against America's problems that backs up what it says and offers a solution. A scholarly take on the subject, recommended for any community library collection covering the health care issue.

Fundamentals of Cancer Epidemiology, second edition
Philip C. Nasca & Harris Pastides
Jones & Bartlett Publishers
40 Tall Pine Drive, Sudbury, MA 01776
9780763736187, $89.95, www.jbpub.com

Cancer is something that many people fear, but what is truly known about it? "Fundamentals of Cancer Epidemiology" is a scholarly text examining this blight of mankind, and medical science's advancing knowledge of it. Now in an updated second edition, "Fundamentals of Cancer Epidemiology" includes new chapters on screening, drugs, pediatric cancers, prevention strategies, and up to date information just as the book went to press. Enhanced with glossaries and indexes, "Fundamentals of Cancer Epidemiology" is highly recommended for college medical science and health collections.

Recognizing and Surviving Heart Attacks and Strokes
Glenn O. Turner
University of Missouri Press
2910 LeMone Blvd., Columbia, MO 65201
9780826217943, $17.95, www.press.umsystem.edu

Most deaths by heart attacks can be prevented with proper medical treatment – but all too often that treatment is not administered in time. "Recognizing and Surviving Heart Attacks and Strokes: Lifesaving Advice You Need Now" is a compilation of invaluable and vital information for those who are in serious danger of heart attack. Claiming that if one acts on the early signs of the disease, one may escape the heart attack with no long lasting damage, "Recognizing and Surviving Heart Attacks and Strokes: Lifesaving Advice You Need Now" is a must for anyone in danger and for community library health collections.


The Biography Shelf

The Stork's Nest
Laura Lynne Williams
Fulcrum Publishing
4690 Table Mountain Drive, Suite 100, Golden, CO 80403
9781555916299, $16.96, www.fulcrumbooks.com

Love – very rarely does it happen with nothing else happening, as romance novels wrongly lead people to believe. "The Stork's Nest: Life and Love in the Russian Countryside" is the story of Laura Lynne Williams, who made a trip to the hugely expansive wilderness of Russia where she sought to work for a nature reserve, but fell in love with a photographer called Igor. She soon began to call the Russian wilderness home. "The Stork's Nest: Life and Love in the Russian Countryside" is a charming story, highly recommended for any community library memoir collection.

Westward We Came
Harold B. Kildahl, author
Erling E. Kildahl, editor
Purdue University Press
1207 South Campus Courts, Bldg. E, West Lafayette, IN 47907
9781557534712, $21.95 www.thepress.purdue.edu 1-800-933-9637

Westward We Came: A Norwegian Immigrant's Story, 1866-1898 is the first-hand memoir of Harold B. Kildahl, Sr., a Norwegian immigrant to America who came to the New World in 1866. He and his family witnessed historic events such as the notorious James-Younger gang bank raid in Northfield, Minnesota and the beginning of St. Olaf college. Westward We Came offers insight into the hardships, satisfactions, and daily routine of pioneer life. In 1888, Kildahl returned to Minnesota to gain an education at St. Olaf College and the Lutheran Seminary, where he was ordained, married, and became a pastor in the Lutheran faith. An authentic settler narrative, that virtually opens a window in time to over a hundred years ago.

Children of the Dust
Betty Grant Henshaw, author
Sandra Scofield, editor
Texas Tech University Press
PO Box 41037, Lubbock, TX 79409-1037
9780896726314, $22.95 www.ttup.ttu.edu 1-800-832-4042

A finalist for the Oklahoma Book Award, Children of the Dust: An Okie Family Story is the personal memoir of author Betty Grant Henshaw, who was born into a large family of tenant farmers in Oklahoma during the terrible time of the Dust Bowl. Her father, Bill, worked himself to exhaustion striving to provide for his wife and nine children; eventually his family had to migrate to California, where he worked in the fields in hundred-degree heat. Yet he instilled respect for hard work in his children, and kept family solidarity through trying times. Highly recommended as a powerful and profound story of salt-of-the-earth people proudly doing their best to survive.

Stone Crossings
L.L. Barkat
IVP Books
PO Box 1400, Downers Grove, Illinois, 60515-1426
9780830834952, $15.00, www.books.ivpress.com

Everyone needs something to hold on to, in order to brace themselves against the oncoming storm that is life. "Stone Crossings: Finding Grace in Hard and Hidden Places" is L.L. Barkat's reflections on her journey through this terrible storm, finding her comfort in the words of other writers, stories of the people alongside her, and in God. A charming and inspirational story all the way through, "Stone Crossings: Finding Grace in Hard and Hidden Places" is a top pick for community library memoir collections and for anyone who also needs something to hold on to.

Broad is the Way
Margaret Norquay
Wilfrid Laurier Univeristy Press
75 University Avenue, West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3C5
9781554580200, $24.95, www.wlupress.wlu.ca

A lot can happen in seven years, even in a small town. "Broad is the Way: Stories from Mayerthorpe" is a compilation of anecdotal stories by author Margaret Norquay, about the time she spent in Mayerthorpe, a small village in Alberta in western Canada. She speaks of the toil of orphaned children, the challenges of everyday life, and encounters with Mounties investigating the church. A somber but inspiring view of small town life, "Broad is the Way: Stories from Mayerthorpe" is a virtual window small-town Canada's past, and a top pick for community library memoir collections.

Do You See What I See?
Russell Targ
Hampton Roads
1125 Stoney Ridge Rd., Charlottesville, VA 22902-9719
9781571745590, $23.95, www.hrpub.com

Blindness is a handicap – but one that, with determination, can be overcome. "Do You See What I See? Lasers and Love, ESP and the CIA, and the Meaning of Life" is the story of Russell Targ, a physicist responsible for many advances in the research of laser and optic technology. He speaks of the more questionable projects he performed over the years, only recently declassified to the knowledge of the public, as well as his relationships with other notable individuals such as Chess Champion Bobby Fisher and novelist Ayn Rand. "Do You See What I See? Lasers and Love, ESP and the CIA, and the Meaning of Life" is a remarkable tale, highly recommended for community library biography collections.

Imperial Masquerade
Grant Hayter Menzies
Hong Kong University Press
c/o University of Washington Press
PO Box 50096, Seattle, WA, 98145-5096
9789622098817, $35.00, www.washington.edu/uwpress

To truly understand a culture, one must be a part of it – Princess Der Ling has done this for more cultures than a great majority of the world. "Imperial Masquerade: The Legend of Princess Der Ling" tells of Der Ling, who lived a life that would put the most trumped up fictional character to shame. Catholicism, Confucianism, American, Chinese are all adjectives that could describe her as a woman, in a time where woman were regarded as little more than second class. An enthralling tale from first page to last, "Imperial Masquerade: The Legend of Princess Der Ling" is a top pick for community library collections focusing on biography.

Unbridled Cowboy
Joseph B. Fussell, author
E. R. Fussell, editor
Truman State University Press
100 East Normal Street, Kirksville, MO 63501-4221
9781931112772, $19.95 http://tsup.truman.edu 1-800-916-6802

Unbridled Cowboy is the autobiography of author Joseph B. Fussell, a free spirit who sought his own destiny in the wild American Southwest during the late 1800s. At the young age of fourteen, Joe Fussell took to the rails to escape the school and harsh authority that chafed him. He became a roving cowpuncher in Texas territory, rustling cattle, tilling land, working in stables, and hitting the road whenever wanderlust stirred. Unbridled Cowboy is filled cover to cover with riveting true tales of undercover work as a Texas Ranger, life on the railroads, and rough justice. A captivating true life narrative of the wild west.

Prodigal Genius
John J. O'Neill
Adventures Unlimited Press
PO Box 74, Kempton, IL 60946
www.adventuresunlimitedpress.com
9781931882859, $18.95, 1-815-253-6390

Prodigal Genius: The Life of Nikola Tesla is the amazing true-life biography of inventor extraordinaire Nikola Tesla (1856-1943), a friend of Mark Twain and George Westinghouse, and a rival of Thomas Edison. Tesla invented the AC electrical current; his talent for inventions and scientific advancement was enhanced by his ability to visualize three-dimensional images of his inventions, saving money and effort on prototype constructions. Though his prodigal talents brought him great wealth and recognition - he made his first million before he turned forty - he refused to accept the Nobel Prize, chose to give away his royalties as a token of friendship, and died nearly penniless. His dream was to provide the world with sources of energy and wonders of technology that were free to enrich the lives of all, rather than fuel the profit margin of corporate sponsors. Yet for his selfless ideals, he received derision and disdain. Written by John J. O'Neill, a personal friend of Tesla's, and originally published in 1944, Prodigal Genius remains the seminal biography of a staunchly ethical man of science, who deserves far more honor than history has given him.

Remembering Nureyev
Rudi van Dantzig, author
Katie de Haan, translator
University Press of Florida
15 Northwest 15th Street, Gainesville, FL 32611-2079
9780813032092, $34.95 www.upf.com 1-800-226-3822

Remembering Nureyev: The Trail of a Comet is a biography of acclaimed male ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev, as told by one of his closest friends, the European choreographer Rudi van Dantzig, who first met Nureyev when Nureyev asked for permission to dance in one of van Dantzig's ballets. Expertly translated into English by Katie de Haan, Remembering Nureyev is a tale of conflict as well as closeness; though Nureyev was a genius in the realm of ballet, his over-the-top lifestyle frequently brought him at odds with Dantzig, who had a very strict concept of how his dances should be performed and portrayed. Dantzig eventually fired Nureyev as the advance of years took its toll upon his skills and his life. An eye-opening, firsthand testimony of the bond between artists.

John Ringo King of the Cowboys, second edition
David Johnson
University of North Texas Press
PO Box 311336, Denton, TX 76203-1336
9781574412437, $29.95 www.tamu.edu/upress 1-800-826-8911

Now in an updated second edition, John Ringo King of the Cowboys: His Life and Times from the Hoo Doo War to Tombstone is a biography of one of the most well-known gunmen of the American West. Deprived of his father during a family overland trek to California, and enmeshed in a blood feud engulfing post-Reconstruction Texas, Ringo earned his reputation as one of the deadliest gunfighters alive. After being incarcerated for his role in the feud, Ringo was elected as a lawman in Mason County, where the feud had originated. Ringo remained firmly in the center of the region's partisan politics and outbursts of violence as a lethal enemy to raiders and a champion of the (mostly Democratic) ranchers. He was an antagonist of the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday, and was part of the posse that eventually routed them from Arizona. Ringo's death remains partly a mystery; he perished in the Arizona desert, his name revered by some and cursed by others. An absorbing, skillfully told narrative biography that effectively transports the reader to a rugged and lawless century past.


The Pets/Wildlife Shelf

Agility
Diane L. Bauman
Alpine Publications
38262 Linman, Rd. , Crawford, CO 81415
9785577790914, $39.95, www.alpinepub.com

Training one's pet can be a truly rewarding experience for both pet and pet owner. "Agility: Start to Finish" is a complete and comprehensive guide for pet owners who want to teach their pet to do more – and maybe learn something about themselves in the process. Focusing on the many details one must note as they train their dog, from the dog's age to the owner's body language, "Agility: Start to Finish" is a top pick for any pet owner, and for community library pet and wildlife collections.

Oh Behave!
Jean Donaldson
Dogwise Publishing
c/o Direct Book Service
701B Poplar Wenatchee, WA 98801
9781929242528, $19.95, www.dogwise.com

The mind of a dog is not an entirely simple thing as most people think; training them is a science nonetheless. "Oh Behave! Dogs from Pavlov to Premack to Pinker" is a guide for dog owners looking to train their dog with firmness but without cruelty. "Oh Behave!" Answers common training questions about nature and nurture, conditioning, how one's personality affects the dog, and more, all while dispelling countless myths about dog training. An essential pick for dog owners and for community library pet collections.


The American History Shelf

Abraham Lincoln
James D. Ristine
Schiffer Books
4880 Lower Valley Road, Rt 372, Atglen, PA 19310
9780764328572, $24.95

A look at one of the most celebrated figures in American history – in the form of postcards. "Abraham Lincoln: An Illustrated Biography in Postcards" covers this great man's life, illustrated with nearly three hundred postcards from various eras. Depicting a conflicted, brooding man who led America through the Civil War and was struck down in his prime for it, "Abraham Lincoln: An Illustrated Biography in Postcards" is a top pick for American History and Biography collections and for anyone interested in history from a fresh perspective.

Abolitionist Politics and the Coming of the Civil War
James Brewer Stewart
University of Massachusetts Press
East Experiment Station, 671 North Pleasant, St., Amherst, MA 01003
9781558496354, $24.95, www.umass.edu/umpress

In the early 1800s, slavery's values were as widely promoted as buying American cars are in today's world. "Abolitionist Politics and the Coming of the Civil War" is a complete and comprehensive examination of America's early years and its politics regarding slavery – and how a few fledgling activists turned America around and against this mindset, beginning a chain of events that freed an entire people. A story of how even the smallest minority can set events in motion, "Abolitionist Politics and the Coming of the Civil War" is highly recommended for both American history and black studies collections alike.

Glorified Chicken Coops
Tanya I. Cole
Outskirts Press
10940 S. Parker Rd – 515, Parker, CO 80134
9781432719197, $14.95, www.outskirtspress.com

"Glorified Chicken Coops" leaves little to exaggeration when explaining the story of author Tanya Cole's family history and their conditions living in the Great Depression. A compelling cast of characters follows her family they try to claw their way through the muck blocking them from the American dream. A thoroughly entertaining family history, "Glorified Chicken Coops" is a top pick for anyone interested in Depression era living and community library American history and memoir collections.

Pot Roast, Politics, and Ants in the Pantry
Carol Fisher and John Fisher
University of Missouri Press
2910 LeMone Boulevard, Columbia, MO 65201
9780826217912, $19.95 www.umsystem.edu/upress 1-800-828-1894

Pot Roast, Politics, and Ants in the Pantry: Missouri's Cookbook Heritage is not a cookbook per se - rather, it is a surprisingly involved treasury of anecdotes concerning the history of cookbooks and food preparation in Missouri, the Show Me State. From traditional "kitchen medicine", to household tips that have been passed down through the generations, to extensive cookbook collections preserved in libraries, historical societies, and the shelves of private individuals, to how the Internet has transformed modern-day recipe sharing, Pot Roast, Politics, and Ants in the Pantry is a thoroughly entertaining tour de force of how love of good Missouri cooking has been passed along through the generations.

New Territories, New Perspectives
Richard J. Callahan, Jr.
University of Missouri Press
2910 LeMone Boulevard, Columbia, MO 65201
9780826217844, $44.95 www.umsystem.edu/upress 1-800-828-1894

New Territories, New Perspectives: The Religious Impact of the Louisiana Purchase is an anthology of scholarly essays by learned authors examining how the Louisiana Purchase - which doubled the fledgling America's territory - permanently transformed American culture in general and religion in particular. A predominantly Protestant culture spread westward, further intermixing with the meld that began when French and Spanish Catholic missionaries brought their faiths to native peoples. Individual writings include "Mixed-Race Ecstasy across a Single Line: The Deep South Roots of Pentecostal Tongue Speaking", "Voudou Purchase: The Louisiana Purchase in the Caribbean World", "Spirituality and Resistance among African-Creoles", and much more. "The interweaving of blood and culture between Africans and Native Americans in the plantation regions may not have been as extensive as the interweaving between Africans and Europeans, but it ran deep where it occurred, much deeper than is acknowledged in the average North American history." Thoughtfully researched and engagingly presented, New Territories, New Perspectives is highly recommended especially for college library collections.


The Photography Shelf

It's Beautiful Here, Isn't It...
Germano Celant, author
Luigi Ghirri, photographer
Aperture Foundation
547 West 27th Street, New York, NY 10001
9781597110587, $55.00, www.aperature.org

"It's Beautiful Here, Isn't It..." is not just a book title; it's a statement that perfectly sums up this newest collection of photography from Luigi Ghirri. Filled with countless color photos, as well as essays covering Ghirri's reflections on the time he took the photos and the atmosphere surrounding the events, "It's Beautiful Here, Isn't It..." adds a personal touch to the gorgeous shots on film. "It's Beautiful Here, Isn't It..." is an ideal coffee table book and a top pick for community library photography collections.

Asian Indians of Chicago
Indo-American Center
Arcadia Publishing
420 Wando Park Blvd., Mount Pleasant, SC 29464
c/o Tempus Publishing, Inc.
3047 N. Lincoln Ave., Suite 410, Chicago, IL 60657
0738519987, $19.99 www.arcadiapublishing.com 1-888-313-2665

Today, East Indians are the largest Asian-American group in the Chicago area. Asian Indians of Chicago brings the story of this Chicago community to life through black-and-white photography as well as select personal documents. Each photograph has a descriptive caption; together they show people at work, at play, at social gatherings, at festivals, or simply going about their day-to-day lives. Asian Indians of Chicago is thoroughly enjoyable to simply page through, and a wondrous visual treasury of a vibrant, thriving culture.


The Computer Shelf

No Stress Tech Guide Microsoft Works 9
Indera E. Murphy
Tolana Publishing
PO Box 719, Teaneck, NJ 07666
9780977391271, $43.99, www.tolanapublushing.com

Microsoft Works 9, while easy to use for the most basic of purposes, is difficult to master. "No Stress Tech Guide to Microsoft Works 9" is the manual that should have been included with the product in the first place, covering every aspect of the program from word processing to spreadsheets, to databases and so much more. Speaking in a technophobe friendly, at times humorous, conversational tone throughout, it's one manual that is not a complete chore to read. The "No Stress Tech Guide to Microsoft Works 9" is a top pick for anyone trying to master the application, and for community library computer collections. Also recently released in the No Stress Tech Guide series is the "No Stress Tech Guide to Crystal Reports Basic for Visual Studio 2008 for Beginners" (9780977391288, $59.99), which is as informed and informative as the first.

Murach's Java Servlets and JSP, second edition
Joel Murach & Andrea Steelman
Murach
4340 N. Knoll, Fresno, CA 93722-7825
9781890774448, $52.50, www.murach.com

Java can be used in countless applications and websites with very little problems from the viewer; an ideal component for a designer. The second edition of "Murach's Java Servlets and JSP" is a complete and comprehensive technical guide for those who wish to master the program and use it to its very fullest. Covering just about anything one can do with the program, and enhanced with a web address that can be accessed for further resources for programmers, "Murach's Java Servlets and JSP" is a top pick for community library collections.


The Business Shelf

A Practical Application of Supply Chain Management Principles
Thomas I. Schoenfeldt
ASQ Press
600 N. Plankinton Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53203
9780873897365, $50.00, www.asq.org

Buying and selling products is not as simple buy product, sell product. "A Practical Application of Supply Chain Management Principles" is a look at the entire chain that keeps America living the lifestyle that America is known for – graced with such luxuries as supermarkets, department stores, and other commercial shops. Teach readers how to fully understand the supply chain process, as well as how to manage a long supply chain oneself, "A Practical Application of Supply Chain Management Principles" is a scholarly, complete, and comprehensive look at supply as a whole. "A Practical Application of Supply Chain Management Principles" is an excellent addition to college library business collections.

How to Prepare a Business Plan
Edward Blackwell
Kogan Page
525 South 4th Street, #241, Philadelphia PA 19147
9780749449810, $24.95, www.kogan-page.co.uk

Planning is invaluable; no one has ever maximized their business success by just winging it. "How to Prepare a Business Plan" is a scholarly handbook, taking a look at how to create the best business plan possible for one's company. Focusing on managing income and expenses, expanding, taking out loans, and meticulously watching for early warning signs of failure, "How to Prepare a Business Plan" is an excellent choice for entrepreneurs and a top pick for community library business collections.

Branding Your Business
James Hammond
Kogan Page
525 South 4th Street, #241, Philadelphia, PA 19147
9780749450731, $24.95, www.koganpage.com

Coca Cola, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Fruit of the Loom – all names which provoke images to consumers. "Branding Your Business: Promoting Your Business, Attracting Customers and Standing Out in the Market Place" examines how brands are is essential to the business of anyone who wants to gain a strong market share. Exploring how brands make a grand mark in people's minds and how to use those emotions to sell one's product, "Branding Your Business: Promoting Your Business, Attracting Customers and Standing Out in the Market Place" is highly recommended for any community library business collection and anyone who may have to manage a brand.

Make It Glow
Tom Decotiis
Greenleaf Book Group Press
4425 Mo Pac South, Suite 600, Austin, TX 78735
Booth Media Group (publicist)
1386 Nightshade Road, Carlsbad, CA 92011
9781929774470, $24.95, www.greenleafbookgroup.com

Charisma is that intangible quality that just seems to make some people more likable than others. "Make It Glow: How to Build a Company Reputation for Human Goodness, Flawless Execution, and Being Best in Class" argues that charisma is something that businesses can have as well. Positive public image can be invaluable to any business; the public perception that a business is run by good people who care about others rather than just a stereotypical money grubbing evil corporation can make all the difference. "Make It Glow: How to Build a Company Reputation for Human Goodness, Flawless Execution, and Being Best in Class" is highly recommended to anyone in charge of a business and for community library business collections.


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

Pariah
Thomas Zigal
Toby Press
PO Box 8531, New Milford, CT 06776-8531
9781592641611, $9.95, www.tobypress.com

To state that one is being stalked by someone one was accused of killing two decades ago is odd. To turn up dead anyway is flat out bizarre. "Pariah" is the story of Sheriff Kurt Muller as he investigates the conundrum of Nicole Bauer and her relationship with Rocky Rhodes – a man who died twenty years earlier. Nicole claims Rocky is after her despite this impossibility and soon turns up dead; the rap is placed on Kurt. To clear his own name, he has to dig to the bottom of this enigma. "Pariah" is an intriguing mystery-thriller all the way through, and a top pick for community library collections.

The Streets of Babylon
Carina Burman
Marion Boyars Publishers
9780714531380, $16.95, www.marionboyars.co.uk

1851, London, England - a land of pimps, mollies, and waifs. "The Streets of Babylon: A London Mystery" is the story of a few people's attempts to dig their way through the hordes of ne'er-do-wells that infest the London underworld as they search for Agnes, someone they fear may already be dead. A deftly composed crime drama set in a grimy yet intriguing setting, "The Streets of Babylon" is a top pick for any looking for a good mystery.

Dot.Dead
Keith Raffel
Midnight Ink
2143 Wooddale Drive, Dept. 073870833X, Woodbury, MN 55125-2989
Anita Halton Associates
559 Alta Vista Way, Laguna Beach, CA 92651
9780738708331, $13.95, www.midnightinkbooks.com

There are things that one never wants one's maid to do – such as being dead in one's bed. "Dot.Dead: A Silicon Valley Mystery" follows Ian Michaels as he happens upon this situation and immediately finds himself the top suspect in the investigation. With the help of his maid's sister, he tries to clear his name, find out who framed him for it all, and glean the answer to the most important question of all – why? "Dot.Dead: A Silicon Valley Mystery" is a top pick for mystery fans and community library collections catering to them.


The Women's Studies Shelf

Why Women Shouldn't Marry
Cynthia S. Smith & Hillary B. Smith
Barricade Books
185 Bridge Plaza North, Suite 308-A, Fort Lee, NJ 07024
9781569803448, $15.95, www.barricadebooks.com

Marriage and having lots of children is the American Dream, right? "Why Women Shouldn't Marry: Being Single by Choice" is a look at today's modern woman – and how the standard of marriage is no longer a requirement for happiness and at times should be avoided. Marriage occasionally is an act of desperation and fear undertaken by women who, lacking self-confidence in themselves, want the supposed security that a man seemingly provides. A deftly written examination of the institution of marriage, "Why Women Shouldn't Marry: Being Single by Choice" is a top pick for community library women's studies collections and for any woman having self-doubt about her future.


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

Clan of the Dung-Sniffers
Lee Danielle Hubbard
Edge
PO Box 1714, Calgara, Alberta, Canada, T2P 2L7
9781894063050, $19.95, www.edgewebsite.com

Rebellion is the last option of the desperate and oppressed. "Clan of the Dung-Sniffers" follows the titular group as they are driven to restore the treasured object of their people, an icon known only as the radiance. They must overcome countless physical challenges alongside their self-doubt. A fantasy adventure about facing one's weaknesses head on, "Clan of the Dung Sniffers" is a top pick for anyone seeking something a bit different in their fantasy, and will likely be a popular lend in community library fantasy collections.


The Money/Finance Shelf

The Estate Planning Toolkit
Daniel Sitarz
Nova
1103 West College St., Carbondale, IL 62901
9781892949448, $39.95, www.novapublishing.com

Everyone will some day die, and almost everyone will leave something behind. "The Estate Planning Toolkit" is a guide for those who want to establish their last will and testament, with or without the help of attorneys. Covering all types of wills, from standard wills to living wills to power of attorney and exclusionaries, "The Estate Planning Toolkit" is complete and comprehensive in its focus. Enhanced with a CD ROM containing all the forms needed in both text and Adobe Acrobat form, "The Estate Planning Toolkit" is a must for anyone worrying about their family and for personal and community library financial shelves, as well as real estate management reference collections.


The Science Shelf

Astronomy and Astrophysics
A.B. Bhattacharya, S. Joardar, & R. Bhattacharya
Infinity Science Press
11 Leavitt Street, Hingham, MA 02043
9781934015056, $69.95, www.infinitysciencepress.com

The Universe is infinite and always expanding, as is mankind's understanding of it. "Astronomy and Astrophysics" is a scholarly, informed and informative look at humanity's current understanding of the Universe. Chapters focus on radio astronomy, optical astronomy, minor planets, the Big Bang theory, Einstein's theories, and many other topics that those in the field will find fascinating. Accompanied by a bonus CD ROM featuring NASA simulations, figures, and much more, "Astronomy and Astrophysics" is a complete a text on the subject as one can find in today's world, and highly recommended for college library physics collections.

Secrets of the Hoary Deep
Riccardo Giacconi
The Johns Hopkins University Press
2715 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218-4363
9780801888090, $45.00 www.press.jhu.edu 1-800-537-5487

Secrets of the Hoary Deep: A Personal History of Modern Astronomy recounts the amazing history of the science of x-ray astronomy from its inception to the modern day. Told by 2002 Nobel Prize in Physics winner and founding father of x-ray astronomy Riccardo Giacconi, Secrets of the Hoary Deep blends elements of memoir into the accounting, offering a personal touch into the story x-ray astronomy. A handful of black-and-white photographs illustrate this in-depth, engrossing account sure to fascinate lay readers and experts alike.

Of The Earth, Spheres, and Consequences
Michael S. Hamilton
Vantage Press
419 Park Ave. South, New York, NY 10016
0533134145, $24.95, www.vantagepress.com

Geology, Meteorology, and Hydrology – few people would call them their favorite subjects to talk about. Dr. Michael S. Hamilton seeks to change that with "Of the Earth, Spheres, and Consequences", a guide for non-specialist lay readers to the these fields of science, and successfully makes these subjects intriguing, interesting, and fascinating. An essential read addition to community library science collections.

Medicinal Plants of North America
Jim Meuninck
Falcon Press
c/o Globe Pequot Press
PO Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437
9780762742981, $16.95 www.falcon.com 1-800-243-0495

A welcome addition to the practical Falcon Guides series, Medicinal Plants of North America is a full-color field guide to North American plants used in medicine from traditional times to the modern day. Each entry describes the plant's traditional and modern uses, as well as veterinary/wildlife uses, and is careful to note any precautions that should be taken while dealing with the plant (warnings of toxicity, or against consuming specific plants while pregnant or lactating, are especially common). An excellent, easy-to-use field guide.

Geology Underfoot in Illinois
Raymond Wiggers
Mountain Press Publishing Company
PO Box 2399, Missoula, Montana 59806
087842346X, $18.00 www.mountain-press.com 1-800-234-5308

Geology Underfoot in Illinois is an amazing tour of the geological diversity and wonders to be found in the great state of Illinois. Readers of all backgrounds are sure to enjoy the geologic walking or driving tours of thirty-seven Illinois sites. Maps and black-and-white photographs enhance this wonderfully enriching complement to solo or family vacations. "The most accessible [canyon] from the Starved Rock footpath is French Canyon. One of the loveliest times to see it is in winter, when the falling streams have frozen into sparkling columns of ice. To me, these narrow rockbound defiles, with their horizontal ribbing of Paleozoic strata, define the Illinois landscape every bit as much as the prairies." Enthusiastically recommended for anyone who is eager to see all the natural wonders Illinois has to offer, not just its flora and fauna.


The Education Shelf

Personalizing the High School Experience
Joseph DiMartino & John H. Clarke
ASCD Books
1703 North Beauregard, Alexandria, VA 22311-1714
9781416606475, $27.95, www.acsd.org

Every student is different; that's why some people think of high school as the best time of their lives while others would rather erase those four years from their existence. "Personalizing the High School Experience" is an educator's guide that realizes this. Promoting that each teenager's learning should be customized to fit their needs and personalities, "Personalizing the High School Experience" is a deftly written handbook for educators, and a must for community library education collections.


The Military Shelf

Terrorist Recognition Handbook
Malcolm W. Nance
CRC Press
6000 Broken Sound Parkway, NW, Suite 300, Boca Raton, FL 33487
9781420071832, $59.95, www.taylorandfrancisgroup.com

The attacks of 9/11 have put America into the awareness of terrorists within its borders more than ever. "Terrorist Recognition Handbook: A Practitioner's Manual for Predicting and Identifying Terrorist Activities" is a manual for those in charge of tracking down these criminals. Covering the origins of terrorists and what makes them do what they do, "Terrorist Recognition Handbook" offers an examination of common and uncommon terrorist tactics – and how to identify an attack before it happens. Presented in an easy to use handbook format, "Terrorist Recognition Handbook: A Practitioner's Manual for Predicting and Identifying Terrorist Activities" is highly recommended for those in charge of security and community library military collections.

America's First Lost Nuclear Weapon
Norman S. Leach
Red Deer Press
195 Allstate Parkway, Markham, Ontario, Canada L3R 4T8
9780889953482, $19.95, www.reddeerpress.com

The start of the 1950s began with one of the deadliest things ever created by humanity just up and disappearing. "Broken Arrow: America's First Lost Nuclear Weapon" is the story of America's near-fatal mistake that could have cost the world millions of lives. When a simulated bombing run went wrong, the world lucked out; the bomb washed up in British Columbia, Canada – a nation with sense enough not to do the world wrong with it. Many questions arise however, and "Broken Arrow: America's First Lost Nuclear Weapon" is a deft examination of them all, highly recommended for community library military history shelves.

The Army After Next
Thomas K. Adams
Stanford Security Studies
c/o Stanford University Press
1450 Page Mill Road, Palo Alto, CA 94304-1124
9780804759687, $29.95 www.sup.org

Written by national security consultant Thomas K. Adams, a veteran of thirty-four years of military service primarily in intelligence and special operations, The Army After Next: The First Postindustrial Army is an in-depth examination of how the U.S. Army and the Department of Defense have tried to hone the capabilities promised by the ongoing high-tech "revolution in military affairs", or RMA. Specifically, the RMA is characterized by technological innovation, operational concepts or doctrines, and organizational adaptation. Special attention is paid to the effect that the RMA has had on the American operations in Afghanistan and Iraq; Adams warns that some of the problems in both nations originate in the Department of Defense's inflexible demand to utilize RMA-driven concepts and transformational operations, whether they were appropriate for the given venue or not. Though the RMA has altered the structure of the armed forces, its vision is all too often dependent on unproven or even uncontrollable assumptions or capabilities beyond what is immediately available (such as the lack of a suitable information technology network). Above all, Adams warns that America must be willing to fight the war it has, not the war it wants to have. A sobering, critical wake-up call, accessible to readers of all backgrounds but especially recommended reading for career military officers and strategists.

Anatomy of Perjury
Richard Raiber, MD
University of Delaware Press
c/o Associated University Press
440 Forsgate Drive, Cranbury, NJ 08512
9780874139945, $55.00 http://www2.lib.udel.edu/udpress 1-609-655-4770

Anatomy of Perjury: Field Marshal Albert Kesselring, Via Rasella, and the GINNY Mission is a scholarly treatise piecing together the answer to a World War II mystery - and the lies that enabled German Field Marshal Albert Kesselring to escape execution for his war crime. In the failed GINNY II mission, an Office of Strategic Services operational group landed on the Ligurian coast north of La Spezia with orders to destroy party of the coastal railroad; when the mission failed, the Allied soldiers surrendered to enemy forces. Two days later, they were executed. Author Richard Raiber engaged in meticulous research of microfilmed German operational records to reveal that Albert Kesselring was present at La Spezia, and undoubtedly confirmed the order to execute captured American soldiers in regulation uniforms. His efforts to cover his tracks, including the perjury of his subordinates, saved him from the death sentence swiftly meted out to General Anton Dostler, who was also complicit in the war crime. A detailed, in-depth study, especially recommended for college library and World War II military history shelves.


The International Studies Shelf

The Encyclopedia of the Arab-Israeli Conflict
Spencer C. Tucker, editor
Priscilla Mary Roberts, documents volume editor
ABC-CLIO
PO Box 1911, Santa Barbara, CA 93116-1911
9781851098415, $395.00 www.abc-clio.com 1-800-368-6868

A four-volume set, The Encyclopedia of the Arab-Israeli Conflict: A Political, Social, and Military History is an in-depth scrutiny of one of the most vicious, implacable, and long-running territorial disputes in the history of the world. In the past sixty years, the proliferation of nuclear weapons and the increased scarcity of oil have dramatically amplified the global consequences of this conflict. The Encyclopedia of the Arab-Israeli Conflict provides an impartial wealth of information on this hot topic in over 750 alphabetically organized entries covering key people, places, events, and social topics. Each entry is enhanced with cross references and recommendations for further reading. Maps and photographs add a visual aid to comprehending this complicated issue. The final "documents" volume of The Encyclopedia of the Arab-Israeli Conflict is a collection of more than 150 primary sources. The result is an accessible, exhaustive and invaluable reference to a potentially critical modern issue, and carries the absolute highest recommendation for public and college libraries as well as international reference collections.

Vietnam: The (Last) War the U.S. Lost
Joe Allen
Haymarket Books
PO Box 180165, Chicago, IL 60618
9781931859493, $14.00 www.haymarketbooks.org 1-773-583-7884

Vietnam: The (Last) War the U.S. Lost is an unflinching history of the United States involvement in the Vietnam war - America's motives, its cruelties, and why America ultimately failed to win the war, along with comparisons to the modern-day situation in Iraq. Vietnam: The (Last) War the U.S. Lost takes especial pains to attack common American myths about the Vietnam War, particularly the idea that Americans were caught in the middle of a conflict between stable Vietnamese governments. In fact, America was propping up a horrendously incompetent, inefficient, and repressive puppet government that represented only a tiny part of the Vietnamese population - mostly its landholding elite. The South Vietnamese government further stirred up resentment among the majority of the population by overturning land reform, in effect demanding that peasants give up land and pay heavy back taxes to their former landlords. As a result, Ho Chi Minh and his North Vietnamese government had overwhelming popular support, which was only further intensified by American brutalities against Vietnamese civilians. A section of the American population recognized the injustices being perpetrated in the Vietnamese war, and actively worked to oppose it; and among the armed forces, resentment against the war expressed itself in ways ranging from absences without leave to incidents of "fragging" (maiming or murdering, often by means of a fragmentation grenade) unpopular officers. This trifecta is what ultimately brought victory to one of the world's poorest nations over one of the world's richest - but it was a victory with a high cost, as the effects of American poisons, defoliants, and the memory of American massacres linger to this day. "Now the big question: 'Is Iraq the next Vietnam?' The answer is that it could be. That will be determined by two forces: the Iraqi people and the American working class." Though not a politically neutral account, Vietnam: The (Last) War the U.S. Lost is carefully researched and deserves a thorough examination especially in today's era when the lasting harm America did in Vietnam is all too easily forgotten... at least stateside.


The World History Shelf

A History of Egypt
Jason Thompson
The American University in Cairo Press
420 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY USA 10018-2729
International Publishers Marketing (distributor)
22841 Quicksilver Drive, Dulles, VA 20166
9789774160912, $29.95 www.aucpress.com 1-800-758-3756

A History of Egypt: From Earliest Times to the Present is a one-volume survey of Egyptian history from its earliest known human civilization to the present day. Though penned with scholarly rigor, A History of Egypt is accessible to readers of all backgrounds, and features a brief inset section of black-and-white photographic plates. "The most astonishing reversal of Egypt's relationship with the rest of the world has aroused little comment. During the Nasser years Egypt ceased being a net food producer and became a net food importer. The country that once provided food not only for itself but also for many others can no longer feed itself... The amount of arable land added by the construction of the High Dam has been more than wiped out by urbanization... Such development would be better located in the desert." An index rounds out this thoughtful and thorough history. Highly recommended, especially for public and college library shelves.

Patrons, Partisans, and Palace Intrigues
Christoph Rosenmuller
University of Calgary Press
2500 University Drive, N.W., Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 1N4
9781552382349, $34.95 www.uofcpress.com 1-800-565-3770

Patrons, Partisans, and Palace Intrigues: The Court Society of Colonial Mexico, 1702-1710 is a scholarly reconstruction of the social networks and intrigues in the court of Viceroy Duke of Alburquerque (1702-1710). Author Christoph Rosenmuller (assistant professor in the Department of History, Middle Tennessee State University) reveals the devastating depth of corruption in the Duke's court, including the alliances he built with the local population to deny reform efforts originating from Spain. The Duke collaborated with contraband traders, acted against the secularization of Indian parishes, and accused local craftsmen and merchants of treason (imprisoning some and allowing them to die in jail) to uplift his own credentials as a "loyal" official. Ultimately, the royal court of Madrid demanded revenge, and Albuquerque had to pay an astronomical (by the terms of the day) 700,000 silver pesos to return to the king's good graces. A fascinating, minutely detailed reconstruction of historical human treachery.


The Martial Arts Shelf

Silent Killing: Nazi Counters to Fairbairn-Sykes Techniques
Paladin Press
7077 Winchester Circle, Boulder, CO 80301
9781581606485, $19.95 www.paladin-press.com 1-800-392-2400

Silent Killing: Nazi Counters to Fairbairn-Sykes Techniques is the annotated English translation of a German World War II combat manual devised specifically to help German sentries defend themselves against the lethal "Silent Killing" techniques that close-combat expert W.E. Fairbiarn and E.A. Sykes taught to Allied soldiers, paratroopers, and commandos during World War II. Originally printed in 1942 for German troops in occupied Norway (and presumably not distributed outside that country), the manual is now available in its first ever English translation. The original German text and black-and-white photographs are also included, in this historical and practical martial arts relic. Especially recommended for any students, researchers or practitioners of Fairbairn-Sykes Techniques and defenses against them.


The Civil War Shelf

Fear in North Carolina
Karen L. Clinard and Richard Russell
Reminiscing Books
1070-1 Tunnel Road, Suite 10, #326, Asheville, NC 28805
John F. Blair, Publisher (distribution)
1406 Plaza Drive, Winston-Salem, NC 27103
9780979396137, $29.95 www.blairpub.com 1-800-222-9796

Fear in North Carolina: The Civil War Journals and Letters of the Henry Family collects three journals written by Cornelia Henry between 1861 and 1868, which reveal a personal portrayal of one western North Carolina family's experiences before, during, and after the American Civil War. Cornelia tells of her daily life, rumors and news of the war, raids by Union soldiers, occupation of Asheville by Union troops, the actions of newly freed slaves, and the difficulties following the war. An honest and empathetic primary source, highly recommended.


The Gaming Shelf

How to Beat Sit & Go Poker Tournaments
Neil Timothy
Cardoza Publishing
PO Box 1500, Cooper Station, New York, NY 10276
9781580422239, $14.95, www.cardozapub.com

There is money to be made in low level poker tournaments. "How to Beat Sit & Go Poker Tournaments: A No-Limit Hold'Em Guide to Beating Sit & Gos" is a guide to winning these sit & go tournaments. The most common form of these tournaments exist online and take only one or two hours, yet can be very lucrative if one takes into account the strategies found in this guide. Examining the flaws in failed strategies while providing alternatives and more successful tactics, "How to Beat Sit & Go Poker Tournaments: A No Limit Hold'Em Guide to Beating Sit & Gos" is highly recommended for anyone looking to improve their game.

Secrets of Spectacular Chess, second edition
Jonathan Levitt & David Friedgood
Everyman Chess
c/o The Globe Pequot Press
PO Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437
9781857445510, $24.95 www.everymanchess.com 1-800-243-0495

Now in an expanded second edition packed with new examples, studies, problems, and ideas, Secrets of Spectacular Chess is a guide for practical chess players of intermediate to advanced skill. Yet Secrets of Spectacular Chess is more than a logical gameplay guide; the aesthetics of chess are delved into at length (the elements of chess beauty are defined by the aspects of paradox, depth, geometry, and flow). Further chapters address "Tactical Fantasies: The Charm of Studies", "Art for Art's Sake: The Delight of Chess Problems", and much more. A "must-have" for chess enthusiasts, Secrets of Spectacular Chess is highly recommended for its thoughtful look at not only the complex logical heart of the game, but also its soul.


The Archaeology Shelf

Pre-Columbian Jamaica
P. Allsworth-Jones
The University of Alabama Press
PO Box 870380, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0380
9780817354664, $39.95 www.uapress.ua.edu 1-800-621-2736

Written by P. Allsworth-Jones, a research fellow in the Department of Archaeology at the University of Sheffield England, Pre-Columbian Jamaica is extensive attempt to collect aggregate evidence and research about prehistoric Jamaica into a single volume. Though Pre-Columbian Jamaica offers ample commentary on this evidence and can be read as a narrative, its true value lies in its accompanying CD-ROM brimming with illustrations, data, calculations, measurements, and comparisons - more information than can be published in printed form at a reasonable price. (The CD-ROM requires Microsoft Windows XP, Microsoft Access 2002 or higher, and 100 MB free space to use). In-depth information on the CD-ROM concerning two hundred and seventy-one prehistoric sites in Jamaica makes Pre-Columbian Jamaica an absolute "must-have" for serious students and scholars of early Jamaican archaeology, and highly recommended for college and graduate school libraries as well.


The Antiques/Collectibles Shelf

Fostoria Stemware, second edition
Milbra Long & Emily Seate
Collector Books
PO Box 3009, Paducah, Kentucky 42002-3009
9781574325836, $29.95, www.collectorbooks.com

Glasses can be both functional and decorative, so it should be no surprise that people have taken to collecting them. "Fostoria Stemware: The Crystal for America" is a complete and comprehensive value guide, masterfully compiled and in a new and revised second edition. Covering glass making and collection across over four hundred years of American history, "Fostoria Stemware" is a must for any collector of crystal glasses.


The Needlecraft Shelf

Table Toppers
Debbie Field
Landauer
3100, 101st Street, Suite A, Urbandale, IA 50322
9780979371158, $24.95, www.landauercorp.com

The natural world has always been one of humanity's greatest inspirations. "Table Toppers: Celebrating the Great Outdoors" is a guide packed with great quilting ideas, inspired by the outdoor world. Taking patterns from plant life such as flowers and trees, and even drawing inspiration from outdoor activities such as ice skating, "Table Toppers" features almost twenty easily executed projects, one hundred and fifty patterns, and over a hundred full color photographs. A must for any quilter who loves the outside world, and recommended for community library needlecraft shelves.


The Woodworking Shelf

Speed Toys for Boys
A. J. LaBerge
Linden Publishing
2006 South Mary, Fresno, CA 93721-9875
9781933502182, $12.95 www.woodworkerslibrary.com 1-800-345-4447

Originally published in 1928 (an era when pushmobile contests were popular among kids), Speed Toys for Boys is a classic woodworking guide to crafting wheeled devices, including carts, scooters, pushmobiles and more. Straightforward instructions, specific material requirement lists, and black-and-white diagrams make the projects as accessible and easy-to-follow today as they were eighty years ago. An ideal resource for woodworking hobbyists and parents looking to share involved, hands-on crafting (and racing!) projects with their children.


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


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