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Wisconsin Bookwatch

Volume 12, Number 7 July 2017 Home | WBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Biography Shelf Cookbook Shelf
Fiction Shelf Mystery/Suspense Shelf Woodworking Shelf
Needlecraft Shelf Metaphysical Studies Shelf Graphic Novel Shelf
Audiobook Shelf Music CD Shelf DVD Shelf
Gardening Shelf Music Shelf Christian Studies Shelf
Gaming Shelf Education Shelf Travel Shelf
Hunting/Fishing Shelf Automotive Shelf Business Shelf
Crafts Shelf Art Shelf Fantasy/SciFi Shelf
American History Shelf Military Shelf Coloring Book Shelf
Philosophy Shelf    


Reviewer's Choice

The Great Outdoors: A User's Guide
Brendan Leonard
Artisan Books
c/o Workman Publishing Company
225 Varick Street, New York, NY 10014-4381
www.artisanbooks.com
9781579657079, $24.95, HC, 320pp, www.amazon.com

"The Great Outdoors: A User's Guide: Everything You Need to Know Before Heading into the Wild" by Brendan Leonard (who is a writer and filmmaker whose work focuses on travel and adventure and the human experience with both) is an easy and comprehensive introduction to outdoor life that will ensure that even the most novice of outdoor enthusiasts won't get lost in the woods while finding an activity he or she loves to do in the great outdoors. Featuring some 400 strategies for engaging in the outdoors, and expert tips and tricks, "The Great Outdoors: A User's Guide" makes Mother Nature easier to understand than ever before. Leonard also shares survival skills ranging from how to bandage a wound and read a topographical map, to how to drive on sand and safely remove a tick. Organized thematically and written in short takeaway entries with line drawings, "The Great Outdoors: A User's Guide" is a friendly, effective, practical way into the outdoor lifestyle. Thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "The Great Outdoors: A User's Guide" is very highly recommended, especially for community and academic library collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of aspiring outdoor enthusiasts that "The Great Outdoors: A User's Guide" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99).

Prepper's Total Grid Failure Handbook
Alan Fiebig & Arlene Fiebig
Ulysses Press
PO Box 3440, Berkeley CA 94703-3440
www.ulyssespress.com
9781612436371, $15.95, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com

Batteries don't last forever. Self-reliant, renewable electricity is vitally necessary in order to successfully survive a long-term disaster. "Prepper's Total Grid Failure Handbook" by Alan and Arlene Fiebig teaches how to create your own power by choosing cost-efficient solar panels; incorporating a micro-hydro system; or harnessing the wind with turbines. "Prepper's Total Grid Failure Handbook" also covers the problems of managing energy story through selecting durable battery banks; rewiring for energy efficiency; and control energy consumption. Even in the absence of a disaster, with "Prepper's Total Grid Failure Handbook" anyone can learn to live comfortably on less by installing a high-efficiency refrigerator and LEDs; using a human-powered washing machine; and in charging laptops and cell phones. Written in an approachable, easy-to-understand style, "Prepper's Total Grid Failure Handbook" is the ultimate instructional guide and manual to creating, storing and utilizing lifesaving power in the most critical circumstances, and provides the dedicated prepper with everything needed to survive long-term without grid power. While unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists and reference collections that "Prepper's Total Grid Failure Handbook" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99).

Motherprayer: Lessons in Loving
Barbara Mahany
Abingdon Press
2222 Rosa L. Parks Blvd., PO Box 280988, Nashville, TN 37228-0988
www.abingdonpress.com
9781501827273, $18.99, HC, 224pp, www.amazon.com

In "Motherprayer: Lessons in Loving", Barbara Mahany generously shares personal love letters on the mysteries and gifts of mothering, interspersed with family recipes and gentle essays, all offering beautiful lessons in how to love, and how to love well. In her bracingly honest style, she captures the ephemeral moments of motherhood, including the hard, the glorious, the laughter, and the tears, and then invites her readers to pay attention, cradle our loved ones in prayer, and see the sacred lessons in loving. These stirring meditations bring into sharp focus one essential question: How do we love breathtakingly? Inspired and inspiring, "Motherprayer: Lessons in Loving" is a life-affirming, life-enhancing, life-embracing read from cover to cover. While very highly recommended for community library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Motherprayer: Lessons in Loving" is also available in a Kindle format ($13.25). Librarians should be aware that "Motherprayer: Lessons in Loving" is available as an MP3 Una audio book (Brilliance Audio, 9781543627480, $9.99).


The Biography Shelf

My War in Italy
Keith W. Mason
University of Missouri Press
113 Heinkel Bldg., 201 S. 7th St., Columbia, MO 65211
www.umsystem.edu/upress
9780826220592 $32.95 amazon.com

Part of "The American Military Experience Series", My War in Italy: On the Ground and in Flight with the 15th Air Force is the true-life autobiography of American pilot Keith Mason with emphasis on his military service during World War II. He was squadron officer in the 460th Bomb Group, 15th Air Force in Spinazzola, Italy. Mason successfully persuaded his superiors that he would be more useful as a squadron operations overseas than a flight instructor in Arizona. His war stories include tales of enduring mind-crushing boredom, flagrant incompetence, and overwhelming fear. "Airmen didn't live from day to day but rather from mission to mission. They learned to tolerate the danger, fear, bone-chilling cold, and long hours in cramped confinement. Given the relentless sence of insecurity and uncertainty, aircrews were subject to intense psychological trauma." A riveting read from cover to cover, My War in Italy is highly recommended for both public library collections and personal reading lists.

Cloud Messenger
Karen Trollope-Kumar
FriesenPress
www.friesenpress.com
9781460287699, $24.99, HC, 348pp, www.amazon.com

Canadian medical student, Karen Trollope-Kumar went to India to study social and preventive medicine and met a young pediatrician named Pradeep. His dream of working in the Himalayan foothills captured her imagination, and the man captured her heart. They married in a Hindu wedding ceremony and pledged to share a life of service and spiritual growth. "Cloud Messenger: Love and Loss in the Indian Himalayas" is the poignant, heartwarming, intensely personal, and gently humorous memoir in which Karen recounts an eleven-year chapter of their unusual lives. She and Pradeep worked as medical doctors in the Himalayas, first in a rural hospital and later in remote mountain villages. When disasters struck (an assassination, an earthquake, a political crisis) their ideals, their safety, and their relationship were put at risk. "The Cloud Messenger" is a story of adventure and idealism, culture and medicine, faith and love, and it raises enduring questions such as: How can we cross religious and cultural boundaries? What happens to our dreams in the face of danger and disillusionment? And when dreams diverge, when one spouse can no longer continue on a certain path, what path do we choose? Candid, informative, thoughtful, engaging, an inherently fascinating account from beginning to end, "Cloud Messenger" reveals a fascinating life lived in 'interesting times' and will prove to be a welcome and appreciated addition to both community and academic library Contemporary Biography collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Cloud Messenger" is also available in a paperback edition (9781460287705, $15.95) and in a Kindle format ($3.03).

Lucky Jim
James Hart
Cleis Press
101 Hudson Street, Suite 3705, Jersey City, New Jersey 07302
www.cleispress.com
9781627782142, $17.95, PB, 240pp, www.amazon.com

James Hart is a former business executive and CEO of the award-winning literary magazine, DoubleTake. His collection of poems, Milding, was published in 2004. For several years he was a board member of the National Council on Alcoholism, and in 2005 he cofounded OUT for Work, a career fair development program for the LGBT community in New York City. "Lucky Jim" is his memoir recounting the story of how he survived a violent childhood home, found incredible words inside him, created a love that was both so right and so wrong, and finally found the strength to be his true self. Jim is a master at building relationships. Charming, funny, and a great listener with a guru's insight, his success in life and business was based on his ability to connect with others, from people recovering in 12-step groups in Upstate New York to those living in the rarified air of Martha's Vineyard. But after 20+ years sober, one slip-up triggered an active addiction that threatened his relationships with his then-wife, singer-songwriter Carly Simon, his recovery friends, his severely disabled son, and even with himself as he began to confront his sexuality. An inherently fascinating and impressively candid read from beginning to end, "Lucky Jim" is especially recommended for community and academic library Contemporary American Biography collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Lucky Jim" is also available in a digital book format ($11.49). Librarians should be aware that "Lucky Jim" is also available as a complete and unabridged audio book (Dreamscape Media, 9781520075358, $29.99, CD).

The Animals' Freedom Fighter
Jon Hochschartner
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
www.mcfarlandpub.com
9781476668185, $35.00, PB, 216pp, www.amazon.com

Founded in the 1970s and today active in more than 40 countries, the Animal Liberation Front has in recent years been considered a domestic terrorist group by both the FBI and the Southern Poverty Law Center--despite the ALF's official stance of nonviolence. A clandestine, phantom cell organization, the ALF has functioned as a sort of Underground Railroad for captive animals, executing raids and attacks on animal testing facilities. Yet little has been written about the group or its founder. With unprecedented access by biographer Jon Hochschartner, "The Animals' Freedom Fighter" is the story of Ronnie Lee, the unassuming British activist who launched an extremist movement that continues to use intimidation and economic sabotage to advance its cause. A seminal biographical study, "The Animals' Freedom Fighter" is an inherently fascinating and informative read. While very highly recommended for both community and academic library Biography collections, it should be noted for non-specialist general readers with an interest in the Animal Liberation Front that "The Animals' Freedom Fighter" is also available in a digital book format ($9.99).


The Cookbook Shelf

The Zen Kitchen
Adam Liaw
Hamlyn
c/o Octopus Publishing
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9780600634744, $34.99, HC, 240pp, www.amazon.com

Adam Liaw is a cook, author and television presenter as well as the winner of MasterChef Australia. In "The Zen Kitchen: Real Japanese Family Food" he presents a compendium of recipes and instructions that will enable even the most novice of kitchen cooks to prepare healthy, delicious Japanese recipes at home, and discover Zen philosophies to guide them and their families to healthier, more enjoyable meal times. Beautifully and profusely illustrated throughout, the palate pleasing, appetite satisfying dishes rang from Nukazuke Pickles; Brown Butter, Salmon Flake and Shiitake Toast; Cherry Tomato Miso Soup; and Snapper Chirimushi; to Chicken and Prawn Chawanmushi; Quick Soy-Steeped Spinach; Eggplant Nibitashi; and Vegetable Skewers with Miso-Dare. Very highly recommended, "The Zen Kitchen" is certain to be an appreciated and popular addition to personal, family, professional, and academic library ethnic cookbook collections.

PNW Veg
Kim O'Donnel
Sasquatch Books
1904 Third Avenue, Suite 710, Seattle, WA 98101
www.sasquatchbooks.com
9781632170538, $29.95, HC, 272pp, www.amazon.com

Kim O'Donell is a twenty-year veteran of the food world as a chef, journalist, and teacher. She has dispensed culinary advice and covered food policy for numerous publications, including Civil Eats, the Washington Post, and USA Today. In "PNW Veg: 100 Vegetable Recipes Inspired by the Local Bounty of the Pacific Northwest" her focus in on palate pleasing, appetite satisfying, vegetable-based dishes that would be suitable for any and all dining occasions. Beautifully illustrated, the recipes range from Brothy White Beans with Garlic and Rosemary; Roasted Nightshade Salad; Planked Artichokes with Lavender-Rosemary Crumbs and Miso Butter; Spaghetti with Slow-Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Skillet Onions; Barbecue-Braised Collards and Chickpeas; to Potato-Only Frittata with Smoky Sweet Pepper Sauce; Blackberry Tofu Pud; Cranberry-Caramel-Baked Apples with Honeyed Mascarpone; Rhubarb-Apple Crisp with Hazelnut Streusel; and Robin's Mushroom Conserva. With all the recipes deftly organized into major thematically grouped sections (Starters & Snacks; Soups; Salads; Sides; Savory Pancakes, Patties & Tarts; Grains & Pastas; Protein; Sweet Things; Fridge & Freezer Pantry Items), "PNW Veg" is a delight to simply browse through and inspiring to plan menus with. While very highly recommended for personal, family, and community library cookbook collections, it should be noted that "PNW Veg" is also available in a Kindle format ($14.99).

The Fabulous Fiber Cookbook
Sandra Woodruff
Square One Publishers
115 Herricks Road, Garden City Park, NY 11040
www.squareonepublishers.com
9780757004216, $16.95, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com

Nutrient fiber is a vital, essential, life-sustaining part of the human diet. The benefits of fiber range from improved digestion, to protection against cardiovascular disease and diabetes, to better weight control, and more. But to truly profit from fiber, it's vital to get it from nutrient-packed foods like fruits and vegetables. In "The Fabulous Fiber Cookbook: Great Recipes You Can't Live Without", Sandra Woodruff (who has a master's of science in food and nutrition from Florida State University and specializes in diet-related health problems) has compiled a compendium of palate pleasing, appetite satisfying, kitchen cook friendly recipes for nutrient fiber oriented dishes that are easy to prepare as they are absolutely delicious. Ranging from Creamy Wheat Cereal; Chicken, Barley & Corn Chowder; Summertime Cobb Salad; and Spicy Red Beans & Rice; to Spaghetti with Brussels Sprouts, Pine Nuts & Parmesan; Kale-Quinoa Salad; and Glazed Almonds, the recipes comprising "The Fabulous Fiber Cookbook" are a pleasure to browse through and ideal for planning menus with. Certain to be an enduringly popular addition to personal, family, and community library cookbook collections, it should be noted that "The Fabulous Fiber Cookbook" also features an extensive and informative "Fiber Facts" section.

The Harvest Baker
Ken Haedrich
Storey Publishing
210 Mass MoCA Way, North Adams, MA 01247
www.storey.com
9781612127675, $19.95, PB, 304pp, www.amazon.com

Showcasing 150 sweet and savory recipes that celebrating the fresh-picked flavors of fruits, herbs and vegetables, "The Harvest Baker" award-winning cookbook author Ken Haedrich serves up nutritious, delicious, and thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' recipes for baked goods that go far beyond the steadfast basics of zucchini bread and carrot cake. Even the most novice of family cooks can turn out dishes ranging from Bacon, Cheddar, and Fresh Corn Muffins, to Fresh Fennel and Italian Sausage Pizza, to Spaghetti Squash and Parmesan Quiche, to Brown Sugar Rhubarb Tart Squares All the scrumptious recipes comprising "The Harvest Baker" add nutrition plus amazing flavor to every meal of the day. The breadth of this impressive culinary collection is truly extraordinary. While very highly recommended for personal, family, and community library cookbook collections, it should be noted that "The Harvest Baker" is also available in a digital book format ($9.99).


The Fiction Shelf

The Last Notch
Arnold Hano
Black Cat Books
c/o Stark House Press
1315 H Street, Eureka, CA 95501
www.starkhousepress.com
9781944520311, $9.99, PB, 232pp, www.amazon.com

Arnold Philip Hano (born March 2, 1922) is an American editor, novelist, biographer and journalist, best known for his non-fiction work. A simply riveting read from cover to cover, his novel "The Last Notch" is a deftly written noir western featuring an aging, self-hating gunslinger who takes on a job to kill the territorial governor who has become a threat to the local cattle ranchers. Of special note is an informative introduction by David Laurence Wilson, as well as a complete bibliography of both the fiction and non-fiction work of Arnold Hano -- including those books written under various pseudonyms. Now back in print for a new and appreciative generation of readers, "The Last Notch" is very highly recommended for community library Western Fiction collections and the personal reading lists of dedicated western action/adventure enthusiasts.

Jewish Mothers Never Die
Natalie David-Weill
Arcade Publishing
www.arcadepub.com
c/o Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018
www.skyhorsepublishing.com
9781628724073, $25.95, HC, 192pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In "Jewish Mothers Never Die" by Natalie David-Weill, each woman insists on being the force, the savior, the raison d'etre of her son's career and success. Written with an especially delicate touch by a novelist with a genuine flair for memorable storytelling, "Jewish Mothers Never Die" reveals in tender, funny, and searing portraits how some women continue to live through their children -- even after death. While very highly recommended, especially for community and academic library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Jewish Mothers Never Die" is also available in a paperback edition (9781628727913, $16.99) and in a Kindle format ($10.51).

The Discovery of Honey
Terry Griggs
Biblioasis
1520 Wyandotte Street East, Windsor, ON N9A 3L2, Canada
www.biblioasis.com
9781771961493, $14.95, PB, 192pp, www.amazon.com

"The Discovery of Honey" is an anthology by Terry Griggs comprised of short stories narrated by Hero, its hyper-precocious and nosily omniscient central character. Running wild even before she can walk, Hero goes on riotous road trips, dabbles in DIY dark magic, falls in and out of love with a feral bad-boy cousin, and kills a friendship with home truths. The result is funny business all around. Exceptionally well honed and crafted prose, unique and unfailingly entertaining scenarios, replete with deftly crafted and memorable characters, "The Discovery of Honey" is an especially recommended addition to both community and academic library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Discovery of Honey" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.45).

A Trail of Crumbs
Susie Finkbeiner
Kregel Publications
2450 Oak Industrial Drive, NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49505
www.kregel.com
9780825444463, $14.99, PB, 320pp, www.amazon.com

Pearl Spence has been through more in her young life than most folks could handle. But through it all, her family has been by her side. They may not be perfect, but they love her and they all love each other, come what may. That's one thing Pearl no longer questions. But the end of her beautiful day signals the beginning of the end of her secure life. Now her family is fleeing their Oklahoma wasteland. Pearl isn't sure she'll ever see home or happiness again. Are there any crumbs powerful enough to guide her back to the dependable life she once knew? Another deftly crafted novel of the Great Depression by author Susie Finkbeiner, "A Trail of Crumbs" is the sequel to "A Cup of Dust" (9780825443886, $14.99 PB, $1036 Kindle) and continues narrating the experiences of a young girl by the name of Pearl Spence. While very highly recommended as a consistently engaging, entertaining, and ultimately upbeat conclusion, "A Trail of Crumbs" will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to community library collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "A Trail of Crumbs" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.32).

Don't Worry, Life Is Easy
Agnes Martin-Lugand, author
Sandra Smith, translator
Weinstein Books
250 West 57th Street, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10107
www.weinsteinbooks.com
9781602863040, $24.00, HC, 256pp, www.amazon.com

Diane needs to start over again. After returning from Ireland and turning the page on her stormy relationship with Edward, the brooding Irish photographer, she is determined to rebuild her life in Paris with help from her best friend Felix. She focuses solely on getting her literary cafe back on track-until she meets Oliver. He is kind and thoughtful, and she may have a future with him...until she stumbles across her former love at a photography exhibit. What is Edward doing in Paris? Why didn't he reach out? Faced with a hail of questions, her old flame remains cold and unresponsive. Apparently, he, too, has moved on. In order to put the past behind her, Diane must go back over her tracks. Ireland saved her before. Can she get answers there and find peace again? A deftly written and thoroughly absorbing read from beginning to end, "Don't Worry, Life Is Easy" by French author Agnes Martin-Lugand is deftly translated into English for an American readership by Sandra Smith. The result is an original and entertaining novel that is very highly recommended, especially for community library General Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Don't Worry, Life Is Easy" is also available in a Kindle format ($12.99).

The Museum of Possibilities
Barbara Sibbald
The Porcupine's Quill
68 Main Street, PO Box 160, Erin, Ontario, Canada, N0B 1T0
www.porcupinesquill.ca
9780889844001, $19.95, PB, 182pp, www.amazon.com

In her short story anthology, "The Museum of Possibilities", Canadian author Barbara Sibbald showcases sixteen shadow-box narratives in the form of short, succinct, concentrated scenes depicting complicated relationships, strong emotions and hard consequences. Quirky, absorbing, deftly crafted, entertaining, memorable, "The Museum of Possibilities" is very highly recommended for personal reading lists, as well as community and academic library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections.

Any Day Now
Robyn Carr
Mira Books
c/o Harlequin
225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, ON, Canada, M3B 3K9
www.mirabooks.com
9780778319917, $26.99, HC, 336pp, www.amazon.com

For Sierra Jones, Sullivan's Crossing is meant to be a brief stopover. She's put her troubled past behind her but the path forward isn't yet clear. A visit with her big brother Cal and his new bride, Maggie, seems to be the best option to help her get back on her feet. Not wanting to burden or depend on anyone, Sierra is surprised to find the Crossing offers so much more than a place to rest her head. Cal and Maggie welcome her into their busy lives and she quickly finds herself bonding with Sully, the quirky campground owner who is the father figure she's always wanted. But when her past catches up with her, it's a special man and an adorable puppy who give her the strength to face the truth and fight for a brighter future. In Sullivan's Crossing Sierra learns to cherish the family you are given and the family you choose. Another deftly crafted and unfailingly entertaining novel by an inherently gifted author, "Any Day Now" by Robyn Carr will be an appreciated and popular addition to community library General Fiction collections. For the personal reading lists of the legions of Robyn Carr fans it should be noted that "Any Day Now" is also available in a paperback edition (9780778330998, $20.54) and in a Kindle format ($12.99).

The End of Temperance Dare
Wendy Webb
Lake Union Publishing
www.amazon.com
9781477824115, $14.95, PB, 336pp, www.amazon.com

When Eleanor Harper becomes the director of a renowned artists' retreat, she knows nothing of Cliffside Manor's dark past as a tuberculosis sanatorium, a "waiting room for death." After years of covering murder and violence as a crime reporter, Eleanor hopes that being around artists and writers in this new job will be a peaceful retreat for her as much as for them. But from her first fog-filled moments on the manor's grounds, Eleanor is seized by a sense of impending doom and realizes there's more to the institution than its reputation of being a haven for creativity. After the arrival of the new fellows (including the intriguing, handsome photographer Richard Banks) she begins to suspect that her predecessor chose the group with a dangerous purpose in mind. As the chilling mysteries of Cliffside Manor unravel and the eerie sins of the past are exposed, Eleanor must fight to save the fellows and herself from sinister forces. An deftly crafted and consistently compelling novel by an author with a genuine flair for originality, Wendy Webb's "The End of Temperance Dare" is unreservedly recommended for community library collections. "The End of Temperance Dare" is also available for personal reading lists in a Kindle format ($3.99).

Serenity Harbor
RaeAnne Thayne
HQN Books
c/o Harlequin Books
225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada, M3B 3K9
9780373803965, $26.99, HC, 336pp, www.amazon.com

Computer-tech millionaire Bowie Callahan is about the last person that schoolteacher Katrina Bailey wants to work for. As far as she can see, he's arrogant, entitled and not up to the task of caring for his young half brother, Milo. But Kat is, especially if it brings her closer to her goal of adopting an orphaned little girl. And as her kindness and patience work wonders with Milo, she realizes there's more to sexy, wary Bo than she'd ever realized. Bo never imagined he'd be tasked with caring for a sibling he didn't know existed. Then again, he never pictured himself impulsively kissing vibrant, compassionate Katrina in the moonlight. Now he's ready to make her dream of family come true -- and hoping there's room in it for him, too! A consistently engaging and unfailingly entertaining novel, "Serenity Harbor" demonstrates author RaeAnne Thayne's mastery of the genre. While very highly recommended, especially for community library Contemporary Romance Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Serenity Harbor" is also available in a paperback edition (9780373799398, $7.99) and in a Kindle format ($5.99).

The Greatest Hits of Wanda Jaynes
Bridget Canning
Breakwater Books
P.O. Box 2188, St. John's, NL A1C 6E6
www.breakwaterbooks.com
9781550816709, $19.95, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com

Wanda Jaynes is about to lose her job amidst a mountain of bills, and she suspects her musician boyfriend might be romantically interested in his friend, Trish. But Wanda's life changes radically on a routine trip to the grocery store when a gunman enters the supermarket and opens fire. "The Greatest Hits of Wanda Jaynes" is the highly anticipated debut novel by Bridget Canning, one of the most promising new writers from Newfoundland, and is an energetic page-turner about the power of selflessness in a contemporary culture of fear and suspicion. An original and impressively entertaining read from cover to cover, "The Greatest Hits of Wanda Jaynes" is very highly recommended for personal reading lists and community library General Fiction collections.

A Private Haunting
Tom McCulloch
Sandstone Press
c/o Dufour Editions, Inc.
PO Box 7, 124 Byers Road, Chester Springs, PA 19425-0007
www.dufoureditions.com
9781910985151, $16.00, PB, 279pp, www.amazon.com

Jonas Mortensen, a Norwegian, has been squatting in a house that actually belongs to the traumatized Adam Fletcher, an ex-Marine who inherited it during his absence on duty in Afghanistan. When Fletcher comes to claim it, and oust Jonas, they live side by side in an increasingly uneasy standoff. Then a local teenage girl goes missing. Everyone comes under suspicion, but especially Jonas, who has been helping out at the local youth club. As the hunt for the wayward girl intensifies, the fates of the two men become inextricably linked, and the past rears up to confront them both. "A Private Haunting" by Tom McCulloch is a deftly written and truly gripping thriller in which two men with mysterious past lives meet in an English village with dramatic and violent consequences. A skillfully crafted and inherently absorbing read from beginning to end, "A Private Haunting" is highly recommended, especially for community library collection. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "A Private Haunting" is also available in a digital book format ($9.99).

A Thousand Cuts
Thomas Mogford
Bloomsbury Press
175 Fifth Avenue, Suite 315, New York, NY 10010
www.bloomsbury.com
9781632868459, $29.00, HC, 368pp, www.amazon.com

Back in 1940 a bomb exploded killing two British soldiers patrolling the Gibralta dockyards. A Spaniard was executed for the crime, yet protests his innocence to the very last. In the present day Spike Sanguinetti finds himself defending the violent and alcoholic Christopher Massetti in a harassment case brought against him by the wealthy and respected Dr. Eloise Capurro. Yet the case isn't as cut-and-dried as it first seems and Massetti walks free. Only days later, Dr. Capurro leaps to her death from a blazing house fire before Sanguinetti's very eyes. Sanguinetti spots someone else watching, someone hiding in the shadows. Massetti. The further Sanguinetti investigates, the more secrets buried deep in Gibraltar's past he uncovers, and they lead him to the doors of some of the most powerful people in town. People dangerously close to his own life and fragile happiness. Loyalties are tested to the very limit. "A Thousand Cuts" is another riveting novel from Thomas Mogford and showcases his genuine flair for originality and the creation of memorable characters embedded in a compelling story. While very highly recommended for community library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "A Thousand Cuts" is also available in a digital book format ($6.15).

Loving Luther
Allison Pittman
Tyndale House Publishers
351 Executive Drive, Carol Stream, IL 60188
www.tyndale.com
9781496426727, $25.99, HC, 432pp, www.amazon.com

In the dark of night, Katharina von Bora says the bravest good-bye a six-year-old can muster and walks away as the heavy convent gate closes behind her. Though the cold walls offer no comfort, Katharina soon finds herself calling the convent her home. God, her father. This, her life. She takes her vows a choice more practical than pious but in time, a seed of discontent is planted by the smuggled writings of a rebellious excommunicated priest named Martin Luther. Their message? That Katharina is subject to God, and no one else. Could the Lord truly desire more for her than this life of servitude? In her first true step of faith, Katharina leaves the only life she has ever known. But the freedom she has craved comes with a price, and she finds she has traded one life of isolation for another. Without the security of the convent walls or a family of her own, Katharina must trust in both the God who saved her and the man who paved a way for rescue. Luther's friends are quick to offer shelter, but Katharina longs for all Luther has promised: a home, a husband, perhaps even the chance to fall in love. An original, carefully crafted, and absorbingly entertaining read from beginning to end, "Loving Luther" showcases author Allison Pittman's genuine flair for compelling and memorable storytelling. While very highly recommended, especially for community library General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Loving Luther" is also available in a paperback edition (9781414390451, $14.99) and in a Kindle format ($14.99).


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

Spying For Keeps
Jerry Labriola
Strong Books
PO Box 1194, Middlebury, CT 06762
9781928782926, $24.95, 304pp, http://www.jerrylabriola.com

"Spying For Keeps" by Jerry Labriola is the story of Jim Hunter, a man who is an experienced undercover agent and called upon to assist Allied forces int heir attack upon the Nazi held Normandy beaches and then in Japanese controlled territories on the other side of the world. After the war is over, Jim is hired by an international organization to identify criminals in a number of nations around the globe who are infiltrating organized crime in the United States. Among Jim's resources is a slim backpack devise allowing him to send and receive coded messages to intercept and interpret Nazi messages and plant false information to the enemy. A combination of historical mystery and counter-espionage thriller that begins with the world-wide struggle against the Axis powers of World War II and concludes with combating shadowy figures who are seeking to exploit the Mafia in America in pursuit of their nefarious goals. An accomplished novelist of consummate skills and a proven master of the genre, Jerry Labriola continues to employ meticulous attention to historical detail and accuracy as background for his deftly crafted and memorable action/adventure thriller. Attention Hollywood, "Spying For Keeps" is the stuff from which blockbuster movies are made! Exceptionally well written and an inherently compelling read from cover to cover, "Spying For Keeps" is an especially recommended addition community library Mystery/Suspense collections, as well as for the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs.

A Panicked Premonition
Victoria Laurie
Berkley Prime Crime
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
www.us.penguingroup.com
9780451473905, $25.00, HC, 368pp, www.amazon.com

Professional psychic and FBI consultant Abby Cooper has used her inner visions to get her out of many a scrape, while solving many a crime. But now she is about to face a murder scene that will put all her powers to the test. Abby's husband Dutch has a side business providing security and building panic rooms for wealthy clients. One morning, one of Dutch's partners, Dave, goes missing on his way to meet a client. Abby's intuition tells her something terrible has happened to him. Then two of Dutch's clients are found brutally murdered inside their brand new panic room, and most of the evidence points to Dave as the killer. With the authorities racing to find and arrest him, Abby's got to use all her intuitive prowess to get to Dave first, discover the real killer, and save her husband's business. This is one case where Abby is positive there's far more to this mystery than meets the inner eye! The latest addition to Victoria Lane's outstanding 'Psychic Eye Mystery' series, "A Panicked Premonition" is a deftly crafted and inherently compelling read from beginning to end. A 'must' for all of Victoria Lane's dedicated fans, "A Panicked Premonition" is an especially recommended addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of enthusiastic mystery buffs that "A Panicked Premonition" is also available in a Kindle format ($12.99).

Edited Out
E. J. Copperman
Crooked Lane Books
2 Park Avenue, 10th floor, New York, NY 10016
www.crookedlanebooks.com
9781683311300, $26.99, HC, 336pp, www.amazon.com

Mystery author Rachel Goldman is getting used to the idea that her fictional creation Duffy Madison has somehow taken flesh-and-blood form and is investigating missing person cases not far from where Rachel lives. Wait. No. She's not getting used to it at all, and the presence of this real-life Duffy is making her current manuscript, what's the word?, oh yeah -- lousy. So she doesn't want to see Duffy (the living one) at all. To make matters worse, when he shows up at her door and insists on talking to her, it's about the one thing she doesn't want to do: Find a missing person. But the man Duffy seeks this time around might be able to solve Rachel's problem. He might just be the man Duffy was before he became Duffy five years ago. The only problem is she could be letting Duffy lead her into danger yet again. The second title in the 'Mysterious Detective Mystery' series "Edited Out" continues to document E. J. Copperman's mastery of the genre and is very highly recommended, especially for community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of Cooperman's fans and all dedicated mystery buffs that "Edited Out" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99).

The Actress
Michael Hicks Thompson
Shepherd King Publishing
www.shepking.com
9780984528240, $24.00, HC, 288pp, www.amazon.com

Martha McRae is a widow living in a small Mississippi town in the 1960s. When the most famous actress in America, Tallulah Ivey, comes to Solo to film a controversial movie, a prominent local citizen is shot and killed outside Ivey's bedroom window. A note is found clenched in the dead man's hand. Martha investigates the who, what, and why of the shooting in this twisty, suspenseful murder mystery, that is filled with humorous Southern characters and elements of Christian theology. A unique, exceptionally well written, and inherently fascinating read from cover to cover, "The Actress" is an especially recommended and certain to be an enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs that "The Actress" is also available in a Kindle format ($3.99).

Heat Storm
Richard Castle
Kingswell
c/o Disney Book Group
1101 Flower Street, Glendale, CA 91601
9781484787861, $26.99, HC, 320pp, www.amazon.com

Nikki Heat and Derrick Storm team up for the first time to save Nikki's mother, Cynthia, who has been in hiding (and presumed dead) for 17 years. Standing in their way is a nefarious group of Chinese businessmen known as the Shanghai Seven, who have the resources-and ruthlessness-to stop them. Novelist Richard Castle (played by actor Nathan Fillion in the popular TV series 'Castle') is the author of numerous bestsellers, including the critically acclaimed Derrick Storm series. His first novel, In a "Hail of Bullets", published while he was still in college, received the Nom DePlume Society's prestigious Tom Straw Award for Mystery Literature. Castle currently lives in Manhattan with his daughter and mother, both of whom infuse his life with humor and inspiration. An impressively fun read from cover to cover, "Heat Storm" will prove to be an enduringly popular and appreciated addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the legions of Richard Castle fans that "Heat Storm" is also available in a Kindle format ($14.99).

The Bronx Kill
Philip Cioffari
Livingston Press
University of West Alabama, Station 22, Livingston, AL 35470
www.livingstonpress.uwa.edu
9781604891867, $25.95, HC, 252pp, www.amazon.com

On a hot August night five teenage friends challenge each other to swim the East River from the Bronx to Queens. In the attempt, one boy drowns and the body of the only girl among them is never found. The three survivors take a vow never again to speak about the incident. When they reunite five years later, they find themselves at the mercy of the drowned boys's brother, an NYPD detective, who holds them responsible for his brother's death and vows to bring them to justice by any means possible. Now, Danny, one of the three survivors, must fight not only to preserve his childhood friendships but to save himself and his friends from the detective's brand of vigilante justice. Unique, impressively crafted, and an inherently riveting read from beginning to end, "The Bronx Kill" by novelist Philip Cioffari is unreserved recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense collections. For the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs it should be noted that "The Bronx Kill" is also available in a paperback edition (9781604891874, $16.95) and in a Kindle format ($4.95).

Blood Count
Jack Batten
The Dundurn Group
3 Church Street, Suite 500, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5E 1M2
www.dundurn.com
9781459735347, $16.99, PB, 240pp, www.amazon.com

At the height of the AIDS crisis in the early nineties, a close friend of Crang's, Alex Corcoran, loses his partner, Ian, to the disease. After Ian's death, Crang is enlisted by Alex to find the man who infected Ian. Crang searches for the man to prevent Alex from getting himself in trouble. However, when Alex is murdered, Crang owes it to his friends to find their killers. The case, which explores the gay scene in Toronto at a time when LGBT culture was still very much a hidden world and open persecution was commonplace, ends up involving a cabinet minister afraid of being exposed. A clever and deftly crafted political mystery by a master of the mystery/suspense genre, "Blood Count" is also an emotional and moving story of a couple whose lives are devastated by AIDS and a community damaged by the prejudices of the world around them. While very highly recommended, especially for community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs that "Blood Count" is also available in a Kindle format ($5.38).

Dead Certain
Adam Mitzner
http://adammitzner.com
Thomas & Mercer
www.amazon.com
9781477822593, $15.95, PB, 348pp, www.amazon.com

Ella Broden is living a double life. By day, Ella works as a buttoned-up attorney on some of the city's most grueling cases. By night, she pursues her passion for singing in the darkest clubs of Manhattan. No one knows her secret, not even Charlotte, the younger sister she practically raised. But it seems she's not the only one in the family with something to hide. When Charlotte announces she's sold her first novel, Ella couldn't be more thrilled... until she gets a call that her sister's gone missing. Ella starts investigating with the help of Detective Gabriel Velasquez, an old flame in the NYPD, and what she finds is shocking. If art imitates life, then her sister's novel may contain details of her real-life affairs. And any one of her lovers could be involved in her disappearance. Desperate to bring Charlotte home, Ella works through her list of suspects, matching fictitious characters with flesh-and-blood men. But will it be too late to save the sister she only thought she knew? Author Adam Mitzner is a master of the mystery genre and "Dead Certain" is a consistently compelling novel that is very highly recommended, especially for community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs that "Dead Certain" is also available in a Kindle format ($4.99).

The Stranger Inside
Jennifer Jaynes
http://jenniferjaynes.net
Thomas & Mercer
9781477817919, $15.95, PB, 284pp, www.amazon.com

After mystery author Diane Christie loses her husband to suicide, she and her son move to the small coastal town of Fog Harbor, Massachusetts. Her daughter is attending college nearby, and Diane hopes that her family can now begin to heal. But rebuilding their lives after the tragedy isn't so simple. Diane's depressed college-age daughter, Alexa, still avoids her, critical of everything Diane does, and even her generally amiable teenage son, Josh, has started acting out. Diane pushes forward, focusing on her writing and her volunteer work at a local crisis hotline. She knows that healing takes time. But then a girl from Alexa's college is found strangled. Worse still, the murderer uses the crisis hotline to confess to Diane -- and claims she is the only one who can stop the killing. And just when the glow of new love from an attractive admirer begins to chase away some of the darkness, more girls turn up dead, and Diane races to solve a mystery she fears will hit terrifyingly close to home. Author Jennifer Jaynes has proven herself to be a consummate and consistently entertaining novelist with "The Stranger Inside" being her newest and impressively original mystery that will prove to be an enduringly popular and appreciated addition to community library collections and mystery buff reading lists. It should be noted that "The Stranger Inside" is also available in a Kindle format ($3.99).

Washington Power Play
Allan Topol
SelectBooks, Inc.
87 Walker Street, Suite B1, New York City, NY 10013
www.selectbooks.com
9781590794258, $16.95, PB, 320pp, www.amazon.com

Kelly Cameron, a young FBI agent, has just thwarted a terrorist attack on the Walter Reed hospital in Washington, and is now put in charge of a task force to find a mole in the U.S. Government. She soon finds evidence of a plot initiated by the Chinese government supporting General Cartwright to be elected as the U.S. President. Kelly's efforts to thwart this plan are hindered by Xiang Shen, a Chinese diplomat who was once her lover, and Andrew Martin, a powerful Washington lawyer, who has strong ties to the Chinese. Kelly faces danger with repeated attacks on her life and her daughter's kidnapping. At stake is nothing less than the global balance of power. In "Washington Power Play", author Allan Topl has penned another riveting political thriller of a read from beginning to end. While very highly recommended, especially for community library Suspense/Thriller fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Washington Power Play" is also available in a digital book format ($9.99).

Dead Air
David A. Poulsen
Dundurn
c/o The Dundurn Group
3 Church Street, Suite 500, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5E 1M2
www.dundurn.com
9781459736689, $17.99, PB, 376pp, www.amazon.com

Ex-cop turned private detective Mike Cobb is hired as the personal bodyguard of right-wing radio celebrity Buckley-Rand Larmer, who has been receiving a string of vicious, graphic threats. Once again, Cobb recruits crime journalist Adam Cullen, this time to dig into Larmer's past and find out who might have a grudge against him. Soon it becomes evident that Cullen and Cobb have more to contend with than the not-so-veiled threats. When Larmer's associate turns up dead, the broadcaster is charged with the killing, but Cullen believes the murder might be related to a series of suspicious deaths of right-wing media figures going back years. As layers of secrets and lies peel back, Cullen and Cobb have more than Larmer's guilt or innocence to worry about. A vicious killer is out there somewhere, poised to strike again. Another exceptional, riveting read from a master of the genre, "Dead Air" by David A. Poulsen is very highly recommended and will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections. For the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs and fans of David Poulsen's Cullen and Cobb series, it should be noted that "Dead Air" is also available in a digital book format ($5.38).

Cold Hearted River
Keith McCafferty
Viking Books
c/o Penguin Group USA
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
www.penguin.com
9780525429609, $26.00, HC, 320pp, www.amazon.com

When a woman goes missing in a spring snowstorm and is found dead in a bear's den, Sheriff Martha Ettinger reunites with her once-again lover Sean Stranahan to investigate. In a pannier of the dead woman's horse, they find a wallet of old trout flies, the leather engraved with the initials EH. Only a few days before, Patrick Willoughby, the president of the Madison River Liars and Fly Tiers Club, had been approached by a man selling fishing gear that he claimed once belonged to Ernest Hemingway. A coincidence? Sean doesn't think so, and he soon finds himself on the trail of a stolen trunk rumored to contain not only the famous writer's valuable fly fishing gear but priceless pages of unpublished work. The investigation will take Sean through extraordinary chapters in Hemingway's life. The sixth novel in author Keith McCafferty's outstanding 'Sean Stranahan Mystery Series', "Cold Hearted River" is another compelling read from beginning to end that will prove be an enduringly popular addition to any community library Mystery/Suspense collections. A 'must' for the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs in general, and Keith McCafferty fans in particular, it should be noted that "Cold Hearted River" is also available in a digital book format ($12.99).


The Woodworking Shelf

Great Book of Shop Drawings for Craftsman Furniture, second edition
Robert W. Lang
Fox Chapel Publishing Company
1970 Broad Street N., East Petersburg, PA 17520
www.FoxChapelPublishing.com
9781565239180, $29.99, HC, 344pp, www.amazon.com

Now in a revised and expanded second edition, "Great Book of Shop Drawings for Craftsman Furniture" provides complete working shop drawings for 61 classic furniture pieces. The author, Robert W. Lange, is a master cabinetmaker, and draws upon measured original Craftsman antiques to create these detailed plans. With full perspective views, elevations, sections, details, and cutting lists for each project, this revised collection gives today's woodworkers the heart of the Craftsman aesthetic, along with all the information needed for workshop success. Profusely illustrated from cover to cover, "Great Book of Shop Drawings for Craftsman Furniture" is thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, making it an enduringly popular addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library Woodworking collections.


The Needlecraft Shelf

Design Inspiration
Margaret Solomon Gunn
American Quilter's Society
PO Box 3290, Paducah, KY 42002-3290
www.americanquilter.com
9781683390138, $26.95, PB, 240pp, www.amazon.com

The newest addition to the AQS Signature Series, "Design Inspiration" brings an in-depth look into the quilting process of award winner Margaret Solomon Gunn. Patterns are included with easy-to-follow instructions for making three of Margaret's most well-known, award-winning show quilts. "Design Inspiration" aptly chronicles Margaret's journey for of the three quilts from design inspiration to finished product, providing tips and insight on how the well-designed, pieced, and quilted masterpieces were created. Line drawings, thread suggestions, quilting instructions, and detailed photographs are provided of the quilting designs for key areas on each quilt. The three patterned designs will appeal to each and all skill levels. Beautifully illustrated and thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Design Inspiration" will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to personal and community library instructional quilting collections.

Stylish Wraps Sewing Book
Yoshiko Tsukiori
Tuttle Publishing
364 Innovation Drive, North Clarendon, VT 05759-9436
www.tuttlepublishing.com
9780804846950, $15.95, PB, 80pp, www.amazon.com

Yoshiko Tsukiori is an icon of DIY fashion, garnering fans in France, Australia, the UK and the North America, as well as in her native Japan. Her designs span from clothes for babies and children to women's daily wear to wedding dresses. In "Stylish Wraps Sewing Book" she draws upon her years of experience and expertise to provide five free full-sized patterns that can be used to create 22 timeless wraps ranging from stylish capes, coats, ponchos, and a stole, to scarfs, fur collars, boleros, and a vest. All the pull-out sewing designs can be made in a few hours for a fraction of what that particular garment would cost ready-made in a store. And it is easy to mix and match different fabrics and styles to suit any wardrobe and mood. Thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Stylish Wraps Sewing Book" is unreservedly recommended for personal needlecraft instructional reference collections.

A Little Something
Roseann Meehan Kermes
Martingale & Company
19021 - 120th Avenue NE, Suite 102, Bothell, WA 98011
www.shopmartingale.com
9781604688504, $19.99, PB, 80pp, www.amazon.com

Compiled and presented by Roseann Meehan Kermes, "A Little Something: Cute-as-Can-Be Patterns for Wool Stitchery" will enable even the most novice of needlecrafters to stitch a colorful array of cozy wool creations that will brighten any room in their home. Choosing from a mix of cheerful little projects, including coasters, wall hangings, sewing accessories, bags, and more, "A Little Something" will teach needlecrafters how to create stunning effects with easy hand stitching, simple applique, and artful wool layering; as well as how to achieve an effortlessly embellished look with simple techniques that even beginners can master quickly. Enhanced with the inclusion of detailed how-to photos and clear instructions, "A Little Something" will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to personal and community library Needlecrafting instructional reference collections.

Secrets of Spinning, Weaving, and Knitting in the Peruvian Highlands
Nilda Callanaupa Alvarez
Thrums Books
www.ThrumsBooks.com
9780998452357, $24.95, PB, 144pp, www.amazon.com

In "Secrets of Spinning, Weaving, and Knitting in the Peruvian Highlands", Nilda Calla¤aupa Alvarez draws upon artisans of all ages who share their knowledge, lore, and deep skills, highlighting many of the techniques used by craftspeople in the Andes. They reveal clever highland secrets for everything from skeining yarn and knitting in reverse to weaving tubular borders and embellishing fabric with complex stitches. For many of these techniques, they provide concise step-by-step instructions accessible for North American crafters. Thoughtful, detailed descriptions of Andean cultural traditions frame each section, providing context and rare insight into what textile work means as a living heritage of the Quechua people. Profusely and beautifully illustrated from cover to cover, "Secrets of Spinning, Weaving, and Knitting in the Peruvian Highlands" is a unique, extraordinary, authentic, impressively informative, and highly recommended addition to community and academic library Needlecraft collections. It should be noted for dedicated needlecraft enthusiasts that "Secrets of Spinning, Weaving, and Knitting in the Peruvian Highlands" is also available in a digital book format ($11.99).


The Metaphysical Studies Shelf

Instant Tarot
Monte Farber & Amy Zerner
Weiser Books
c/o Red Wheel/Weiser/Conari
65 Parker Street, Suite 7, Newburyport, MA 01950
www.redwheelweiser.com
9781578636174, $18.95, PB, 272pp, www.amazon.com

Monte Farber and Amy Zerner are the authors of 45 popular spiritual books and oracles. Of special note is their web site at www.enchantedworld.com. Together they have developed a unique "Instant Tarot" system specifically devised to enable beginners to read virtually every Tarot deck. The clearly organized "Instant Tarot" text interprets every card in each of the eleven meaning-specific positions of the Celtic cross spread. With detailed instructions, sample questions, helpful diagrams, and a handy index, readers can easily navigate this thoroughly 'user friendly' instructional guide. The ingenious layout of "Instant Tarot" allows individuals to also ask any question using a one-card, three-card or full eleven card "Celtic Cross" spread to get revealing, inspiring answers to burning questions about love, money, career -- everything else! It's great for parties, small groups of friends and especially by yourself where, undisturbed, you will often see subtle and formerly hidden meanings emerge from the text. Even the most novice of tarot practitioners can set up and do tarot readings right away using the instructions provided. No memorization is required, because each card is interpreted according to the position it appears in -- "Instant Tarot" truly lives up to its title and tells you right where to look! While very highly recommended, especially for community library Metaphysical & Tarot Studies collections, it should be mentioned for personal reading lists that "Instant Tarot" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99).

Bringing the Tarot to Life
Scott Martin
Llewellyn Publications
2143 Wooddale Drive, Woodbury, MN 55125
www.llewellyn.com
9780738752624, $17.99, PB, 288pp, www.amazon.com

For many readers, tarot cards reveal their deepest wisdom through creative interaction. In "Bringing the Tarot to Life: Embody the Cards Through Creative Exploration" tarot expert and practitioner Scott Martin shows how to use theater games and acting techniques to gain new insights into the cards. With more than fifty imaginative exercises to be practiced alone or with a group, "Bringing the Tarot to Life" unlocks your intuitions and helps you experience the cards from the inside out. Just as an actor prepares for a new role, you can explore tarot through emotions, memories, role-playing, observation, bodywork, and imagination. "Bringing the Tarot to Life" is the perfect guide for readers who want outside-the-box techniques for relating to the cards from the deepest parts of the soul. Impressively 'user friendly' in tone, commentary, organization and presentation, "Bringing the Tarot to Life" will prove to be an enduringly popular and appreciated addition to personal, community, and academic library Metaphysical Studies collections in general, and Tarot supplemental students lists in particular. It should be noted for metaphysical studies students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Bringing the Tarot to Life" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99).

Wicca, Plain & Simple
Leanna Greenaway
Hampton Roads Publishing Company
65 Parker Street, Suite 7, Newburyport, MA 01950
9781571747716, $14.95, PB, 144pp, www.amazon.com

Leanna Greenaway is the cofounder of the Psychic Study Centre and lives in the south of England. In "Wicca, Plain & Simple: The Only Book You'll Ever Need", Greenaway takes a contemporary approach to Wicca, also known as witchcraft, and shows how to use it as a healing and positive force. Practice magic with tarot cards, agents, and pendulums; cast love, health, wealth, family happiness, and career spells; and discover which herbs are beneficial when conducting spells and rituals. Greenaway makes these life-affirming, ancient Wiccan traditions meaningful and accessible by providing a basic understanding of the key elements of Wiccan practice, including: Lunar magic; Initiation; Herbs and gardens; Pendulum power; Animal magic Eminently practical, "Wicca, Plain & Simple" also includes over 25 spells for beginning practitioners that range from fertility spells and money spells, to love spells and much more. For those interested in her work she can be reached at www.leannagreenaway.co.uk. "Wicca, Plain & Simple" is very highly recommended for personal reading lists, as well as community and academic library Metaphysical Studies collections in general, and Wiccan supplemental studies in particular. It should be noted for students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Wicca, Plain & Simple" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99).

Tarot Court Cards for Beginners
Leeza Robertson
Llewellyn Publications
2143 Wooddale Drive, Woodbury, MN 55125
www.llewellyn.com
9780738750163, $14.99, PB, 216pp, www.amazon.com

Leeza Robertson deepened her tarot practice many years ago after a temporary blindness induced intuitive visions of cards and spreads in her mind's eye. She is a member of the American Tarot Association and runs a monthly group called Tarot and High Tea in her hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada. Leeza blogs about tarot for WitchesandPagans.com. In "Tarot Court Cards for Beginners: Bring Clarity to Your Readings" she draws upon her years of experience and expertise to create the ideal introduction to tarot reading for beginners. For many tarot readers, the court cards are the most challenging cards to work with. But once you become familiar with how these enigmatic cards work, you can turn them into friends and allies that provide powerful insights and advice. Featuring stories, explanations, and simple exercises, "Tarot Court Cards for Beginners" deftly explores the many facets of pages, knights, kings, and queens to enhance your journey through the tarot. Approaching the court cards from a variety of angles, exploring the symbols, legends, personalities, messages, and spiritual influences of each card, providing unique tips, reading techniques, and spread ideas, "Tarot Court Cards for Beginners" is very highly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library Metaphysical Studies collections in general, and Tarot Reading supplemental studies reading lists in particular. It should be noted that "Tarot Court Cards for Beginners" is also available in a digital book format ($9.76).


The Graphic Novel Shelf

Our Cats Are More Famous Than Us
Ananth Hirsh, author
Yuko Ota, author & illustrator
Oni Press
http://onipress.tumblr.com
www.johnnywander.com
9781620103838, $39.99, HC, 416pp, www.amazon.com

In 2008, Ananth Hirsh and Yuko Ota collaborated to launch the auto-bio webcomic Johnny Wander. Eight years, four cats, and three moves are chronicled in "Our Cats Are More Famous Than Us: A Johnny Wander Collection", a gorgeous hardcover omnibus, which includes a foreword by Raina Telgemeier (Smile, Ghosts). Hirsh and Ota's charming reverie about new adulthood will appeal to fans of Kate Beaton, Bryan Lee O'Malley, and Jeffrey Brown -- along with anyone who's just winging it. A thoroughly entertaining read from cover to cover, "Our Cats Are More Famous Than Us: A Johnny Wander Collection" will prove to be a popular addition to community library Graphic Novel collections and is a 'must' for the legions of Johnny Wander fans!

A&A: The Adventures of Archer & Armstrong - Romance and Road Trips
Rafter Roberts, author
Mike Norton, illustrator
Valiant Entertainment, LLC
350 Seventh Avenue, Suite 300, New York, NY 10001
http://www.valiantentertainment.com
9781682151716, $14.99, PB, 112pp, www.amazon.com

The second volume in Rafter Roberts and Mike Nortons' Archer & Armstrong series, "Romance and Road Trips" finds that while Armstrong on the road, Archer is taking some much-needed personal time -- and bringing his long-distance romance with Los Angeles's number-one superhero off of FaceTime and into the real world! Then, Archer and Armstrong go on the hunt for Armstrong's long-lost wife, and the clues will put them on the trail of America's craziest traveling circus! Thoroughly entertaining from cover to cover, "A&A: The Adventures of Archer & Armstrong - Romance and Road Trips" is a 'must' for graphic novel fans and is unreservedly commended to community librarians seeking to build up their graphic novel collections.

The Cross-Eyed Mutt
Etienne Davodeau
NBM Publishing
160 Broadway, Ste. 700, East Wing, New York, NY 10038
www.nbmpub.com
9781681120973, $24.99, HC, 144pp, www.amazon.com

Fabian is supervisor at the Louvre. He loves his job. He also loves Mathilde. When it comes time, she presents him to her family in their vast country house and not without some apprehension, as the Benion clan is a bit special. There's her father, Louis, who heads since 1975 the family furniture company founded in 1947, and two brothers, Maxime and Joseph. They're not bad guys, just rather clumsy and with a decidedly unsubtle sense of humor. The fact that Fabian works in the Louvre is a welcome coincidence, since they just found in the attic a painting by an ancestor in the nineteenth century. It's a sorry representation of a cross-eyed mutt. Benion asks "What is the value? Is this an eyesore or a masterpiece?" A raucous satirical comedy that asks, "Who decides what makes a work of art worthy of being in a major museum?", The Cross-Eyed Mutt is a superbly crafted graphic novel by multiple award-winning French comics author Etienne Davodeau. An impressively engaging, original, and entertaining read from first page to last, The Cross-Eyed Mutt is highly recommended, especially for community library Graphic Novel collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that The Cross-Eyed Mutt is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99).


The Audiobook Shelf

Hell Divers II: Ghosts
Nicholas Sansbury Smith
www.NicholasSansbury.com
Read by R.C. Bray
Blackstone Audiobooks
31 Mistletoe Road, Ashland, OR 97520
9781504726054 $34.95 CD / $19.95 digital www.BlackstoneAudio.com

Hell Divers II: Ghosts is the unabridged audiobook rendition of the second installment of the thrilling Hell Divers science fiction trilogy, set in a poisoned, post-apocalyptic Earth. The last vestiges of humanity survive by orbiting the globe in aging airships, most of which have since plummeted to doom on the surface. All that sustains the airships are the Hell Divers, courageous men and women who venture to the surface to scavenge for the supplies the airships need. In Ghosts, a distress signal calls Michael Everhart - the boy once known as "Tin" - to the surface along with his loyal team. But when he discovers secrets that threaten his captain, can he and his team withstand the ultimate betrayal? Riveting, action-packed, and brought to life with R.C. Bray's masculine performance, Hell Divers II: Ghosts is highly recommended especially for connoisseurs of the genre. 7 CDs, 8 hours.

High Stakes
Fern Michales, author
Performed by Laural Merlington
Brilliance Corporation
PO Box 887, Grand Haven, MI 49417
www.brillianceaudio.com
9781511342216 $14.99 www.fernmichaels.com

High Stakes is an unabridged audiobook thriller on MP3 CD (plays on MP3-CD enabled players or transfers to portable devices) featuring investigative reporter Dennis West, who has allied with the Men of the Sisterhood, a group parallel to The Sisterhood; both organizations are devoted to aiding the needy and directly combatting the evils of the world. West receives an unexpected call for help from an old friend, a nerd-turned-buff-male-dancer who fears that his employers are embedded in the drug trade - and that he could be marked for assassination! High Stakes lives up to its title with a harrowing cat-and-mouse game with a ruthless criminal organization, and is highly recommended for connoisseurs of the genre. 1 disc, 9 hours 17 min.

The Jersey Devil
Hunter Shea
Graphic Audio
7520 Standish Place, Suite 100, Rockville, MD 20855
www.graphicaudio.net
9781628513639, $19.99, CD, www.graphicaudio.net/the-jersey-devil.html

Everyone knows the legend of the Jersey Devil. Some believe it is an abomination of nature, a hybrid winged beast from hell that stalks the Pine Barrens of southern New Jersey searching for prey. Others believe it is a hoax, a campfire story designed to scare children. But one man knows the truth. But sixty years ago, Boompa Willet came face to face with the Devil -- and somehow lived to tell the tale. Now, the creature's stomping grounds are alive once again with strange sightings, disappearances, and worse. After all these years, Boompa must return to the Barrens, not to prove the legend is real but to wipe it off the face of the earth. But it will take more than just courage to defeat the Devil. It will take four generations of the Willet clan, a lifetime of survivalist training, and all the firepower they can carry. But timing is critical. A summer music festival has attracted crowds of teenagers. The woods are filled with tender young prey. But this time, the Devil is not alone. The evil has grown into an unholy horde of mutant monstrosities. And hell has come home to New Jersey. Another flawlessly produced, multicast, sound and music enhanced almost cinematic audio book production, "The Jersey Devil" is an inherently compelling audio theatre performance that does full and complete justice to Hunter Shea's horror fantasy epic. "The Jersey Devil" is very highly recommended to horror fantasy fans, and will prove to be especially popular addition for community library audio book collections.


The Music CD Shelf

Mozartistic
Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, Asheville Symphony, Orion Weiss & DJ Marley Carroll
Echo Mountain Recording
$TBA http://secretagent23skidoo.com

Mozartistic is an EP for listeners of all ages by Secret Agent 23 Skidoo in partnership with the Asheville Symphony and others, interweaving classical music with hip-hop drum beats and more. The first song is a rendition of young Wolfgang Mozart's life as a child prodigy; other tracks provide a unique spin on Mozart's timeless, instrumental works. A fresh, new way to experience these beloved songs, Mozartistic is highly recommended. The tracks are "Mozartistic", "Turkish March" (From Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 11), "Supersonic Symphonic", "Mozartistic" (Instrumental), and "Supersonic Symphonic" (Reconstructed).

Valenti
Valenti Funk
www.valentifunk.com
Privately Published
$15.00 CD / $9.49 MP3 amazon.com

Valenti is the debut album of Valenti Funk, an instrumentalist, composer, and producer well- known for his contributions to the award-winning group "The Effinays" and work with funk- disco music artist Ronnie Heart. Pushing the boundaries of the genre, Valenti is funk at its innermost core yet its songs branch out into elements of reggae, soul, disco, and dance music. The result is an energetic listening experience sure to bring life to parties! The tracks are "Irving/Bear Creek, Texas", "Party Fiesta" ft. Big Spook, "More Light" ft. Big Spook, "You", "Some Mo'" ft. Lala Johnson, "Oh My" ft. Lala Johnson, "Backslide" ft. Zach Pohl, "Side To Side" ft. Kevin Snearley, "Stank" ft. Kelyn Crapp, "Chill On The Couch" ft. Aisha Mars, and "Parking Spot" ft. Versatile.

Kingdom of Mountains
Mystic Journey
www.mysticjourney.net
Privately Published
$14.97 CD / $9.99 download cdbaby.com

Kingdom of Mountains is an evocative instrumental album featuring flutes, stringed instruments, and percussion from around the world in a fantastic pan-cultural fusion. A mellifluous, open- minded journey of exploration, Kingdom of Mountains is a choice pick for meditative contemplation or fostering emotional serenity, and is highly recommended for connoisseurs of new age beauty. The tracks are "Subhadra" (4:44), "Home" (4:46), "Kingdom of Mountains" (7:04), "Midnight in Bamako" (5:42), "Delicate Rainbow Flower" (4:41), "Yunnan" (3:44), "Viento" (4:49), "En Passante" (4:58), "I Dream of a Castle" (4:44), and "Lebanese Girl" (4:57).

Sam Gleaves & Tyler Hughes
Sam Gleaves & Tyler Hughes
www.TylerSamMusic.com
$TBA CD / $10.00 download

Sam Gleaves & Tyler Hughes is the self-titled debut album of a progressive duo from Southwestern Virginia. Their mastery of the banjo and guitar shines through these sonorous arrangements of classic ballads and two original songs. Highly recommended for connoisseurs of folk music! The tracks are "Stockyard Hill" (3:33), "When We Love" (3:07), "Georgia Row" (2:48), "Mister Rabbit" (2:06), "I Can't Sit Down" (2:16), "Bread and Roses" (3:14), "I Washed My Face in the Morning Dew" (2:57), "My Stone Mountain Home" (3:08), "Lonesome Homesick Blues" (2:51), "Well I Guess I Told You Off" (2:33), "Living with Memories" (2:50), "Mama Paint Me A Picture" (2:31), "Sleepy Eyed John" (2:05), and "Tear Down The Fences" (3:04).

Departure
Plucky Strum (Sheryl Bailey & Harvie S)
Whaling City Sound
www.whalingcitysound.com
Naxos of America (distribution)
www.naxosusa.com
$13.99 CD / $8.99 MP3 amazon.com

Departure is a new jazz album by Plucky Strum (the duo name for music artists Sheryl Bailey and Harvie S), crafted with Sheryl's electric guitar playing, the hypnotic bass of Harvie, electronic enhancements, and more. The result is a serendipitous treasure for connoisseurs of creative, original jazz! Highly recommended. The tracks are "Sublime" (4:41), "Old and Young Blues" (6:26), "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" (4:58), "Sabado Con Mi Amor" (5:48), "Now I Know" (4:34), "The Hissing of Summer Lawns" (5:35), "What She Said" (3:55), "Cranshaw" (4:04), "Song of the Guitar" (3:44), "Song of the Guitar" (3:44), "Good Ole Days" (5:33), and "Alone" (5:00).


The DVD Shelf

Striking Out, series 1
Acorn Media
c/o RLJ Entertainment
www.us.RLJEntertainment.com
$39.99 www.acornonline.com

Striking Out is a new Irish legal drama with complex characters and a multifaceted plot. When Dublin-based solicitor Tara Rafferty (played by Amy Huberman) learns that her fiance and fellow solicitor has been cheating on her, she breaks up with him, quits her job at their high-class law firm, and independently accepts clients from a hastily set up office in the back of a cafe. Collaborating with a street-smart client-turned-aide, a female private detective, and her mentor, she accepts cases that frequently pit her against her former colleagues! A gritty, intensely human series, Striking Out is a "must-see" for connoisseurs of the genre. Striking Out is recommended for mature viewers due to scenes with coarse language, sexual situations, or nudity. Bonus materials include 29 min. of interviews with the cast and crew and a behind-the-scenes photo gallery. 4 episodes on 2 DVDs, 214 min. plus bonus, widescreen, SDH subtitles.

Rake, series 2
Acorn Media
c/o RLJ Entertainment
www.us.RLJEntertainment.com
$39.99 www.acornonline.com

Rake, series 2 is a DVD compilation of the second Australian television series featuring the brilliant, sharp-tongued, yet tragically self-destructive solicitor Cleaver Greene. Cleaver jeopardizes his legal career when he has an affair with the wife of the powerful new Attorney General, while Cleaver's paramour Missy sparks a scandal with her memoir about her life as a prostitute. Yet Cleaver can't let entangled drama keep him from giving his all in the courtroom; his cases involve alleged terrorists, teenage murderers, and a man accused of leaking classified information. Cleaver's unconventional methods and quagmire of enemies threaten to drag him down once and for all! Rake is a superb series for connoisseurs of legal drama, highly recommended. Bonus materials include bloopers, "5 Minutes with Cleaver Greene", and a behind-the-scenes featurette. 8 episodes on 3 DVDs, 462 min. plus bonus, SDH subtitles, widescreen.

Feeding Your Family's Soul
With Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle
Paraclete Press
PO Box 1568, Orleans, MA 02653
9781612619712 $59.99 www.paracletepress.com

Award-winning author Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle presents Feeding Your Family's Soul, a DVD designed to help parents pass on the Catholic faith to their children. The recommendations for parents are presented in seven accessible segments: "Learning to Love Our Neighbor from Mother Teresa", "The Tradition of Prayer", "Learning and Teaching Forgiveness", "Why Catholics Honor the Blessed Mother", "Learning and Teaching the Virtues", "Learning Perseverance from St. Monica", and "Learning Steadfast Fath from St. Teresa of Availa". At once both inspirational and practical, Feeding Your Family's Soul is a "must" for Catholic families. Also highly recommended is O'Boyle's previous book, "Feeding Your Family's Soul: Dinner Table Spirituality" (9781612618357, $15.99).


The Gardening Shelf

Potted
Annette Goliti Gutierrez & Mary Gray
Timber Press
133 S.W. Second Avenue, Suite 450, Portland OR 97204-3527
www.timberpress.com
9781604696974, $19.95, PB, 228pp, www.amazon.com

An outdoor gardening style often comes at a high price -- but it doesn't have to. Not with "Potted: Make Your Own Stylish Garden Containers" by the team of Annette Goliti Gutierrez and Mary Gray (the creators and owners of Potted, a garden lifestyle boutique in Los Angeles). "Potted" is lushly illustrated and superbly designed guide empowers even the mos t novice of gardeners to create their own show-stopping containers made from everyday materials such as concrete, plastic, metal, terracotta, rope, driftwood, and fabric. The 23 step-by-step projects are affordable, made from accessible materials, and most importantly, gorgeous. They include new spins on old favorites, like the cinderblock garden made popular by design blogs or hanging planters made from enamelware bowls, along with never-before-seen ideas like a chimney flue planter and wall planters made from paint cans. Packed from cover to cover with color photographs and simple instructions, "Potted" is most especially recommended for anyone who wants to turn an outdoor space into a stylish oasis. While unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Gardening instruction collections and supplemental studies lists, it should be noted for home gardeners that "Potted" is also available in a digital book format ($9.99).


The Music Shelf

My British Invasion
Harold Bronson
Rare Bird Books
453 South Spring Street, Suite 302, Los Angeles, CA 90013
www.rarebirdlit.com
9781945572098, $17.95, 320pp, www.amazon.com

Harold Bronson co-founded the Rhino Records label, and co-ran the company with Richard Foos for 24 years. Rhino has been considered the best reissue label in the world, and for a number of years was awarded label of the year by the record retailers organization NARM. In "My British Invasion" Bronson, tells his personal story which began as a passionate music fan who explored the British music scene and met many of the performers whose music he loved, and in some cases got to know them as a music journalist, music executive, or friend, Harold gives a true insiders account of London's 1970s music scene. With chapters on Harold's immersion in London's rock scene in the early '70s and others on significant music makers from the '60s and '70s, "My British Invasion" gives both large and small scopes of the scene that brought us Herman's Hermits, The Hollies, The Kinks, The Yardbirds, Johnny Rotten, and Pirate Radio. Simply stated, "My British Invasion" is a 'must read" for all music fans of the British Invasion of the 1960s and 70s. While very highly recommended, especially for community and academic library 20th Century Music History collections and supplemental studies reading lists, it should be noted for students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "My British Invasion" is also available in a digital book format ($10.99).


The Christian Studies Shelf

Anointed: Gifts of the Holy Spirit
Pope Francis
Pauline Books & Media
50 St. Paul's Avenue, Boston, MA 02130-3433
0819806536 $18.95 hc / $13.00 ebook amazon.com

Anointed: Gifts of the Holy Spirit is a compilation of faith-affirming quotations by Pope Francis, paired with beautiful, full-color photography. Inspirational and reverent, Anointed reveals Pope Francis' abiding faith and reaches out to the reader to turn toward God in their everyday life. "In closeness with God and in listening to his Word, we put aside our own way of thinking. Little by little, we open what has been closed, and let go of our prejudices and ambitions. We learn instead to ask the Lord: what is your desire? What is your will? What pleases you?" An inset ribbon bookmark enhances this truly beautiful book, highly recommended for spiritual contemplation.

The Justice Calling
Bethany Hanke Hoang & Kristen Deede Johnson
Brazos Press
c/o Baker Publishing Group
6030 East Fulton, Ada, MI 49301
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
9781587433993, $18.99, PB, 240pp, www.amazon.com

True justice in this world requires a deep perseverance we simply cannot muster on our own. The world's needs are staggering and even the most passion-driven reactions, strategies, and good intentions can falter. But we serve a God who never falters, who sees the needs, hears the cries, and gives strength to his people through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Offering a comprehensive biblical theology of justice drawn from the whole story of Scripture, "The Justice Calling: Where Passion Meets Perseverance" by Bethany Hanke Hoang (Princeton Theological Seminary) and Kristen Deede Johnson (Associate Professor of Theology and Christian Formation, Western Theological Seminary, Holland, Michigan) invites their readers to know more intimately the God who loves justice and calls us to give our lives to seek the flourishing of others. "The Justice Calling" explores stories of injustice around the globe today and spurs Christians to root their passion for justice in the persevering hope of Christ. "The Justice Calling" also offer practices that can further form Christians into a people who join God's work of setting things right in the world. This paperback edition is enhanced with the inclusion of a reader's guide. "The Justice Calling" is thoroughly accessible, spiritually insightful, and highly recommended for all members of the Christian community regardless of denominational affiliation. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Justice Calling" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99).

Holy Desperation
Heather King
Loyola Press
3441 North Ashland Avenue, Chicago, IL 60657
www.loyolapress.com
9780829445145, $13.95, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com

Desperation has many faces: the addict who has hit bottom; the laid-off worker struggling to make the next house payment; the person who seems to have it all together but is wracked with fear, guilt, anger, or shame. We know we need help, but we are afraid to let anyone (especially God) see how broken we truly are. In "Holy Desperation: Praying as If Your Life Depends on It", Catholic convert Heather King demonstrates that, when we're desperate, it's precisely the right time to cry out to God. King, a survivor of addiction and other forms of desperation, begins with the basics of how to pray when you're uncertain that God exists or when you feel that you're beyond God's reach. She challenges the assumptions that only the saintly can pray and that prayer ought to be tidy and nice. She reveals how prayer leads us beyond ourselves and into a life of purpose, lived for the good of others. Ultimately, "Holy Desperation" is an invitation to engage in bold, come-exactly-as-you-are prayer, offering a way forward, upward, and outward for anyone desperate enough to cry out for God's help and presence. You are not alone. Inspired and inspiring, "Holy Desperation: Praying as If Your Life Depends on It" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99) and life-changing reading and very highly recommended reading for all Christians under stress.

Messy Journey
Lori Wildenberg
New Hope Publishers
PO Box 830711, Birmingham, AL 35283-0711
www.newhopepublishers.com
9781625915238, $14.99, PB, 200pp, www.amazon.com

"Messy Journey: How Grace and Truth Offer the Prodigal a Way Home" was written by licensed parent and family educator Lori Wildenberg specifically for parents walking the difficult road with a wayward child. Her readers will be inspired to drink the deep waters of peace as they draw closer to the Father of all prodigals. "Messy Journey" offers practical grace-filled and truth-founded ways of navigating a parental relationship with a detoured child whether they are rejecting faith, dabbling in sin, or wholeheartedly embracing sinful behavior. The underlying message of "Messy Journey" is one of hope -- that an errant child's struggle isn't really with their parents, it's with God. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Messy Journey" is both inspired and inspiring. While strongly recommended reading for all members of the Christian community, it should be noted that "Messy Journey" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99).

Joyce Rupp: Essential Readings
Michael Leach, editor
Marketing Department
Orbis Books
Price Building, Box 302, Maryknoll NY 10545-0302
www.orbisbooks.com
9781626982338, $22.00, PB, 208pp, www.amazon.com

Sister Joyce Rupp, O.S.M., is an award-winning author who is also a retreat and conference speaker. She is the co-director of The Institute of Compassionate Presence, a member of the Servite Order, and a volunteer for Hospice. An Iowa farmer's daughter, a sister to seven, a Sister to many, Joyce is a planter, grower, and spiritual midwife. She is also a writer, speaker, and retreat giver who receives invitations from five continents. Her books have been published in seven languages, including Croatian and Indonesian. She sings both chant and golden oldies, teaches theology and practices transpersonal psychology, is a lifelong Catholic appreciated by people of all faiths and criticized by some in her own faith as "out there". Compiled with an informative Introduction by Michael Leach ( editor-at-large and publisher emeritus of Orbis Books), the intended purpose of "Joyce Rupp: Essential Readings" is to provide the interested reader where Joyce is at, where she came from and where she is going, who she is, what she is like, and what she knows for sure -- all in her own words. While very highly recommended to the attention of the Christian community, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Joyce Rupp: Essential Readings" is also available in a Kindle format ($14.95).

Two Kingdoms & Two Cities
Robert C. Crouse
Fortress Press
P.O. Box 1209, Minneapolis, MN 55440-1209
http://fortresspress.com
9781506421568, $79.00, HC, 274pp, www.amazon.com

The recent emergence of "two kingdoms" and "two cities" approaches to Christian social thinking are shown to have a key and often unacknowledged connection to Luther's reshaping of the Augustinian paradigm. The project works for a better understanding of Luther's own thought to help understand the convergences and divergences of Christian political theology in the twentieth century and today. In particular, Luther's two-kingdom thinking issued forth in a strong distinction of law and gospel that was also worked out in twofold pairs of Israel and church, general and special revelation, creation and redemption, and especially the outward and inward life. "Two Kingdoms & Two Cities: Mapping Theological Traditions of Church, Culture, and Civil Order" traces this legacy through acceptance and modification by Niebuhr and Bonhoeffer, Lutheran and Catholic neoconservatives, Reformed two-kingdom proponents, Augustinian liberals, and finally Oliver O'Donovan. The conclusion reflects on both the historical narrative and its connection to an account of modern liberalism, as well as a theological reflection on hermeneutical decisions of the "twoness" of Christian theology. Very highly recommended for seminary and academic library Christian Studies collections, "Two Kingdoms & Two Cities" is based on a dissertation by Robert C. Crouse (who is Assistant Professor of Systematic theology at Knox Theological Seminary) completed at Wheaton College under the supervision of Daniel Treier.

The Wisdom of the Body
Christine Valters Paintner
Ave Maria Press
PO Box 428, Notre Dame, IN 46556
www.avemariapress.com
9781933495828, $16.95, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com

The distorted view of the perfect female body created by popular culture, television, movies, and the media often causes women to become uncomfortable with their own bodies. In "The Wisdom of the Body: A Contemplative Journey to Wholeness for Women", Christine Valters Paintner, (the Abbess of the online retreat center Abbey of the Arts), draws from Celtic, desert, and Benedictine traditions) seeks to help Christian women connect with their bodies through writing, visual art, and movement. Enhanced with an informative Introduction, a two page listing of Acknowledgements; four pages of Notes; and a three page listing of Additional Resource, "The Wisdom of the Body" is an extraordinarily inspired and inspiring work that will linger in the mind and memory long after the book is finished and set back upon the shelf. While very highly recommended for all members of the Christian community, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Wisdom of the Body" is also available in a Kindle format ($13.48).

The Good Book
Deron Spoo
David C. Cook
c/o Cook Communications
4050 Lee Vance Dr., Colorado Springs, CO 80918
www.davidccook.com
9780781414418, $22.99, HC, 400pp, www.amazon.com

"The Good Book: 40 Chapters That Reveal the Bible's Biggest Ideas" by Deron Spoo (Pastor of First Baptist Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma) offers a user-friendly guide to the Bible's biggest ideas. A chapter from the Bible accompanies each chapter of the book, which helps readers understand the context and content of the Scripture passages in a way that can open the whole Bible. Designed as a forty-day journey through forty key chapters of the Bible, The Good Book will appeal to those who already love and read the Bible regularly as well as to those who are just beginning their Christian journey. "The Good Book" will prove to be a great evangelism tool for explaining the major themes of Scripture to those who want to know more about God, Jesus, and the core beliefs of Christianity; gives new believers an overview of the Bible and lays a framework to help them understand Scripture passages; helps longtime Christians rediscover the basic themes of Scripture and experience these truths in a new way; and encourages Scriptural literacy as it pushes readers to read both one chapter of the book and one chapter of the Bible each day for forty days. "The Good Book" can also be used by small groups in an eight-week church-wide program or a forty-week journey that focuses on one Bible chapter each week. "The Good Book" will help people understand and live by the transformative truths of the Bible. Informed and informative, thoughtful and thought-provoking, inspired and inspiring, "The Good Book" is very highly recommended for church, seminary, and community library Biblical Studies collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Good Book" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99).

Questioning Evangelism, second edition
Randy Newman
Kregel Publications
2450 Oak Industrial Drive, NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49505
www.kregel.com
9780825444289, $17.99, PB, 280pp, www.amazon.com

There was something different about the way Jesus communicated with the lost: He didn't force answers upon people, He asked questions. So why don't we? Following Christ's lead, Randy Newman (who has served in campus ministry for over thirty years, now teaches at several evangelical seminaries and ministers in a variety of churches, and is currently a Senior Teaching Fellow with The C. S. Lewis Institute in Washington, DC.) has been using a questioning style of evangelism for decades. Now in an updated and expanded second edition of "Questioning Evangelism: Engaging People's Hearts the Way Jesus Did" he provides practical insights to help Christians engage others in meaningful spiritual conversations. He challenges Christian to examine how they think about people, their questions, and Christianity's crucial message. Inspired and inspiring, "Questioning Evangelism" is very highly recommended, especially for all members of the Christian community regardless of denominational affiliation. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Questioning Evangelism" is also available in a Kindle format ($12.14).


The Gaming Shelf

Bean Bag Games for Everyone
Laura Lee
Busy Bee Enterprises
6073 North 2300 West, Cedar City, UT 84721
www.beanbaggames.net
9780998013909, $38.95, PB, 1156pp, www.amazon.com

"Bean Bag Games for Everyone", compiled by Laura Lee (a licensed elementary teacher in four states and who has had many assignments in church youth groups) is a compendium of more than 1,000 indoor and outdoor games and activities for everyone using bean bags. Now anyone can add more enjoyment and fun to learning, family fun, travel, holidays, camping and even games just for fun to be enjoyed with family and friends. Thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Bean Bag Games for Everyone" is an especially unique and highly recommended addition to family, school, and community library recreational games and gaming collections.


The Education Shelf

Positive Behavior Supports in Classrooms and Schools, second edition
Keith Storey & Michal Post
Charles C. Thomas, Publisher
2600 South First Street, Springfield, IL 62704
http://www.ccthomas.com
9780398091651, $34.95, 318pp, www.amazon.com

The collaborative work of Keith Storey (Clinical Director at Ed Support Services in Oakland, California) and Michal Post (San Francisco State University and College of Alameda), and now in a newly updated and expanded second edition, "Positive Behavior Supports in Classrooms and Schools: Effective and Practical Strategies for Teachers and Other Service Providers" is unique collection of studies that will provide teachers and other service providers with the knowledge and skills for positive behavior supports in school settings, thereby improving the academic and social skills of their students. It is written in an informational format that teachers and other service providers can immediately put to use. The text is generic across age levels K-12, and focuses on the positive behavior supports in school settings. Each chapter begins with Key Written Questions, followed by Window to the World case studies, Discussion Questions, and suggestions for classroom and school activities. Additionally, an overview of positive behavior supports is examined, which includes measuring behavior, functional assessment and analysis, reinforcement, punishment, classroom structure, preventative procedures and Interventions, cooperative learning and peer tutoring. The self-management strategies, social skills instruction, and school-wide positive behavior supports are vital points that will prove valuable for training purposes. "Positive Behavior Supports in Classrooms and Schools" is a comprehensive and thoroughly 'user friendly' instructional 'how to teach' textbook book is specifically recommended for teachers and other direct service providers in a non-technical manner illustrated with specific real-world examples. "Positive Behavior Supports in Classrooms and Schools" is unreservedly recommended for both college and university library Teacher Education collections and supplemental studies reading lists.

Learning Under Neoliberalism
Susan Brin Hyatt, Boone W. Shear, Susan Wright, editors
Berghahn Books
20 Jay Street, Suite 512, Brooklyn, NY 11201
www.berghahnbooks.com
9781782385950, $120.00, HC, 228pp, www.amazon.com

As part of the neoliberal trends toward public-private partnerships, universities all over the world have forged more intimate relationships with corporate interests and more closely resemble for-profit corporations in both structure and practice. These transformations, accompanied by new forms of governance, produce new subject-positions among faculty and students and enable new approaches to teaching, curricula, research, and everyday practices. The ten contributors to "Learning Under Neoliberalism: Ethnographies of Governance in Higher Education" use ethnographic methods to investigate the multi-faceted impacts of neoliberal restructuring, while reporting on their own pedagogical responses, at universities in the United States, Europe, and New Zealand. Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by the team of Susan B. Hyatt (Associate Professor of Anthropology at IUPUI and founder of that department's MA program in Applied Anthropology); Boone W. Shear (Lecturer in the Anthropology Department at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst); and Susan Wright (Professor of Educational Anthropology at Aarhus University, and founder of the research program Education, Policy and Organisation in the Knowledge Economy), "Learning Under Neoliberalism" is a seminal contribution in the form of consistently outstanding scholarship with respect to college and university level practices and policies vis-a-vis corporate and governmental entities. While unreservedly recommended for academic library Educational Governance Studies collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, education policy makers, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Learning Under Neoliberalism" is now also available in a paperback edition (9781785335266, $29.95).


The Travel Shelf

All Over the Place
Geraldine DeRuiter
Public Affairs Books
c/o Perseus Book Group
250 West 57th Street, #1321, New York, NY 10107
www.publicaffairsbooks.com
9781610397636, $26.00, HC, 288pp, www.amazon.com

Hilarious, irreverent, and heartfelt, "All Over the Place: Adventures in Travel, True Love, and Petty Theft" chronicles the years Geraldine DeRuiter spent traveling the world after getting laid off from a job she loved. Those years of exploration around the globe taught her a great number of things -- though the ability to read a map was never one of them. She has only a vague idea of where Russia is, but she now understands her Russian father better than ever before. She learned that what she thought was her mother's functional insanity was actually an equally incurable condition called "being Italian". She learned what it's like to travel the world with someone you already know and love -- how that person can help you make sense of things and make far-off places feel like home. She learned about unemployment and brain tumors, lost luggage and lost opportunities, and just getting lost in countless terminals and cabs and hotel lobbies across the globe. And she learned that sometimes you can find yourself exactly where you need to be -- even if you aren't quite sure where you are. Informative, entertaining, unique, "All Over the Place: Adventures in Travel, True Love, and Petty Theft" is a thoroughly absorbing and memorable read from beginning to end. While very highly recommended, especially for community library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "All Over the Place" is also available in a Kindle format ($14.99).

Route 66 Adventure Handbook, fifth edition
Drew Knowles
Santa Monica Press
P.O. Box 850, Solana Beach, CA 92075
www.santamonicapress.com
9781595800916 $19.95 amazon.com

Now in its "High-Octane fifth edition", Route 66 Adventure Handbook is packed to the brim with travel information, trivia, black-and-white photographs, and more. Spotlights on the best vintage motels, cafes, museums, attractions, natural wonders and more make Route 66 Adventure Handbook a "must" for the car's dashboard or glove compartment on a Route 66 road trip! Highly recommended, especially for travelers (or armchair travelers) of America's most iconic highway.

California's Best Trips
Sara Benson
Lonely Planet Publications
150 Linden Street, Oakland CA 94607
www.lonelyplanet.com
9781786572264 $22.99 pbk / $13.49 ebook amazon.com

California's Best Trips: 33 Amazing Road Trips lives up to its title with almost three dozen excellent California road trip ideas, ranging from 2-day getaways to week-long adventures. Packed with maps (including a pull-out map), recommended hotels, top-rated restaurants, "must- see" destinations, and much more, California's Best Trips is easy to use and a delight to browse. Full-color photography enlivens this choice pick for automobile glove compartments whenever traveling in California for business or pleasure.

Local Eats Paris: A Traveler's Guide
Natasha McGuinness and Anne Bentley
Yellow Pear Press
yellowpearpress.com
9780997066425 $14.95 amazon.com

Featuring colorful art throughout, Local Eats Paris: A Traveler's Guide is a brief introduction to the cuisine of France (especially its capital city of Paris) especially for travelers who are unfamiliar with French delicacies. It should be noted that Local Eats Paris is not a cookbook, but rather a culinary tourist guide; each French foodstuff is paired with a color illustration and a mouth-watering description, often peppered with a bit of history. "While there are many different variations of quiche, one of the most popular is quiche Lorraine, which originated in the Lorraine region of France and clearly was named by very creative people. This savory pastry is made on an open-faced tart crust and traditionally features light and fluffy eggs, cheese, meat (usually ham) and vegetables (usually onion), and can be enjoyed either hot or cold."


The Hunting/Fishing Shelf

The Little Red Book of Hunter's Wisdom
Jay Cassell & Peter Fiduccia
Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018
www.skyhorsepublishing.com
9781616083939, $16.95, HC, 240pp, www.amazon.com

Compiled and collaboratively edited by the team of Jay Cassell, (the editorial director at Skyhorse Publishing and who has hunted all over North America. writing for Field & Stream, Sports Afield, Outdoor Life, Petersen's Hunting, Time, and many other outdoor oriented publications)and Peter Fiduccia (one of the most recognized authorities in the deer hunting community, known throughout North America as the "Deer Doctor", and an award-winning journalist and has hosted the Woods N' Water television series for thirty-two years, as well as the founder and consulting editor for Whitetail Hunting Strategies magazine), "The Little Red Book of Hunter's Wisdom" is packed from cover to cover with thoughtful and witty quotes drawn from Ernest Hemingway, Annie Oakley, Rudyard Kipling, David Mamet, William Faulkner, Marco Polo, and hundreds of others on the essence of man and his relationship to the hunt, with all its joys, idiosyncrasies, and challenges. Being a true hunter is a way of life, and "The Little Red Book of Hunter's Wisdom" is packed with memorable comments from men and women who live and breathe it. "The Little Red Book of Hunter's Wisdom" has words to live by for any outdoors enthusiast who enjoys a weekend in the woods or a relaxing Sunday on the lake. An inherently informative and thoughtful read from beginning to end, "The Little Red Book of Hunter's Wisdom" will prove to be an enduringly popular and appreciated addition to both community and academic library Hunting/Fishing collections. For the personal reading lists of all dedicated hunting enthusiasts it should be noted that there is finally both a paperback edition (9781510719002, $12.99) and a Kindle edition ($11.16) of "The Little Red Book of Hunter's Wisdom".

Clamming The Pacific Northwest Coast
Ken Axt
Frank Amato Publications
PO Box 82112, Portland, OR 97282
www.amatobooks.com
9781571885272, $19.95, PB, 88pp, www.amazon.com

Clam digging is a North American term for a common way to harvest clams (edible infaunal bivalve mollusks) from below the surface of the tidal sand flats or mud flats where they live. It is done both as an individual activity (for enjoyment or as a source of food) and commercially (as a source of income). Clamming is a rapidly growing hobby in the Pacific Northwest. It's great fun for all ages, you don't need a boat or expensive tackle, and chances are there is a location near you. As a "how to" instructional guide and manual, "Clamming The Pacific Northwest Coast" with its simple and illustrated instructions will even the most novice reader effectively and successfully harvesting clams in just minutes. For those with some experience and seek to broaden their skillset, "Clamming the Pacific Northwest Coast" is, simply stated, the most comprehensive guide for harvesting razor and bay clams. Also included are: informative maps, charts, tides, equipment, regulations, recipes, and much more. Easy to read and full of personal experience and family stories, "Clamming the Pacific Northwest Coast" is one of those rare guidebooks that are informative, fun, and inherently interesting. Absolutely 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Clamming The Pacific Northwest Coast" will prove to be an appreciated and enduringly popular addition to personal and community library collections.


The Automotive Shelf

Illustrated Dictionary of Automobile Body Styles, second edition
Lennart W. Haajanen
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
www.mcfarlandpub.com
9780786499182, $39.95, PB, 277pp, www.amazon.com

The automobiles manufactured today fit a fairly small number of body types, namely sedans, coupes, station wagons, the SUV, hatchbacks, and a few others. The meanings of these familiar terms have changed over the decades as automotive design has evolved. Along the way, a greater number of earlier body types have fallen out of use and become historical curiosities. Who today can identify a charabanc, a dos-a-dos or even a phaeton? Now in a fully updated and expanded second edition, "Illustrated Dictionary of Automobile Body Styles" by Lennart W. Haajanen (a retired technical consultant, vice president of the Swedish Bugatti Club and editor of its newsletter, the Bugazette) defines all distinct body types since the early days of the automobile, many of which were derived from horse-drawn vehicles. Entries, many including clear line drawings, describe popular types and variations from different countries and time periods as well as terms for body components. Subtypes and subtle distinctions are explained and common misuses of terms and designations are clarified. Uniquely informed and informative, comprehensive, and thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Illustrated Dictionary of Automobile Body Styles" is very highly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library Automotive History reference collections and supplemental studies reading lists.


The Business Shelf

High-Growth Levers
Mark Faust & Rob Vickery
Pelican Publishing Company
1000 Burmaster Street, Gretna, LA 70053-2246
www.pelicanpub.com
9781455622597, $22.95, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com

In "High-Growth Levers: How the Turnaround Mindset Propels Your Company", leading corporate strategist Mark Faust proves that your business can see positive growth with the application of action plans like assessing pressures and trends and defining the culture of your company. Whether you are a millennial manager, seasoned business owner, or fledgling entrepreneur, "High-Growth Levers" is an informed and informative 'must-read' guide that is sure to boost economic performance. Organized into three major sections (Strategy; Culture; Innovation), "High-Growth Levers" is an exceptionally well written, organized and presented read that is as thoughtful and thought provoking as it is insightful and inspiring. While very highly recommended, especially for community and academic library Business Management collections and supplemental studies lists, it should be noted for business students, business owners, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "High-Growth Levers" is also available in a Kindle format ($13.97).


The Crafts Shelf

Crafting for Cat Ladies
Kat Roberts
Lark Books
1166 Avenue of the Americas, 17th Floor, New York, NY 10036
www.larkcrafts.com
9781454710394, $16.95, PB, 128pp, www.amazon.com

Original, charming, entertaining, trendy, creative and a lot of fun to make, "Crafting for Cat Ladies" by Kat Roberts is comprised of 35 feline themed do-it-yourself crafts which divided into four sections: Accessories, Apparel, Home, and Party. The simple and rewarding projects range from a kitty clutch wallet and cat print jeans to kitty-shaped coasters and cat-themed tablecloth. Each project includes easy-to-follow step-by-step photography as well as an overview of the tools and materials used in "Crafting for Cat Ladies" projects, along with all the necessary templates. Profusely and beautifully illustrated throughout, "Crafting for Cat Ladies" is thoroughly 'user friendly in organization and presentation, making it an ideal and highly recommended addition to the personal crafts collections of community libraries in general, and anyone with a feline companion of their own in particular!


The Art Shelf

Pencil Art Workshop
Matt Rota
Rockport Publishers
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
400 First Avenue North, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55401-1722
www.quartoknows.com
9781631592690, $22.99, PB, 144pp, www.amazon.com

Matt Rota is a New York artist who currently teaches at the School of Visual Arts graduate visual narrative program, and has taught in the illustration department at the Maryland Institute College of Art. His drawings and prints have been exhibited at the National Arts Club, the Society of Illustrators, and Last Rites Gallery in New York; the Copro Gallery in Lost Angeles; Galerie L'Oeil du Prince in Paris; and other international locations. With "Pencil Art Workshop: Techniques, Ideas, and Inspiration for Drawing and Designing with Pencil" Matt has created a complete and profusely illustrated course of instruction in a single volume. Thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Pencil Art Workshop" is a compendium of do-it-yourself exercises as Matt covers drawing with a line, drawing with tone, drawing quickly, photo-realistic drawing, and adding color. While very highly recommended for art school and community library collections, it should be noted for art students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Pencil Art Workshop" is also available in a Kindle format ($11.99).


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

The Seven Deadly Sins: Seven Scars They Left Behind
Stories by Shuka Matsuda
Created by Nakaba Suzuki
Vertical, Inc.
451 Park Avenue South, 7th floor, New York, NY 10016
www.vertical-inc.com
9781945054136 $10.95 hc / $7.99 ebook amazon.com

The Seven Deadly Sins: Seven Scars They Left Behind is an anthology of short text stories that serve as a prequel to the fantasy manga and anime series "The Seven Deadly Sins". A blend of action and character drama thoroughly accessible to fans of all ages, the series is set in a fantasy world where certain soldiers, called Holy Knights, possess incredible magic powers. The titular Seven Deadly Sins are seven of strongest Holy Knights of all time. On one pivotal day, Zaratras, the Captain of the Holy Knights was murdered, allegedly by the Seven Deadly Sins, who afterward scattered to the corners of the earth. Few people knew the whole truth about what happened that fateful day... only a prophecy remained to suggest that the Seven Deadly Sins might return when they are most needed. The Seven Scars They Left Behind takes place during the ten years when the Seven Deadly Sins remained hidden; each story illuminates a facet of its corresponding character. Illustrated with a handful of black-and-white drawings by series creator Nakaba Suzuki, The Seven Scars They Left Behind is an excellent introduction or supplement to the manga/anime series. Highly recommended.

Those Who Run in the Sky
Aviaq Johnston
Inhabit Media
http://inhabitmedia.com
9781772271218, $13.95, PB, 200pp, www.amazon.com

"Those Who Run in the Sky" by Aviaq Johnston is a coming-of-age fantasy epic that follows a young shaman named Pitu as he learns to use his powers and ultimately finds himself lost in the world of the spirits. After a strange and violent blizzard leaves Pitu stranded on the sea ice, without his dog team or any weapons to defend himself, he soon realizes that he is no longer in the word that he once knew. The storm has carried him into the world of the spirits, a world populated with terrifying creatures (black wolves with red eyes, ravenous and constantly stalking him and water-dwelling creatures that want nothing more than to snatch him and pull him into the frigid ocean through an ice crack) as well as beings less frightening, but equally as incredible, such as a lone giant who can carry Pitu in the palm of her hand and keeps caribou and polar bears as pets. After stumbling upon a fellow shaman who has been trapped in the spirit world for many years, Pitu must master all of his shamanic powers to make his way back to the world of the living, to his family, and to the girl that he loves. An original, entertaining, and inherently engaging novel from beginning to end, "Those Who Run in the Sky" will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to the personal reading lists of dedicated fantasy fans, as well as highschool and community library Science Fiction/Fantasy collections.


The American History Shelf

Brule River Country
Nan Wisherd
Cable Publishing
14090 E. Keinemen Road, Brule, WI 54820
www.cablepublishing.com
9781934980767, $25.95, HC, 240pp, www.amazon.com

"Brule River Country" by Nan Wisherd is a compendium of stories drawn from the history of the Lake Superior region. Starting with the fur traders' journals and ancient maps, moving on to stories of the early settlers, and including the strife caused by a Communist Movement, "Brule River Country" sweeps through four centuries of legend, lore and history. Organized into five principle sections (Charting the Brule River Country; Boat Builders in the Brule River country; The Brule River Country in 1906; Pioneers & Entrepreneurs in the Brule River Country; Early Social & Political Activities in the Brule river Country), and enhanced with the inclusion of an informative Introduction and Afterword, three pages of Source Notes, and an eighteen page Bibliography, "Brule River Country" is an inherently engaging read from beginning to end. Exceptionally well researched, written, organized and presented, "Brule River Country" is very highly recommended, especially for community and academic library American History collections and supplemental studies lists. For the personal reading lists of students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Brule River Country" is also available in a paperback edition (9781934980774, $18.95) and in a Kindle format ($9.95).


The Military Shelf

Proud to Be a Marine
C. Brian Kelly with Ingrid Smyer
Sourcebooks Inc.
1935 Brookdale Road, #139, Naperville, IL 60563
9781492636588 $18.99 www.sourcebooks.com

Prize-winning journalist C. Brian Kelly and his columnist wife Ingrid Smyer-Kelly present Proud to Be a Marine: Stories of Strength and Courage from the Few and the Proud lives up to its title with true tales of men - and women! - of courage, honor, and sacrifice who served in the Marine Corps. Spanning history from the American Revolution to the modern day, these tales include stories of the first African-Americans and women to enter the Marine Corps, stories of valor recognized through awards such as the Medal of Honor, stories of grace under pressure, and much more. An index enhances this inspirational anthology, highly recommended for public library collections and personal reading lists.


The Coloring Book Shelf

Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: 100 Images to Inspire Creativity
Disney Editions
www.disneybooks.com
c/o Hachette Book Group
1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104
www.hachettebookgroup.com
9781484789742 $15.99 ColorbyDisney.com

Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: 100 Images to Inspire Creativity is an adult coloring book, although young people can certainly enjoy it as well. The book consists entirely of black-and-white pages of artwork featuring characters from and patterns inspired by the classic animated movie, Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, ideal for embellishment with color pencils or other artistic tools. An excellent resource for developing one's imagination, getting into a Halloween holiday mood, or simply relaxing, 100 Images to Inspire Creativity lives up to its title and is highly recommended.


The Philosophy Shelf

Hamilton and Philosophy
Edited by Aaron Rabinowitz and Robert Arp
Open Court Publishing Company
70 East Lake Street, Suite 800, Chicago, IL 60601
www.opencourtbooks.com
9780812699609 $18.95 pbk / $12.24 ebook amazon.com

Part of the "Pop Culture and Philosophy" series, Hamilton and Philosophy: Revolutionary Thinking assembles thoughtful essays by a diversity of learned authors, examining ideas pertinent to the smash hit Broadway musical "Hamilton" (which in turn is based on the life of Alexander Hamilton, one of America's Founding Fathers). Individual writings include "The Right Way to Win Over Posterity", "Who's the Hero?", "Founding Fathers, Founding Slavers", and much more. Sophisticated yet accessible to readers of all backgrounds, Hamilton and Philosophy is especially recommended to anyone interested in a deeper, richer understanding of the play or of the life of this remarkable man.


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


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